Bayard as the `Unvanquished of the Novels Title Essay

Bayard as the `Unvanquished of the Novels Title - Essay Example Bayard, growing up in the vanquished South and under the influence of a father whose ethos revolves around war and dreams, could have easily absorbed an ethos of self-destruction and vanquishment. Colonel Sartoris’ legacy, and indeed the family heritage, is one of war; a legacy which defines heroism and honour in terms of the destruction of others. It is a legacy which irrevocably defines war as glory and the defeat of others as heroism. Within the context of this legacy, one inherently founded upon the precept of vanquishing the `other,’ In so doing, he ultimately engages in self-destruction. In addition to the above, Colonel Sartoris emerges as a dreamer - a man whose thoughts are so intently focused on his perceptions of honour and on the maintenance of the previously defined legacy that he fails to connect with the reality around him. In articulating the nature of that dream, Drusilla tells Bayard that his father â€Å"is thinking of this whole country which he is trying to raise by its bootstraps, so that all people in it, not just his kind nor his old regiment, but all people, black and white, the women and the children† may enjoy a better life (Faulkner, p. 256). This is an undoubtedly noble and honourable dream but it is, nonetheless, a dream. The very concept of dreams effectively signifies a rupture with, and destruction of, reality. From this perspective, therefore, Bayard is raised in an atmosphere which should have imposed self-destruction upon him, whether consequent to the ethos embraced within the family legacy or that contained within his father’s dreams.

A Study of Using the Central Line Prevention Bundle for Reducing the Research Paper

A Study of Using the Central Line Prevention Bundle for Reducing the Risk of Infections for Patients in the Intensive Care Ward - Research Paper Example These hospitals not only keep their facilities and equipment clean and sterile but they also follow certain procedures or protocol that ensures that there are no further complications or infections for the patient.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One such infection-control procedure or protocol is the Central line bundle. This particular protocol was created in order to help prevent or control central-line infections in the intensive care unit. According to an article by nursezone.com â€Å"central lines† are the catheters inserted into major veins and are used to deliver medication or to replenish body fluids. These are great life support mechanisms; however the article also states that they â€Å"are also dangerous infection risks, responsible for as many as 28,000 deaths each year†. This figure is quite alarming, and this is also the same reason why this paper was created. It is meant to review the Central line bundle protocol and through medical data as well as articles, this paper will attempt to determine just how effective the Central line bundle is in terms of preventing infections for patients in the intensive care ward. This paper will use the PICO(T) method in trying to asses the Central line bundle’s effectiveness in preventing infections. ... Any death on its own has a very alarming effect, but even more so for those deaths that come from the very equipment that were expected to help the patient out in the first place. It now becomes hard to imagine that the very thing that was meant to help alleviate your struggle could potentially cost you more than you bargained for.   This is why the process of making sure that the central line bundle is effective at preventing these types of issues and effective at controlling central-line infections. These steps that have been developed in order to control these types of issues may be the difference between life and death for most patients. This paper’s significance comes in its assessment of the protocol and its conclusion of weather it really is effective or if not doing the protocol will provide the same results. According to the same article by nursezone.com, this protocol is one result of some efforts to reduce central-line infections in the intensive care ward, as wel l as an effort to save 100,000 lives in American hospitals. This paper’s main purpose is to validate if the protocol is effective and in effect, also attempts to validate the efforts made towards saving 100,000 lives in American hospitals. This is one of the main driving forces behind the paper as well as to provide a positive image on the procedures ad effectiveness of hospitals and other intensive care facilities. This is because as we may already know, there are many negative connotations regarding confinement in a medical facility and if the protocol is assessed to be effective, this will shed a positive note on the protocols of medical institutions, as well as remove any negative connotations regarding these types of equipments or procedures. This is very significant to patient outcomes

Explain the Sequence and Rate of Each Aspect of Development Essay Example for Free

Explain the Sequence and Rate of Each Aspect of Development Essay Holistic development: The first month Physical development The gross motor skills that the baby of 0-1 month old will develop is that the baby lies supine (on his or her back) and the fine motor skills will be the baby turns his or her head towards the light and stares at bright or shiny objects. Communication and language development Babies need to respond to sounds, especially familiar voices. And babies need to share language experiences and cooperate with others from birth onwards. From the start babies need other people. Intellectual development Babies explore through their senses and through their own activity and movement. Touch From the beginning babies feel pain. Sound Even a new born baby will turn to a sound. The baby might become still and listen to a low sound, or quicken his or her movements when he or she hears a high sound. Taste The baby likes sweet tastes, e. g. breast milk. Smell The baby turns to the smell of the breast. Sight The