6 steps decision making Essay

In addition to time pressures that we encounter when searching for evidence to support care decisions for individual patients, it may be difficult for clinicians to apply the evidence that we find. The rate limiting step may not be doing the search, but the steps needed in â€Å"setting evidence-based medicine (EBM) in motion.† We present an example of a search for evidence by a Physician Assistant (PA) student that highlights this challenge. PAs receive accelerated training in the medical model and work in teams  under physician supervision. Approximately 40 000 PAs currently work in the  US in a wide range of settings and specialties.  Practising EBM has become an important component of training for PAs.  During an internal medicine rotation, a PA student encountered a common clinical practice unsupported by current  evidence—administration of nebulised albuterol in patients with community acquired pneumonia (CAP). While this practice may  be justified in patients with underlying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who also present with CAP, this student  questioned the grounds for its use in patients with CAP who do not have COPD. Clinical scenario A 68 year old man presented to the emergency department with fever, chills, and a non-productive cough of 1 week’s duration. He had fatigue, headache, rhinorrhoea, and mild nausea, but  denied dyspnoea. He had no history of smoking or COPD. He  had atrial fibrillation and was taking warfarin for stroke prevention. On admission, his temperature was 38.4  °C, heart rate was  108 beats/minute, respiratory rate was 24 breaths/minute,  blood pressure was 156/88 mm Hg, and oxygen saturation was  86% by pulse oximetry on room air. Rales were heard in both  lung bases and in the right middle lobe. Chest radiography  showed a diffuse infiltrate in the right middle and lower lobes. Complete blood count showed a white blood cell count of  22 000 cells/ml with a left shift, and arterial blood gases showed mild respiratory acidosis.  One dose of ceftriaxone was administered parenterally, and a course of azithromycin was started. Albuterol, 5% solution,  delivered by n ebuliser 3 times daily was also ordered, in addition to a combination of inhaled ipratropium and albuterol,  delivered by metered dose inhaler every 4 hours as needed.  During the hospital stay, his pneumonia resolved, but his heart rate increased to 150 beats/minute and his blood pressure rose from 156/88 to 200/110 mm Hg. Clinical question Although there was no institutional protocol for use of  nebulised albuterol for treatment of CAP, the house staff often ordered it.  The PA student queried: In a 68 year old man with CAP and no underlying COPD, does use of nebulised
2 agonists improve symptoms? What is the risk of harm in this  patient? Search strategy Firstly, a treatment guideline was sought to clarify recommendations regarding use of nebulised albuterol for treatment of CAP.  The American Thoracic Society guidelines for management of  CAP1 were rapidly retrieved through PubMed, UpToDate, and  MD Consult. The British Thoracic Society (BTS) guidelines for the management of CAP in adults2 were also found in PubMed.  Both sets of guidelines were relevant to our patient, but neither guideline discussed the use of nebulised albuterol in the  treatment of CAP. The BTS guidelines had a section on general management, which discussed the use of adjunctive therapies  for CAP, but nebulised albuterol was not mentioned. Evidence from controlled clinical trials was mentioned in the guideline for â€Å"bottle blowing,†3 but not for physiotherapy.  Having not fully answered our question with a review of  relevant guidelines (and having not attracted the attention of anyone who could change the patient’s treatment p lan), we  searched PubMed again, this time specifically for studies on the use of albuterol in patients with CAP. No relevant trials were found on the use of nebulisers for CAP.  To identify evidence about harm with the use of albuterol,  PubMed was searched using the terms nebulised albuterol, cardiac arrhythmias, and randomised or controlled clinical trials.  No trials were found. When just the content terms were  searched, 9 articles, not directly relevant to our patient, were found. One prospective, open label study on the effect of  nebulised albuterol (for treatment of asthma) on cardiac rhythm was found.4 10 patients were studied, and although no adverse effect on cardiac rhythm or blood pressure was found, the study did not convince the team that no potential for harm existed in this, or other patients, especially when there  was no clear indication for use of albuterol. Recognising that searching and appraising the literature are not the only important aspects of practicing EBM, we consulted an experienced pulmonologist, who practises and teaches using the EBM model. In addition to reviewing treatment plans for  multiple cases of CAP requiring hospital admission with the  Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant service, he recommended review of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine  website at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada  (www.cebm.utoronto.ca/), which suggested bubble blowing as a method for helping clear secretions.2–3 This served as an  excellent, rapid approach to finding good information on treatment of CAP, and confirmed the evidence previously found in  the literature search.  Application of the evidence to this, and future  patients  The treatment plan for this patient was not altered by the  student’s rapid search for evidence. Changes in usual care for a common illness required a compr ehensive search and discussion among all clinicians in our institution caring for patients  with CAP. The clinical team reviewed the results of the search and because no evidence was found to support use of albuterol in patients like ours, changes were made to future practice. As a result of this process, which took a few hours and evolved over several weeks, orders for bronchodilators for patients with CAP are now made on an individual basis, depending on the  presence of patient comorbid illnesses, such as COPD. 164 Volume 8 November/December 2003 EBM www.evidence-basedmedicine.com EBM notebook Downloaded from ebm.bmj.com on 10 August 2009 Conclusion The need for a rapid search for evidence is sometimes, but not always, important to the care of an individual patient. In this case, the speed of the search did not affect the ability of the PA student to apply the  evidence to the patient. Setting the evidence in motion may require communication of search results to other members of the clinical team and may affect the care of future patients. Although the catalyst for setting EBM in motion was a student, the evidence, including the results of further research, along with the judgment of the experienced pulmonologist,  convinced the clinical team to make changes to usual care and to base future treatment of this common condition on the best available evidence. The basic concept of evidence-based medicine proposes to  make health related decisions based on a synthesis of internal and external evidence. Internal evidence is composed of knowledge acquired through formal education and training, general  experience accumulated from daily practice, and specific  experience gained from an individual clinician-patient relationship. External evidence is accessible information from research.  It is the explicit use of valid external evidence (eg, randomised controlled trials) combined with the prevailing internal evidence that defines a clinical decision as â€Å"evidence-based.† To realise this concept in day to day clinical practice, the Evidence- Based Medicine Working Group proposed a 5 step strategy,  corresponding to step 1 and steps 3 to 6 shown in the left hand column of the table. In teaching this 5 step approach, we encountered several difficulties. We noticed a growing hesitance to accept this strategy  as students advanced in their medical training. In the presence of well established methods of treatment or diagnosis, this  resistance rises even more, regardless of the level of training.We assume that this barrier is associated with the process of socialisation into the health professions. Throughout medical  education students are virtually â€Å"trained† to make decisions under the condition of uncertainty. Advanced students and to a greater extent clinicians lose some of their ability to differentiate between scientific evidence and what seems to be evident. If we intend to implement evidence-based medicine more efficiently, we need to modify the way students and clinicians learn to make decisions. Therefore, an additional step was introduced in our evidencebased medicine teaching programme (step 2 in the table).  Students were to provide answers to their clinical questions based on their current knowledge (internal evidence) before  continuing with the remaining steps of the evidence-based  process.2 Our collective experience concerning this additional step was extremely positive. The students using this new step were satisfied that their pre-existing knowledge had been  integrated into the evidence-based approach. By explicitly  documenting their internal evidence, students used the remaining steps of the process to evaluate not only the best evidence in making a clinical decision but also to assess the accuracy of their internal evidence, the grounds upon which their preconcep- The 6 steps of evidence-based decision making Step Action Explanation  1 Transformation of the clinical problem into 3 or 4 part question (a) relevant patient characteristics and problem(s), (b) leading intervention, (c) alternative intervention, (d) clinical outcomes or goals. 2 Additional step: answer to the question based on â€Å"internal evidence† only Internal evidence: acquired knowledge through professional training and experience (in general and applied to the patient). Should be documented before proceeding to step 3. 3 Finding â€Å"external evidence† to answer the question External evidence: obtained from textbooks, journals, databases, experts. The value of the external evidence will be highly variable, see step 4. 4 Critical appraisal of the external evidence Should answer 3 questions: (1) Are the results valid? (2) Are the results clinically important? (3) Do the results apply to my patient? (or is my patient so different from those in the study that the results do not apply?) 5 Integrating external and internal evidence The 2 sources of information (external and internal) may be supportive, non-supportive, or conflicting. How the decision is made when non-supportive or conflicting will depend on multiple factors. 6 Evaluation of decision making process Once the decision has been made, the process and the outcome are considered and opportunities for improvement are identified. The health authority of Alto Adige in northern Italy initiated and supported a project, the â€Å"Bressanone Model,† in which the effects of implementing evidence-based medicine on the quality of health care were to be shown. In this model we used the six step approach, which proved to be successful in the student  project to teach experienced clinicians.3 The participants were asked to name problems of their day to day practice that lacked either an effective or an efficient solution. The evidence-based medicine support group helped participants to phrase the 3 or 4 part questions. Subsequently, the physicians were asked to submit their individual answers to the questions before continuing with steps 3 to 6. Agreement between internal and external evidence varies. Completing the full process could result in finding evidence that confirms the internal evidence, validating and strengthening the clinician’s or student’s confidence in the decision. The process could also reveal that little evidence exists to support the decision or that the available evidence is equivocal. In such cases, other factors such as cost or inconvenience to the patient may need to be given greater consideration. Possibly, the best external evidence found is not in agreement with the internal evidence. This represents a particularly valuable experience for the clinician or student because it may avoid an ill advised decision. It also shows the fallibility of making decisions on  uncertain ground based on internal evidence alone. This in turn will hopefully promote the routine assimilation of external evidence in clinical decision making. The documentation and  comparison of steps 2 and 5, used as a research tool or quality assurance outcome measure, coul d provide valid information  on the effects of evidence-based medicine on clinical decision making. In case of conflicting internal and external evidence, clinicians have several options. They may change their mind and align it with the external evidence. They may determine that the external evidence is not sufficiently convincing and remain with the  original decision. Or, they may choose to discuss with the  patient the conflict between the internal and external evidence in a manner that enables the patient to take part in the decision making process. This last approach is recommended because  patient preference is considered an essential part of the  evidence-based decision making process1 and decisions often  need to be made in the absence of clear research findings.

