Human Behavior and Environment Essay

1. Every person we come into contact with on a daily basis is able to teach us a little something about life. You just have to be open to learning. This particular counselor who was introduced to Steve for whatever cosmic reason, but left the encounter more knowledgeable about the human condition than when initially introduced. At first glance and without knowing any background on Steve the counselor could have just chalked Steve up as a special needs student who in no way was going to succeed being away from home. The councilor however took time out and got to know his student and found all the triumphs that he had been faced with and had overcome throughout the years. The counselor was able to determine that this student was in no way going to give up and fall between the cracks due to a series of unfortunate events. Every child I come in contact with on a daily basis has their own story, many of which are heart wrenching or unnerving, but yet many persevere and will become productive members of society because someone along the way has showed that they care. 2. Steve was able to benefit just as much as the counselor through this interaction. He was able to persevere and complete his education. All that Steve needed was for someone else to also see the end of the tunnel as well as he saw it. Having someone on the same page and able to stand with you through your goals is beneficial to all those involved not just the single individual with the goal. I think the biggest push anyone could ever get is having someone who does not know you say â€Å"you can’t do that†; it provides all the more motivation to prove them wrong. According to the National Organization of Human Services (NOHS), a code of ethics is an explicit statement of the values, principles, and the rules of a profession, regulating the conduct of its members† (Barker, 2001, p. 84) There are two statements found in the NOHS though that best summarize this code and make it applicable to the field in which I am currently surrounded by. STATEMENT 45 Human service educators demonstrate full commitment to their appointed responsibilities, and are enthusiastic about and encouraging of students’ learning. STATEMENT 46 Human service educators model the personal attributes, values and skills of the human service professional, including but not limited to, the willingness to seek and respond to feedback from students. In reading Steve’s journey on the Hero’s Path there is an identifiable moment that relates to my current position that I have been witness to and assisted with. As a guidance secretary for a public school I have seen man types of students walk through our door. Our most recent students who have come in search of a chance to blend in with a traditional student body are two students who found themselves being best friends despite each other’s complex issues. One is an overweight 16 year old and suffers from Prader-Willi Syndrome and sneaks food from our cafeteria any chance he gets. The other a 17 year old was born with malformation of the mouth and hands. Both are part of our special education program. Because of their outward appearances, both are shunned by the other student, which has had very little effect on them. To assist them in this effort of blending in our Administrative Resource Teacher, who is popular and liked by the student body because of her understanding and helpful nature has essentially deputized these two during our busiest lunch period. In order to keep the child with Prader-Willi from stealing uneaten food and his friend from stealing anything for him, they eat their lunch and when they are done, are placed on crime watch patrol around the perimeter of the school, with our ART. The child with Prader-Willi gets exercise and it removes him from tempting treats left behind by students such as milk and chips. Both also get the satisfaction of knowing that despite their abnormalities they are regular students. During pep assemblies when the excited student body is a little overwhelming, these students also know that my office is a safe haven for them. They know that they must do work alphabetizing or organizing but they each have a task. I’ve heard many of our administrators repeat this saying time and time again â€Å"you need to know our students, in order to teacher them†, the same applies in any interaction with them. Students don’t just learn in the four walls of a classroom, they learn in every kind of environment. If you make that environment one in which they are comfortable students will return time after time to seek your guidance and model attributes they found and have seen demonstrated. References Halstead, Richard A. (2000, January). From tragedy to triumph: counselor as companion on the hero’s journey. Counseling & Values, 44(2), 100. http://www. nationalhumanservices. org/ethical-standards-for-hs-professionals.

Space design considerations for an architecture school

And teaching staff in newly approved Institution / Program. Then it gives detailed time schedule for processing of applications . Page- 72 : It provides further information about Unapproved Institutions, detailed points to be carried out Action in case of violation of Regulations. It provides objectives , eligibility , processing fee and procedure for approval, conditions for approval regarding Collaboration & Twining Program between Indian and Foreign Universities or Institutions in the field of Technical Education, Research and Training .Peg 73- 81 : It gives information about the program , duration and eligibility for students o be considered while giving admission to under graduate degree program, Post Graduate Degree and Post Graduate Diploma Programs (Full Time), Diploma Program, Post Diploma Programs . Page- 107 : It lists the approved Nomenclature of Courses of 400 courses taught under CACTI. It gives information in tabular form regarding the Norms for Intake & Peggy-111 .Num ber of Courses / Divisions in the Technical Institutions of under graduate level, Post Graduate Degree and Post Graduate Diploma Level, Private Limited or Public Limited Company/laundry Establishing Diploma or UnderGraduate or Post Graduate Institute. Peg 12- : it describes the Norms for Land requirement and Building Space for Technical Institution , like the land requirement in acres in Other than Rural places(Competent Authority to certify that the place is not located in a rural area) and Rural Places as defined by Competent Authority.It gives detailed requirements of built-up area divided in 1 . Instructional area (NINA, carpet area in sq. M. ), Administrative area (DAD, carpet area in sq. M. ), Amenities area (AMA, carpet area in sq. 2. Circulation area (CIA) is equal to 0. 250 (NINA+DAD+AMA). M. ). , 3. Total built up area in sq. M. Is equal to (NINA+DAD+AMA)