baby can focus on objects 20cm away. Emotional and social development A baby’s first smile in definite response to carer is usually around 3-6 weeks. Also the baby often imitates certain facial expressions. This is showing that the baby is starting to develop being able to respond to different things. Holistic development: from one to four months Physical development Some of the gross motor skills that the babies develop from four to eight weeks are: the baby can now turn from side to back, and can also lift its head briefly from the prone position. Some of the fine motor skills that the babies develop from four to eight weeks are; the baby turns its head towards the light and stares at bright or shiny objects. Some of the gross motor skills the baby develops form eight to twelve weeks are; when lying supine, the baby’s head is in a central position and it can also lift its head and chest off a bed in prone position, supported on forearms. Some of the fine motor skills the baby develops from eight to twelve weeks are; the baby moves his or her head to follow adult movements and the baby watches his or her hands and plays with his or her fingers. Communication and language development From four to eight weeks the baby recognises the carer and familiar objects, makes non-crying noises such as cooing and gargling and then moves on to often sucking or licking its lips when he or she hears the sound of food in preparation. From eight to twelve weeks the baby is still distressed by sudden loud noises and often sucks or licks its lips when he or she hears the sound of food in preparation. Intellectual development The baby recognises differing speech sounds and by three months the baby can even imitate low or high pitched sounds. Emotional and social development The baby will smile in response to an adult and the baby enjoys sucking. Then the baby shows enjoyment at caring routines such as bath time. Holistic development from four to six months Physical development Some of the gross motor skills; the baby is beginning to use a palmar grasp and can transfer objects from hand to hand. It is very interested in all activity and everything is taken to the mouth. Some of the fine motor skills; the baby now has good head control and is beginning to sit with support. It can roll over from back to side and is beginning to reach for objects. And when supine the baby plays with his or her own feet. Communication and language development The baby becomes more aware of others so he or she communicates more and more. As the baby listens, he or she imitates sounds he or she can her and reacts to the tone of someone’s voice. For example, the baby might become upset by an angry tone, or cheered by a happy tone. Intellectual development By four months the baby reaches for objects, which suggest they recognise and judge the distance in relation to the size of the object. The baby prefers complicated things to look at from five to six months and enjoys bright colours. The baby also knows that he or she has one mother. The baby is disturbed if he or she is shown several images of his or her mother at the same time. The baby realises that people are permanent before they realise that objects are. Emotional and social development The baby shows trust and security and has recognisable sleep patterns. Holistic development from six to nine months Some of the gross motor skills; the baby can roll from front to back. He or she may attempt to crawl but will often end up sliding backwards. Also the baby may grasp their feet and place them in his or her mouth. Some of the fine motor skills; the baby is very alert to people and objects. The baby is beginning to use a pincer grasp with thumb and finger, and can transfer toys from one hand to the other and looks for fallen objects. Communication and language development Babble becomes tuneful, like the lilt of the language the baby can hear. They become to understand words like ‘up’ and ‘down’, raising their arms to be lifted up and using appropriate gestures. The baby may also be able to repeat sounds. Intellectual development The baby understands signs, e. g. the bib means that food is coming. From eight to nine months the baby shows that he or she knows objects exist when they have gone out of sight, even under test conditions. This is called the concept of object constancy, or the object permanence test (Piaget). The baby is also fascinated by the way objects move. Emotional and social development The baby can manage to feed him- or herself using his or her fingers. They are now more wary of strangers, sometimes showing stranger fear. For example if a stranger comes close to the baby and it moves away towards another person, this shows that the baby is fearful of strangers and gains security from the person it moves to. Also the baby might show distress when his or her mother leaves. For example if the mother leaves the room and the baby starts crying, then this shows that the baby feels insecure when the mother is out of sight. Holistic development from nine to twelve months Physical development Gross motor skills; the baby will now be mobile- may be crawling, bear-walking, bottom shuffling or even walking. The baby can sit up on his or her own and lean forward to pick things up. Also the baby may crawl upstairs and onto low items of furniture and may even bounce in rhythm to music. Fine motor skills; the baby’s pincer grasp is now well developed and he or she can pick things up and pull them towards him or her. The baby can poke with one finger and will point to desired objects. They can also clasp hands and imitate adults’ actions. Communication and language development The baby can follow simple instructions e. g. kiss teddy. Word approximations appear e. g. ‘hee haw’ to indicate a donkey, or more typically ‘mumma’, ‘dadda’ and ‘bye-bye’ in English speaking contexts. Also the tuneful babble develops into ‘jargon’ and the baby makes his or her voice go up and down just as people do when they talk to each other. Intellectual development The baby is beginning to develop images. Memory develops and the baby and remember the