Proposal- Civil Engineering

Proposal To: Dr. Rod Zink From: Shivani Priyam SUBJECT: Recommendation Report â€Å"Topic† Revised Draft: Wednesday April 17, 2013 The purpose of this proposal is to summarize my recommendation report. Through this proposal, I will explain my theoretical situation in which I make a recommendation to the Assotech Limited’s Planning and Coordination team as to which type of master plan is best suited for their upcoming project. Through the course of this proposal I will explain Assotech Limited’s position in the Real Estate market in India.I will also compare two master plans since that will be critical in making a strong informative recommendation to the organization. Finally, at the end of my proposal I will outline my tentative schedule and breakdown the costs that I expect to incur while putting together my recommendation report. Introduction As Civil Engineer I have been hired by Assotech Limited to select the best master plan for a land area of 12. 062 acres, which comprises of  High Rise Towers of 2 BHK, 3BHK, 3 BHK + Servant room + Study & 4 BHK + Servant room + Study apartments as per the market requirements catering to buyers of all segments of the society.Some inventory of villas has also been introduced to take the advantage of huge demand for this. I have been hired to help the company choose between 2 possible master plans for the development. I will compare the two alternatives and recommend the best possible alternative for the company and the future residents. The company wants a master plan that takes into account the climatic conditions, sun and wind movement and incorporates these factors in our designs.I have to suggest the best alternative that will be the most efficient, the most cost effective option and also the most reliable over time for the homeowners and also maximize the use of natural elements in our buildings. Description of Case study The site is strategically located at Sector 99; in the upcoming New Gurgao n Area (India), which is in close proximity to the newly built Terminal-3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport, . The topography of the site is majorly flat with minor level differences.The client needs a master plan that will build Low rise development on the Southern side and high raise development on the Northern side for maximum utilization of natural resources. Gurgaon falls in the Composite Climatic Zone of India having all types of climatic characteristics from hot & dry, warm, humid as well as cold conditions. A climatic data glance over the past two decades show that hottest months are from May till June and the coldest months are from December till January, normal Annual Rainfall being 553mm. The Average Annual Wind Direction is North West to South East.The winds in this zone on an average are light but gain force in summers and monsoons. The site is located south East to the master plan. The wind direction being North West to South East will bring purified cool breeze i nto the site. Human comfort is a function of four primary variables; air temperature, air movement, humidity, and the mean radiant temperature of interior surfaces. Natural ventilation is an energy efficient way to increase human comfort because air movement increases heat transfer from the surface when cooler outside air replaces warm and humid indoor air.Natural ventilation, unlike fan-forced ventilation, uses the natural forces of wind and buoyancy to deliver fresh air into buildings. To maximize Natural Ventilation in buildings we need: * Set Building orientation to receive prevailing breezes * Cooling of breezes by vegetative shading * Introduction of water bodies along the wind path to control temperature. * Architectural devices such as wind chimneys, atria, courtyards, windows, and operable blinds to induce natural air flow. The Two Plans:The two types of master plans that Assotech limited are taking under consideration incorporates all the major factors such as the climatol ogy, wind, solar path and solar gain but vary in terms of the amount of energy and cost it can save which is where my job begins. The first plan is called the Option 1 and the second plan is called Option 2. Before a decision on the two plans can be made, Environment clearance certificate needs to be obtained and the two plans needs to be tested upon three major factors: 1.Strategically Oriented buildings to maintain apartment temperatures through wind and sunlight. 2. Natural ventilation, unlike fan –forced ventilation, should use the natural forces of wind and buoyancy to deliver fresh air into buildings. 3. Should use temperature friendly materials for optimal apartment insulation. Comparative study of the two plans: The comparative study here shows the total energy and cost savings fro the two options. It presents a very drastic contrast between the two options with regards to AC cooling, Heating systems and Day lighting in the areas.This table highlights the energy savin gs with respect to the three main factors and also clearly states which option is the most efficient one. Take example of one bedroom of 150 -170 Sq. ft. Average running of 175 days in a year | Option1| Option2| A C (summers)| | | Connected load| 1. 5 tr| 1. 5 tr| operational load| 1. 3 tr| 1. 5 tr| total energy saving/ day| 2. 0 KW| NIL| Heating (winters)| | | Connected load| 2. 0 KW| 2. 0 KW| operational load| 1. 7 KW| 2. 0 KW| total energy saving/ day| 7. 0 KW| NIL| Day lighting| | | Connected load| 100 W| 100W| operational load| 65 W| 65 W| otal energy saving/ day| 70 W| NIL| Saving due to option 1 = 6581. 625 INR or 121. 47  US Dollar| In AC cooling systems, it shows a difference of 0. 2 tr. between the two options regarding operational load. It also shows the total energy savings if we go with Option1- Master Plan Green. In heating systems, it shows a difference of 0. 3 tr. in terms of operational loading, hence contributing majorly to towards total energy savings with optio n 1. In Day lighting, although there isn’t any loading difference but option 1 contributes 70 W worth energy saving, as compared to option 2 which contributes NIL.In conclusion, as it is evident from the comparative table, option 1 is a more efficient, cost effective and the most reliable option for our consumers. Option 1- Master Plan Green The massing on the site is such that to maximize the views from the Expressway. The blocks on the North and North West get the benefit of views of the Master Plan Green. The hierarchy of heights on the site respects the Vaastu Principles with lower tower on the North East and increasing heights towards South West. The geometry of the site has also been considered.The entrances of the site are at North East and South West with reference to Vaastu requirements. The central location of the Clubhouse gives an easy access from all parts of the site. The Club also has a direct access to avoid congestion on any part of the site. All the building s on the site face Central Green Courtyards. The site is divided into two huge green courts flowing into each other through a central lawn. Option 2- Master Plan White This option gets the benefit of the Natural Resources that is Wind and Sun.The Wind Movement has been taken care of by placing the building blocks strategically to get the advantage of natural ventilation in maximum number of apartments. The peripheral road gives a direct access to all the blocks with their separate drop offs. The placement of Villas on the Southern edge of the site and Taller buildings on the Northern edge allows Sun penetration in maximum number of apartments. Decision Criteria: In option 2 there is a linear tower in the central court,  this makes a closed courtyard comparing with Option 1.After closely observing the shadow diagram of both the options I concluded that option 1 has less shadow towers falling on each other and have open court yard (from club side) thus having better cross ventilatio n for  all the towers and its units. The minimum amount of shadows helps us in winters and reduces the requirement of heating load in overall load capacity as well as operational time when compared with option 2. Same is case for cross ventilation. Option 1 reduces the heat, makes the indoor spaces cooler as compared to option 2 thus reducing the load on the air conditioning. Prospective Audience:My primary audience would be the Manager of the Planning and Coordination team, who will read the report and recommendations and decide what he/she believes, will work best for his/her situation. The secondary audience will be the owners and management of the construction company. They will be making the final decision for the company and decide if the recommendation that I give to them will be best for their situation and whether or not they will be using those master plans. They will also check to ensure that the recommended mater plans meets all of the requirements that they have given to me as their engineer.Another audience for the report would be the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority who is in charge of the entire environment related factors will have to approve of the plan to make sure it will meet all of the regulation in the areas. Work Schedule For Implementation Of The Plan: The work schedule will begin as soon as the final proposal is handed in and will finish the day that the report is due. Task| April 1st– 8th | 9th-22nd| April 23rd- May 5th | 6th -12th | 13th– 19th | May 20th -June 3rd | Research systems| | | | | | | Form idea on better system| | | | | | | Initial Report draft body| | | | | | |Report front and end matter draft| | | | | | | Review and edit| | | | | | | Finish report and print and binding| | | | | | | Cost of Publication for the plan: The costs for the two options I am considering in my recommendation report are charted below: Option| Cost| Option 1 Air Conditioning unitsHeating UnitsVentilation strategiesSunli ght incorporated tower structure| $6. 48 /- per sq. ft. | Option 2 Air Conditioning unitsHeating UnitsVentilation strategiesSunlight incorporated tower structure | $10. 78 /- per sq. ft. | I have decided to go with option 1. Total savings due to option 2 is 121. 47  US Dollar.Schedule for the recommendation report: I feel as I navigate through this project I would need to plan and stay focused to accomplish all tasks in a timely manner and hence my planner for this recommendation report would be: Task| Week 11| Week 12| Week 13| Week 14| Week 15| Week 16| 1| Proposal| | | | | 2| | | Initial Draft| | | 3| | | | | Complete| | 4| | | | | | Final| Qualifications: This project falls under my current work related responsibilities. As a civil engineer in Assotech Limited, I have a wealth of resources and knowledge available to conduct a realistic analysis for the two master plan alternatives.I also fully understand the pros and cons of the two options, which would help me to see the effe ct of each on the company and how it would result in achieving the main aim of the project. Since, I am able to utilize the resources I have available through Assotech Ltd. my cost for this project will very minimal. Cost of required materials I believe these could be the possible costs while creating the final product. The costs would include the cost of color printing, and the coil binding. Thus the break down of the cost is listed below: Items| Cost| Color printing| $0. 49| Paper| $0. 0| Coil Binding| $ 3. 50| Total | $3. 99| ————————————————- Permission to Continue: After reading the proposal I am asking for permission to carry onto the recommendation report for the task of finding a suitable master plan in relation to climatic conditions and energy usage for Assotech limited for their project in Gurgaon, India. Citation requirements: 1. Assotech Limited. . 2012. Assot ech Blith [Internet]. Noida (UP): Assotech Moonshine Urban Developers Pvt Ltd; [2012 January, cited 2013 February]. Available from: http://assotechlimited. om/our-projects/featured-project-assotech-blith. html The website is the official website of Assotech Ltd. I am using this website as one of my sources for the recommendation report since this page would help me find information on the company and help me with my analysis and findings. I have used this website for obtaining the data for the comparative study, the cost of publishing and the work schedule for the plan to be implemented. 2. 2009. Gurgaon (UP): Sustainable Habitats- Teri Initiative [cited 2013]. Available from: http://www. sustainable-buildings. org/files/composite_SolarEnergy. df As we know, large quantities of energy are consumed in providing lighting, ventilation, and thermal comfort in the buildings. Using proper planning and design the architects have made it possible to reduce the wastage of energy and lighting . Thus, this website helped me with all the topography and climate related information required for my comparative study. Secondly, this website provided me with the information I needed to base my comparative options which were AC cooling, heating system and day lighting. Thirdly, it also gave me information about the location of the construction. 3. A R COP. 007. Planning and coordination [Internet]. 2007. Arcop Associates Pvt. Ltd, cited 2013] Available from: http://www. arcop. co. in/planningandurbandesign. htm ————————————————- This website helped me with my master plan options and cost related questions. I used this website to obtain the visuals I needed for my report. It provided me with all the details along with the visuals for the master plan green as well as the master plan white. ——————————â €”———– [ 1 ]. Vaastu- â€Å"ancient doctrine about science of construction and architecture. †