Book report of Man from the South Essay

One day, on an accidental occasion, a stranger is willing to bet with you on one of you skills which is not so critical, and you are likely to win. If you do succeed, according to the serious bet, you can get a quite new limousine from the man which is worth millions of dollars; If not, however, what you have to do is just to dedicate your little finger, which means, have that poor finger chopped instantly by the man and then you will be rushed to the hospital in the car you have not won. Thus, here comes your choice, to bet or not? Coincidentally, there is someone else facing the same situation as yours, who is a character in the short story, Man from the South, which was published in 2008 and proved to be an intriguing thriller full of twists and turns and with appalling consequences. Roald Dahl, the author of Man from the South, as Michael Caldon defined, is the master of creating surprises, in whose stories, readers can hardly predict the results unless they’ve turned into the last page because there are so many transitions. 2008) And here, this piece of book report is focused on some information about this article and readers’ reaction to it, which include the plot, author’s purpose, the main theme and Bloom’s opinions about it. The plot of Man from the South is about an intriguing story which starts in a relaxing place and at a comfortable moment with a casual beginning, a suspenseful development and a surprising result. On a very occasional afternoon when I, the narrator, am si tting in the chair at the swimming pool enjoying the sunshine, I meet a small old man there who is immaculately dressed. We are having a casual talk about the weather and the people in the pool. Soon later, a young naval cadet with his girlfriend, who have been swimming in the pool, join us. When he is lighting the cigarette he has offered us, he says that his lighter never failed, by which the old man was animated. Then the old man proposes a bet on whether the young man can light the lighter for ten times running without missing one. If he fulfills it, he can get a new Cadillac from the old man; and on the other way around, if he loses, what he is about to lose more is his little finger as well as the Cadillac. After fiercely wrestling with himself, the young man finally agrees, leaving behind his girlfriend’s dissuasion as well as mine. When everything of the experiment has been ready in the man’s house in annex and there are only two flicks left, which means that the brave young man has passed eight tests before, a strange old woman opens the door and then rushes forward shouting at the old man. Through her narration, people on the scene all know that the old man is a menace who is so addicted to betting that he has taken altogether forty-seven fingers from different people and lost eleven cars, and ended up owning nothing in the world. And the old woman herself, who has won everything from the old man a long time ago, only has one finger on her left hand, a thumb. In this short story, the author’s main purpose is to reveal the dark side of humanity through the small old man, which is mainly from two clues. Firstly, the full text stretches around the event, â€Å"betting†, which was provoked by the old man. For instance, when the young naval cadet says that his lighter always works, the old man just focuses on the word, †always† and immediately becomes excited, because it is possible for him to carry out another bet. Next, the story displays the dark side of the old man by describing his obsession with betting. When the old woman exposes the truth that he has taken forty-seven fingers and lost eleven cars so that in the end he has nothing at all of his own, the cruelty and abnormality of the man is entirely cleared. The theme of Man from the South is to sing the praises of the battle between two sides of human nature, the good and the dark side. From the article, it can be drawn that good side of humanity can eventually defeat the dark side, though it would take a lot of sacrifices and time. Undisputedly, in this story, the small old man is the symbol of the dark side, who is absolutely a betting psycho and is keen on mutilating others’ physical fitness, from which he can get pleasure. On the other hand, the other characters, including the young cadet, his girlfriend, I and the old woman are on the side of good nature. The young man is courageous enough to take that bet in risk of his left pinky finger, who is fighting against the old man’s insanity in person. As Leiv Arild Haugland insinuates, the self-confident young cadet is the critical character without whom the story cannot continue any further. (2012) And when the old man puts forward the absurd bet, the girl and I try to prevent the young man from getting into it to avoid a bloody consequence. In addition, the woman who has spent a lot of time winning everything from the old man to suppress his persecution of betting, is the genuine symbol of the good side of humanity. As Haakon Hoel Bakker reveals, the old woman who s thought to be unlikely to appear in the article turns out to be so natural and shocking a character as a result of her unusual experiences. (2012) Generally speaking, Man from the South, in Leiv Arild Haugland’s assertion, is an intriguing story which develops compactly and ends unexpectedly because of Roald’s competent creation,(2013) and my opinions about it are illustrated in the following five aspects. Firstly, in my opinion, the author does achieve his purpose of this story to reveal the dark side of human nature through the crazy old man. By describing his sensitivity towards the word â€Å"always† and his excitement about carrying out the experiment, the author portrayed a man who is mentally disturbed and addicted to betting. After his past is exposed, the dark nature of the old man, which drove him to get joy from hurting others, is exposed as well. Secondly, I think the writing of this article is quite powerful and fascinating, which often holds my breath especially when it comes to the suspenseful part. I would not deny that when the test goes on where the young man is flicking for the eighth time, I am frightened by the cliffhanging plot and I just want to escape from the oncoming cruel scene and to skip to the last part to see if it has a good ending. Just as Annie claims that Roald Dahl is inspired and experienced in writing from the other side compared to everyman and thus, has a good understanding of the art of story. (2010) Next, I suppose the strength of this story is very obvious, including the compact plot, eye-catchy description and surprising results. What’s more, as Haakon Hoel Bakker maintains, another attraction of this article is the usage of the old man’s English dialect in the dialogues, such as the â€Å"pleees† instead of â€Å"please†, â€Å"dat† instead of â€Å"that†, which proves the man is from south and matches the title(2012); the weakness of this story, however, is that some settings are not clearly stated, which can be quite puzzling. For example, what is the relationship between the old man and the woman, why the old woman bet with the old man a long time ago and why it is her that took the old man here? At last, my overall response to this short article is â€Å"thriller†, no matter the plot or the description. As to the plot, it is betting in a price of the little finger and especially when the old woman shows her finger that is quite scary; in addition, the thriller in description embodies in the process of the experiment, when it is approaching hard to the final tenth try. Therefore, seeing that how exciting the story is, I will absolutely recommend it to my friends to make them experience such a wonderful and frightening journey as well. In conclusion, Man from the South, which is outstanding in plot construction, description and coherent writing, is worth reading for a thousand times. When the old man puts forward the conditions, when the young man agrees to take the bet, when the experiment is carried out in the eighth flick and when the old woman shows her left hand with only a thumb, the story succeeds in attracting readers’ attention and then twisting their expectation into a totally different direction. As Tazar presumes, Man from the South is right the reflection of Roald Dahl’s attainments in producing a fascinating world in his works,(2011) which speaks highly of both this story and his creative writing. Man from the South not only shows the dark side of someone, but also indicates that righteous people can finally defeat the insanity.

Explain the differences between national income or gross domestic Essay

Explain the differences between national income or gross domestic product and what the state of bhutan in the himalayas calls gr - Essay Example More recently the King of Bhutan has promoted a policy of Gross National Happiness (GNH) in opposition to GDP, arguing that the latter did not reflect the important intangible aspects of society and culture such as religious belief, harmony with nature, spiritual peace, and transcendent wisdom. In using GDP only as a measure of national worth and as a guide for planning risks the deterioration of these important intangible aspects globally, and this is most harshly reflected in the destruction of indigenous cultures with philosophical foundations and beliefs different from Western capitalism. II. National Income & GDP Institutions such as the World Bank, IMF, and UN agencies frequently use GDP statistics to determine international aid, finance for development projects, and in the calculation of the distribution of wealth within a society for analysis. These records are drawn from tax accounts primarily as recorded income, leading to the question of differences in accounting standards between nations and the variance of business standards between cultures. Yet, a larger question has developed as to whether GDP as calculated includes the subtle economic and social factors that are important to community welfare. â€Å"Simon Kuznets is best known for his studies of national income and its components. Prior to World War I, measures of GNP were rough guesses, at best. No government agency collected data to compute GNP, and no private economic researcher did so systematically, either. Kuznets changed all that. With work that began in the 1930s and stretched over decades, Kuznets computed national income back to 1869. He broke it down by industry, by final product, and by use. He also measured the distribution of income between rich and poor.† (Econlib, 2011) GDP provides a portrait of the economic activity of a nation by measuring the sum of all economic activity within the sovereign during a given time frame, generally annually. Weight is given to each sector by the total amount of commercial activity involved, but this does not inherently coincide with the hierarchy of values within a society. Instead, it promotes the economic and commercial criteria to the determinant force of national development by defining material prosperity, ever increasing, as the key to a higher standard of living. While in most instances this correlation of economic activity does reflect advanced technological development, improvements in medicine, architecture, public utilities, and the comfort level of society, some critics claim it is not complete or balanced in reflecting the overall values of a culture empirically. Whether or not this can be done is reflected in the debate around Gross National Happiness (GNH), a term instituted by the Bhutanese King Jigme Singye Wangchuck in his coronation address in 1972. III. Gross National Happiness Gross National Happiness is developed from a Buddhist view of the interconnectedness of all life and the need for renunc iation of selfishness and ego in order to cultivate enlightenment. The Buddha taught an Eightfold Path that included interrelated tenets on awareness, morality, behavior, etc. intended to bring about the perfection