past. The baby can anticipate the future. This give it some understanding of routine daily sequences, e. g. after a feed, changing, and a sleep with teddy. Also the baby imitates actions, sounds, gestures and moods after an event is finished, e. g. imitate a temper tantrum he or she saw a friend have the previous day, wave bye-bye remembering Grandma has gone to the shops. Emotional and social development The baby enjoys songs and action rhymes, still likes to be near to a familiar adult but will also play alone for long periods of time. Spiritual aspects of a baby’s development Even a tiny baby experiences a sense of self, and values people who are loved by them. Spiritually is about the developing sense of relationship with self, relating to others ethically, morally and humanly and a relationship with the universe. The baby can drink from a cup with help, and shows definite likes and dislikes at mealtimes and bedtimes. Also the baby will start to cooperate when being dressed and likes to look at him- or herself in a mirror (plastic safety mirror). Holistic development from one to two years Physical development Gross motor skills (15 months); the baby probably walks alone now, with feet wide apart and arms raised to maintain balance. He or she is likely to fall over and often sit down suddenly. The baby can also probably manage stairs and steps, but will need supervision. Gross motor skills (18 months); the child walks confidently and is able to stop without falling. The child can also kneel, squat, climb and carry things around with him or her. Fine motor skills (15months); the baby can build with a few bricks and arrange toys on the floor, can hold a crayon in palmar grasp and turns several pages of a book at once, and can also point to a desired object. Fine motor skills (18 months); the child can thread large beads, build a tower of several cubes and uses a pincer grasp to pick up small objects. Communication and language development The child begins to talk with words or sign language, and by 18 months, the child enjoys trying to sing as well as to listen to songs and rhymes. Action songs (e. g. ‘pat-a-cake’) are much loved. Intellectual development The child understands the names of objects and can follow simple instructions, the child also learns about other things through trial and error. Emotional and social development The child begins to have a longer memory and develops a sense of identity (I am me). Also the child expresses his or her needs in words and gestures and enjoys being able to walk, and is eager to try to get dressed – ‘Me do it! ’ Holistic development from two to three years Physical development Gross motor skills; the child is very mobile, can run safely and can climb up onto furniture. The child can walk up and downstairs, usually two feet to a step. The child then moves on to being able to jump from a low step, walk backwards and sideways and can stand and walk on his or her tiptoes and stand on one foot. In my workplace all of the children this age are able to do all of these things. But the girls are all more developed than the boys. For example, with have a boy that is three years of age, and a girl that’s the same. The girl is able to write her name, speak fluently, help other children who aren’t as well developed as her and she even tells me when someone is doing something wrong. Whereas the boy can hardly speak yet, and when he does no one can understand what he’s saying. Michael Gurian, a noted educator and author, has shown through research that â€Å"hard-wiring and socialized gender differences affect how boys and girls learn. † Simply put, male and female brains are equal but different. â€Å"Boys use the right hemisphere more, and girls the left,† (Gurian, M. 2007) Fine motor skills; the child can draw circles, lines and dots using preferred hand. The child can pick up tiny objects using a fine pincer grasp. The child then moves on to being able to build tall towers of bricks or blocks and can control a pencil using thumb and first two fingers (a dynamic tripod grasp).

The Organisational Structure Of Fedex Commerce Essay

The Organisational Structure Of Fedex Commerce Essay Logistics is managing the flow of goods, information and other resources, including energy and people, between the point of origin and the point of destination to meet the requirements of consumers. The main functions of logistics include purchasing, inventory management, transportation, and warehousing. The transportation industry can be identified in three major sectors such as shipping, passenger transport and manufacturing of equipment. In this paper we discuss about shipping which is responsible for transportation of supplies. FedEx has acquired and realigned number of small companies and managed synergies in order to control more of the market. Acquisition strategy of FedEx has given opportunity to capture different areas of logistics and transportation business with different client base and locations thereby integrating their operations to achieve better synergies and economies of scale. Business without borders Having their own fleet enabled them to reconfigure their systems and reroute existing flights in order to take advantage of the markets. Same way feeding three costly networksair, ground, and information technology is extravagantly expensive. They operated in a Global scale in order to offer customers limitless opportunities thereby expanding customer base and achieve global economies of scale. FedEx involves in many Corporate Social Responsibility programs as a branding strategy by carrying pandas, penguins and whales across the countries to provide them with proper living conditions. Though this type of transportation is considered risky FedEx does this with affection in order to protect them. They maintain a strong brand name as a strategy and advantage of its brand image, the name that customers have counted on for reliable service and cutting edge technology. Frederick W. Smith Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Fred Smith was a charismatic-visionary leader. He pioneered the transportation field