The Cost of Success

The Cost of Success In college, students deal with multiple stress factors and finances should not be included. Numerous of students graduate high school each year and only a select decide to further their education. These students should be able to attend college without worry. College helps students choose a career and prepare for life after their graduation. A student stressing over how they're going to pay for their textbooks or what they're going to eat for dinner because a meal plan wasn't affordable shouldn't even be an issue. College can be an overwhelming experience and even more overwhelming for those who need financial needs met.Being an out-of-state student with no type of grants helps me relate to these situations. Students who are able to focus on school and stress less about finances are more likely to strive in their classes and graduate with a higher grade point average. By having costless tuitions, allotting an amount in a food stipend every month, and giving out-of -state students top priority in campus housing can eliminate stress and build a brighter future for the college students of America. Students should be able to graduate high school with the only concern of being admitted to the school of their choice.Worrying about how tuition will be covered is Just adding to the chaos. Many students graduate high school with the hopes of getting in college but know it is financially impossible for their family. Sure, loans may help but once a student graduates and is ready to start their career, every month they have to pay back what the government loaned them to attend college. For the past two years, I have not received any type of grant for school because my parent's retirement is figured into my financial aid award decision. My parents have worked hard for their retirement and they shouldn't have o use this to pay for my schooling.Tuition should be free for all students who are enrolled full time, maintain a 2. 5 GPA or higher, and have a clea n criminal record. This can really eliminate stress not only from the students, but the parents as well. There are many people in the United States that benefit from the government's Food Stamp program. The program gives a person a roll-over monthly stipend according to their income and household dependent amount. For college students, if you do not have a child, you must be working at least 20 hours a week Just to receive any ood stamps.In some states, college students aren't even eligible for food stamps because the government uses their tuition as income, which results in rejection due to the high amount. Every college student that stays on or off campus, does not have a meal plan, enrolled as a full time student, and maintains a 2. 0 GPA or above, should be allotted at least $250 a month in food stamps. For a student who doesn't receive any financial aid, a meal plan can be very costly. Having to work while being a full time student to provide groceries every month is almost rid iculous. This can resolve umerous money issues as well as stress.Campus housing is another college stressor, especially if a student doesn't have enough money to even cover the residential fees. Many students travel miles and miles each year to attend the school of their choice. Is it fair that these out-of-state students have to compete with in- state students tor housing? Searching tor an apartment trom a ditterent state can extremely challenging, when this can simply be resolved by giving out-of-state students priority in campus housing. Being from North Carolina, I considered on campus housing but I was declined due to over capacity.Because of this I had to search for an apartment through the internet; this was extremely challenging. It is understandable that some college campuses may have limited space for all their students; however, out-of-state students should have priority before spaces are occupied. These solutions may seem abstract but they allow students to stay focused on their academics. Finances are stressful for college students and also adults who have already established a career. It is more important to target the younger community because they hold the key to the world's future.Students who are able to e stress free of basic needs and stay driven to complete school will succeed. They will not only succeed, but be the top of their succeeding class. College altogether is overwhelming, so why add more to a college student's plate? Costless tuition, monthly food stipends, and priority housing for out-of-state students are the solutions that will make a drastic difference in the college environment. Imagine how these solutions can help students succeed in the career they actually want to pursue. This entire world could be made over into a place much more promising for rising adults, like myself