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 16

Case Study - Essay Example However; the company development has gone unnoticed due to poor marketing strategies. The company has avoided external capital for 15 years and it has also developed a fear of venture capital and this has prevented it to rise in profitability for long. The company recently partnered with which has strengthened TEOCO without changing the culture of our organization. This paper therefore seeks to analyze the business environment and strategies of TEOCO Company analyzing various factors that contribute to its success. Over the years there have been external forces and industry conditions that have contributed to its performance. The external forces that include competition have affected the company’s performance to a greater level. This competitors Vibrant and Broad margin have been at the forefront in the provision of the same products. The competitors had low prices and this gave TEOCO Company really tough time to make profits and this affected the performance. The company conditions also affected the company performance at a greater extent. There has been a partnership agreement with TA Associates. The firm had made a minority equity investment of $60 million in TEOCO.This has boosted the capital base of the TEOCO company which was at the verge of collapsing. This has enabled the company to further increase its profitability. TA Associates which is the largest private equity firms in the country, managing more than $16 billion in capital by 2009, had an impressive network of relationships. This is important in the growth of TEOCO which tend to enjoy the free marketing of their services. The partnering company has also extensive knowledge of the industry. This enables TEOCO to be able to develop the products that are needed in the market. This enables the company to be able to meet the demand of the of the current market through having a shared knowledge of the

Green acres seed company Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Green acres seed company - Assignment Example This is called the awareness stage which highly target audience to be reached rather than the aim of marketing in the websites which the visitors do not have interest in. Through marketing of Green acres seed Company using the modern technology of marketing, the company retargets those who visit the website thus keeping the products top of the mind. The company uses test messaging to convince the farmers about the seed company explaining the different varieties of seeds available with their prices. The market structures of Green acres seed Company is the seller concentration, the degree of buyer concentration, the brands differentiation and the condition of entry to the market. The company has adopted a high seller concentration which means that the seller supply is about 90% to make it available to those who want the seeds. Due to competitors, the company has adopted a pricing strategy to make sure that the products remain in the market despite competition in the market. For example green acres company has survival means in the market when there is price war, market decline or market saturation. Green acres seed Company has temporarily set a price which covers the cost when the prices of the seeds tend to be low so that the company can continue with the operation. The company provides products with low cost due to the market differentiation from the competitors, but the most important thing is good and high quality seeds that have a high germination percentage. high quality products makes the customer to consider green acres company products though people consider the most expensive products as high quality products (Kent 2003). Green Acres Company usually maximizes the quantity of the product this is because the company focuses on reducing long term costs. The approach is used because the company is well funded by the founders and the investors. Green Acres Company may also maximize quantity so as to maximize market

Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Review - Essay Example The article mentions that in the year of 1999, 38% of the teenagers in the United States spent their money in churches. The article states that young adults have lower income resources and financial stability as compared to adults of the society and still, in 2004, the researchers found that 3 out of every 10 young adults donated money to churches as compared to 6 out of 10 adults. So, we see that the rate of donor young adults is almost half of the older adults, which is very good for the age of young adults. The article further mentions that the government of the United States expects to project nearly $15 trillion as an â€Å"intergenerational transfer of wealth† between years 2006 and 2021. This is a significant amount of money that is transferred among the peers of a generation, and the generation being discussed here is the young adults. This means, that young adults of the society are responsible enough to think how to save extra bucks and spend them in charities so tha t some poor person is helped out of his miseries. This is actually the actual love for humanity which is the real essence of philanthropy. The article also suggests that young adults tend to give more volunteer time as compared to older adults, if they have very little to donate to charities.

Adapting to Workplace Changes in Professionalism Essay - 1

Adapting to Workplace Changes in Professionalism - Essay Example 432). This is because the meaning of culture is said to represent different ethnic, tribal and racial groups leaving the part that addresses how the unique norms, values and beliefs influence the usage of the law or the attributes of the lawyers and the unique traits they share in law practice (Bracey, 2006). In 1975, Lawrence Friedman devised ‘legal culture’ as a concept that emphasized the notion that law is more implicit when described as a product of social forces, a system and a conduct of the same social forces. Friedman moves from the common notion that focuses on law as a set of rules and norms which can either be written or unwritten about the rights and duties of people as well as prescribing the right or wrong behavior, to advocate for a model or a ‘system’ which has a set of processes inputs and structures that send outputs to the environment. The legal culture is based on three components which are; the legal and social forces, the ‘law’ itself such as the rules and the structure, and the effects the law has on the outside world. As such, the legal culture essentially covers the social study of law (Rosen, 2006). The unique attributes shared by the legal practitioners across the globe can be traced to the traditional study of law. Initially, the social scientific study of law was mostly marginalized in universities in America in departments such as social science and law schools. However, the notion of legal culture was introduced by working with a tradition that had little connection to the American universities but some lawyers and jurists from parts of Europe such as Germany. For instance, a German jurist described the practice of law as a manifestation of the ‘spirit of the people’ and described it as an evolving culture. Though describing it from a pragmatic and rather romantic perspective, an American jurist known as Oliver Wendell Holmes also described law as a culture by referring to it as an anthropologic document

Jazz concert review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Jazz concert review - Essay Example A highlight of the piece was the mini-duet between the bass and drums. They also made creative use of the trombones, saxophones, and trumpets with each instrument playing over the other but still somehow playing as one. It was very exciting to see a fellow student share such creativity. When the song â€Å"you are making me crazy† was performed by focal jazz II, the audience hooked because they entered the stage in a frenzied style. Their song started with a paced which was supported by percussion base and the piano. Then, the trumpets and trombones chirped, mimicking the sounds of animals. Throughout the entire piece, the listener almost feels as if they are in an actual caravan, seeing the landscape around them and feeling the rhythm of the travel. Continuing with the theme of transformations, â€Å"Caravan† was followed by its rearrangement â€Å"unknown, I missed it.† Although it kept the percussion of â€Å"Caravan,† the rhythm was peppier than its pr edecessor. The vocal jazz I and II would tease the audience in concert by quickly changing the tempo and rhythm, and repeatedly speeding up and then slowing to a standstill only to pick up the pace again. The concert was great, but that should be expected from the Festival Jazz Ensemble. On November 16, 2011, the voice area recital at Colorado State University, featured art songs as well as opera songs presented by scholars from the studios of Dr. Blake, the professor in charge Gregory Brookes, Dr. Todd Queen in addition to Susan Hochmiller.

Magement and Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Magement and Leadership - Essay Example Gerald Storch, Target's vice chairman, explained that â€Å"the company had faced three strategic choices to tackle the increased competition in the retail market: to specialize, to become the low-cost producer, or to differentiate Target chose the third option and decided to reposition itself as a mass merchandiser of affordable chic goods† (Barwise & Meehan 2004). For Target, this means that prices are not lower than competitors such as Wal-Mart. It has been said to outperform other discount retailers in store cleanliness, environment and shorter check-out lines. While this may not be important to all customers, it means something to the market segment Target is after. This segment is younger, better educated and more affluent, according to Storch. Affordable ‘chic’ products line the shelves, while the retailer repositiond itself as a more upscale discount store. The trendy goods Target now offers require reorganization of merchandising and supply chains. As the top decision makers develop the strategy, it must be sold to managers of the various departments. In turn, those managers must be able to convey the image to regional and local managers, who actually oversee the day to day operations of stores. Though decisions such as the one Gerald Storch explained are corporate management decisions, repositioning also requires leadership. In order to convey the vision or concept of the new branding strategy, executives like Mr. Storch need to thoroughly explain and show managers the new direction Target has taken.