and founded FedEx when he was 27 years of age. He had a desire, a drive to lead the company. He was confident, intelligent and also had the job-relevant knowledge in the field. His military background helped him to believe that the FedExs people are more valuable than technology. Fred always started thinking outside the normal which made FedEx a great success. Though he was a risk taker and invested highly in IT he succeeded in the business because of his visionary thinking and determination to go ahead. Fred re-shaped the entire transportation industry. FedEx believes in leadership through accessibility which makes all forms of interaction with customers. (b) Transportation and logistics infrastructure within FedEx Corporation FedEx acquired its own fleet of transport while competitors were hiring space on commercial airlines and sub-contracting their shipments to 3rd parties. With this, the need for booking space in commercial vessels ceased and FedEx experienced cost advantage over other companies. Landing larger freight planes were allowed after the de-regulation of the airline industry and using these reduced the operating cost. After de-regulation of the trucking industry, FedEx established regional trucking system further reduced the cost. FedExs unmatched air route authorities and infrastructure make it the worlds largest express transportation company, providing speedy, reliable and time-definite transportation with easy access to the locations. To cut down cost and time, packages from all over the country were flown to a central point or hub at night where traffic lanes were comparatively empty. Packages were sorted, redistributed at the hub and again flown to their ultimate destination to reach them next day. Even with the limitations such as adherence to the skyline regulations, ground clearance and administrative issues, FedEx managed to make this a turning point towards their success. (Please refer annexure page à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ for more details) Value added services such as multiple warehousing, scanners given to drivers to capture package information and overnight distribution system were external factors contributed to the growth in FedEx business. Just-in-time inventory management created demand for speed and accuracy in transportation and shortened the lead time for companies Integration between FedEx and customers blocked them from going to competitors. How it helped FedEx Michael Porters Value Chain C:UsersvirginiaDocumentsMBAMBA-Second yearGlobal Corporate strategyVIRGI FED EXvalue chain.png How FedEx reduced cost by applying value chain (refer document New FedEx and dragon) Primary activities Outbound Logistics Processing time at the local offices was reduced since they did not need to fill forms and attend to customers individually. In FedExs point of view reducing processing time means reducing labour costs. FedEx has achieved tremendous savings by strategic implementation of IT. Tools such as just-in-time manufacturing and total quality management are adopted for inventory control and enhancing of service quality. Marketing and Sales Information on customers preferences, geographical data and traffic volumes of each web page collected automatically. These data could be used for strategic initiatives, planning and marketing. World Wide Web is a low cost media for advertising in the global market and discovers potential markets. Packaging in a timely fashion was one of the marketing tools they used. Customer Service FedEx discovered that its advanced IT systems contain a mother lode of information about the profitability of each client. They knew which customers create how much profit, which actually end up costing FedEx. Secondary activities Procurement Strategic plans are developed with suppliers to support the process and development of new services. Transactions are managed through Web to achieve greater efficiency. Further they are streamlined through Electronic Data Interchange. FedEx had agreed upon better dealings with the fuel with suppliers. Human Resources FedEx will strive to develop mutually rewarding relationships with its employees, partners and suppliers. They recruited correct people and top positions were filled with competent managers. Further incentives, profit shares and internal promotions are given to keep the staff moral high in order to make their processes less costly and effective. They motivated the front liners conducted a fair treatment program to all staff. Information Technology When customers log onto the FedEx system they could place orders to pick up and pay using the credit cards which made greater convenience. Moving the process to the internet reshaped the transportation industry. In applying systems like Cosmos, PowerShip, EDI and Netscape integrated services supplied to customers are enormous. 1 (c) Virtual Information infrastructure at FedEx Corporation How it helped FedEx provides its customers supply chain solution from the point of raw materials to end of the product life cycle. Each stage of the supply chain has IT applications and systems that have been implemented by FedEx in order to fulfill efficient customer solutions. Some of the systems were transportation management solutions, order processing and related distribution centre operations, fulfillment, just-in-time inventory control, purchasing and production which provide peace of mind throughout the entire distribution cycle. COSMOS is a customer oriented services and management operating system. This Centralized computer system kept track of all packages handled by the company. This was made possible by placing a bar-code on each point of pickup making greater reliability to its customers. Further data package movement, pickup, invoicing and delivering data to central data base. PowerShip Features such as Label printing, on-line packaging pickup request, package tracing and stored frequently used addresses of most active customers. EDI and Internet This allowed companies to build one-to-one relationship with customers was the perfect scenario for manufactures. They could