The growth of cities and their past Research Paper

The growth of cities and their past - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the definition of urban growth as the process of expansion of economic agglomerations. Urbanization, structure of cities, organization of economic activities and overall economic growth of a country are important determinants of this expansion. The past always forms the foundation for the future and this is true to the growth of cities as well. The present research has identified that Venice, one of the oldest cities in the world had centered the planning of its transport system on water-ways that are in use to this day. This transport system was not only efficient but also safe in the modern context of carbon emissions. It did not occur to the planers of the city at the time but present inhabitants of Venice have one of the least carbon emission modes of transport in the world with human navigated boats forming a significant fraction of the transport vessels. From the planning of Venice, modern cities have an opportunity to gather new ideas on having du rable, low carbon emission transport networks. This paper illustrates that the 21-century cities may not have waterways but could come up with systems founded on the concept of the waterways of Venice. The high-speed rail network, for example, is an improvement of 18th century rail networks that presently solve most cities’ transport problems but were developed from these early transportation rail networks that were not very fast at the time of their initial use.

Security Issues Within Virtualization Coursework

Security Issues Within Virtualization - Coursework Example Citrix Systems, Inc. (2008, October). Citrix xenserver V5.0 and netapp storage best practices. Retrieved from CITRIX Web site: http://www.citrix.com/site/resources/dynamic/partnerDocs/CitrixXSNetAppStorageBestPracticesGuidefinal.pdf This article shows the best way to use NetApp storage systems and Citrix XenServer. It also speaks about the future of these methods in the furthering of virtualization. Although pushing their product, this article has good information. The great IT cost is reduced by the virtual desktop. The need to download extra software and patches are thing of the past according to this article. Since it was written in 2005, the author is full of promise for the virtual desktop, with no concern. This is important to show the attitude when the virtual desktop was new. This web site provides access to technology white papers and can provide me with an excellent source of information on the subject of virtualization. Most of the technology is being developed by well know vendors, having easy access to their technology white papers will help provide a reliable source for information. Ghodke, N. (2004). Virtualization techniques to enable transparent access to Peripheral devices across networks (Masters Thesis, University Of Florida, 2004). Retrieved from http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/UFE0005684/ghodke_n.pdf Many individuals get excited about virtualization without taking into account the security measures necessary to run virtualization without being hacked or interfered with by outside sources. This article informs about security measures needed. This article also speaks about security for virtualized environments. The authors did an empirical study into the security exposure to hosts of hostile virtualized environments. Their findings were very interesting and vital to my research. This article speaks about the unknown factors of virtualization. Mike Rothman believes that there are a number of potential

Workplace Monitoring - How Much Is Too Much Essay

Workplace Monitoring - How Much Is Too Much - Essay Example Despite the battle over privacy issues, employers remain firm in enforcing workplace monitoring for a number of reasons. A survey by the American Management Association in 2001 revealed the following as the top reasons: (1) Legal compliance – to provide some degree of legal protection for both company and consumer and falls under â€Å"due diligence† of a company to keep adequate records; (2) Legal liability – to prevent employees from accessing offensive graphic material on computer screens that could escalate hostility in the workplace environment; (3) Performance review – to allow supervisors to review, evaluate and improve job performance of customer service and consumer relations personnel based on taped field calls and other sources procured through monitoring; (4) Productivity measures – to ensure all activities and communications in the workplace are business related; (5) Security concerns – to protect the value of proprietary corpora te information.3 2. Duke L. & Tech. Rev., â€Å"Monitoring employee e-mail: Efficient workplaces vs. employee privacy†, iBRIEF/ eCommerce, Issue No. 0026, 25 July 2001, 2 May 2007 . 3. American Management Association, â€Å"2001 AMA survey workplace monitoring and surveillance summary of key findings†, AMA Research, 2001, 2 May 2007 . There are many ways by which workplace monitoring is performed. But the main idea is that employers have the right to monitor every business activity performed during office hours. In telephone monitoring, an employer may choose to listen to employees’ phone calls at work for reasons of quality control. Some protection may be accorded to the employee if he is calling from a phone designated for personal calls but if he tries to use a business phone for