Red Cliff and Early Chinese Notions

Red Cliff and Early Chinese Notions Introduction The philosophies of early Chinese thinkers differ greatly from the mindset of modern day philosophers. The four major philosophies of China, Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism and Legalism arose primarily during the Warring States era from 475 BC to 221 BC. Following the end of the Qin Dynasty and the fall of Qin Shi Huang, Confucianism became the dominant philosophical school in China.Confucianism represented the teachings of Chinese philosopher, Confucius, concerning the fields of ethics and politics and emphasizes on personal and government morality, humaneness and one’s duty to family and society. Following the popularity of Confucianism and the death of Confucius, the creation of The Analects or Lunyu , was written by Confucius’ followers and disciples in the Warring States period. His teachings were the first to introduce the concept of meritocracy which considers that one’s status in society should not be determi ned by ancestry, wealth, or friendship but rather on education and one’s character.Confucius also explores notions on human nature and self cultivation and the purpose of human existence. This paper will focus on early Chinese philosophies of the relationship between the individual and the state and the relationship between man and nature with references and examples from the film, Red Cliff. The Relationship between the Individual and the State The three core concepts of Confucianism, â€Å"filial devotion (xiao), humaneness (ren), and ritual decorum (li)† (Sources of Chinese Tradition, p. 3) embed the behavioural standards and expectations of how a person should practice these virtues. Furthermore, the three essential values integrate into Confucius’ views on government as well. Filial piety practiced within one’s family translates into how much one is willing to give to society which results in the stability of a state. Humaneness observes the importan ce of a ruler treating his people as how he would want to be treated if he were in their position. In Confucius’ perspective, ritual offers a sense of respect s rites are a mean of expression of a leader’s morality and also â€Å"encourages a sense of dignity and responsiveness among the people† (Sources of Chinese Tradition, p. 43). Filial piety ? is considered the most fundamental of all Confucian teachings. The term can have a broad meaning that not only includes the obedience a child must show for his parents but also respect that should be shown to the living and dead. Filial piety develops into five relationships: ruler to ruled, father to son, husband to wife, elder brother to younger brother, and friend to friend.When subjects respect their ruler and the ruler respects the Heavens, the state will in turn thrive and prosper. From The Analects, Confucius states, â€Å"If a ruler himself is upright, all will go well without orders. But if he himself is not upright, even though he gives orders they will not be obeyed†. The concept of filial piety is displayed in many different ways in the film, Red Cliff. Because of the compassion and brotherhood the southern warlord, Liu Bei, has shown towards his subjects, they were prepared to sacrifice their lives for him and the state.Because Liu Bei has treated his ministers and warriors with respect, as a result, they willingly followed his leadership. Conversely on Cao Cao’s side, his subjects were obedient towards him but only because they were afraid of him. They know not to trust Cao Cao because of his apprehensive and suspicious character that could result in impulsive decisions to kill anyone without any reason or justification. Loosely quoted from Zhuge Liang, â€Å"Although Cao Cao leads a large army, the majority surrendered to him so they are not as trustworthy. † He has not shown humaneness ? o his subjects, therefore they were not motivated to fight for him. Anot her example of filial piety and the relationship between the individual and the state is displayed through Xiao Qiao’s decision to cross over to Cao Cao’s camp in order to buy time for the Southerners. Her duty to her husband and the state required her to forsake her personal interests including her life, her child’s life, and her relationship with her husband, for the greater good. â€Å"This is our home. Our people gladly give their lives for her sake. How can I stand idly by. † – Xiao Qiao (Red Cliff II, 2009)Many Western philosophers may not understand and argue that the Chinese philosophy of individualism emphasizes on one’s connection to external powers of authority rather than total independence and creativity. However the Chinese tradition is not about conforming each person’s ideas and sacrificing oneself for society, it â€Å"focuses on the individual as a vitally integrated element within a larger familial, social, politic al, and cosmic whole† (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Brindley). The core meaning of individualism is the thought of one’s self cultivation and the moral obligation to society and the importance of public service.This definition leads to the term junzi which simply means the ideal of becoming the â€Å"perfect man† who â€Å"combines the qualities of saint, scholar, and gentleman†. The two most prominent examples of a junzi in the film are Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang. Zhou Yu’s forgiving nature allows him to achieve a greater good for his people when he chose to pardon his friend’s action of siding with Cao Cao. He did not choose to kill him when his childhood friend tried to convince him to surrender to Cao Cao but instead tolerated his friend’s disloyal character.On the other hand, Zhuge Liang is a good representation of a junzi as he uses his moral autonomy to help the people. Because he knows clearly what is right and wrong, he combines his intelligence with righteousness to convince others of accepting his strategies as an advisor. In conclusion, both having filial piety and being a junzi are two of the ways the early Chinese believe an individual can contribute back into society. In the film Red Cliff, the underlying moral of the story relates back to these two themes whether it is in the form of brotherhood, husband and wife or a leader and his subjects.The Relationship between Man and Nature The relationship between man and nature in classical Chinese philosophy can be characterized as the â€Å"relation of Heaven and man† or the fundamental concept of â€Å"tienren he yi† . The academic aim of Chinese thinkers was to educate the people on this philosophy. As quoted from Sima Qian stating the purpose of his work Records of the Grand Historian, â€Å"I want to hereby elucidate the relation of Heaven and man, to discern its historical development from Past to Present, and to state my disti nctive views. After the middle period of the Warring States, classical thinkers strongly emphasized the relation of Heaven and man. When Confucius speaks about the â€Å"Mandate of Heaven† and when Mozi talks about the â€Å"Will of Heaven†, they are ultimately referring to nature as Heaven being the supreme entity of the world, above all kings and all sources of power. However this philosophy was divided into two sides, one highlighting the unity between man and nature and the other putting much emphasis on the separation of the two.Nevertheless, the doctrines supporting the unity of man and nature was more influential and accepted more widely as the thought of stressing on the separation of the two was only held by a minority. Therefore it can be assumed that most Chinese philosophers place high social values on peace and harmony and the idea of â€Å"unity of nature and man†. To the Chinese, the relationship between humans and nature was regarded as reciproca ls. Heaven, earth, and man represented a single unity governed by the cosmic law or dao.Mencius, the most famous of Confucius’ followers, thought of Heaven as the highest order in which even the emperor or â€Å"Son of Heaven† should obey. Reinstating the idea of the hierarchy of respect Mencius states that †¦when the personal life is cultivated, the family will be regulated; when the family is regulated, the state will be in order; and when the state is in order, there will be peace throughout the world. From the Son of Heaven down to the common people, all must regard the cultivation of personal life as the root or foundation.Mencius believed that a person’s moral self is the basis of having a harmonized society. And in order for a leader to earn the respect and support of his subjects, he must first respect the Heavens. Since humans are an integral part of nature, man should also obey the laws of nature. According the Mencius, human nature is given by He aven, therefore the two are interconnected. In Confucian thinking, the meaning of Heaven or nature has a variety of aspects, including the sky, weather, the natural order, and also a moral order. One of Confucius’ disciples Xunzi quotes â€Å"tian as a atural order, operating according to unchanging principles, not intervening in extraordinary ways in human affair but, rather, providing the context within which all living things exist† (Sources of Chinese Tradition, p. 170). Other Confucians also adopted the idea of oneness of Heaven and man. â€Å"All things exist together, and they do not harm each other; all ways exist together, and they do not come into conflict† – Zhongyong (Doctrine of the Mean). In the film Red Cliff, an example of acting out against nature or Heaven can be seen from Cao Cao’s perception of the war.When Cao Cao tells Zhou Yu that he cannot believe he lost the war because of the wind, Zhou Yu replies him, â€Å"Because you d on’t understand the Will of Heaven. † The meaning of this phrase can be seen as having two connotations. The first, because Cao Cao did not understand the patterns of the weather, he was unable to predict the time when the wind was going to change directions. The second significance has a more profound undertone in which Zhou Yu means that Cao Cao did not recognize the natural order wherein society should follow under harmonized principles that the Heavens intended (tian yi, . Because Cao Cao always thought he was responsible for bringing together all the states as an order of the Emperor, he could not see past his own greed and ambitions. He perceived the war as child’s play and disrupts peace in the country to achieve his goal of total dominance. His belief of unifying the states contradicts the early philosophers’ notions of all things existing in harmony and having self cultivation and moral order as the true â€Å"Will of Heaven†. ConclusionIn conclusion, one can see that classical Chinese philosophers developed ideas that are rarely seen in Western philosophies. The Chinese philosophies characterize how fundamental they perceive moral principles and self cultivation as the basis of society. Essentially, these notions relate to the promotion of human relations towards a harmonious society through its inclusiveness of Heaven, Earth, and Human order. Reference List De, Bary William Theodore, Irene Bloom, Wing-tsit Chan, Joseph Adler, and Richard John Lufrano.Sources of Chinese Tradition. New York: Columbia UP, 1999. Print Hagop Sarkissian. â€Å"Individualism in Early China: Human Agency and the Self in Thought and Politics (review). † Philosophy East and West 62. 3 (2012): 408-410. Project MUSE. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. . Red Cliff Chi Bi. Magnolia Home Entertainment, 2008. DVD â€Å"Theories Concerning Man and Nature in Classical Chinese Philosophy. † CHAPTER I. N. p. , n. d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. .

Graphing Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Graphing - Speech or Presentation Example Original equation is equal to y=3/2 x+ c and the gradient is 3/2. The product of gradient of perpendicular and original line is -1. Therefore, 3/2 (m2) =-1. M2 becomes -2/3. The equation of perpendicular is therefore y=-2/3 x+ c. One line is parallel to another if the lines can never meet when extended in both directions. Parallel lines have the same gradient or slope hence they never meet each other. Parallel lines are easily determined by comparing gradients or slopes of each given lines in their equations. The equations are normally in the form of y=mx+c, whereby y represents the values of y-axis in the line and x represents the values of x-axis. M represents the gradient or the slope of the line while c represents the y-intercept. Y-intercept is a point where the line cuts the y-axis. X-intercept is a point where the line cuts the x-axis. Lines are said to be perpendicular to each other if the product of their gradients is equal to -1. This means that perpendicular lines meet at a right angle, that is, the angle between perpendicular lines is 90Â °. The ordered pair or the coordinate of their meeting point is equal. Given the equation of a line, one can determine the gradient of the perpendicular line by finding the negative reciprocal of the gradient of the original line. Coordinate (0, 0) is referred to as the origin. It is the meeting point of y-axis and x-axis. Coordinates or ordered pair must be enclosed in a

Biotechnology Genetically Engineered Soybeans Essay

Biotechnology Genetically Engineered Soybeans - Essay Example This alleviates the need for same species to induce the genetic changes which can be transmitted in the subsequent progenies. The other specific feature of this technology is possibility of ignoring reproductive compatibility within the species with an accelerated generation of new progenies with the induced phenotypic and genotypic characters. It is to be considered that genetic engineering enables scientists to introduce the DNA fragments of a foreign organism into a plan through an entirely artificial way, which could be naturally imprecise and has all probability of being unpredictable, despite being unique (Stacey et al., 2004). The soybean is considered a major source of protein in human and animal nutrition, and it is also a source of vegetable oil. Soybean is also considered to be an economically important legume, However, naturally there are many variations in the phenotype of the seed, and this is prominent in seed weight. The bean in soybean is unique since it accumulates high levels of protein and oil, and a typical soybean seed has been reported to contain 40% of protein and 20% of oil by weight. Therefore the propensity of a larger size of seed and weight would ensure that protein and oil per seed can be considerably increased if the weight of the seed could be increased by any means (Clemente and Cahoon, 2009). To start with genetic modification of soybean was accomplished to achieve herbicide tolerant soybeans since these led to improved yields and reduced use of pesticides. Specifically, the advantages of herbicide tolerant soybeans were improved weed control, significant reduction of soil erosi on the crop fields, reduction in injury to the crop, and reduced cost on fuels. Therefore, the intention of this genetic modification was to lead to improved crops. Historically, crop varieties that resist diseases have been preferred by cultivators due mainly to their improved quality characteristics. One such example is genetically engineered soybeans that are tolerant to nonselective herbicides such as glyphosphate. Foliar administration of herbicide glyphosphate can kill soy plants, and as a result genetically engineered glyphosphate tolerant soybeans was a choice immediately since during growing season, glyphosphate may considerably reduce the yield (Qin and Lynne, 2007). This specific breed would allow the farmers to use glyphosphate to control weeds yet not lose on the crop yield. Specific Alteration The specific alteration involves introduction of a single gene in the commercial soybeans. This resulted in high level of glyphosphate tolerance to the soybean plants. A single gene encoding the glyphosphate tolerant 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase was introduced in the soybean genome. This was derived from Agrobacterium Sp. Strain CP4. 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase is known to be present in plants and bacteria as a component of shikimate pathway to synthesize aromatic amino acids. Glyphosphate tolerance locus could be identified in the glyphosphate tolerant locus in GTS 40-3-2, which had been studied to be a stable and simple dominant trait that can be transferred across generations through

Situation in Europe during the Holocaust Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Situation in Europe during the Holocaust - Essay Example Slovakia despite being sovereign, they resulted to be more depended on Nazi Germany. This was after their dismemberment from Czechoslovakia where they teamed up in annihilation and extradition of Jews.Hungary initially was independent, but its politics took a drastic change that underwent various regimes. This encompassed from democratic through Bolshevik revolution to dictatorial state (Pinder-Ashenden 134). During the autocratic period, it collaborated with Germany to execute anti-Semitic ideology. This yielded to the annihilation of Jews, for instance, in 1944 where it expatriated 420,000 Jews; Nazis executing 75%. The state’s political structure and its leaders prompted more killing besides collaborating with the Germany. Germany’s involvement was the pretense to supplement its resources that were depleted due to immense war cost while the Jews’ role was a secondary in the Hungarian economy (Pinder-Ashenden 137).The three states despite some having the power to maintain their sovereignty, they collaborated with Germany who by then was more powerful and master of war, especially against the Soviet Union. The main trend among the three was the extermination of the Jews who seemed or thought to be Soviet Union’s spies, hence threatening the stability of the German. Primarily, this was in the states in which German had control over where it instigated extermination of Jews to shun leakage of information to its enemies (Pinder-Ashenden 138).

Human Resource Development in Organisations (HRD) Assignment

Human Resource Development in Organisations (HRD) - Assignment Example In order to make the human resources capable of meeting the present challenges, it is necessary to update their knowledge through training and development. It is impossible for the employees to adapt to the changing organizational culture and environment in the absence of proper training. There many different training methods adopted by an organization for the proper manpower development. In fact training starts immediately after the appointment itself. It is impossible for an employee to adapt with the organizational culture and tradition easily even if he/she might be richly experienced in some other organization. Induction training is a type of training given to the new employees at the time inducting them in the organization. This may lasts from few hours to few days depending on the nature of the employees, organization and the tasks employees going to perform. This paper mainly focusing on the need and importance of induction training, topics needed to be included in the induction training, the role of Human Resource Development (HRD), importance of organizational culture to the new employees etc. Induction training is essential for the new employees in order to make them aware of the organizational culture and environment. It is impossible to have two organizations with similar culture or environment even if they are of same size, operating in same field and location. For example, if a printer working in a printing unit relocating to another printing unit in the same location, he needs induction training even if he is rich in experience. Some organizations may adopt some specific business strategies and it is necessary for the employees to be accustomed in it. For example, in tire industry, some manufacturers make steel radial tires whereas some others make radial tires using the fibers. Even though both the manufacturers are

Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 36

Personal Statement Example I have now decided to follow my heart and complete my medical program from the University so that I can continue to serve the people who would benefit from my professional expertise. Apart from the objective of ensuring good education for my children, I am a self-driven person who would like to reach the highest level of professional excellence, both in terms of gaining knowledge and attaining high status in society as a medical professional. I would also like to contribute constructively to the society which has been so helpful in my years of adjustment within a new culturally different environment when I had moved from Armenia to America. My American friends and neighbours and my friends from Armenia have always encouraged me to remain optimist. After 14 years of running a restaurant successfully, I now realize that my medical experience needs to be applied for the wider welfare of the society which has given me so much. Thus, I believe that the American degree in medicine would equip with necessary knowledge and skills so that I can re-start my practice as a dentist in America. Throughout my career as a medical professional, I have been proactively involved in the well-being of my patients as well as with the students of medical programs and community groups. I have extensively participated in the medical seminars and conferences which have greatly benefitted students and young medical professionals. I have been invited as guest speakers in many of the conferences organized at the Medical University of Yerevan, Armenia which has also recognized my contribution by awarding me the certificate of ADA (Armenian Dental Association). I have also held educational and clinical seminars for medical students where they got hands-on experience in the clinical setting. The various activities that involved medical fraternity and the

Risk and Return Journal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Risk and Return Journal - Assignment Example This journal examines the importance of risk and returns balance (De Bondt and Werner, 1993). Investing in a risk-free portfolio leads to low or no return on investment. For example, an investment in risk-free government bonds yields slight returns on investments. Investors tend to increase their profits by venturing into riskier portfolios. Increasing income is the primary function of doing business, so it is necessary to venture into a substantial amount of risk to achieve this objective. Keeping this in mind it is necessary also to note that taking on a large risk does not necessarily guarantee high returns. There are two aspects of risk, first is the probability of loss on investment. For example, if an investment yields lower returns than expected. Then there is the possibility of earning more than what is. For instance waiting to get 11% return rate but getting a 13% return rate (Bailey, 1994). It is important to maintain a risk and return balance to reduce exposure to losses brought about by risk. When evaluating the risk and return balance, the investment period is arguably the most important factor to be. If the investment period is long, it is advisable to maintain a relatively higher risk tolerance level. If the investment period is short, an investor is advised to maintain a lower risk tolerance level. Another equally important factor is risk capital that is the amount of funds available to trade without affecting daily business operations. Having many risks capital gives one freedom to trade in high-risk investments. On the other hand, having a small amount of risk capital limits one’s freedom to sell in high-risk investments (Bailey, 1994). The amount of investment experience held is another important factor. Relatively new investors are not advised to commit significant sums of capital. However, experienced investors with enough knowledge on risk can invest