Affirmative Action Essay Example for Free

Affirmative Action Essay Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, â€Å"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.† This statement will always ring true especially on the subject of equal opportunity when it comes to employment and education here in the United States. It’s no secret that equality has been something America has always lacked, but at the same time has always been something America stood for. In fact it can be easily inferred that equality among all men has been something America has stride for since it gained independence from the British in 1776. Our founding fathers were the first to have this initial thought, that being best portrayed in the declaration of independence, which state’s We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.(qtd. In declaration of independence) To me this means our founding fathers believed that every man from birth has the god given right to a life of liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but somewhere during Americas journey as a country it forgot it’s true creed and became it’s own tyrant preventing people from reaching their full potential while also denying it’s own citizens liberty and a pursuit to happiness. And although achieving equality in this country has been nothing short of easy with countless set backs and hypocritical ideas, equality among all its citizens is still something America does strides for, and nothing brings you direct equality quit like Affirmative Action does. If you consider affirmative action for its intentional purposes than Affirmative Action is very just, its purpose being to equalize the education and economic gap between minorities and causations. Although it is not a perfect method to achieving equality in this country, it is essential to accept it for why it’s been put into place and that it is all part of a process. Of course affirmative action is far from perfect and has a fair deal of problems, like promoting reverse discrimination while backing up negative stereotypes. I researched all of these aspects while pondering the question â€Å"is affirmative action still needed in today’s society?† In this paper I will be explaining what affirmative action is. The History behind affirmative action like how it all unfolded, who made it, and the history as to why it is in effect now. I will also list some pros and cons of affirmative action, how the United States could better affirmative action for the future and f inally a conclusion, which is my opinion on the topic. But what exactly is Affrimative action? Born of the civil rights movement three decades ago, affirmative action calls for minorities and women to be given special consideration in employment and education acceptance decisions. Universities with affirmative action policies generally set goals to increase diversity. Affirmative action decisions are generally not supposed to be based on quotas, nor are they supposed to give any preference to unqualified candidates. And by no means is affirmative action supposed to harm anyone through reverse discrimination. The purpose was to create equal opportunity for the people who had been unjustly treated in the past. It was set out to correct this wrong, and make it right. But at the same time too often is Affrimative action is looked upon as a solution for a nation once ill with, but now cured of, the evil disease of racial discrimination. Some would say Affirmative action is, and should be seen as, a temporary, partial, and perhaps even flawed cure for past and continuing discrimination. But all in all affirmative action is defined as â€Å"The positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded. When those steps involve preferential selection—selection on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity† (Fullinwider) Of course affirmative action has a very deep history to it, and to why it was put into place. Now that you understand the purpose for which it was made, le t me explain who made it and why affirmative action was created. The history of Affirmative action, the first step in affirmative action was the creation of it. President John F. Kennedy first introduced it in 1961. The following is in sections to show the timeline of affirmative action in the begging stages of its creation: * March 6, 1961 Executive Order 10925 makes the first reference to affirmative action (Timeline) President John F. Kennedy issues Executive Order 10925, which creates the Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity and mandates that projects financed with federal funds take affirmative action to ensure that hiring and employment practices are free of racial bias. * July 2, 1964 Civil Rights Act signed by President Lyndon Johnson The most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination of all kinds based on race, color, religion, or national origin. (Timeline) * June 4, 1965 Speech defining concept of affirmative action In an eloquent speech to the graduating class at Howard University, President Johnson frames the concept underlying affirmative action, asserting that civil rights laws alone are not enough to remedy discrimination: You do not wipe away the scars of centuries by saying: now, you are free to go where you want, do as you desire, and choose the leaders you please. You do not take a man who for years has been hobbled by chains, liberate him, bring him to the starting line of a race, saying, you are free to compete with all the others, and still justly believe you have been completely fair . . . This is the next and more profound stage of the battle for civil rights. We seek not just freedom but opportunity—not just legal equity but human ability—not just equality as a right and a theory, but equality as a fact and as a result. (Timeline) * Sept. 24,1965 Executive Order 11246 enforces affirmative action for the first time (Timeline) Issued by President Johnson, the executive order requires government contractors to take affirmative action toward prospective minority employees in all aspects of hiring and employment. The rest of the affirmative actions timeline from here on out is mainly just Supreme Court cases, which can help define what exactly it can do and what exactly it can’t do. * In the 1978 Supreme Court case University of California vs. Bakke, a white male named Allan Bakke claimed reverse discrimination because he was rejected twice from medical school while less-qualified minority students were admitted to fill a quota that required 18 out of every 100 places be filled with minorities. The Supreme Court ruled against inflexible quota systems, but did not outlaw affirmative action as a whole.(Timeline) Most of the lawsuits were against Universities since many universities also adopted affirmative action programs in the 1970s. These programs were aimed at increasing black enrollment and the number of black faculty. None more notable then Jenifer Gatz law suit again the University of Michigan â€Å"Gratz vs. Bollinger and Grutter vs. Bollinger.† It ruled that affirmative action fulfills a compelling interest in obtaining the educational benefits that flow from a diverse student body. The purpose of affirmative action policy shifted from redressing injustice to promoting values of diversity. But even after all these deciding cases on affirmative action it’s still a heated matter of dispute. After much legislation and many Supreme Court decisions, affirmative action continues to be controversial (Legal History, Ongoing Debates section, para. 1). These controversies lead to questions, which can only be answered by understanding why affirmative action was put into effect in the first place. It is important to remember affirmative action is still a work in progress to achieve something much bigger than any one individual. People tend to forget that and the history to why affirmative action was put into place. It cannot be denied that Americas history is full of mistreatment of minority individuals. Women did not have a chance to vote for nearly a century and half after the birth of the country. African Americans were captured and forced into slavery, Although the Thirteenth Amendment ended institutionalized slavery in the United States in 1865, African Americans were not treated equal to whites in the eyes of the law for nearly another century, they were considered only one third of citizen. So with the two hundred years of slavery coming to an abrupt end a new regime or prejudices was to come into effect. Of course even after the end of slavery African Americans were consistently denied employment, housing, and education. In the south discrimination was a daily routine supported by â€Å"Jim Crow laws.†(Affirmative action) Unjust social statues and norms were passed in the 1800s that establish separate, inferior, public facilities, schools, waiting rooms, railways cars, and restrooms for African Americans through out the country. This has caused a domino effect on our society that still seen today. Those outrageous social norms were practiced in America until late in the civil rights movement when president JFK finally acknowledged the struggle for equality and the idea of Affirmative Action was born. After President Kennedy’s assignation, President Lyndon B. Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It banned discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, and sex in the areas of employment, public facilities, and government programs. The idea of equality in America, that every man is created equally was slowly and surly becoming more realistic, due largely to Martin Luther Kings efforts. Here are Dr. King’s own words on the idea of Affirmative action from his 1963 book â€Å"why cant we wait† King states: â€Å"Among the many vital jobs to be done, the nation must not only radically readjust its attitude toward the Negro in the compelling present, but must incorporate in its planning some compensatory consideration for the handicaps he has inherited from the past. It is impossible to create a formula for the future which does not take into account that our society has been doing something special against the Negro for hundreds of years. How then can he be absorbed into the mainstream of American life if we do not do something special for him now, in order to balance the equation and equip him to compete on a just and equal basis?† – Martin Luther King J.R (Wise) In his 1967 book, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? King argued: A society that has done something special against the Negro for hundreds of years must now do something special for him, to equip him to compete on a just and equal basis.(wise) Continuing: â€Å"†¦for Two centuries the Negro was enslaved and robbed of any wages: potential accrued wealth which would have been the legacy of his descendants. All of Americas wealth could not adequately compensate its Negroes for his centuries of exploitation and humiliation. It is an economic fact that a program such as I propose would certainly cost far less than any computation of two centuries of unpaid wages plus accumulated interest. In any case, I do not intend that this program of economic aid should apply only to the Negro: it should benefit the disadvantaged of all races.†- Martin Luther King J.R (Wise) It is clear that these are some of the reasons why Martin Luther King J.R and others thought affirmative action should be and eventually was put into effect. A large part as to why affirmative action is in effect is so Compensation can be made to those who are at a disadvantage due to past racial biases and predjedism. You should now have a better idea as to what exactly affirmative action is, what it’s intentions are, the history behind who made it and the deeper history as to why it is still in effect and why it was originally put into effect. Affirmative action is however a major controversy in the United States, ever since it’s beginning, the concept of affirmative action raised difficult questions. â€Å"Many civil rights activists see affirmative action as a necessary step in achieving equality for groups that had faced discrimination in the past. However, critics of affirmative action argued that individuals should be treated on their own merits without regard to color, national origin, or sex.†(Affirmative Action) The Benefits of Affirmative Action â€Å"The one benefit of affirmative action is to correct past discriminations such as the mistreatment of women and slavery. This remedial justification of affirmative action recognizes that wrongs have been committed in the past and acknowledges a moral obligation to set things right† (Affirmative Action Pros and Cons, The Origins Of, Legal Treatment Of, Political and Social Debates, The Future, Pros and Cons section, para. 1). It is important for injustices to be redressed. â€Å"Slavery and institutionalized racism have not been redressed yet in America and around the world. In order for justice to be served, it is necessary for the main losers of racism in America (African Americans) to be compensated for their loses through affirmative action.† (Affirmative Action) And affirmative action does just that, not in the sense of giving physical money, but through opportunities in education and in life. The following are the benefits affirmative action provides: Affirmative action has provided many opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds and income levels who ordinarily would not be considered for admission to colleges and universities. This means that the pool of talent coming out of the higher education system is larger and better able to contribute as productive members of the workforce. Affirmative action has had a profound effect on employment hiring and promoting practices. Historically, â€Å"close to 90% of all jobs are filled without being advertised, with the majority of positions going to friends, relatives, or acquaintances of company employees.†(Wise) This is often the case with a lot of jobs. Unfortunately it can boil down to whom one knows not what they know. The result of this practice is that employers often end up with employees who are not the best person for the job if it were properly advertised. Affirmative action has encouraged many companies to engage in employment practices that set minimum standards of job definition, recruiting, outreach, and evaluation that result in choosing the right person for the job. Finding the right person for the job or the promotion is critical in letting business efficiently utilize the workforce and allow each person to reach his or her full potential. Diversity in itself is desirable, it has been since the birth of this country, but it won’t always occur if left to chance. But when affirmative action is working like its initial purpose was intended too miraculous things can happen, and there are good facts to back that up. â€Å"Between 1981 and 2001, the total number of degrees awarded to Native Americans rose by 151.9% because of affirmative action policies.† (Patterns) Also, from â€Å"1982 to 1995, there has been an increase in the percent of black managers from 5 to 7 percent. Hispanics have shown a 3 percent increase from 5 percent in 1982.†(Patterns) Affirmative Action has been successful in providing minorities with opportunities. â€Å"At the same time a recent study has shown a person with a white sounding name has a 50% more change of getting a call back from a interview than those with black sounding name even when qualifications are indistinguishable.† (Tim Wise) Again equality is desirable but it won’t always occur if left to chance. â€Å"Eliminating affirmative action can lead to the re-segregation of higher education. When affirmative action was outlawed at the University of Texas in 1995, the number of black students at the UT Law School dropped from 65 in 1996 to 11 in 1997 and Latino student enrollments have been cut in half since the decision.† (Patterns) this isn’t necessarily a pro, but interesting enough. With affirmative action being banned in Texas the number of white students also dramatically increased while the number of Asians skyrocketed. I guess the best-qualified applicants where accepted. Here is a statistics that shows why affirmative action is still needed. For â€Å"every dollar earned by men, women earn 74 cents, African American women earn 63 cents and Latina women earn 57 cents.† (Patterns) This unjust statistics will continue with out the help of something like affirmative action. It is the reality inequalities like this that suggest maybe affirmative action should be left alone till equality is fully reached or a better solution is thought of.