Personal statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Personal Statement Example I believe that this trait will help me later on in my career and I will have an advantage over so many others. My ability to quickly assess certain situations and then to take the appropriate actions means that I am confident enough to make any hard choices that fall my way. From when I was a young child, my father always remarked how I had leadership qualities and that I could put those to good use someday. My passion is for management and art history, and this is what I would like to pursue further. When I was a small child, I seemed to like drawings on things whenever I had the chance. Also, I was kind of an extrovert person who found fulfillment in leading others to achieve their goals. I guess it was only natural for me to choose this path because these subjects are something that I enjoy and excel at as a person. I have always been a creative person, so art is something that fits nicely with my characteristics. Also, I prefer to lead others rather than follow what someone else is doing. I have already gained considerable knowledge about both of these subjects through study during my spare time, but I would like to think that learning in a more formal setting will increase my understanding further. Management and art history are not normally two subjects that are linked or associated with each other, but I think that I can combine the two by using my strengths. This plan of mine to attend university only after two years in college was put in motion before I had even graduated from high school. The thought occurred to me that I could have gone straight to university after graduating from high school, but I did not feel that it was right for me at the time. Instead, I went to Santa Monica College for two years to try and find some good study habits that would serve me well in the future. The thinking was that I would gain valuable experience at a college where I could express myself more than would be possible at a large university. However, after these last two years at Santa Monica, I now feel that I am ready for the challenges that university will bring. As long as I stay true to my calling, then there is nothing that I will not be able to succeed at. My grades at high school and at college were some of the best in my class. I would like to think that I am a highly motivated person who is willing to face extraordinary challenges to accomplish the goals that I have set out for myself. In the last few years, I have had experience as the president of the prom committee and also as a member of the art decoration club. Outside of this, I have not really achieved too much. This is why I believe that my qualities are well-suited to management and art history. In my opinion, there is no point doing something if it is not something that you enjoy doing. This is not the case for me in either management of art history because these are subjects that fill me both as a person and as a student. Apart from my interest in management and art history , I also enjoy cooking a lot. However, this is something that I feel that I would not want to pursue as a career, and that is why I am not pursuing further education over it. I will never be one of those famous chefs on TV who earns a fortune just from showing other people how to cook. Despite this, I would like to think that my cooking skills are decent enough to help my own family someday when the time

The Rainy Side of Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Rainy Side of Life - Essay Example He is a man defined by the public. In a world where others assign your identity, the challenge is to define yourself ways that surpasses people's version of you, rise above their expectations. Can an individual discard the identity conferred by the public and replace it with his own, a new identity that reveals the real human being inside It is possible for a person to mark his own identity provided the circumstances and opportunities arise and the manner of reaching his goal is done right. This is the challenge facing Nicholas Cage's character David Spritz in the movie. Spritz is a weather announcer for a Chicago TV channel. Outwardly successful with a large annual salary, his job requires no real skill other than reading off a teleprompter the information supplied by meteorologists and point at a blue screen. As he himself says, "I receive a large reward for pretty much zero effort and contribution." He acknowledges the fact that his job demands very little of him and is thus unfulfilling, yet he retains the guilt for the handsome salary he earns for doing almost nothing. He can almost understand why he's attacked with restaurant food. He's quite adept with his job and is on the verge of taking a position on "Hello America" in New York a job that pays five times his present pay. Though he's on the cusp of a life changing event, inwardly however he feels his personal life coming apart at the seams. His father, Robert has a health issue to deal with. Robert is a Pulitzer prize winning writer and the only person Dave relates to but curiously feels intimidated about being the son of a high status celebrity. Then there are David's own children who are themselves troubled souls. Whereas David doesn't expect them to understand his problems, he is very conscious of theirs and attempts to solve them, often appearing to be conscientious, to show that he cares, but in doing so exaggerates unnecessarily in situations that only require patient understanding. Dave's ex-wife is another family member he tries to reconcile with, but his wall of defensive anxieties is high and hard to break down. In his quest for self identity, David tries to assert himself as more than just an announcer of good or bad weather while trying to live up to expectations - some defined unclearly by himself, others by those around him. His attempts to find a balance between his responsibilities to his father, children, ex-wife and his career cause him great concern. Other social pressures also exist. He realizes his public image is not the greatest. At one point he says, "Did anyone ever throw a pie at Thomas Jefferson Or Buzz Aldrin I doubt it. But this is like the ninth time I got," he pauses then says "Clowns get hit with pies." This insight about public perception of him weighs heavily on his mind. It's an image he'd rather lose and re-invent himself as someone accepted and adored by all. This need to meet expectations of those around is part and parcel of everyday life, yet it is a necessary emotional process to assure people that they mean something to us and we to them. To belong to a larger group in society is a trait almost every human possesses in varying degrees and in David Spritz we see ourselves as many share his qualms and insecurities. Spritz feels too trapped with the negatives that his job entails