match supply and demand without wastage. Agreement with Nescape to adopt their software as the primary technology for accessing its corporate intranet sites. Advantages of the Nescape are mentioned below. Customers would build integrated websites using FedEx application Free down load from fedex.com which incorporated a link enabling them to track packages directly from their own site. Enhancement to package-tracking service. Information with regard to 25 shipments can be checked simultaneously and forward same to three e-mail recipients. Some countries are able to access information in their native language. FedEx claimed to have the largest on-line client server network in the world that operated in real time Web based application 1994 (write) FedEx can reach customers in other countries more easily through internet. This will further expand operations at FedEx in the global market. A creative alliance with marketplace will allow FedEx to tap into the growing e-commerce market for consumers. Web surfers link different companies web sites, where they can order a variety of products and services. IT infrastructure will support supply chain operations. The FedEx website was launched in 1994 and included a package tracking application and allowed customers to generate their own unique bar-coded shipping labels. The web site provided speedy and customer focused features. OUTBOUND TRANSPORTATION AND DELIVERY ORDER MANAGEMENT MANUFACTURING INBOUND (PURCHASING) SUPPLIER Stages of the Supply Chain FedEx Systems Applications GIVS IMI Multiship Custom Clearance system Transportation Optimization system Global Inventory visibility System (GIVS) Inventory Management Systems (IMI) GIVS IMI Warehouse management systems (WMS) Transport management systems (TMS) Customer clearance system Enterprise resource planning ERP IMI (including invoicing) The FedEx Integrated Logistics Solution FEDEX SOLUTIONS FOR THE ENTIRE SUPPLY CHAIN Strategy Bob de wit Ron Meyer (Page 653) (Please refer annexure for detailed explanation of the systems and application of supply chain at FedEx) Evaluation FedEx has developed many innovative services that would not be possible without its strong IT capability. IT expansion at FedEx effectively created a barrier to new entrants in this industry. Even though FedExs coverage to supply chain through integrated systems by tightening, improving and synchronizing the various parts of the supply chain, it was no longer a competitive advantage but a competitive imperative as the customers saw the benefits of squeezing time and inventory out of the system. The virtual information infrastructure at FedEx immensely supported to maintain the market leadership in the past years. They have forecasted the future in a positive direction and implemented correct decision by funding on IT development. Throughout the years this has helped FedEx to reduce cost, minimize process time and become customer focused and ultimately increased the profit margins which helped in a growth in global GDP and International trade. Even though FedEx has highly invested on IT for upgrading on a periodical basis, technical issues such backup systems, virus protection, handling issues with web hacking have been successfully addressed in order to remain in the market leader position. BRANDING AND BUSINESS STRUCTURE UP UNTIL 19 JANUARY 2000 Mergers and acquisitions (MA) Introduction 2.0.1. Mergers Joining of two or more companies to form a single legal entity can be defined as a merger. The assets of the smaller company are merged in to the larger. Share holders of the smaller company (or the target company) will be bought over by the acquiring company. In general mergers take place in a friendly setting. Executives of the respective companies participate in a due diligence process to ensure a successful combination of all areas of business. 2.0.2. Acquisitions Purchasing of more than 50% of voting shares of a company by another company is an acquisition. Both companies can continue as separate legal entities. Acquiring company will be the parent company (or holding company) and the target company will be the subsidiary. Acquisition may take place through a hostile takeover by purchasing the majority of shares of the company in the open market. (Source:A Simple M Model for all Seasons by Bu Sam Rovit, David Harding, and Catherine Lemire) 2.0.3. Mergers and acquisitions strategies Mergers and Acquisitions are a common strategy in Global Logistics and Transportation industry by which companies in the industry expand geographically and increase the reach and access. 2.1 Benefits and limitations of MA strategies in the Global Transportation and Logistics industry 2.1.1. Benefits Obtain maximum value and create sustainable competitive advantage Increase output Obtain new technologies, expertise and provide entire new products Improved focus on core skills of the firm Improvements in use of the brand names Increased consumer welfare and overall cost reduction from the joint consumption of complementary products Fastest method to achieve growth Creating a broad and deep product portfolio Strength in storage sales and services Integrate technologies and practices across entire product line such as strong capabilities in data archiving, manage products to better address the regulatory compliance and market opportunity Capability to integrate disparate business processes and information into one common framework Quicker and cheaper growth of the organization, synergies of market size and distribution channels, easier finance (revenue and cost synergies), economies of scale, gaining customers, cost efficiencies, improved infrastructure. Achieving maximum benefit of synergies by integration Reduction in transaction cost and transportation cost Fulfilling increasing / complex customers demands Redesigning of the global supply chain Obtain excess capacity in terms of production and warehousing facilities Mergers and acquisitions improve market efficiency by capturing synergies between firms. May help in removing inefficient management or to respond to economic shocks 2.1.2. Limitations Most of the studies have shown that mergers have failure rates of more than 50 percent Acquisitions are complex and difficult to execute and manage successfully. The companies should have the ability to integrate the technical know-how and the resources to bring that know-how to market products. In mergers and acquisitions there may be a significant impact on corporate culture. The purchasing company sets the quality bar high for the people in the company to be acquired. The companies cultural norms will be will be reinforced by the innovation, collaboration and integrity and customer focus of those employees. Generally there are clashes in such a situation. Though companies expect the synergies from take overs, it is found that acquiring companies lose about 10% of their value during the first five years after mergers. 