Supply Chain Management in PepsiCo Pakistan

Supply Chain Management in PepsiCo Pakistan Pepsi was founded in 1898 by Caleb Bradham, a new Bern North Carolina, druggist who first formulated Pepsi-Colyeah book followed supply chain k three decisions phir push pull cycle view phr stages phr demand phr drivers phr distribution and recommendations are at the end a. Today Pepsi has expanded at a large scale and has a portfolio of beverage brands that includes carbonated soft drinks, juices and juiced drinks, humara link basically pepsi co sey b nae hai kyunki riaz bottlers are its suppliers aswell as maunfacturesr and they give that via transportations to the retailers( stores hotel etc) then it goes to customers .they have warehouses storage sites production sites.its located in gulbergso riaz bottler are everythihumara link basically pepsi co sey b nae hai kyunki riaz bottlers are its suppliers aswell as maunfacturesr and they give that via transportations to the retailers( stores hotel etc) then it goes to customers .they have warehouses storage sites production sites.its located in gulberg so riaz bottler are everything Ready-to-drink teas and coffees, isotonic drinks, bottled water and enhanced water. PepsiCo has well known beverages such as Mountain Dew, Diet Pepsi, Tropicana Pure Premium, Aquafina, Tropicana Juice Drinks, Tropicana Twister , MIRINDA and much more. PepsiCola markets Frapoccuino ready-to-drink coffee through a partnership with Starbucks. PEPSI CO PRODUCT: the product we are taking for the project of supply chain management is MIRINDA. RIAZ BOTTLERS: Riaz Bottlers (PVT) Limited (RBL) incorporated in Pakistan as a private limited company in 1976. RBL is the franchise holder of Pepsi Cola International with seven brands. Like PEPSI, PEPSI MAX, 7UP, MIRINDA and MOUNTAIN DEW etc. They have recently launched Aquafina and are in process of moving towards some other products. RBL today is one of the best National Companies in Pakistan. At RBL, they believe that Our existence and success is more than just meeting our business objectives and we are proud of the success that the company has achieved. Together our people provide the skills, knowledge and expertise to deliver the quality of service that our customers expect and upon which our reputation depends. RIAZ BOTTLERS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT: RBLs primary functions are to demeanor a methodical manufacturing and supply of the product without any tactical and strategic flaws. Backed by a powerful competitive strategy and empowered by some effective supply chain strategies, the group has been managing an effective supply chain through out the region. It has set up a urbane manufacturing and storage plant in Lahore with production units and huge production capacity. RBL has different management departments dealing with specialized Marketing, HR, IT and Supply Chain Processes. In this report we conducted the process of the basic supply chain management functions of RBL for MIRINDA by Pepsi co. COMPREHENSION OF MIRINDA SUPPLY CHAIN: The goal of every supply chain is to maximize the overall value generated. The value of a supply chain generates is the difference between what the final product is worth to the customer and the costs the supply chain incurs in filling the customers request. (Chopra, Meindl 2006) DECISION PHASES IN SUPPLY CHAIN OF MIRINDA SUPPLY CHAIN DESIGN OF MIRINDA: A proper decision regarding how to structure the supply chain over next upcoming years have been made and the short term aswell as the longterm decisions have been made by the company in regards to location and capacities of production and warehousing facilities, the products to be manufactured or stored at various locations, the modes of transportation to be made, information systems and so on. Their supply chain design is very expensive to alter on short notice and supports the companys strategic objectives. In order to ensure a good supply chain strategy, Riaz Bottlers plans one to two years in advance. It has several contracts with manufacturers, and receives raw material on a convenient basis. The company also decides where production plants are to be placed. RBL has production plants at Lahore. The production process is 80% automated. The company has to provide and manage transport for the delivery of products as well as the arrangement of third party services for the procurement of products. The shipping department handles orders and the transport department decides the vehicles for safe delivery. Material planning and sourcing is carried out as well. Sources of supply of raw material both local and foreign are identified and terms and conditions are negotiated. Capacity planning is also done at this stage. Sales forecasting and production planning depends upon the capacity of the organization with respect to: Production. Storage: Raw and packing. Storage: Finished goods. Riaz bottlers Lahore has a procurement budget of nearly Rs 10 billion. Approved suppliers cannot go beyond this budget. The supplier is audited by the most cost efficient quality control department. Distributors are also decided by the company, keeping in mind past performances. The company has increased its distribution capacity from one to ten filling lines during the last few years lending it a competitive edge over Coca Cola. FIGURE 1 SUPPLY CHAIN PLANNING OF MIRINDA: After RBL set the design of their supply chain they do the planning which increases their surplus in supply chain and thats their goal too. The planning launches and make them set their constraints over some span of time according to the demand of Mirinda. Pepsi co carries out sales forecasting for local demand as well as for export purposes to countries such as Afghanistan etc for Mirinda. The annual sales target is conveyed to the supply chain department of RBL. Planning is carried out on a monthly, weekly and daily basis for order planning allocation , warehousing ,production scheduling inventory planning and optimization. at RBL. images.jpg FIGURE 2 SUPPLY CHAIN OPERATION OF MIRINDA: In RBL , the production , sales and supply chain departments get united to decide the inventory on weekly basis. There is always less uncertainty about the demand . the operation process includes customer orders in the best possible manner. During this RBL , allocate inventory or production to individual orders, set a date (which is always according to the will of customers and they dont get disappointed) that an order is to be filled, generate a proper pick lists at a warehouse in gulberg , allocate to shipping, set delivery and so on. PROCESS VIEWS OF MIRINDA SUPPLY CHAIN The processes in a supply chain are divided into a series of cycles each performed at the interface between two successive stages of a supply chain. CYCLE VIEW OF SUPPLY CHAIN: scm12 FIGURE 3 Supplier / manufacturers: The suppliers to Pepsi Co are franchise operative (RBL) as well as company operative (LAYS chips) system and are located in eight cities of Pakistan. The cities are Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar, Hyderabad, Sukkhar, Gujranwala and Faisalabad. PepsiCo has its Plant , Factory ,Workshop and Warehouse at the same place in Lahore . the Address is : Guru Mangat Road, Gulberg Lahore Distributors: They are located throughout the country; every city has its distributors. The distribution done on direct and indirect ways that would be discussed in the distribution section of the report. Retailers : retailers outlets are all sort of shopkeepers, malls , hotels etc to whom the distributors provide the stock via transportation i.e. trucks etc which carries distribution from point to point in different allocative routes. Customers: Its customers are all sort of target markets from social class A to C and range within all demographical and pyschographical parameters. PUSH AND PULL VIEW OF MIRINDA SUPPLY CHAIN: The push process implementation is commenced in anticipation to a customer order. MIRINDA has a seasonal demand. Just in time concept is pertinent in non-seasonal period and not pertinent in seasonal period. All processes that are part of the procurement cycle, manufacturing cycle, replenishment cycle, and customer order cycle are push processes. MIRINDA Sales order and processing: The Shipping Manager receives sales order from Sales Team, distributors through telephone, fax email one day before dispatch. The sales are made to base distributors on advance payment against orders then shipping manager plans according to the demand of distributors on daily basis. fig1107 FIGURE 4 COMPETITIVE AND SUPPLY CHAIN STRATEGIES: There are three major sustainable advantages that give PepsiCo a competitive edge as they operate in the global marketplace: Big, muscular brands. Proven ability to innovate and create differentiated products. Powerful go-to-market systems. PepsiCos ( Mirinda) overall mission is to increase the value of shareholders investment. They do this through sales growth, cost controls and wise investment of resources. They believe their commercial success depends upon offering quality and value to their consumers and customers; providing products that are safe, wholesome, economically efficient and environmentally sound; and providing a fair return to their investors while adhering to the highest standards of integrity. A customer while purchasing a bottle of Mirinda will consider product quality, price and availability of the product. Thus, Mirinda in Pakistan particularly focuses its competitive strategy as to producing sufficient variety, reasonable prices, and the availability of the product. SUPPLY CHAIN STRATEGIES STEP ONE: THE CUSTOMER AND SUPPLY CHAIN UNCERTAINTY. Identifying customer needs : RBL needs to understand the customer needs for each targeted segment and the uncertainty the supply chain faces in satisfying these needs. As RBL deals with beverages, which are a fast moving consumer good, it knows the requirements of consumers. Mirinda is considered as a drink which is refreshing during summer, and taken regularly during winter, with demand hiking around festivals such as Eid and occasions such as weddings. RBL caters to both cities and rural areas. It understands the needs of both. As demand for beverages is seasonal, the quantity of product needed for each lot is taken care of with past demand in mind. Consumers generally require a small response time, high service level, reasonable price and some variety (for example mirinda has apple flavor too now). Demand uncertainty and implied demand uncertainty: Demand for Mirinda varies by product. For example there is a greater demand for Mirinda as compared to Mirinda Apple, which is sort of new. Hence, Mirinda has a low demand uncertainty as compared to Mirinda Apple. The product Mirinda is approaching its maturity stage in the PLC whereas Mirinda Apple is in the introductory stage. Mirindas implied demand uncertainty varies with the product type as well as the customer needs. Due to decreased lead time (the customer may purchase its competitors product if Mirinda is not available at that time such as Fanta, Gourmet cola, Amrat cola ), need for greater variety and higher level of service, implied demand uncertainty increases. This is true for cities where unmet demand by Mirinda is met by Coca Cola Company, Gourmet Cola and other such competitors. Supply uncertainty is also affected by new products. New products have higher supply uncertainty. Uncertainty for the capability of the supply chain: After determining the demand uncertainty it takes a look at the uncertainty resulting from the supply chain. Mirinda is not a new product and its market is going towards maturation. The company does not have many difficulties in delivering a product and has a fixed delivery schedule (on daily basis). Mirinda hence has a predictable supply and somewhat uncertain demand depending on market conditions. STEP TWO: UNDERSTANDING THE SUPPLY CHAIN CAPABILITIES: The efficiency and responsiveness varies according to the consumer needs, implied demand uncertainty, product type and market segments. In remote areas Pepsi Co ( Mirinda) focuses on being somewhat efficient as other modes of transportation could turn the product to be highly expensive. According to the company it does not deal with distributors who do not have 20 to 25 vehicles, therefore as the company has focus on cost reduction, uses slow and inexpensive modes of transportation, the demand is certain, and uses economies of scale in production, the product Mirinda is more inclined towards being somewhat efficient. In cities, the company focuses its attention on being highly responsive as Mirinda has to meet short lead time, meet a high service level, handle a large variety of products and respond to wide ranges of quantity demanded especially at the retail stage. Highly efficient somewhat efficient somewhat responsive highly responsive In towns MIRINDA In cities FIGURE 5 STEP 3: ACHIEVING THE STRATEGIC FIT: The Mirinda supply chain assign different roles to its different stages, the company has to decide either to transfer the responsiveness to the manufacture stage or to the retailer stage as making one stage more responsive allows the other stage to focus on being more efficient. While discussing the Mirindas supply capability it is seen that Mirinda tends to be more responsive in the cities and a bit less in towns. Therefore, transferring the responsiveness to the retailer and distributor, allowing them to face the higher implied demand uncertainty. This in return allows the manufacturer and supplier to be more efficient. At the same time, multiple beverage types contribute to a broader product portfolio causing RBL to adjust its strategies accordingly; tailoring the supply chain to best meet the needs of each beverage demand. SUPPLY CHAIN DRIVERS AND METRICS: Bonding drivers with Product Life Cycle (PLC) Supply chain strategy: Mirinda mainly follows a combined cost effective responsive supply chain strategy in lahore. The intensive supply of the product is being ensured throughout the city market with the help of RBL distributors. Mirinda has been able to reach out to all market segments without any delays because of its business maturity and comparative business strength. It has the normal beverages sales volumes as compared to any other cities . Although there is an overwhelming stability in the product market yet there are some remote areas where there are conditions for a possible stock out due to their remoteness. For addressing this risk Mirinda has financed different whole sellers in those areas to respond immediately. Mirinda in Lahore and in most parts of Pakistan can be rightly placed into the category of an ever growing mature business. Responsiveness: In case of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs) that target a huge segment of market, responsiveness is a deciding factor for the organizational success. In a typical Pakistani market, quick response enables supply chains to meet the customer demands for evershorter lead times, and