English 1B Short Story Comparison essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

English 1B Short Story Comparison - Essay Example This paper compares and contrasts these two stories in terms of themes, point of view, and style. As stated by Tim O’Brien the story The Things they Carried portrays peace or reconciliation and not warfare or conflict yet for the combatants they have to engage in warfare before attaining peace. The setting for the story is mostly in Vietnam, and those chapters that occur in other parts of the world are thoughts about the war and the extent of its impact on the individuals that the combatants mature into. Being engaged in war for too long made the soldiers unable to cope with their ‘normal’ surroundings (O’Brien 23): They carried the soldier’s greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to. It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor. They died so as not to die of embarrassment. The second important theme is guilt. There is an enormous level of guilt taking place in the story. For instance, both Cross and Bowker think that they should be held responsible for the death of Kiowa. Even O’Brien senses too much guilt for taking the life of an unreal person. The third central theme is truth. O’Brien emphasized that truth is revealed in numerous different ways in the story. Although not every part of the stories is real, the emotions and sentiments within them are. The last major theme is seclusion. The soldiers were secluded from the outside world, for that was there way to survive. They regarded everybody as strangers and not only the people of Vietnam but those at home too. Even at home they regarded themselves secluded, for the people around them were unable to understand or grasp the ordeals they had to endure in order to survive. One of the most obvious

Black Death in Europe Essay Example for Free

Black Death in Europe Essay European people faced great hardship during the years 1347-1352 suffering from the effects of the Bubonic Plaque. Prior to this epidemic hitting Europe the population of Europe was growing faster than the food supplies could keep up with and economic crisis was beginning to take place. Once the Bubonic Plaque started spreading it took center stage and over population would not be an issue of concern any longer. The Bubonic Plaque, also referred to as the Black Death, was caused by a bacterial infection found mostly in rodents and their fleas. The infected fleas would come into contact with humans and death would occur in less than a week. Humans suffered from high fever, aching limbs, and lymph nodes would swell and turn black. Humans also contributed to the spread of the plaque by non-effected people coming into contact with the body fluids of an effected person. As the plaque spread the people of Europe found themselves shifting from community and family to worrying about survival of the individual. Men who worked with animals contracted the plaque and died. Women that contracted the plaque that survived could no longer carry a child and were abandoned by their husbands. Children found themselves fighting to survive as their parents were taken by the plaque. Families that did have children would abandoned their children who became infected, the plaque would kill children within hours of contraction if not immediately. In attempt to escape the plaque people that lived in the cities often traveled to the country and most often taking the plaque with them only cause more death. Europe lost roughly one third of the population due to the Bubonic Plaque. The economy during this time also saw a great shift from the twenty five million people lost due to the plaque. Feudalism, which was strong before the plaque, weakened as European people realized that they could work and survive on their own. Many of the farm workers died leaving the land in bad shape which meant poor crop return and a declining food supply. The famers and workers that managed to survive the plaque were able to demand more wages from the knights, baron, or king that owned the land they worked. The cows, goats, sheep, and other live stock that were used for food supply were often shared among communities but as people feared for survival these animals were brought inside homes to prevent exposure only causing more death from spread of the plaque and other diseases. Lastly the economy  suffered from lack of trade with other counties. The Bubonic Plaque’s massive death toll left other countries fearful of trading goods adding to the already hard economy. While the Bubonic Plaque did not completely vanish until late in the fifteenth century the effects on life and economy during the peak of contamination was dramatic. In a five year span Europe experienced entire towns and villages being left lifeless from the Bubonic Plaque. The bacterial infection spread without regard to social and economical class, killing both adults and children. Those that did survive the plaque found new opportunities through negotiating and rebelling.

Materials For Cladding System

Materials For Cladding System The materials for cladding are often chosen for their manufacturing parameters, cost, durability as well as appearance. Examples of the materials are metal cladding and precast concrete cladding. Both of these differ in terms of strength, durability and cost of each material. Metal Cladding The durability of a metal cladding is affected by type of material, exposure of the panel, local environment factors, corrosion protection as well as the details of the cladding itself. When using metal cladding, the lifespan of this system is generally defined in terms of its period from the first use to the first maintenance which is the period for when then material may need to be repainted to maintain its original appearance or the original coating system can no longer protects the metal underneath. Usually, metal cladding suppliers will provide detailed information regarding their product including the durability of the metal cladding itself. The coatings of cladding are also affected by the intensity of the exposure to ultraviolet radiation which means less longevity but for organic coated steels, the period to the first maintenance can be as long as 30 years. The durability of a metal cladding can also be affected by the workmanship related defects during the installation proc ess such as scratching the coating. Since metal cladding began to be used in a range wider than simply industrial buildings, then architectural features for aesthetical value such as curved eaves and corners as well as horizontal profiles have been developed. Texture and colours are mixed to form a more interesting cladding rather than a plain metal cladding but the incorporation of architectural features requires huge care over specifications as well as installations. The most used cladding system for architectural purposes are profiled cladding and composite panels which were often laid horizontally and fixed to vertical sub-frames of the building itself. A curved profile panels are produces from flat profiled sheets, either by creating a series of cross ribs that were then adjusted onto the metal locally. The other method in producing curved profile panels involves stretching the profile to provide a smooth curve without cross ribs like the earlier method but this method is more restricted in the range of curves and radii available to be used. For this curved profiled panels, a more careful setting out is needed compared than the flat profiles but it has the advantage in being stiffer than the flat ones. From this, it is obvious that a curved profiled panels and composite profiled panels are more durable yet stronger compared to flat profiled panels. Besides, this can be used as an advantage for architectural purposes which the world often look for nowadays. Precast Concrete Cladding Precast concrete has now become the architectural cladding material of choice because it has the advantage in terms of aesthetics, durability, low maintenance surface, applied finishes, as well as construction economy. This system often combines the benefits of low maintenance, high durability, excellent fire resistant and even energy efficiency. This combination makes precast concrete cladding an ideal solution for the emphasis of prestige, luxury and aesthetic appeal, especially for high rise offices and residential towers or for economy and durability priority such as in lower rise offices and commercial structures. Brick, marble, tile and granite are of typical finishes used for precast concrete cladding but any other decorative stone can also be applied for more variations. This type of cladding system is one of the most cost effective because it is naturally coloured. The main advantage of precast concrete cladding are in terms of installation, where the installation for this cladding system is swift and rapid; the sized of the panels which are typically sized so that they can span grid to grid, allowing a large area of the applied building to be weathered as quickly as possible. Besides, there are no scaffolding required in the installation of this precast concrete system as all fixings are accessed from the rear end of the panels. Sometimes, for construction that needed to use glazing units and insulation, they can easily be fitted to the precast unit in the factory that made the precast unit itself, thus decreasing the time needed for the work. But, in order to make precast concrete cladding system more cost effective, it is important that panel sizes to be maximized and a degree of repetition exists which these will ensure a number of panels can be casted from a single mould. Two types of sub surface drainage system for domestic usage In building a good drainage system, there are few principles that need to be followed. Some of them are: Material should have adequate strength and durability. Every part of a drain should be accessible for the purpose of inspection and cleansing. Drains should be in straight run as far as possible. Drains must be laid to a gradient which will render them efficient. The fall or gradient should be calculated according to the rate of flow, velocity required, and the diameter of the drain. Every drain inlet should be trapped to prevent the entry of foul air into the building which the minimum seal required is 50mm. For domestic usage, there are three types of subsurface drainage system which are combined system, separate system and partially separate system. The scheme or plan layout of drains will depend upon factors such as number of discharge points, relative position of discharge point, and drainage system of the Local Authority sewers. Combined System In a combined system, all the drains are discharged into a common or combined sewer. It is the most simple and economic method since there is no duplication of drains. This system has the advantage in terms of easy maintenance. Besides, all drains are flushed when it rains and it is impossible for this system to be connected to the wrong sewer. But this system also has its disadvantage, which is that all the discharges should pass through the sewage treatment installation, which might be costly and prove to be difficult with periods of heavy rain. Separate system A separate system in domestic subsoil drainage is the most common method applied by the Local Authorities where two sewers are used in this method. One of the sewers receives the surface water discharged and conveys them direct to a suitable outfall such as a river or sea, where the discharges require no treatment while the second sewer receives all the soil or foul discharges such as from baths, basins, sinks, showers as well as toilets. These discharges will then being conveyed to the sewage treatment installations. In this system, more drains are required and it is often necessary to cross drains one over another. There is a risk of connecting the drain to a wrong sewer and the soil drains are not flushed during heavy rain, but the savings on the treatment of a smaller volume of discharge leads to an overall economy which is acceptable to be applied in domestic area. The function of road and pavement A road is an identifiable route, way or path between two places which might or might not be available for the use by public. Public roads, especially those major roads that connect two destinations are defined as highways. A modern road normally smoothed and paved to allow easy travel of road users. While pavement is defined as surfaces intended for traffic and soil, which are protected by an overlay of imported or treated material with the objective to limit the stress in the ground. The surface of road as well as its associated construction is known as pavement. One of the main functions of roads and pavements is to transfer and distribute transportation load onto the ground. Even on the ground soil itself we can use to travel, but the loads of the transportations that use the path is not evenly distributed since the soil is not compacted and supported. With roads and pavements, the loads of the transportations were equally distributed and this provides a safe and comfy journey. The second function of road and pavement is to provide a flat surface. This is to achieve a comfortable, smooth and safe journey. A smooth riding surface is important for riding comfort and throughout the road development; this has become the measure of how road users see of a road. A rough surfaced road can be caused from few factors; one of it is caused from pavement distress due to structural deformation. Besides, the other major factor of road and pavement is to prevent the subgrade from being damaged. Subgrade is the supporting soil underneath the pavement. It is important to protect the subgrade as it is the foundation for the road and pavement. Like building, if the foundation is damaged, the whole pavement is damaged as well. If the subgrade is over-stressed, it will deform and lose its ability to properly support the loads above it. So, the pavement should have sufficient structural capacity in terms of strength and thickness, to adequately reduce the stress so that the loads and stress do not exceed the strength and capacity of the subgrade. The thickness and strength can vary depending on the combination of subgrade types as well as loading condition. Roads and pavements are also used to provide adequate surface friction or in other words, roads and pavements are to provide a skid resistance surface. The priority in road user requirement is that of safety. Every road user concerns about their safety when using roads. Safety, especially in wet conditions such as during heavy rains, can be linked to a loss of surface friction between the tyre and the pavement surface due to the existence of water surface on the road itself. So it is obvious that roads and pavements should be able to provide an adequate skid resistance for road users, in any weather conditions. The last function of roads and pavements is to provide a waterproof layer. The outer surface of a pavement acts as a waterproof surface which prevents the subgrade that supports the pavement from becoming saturated because of water absorption. When they become saturated, the soil loses its ability to support the applied loads, let alone overload, and this will lead to a premature failure of the pavement itself. So, the outer layer should not contain even a tiny pore, in order to prevent water from being absorbed underneath. Cellular concrete roofing units, pavement overlays, bridge decks airport runways, pressure vessels, blast-resistant structures, tunnel linings and ship-hull construction are some applications of a particular fiber reinforcement concrete. The types of the fibers with characteristics comparison with the conventional concrete. Fiber reinforced concrete can be defined as a composite material which consists of a mixture of cement, mortar or concrete and discontinuous and uniformly dispersed suitable fibers. The addition of this fiber would act as crack arrester as well as improving its static and dynamic properties. Fiber reinforced concrete is used as it has the advantages of static and dynamic tensile strength, energy absorbing characteristics and an improvised fatigue strength. The main factor that affects its properties is the relative fiber matrix stiffness where the modulus of elasticity of matrix helped in stress transfer efficiently. A good bond is important to improve the tensile strength of the material. There are many applications with different types of fibers and these were affected by the characteristics of the certain fiber containing in the concrete: Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFPC) Glass fiber reinforced concretes are mainly used in exterior building panels or as an architectural precast concrete. One of the advantages of GFPC is that they are lightweight. Despite their light weight, a GFPC panel is strong and is more environmental friendly as they were mostly made of recycled post-consumer glass. Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete (SFRC) Steel fiber reinforced concrete is a composite material made of hydraulic cements, water, fine and coarse aggregate and a dispersion of small, discontinuous steel fibers. The steel fibers are distributed uniformly throughout the concrete matrix which gives the SFRC the ability to control temperature and shrinkage cracks. They were commonly used in cellular concrete roofing unit. Polypropylene Fiber reinforced Concrete (PFRC) Polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete has the ability to improve freeze-thaw resistance, improve resistance to explosive in case of severe fire, and improves impact resistance. It is often used in foundation piles, pre-stressed piles and facing panels. Asbestos Fiber Reinforced Concrete (AFRC) Asbestos fiber reinforced concrete has been used since early 1900s which were applied into concrete. Unfortunately, this composite became a concern as it is venomous to health but AFRC were still used in some applications which is outside of health zone such as in pipes and sewer pipes. Mica Flakes Fiber Reinforced Concrete (MFRC) This type of fiber reinforced concrete partially replaces asbestos applications in cement boards, concrete pipes and repair materials. Mica flakes as fibers can help preventing long-term decreases in terms of tensile strength as well as impact strength. Carbon Fiber Reinforced Concrete (CFRC) Carbon fiber reinforced concrete is an electric conductor concrete and by this, they are normally used in locations where electrical contacts are necessary. Besides, it has the characteristic of corrosion resistance, compared to other metallic electrical contact materials. Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC) Conventional Reinforced Concrete Higher durability Lower durability Protect steel from corrosion Steel prone to corrosion Lighter (in terms of materials) Heavier (in terms of materials) More expensive Economical Greater strength (per 1mÂÂ ³) Weaker (per 1mÂÂ ³) Higher workability Less workability Table: Characteristic comparison between FRC and conventional concrete The above table shows the characteristic comparisons between fiber reinforced concrete and conventional concrete. in terms of durability, FRC is more durable compared to conventional concrete this is because of the presence of fibers in FRC that adds to the durability of the concrete and thus, making it more flexible to be used widely in construction. Besides, the weight of FRC is relatively lighter compared to conventional concrete. Such as for Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete, both the glass and concrete make up the volume and thus decreasing the weight as the fiber contained in the concrete has lower mass compared to a full conventional concrete. This superb characteristic increases the workability of the FRC, beating conventional concrete in terms of weight as well as workability. The workability of a FRC will reduce if the fiber volume is increased. Therefore, the volume of fiber need to be controlled but this is an advantage as the cost for materials will not be that high. the workability of FRC can be measured by conducting a Vebe test. Unfortunately, a fiber reinforced concrete is more expensive as it is needed to be readily made in factories, so does the material costs which need to make up for the materials for fiber. But, from the table, it is obvious that FRC has more advantage over conventional concrete, despite the costs. So, this higher cost for sure will increase the reliability of the material, and the building itself.