2.2. How FedEx Corporation managed the acquisition of Caliber Systems in 1998- whether it is a success or failure FedEx Acquisition History up to year 2000 YEAR ACQUISITION OVERVIEW 1984 Gelco Express International FedEx dramatically expands its presence outside of the U.S. with the acquisition of Gelco Express, a worldwide courier with service to 84 countries. 1989 Tiger International Inc. With the integration of the Flying Tiger Line, FedEx becomes the worlds largest full-service, all-cargo airline. The acquisition includes routes to 21 countries, a fleet of cargo aircraft including Boeing 747s, facilities throughout the world and Flying Tigers expertise in international airfreight. 1998 Caliber System Inc. FedEx creates FDX Corporation (later renamed FedEx Corporation) and grows its portfolio of services with the addition of ground small-package carrier RPS (now FedEx Ground), Western U.S. less-than-truckload carrier Viking Freight (now part of FedEx Freight), Caliber Logistics (now FedEx Supply Chain Services), Caliber Technology (now part of FedEx Services) and Roberts Express (now FedEx Custom Critical). 2000 Tower Group International Inc. World Tariff Ltd. FedEx Corp. creates FedEx Trade Networks. Today, FedEx Trade Networks is one of the largest-volume customs entry filers in North America and provides FedEx customers with end-to-end transportation and customs clearance solutions around the world. acquisitions history.cfm.htm 2.2.1 Caliber Systems FedEx acquired caliber systems in 1998 and five separate subsidiary companies were formed such as Federal Express, RPS (Roadway package Systems), Robert express, Viking freight and FDX Logistics. They focused mainly on the small package business. Each subsidiary was managed separately and was responsible for its own accounts. Caliber had developed its expertise in moving raw materials, plates of steel bars and managed in work-in-progress. It manufactured cars and fork-lift trucks. After acquisition FedEx started offering other services besides express shipping. 2.2.1.1. Federal Express Federal Express was the world leader in global express distribution. They offered 24 to 48 hours delivery. Also was the leader in overnight package delivery business. Goods shipped ranged from flowers to lobsters to computer components. 2.2.1.2. RPS RPS was the second largest ground small package delivery of business-to-business. Also it was a low cost, non-union, technology-savvy company. Shipments were done in one to three days. RPS had the lowest cost models in the transportation industry. With the take-over by FedEx, RPS moved on to business-to-consumer delivery service and took advantage of electronic commerce. They operated through independent truckers who are contractors and specialized in delivering small packages between businesses at rates lower than UPS. 2.2.1.3. Viking Freight This was the first less-than-truck-load freight carrier in western USA. They shipped 13,000 packages per day. 2.2.1.4. Robert Express This was the worlds leading surface-expedited carrier for non-stop, time critical and special-handling shipments. This was the smallest company within the FedEx group. Robert Express Exclusively allowed customers greater control at a price. They had a limited number of aircrafts but they had to pay for use and crew time. 2.2.1.5. Caliber Logistics Caliber logistics was the pioneer in providing customized, integrated logistics and warehousing solutions worldwide. The acquisition of caliber brought over the-road transportation and warehousing capabilities. Caliber Logistics was renamed as FDX Logistics. 2.3 Merging of Caliber Logistics and FLEC New company was FedEx Logistics brought together all splintered operations of logistics in all the subsidiaries, streamlined costs and presented one menu of logistic services offered to clients. They aligned R D of systems upon common, agreed platform. 2.4. HOW FEDEX MANAGED THE ACQUISITION OF CALIBER SYSTEMS? Acquisition contributed to reinforce FedEx commitment to become more than just a delivery company. With the acquisition, company image was transformed to a holding company. Accordingly company changed its name to FedEx Corporation. FedEx managed the subsidiaries by operating independently, each company focused exclusively on delivering the best service for its specific market. They competed collectively. Under the FedEx banner they offered entirely different services, different customer terms and different sales procedures. Usage of IT resources spread among the group. FedEx introduced a one-stop shopping as solution for all levels of supply chain. This was the ultimate goal of FedEx in order to bring the subsidiaries closer together to create synergy. FedEx brand name had been inculcated in the peoples minds throughout the years. This strong global brand name and the brand image created among the entire world from the inception had sufficient market for FedEx to operate even after acquisition. Operating under the FedEx banner created customer confidence although the companies acquired were operating in their own names. Acquisition improved FedExs non-express delivery capabilities and brought in other new businesses to the company. When UPS had the advantage of promoting just one brand, UPS was to sell the entire company and the services it offered. Acquisition of Caliber Systems enabled FedEx to match UPS in offering a wide variety of delivery options. But, UPSs extensive network for making door-to-door deliveries was far ahead of FedEx. Business at UPS was slightly affected after the acquisition of Caliber Systems by FedEx. Further the strategies adopted by the FedEx management such as enhancing business capabilities though IT and building up strong relationships regularly with clients and communication with the global market, created competitive advantage at the time of acquisition of the Caliber Systems. Hence acquisition of the Caliber Systems by FedEx was a success. 