to synchronize the supply to meet the peaks and troughs of demand. Mirindas supply chain has been able to reinforce a greater response to the uncertain and unpredictable market behavior only because it has multisided processing facilities and corresponds to a systematic production network with both dedicated and multi-product facilities. The major focus is to determine the processes that are to be integrated in the supply chain network with their corresponding suppliers, distribution centers and the associated transport links between them. The major considerations in the design are the supply chain responsiveness and profitability. Framework for Structuring Drivers: FIGURE 6 The framework is based on a motive to create strategic fit between the competitive and supply chain strategy. Mirinda Competitive strategy stands to provide a large variety of products very quickly; simultaneously the supply chain strategy stands to materialize the availability of that variety of products. Mirinda mainly follows a responsive supply chain strategy. Alignment of mirindas business strategy to a corresponding supply chain strategy is achieved through proper deployment of supply chain drivers. Mirinda has to deal with different set of market segments simultaneously. Most of the time the approach needs to be responsive enough to grow substantially to be able to compete with uncertain demand, while in many areas demand is certain and very much predictable, so there it incorporates an efficient supply chain strategy. THE FACILITY DRIVER ROLE , LOCATION AND CAPACITY : In RBL the Mirinda is stored, assembled and fabricated at gulberg Lahore..Mirinda has established a flexible and a product-focused production facility in order to respond effectively to the variability in demand.The storage facilities are designed in order to provide maximum possible capacity for the inventory. It has franchising holding bottling operations. OVERALL TRADE OFF ( RESPONSIVE) : In order to ensure the responsive strategy implementation, the role of facilities is of prime importance in the supply chain of RBL The large amount of excess capacity allows the facility to be very flexible and to respond to wide surges in demands placed on it. In alignment with the responsive supply chain strategy the facilities have been geographically located close to the market. FIGURE 7 FIGURE 8 THE INVENTORY DRIVER ROLE , LOCATION AND SEASONAL INVENTORY: RBL has established a comprehensive plan to ensure the sufficient inventory levels to keep up with the market demand effectively. The inventory type is seasonal .For this purpose the main inventory storage has been established within the main plant area maneet road gulberg Lahore inside RBL. It has the storage capacity of 200,000 Sq Ft and the area is being utilized both horizontally and vertically. The shipping department is in charge for storage and subsequent displacement of the product orders. The inventory capacity is being utilized and maintained in coordination with the production department and is based on the term production estimates. OVERALL TRADE OFF (RESPONSIVE): Increasing inventory makes the supply more responsive to the customers. At RBL, managers bear a high inventory cost to ensure maximum levels of inventory and to reduce the production and transportation costs. inventory.jpg FIGURE 9 THE TRANSPORTATION DRIVER DESIGN AND CHOICE OF TRANSPORTATION MODE: PTN is providing transport to PEPSI CO( mirinda) in the form of big large trucks.Faster transportation of the products allows RBL to maintain sufficient levels of stock on the shelves.RBLs transportation network is the collection of routes, modes and locations along which the product can be shipped. With the help of distributors the product is being supplied to the market. There are multiple supply and demand points within the city which cater to the market demand. RBL decides and selects different modes of transportation having different characteristics with respect to the speed and size of shipment. OVERALL TRADE OFF ( RESPONSIVE): The transportation network has been designed with a view to ensure responsiveness and boost the availability of the product. For RBL using fast mode of transport increases responsiveness as well as the transportation cost but lowers the inventory holding cost. Transportation driver has a large impact on the responsiveness of the business. THE INFORMATION DRIVER COMPONENTS OF INFORMATION DECISIONS: Connects all the supply chain stages effectively allowing them to coordinate and maximize total supply chain profitability. It is also crucial to the daily operations of each stage in the supply chain. The unit manager utilizes the production scheduling system that is based on information on demand to create a schedule that allows RBL to produce the right amount of product. The warehouse in charge uses this information to create visibility of the warehouses inventory items. They dont have any enabling technologies such as EDI, ERP and RFID OVERALL TRASE OFF (RESPONSIVE): Information sharing helps these firms improve its responsiveness within the market. It helps to accurately forecast demand and realize frequency of updates, measurements of the effects of seasonal factors influencing the production, measurements of variances from the plan and the ratio of demand variability to order variability. Timely and accurate information enables the distribution managers to fix potential stock out or oversupply problems. FIGURE 10 THE PRICING DRIVER FIXED PRICING VERSUS MENU PRICING: Mirinda keeps its pricing strategy with the comparison of its competitors for example FANTA. And the demand is seasonal so during the season on period the pricing is done on the fixed basis i.e. summers. And during winters which is the off season period the pricing is done on menu basis for example Rs 2 to Rs 5 ruppees off per 1.5 litre bottle etc. THE SOURCING DRIVER: OUTSOURCED, SUPPLIER SELECTION AND PROCUREMENT: Pepsico has outsourced decisions in its supply chain as RBL is an outsourced company for it. They think that it was best to outsource Mirinda and other beverages aswell because the growth in total supply chain is significant with little additional risk. The responsive components are outsourced such as the PTN aswell which provides transportation to Pepsico ( Mirinda). It has number of suppliers within Lahore and all districts of the country. Both procurement in direct aswell as indirect ways are doneand they have a good coordination between its suppliers and buyers. images.jpg FIGURE 11 DISTRIBUTION NETWORK OF MIRINDA Direct distribution: Delivery of post mix cylinders handling of key accounts: The key accounts are different wholesalers, restaurants and hotels like Pizza Hut, KFC, Metro which serve as a place for key sale. These are known as national key accounts and are very important in terms of competition. Export Parties. Indirect distribution: Through Base market distributors Through Outstation distributors Before delivering the product some certain guiding principles are followed for the assessment of distributors capability by RBL. Applicant must have 30 to 40 vehicles (depending on the area). Applicant must have 40,000 cases of empty bottles. Applicant must deposit Rs.5, 000,000 as a security. RBL uses light and heavy vehicles for safe delivery of goods to the distributors for timely delivery. It follows the just in time concept which is applicable in Non-seasonal period and not applicable in the seasonal period. REVIEW AND REVISE DISTRIBUTION: This is usually done through taking over key revenue areas. If the distributor does not achieve its sales target, the distribution is taken back and an addition of new distributor is done. Therefore MIRINDAS supply is low supply uncertainty. Some of its supply source capabilities are: Less breakdowns High quality Flexible supply capacity Mature production process FACTORES INFLUENCING DISTRIBUTION NETWORK DESIGN: At the highest level, performance of a distribution network should be evaluated along two dimensions: 1. Customer needs that are met 2. Cost of meeting customer needs While customer service consists of many components we will consider those measures that are influenced by the structure of the distribution network for Mirinda . Response Time: For Mirinda is minimal as the direct customers for it are the retailers and then the consumers. So with over 30 to 40 delivery trucks in Lahore , it is readily available to every retailer within 30 minutes or an hour max . Lahore has 12 warehouses from where the supply to the market is done through trucks provided by PTN. Product Variety: They have made their place in the market with their unique product line ranging from Mirinda to Mirinda Apple with refreshing taste and great quality. Customers Desire: customer desire more for mirinda instead of apple mirinda .Recently, the sales for 250 ml bottles has increased and 1.5 litre bottle decreased but they are trying to increase it as it gives the company higher profits. Availability: The product is always available in stock whenever an order arrives. Whenever the distributors feel that after one loading there could be a stock out they place an order to RBL in advance just to keep the floor with enough stock in hand. The Distributors have 3 days stock as back up with them in order of any malfunctioning of the plant or other such external factors. Customer Experience For Mirinda has always been positive as they receive the product with ease and on time. The retailers are the direct customers as they place an order to the distributors. There has never been a shortage or a delay for mirinda in Metro or Pizza Hut which are the key accounts for the company. Order Visibility They are not really an electronic phenomenon where you can track your order through computer. It is more of person-to-person contact and one can easily track down their orders through the designated staff in each sector of Lahore or for that sake all over Pakistan. Returnability: Pepsi Co ( mirinda) has always been very strong in a sense that unsatisfactory items can be returned and changed on the spot. This is true for both the consumers and the retailers. They have laid down a system through which they can effectively manage this requirement. The retailers are told to take down the comments and the address or phone numbers from the person who is returning the bottle. It seems at first that a customer always wants the highest level of performance along all these dimensions, in practice however this is not always the case. DESIGN OPTION FOR DISTRIBUTION NETWORK:: Distributor Storage with Carrier Delivery: In Pepsi Co ( mirinda) inventory is not held by the manufacturers at the factories but is held by distributors/ retailers in intermediate warehouses and package carriers are used to transport the products from the intermediate location to the final customer. This requires distributor storage to keep high levels of inventory because distributor/retailer aggregates demand uncertainty to a lower level than the manufacturer. Transportation costs for Pepsi are somewhat lower because an economic mode of transportation (e.g. truckload) can be employed for inbound shipments to the warehouse, which is closer to the customer. Facility cost is high because of a loss of aggregation and often end up with higher processing costs. The information structure needed is not that complex. The distribution warehouse serves as a buffer between manufacturer and customer. Real time visibility between customers and warehouse is needed whereas as visibility between customer and manufacturer is not required. Response time is also reduced. Customer convenience is high and order visibility with manufacturer storage becomes easier. Distributor storage is well suited for medium to fast moving goods and it can also handle higher level of variety than retail stores FIGURE 7 VALUE OF DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM: There are basically two components of distribution: Storage Distribution The storage facilities of RBL are designed in order to boost the timely availability of the product. For this purpose the distributors are fully equipped with facilities that are needed to ensure intensive supply of the product. The storage facilities are designed to contain the maximum possible inventory items that are needed at any given time. RBL has established several storage units nearer to the market in order to boost availability. Transportation conducts inventory movement from point to point in supply chain of RBL. It incorporates a combination of modes and routes at different stages. Transportation choices have a large impact on the responsiveness strategy of the business. RBL has several contracts with several distributors with multiple transport facility that ensure the maximum possible transport of inventory within a short period of time. The distribution does not work between specific supply chain components but it performs a basic function of integration amongst all supply chain components. The Pepsi Co distribution system linked the entire supply chain for all product categories. The distribution centers and its information network play a key role in that regard. The major object is to carefully track sales of items and offer short replenishment cycle times. The distributors offer stored deliveries too many retail outlets in the twin cities. Different products are being delivered conveniently on pre-orders. The distribution system is flexible enough to alter delivery schedule depending on customer demand. The Territory Distributor Managers maintain a contact with the retailers in order to book and place the orders. Whenever a store places an order it is immediately transmitted to the supplier through the distribution manager. Now RBL receives orders from all distribution centers and the shipment department delivers the orders. At the distribution centre, products from the manufacturer are delivered into different trucks and each truck makes deliveries to multiple retail stores. The number of stores depends upon the sales volume. The system works on trust and does not require the delivery person to be present when store personnel scan the delivery. This reduces the delivery time at each store. Each truck has a capacity of 1572 cans.The distribution department is in direct contact with the manufacturers and keeps updating inventory levels. They keep in stock spare three days stock to combat external uncertainty. The distribution department is responsible for all the variety of the products in their portfolio. PepsiCos overall distribution network spreads throughout Pakistan connecting the remotest of places and providing great customer service. Globalization has increased the competition that the company for its products like mirinda is constantly coming up with new projects, campaigns and distribution. RECOMMENDATIONS: RBL doesnt have proper enabling technologies such as EDI , ERP , RFID and EDD . they should be having that for the better performance of its supply chain activities. These engagements would