The Nature of Computing. Why Programming Paradigms and Languages Essay

The Nature of Computing. Why Programming Paradigms and Languages - Essay Example This paper presents a detailed overview of computer programming languages. This paper will discuss the evolution of computer programming languages, change in a diversity of languages and explore how languages such as Python, Perl, Ruby and C# emerged as a convergence of previous languages. Introduction to Programming and Programming Languages The computer programming is the process of writing the computer programs (also called software applications) to solve different kind of problems as well as to manage different processes of the computer. In fact, a computer is useless without a computer program. In addition, a computer program is written after understanding the problem. In this scenario, we must be clear about the processing steps to be performed by a computer. It means that we must understand the logic of the program before writing a program; we must learn how to plan the theoretical framework of the program. Basically, the program instructions are written in such a way that the computer can follow the program instructions in the correct sequence to solve the problem productively. Hence, in order to write an accurate (or successful) program, the programmer must write the program instructions in an accurate order. On the other hand, if the program instructions are not written in a correct sequence, then the result of the program will be wrong. Thus, the computer programs must be planned before they are written into the computer (Shelly et al., 2005; Norton, 2001). Moreover, the programming languages are used to prepare computer programs or software applications. Early computer programs were written straightforwardly in machine language for instance in binary code. Additionally, it was very difficult to write programs in machine code. However, at the present, a wide variety of the programming languages are available for writing different types of programs. In addition, each programming language has its own rules for witting the programs, which need to be fol lowed in order to get accurate results. For instance, FORTRAN is used for scientific purposes, ADA for defense applications, COBOL for business solutions, etc. (Shelly et al., 2005; Norton, 2001). In simple words, the computer programming is an art of writing instructions and problem solving for a computer. However, the standards of programming are independent of the computer programming language utilized. Moreover, different programming languages have different weaknesses and strengths, making different types of programs difficult or much easier to write, however the fundamental theories remain the same regardless of language (Nasir, 1996; Tatum, 2012). Programming Diversities The computer programming languages are divided into two categories: system programming and application programming. The system programming is mainly concerned with the use of a computer system. On the other hand, the application programming deals with the computer programs which are directly utilized by many people. In addition, the application programming paradigm is further divided into more categories such as (Milo, 2007) Scientific programming Business programming Web-based programming Businesses programming Personal or home programming Game programming Embedded systems programming History of Programming Language Generations This section outlines the history of programming in the form of programming langu

Latin America and the World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Latin America and the World - Essay Example Urban development and immigration were at the increase due to the rise of agriculture and business development. Consequently, there was the emergence of the urban classes which opted to merge with the political movement (Leopoldo 102). In water for chocolate, the author starts in Mexico City where, the person named Tita introduces herself. It is the story of an active girl who had just celebrated her 15th birthday, to the occasion of her life when she was at the age of 39. In the foremost chapter, the author demonstrates the necessity of responsibility and responsibility, as it was the first contention that Tita faced. Tita was at a problem as her family required her to reject Pedro’s marriage proposal, since they required her to stay put in the house so that she could take care of her widowed mother always (Laura 76). This was like permission specified to her by the culture, which anticipated her to complete the duty of helping for her widowed mother. The issue of gender based unfairness portrayed in the Latin society in that century, as Tita’s mother denied her freedom to marry the man she always loved, Pedro. Another instance of gender inequality arises as we see Esperanza denied the opportunity t o join Alex brown, by her mother as she claims that institution must be followed to the latter. This harsh rule by Tita’s mother makes her start a secret love with Pedro since she knew that bearing children would be of support to her marriage in the prospect life, given that they would also cater for her as she grows older (Laura 2010). For now, in the house of the spirit, the author introduces Clara as a young girl, who at that time, was writing about her pet in her journal, which was enormous hound. The Del Valle families’ gathers at the church as they listen to the priest, who turns out to be over fervent in his discourse as he later curses Clara citing that the demons infatuated her.

Recommendation and advice for sher holder in companies Research Paper

Recommendation and advice for sher holder in companies - Research Paper Example Following the same pattern, the dividend yield has also shown sign of improvement. Evaluating the financial outlook of Morrisons from investor’s point of view, it would be most prudent to invest in it, and the current shareholders of the company should hold their investment in the company as it promises to reap more benefits in the future. The fact that the investors should further invest or hold their investments in Morrisons is advocated by the fact that the company offered notable dividend of 8.20 per share. The dividend offered by the company during the current financial year is almost 41% higher than the one offered in the prior year. Selling stakes in Morrisons at this point of time when the company is offering attractive dividends to its shareholder, would be reckless and not at advisable. As quite obvious from the gearing ratio of the company, the operations are now more driven by the capital raised through issuance of share in the capital market, rather than acquiring financings from institutions. This shows that the investors have confidence in the company and are ready to bear the risk. The prospective and current investors should also analyze that the company is making the best use of its capital which is represented by the inclining return on equity (ROE) and return on capital employed (ROCE).