3.1 DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNET MARKET AND E-TAILING http://media.techtarget.com/searchCIO/images/spacer.gif http://media.techtarget.com/searchCIO/images/spacer.gif Internet is the extensive, worldwide computer network available to the public. It is interconnected to computer networks that are connected by internetworking. E-tailing (electronic retailing) means the selling of retail goods via Internet. E-tailing done mostly with business-to-consumer (B-to-C) transactions. E-tailing began to work for some major corporations and smaller entrepreneurs were started around year 1997. (Source: http://searchcio.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid182_gci212079,00.html) 3.2. How internet/e-tailing had been applied to the transportation and logistics industry? At the time when the web based purchases were growing, UPS one of FedEx competitors were ahead of them in terms of ground transport. FedEx identified the booming opportunities arising with the growth in internet based purchases. FedEx bought over Caliber System in January 1999 and the aim was to enhance the reach of business to business coverage while catering to increasing demand from internet based buying. FedEx anticipated growth in ecommerce and planned to start FedEx Home Delivery to co-op specializing in business-to-consumer e-tailing. At that time, in 1997 FedEx was handling shipping for only 10% of all goods sold online, compared to the 55% handled by UPS. In 1999 FedEx signed up with CISCO with mission of critical one stop online source for sales tools and client information. Web portals such as Yahoo! had been offering store-building services for some time, as did all other Internet service providers. By that time UPS, their main competitor was had been offering the same services since 1997 through vendors Harbinger Corp. and IBM Corp. FedEx started to offer its ecommerce Builder Internet platform free to clients later, with e-commerce services. 3.3. Non-financial performance at FedEx in the context of Internet market and e- Tailing Internet was the basis for competition. It opened opportunities in logistics management as most businesses started integration with customer supply chains using the internet. FedEx had the right business model to take advantage of this opportunity. Growth in e-tailing needed assistance of express transportation to fulfill the customer expectations and FedEx already was a giant in the field achieved advantage over the situation. FedEx was the leader in the market and enjoyed a strong brand image in the transport and logistics industry. Even though they identified and anticipated enormous opportunities which came up with the development in e-tailing, UPS was the leader in ground transportation. FedEx made a smart move by buying over Caliber Logistics and later integrating all systems and a powerful technical architecture that enabled internet commerce usage. The competition became fierce with the as the major transportation companies were betting big on technology. Even though FedEx were investing millions on IT and introduced internet in 1994, it became the industry norm rather than a competitive advantage. FedEx developed all its software in-house where competitors like UPS formed strategic alliances with Open Market Inc., and worked with IBM. One of main reasons for FedExs successful performance financially and non-financially was that they identify anticipate the changes and adopt themselves accordingly. 3.4. Financial performance at FedEx in the context of Internet market and e-tailing Online holiday shopping, which accounted for $650 million in 1997, grew to rapidly $4 billion over the holiday season of 1999. By the end of year 2000, more than 20,000 client Web sites were linked to the FedEx Marketplace, and the ecommerce Builder unit had secured around 2,000 customers. Despite the analysts concerns their earnings totaled $688 million on sales of $18 billion. The expected growth associated with e-tailing was USD 7.0 billion in 2000 and USD 327 billion in business-to- business presented enormous opportunities for FedEx. (Source: http://ecommerce.hostip.info/pages/444/Fedex-Corp-MOVE-INTERNET.html) Annual report of 1999 reflects that the growth in revenue as follows. Year Growth in Revenue 1999 5.67% 1998 11.48% 1997 11.91% 1996 8.5% 1995 13.76% FedExs average revenue growth is around 10%. In year 1999 this has reduced to 5.67% which they claim as a result of the high fuel price. FedEx has invsted in IT and was Market share growth REFER ANNUAL REPORTS DATA

The First Crusade and the Ideas of Crusading Essay -- essays research