Technology Paper :: essays research papers

Syndication of the Web 'Syndication involves the sale of the same good to many customers, who then integrate it with other offerings and redistribute it (Werbach, 2000).'; E-Trade is one such organization. They distinguish themselves from their competition by the way they package and price the information they sell not through the information itself. Syndication is a very different way of structuring the business of today. This way of doing business is very different than the way business has been done in the past. It requires small and large businesses to rethink their tactical and strategic plans, thus causing the reshaping of organizations. This will also change the way they interact with customers and partner with other entities. In addition, businesses will be forced to develop new models for collecting revenues and earning profits. Syndication has traditionally been rare in the business world for three reasons. First, syndication works only with information goods. Second, syndication requires modularity. Third, syndication requires many independent distribution points (Werbach, 2000). Within this syndication network, businesses can play three different roles or a company can play one role in a syndication network, or two or three roles simultaneously. The three roles are originators, syndicators, or distributors. The originators create the original product or content. The syndicators package the content for distribution to the distributors. Often times they integrate it with the product or content from other originators. And last but not least, the distributors deliver the content to customers (Werbach, 2000). Within the structure of syndication there are syndicators and distributors. Syndicators save the distributors from having to find all of the different originators in an effort to gather all of the content that they want to package and eventually put out for distribution. The syndicators are able to collect standard formats and contracts from a variety of sources and making it readily available. This part of the process frees the distributors from having to find and negotiate with dozens or even hundreds of different originators. This allows syndicators to act as information collectors by collecting and packaging digital information in a way that adds value to it. In the physical world, it is very difficult to find a syndicator that works alone and is not associated with the entertainment industry. Technology Paper :: essays research papers Syndication of the Web 'Syndication involves the sale of the same good to many customers, who then integrate it with other offerings and redistribute it (Werbach, 2000).'; E-Trade is one such organization. They distinguish themselves from their competition by the way they package and price the information they sell not through the information itself. Syndication is a very different way of structuring the business of today. This way of doing business is very different than the way business has been done in the past. It requires small and large businesses to rethink their tactical and strategic plans, thus causing the reshaping of organizations. This will also change the way they interact with customers and partner with other entities. In addition, businesses will be forced to develop new models for collecting revenues and earning profits. Syndication has traditionally been rare in the business world for three reasons. First, syndication works only with information goods. Second, syndication requires modularity. Third, syndication requires many independent distribution points (Werbach, 2000). Within this syndication network, businesses can play three different roles or a company can play one role in a syndication network, or two or three roles simultaneously. The three roles are originators, syndicators, or distributors. The originators create the original product or content. The syndicators package the content for distribution to the distributors. Often times they integrate it with the product or content from other originators. And last but not least, the distributors deliver the content to customers (Werbach, 2000). Within the structure of syndication there are syndicators and distributors. Syndicators save the distributors from having to find all of the different originators in an effort to gather all of the content that they want to package and eventually put out for distribution. The syndicators are able to collect standard formats and contracts from a variety of sources and making it readily available. This part of the process frees the distributors from having to find and negotiate with dozens or even hundreds of different originators. This allows syndicators to act as information collectors by collecting and packaging digital information in a way that adds value to it. In the physical world, it is very difficult to find a syndicator that works alone and is not associated with the entertainment industry.