The Great Gatsby American Dream Essay -- F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby is a novel that illustrates the society in the 1920's and the associated beliefs, values and dreams of the American population at that time. These beliefs, values and dreams can be summed up be what is termed the "American Dream", a dream of money, wealth, prosperity and the happiness that supposedly came with the booming economy and get-rich-quick schemes that formed the essential underworld of American upper-class society. This underworld infiltrated the upper echelons and created such a moral decay within general society that paved the way for the ruining of dreams and dashing of hopes as they were placed confidently in the chance for opportunities that could be seized by one and all. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates the American Dream and the "foul dust" or the carelessness of a society that floats in the wake of this dream. By looking at each character and their situation and ambition it can be seen that the American Dream was not limited to one social class or type of person, that it was nation wide and was found within everyone. From the position as narrator the reader has access to the thoughts and feelings of Nick Carraway more than any other characters, but this same position also reduces the effectiveness of the reader as a judge of character because he is presented in a biased way compared to others. With that said, it can be seen that Nick suffers greatly from his experiences in New York. His regard for human decency is ruined and he leaves with his hopes dashed and a disgust at how the materialism that runs rampant throughout his social class is capable of ruining lives and dreams. Nick, as with all characters is a believer in the American Dream because even he moves East to work in the bond bu... ...hen she talks about careless people, saying she "hates careless people" when she admits that she is one.) that contribute to the overall ethical decay within the American aristocracy. Fitzgerald shows that in the social classes that were represented in The Great Gatsby there is a running theme of how the American dream affects all of the characters, they each have their own aspirations for their own life but more often than not they revolve around money and the effects that wealth has on their style of life. Because of the tragic events within The Great Gatsby and the fact that the characters who are still alive at the end of the novel, bar Nick, are not drastically altered by their experience lend to the view that the 1920's and 1930's or the Jazz Age held a society of people who were ruled by materialism and trivial and depthless beliefs and values. -Cam

Interview Essay - Jacey Hart -- Interview Essays

Interview Essay - Jacey Hart J.C. Hart is a native Californian, and was born June 10, 1927, in Inglewood. She has been married to her husband, Jim for fifty-two years. Together they have raised one son and two daughters, who also reside in Southern California. J.C. feels that her family and marriage have provided the foundation for happiness in her life. When she married Jim in 1948, she found great happiness just in spending time with him. Over the years her definition of happiness has changed. J.C.'s children were of foremost importance in her life and added to her happiness. Certain years spent working also contributed to her happiness. She said, "The emphasis has changed, but not the foundation." Sometimes J.C. knew she was happy because she felt euphoric, but mainly her feelings of happiness come from being content. She said that she feels more satisfied than happy now when accomplishing something. "I'm not likely to reach out, because negative emotions were not always welcomed." But she feels that her husband, Jim has played a significant role in helping her cope with unhappiness. Because of his sensitivity towards her, J.C. hasn't experienced any "serious sorrows." She doesn't like to spend time feeling low. Physical activities and a sense of accomplishment help lighten her mood. She enjoys participating in Saddleback College's exercise classes that are held in Leisure World. Companionship, singing in her church, and watching sunrises, sunsets and the moon are important activities for J.C.'s sense of happiness. There are a couple of things make J.C. unhappy. One is when she gets discouraged when her time is spent unproductively. She is a fan of PBS, and enjoys spending some of her time watching their many fasc... ... faith and more on intellectual challenges, and social/political awareness. J.C. believes that parents today seem to put more emphasis on enjoying their children, rather than on being a "successful parent." She says that enjoying your children, and parenting them with love, respect and a positive attitude is a great way to achieve happiness. To achieve happiness, J.C. suggests that a person should be willing to keep learning, act on positive impulses, not put things off, and take good care of their health. Summarizing this advice with her philosophy on life, she emphasized the importance of striking a balance between your family, your social life, the contributions you make to society, and the accomplishment of your desired goals. After meeting J.C. Hart, I feel that her last name should be HEART. She has an aura of love, warmth, and wisdom that touched Me. Interview Essay - Jacey Hart -- Interview Essays Interview Essay - Jacey Hart J.C. Hart is a native Californian, and was born June 10, 1927, in Inglewood. She has been married to her husband, Jim for fifty-two years. Together they have raised one son and two daughters, who also reside in Southern California. J.C. feels that her family and marriage have provided the foundation for happiness in her life. When she married Jim in 1948, she found great happiness just in spending time with him. Over the years her definition of happiness has changed. J.C.'s children were of foremost importance in her life and added to her happiness. Certain years spent working also contributed to her happiness. She said, "The emphasis has changed, but not the foundation." Sometimes J.C. knew she was happy because she felt euphoric, but mainly her feelings of happiness come from being content. She said that she feels more satisfied than happy now when accomplishing something. "I'm not likely to reach out, because negative emotions were not always welcomed." But she feels that her husband, Jim has played a significant role in helping her cope with unhappiness. Because of his sensitivity towards her, J.C. hasn't experienced any "serious sorrows." She doesn't like to spend time feeling low. Physical activities and a sense of accomplishment help lighten her mood. She enjoys participating in Saddleback College's exercise classes that are held in Leisure World. Companionship, singing in her church, and watching sunrises, sunsets and the moon are important activities for J.C.'s sense of happiness. There are a couple of things make J.C. unhappy. One is when she gets discouraged when her time is spent unproductively. She is a fan of PBS, and enjoys spending some of her time watching their many fasc... ... faith and more on intellectual challenges, and social/political awareness. J.C. believes that parents today seem to put more emphasis on enjoying their children, rather than on being a "successful parent." She says that enjoying your children, and parenting them with love, respect and a positive attitude is a great way to achieve happiness. To achieve happiness, J.C. suggests that a person should be willing to keep learning, act on positive impulses, not put things off, and take good care of their health. Summarizing this advice with her philosophy on life, she emphasized the importance of striking a balance between your family, your social life, the contributions you make to society, and the accomplishment of your desired goals. After meeting J.C. Hart, I feel that her last name should be HEART. She has an aura of love, warmth, and wisdom that touched Me.

William Morris Essay example -- Visual Arts Paintings Art

William Morris William Morris, English poet, artist, socialist reformer, and innovator in the Arts and Crafts Movement. He was born in Walthamstow, then a village, and moved to a grand residence there called Water House at the age of 14 - this has since become the William Morris Gallery. He studied at Oxford with the intention of becoming a clergyman, but while there he met Edward Coley Burne-Jones, also studying for the church, and they both began to turn towards art. They were persuaded by Rossetti to give up the studies and become artists. Morris did a year in architectural practice of G. E. Street, and then turned to painting. However, he soon found that his metier was design. The cooperative attempt to decorate his new house (the Red House, built by Philip Webb) at Bexleyheath, south east of London, lead to the setting up of the firm Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Co. The partners were Morris, Burne-Jones, Rossetti, Ford Madox Brown, Philip Webb, Charles Faulkner, and Peter Paul Marshall, a surveyor. The firm was set up as a 'company of Fine Art Workmen', designing and producing (or at least supervising the production of) furniture, wallpaper, murals, tapestry work, stained glass windows, metalwork, tapestries, and smaller works such as tiles and embroidery. It started in 8 Lion Square, London, where there was sufficient space for workshops, showrooms, and a kiln in the basement for tile production. The firm later became simply Morris and Co. when Morris - always bless...

Compare and Contrast at least three of Fanthorpe’s poems Essay

Fanthorpe’s poems: Half-past Two, Dear Mr Lee, and You will be hearing from us shortly offer us an insight into the views and thoughts of Fanthorpe, as well as making the reader think about their own preconceptions. She does this by making quirky and sometimes satirical poems, which seem almost like prose. Fanthorpe’s aims are unmistakable; her way of inviting the reader to look at life through her tongue-in-cheek writing makes people question their belief on the matter(s) that the poem explores. For example in Half-past Two the poet queries the strange idea of time. Adults see time as a number organised into a sequence that continues through out the day with out stopping. However in this poem Fanthorpe shows that children develop a different sense of time, almost like a dream world where time, as we know it, stops to exist. She also delves into the way that children see time as an event not a number, for example ‘timeformykisstime’. Likewise, in Dear Mr Lee, the poet disputes the way of teaching English, stating that the way teacher deconstruct and analyse poems makes it impossible for the piece to be appreciated for its face values. Similarly, You will be hearing from us shortly dissects the truth about interviews and the way that pressure in an interview can make the interviewee feel looked down on and prejudged. The poem is slightly satirical towards the end, but this only exaggerates the point that Fanthorpe is trying to convey. While under pressure, interviewees can hallucinate in a surreal manner. For example, ‘And you were born-? Yes pity’. Overall, the aims of all three poems suggest that Fanthorpe has some strong views about things we don’t really see as serious issues but do affect people. Technique plays a big role in all of Fanthorpe’s poems, especially You will be hearing from us shortly, where the text aligned on the right indicates what the interviewer is thinking at that point in the interview. This is unique to Fanthorpe’s poems. Likewise in Dear Mr Lee irregular and haphazard line endings and even a P.S. in the poem contributes to the idiosyncratic nature of it. However in Half-past Two there are well-organised stanzas, typical of the common types of poem. Capital letters are used to exaggerate or highlight an important idea that Fanthorpe wants to be recognised, for example ‘on Her desk’ represents the way the child imitates something said to him. Another variant from the norm in all three poems is the use of brackets or italic writing to represent either private thoughts or another voice. During the three pieces various voices are regularly used; the poet will do this to show either a different viewpoint or the words of a narrator. In the poem Half-past Two voices are used extensively to represent what the child was thinking, what the teacher said and also the narrating. During Dear Mr Lee there seems to be no arrangement in the text at all, however it does resemble a prose letter. However, looking more closely, the poem seems to represent the child’s feelings about teaching methods. Voices in this poem seem to consist of the child’s thoughts and her teacher’s remarks. However in You will be hearing from us shortly the only voice is of the interviewer(s). I imagine Fanthorpe does this so that the reader can add in his or her own response to the observations of the interviewer. Fanthorpe’s style is very prose-like and the colloquial nature invites the reader into a new dimension of humour. The register in all three poems is varied, for example in Dear Mr Lee goes from, ‘you’d know it’s lived with me, stained with Coke and Kitkat’ too, ‘good at terse and cogent’. This varied approach to the poem may be due to the different voices that Fanthorpe puts in. All three poems especially contain a satirical and sarcastic tone, and towards the end of You will be hearing from us shortly there is an almost surreal and dreamy feel to the tone. However all the poems, as well as having humour and tongue-in-cheek style, also harness a serious intention. For example in You will be hearing from us shortly, even though it is quite funny, the way you can be looked down on in as an interviewee is a prejudice. For example the interviewer says ‘And now a delicate matter: your looks. Do you appreciate this work involves contact with the actual public?’ This is clearly is meant to be a realistic event so that Fanthorpe can insight the reader to believe that prejudice does happen. Generally all the poems are very well written, however close analysis reveal even more about the poet’s way with words. In Half-past Two the last stanza is a brilliant description of the way that a child can slip into ‘the clockless land of ever, and time hides waiting to be born’. This end fraction of the poem portrays the child’s dream world and how there is ‘no time’ until the child is taught how to read time and it is then that time, as adults know it is ‘born’. In You will be hearing from us shortly the poet could not only be referring to the way that interviewers look upon interviewees, but how candidates assume surreal events will occur in the interview. For example it is very unlikely that an interviewer would comment on the very existence of an interviewee. During Dear Mr Lee Fanthorpe takes on the role of a child and doesn’t tell the reader she has done this but instead writes like one. She achieves this by having no indents, no punctuation, random line lengths, no rhythm or rhyme and no paragraphs. For example there is not one full stop until the forty-ninth line. Writing like a child makes the reader think that the poem is being told by a child. To conclude, the three Fanthorpe poems looked at in the Essay help us to understand the way that Fanthorpe regards incidents happening in the world today. It also uses a colloquial tone that provides a jovial piece to read as well as getting a serious point through. All in all the prose-like texts let the reader enjoy an idiosyncratic and meaningful set of poems.