Contrary to many commonly held notions about the first crusade, in his book, The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading, Jonathan Riley-Smith sets out to explain how the idea of crusading thought evolved in the first crusade. In his book, Riley-Smith sets out five main arguments to show how these ideas of crusading evolved. Firstly, he argues that Pope Urban’s original message was conventional, secondly that a more positive reaction was drawn from the laity (due to the ideas surrounding Jerusalem), thirdly, that the original message of crusading had changed because of the horrible experiences of the first crusaders, fourth, that due to these experiences the crusaders developed their own concept of what a crusade was, and lastly, that these ideas were refined by (religious) writers and turned into an acceptable form of theology. Riley-Smith makes excellent points about the crusade; however, before one can delve directly into his argument, one must first understand the backgro und surrounding the rise of the first crusade. Throughout the ten-century, particularly in France, the world had become an extremely violent place. Feudal Knights were often quarreling over land possession, looting, and looking to lay people to provide them with sustenance . Likewise, the power of these knights and the extent of violence flourished due to the increasingly lacking power and authority of the kings . The Church, in an attempt to halt the violence and anarchy attempted to take control and issued such concepts as â€Å"the Peace of God† . Similarly, at this time other movements for peace by the Church were underway, and one of the commonly held ideas was the need to transform the world to more â€Å"monkish ideals†. From these ideals also sprouted the concept of the laity having â€Å"God-given functions to perform, functions that could include fighting to protect the Church†. Pope Leo IX (1049-1054) is an example of this idea; he often used militia to fight against his opponents. In the early ele venth century, there came a pivotal figure in the ideas of Church sanctioned war, Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085). Pope Gregory was involved in the Investiture Contest, and soon turned to scholars to seek out â€Å"justification for his conviction that violence could be used in defense of the Church and could be authorized by it†. The movements generated by Pope Gregory, as well as the results of the Inve... ...f knighthood. The idea of the crusade, and the affiliated pilgrimage came to be regarded as temporary, adopted, migratory monastic life. Although none of the ideas of Robert, Guibert, and Baldric were new, in fact they were derived from the accounts of those who survived the first crusade, they romanticized the idea of the holy war and knighthood, making it more appealing to the common person, and more morally acceptable in religious circles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Riley-Smith adequately proves his argument that although the idea of crusading was not a new one; the outcome of the first crusade had a direct impact on the ideas surrounding a holy war. His book, The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading, is a well developed and coherent argument that is neatly organized and concise, allowing the reader to gain a good understanding of the topic. This book was an excellent choice for first year university students, as it was an easy read, and very easy to identify the main points and arguments of each chapter. Bibliography/Works Cited Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading. The United States of America: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1986.

Essay --

The true Zodiac is conceptual division of space into 12 equal segments, which radiate out from the ecliptic, that is, the apparent path of the Sun. However, the Zodiac also refers to the 12 constellation of stars that nowadays symbolize different human personality types. The term â€Å"Zodiac† has Greco-Roman origins and means â€Å"Circle of animals,† although these â€Å"signs† are not restricted too zoological beasts but encompass human forms, too. The Chinese Zodiac bears no relationship to any constellations. The Zodiac is both a symbol in its own right as well as a collection of symbols. These symbols are totems for each of the 12 astrological signs. It is a circle of completion, a continually turning wheel, divided into a spiritually perfect number, 12. Each of the different segments expresses a phase of development in the cycle of the Universe as well as in humankind collectively and for each individual, singularly. By 2000 BC, the Mesopotamians and the Egyptians were using four particular constellations as markers for the changing seasons. These four star clusters are the ones that we stil...

Lionel Messi

Alex Bello Writing 2 Mrs. Chavez 1/17/13 Soccer I decided to write about soccer because it is something I love and have passion for. I have been playing soccer all my life since I started walking and haven’t stopped playing. I play soccer here at MCC and I was the leading scorer and I was selected for the 2nd team all-region as a freshmen. I was the only freshmen on the team to get this award. It is a privilege for me to have soccer in my life. I am so thankful that I am able to do something I love. I have an idol. A mentor and someone I look up to in soccer.His name is Lionel Messi. He is known as the best player in the world today, and some people say that he is the best ever. To my opinion, he is the best ever. He has done things in soccer that no one has ever done in the history of the sport. He scored 92 goals in one calendar year. The previous record was 86 goals in the 1980’s. That is an unbelievable record. Messi is only 5’6 but he is very strong for a sh ort guy. He was in born in Rosario, Argentina. He moved to Spain when he was only 7 years old and he has Spanish citizenship.When he became a pro, he decided to come play for his native country. Another part of soccer that really motivates me to play better, is watching the team FC Barcelona play. They are known as the best team In the world today. They are smooth and have a great touch with the ball. No other team in the world keeps up with their fast pace. Messi also plays for this team. This is where he set the record. In 2010, Barcelona set the record for winning every tournament of that year. I love to watch this team play. I learn a lot from them.Lionel Messi has played in 2 world cups, and by record, he doesn’t usually perform at his best. People say he is more lazy when he is playing for his country. Messi says that he always gives his 100% when he is out in the pitch. He also said that he is more nervous, but he promised that in the world cup of 2014 he will perform at a successful level. I am very excited to watch the 2014 world. It will be held in Brazil. It should be a very exciting event, also because it is the biggest sports tournament of the world.