Galileo Galilei Essay -- Technology, Telescope, Inventions

In 1609 Galileo modified a three-powered spy glass; although Galileo did not invent the first telescope, his high quality modifications were well known and very popular. His alterations helped clarify the idea that the earth and planets revolve around the sun as opposed to the other way around. This powerful telescope, for its time, also helped astronomers see that there was a vast universe with a myriad of stars just waiting to be discovered (â€Å"The First Telescopes†). Just as Columbus’s discoveries of the new world influenced countries to explore into the â€Å"new world,† the American continent, there are countless of new worlds in outer space waiting for humanity to discover. With advancing technology and more knowledge so much more is possible. However, many do not find astronomy or space exploration important or necessary calling it â€Å"propaganda designed to separate [one] from [their] tax dollars.† The fact that there are other daunting challe nges when it comes to astronomy or any related studies, such as funds, support, or disasters, may discourage people on from supporting space exploration and astronomy (Rose). Although when it comes to the adventure of outer space and the resources acquired along the way, obstacles can become obsolete and new portals of information can be opened to humanity inspiring new inventions and minds, finding ways to understand planet earth, and assuring that humanity has a future in the universe. Thus it is important for humanity to have a foot in the door of the Universe. Astronomy and other space related fields have always looked for new ways to advance, which can be traced to Galileo improving the telescope and further back when the first humans would look up at the sky and wonder. Flash forward a ... ... EU†). As an answer to the recession, the space industries could create more jobs as opposed to dissipating them. â€Å"When enough people support an idea they will find a way to make it a reality† which has been demonstrated in the past by the Apollo missions and the discovery of new technologies (Moser and Spangenburg 99). There will always be a desire to discover no matter how stagnant or impossible events may seem. So long as there is a will, there will be a way. But with space exploration new information will inspire the human spirit or discovery from projects such as the Hubble images which are provided for public viewing around the world and a new understanding of earth and how to preserve it will arise, and assuring that humanity has a future in the universe, that is, if the desire to explore the final frontier does not vanish (Moser and Spangenburg 73).

American Literature Essay

Exploration Period, 1492-1607 Characteristics The first European writings about North America are written in this period. European writings describe the explorers’ travels and impressions of the continent and its Native people. Major Writers or Works Prose: Christopher Columbus, Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, Bernal Diaz del Castillo, Thomas Harriot, and Samuel de Champlain. Oral narratives: Seneca legend â€Å"How America was discovered. â€Å" †¢Colonial Period, 1607-c. 1765 Characteristics The Colonial period was dominated by Puritan beliefs and thus literature of this period is usually  historical, religious, or didactic. The most common genres were tracts, polemics, journals, narratives, sermons, and some poetry. The first slave narratives were written at this time. Imaginative literature was rare; in some colonies, it was banned for being immoral. Major Writers or Works Poetry: Michael Wigglesworth, Anne Bradstreet, Edward Taylor. Prose: John Smith, Roger Williams, Cotton Mather, Jonathan Edwards’ Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanacks. Narratives: Mary Rowlandson’s A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson. †¢Revolutionary Period, 1765-1790 Characteristics This period begins with the passing of the Stamp Act in England and ends in 1790. The Revolutionary period usually refers to writings that are politically motivated, either in support of British rule, in support of American patriotism and independence, or relating to the Constitution. Major Writers or Works Prose: Thomas Jefferson’s Autobiography, â€Å"Declaration by the Represent-atives of the United States of America,† Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison’s Federalist Papers. Drama: Royall Tyler’s The Contrast. Verse and Ballads: â€Å"Yankee Doodle,† â€Å"The Liberty Song. † †¢Early National Period, 1775-1828 Characteristics During this period, a body of distinctly American imaginative literature began to emerge. As with the novel, poetry, essays, and sketches also began to flourish. The publishing world and readership in America also began to grow. Slave narratives were published with increasing frequency. This period is sometimes called the Federalist period after the conservative federalists in power at the time. Major Writers or Works Poetry: Phillip Freneau, William Cullen Bryant, Phillis Wheatley. Prose: Judith Sargent Murray, Mercy Otis Warren, Washington Irving, Lydia Maria Child Narratives: Olaudah Equiano’s The Interesting Narrative of the Lfe of Olaudah Equiano. Novels: Hannah Webster Foster’s The Coquette. †¢Romantic Period, 1828-1865 Characteristics The Romantic period covers the period between Jacksonian democracy to the end of the Civil War. This period was the first major explosion of a distinctly American body of literature; for this reason, this period is also referred to as the American Renaissance. Many of American literature’s most well-known writers emerged during this time. Readership increased significantly and the 1850s saw a number of immensely popular novels. Issues and subjects addressed in the literature of this time ranged from the American identity, to the slavery debate, to historical narratives, to poems and narratives inspired by romanticism, to prose works examining national unity. Major Writers or Works Poetry: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Lydia Sigourney, Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, Emily Dickinson. Prose: Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Rebecca Harding Davis, William Lloyd Garrison. Narratives: Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Novels: James Fenimore Cooper, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Catharine Maria Sedgwick, Herman Melville, Susan Warner, Maria Susanna Cummins’ The Lamplighter, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, William Wells Brown, Harriet E. Wilson. Drama: George Aiken’s play, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, based on Stowe’s novel. †¢The Age of Transcendentalism, 1836-1860 Characteristics Transcendentalism, though varied, investigated the relationship between nature, humanity, society, and the divine. Major Writers or Works Prose: Ralph Waldo Emerson’s â€Å"Nature,† â€Å"Self-Reliance,† and â€Å"The American Scholar,† Margaret  Fuller’s â€Å"Woman in the Nineteenth Century,† Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, Bronson Alcott. †¢Realism, 1865-1900 Characteristics The post-Civil War period was an era of increased industrialization and urbanization as the nation attempted to recover emotionally, culturally, and politically from the aftermath of the war. Though there were still elements of romanticism, this period was considered realistic in its emphasis on unidealized and truthful depictions. Major Writers or Works Poetry: Walt Whitman, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Emily Dickinson’s poems published posthumously. Prose: Sarah Orne Jewett, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, Zitkala-Sa, Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper,† George Washington Cable, Kate Chopin. Novels: Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, William Dean Howells, Bret Harte, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, Henry James, Helen Hunt Jackson’s Ramona, Frances E. W. Harper’s Iola Leroy. †¢Naturalism, 1900-1914 Characteristics An offshoot of realism, naturalism claimed to give an even more realistic and unflinching depiction of contemporary life. Naturalism was characterized by a pessimistic view of humanity and human existence. Major Writers or Works  Prose: Frank Norris, Jack London, Stephen Crane, Hamlin Garland. Novels: Frank Norris’ McTeague, Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie, Jack London’s The Sea-Wolf, Stephen Crane’s Maggie: a Girl of the Streets. †¢Modern Period, 1914-1939 Characteristics A period in British and American literature spanning the years between WWI and WWII. Works in this period reflect the changing social, political, and cultural climate and are diverse, experimental, and nontraditional. Major Writers or Works Poetry: Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg, Wallace Stevens, William Carlos Williams, T. S. Eliot, Edna St. Vincent Millay, e.  e. cummings, H. D. Novels: Edith Wharton, Willa Cather, Sherwood Anderson, John Dos Passos, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Sinclair Lewis, John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway. Drama: Eugene O’Neill’s The Emperor Jones, Susan Glaspell’s, Trifles, Clifford Odets. †¢Harlem Renaissance, 1920s and 1930s Characteristics The Harlem Renaissance was the first major burgeoning of visual, literary, and performing arts by African Americans concerned with African-American life, art, culture, and politics. The influence of the Harlem Renaissance remained strong for the remainder of the 20th century. Major Writers or Works Poetry: Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, James Weldon Johnson, Claude McKay. Prose: W. E. B DuBois, Jean Toomer. Novels: Zora Neale Hurston, Nella Larsen, Passing, Jessie Redmon Fauset, James Weldon Johnson, Claude McKay. Drama: Randolph Edmonds, Langston Hughes. †¢Lost Generation, 1920s Characteristics After WWI, a group of American writers grew increasingly disillusioned by, and resistant to, what they saw as hypocrisy in dominant American ideology and culture. Many of these writers left America in search of a more artistic life in London or Paris. Major Writers or Works  Poetry: Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot. Prose: Gertrude Stein, T. S. Eliot. Novels: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. †¢Beat Writers, 1950s Characteristics Beat Writers’ writing was generally anti-traditional, anti-establishment, and anti-intellectual. Major Writers or Works Poetry: Allen Ginsberg’s Howl, Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Prose: Gertrude Stein, T. S. Eliot. Novels: William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. †¢Postmodern or Contemporary, 1940-present Characteristics In British and American literature, the postmodern period refers to literature written after WWII. The postmodern period reflects anxieties concerning, and reactions to life in the 20th century. Postmodern works are often highly experimental and anti-conventional. Major Writers or Works Poetry: Sylvia Plath, Marianne Moore, Robert Penn Warren, Anne Sexton, Gwendolyn Brooks, Adrienne Rich, Philip Larkin. Prose: Eudora Welty, Raymond Carver, John Cheever, Alice Walker. Novels: Saul Bellow, Ralph Ellison, John Updike, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. , Richard Wright, Thomas Pynchon, E. L Doctorow, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison. Drama: Edward Albee, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Lorraine Hansberry, August Wilson, David Mamet.