Georgia Price Kayleigh Dean CYP Core Essay

A number of factors must be considered when planning environments that are healthy and safe. Outdoor areas for children and young people need to be planned to allow vigorous play with minimum risk. When having an outdoor area in any setting it is important to supply the children with full waterproof clothing. This ensures the children stay warm and dry whatever the weather. This also helps keep them dry when playing with water and messy mud and sand. When planning an activity it is always vital to make sure the activity is set in the right environment; for example when using bikes, trikes and scooters. These should be ridden outside when there is not enough space to use the equipment indoors, which could be dangerous to yourself and other children. Every child is an individual with different needs depending on characteristics such as; age, intelligence, size, athleticism and abilities. You must consider this when planning activities for children, for example when they are involved in physical play. More consideration should be given to the needs of a child who has just become mobile than to an older child, when planning room layouts. Children who have specific needs such as sensory impairments would need more support with hearing or seeing instructions. Additional signage or sign language would help a child with limited hearing to understand what to do. The different needs of families and carers must be considered when planning for both indoor and outdoor activities. Always be clear about why you are using the type of environment for an activity and how the child will experience each activity. The duty of care of to children, parents and carers is a legal obligation that must be adhered to at all times. You should always have the child’s safety and welfare uppermost in your mind when planning activities. All activities associated with children and young people should have clear aims and objectives that are based around the required outcomes linked to their age. An example of this is Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) for children under 5 years of age. â€Å"Lines of responsibility and accountability; everyone employed in a setting has a responsibility for the health and safety of  children and staff, but there should be clear reporting responsibilities† (Tassoni et al, 2010). Using Risk Assessments are an excellent way in reducing the risks of accidents. This is a process of identifying a risk and recording items that reduce this risk to an absolute minimum. A popular method of producing a Risk Assessment is to score the risk from 1-5, record actions that will reduce the risk, and then to re-score the risk after applying these actions. All Risk Assessments should be updated regularly so that the identified risk/s are monitored and remain safe for all those who use the setting. The age, development and capabilities of children should always be considered as each individual child is different and all develop at their own pace. A child who is two would not have progressed to the rate of a three or four year old. Therefore, it is important to plan activities wisely in order for children of all ages and capabilities to reach their highest capabilities. All settings must follow the welfare requirements set down in the EYFS, which are to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. To promote good health of the children and take necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection. Take appropriate action when they are ill and to manage behaviour effectively and in a manner appropriate for their stage of development and particular individual needs. These are legal requirements and must be followed carefully in all settings. Children with specific learning difficulties or physical disabilities should have activities they can take part in where they can learn and also enjoy. These children should always have full access to the building and all indoor and outdoor activities. This could include the use of mechanical/electronic lifts and ramps. Access to disabled toilets are vital when considering accessibility of the building. Staff training must include for the use of toilets by disabled people. Each setting should have a safe reliable security system to maintain childrens safety and welfare. The use of a password for each child could be  adopted. Only authorised adults should know the password and it should be changed on a regular basis. This is to ensure that no one but the parent or an authorized person can pick the child or young person up. Routine check of security should be made daily such as, entry phones, locks, visitor books, signing in or out and name badges should all be checked to control entry and exit at all times. Having a clean and safe environment is vital. Toys and all equipment should be checked regularly to ensure there are no sharp edges or they are broken. If a toy is broken this is disposed of if not fixable. Surfaces should be clean for the children and all dangerous substances, cleaning products are locked away (COSSH, 2002). Toilets should be checked to keep them clean and replace toilet roll or hand wash if needed, this will prevent the risk of infection. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should be worn e.g. gloves and apron when preparing snacks, changing nappies and dealing with a bloody wound. This is also to prevent the risk of infection. Children should always be prompted to wash their hands after using the toilet, before eating or when they are just filthy which stops the spread of all the germs. All food and drink in the setting should be in date and stored at the correct temperature and also prepared hygienically. Allergy control must always be obeyed and in my setting we have a no nut policy, which helps prevent against serious allergic reaction. All staff will have their Disclosure Barring Services (DBS) checks and are responsible to update them when needed to. All children should have an individual child check to explore the progress of a child to ensure they have reached their milestones. This check also helps to get to know the child independently. Reporting all accidents and injuries (RIDDOR, 1995) to the accident book is always important so we can always notify the parent or career of the accident. When considering medication it is essential that the precise dosage amounts are written down by the parent and given to staff. This should also include for the correct storage of the medication giving consideration to temperature etc. etc. When a child is given medication it is essential to note down the time when given to the child to ensure against double doses are administered. First aid boxes should always  be on premises in case of accident or injury. Not all settings are built for the purpose of a childcare setting so planning should take into account the way in which the setting should function as a safe and healthy environment. As part of our duty of care, a child’s health and safety should be the overriding principle when planning activities. 1.2 Safety is a basic human need, a safe environment is one in which the child or adult has a low risk of becoming injured or ill. When working with children it is vital you know how to provide a healthy safe environment, but also to monitor and maintain the environment. When monitoring the environment it is vital we carry out Risk Assessments daily, this is a process in which we identify any risks and find ways to prevent that risk to a minimum. Policies and procedures are put into place to make clear what the setting intends to do and how they intend to keep their environment as safe as possible, for all children and staff members. There are times when, for safety reasons, everyone must follow directions and do as they are asked, to reduce the risk to themselves, peers and the practitioners. All members of staff including new staff, supply staff, students and volunteers must be made aware of the contents of the schools health and safety policies. This is to ensure every member of staff are aware of what rules to follow, which helps to maintain health and safety in the setting. One of the main reasons for maintaining a safe environment is accident prevention. All settings should monitor its health and safety, and the environment is regularly checked (both before and during activities) to ensure that it is both healthy and safe for adults and children. Children should be supervised at all times and that there is adequate adult supervision for any activities that are to be undertaken. The number of adults needed to be present, will depend on the number of children taking part, the age of those children involved, and the type of activity planned. This is so we can monitor the children and keep them as safe as possible. Checking the outdoor area, entering the building, checking that the equipment is safe to use, safety of children, safety in all areas of play (both indoor and external), kitchen/food preparation, toilets, fire drill  etc. etc. Using a process for monitoring, which includes following a routine that if it is working correctly then continue. However, if something is working incorrectly then change or adapt the routine as needed. When arriving at work before the children arrive, risk assessments are carried out both indoors and outdoors, checking the equipment is safe to use. Toilets also need to be regularly checked to ensure they are safe to use. The kitchen is regularly checked to ensure it is safe for staff to prepare food but also to check that all cooking facilities are switched off if not in use. A first aid box should always be kept so it is visible for all staff to see in the event of an emergency. First Aid boxes should also be checked to ensure the correct equipment is stocked up if required. Routine safety checks should be made daily on premises both indoors and outdoors. Every morning in the setting staff will carry out what is called a Risk Assessment of both areas to identify and risks with any any potential risks removed. A Risk Assessment is a useful tool in helping us to significantly reduce the likelihood of any accidents and injury when working with children or young people. A Risk Assessment can help to alert staff and children to potential dangers and suggests sensible measures which will reduce the potential risk of that danger causing harm or injury. Risk Assessments are a vital part of both maintaining and monitoring the Health and Safety in every setting. The management of health and safety at work regulations 1999 (originally 1992)(in England , Wales and Scotland) have had a major impact on the ways in which we control health and safety standards. Employees must undertake a range of tasks including Risk Assessments, making arrangements for the planning, organization, control, monitoring and review of health and safety measures. Employees must always establish emergency procedures, providing the right health and safety information and all the correct training. Policies and procedures play a huge part in making people aware of the rules and the potential dangers of hazards. In my setting we have our policies  and procedures displayed on the walls so it is easily seen by parents and visitors, which allows them to recognize that we follow them correctly. Posters are a good way of getting children to understand the potential of risks and hazards. It is vital our children have some knowledge of what is safe and what is not safe, with large pictures helping to point them out. We are encouraged to work as safely as possible by following the settings policies and procedures. Working in a team and sharing information helps to ensure and maintain a safe environment for all to enjoy. 1.3 Workplace’s policies and procedures: Guidance is not law and is not compulsory; however there are many different sources of guidance that a setting can use in order to plan a healthy and safe environment. 1.3.1 Risk Assessments Risk Assessments are a legal requirement mainly under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, although most health and safety legislation requires a risk assessment approach. Risk Assessments must be recorded and should be assessed periodically in instances such as; following an accident, on the introduction of any new process/equipment and also any change in circumstances. Educational visits also require a written Risk Assessment. There is a folder of the most frequently used venues in the staff room, containing Risk Assessments. There is also a folder containing Risk Assessments for each group in the same place. All staff and group leaders must ensure that they have read these documents before embarking on a trip and must sign to acknowledge this each time they take pupils on a trip as part of the signing out procedure. Shown below are the names of the staff assisting with the assessment process as well as details on when they will be carried out and our updating systems. 1.3.2 Accidents Even in a safety conscious environment accidents may still occur. This is how we deal with them. All accidents to our staff or pupils will be recorded and investigated, as appropriate to find out what happened and how  any similar incident can be avoided. Under the First Aid at Work Regulations 1981, employers have to ensure that there are adequate and appropriate equipment and facilities for providing first aid in the workplace. This should include arrangements for first aid based on a Risk Assessment of the school. 1.3.3 Health & Safety Executive (HSE) – Relates to all different types of work related issues and they cover all aspects of health and safety in different environments such as accidents, hazardous substances, ill health, Risk Assessments, protective equipment, welfare facilities, first aid and occupational health. The main aim through the guidance of the HSE, whatever environment or industry, is to help people understand the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, to help people comply with the law. It should be noted that the HSE are also an organisation that provides help and guidance and can be contacted to answer questions of support. Every setting should have a copy of the latest legalisation and guidance documents relevant to their service. Health and safety legalisation and policy aims to make sure that all workers, children, young people and families are safe and protected from harm when in or using services. Some examples of these legislations relating to health and safety in the child care setting can be seen overleaf: 1.3.4 Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 Employers have duty to make your workplace as safe as possible, every setting should display a health and safety law poster or supply employees with a leaflet with the same information, which are available from the HSE. All employees need to decide how to manage health and safety; if the setting has more than five employees, this must appear on a written health and safety policy. Employees also have the duty to work safely and if you are given guidance about how to use equipment, you must follow that guidance. An example of a type of guidance is ‘Manual Handling Operations Regulations (1992)’, which covers how to lift heavy objects in the correct manner. This guidance includes information such as lifting the weight with your feet apart, knees bent and back upright, use both hands to ensure a secure hold, keep your shoulders level, your back upright and slowly straighten your legs. To put down the load, take the weight on the legs by bending the  knees. We follow this every day in our setting before the children arrive. When we are setting up for the day, this involves carrying heavy objects from the shed and taking them inside, lifting heavy tables and moving them. As practitioners it is important to follow this to reduce risk to yourself. 1.3.5 C0SSH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations) 2002 To have a safe workplace you will need to carefully use and store cleaning materials like bleach and disinfectant and other potentially hazardous substances. Items such as bleach, anti-bacteria wipes, some solvent glues and other materials in the setting that can be toxic. You should have Risk Assessments that informs you about these dangers and what to do to minimise the risk involved. Any new member of staff should be made aware of what to do in every circumstance. Every work place should have a COSSH file which lists all the hazardous substances used in the setting. The file should detail such information: where they are kept; how they are labelled; their effects; the maximum amount of time it’s safe to be exposed to them; and how to deal with an emergency involving one of them. Never mix any products together as they could produce toxic fumes. Some bleaches and cleaning products, for instance have this effect. In our setting all our cleaning products are kept in the kitchen (where children are not allowed) in a high cupboard that only staff members can reach.

Early Birds Catches the Worm

Each proverb has the features of time, and new ideas can be added to the old ones. The classic proverbs never worried about fading. Like the proverb â€Å"Early bird catches the worm†, people all over the world are still saying and using this phrase today. Although in different languages, we use completely different words, but still convey the same meaning. For example, In China, there is a similar saying: â€Å"The quick-footed mount first. † This proverb usually plays a traditional role in dally life, fitting well Into this competitive and materialistic society.Everybody wants to be the first, to stand on he top of the mountain. Although the university year is still in its early stages, students who are applying for graduate positions In 2009 have almost missed their chance. Companies have begun their recruitment earlier this year. These companies never worry about lacking in people to work for them, what they really need are those who are eagerly preparing his/her re sume to get into the company. Human life Is transient, so beginning a career at a young age is an â€Å"early-bird† and wise choice.American's Next Top Model has been a hot TV show for years, which I have been watching for a long time. Every time the contestants are surely to be at a young age, because if you get into the competition at 25,you are already too old and the Judges and other competitors will always use age as an issue, though unconsciously. Most people have their dreams when they are only children. And the dream remains In their minds as time goes by. Take action, be the early bird, even with mistakes along the way. Although some of them seem so far.Don't worry, there is also a saying: Clumsy birds start flying early. Upon closer analysis by changing or adding a few words in the proverb, a whole new perspective is shown: â€Å"Urban bird catches the arm. † Early birds may catch the worm but city birds prefer a little bit late. They don't rely heavily on wo rms from the trees. Instead the city birds visit bird feeders later in the day. The researchers believe the difference in feeding is due to the â€Å"urban heat island effect†, as the city becomes warmer, the birds don't need to get up early to replace energy lost overnight to keep warm.Within a word play, the anta-proverb has similar pronunciation as the original . Using the old frame is a good way to attract other people's attention, in a humorous demonstration. Let us not focus solely on the costive side, the usage of this proverb has a great limitation. Everything in this world is not absolutely right. Getting up early means less sleep. Recently research shows that â€Å"Night owls rule the roost,† scientists found out that the late risers tire less quickly than those who get up at the crack of the dawn, thus they could have more energy to do their work.To think more critically, the early birds catch the worm, and the early worms get eaten by birds. Do any of us wa nt to be the victim? It is easy to market's need and thus become the sacrifice. Coming late into the business world ND learning from the established competitors can offer an advantage. Rival birds can turn up pretty much whenever they want and still get a decent feed, as long as they hit the right spot, to say, there are plenty of worms hanging around everywhere.Here is a interesting one: â€Å"The early bird would never catch the worm if the dumb worm slept late†, the phrase also shows not every early-birds choice could be success. There are risks we need to undertake. In any cases, getting up early is often unnecessary. â€Å"Early bird† suggests that we should be more diligent in achieving our goals and desires. Taking more time to think, the proverb â€Å"think before you leap† always relates to the early bird wisdom. After comparing this proverb and illustrating so many examples, the proverb reminds me of the Darning's famous theory, Survival of The Fittest .Although the â€Å"Early bird catches the worm† need context to make it more conceivable, if all the people on the earth were willing to be the early birds, the scene would be chaos. The nature order among human competition, allows a functional world. The fact is early birds eat early worms, late birds eat late worms. Early bird catches the worm, this proverb impresses me so much is because mama always using it to wake me up, reminds me of home. That's the warm and positive side for me. There are so many things to list within one proverb.Every coin has two sides, I don't like to live in a competitive world, but welcome to the reality world, I need to face it whether I like the life style or not. Just to say I will never treat it as my lifetime guideline. To grow with a ordinary heart, to live each day with energy and happiness is the best for me. Find out what suits you best, that's the most important essence we could characterize as our own unique proverb. Citation: The Cou rier Mail. Night owls who rule the roost†. 25 April 2009. Lexis's.

Information Sharing for the Bullwhip Effect

Information sharing for the bullwhip effect: over- or underestimated? Bachelor thesis: Thesis Circle: Organization studies, 2nd semester, academic year 2011-2012 Time will tell†¦. A processes perspective on inter-organizational collaboration Name: ANR: E-mail: PC Jansen 770926 P. C. [email  protected] nl Information sharing for the bullwhip effect: over- or underestimated? Abstract This literature review investigates the effect of information sharing from a buyer to a supplier in a supply chain on the performance of that supplier, with taking in mind that the supplier has to combat the bullwhip effect.With the existence of the bullwhip effect, a supplier cannot make right forecasts and therefore has difficulties in planning its production and/or inventory control. This research shows that information sharing is the key solution to reduce or avoid the bullwhip effect and, by that, is positively influences the performance of the supplier in the chain. Keywords: Bullwhip, supply chain, information sharing, supplier performance, inventory control Thesis Circle: Time will tell†¦. A processes perspective on inter-organizational collaborationSupervisor: Remco Mannak Supervisor 2: Annemieke Stoppelenburg Name: ANR: E-mail: PC Jansen 770926 P. C. [email  protected] nl 2 Table of contents Table of contents 1. Introduction 2. Theoretical Framework 2. 1 Performance of a supplier 2. 2 Information sharing 2. 3 Bullwhip effect 3. Methodology 3. 1 Data collection 3. 2 Quality Indicators 4. Results 4. 1 Information sharing is the key solution 4. 2 Information sharing is not the key solution 5. Conclusion and recommendations 5. 1 Conclusion 5. 2 Recommendations for future research 6.Discussion and reflection 6. 1 Discussion 6. 2 Reflection 7. References 3 4 7 7 7 9 11 11 12 13 13 21 24 24 26 28 28 29 30 3 1. Introduction Collaboration is something which has occurred over all times and is a way for people as well as for organizations to accomplish any goal or wanted result. Min and Zhou (2002) stated that in today’s global marketplace, individual firms no longer compete as independent entities with unique brand names, but rather as integral part of supply chain links.According to Christopher (1992), a supply chain is the network of organizations that are involved, through upstream and downstream linkages, in the different processes and activities that produce value in the form of products and services delivered to the ultimate consumer. When looking at the downstream linkages, a supplier delivers his products or services to a buyer. The buyer has a recursive demand, and orders this demand to the supplier every period. The supplier, on his turn, has to deal with production scheduling and/or inventory control every period.However, dealing with those issues can be quite difficult for the supplier, when the demand of the buyer is variable and hard to predict. This problem, or phenomenon, is called the Bullwhip effect. Yu et al. (2001) descr ibed this phenomenon as that the variability of an upstream member’s demand is greater than that of the downstream member, and that the effect therefore largely is caused by the variability of ordering. The supplier’s uncertainty about the upcoming buyer’s demand can lead to inefficient productions and inefficient inventory control, which on their turn will lead to increases of costs or decreased in revenues.According to Chen (2003), information sharing is often suggested to combat the undesirable bullwhip effect. The importance of combating the bullwhip effect was elucidated by Yu et al. (2001), who stated that uncertainties will propagate through the supply chain in the form of amplification of ordering variability, which leads to excess in safety stock, increased logistics costs and inefficient use of resources (Yu et al, 2001). So, in order to reduce the chances for these negative consequences of uncertainties for the supplier, information sharing seems the key solution.According to Mohr and Spekman (1994), information sharing refers to the extent to which critical and proprietary information is communicated to one’s supply chain partner. Yu et al. 4 (2001) stated that while every single member has perfect information about itself, uncertainties arise due to lack of perfect information about other members. This seems logical, since a supplier can’t make the right decisions for his production schedule and his inventory control when he doesn’t know what the demand of the buyer will be. As Yu et al. 2001) stated, the supplier in the supply chain needs to make a forecast of its downstream site’s product demand for its own production planning, inventory control and material requirement planning. But, this forecast seems hard to make when uncertainties, by the lack of information, exist. However, there are some authors who don’t agree with this. Raghunathan (2001) for example stated that suppliers can do mu ch better in the case without information sharing, because the supplier can use its information about the retailer’s order history to greatly sharpen its demand forecast.This leads to a remarkable point, because on first sight it seems that the uncertainties, due to the bullwhip effect, can be solved by information sharing between the supplier and the buyer, but some authors have different thoughts on this point. This literature review will asses both views on the importance of information sharing in the supply chain to get a clear overview of its importance for the bullwhip effect and, by that, on the supplier’s performance. This leads to the following research goal and question:Research Question: What is the effect, according to the literature, of information sharing in a supply chain on the performance of the supplier? Conceptual model The following conceptual model will illustrate the goal of this research: Level of information sharing + Performance of the supplier Research goal: The aim of this literature review is to understand the effect of the level of information sharing in a supply chain on the performance of the supplier, where performance can be measured in terms of reductions in total costs and inventories.This paper investigates whether the performance of the supplier is positively influenced by the level of information sharing or not. 5 The unit of analysis: The unit of analysis in this research is on the level of the supplier. It could be expected that the level of information sharing has a positive effect on combating the bullwhip effect, and by that, on the supplier’s performance in the chain, since information can make the uncertainty about the buyer’s demand disappear. Yu et al. 2001) stated that while every single member has perfect information about itself, uncertainties arise due to lack of perfect information about other members. According to this theory, information sharing seems the key solution for reducin g or eliminating the bullwhip effect. Scientific relevance: The scientific relevance of this literature review lies within the contribution it brings to the field of research of the importance of downstream information for the supplier within a supply chain, in order to reduce or avoid the bullwhip effect. It gives insight in the importance of information sharing.Since many authors claim that information sharing is the key solution to reduce or avoid the bullwhip effect, but some on the other hand do not agree with this, this paper tries to give insight in what is true for this case. Practical relevance: The practical relevance of this literature review is that in our world a lot of companies are active in supply chains, and therefore, by this literature review, a supplier working in a supply chain is able to get insight in the importance of information sharing for their performance in that supply chain. 6 2. Theoretical framework 2. Performance of a supplier For the purpose of this research, only the supplier’s performance is being overviewed, and the buyer’s performance is disregarded. The reason for this is that the supplier and the buyer have different interests in the supply chain. The buyer only tries to get the best, in other words, lowest price, but the supplier on his turn also seeks to achieve good selling prices, reductions in total costs and inventories, and by that, increase his revenues. Because of these different targets, it is too complex to focus on both sides’ performance in this research.According to Slack et al. (2004), performance should always be measured against benchmarks, which could be historical standards, target performance standards, competitor performance standards, or absolute performance standards. In addition to that, Clifford (2000) stated that performance often is measured using quantitative measurements, in terms of the gains or benefits a company achieves in comparison to the costs invested. For this re search, the benchmark ‘absolute performance standards’ of Slack et al. 2004) will be used, since this benchmark takes performance on theoretical limits. This is what will be done in this paper as well. The performance of a supplier will be measured using theoretical quantitative measurements, in other words, at stated by Yu et al. (2001), by the extent to which a supplier achieves its specific objectives and benefits in terms of reductions in total costs and inventories. Since this is a literature review, no exact numbers will be used, but, as stated here above, theoretical quantitative measurements will be used. 2. Information sharing As stated before, the performance of the supplier is influenced by the level of information sharing. The reason for sharing information in the supply chain was stated by Yu et al. (2001), who stated that a supply chain partnership is a relationship formed between two independent members in supply channels through increased levels of infor mation sharing to achieve specific objectives and benefits in terms of reductions in total costs and inventories. Various authors described the concept of information sharing in supply chains.According to Mohr and Spekman (1994), information sharing refers to the extent to which critical and proprietary information is communicated to one’s supply chain partner. Lalonde (1998) reviewed five building blocks that characterize a solid supply chain relationship and considered sharing of 7 information as one of them. The other four are sharing of benefits and burdens, multiple contacts between economic entities, cross-functional management processes, and futureoriented collaborative processes (Lalonde (1998)). According to Yu et al. 2001), while every single member has perfect information about itself, uncertainties arise due to lack of perfect information about other members. In their paper they argued that the supply chain member should obtain more information about other members in order to reduce uncertainties. Li and Lin (2006) stated that in a highly uncertain environment with changing markets, organizations tend to build strategic partnership with their supply chain members to share information, increase organizational flexibility, and reduce the risk associated with the uncertainty.One of these risks could be the presence of the bullwhip effect. In their paper, Li and Lin (2006) concluded that generally, organizations with high levels of information sharing and information quality are associated with low level of environmental uncertainty. Furthermore, Li and Lin (2006) argued that, by taking the data available and sharing it with other parties within the supply chain, an organization can speed up the information flow in the supply chain, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the supply chain, and respond to customer changing needs quicker. More precisely, according to Lehoux et al. 2010), if actors have access to the demand of the final consume r, the number of products kept in stock at each location, the quantity ordered in the past few years, etc. , and are ready to cooperate, they can make planning decision that will have a positive impact on the system. Sahin and Robinson (2002) stated that information sharing can occur at several levels. Under ‘no information sharing’, the only demand data the supplier receives are actual orders from his immediate customer. On the other hand, at the ‘full information sharing’ level, complete information is available to support the specific decision-making environment.According to Sahin and Robinson (2002), this complete information include one or more of the following: production status and costs, transportation availability and quantity discounts, inventory costs, inventory levels, various capacities, demand data from all channel members, and all planned promotional strategies. Lin et al. (2002) argued that the higher level of information sharing is associat ed with the lower total cost, the higher order fulfillment rate and the shorter order 8 cycle time. Seidmann and Sundarajan (1997) summed up a number of possible different information sharing arrangements.They showed four categories, based on the level of impact the shared information has on the buyer and supplier. The categories are as followed: exchanging order information, sharing operational information, sharing strategic marketing information, and sharing strategic and competitive marketing and sales information. In a supply chain, two different streams of information can occur: downstream and upstream. According to Claro and Claro (2010), downstream information refers to the information obtained from a supplier’s marketing channels, be they wholesalers, distributors or retailers.The wholesalers, distributors, or retailers can all be seen as a buyer in the context of this research, since they all place orders at an upstream member (a supplier). From this it can be derive d that upstream information refers to the information a buyer obtains from the supplier. For the purpose of this research, the focus will be on downstream information; the information a supplier receives from the buyer. This information is critical for the supplier’s performance because with this information the buyer will have to make its forecast for production and/or inventory control.The upstream information will be disregarded, since, as stated before, this research only focuses on the supplier, and therefore the buyer’s performance will be disregarded. 2. 3 Bullwhip effect Forrester (1958) was the first one to describe the bullwhip effect and identified the supply chain’s natural tendency to amplify, delay, and oscillate demand information, and demonstrates its effect in a serial supply chain consisting of a retailer, distributor, warehouse, and factory. So, this phenomenon is known as the bullwhip effect.According to Metters (1997), it is so called becaus e a small variance or seasonality in actual consumer demand can ‘crack the whip’ for upstream suppliers, causing upstream suppliers to alternately produce at capacity then experience downtime. Yu et al. (2001) described this phenomenon as that the variability of an upstream member’s demand is greater than that of the downstream member. Basically, they say, the bullwhip effect is largely caused by the variability of ordering. Lee et al. (1997) identified the five major causes of the bullwhip effect as (1) the use of ‘demand signal processing', (2) nonzero 9 ead times, (3) order batching, (4) supply shortages, and (5) price fluctuations. According to Sucky (2008), the bullwhip effect has a number of negative effects in real supply chains, which can cause significant inefficiencies. Huang et al. (2007) stated that the devastating consequences caused by the bullwhip effect are clear indeed, like a redundant inventory, excessive production and resultant costs, i neffective transportation and laggardly logistics, inefficient operations, and low economic benefits of supply chain system.Sucky (2008) agreed with this and stated that the bullwhip effect typically leads to excessive inventory investments throughout the supply chain as the parties involved need to protect themselves against demand variations. So, for the supplier, this means that the uncertainty about demand can lead to more costs, derived from those excessive inventory investments, since suppliers have to forecast their production and/or inventory control, without knowing for sure if this forecast is correct. According to Lee et al. 1997), to reduce uncertainties, and by that the costly bullwhip effect, suppliers and buyers should share demand forecast information as well as information on inventory levels, sales data, order status, and production schedules. The bullwhip effect was illustrated by Sterman (1989) by the ‘beer game’. This game is a role-playing simulati on of an industrial production and distribution system. The game is designed in a way that each participant has a lack of information and they cannot communicate with each other. Therefore, according to Lee et al. 1997), each player has to make his decisions relying on orders from the neighboring player as the sole source of communications. The results of this test confirmed the existence of the bullwhip effect, because they revealed that the variances of orders amplify as one moves up in the supply chain (Lee et al. , 1997). 10 3. Methodology The design of this research was an integrative literature review. No empirical data has been gathered, only existing scientific literature was used in order to do this research. Therefore, this research was pure theoretical.The level of information sharing was used as the independent variable and the supplier’s performance, which is based on the bullwhip effect, was used as the dependent variable. 3. 1 Data collection Since this researc h is a literature review, only scientific academic literature was used. Therefore, the reliability of this research was guaranteed. The literature was found by using ISI (Web of Sciences) and Google Scholar. Web of Sciences was used as primary database, and Google Scholar was used when Web of Sciences could not provide the articles it showed in the search results.If this was the case, mostly the articles were indeed found by Google Scholar. When searching literature on Web of Sciences, the citation database was only using the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI). Literature was partly searched and selected by some applicable search terms in ‘Web of Sciences’. Table 1 shows the most important search terms which were used. Those terms were used solely as well as in a combination together in order to find relevant articles. The search results were sorted by the times the articles were cited, in order to find the most important paper for my topic.The only problem which cam e up when using this strategy was that the newest articles, which could be important for this research, were very low in those search results, since they haven’t been cited that much yet. Therefore, after finishing this first sorting strategy, a second sorting was done as well, based on newest to oldest, to see if the last couple of years important papers regarding my topic have been written. The other part of data collection was done by looking at articles which were cited by the papers I viewed as important for my research.Search terms Supply chain Information sharing Supplier Supplier’s performance Table 1. Search terms 11 Bullwhip effect Downstream information Inventory control Demand process 3. 2 Quality indicators The reliability of this research was guaranteed, since only scientific academic literature was be used. All the literature that was used in this paper is high quality literature, because the used literature is published in well-known journals, and is pe er-reviewed.The confirmability is high for this research. The results will be able to be confirmed by others, since all statements, definitions and assumptions in this research were derived from previous literature. In this literature review, there has been consistent and correct referring to the authors. Next to that, the validity was also ensured, since more than just one database was used, so that all the relevant literature for this research was assured. The construct validity is enhanced as well.What had to be measured has actually been measured, since the concepts of this research were clearly defined and the used articles for doing this research were all using the same definitions and concepts. 12 4. Results Two different views on the importance of information sharing in order to reduce or avoid the bullwhip effect can be distinguished in the literature: a positive effect on one side, and on the other hand there are authors who do not agree that information sharing is the key solution to reduce or avoid the bullwhip effect. . 1 ‘Information sharing is the key solution’ The importance of information sharing for combating the bullwhip effect was clearly shown by the simulation study of Chatfield et al. (2004), who used a simulation model to examine the effects in supply chains of stochastic lead times and of information sharing and quality of that information in a periodic order-up-to level inventory system. One of their main findings was that information sharing reduces total variance amplification and stage (node to node) variance amplification.This, is what is needed to reduce or avoid the bullwhip effect. Chatfield et al. (2004) therefore indeed conclude that information sharing decelerates the bullwhip effect as we go up the supply chain, which could be the result of planning ahead, since the upper supply chain echelons would be responding to customer demand information before the demands actually show up in the form of an order from the downstream partner. The findings of Moyaux et al. (2007), also by a simulation study, are in line with this.They concluded that, with information centralization (buyer’s demand information available), the supplier knows in real time and instantaneously the market consumption. By this, the supplier will be able to manage his production schedule and inventory control in the best way. Sterman’s (1989) results from his ‘beer game’-experiment are in line with this, since they showed that the bullwhip effect appears when actors in a chain haven’t got all the information they need to make the right decisions about production and inventory control.Sterman (1989) stated that misconceptions about inventory and demand information (Lee et al. , 1997) causes the bullwhip effect. So, Sterman (1989) also states that the effect of information sharing on the supplier’s performance is positive since it helps to reduce or avoid the bullwhip effect. Croson and Donohue (2005) do not doubt about whether or not information sharing is the key solution; they see particularly sharing information on inventory levels as countermeasure to the bullwhip effect. According to them, from an operational perspective, inventory 13 nformation can be used to update demand forecasts and lessen the impact of demandsignaling errors and delays. In their paper, they stated that ‘analytical research on inventory management in two-echelon supply chains with a single supplier and one or more retailers (e. g. , Bourland et al. 1996; Lee et al. 1997; Cachon and Fisher 2000; Gavirneni et al. 1999) concludes that sharing inventory information can improve supply chain performance, with the upstream member (i. e. , the supplier) enjoying most of the benefits’ (Croson and Donohue (2005)).According to Croson and Donohue (2005), in these analytical models, inventory information provides the supplier with more timely and less distorted demand signals, and these signals are then factored into the supplier’s order decisions, and these factors result in lower safety stock and/or higher service levels in comparison with cases where no inventory information is shared. Lee et al. (1997) totally agreed with those findings. In their paper, as stated earlier, they analyzed four sources of the bullwhip effect (demand signal processing, rationing game, order batching, and price variations).With their demand model, they considered a retailer's singleitem multiperiod inventory problem, where the retailer (buyer) orders a single item from a supplier every period. In this setting, the supplier relies totally on the order data from the buyer. According to Lee et al. (1997), their result shows that such an arrangement will cause the supplier to lose track of the true demand pattern at the retail end, and, besides that, the supplier's inventory control based on this distorted information will inevitably suffer. Lee et al. 1997) concluded, based on th ese findings, that when sales and inventory data are shared among chain members, the supply chain as a whole can implement echelon-based inventory control which can yield superior performance to installation-based inventory control. Moreover, Huang et al. (2007), based on three simulation experiments according to the empirical practice of the three most representative Chinese companies in the steel industry, found that the bullwhip effect existed in this supply chain, and that the effect can be reduced by a control method they developed.Based on classical control theories and methods, combined with the empirical practices, Huang et al. (2007) concluded that the best way for firms to dampen and control the bullwhip effect is to take effective measures for information sharing, especially in this information society. More specifically, Huang et al. (2007) stated that managers should choose an appropriate method of controlling the bullwhip effect, which 14 as to be the usage of some adv anced information management system and management solutions, for example Advanced Planning System (APS), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), E-business, Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI), short-term inventory, and distribution optimization, is an effective way to control the bullwhip effect. Since those management systems are advanced information management systems, they are all based on shared information in the supply chain. The conclusions of Huang et al. (2007) therefore indicated the importance of information sharing to reduce or avoid the bullwhip effect.Ozer and Wei (2004) also showed how important the effect of information sharing can be for the supplier. According to Ozer and Wei (2004), both the cost and the base stock level decrease as customers place more of their demand in advance. Advance demand information, according to Ozer and Wei (2004), refers to the situation when customers place orders in advance for a future delivery. If this is the case, the supplier knows what the order will be for the upcoming period, and therefore, the uncertainty seems low or even eliminated.As a consequence of that, it is clear that the cost and base stock level decrease. However, Ozer and Wei (2004) even go further on this important role of information. Based on a numerical study, where they studied 350 problem instances, they stated that advance demand information can be a substitute for capacity and inventory. In other words, when a supplier receives full demand information from the buyer’s side, the supplier doesn’t even have to hold any stock, and by that, the supplier’s performance is influenced positively, since the supplier doesn’t have the risk of extra costs and inventories.One other way to show the value of information sharing in a supply chain was brought up by Cannella and Ciancimino (2011). Cannella and Ciancimino (2011) performed a supply chain stress test via a sudden and intense change in demand, and they distinguished diff erent supply chain configurations: traditional and information exchange. In the traditional supply chain, each level in the supply chain issues production orders and replenishes stock without considering the situation at either up- or downstream tiers of the supply chain (Cannella and Ciancimino (2011)).On the other hand, in the information exchange supply chain, the retailer and supplier order independently, yet exchange demand information and action plans in order to align their forecasts for capacity and long-term planning (Cannella and Ciancimino (2011)). Their main conclusion regarding the difference in these configurations is that the 15 bullwhip effect, inventory instability and intermittent orders are not completely eliminated, but are reduced with respect to the traditional supply chain, and that information exchange supply chains generally outperform the traditional configuration.This means that, ceteris paribus, all performance measures are superior to the traditional cas e (Cannella and Ciancimino (2011)). This conclusion is an important one for the research question of this paper, since it makes clear that the supplier’s performance is really dependent on whether information is shared or not. One other remarkable thing in their conclusion is that the bullwhip effect is not totally eliminated when information is shared in the supply chain. Dejonckheere et al. 2004) concluded this as well in their paper, when they showed that for the class of order-up-to policies, information sharing helps to reduce the bullwhip effect significantly, especially at higher levels in the chain, however, the bullwhip problem is not completely eliminated and it still increases as one moves up the chain. A new question one can come up with here is if it is possible to totally eliminate the bullwhip effect by information sharing. An answer to this new question is given by Chen et al. (2000).In their research, they provided a model based on the assumption that demand information is centralized, and all stages use the same inventory policy and forecasting technique. Centralized demand information means that customer demand information is available to every stage of the supply chain (Chen et al. , 2000). The findings of Chen et al. (2000) showed that providing each stage of the supply chain with complete access to customer demand information can significantly reduce bullwhip effect. However, according to Chen et al. 2000), the results also demonstrated that even when (i) all demand information is centralized, (ii) every stage of the supply chain uses the same forecasting technique, and (iii) every stage uses the same inventory policy, there will still be an small increase in variability at every stage of the supply chain. Reason for this, given by Chen et al. (2000), is that the supplier can never know the mean and the variance of buyer’s demand. This means that the bullwhip effect can never totally be eliminated from the supply chain, even if full information sharing is done by the buyer.Croson and Donohue (2006), who conducted the beer game-experiment of Sterman (1989), also concluded that the bullwhip cannot totally be eliminated. Croson and Donohue (2006) conducted the game under business students at the University of Minnesota and found that the bullwhip effect still exists when retail demand is stationary (not fluctuating) and commonly known. Reason for this was 16 given by Sterman (1989) itself, who noted that dynamic settings render decision making difficult, even when only one decision maker is involved, due to reduced saliency of feedback.For the purpose of this study this means that a supplier is missing the feedback or forewarning of when the buyer is running short on inventory. Therefore, uncertainty still exist since the forecast is hard to make, and the bullwhip effect will not be eliminated. However, Yu et al. (2001) stated that this is possible. Based on their case study of L&TT, a Hong Kong based mul tinational company which had to deal with a large number of new manufacturers and component suppliers in their industry, Yu et al. (2001) concluded that with access to the customer rdering information, the supplier can eliminate the amplified buyer’s demand variance in its replenishment process. Besides that, Yu et al. (2001), according to their quantitative analysis, stated that the supply chain partnership can not only help the members of a decentralized supply chain to eliminate the bullwhip effect, but also improve the overall performance of the supply chain. So, based on the findings of Yu et al. (2001), the overall performance of the supply chain can be improved. This means that the supplier and buyer should make information sharing arrangements, since it can be advantageous for them both.Seidmann and Sundarajan (1997) summed up possible different information sharing arrangements, showing the impact of information sharing on the operations, sales, marketing, and product ion strategies of the parties that contract to share the information. The four arrangements they summed up are exchanging order information, sharing operations information, sharing strategic marketing information, and an agreement where the information adds both strategic and competitive value to the party that receives it. The sharing strategic marketing information agreement seems the optimal agreement for the research question in this paper.According to Seidmann and Sundarajan (1997), arrangements like these occur when one organization owns information that it can derive little independent value from, but which another can use to generate operational benefits for the company it receives the information from, besides garnering strategic value for its own sales and marketing departments. This level can be very beneficial for the supplier. As Seidmann and Sundarajan (1997) stated, the information in this level can be used by the supplier’s sales and product development groups for improved demand forecasting, promotion scheduling, and segment-specific forecasts and therefore, in 17 hat situation, it is possible for a buyer to allow a supplier to access broad market information that provides the supplier with strategic and competitive benefits. A new point of discussion can come up here, because, according to Lee et al. (1997), sales data and inventory status data are proprietary for buyers, and they are not obligated to share this data with others, in this case, the supplier. Lee et al. (1997) in their paper do not state that sharing information can be advantageous for the buyer as well as the supplier as Yu et al. (2001) do, but they take in mind why the buyer would exchange information to the supplier.According to Li (2002), in line with this, buyers would not voluntarily share their information. He identified conditions under which the manufacturer would be able to buy retailer information. Claro and Claro (2010) concluded as well that sharing informa tion can be good for both sides in the supply chain. They found their results by doing a survey research under 174 suppliers and 67 buyers, with which they tested their hypothesis, which was: ‘the more downstream information a supplier obtains, the higher the degree of collaboration in a buyer-supplier relationship’ (Claro and Claro, 2010).The results supported the hypothesis. Claro and Claro (2010) showed that when downstream information is shared, so, from buyer to supplier, the degree of collaboration, in terms of joint planning, joint problem solving and flexibility in the supply chain is very high. These findings show that sharing the proprietary information can bring advantages for the buyer as well. An interesting point in the studies who showed that information sharing is the key solution for reducing or avoiding the bullwhip effect was brought up by Croson and Donohue (2006).As stated before, they conducted the beer game under business students, but for the pur pose of the study of this interesting finding the participants also had access to dynamic inventory information. According to Croson and Donohue (2006), the results suggest that members near the beginning of the chain exhibit a different impact from inventory information than those near the end. This means that having access to dynamic information will lead to a greater reduction of the bullwhip effect for suppliers like a manufacturer and a distributor, than for suppliers who are closer to the end consumer, like a distributor.So, from their findings, information sharing is very important for reducing or avoiding the bullwhip effect, but much more important for suppliers who are at the beginning of the chain than for suppliers who are closer to the end buyer. 18 ‘Information sharing is the key solution’ Chatfield et al. (2004) simulation model to examine different effects in a supply chain ? periodic order-up-to level inventory system Moyaux et al. (2007) ? simulation s tudy ? Findings: Information sharing reduces total variance amplification and stage (node to node) variance amplification.Sterman (1989) ? Beer-game experiment ? This experiment is used and conducted a lot in the literature Croson and Donohue (2005) ? Analytical research on inventory management in two-echelon supply chains with a single supplier and one or more retailers Lee et al. (1997) ? Analyzed four sources of the bullwhip effect ? With their demand model, they considered a retailer's single-item multiperiod inventory problem Huang et al. (2007) ? Three simulation experiments in the Chinese steel industry ?Based on classical control theories and methods, combined with the empirical practices Ozer and Wei (2004) ? Numerical study with 350 instances Findings: With information centralization, the supplier knows in real time and instantaneously the market consumption Findings: The bullwhip effect appears when actors in a chain haven’t got all the information they need to mak e the right decisions about production and inventory control Findings: Sharing inventory information can improve supply chain performance, with the upstream member (i. e. the supplier) enjoying most of the benefits Findings: When sales and inventory data are shared among chain members, the supply chain as a whole can implement echelon-based inventory control which can yield superior performance Findings: The best way for firms to dampen and control the bullwhip effect is to take effective measures for information sharing, especially in this information society. Managers should choose an appropriate method of controlling the bullwhip effect Findings: Both the cost and the base stock level decrease as customers place more of their emand in advance. Advance demand information can be a substitute for capacity and inventory Findings: The bullwhip effect, inventory instability and intermittent orders are not completely eliminated, but are reduced with respect to the traditional supply cha in, and that information exchange Cannella and Ciancimino (2011) ? Supply chain stress test via a sudden and intense change in demand 19 supply chains generally outperform the traditional configuration. Dejonckheere et al. (2004) ? The class of order-up-to policies Findings: ?Information sharing helps to reduce the bullwhip effect significantly, especially at higher levels in the chain ? Hhowever, the bullwhip problem is not completely eliminated and it still increases as one moves up the chain Chen et al. (2000) Findings: ? A model based on the assumption that ? Providing each stage of the supply chain demand information is centralized, with complete access to customer demand and all stages use the same inventory information can significantly reduce policy and forecasting technique bullwhip effect ?The supplier can never know the mean and the variance of buyer’s demand, so the bullwhip effect is never completely eliminated Yu et al. (2001) Findings: ? Case study of L ? With access to the customer ordering ? Quantitative analysis information, the supplier can eliminate the amplified buyer’s demand variance in its replenishment process ? The supply chain partnership can not only help the members of a decentralized supply chain to eliminate the bullwhip effect, but also improve the overall performance of the supply chain Claro and Claro (2010) Findings: ?Survey research under 174 suppliers ? When downstream information is shared, and 67 buyers so, from buyer to supplier, the degree of collaboration, in terms of joint planning, joint problem solving and flexibility in the supply chain is very high. Croson and Donohue (2006) Findings: ? Sterman’s (1989) beer-game under ? Members near the beginning of the chain business students exhibit a different impact from inventory information than those near the end ? Having access to dynamic information ill lead to a greater reduction of the bullwhip effect for suppliers at the beginning of the chain, th an for suppliers who are closer to the end consumer 20 4. 2 ‘Information sharing is not the key solution’ Eventhough a lot of authors, as shown here above, state that information sharing is the key solution for reducing or avoiding the bullwhip effect and by that improving the supplier’s performance, there are also authors who do not agree with this. For example Raghunathan (2001), based on analysis of the earlier study of Lee et al. (2000) and through simulation. Lee et al. 2000), studied the value of sharing demand information in a supply chain model with a nonstationary demand process. Their key findings are that the suppliers costs can be reduced as a result of information sharing. Raghunathan does not agree with this. According to Raghunathan (2001), a supplier can reduce the variance of its forecast further by using the entire order history to which it has access. Thus, Raghunathan (2001) stated, when intelligent use of already available internal informatio n (order history) suffices, there is no need to invest in interorganizational systems for information sharing.Next to Raghunathan are Cachon and Fisher (2000), who studied the value of sharing data in a model with one supplier, N identical retailers, and stationary stochastic consumer demand. They concluded that, for the setting they studied, implementing information technology to accelerate and smooth the physical flow of goods through a supply chain is significantly more valuable than using information technology to expand the flow of information. The reason they give is that when a retailer is flush with inventory, its demand information provides little value to the supplier because the retailer has no short-term need for an additional batch.According to Cachon and Fisher (2000), a retailer’s demand information is most valuable when the retailer’s inventory approaches a level that should trigger the supplier to order additional inventory, but this is also precisely when the retailer is likely to submit an order. Graves (1999) goes beyond this and gives an even lower value to information sharing in a specific, namely, zero. Graves (1999) developed a model assuming assume that each site in the system orders at preset times according to an order-up-to policy, that delivery times are deterministic, and that the demand processes are stochastic with independent increments.Graves (1999) concludes that information sharing provides no benefits to the supply chain, when there is no outside inventory source and an order-up-to-policy. 21 Gavirneni et al. (1999) furthermore studied different patterns of information flow between a retailer and a supplier. With their study they found that information sharing is does not always have a big value, in other words, is not always the key solution for reducing or avoiding the bullwhip effect.The objective in their paper is to determine a production strategy to minimize the supplier’s costs, under various sce narios that differ in terms of the supplier’s information about the downstream part of the supply chain. Their key observations, according to Chen (2003), are: (1) when the retailer demand variance is high, or the value of (s, S) is either very high or very low, information tends to have low values, and (2) if the retailer demand variance is moderate, and the value of (s, S) is not extreme, information can be very beneficial.A (s, S)-policy, according to Yu et al. (2001) means that an order will be placed to replenish the stock level to S at each time period if the stock level is less than the recorder point s. So, according to Gavirneni et al. (1999), in some situations information sharing is overestimated and is definitely not the key solution for reducing or avoiding the bullwhip effect. Dejonckheere et al. (2003) found some other solution for reducing the bullwhip effect and neither did say that information sharing is the key solution.Based on a methodology by control sys tems engineering, which includes transfer functions, frequency response curves and spectral analysis, they introduced a general decision rule that avoids variance amplification (bullwhip effect) and succeeds in generating smooth ordering patterns, even when demand has to be forecasted. Firstly, Dejonckheere et al. (2003) concluded that whatever forecasting method is used, order-up-to policies will always result in a bullwhip effect. Therefore, they tried to find a solution to reduce or avoid this effect. According to Dejonckheere et al. 2003), the crucial difference with the class of order-up-to policies is that in their proposed rule, net stock and on order inventory discrepancies are only fractionally taken into account. Their general decision rule has to expected benefits: (1) it is expected to detect and eject rogue variations in demand (high frequencies) so that excess costs due to unnecessary ramping up and down production or ordering levels are avoided, and (2) it is possible to quantify the amount of variability reduction by means of the same procedure (Dejonckheere et al. (2003)). 22 ‘Information sharing is not the key solution’ Raghunathan (2001) Findings: ?Analysis of the earlier study of Lee et ? A supplier can reduce the variance of al. (2000) and through simulation its forecast further by using the entire order history to which it has access Cachon and Fisher (2000) Findings: ? Based on a model with one supplier, ? Implementing information technology N identical retailers, and stationary to accelerate and smooth the physical stochastic consumer demand flow of goods through a supply chain is significantly more valuable than using information technology to expand the flow of information Graves (1999) Findings: ?Based on a model assuming that each ? Information sharing provides no site in the system orders at preset benefits to the supply chain, when times according to an order-up-to there is no outside inventory source policy, that del ivery times are and an order-up-to-policy. deterministic, and that the demand processes are stochastic with independent increments Gavirneni et al. (1999) Findings: ? Studied different patterns of ?When the retailer demand variance is information flow between a retailer high, or the value of (s, S) is either and a supplier. very high or very low, information tends to have low values Dejonckheere et al. (2003) Findings: ? Based on control systems engineering ? Introduced a general decision rule ? Whatever forecasting method is used, order-up-to policies will always result in a bullwhip effect ? Their general decision rule: (1) is expected to detect and eject rogue variations in emand (high frequencies), and (2) it is possible to quantify the amount of variability reduction by means of the same procedure 23 5. Conclusion and recommendations 5. 1 Conclusion The answer to the research question as stated in the beginning of this paper is provided in this section. The research question wh ere this research is based on was: ‘What is the effect, according to the literature, of information sharing in a supply chain on the performance of the supplier? To answer the research question, and to see if information sharing for the bullwhip effect is over- or underestimated, the literature around the topic of the bullwhip effect had to be assorted, and it showed that in two main streams exist in the literature when focusing on the role of information sharing for the bullwhip effect. In the literature, with exceptions (Raghunathan 2001: Cachon and Fisher 2000: Graves 1999: Gavirneni et al. 1999: Dejonckheere et al. 2003), information sharing as the key solution to reduce or avoid the bullwhip effect seems to have the upper hand.First, shortly the most important findings from the first view will be summarized, which was the view of information sharing as key solution to reduce or avoid the bullwhip effect in order to increase the performance of a supplier. Chatfield et al. (2004) and Moyaux et al. (2007) showed by simulation studies that with information sharing in the supply chain, the supplier is much more well-known about what is going happen, in other words, what the market does and what the buyer’s demand will be, and therefore, according to their findings, the bullwhip effect is reduced.Also results of some empirical studies showed that information sharing is the key solution. Huang et al. (2007) concluded that managers should stick to advanced information management systems for their company because this will reduce the bullwhip effect. Ozer and Wei (2004), with their numerical study, found that advance demand information will results in decreases of costs and inventory level, and therefore has a positive effect on the supplier’s performance. Yu et al. 2001), with their case study of L, concluded that when a supplier has access to the buyer’s ordering information, the supplier can eliminate the amplified buyer’s dema nd variance in its replenishment process. Claro and Claro (2010), by their survey research, even showed that not only the supplier can benefit from sharing information but the buyer can do as well, because when downstream information is shared, the degree of collaboration, in terms of joint planning, joint problem solving and flexibility in the supply chain is very high. 24The main findings of the other view, the view which finds that information sharing is not the key solution, were as followed. Raghunathan (2001) stated that information sharing is not necessarily needed, because a supplier can reduce the variance of its forecast further by using the entire order history to which it has access. Furthermore, Cachon and Fisher (2000) concluded that accelerating and smoothing the physical flow of goods through a supply chain is significantly more valuable than using information technology to expand the flow of information.Graves (1999) found that, in a specific market model, informati on sharing provides no benefits to the supply chain, when there is no outside inventory source and an order-up-to-policy. Dejonckheere et al. (2003) had a remarkable result. They introduced a general decision rule, which should detect the bullwhip effect and quantify the amount of the bullwhip effect, so that suppliers can respond to this in time. The arguments for information sharing as key solution seem stronger than the ones who say information sharing is not that important.The argument of Raghunathan (2001) for example, that a supplier can reduce the variance of its forecast further by using the entire order history to which it has access, seems not very strong. The findings of Raghunathan in fact were rejected by Croson and Donohue (2006) who conducted the beer game of Sterman (1989) under business students and found that the bullwhip effect still exists when retail demand is stationary (not fluctuating) and commonly known.This means that, even if a supplier has the order histo ry, the demand is known, and the demand is not really fluctuating, a supplier cannot make the right forecast since the bullwhip effect isn’t totally eliminated. The argument of Raghunathan (2001) can call up more discussion. Results from the past do not guarantee anything for the future, and especially these days with the economic crises, you never know what the market with do and how the financial situation of your customers will be.Therefore, making forecasts based on history seems not a strong argument. Other arguments saying that information sharing is overestimated all focus on specific situations, but it seems that overall information sharing is not overestimated at all in the literature. Much more authors, based on different (simulations) models and empirical studies, claim that information sharing is the key solution to reduce or avoid the bullwhip effect than authors who do not claim that, and this seems logical. Without enough information, a supplier 25 annot make r ight judgments about his production schemes and inventory control, since he doesn't know what the next period will bring for him in terms of the buyer’s demand. The results of this uncertainty for the supplier can be either a low inventory and the chance of not being able to fulfill the buyer’s demand because of that inventory, or the chance of having an inventory which is too large and being stuck with too many unsold products after the buyer’s demand. To avoid this effect, the supplier should have access to the necessary information from the buyer.However, as also stated by Li (2002), why would a buyer share this information, when it is not in any way beneficial for him? The information sharing arrangements of Seidmann and Sundarajan (1997) can bring the solution. Their third level, sharing strategic marketing information, is the one which suits the best in this case. The supplier and buyer should make this arrangement, so that the buyer shares the needed down stream information to the supplier. This information shared has strategic value to the supplier.The buyer, on his turn, could, in return for the information, ensure himself for example of better purchase prices. In this way, both parties can gain from the agreement. Claro and Claro (2010) came up with more descriptions of how the performance of the buyer could positively be influenced as well next to the performance of the supplier, by stating that joint planning, joint problem solving and flexibility in the supply chain are all possible consequences of a situation where information is being shared from buyer to supplier. 5. Recommendations for future research For further research it will be very interesting to investigate to what extent the performance of the buyer and supplier can be negatively influenced as well by information sharing within the supply chain. In the literature, as I have seen, a lot is written about the importance of information sharing, and the overall conclusio n is that information sharing is the key solution to reduce or avoid the bullwhip effect, and, by that, positively influences the performance of the supplier and also the whole chain’s performance.However, there hasn’t been done much research about possible negative consequences of information sharing within the chain and therefore this seems a gap in the existing literature. For example, what could happen when information is fully shared between suppliers and buyers, is that the suppliers get totally dependent on those information by controlling their production and/or inventory, and when the information for any reason suddenly is distorted, misinterpreted or wrong, a problem can occur. 26 6. Discussion and reflection 6. Discussion As it is clear from the results section and conclusion, two views on the importance of information sharing for the supplier’s performance exist in the literature. The conclusion shows that it can be stated that information sharing is the key solution to reduce or avoid the bullwhip effect, and, by that, has a positive influence on the performance of the supplier. The practical implication of this research lies within the insight it gives to actors in a supply chain. The insight is especially meant for suppliers, since this research focused on the supplier and not specifically on the buyer.The bullwhip effect seems a very common problem in supply chains and therefore it seems to be a topic which suppliers will often will encounter. This research gives insight in how the bullwhip effect can be reduced or avoided. As concluded, the first solution on sight seems easy. Suppliers should try to make the buyer share the needed downstream information, so that the supplier can make right forecasts, and wellover thought production and/or inventory control. However, one cannot ignore for example the general decision rule of Dejonckheere et al. (2003).They believe that their model can detect and quantify the bullwhip effect in time, so this might be a solution as well for reducing or avoiding the effect. However, no sequel study on their paper has been done and so, there hasn’t been any further prove of this model. The setting of this paper gives reason for discussion. In this paper, the focus has only been on the performance of a supplier and did not specifically focus on the buyer’s performance. This research even ignored more or less the buyer’s performance. Therefore, discussion can come up, since the supply chain has two sides: a buyer and a supplier.As said, this research only looked through the eyes of the supplier, in other words, how the supplier could reduce or avoid the bullwhip effect, by that make better forecasts and decisions about production and/or inventory control, and so improve his performance. The overall conclusion is that information sharing is the key solution. However, this is only in the interest for the supplier, while the other important player in this story, namely, the buyer, hasn’t been spotlighted in this story. In this paper it is assumed and concluded that a buyers should share his information, but the 7 paper did not really put a good focus on the buyer’s performance, and what the possible consequences of information sharing for the buyer could be. Another point of discussion lies within the literature used for this research. The problem is that a lot of authors use models in their paper to conduct, analyze and conclude about whether or not information sharing is important for the bullwhip effect, but those models differ from each other. Some authors use stationary market models, some use non-stationary, some use order-up-to policy models, some use order-point-quantity policies.In other words, authors use specific supply chain settings to make their conclusions, and therefore, this research includes a very broad scope on the topic, which means that conclusions made in this research are not applicable in every supply chain, since the supply chain settings can differ. 6. 2 Reflection When looking back on writing this literature review, findings literature was not the problem. Many articles have written about the topic ‘supply chain’ in relation to ‘bullwhip effect’, but this didn’t mean that it was easy to find the right literature.Because of the large quantity papers, a very specific search method was needed in order to find the really important papers to be able to answer the research question of this paper. One difficult point in doing this research was that many of the most important papers included very detailed and extensive statistical models, which sometimes made it very difficult to understand the papers in the right way and derive right conclusions from it. Besides that, it was important to focus only on the supplier’s performance and leave the buyer’s performance outside the focus of this paper.The reason of that is that the supplie r and buyer, as written before, both have their own values and interests, and therefore, if the paper would focus on both of these actors, more than one dimension will exist and the research will get too extensive. When the research goal and question were clear, soon it became clear as well that two views on the importance of information sharing for the bullwhip effect existed. However, I was hoping to find much more results on the second view, namely that information sharing is not the key solution. This was a disappointing thing in the research. 28 7.References Aviv, Y. (2001). The effect of collaborative forecasting on supply chain performance. Management Science 47(10): 1326–1343. Bourland, K, Powell, S, Pyke, D. (1996). Exploiting timely demand information to reduce inventories. European Journal of Operational Research, 92: 239–253. Cachon, G. , M. Fisher (2000). Supply chain inventory management and the value of shared information. Management Science 46(8): 1032à ¢â‚¬â€œ1048. Cannella, S. , Ciancimino, E. (2011). On the bullwhip avoidance phase: supply chain collaboration and order smoothing. International Journal of Production Research 48 (2): 6739–6776.Chatfield, D. C. , Kim, J. 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