21th Bled eConference eCollaboration Essay Example for Free

21th Bled eConference eCollaboration Essay 1 Introduction This is not a research paper. Rather, it is a teaching report in which I describe the use of the so called beer distribution game (or beergame) – a logistics and supply chain simulation game – in teaching business-to-business eCommerce. The aim of the paper is twofold: First, I want to demonstrate how the beergame can be used to provide students with a more profound understanding of the reasons why eCommerce technologies are used in contemporary supply chains to exchange information and to facilitate collaboration. Second, I want to share both my experiences and my materials for using the beergame in eCommerce courses with the IS community, i.e. those scholars that teach (business-to-business) eCommerce or supply chain management courses. The beergame is a role-play simulation game in which students enact a four stage supply chain. The task of this supply chain is to produce and deliver units of beer: the factory produces and the other three stages deliver the beer units until it reaches the customer at the downstream end of the chain. In doing so, the aim of the players is rather simple: each of the four groups has to fulfil the incoming orders of beer by placing orders with the next upstream party. Since communication and collaboration is not allowed between supply chain stages, the players invaria588 bly create the so called bullwhip effect. With ‘bullwhip’ we refer to the effect that the amount of periodical orders amplifies upstream in the supply chain towards the production end, thus causing a range of operational problems. The bullwhip effect is a well-known phenomenon and a prominent symptom of coordination problems in supply chains. In using the beergame to create the bullwhip effect students experience first hand, not only the problems of lack of information sharing and collaboration in supply chains, but also the main causes for the creation of the bullwhip effect. Henceforth, in introducing eCommerce measures in the later sessions of the course, students can relate to these topics through their own experiences. The paper ties in with a recent discussion on the ISWorld eMail list on â€Å"how to make relevant IS teaching for students with little or no practical experience†. In teaching information systems (IS) and specifically B2B eCommerce we frequent ly experience problems of making relevant those topics for students. The challenge is to get them to appreciate the relevance of IS and also to provide them, not only with a superficial knowledge of the topics, but with a more profound understanding of the reasons why eCommerce technologies are used in practice. Against this backdrop I want to show how the beergame can help demonstrating the role and need of eCommerce technologies in a topic area in which the students not only lack practical knowledge (i.e. with regards to supply chains), but typically also do not have their own frame of reference to be able to relate to the topics we teach. To this end, I will introduce the beergame, demonstrate its use in a classroom setting, present typical results created by playing the game and show how I embed the game in a typical B2B eCommerce syllabus. I begin with introducing the game and the bullwhip effect (in section 2). In section 3, I then describe the application of the beergame in a classroom setting; I give an overview of a beergame session and present typical results. Section 4 demonstrates how typical supply chain problems (and the causes of the bullwhip effect) can be deduced from the beergame experience in order to motivate the introduction of eCommerce measures for improving supply chain coordination. The section is concluded by a synopsis of typical eCommerce topics that can follow the beergame in a typical B2B syllabus (section 4.3). 2 The Beergame In the following I will first give a brief introduction to the bullwhip effect before I introduce the beergame itself, i.e. its history, structural setup and the rules of the game. 2.1 Bullwhip effect as symptom of typical supply chain problems The bullwhip effect is a well-known symptom of typical coordination problems in (traditional) supply chains. It refers to the effect that the amount of periodical orders amplifies as one moves upstream in the supply chain towards the production end (Lee, Padmanabhan Whang 1997a). Even in the face of stable customer demand small variations in demand at the retail end tend to dramatically amplify upstream the supply chain with the effect that order amounts are very erratic, and can be very high in one week and almost zero in the next week. This phenomenon was discovered and first described by Forrester (1961) who did research into the relationship between ordering and stock keeping patterns using simulation models (Warburton 2004). The term itself was first coined around 1990 when ProcterGamble perceived erratic and amplified order patters in its supply chain for 589 baby diapers. The effect is also known by the names whiplash or whipsaw effect (Lee, Padmanabhan Whang 1997a), which refers metaphorically to the visualisation of order patterns moving upstream the supply chain (see figure 3). As a consequence of the bullwhip effect a range of inefficiencies occur throughout the supply chain, e.g. high (safety) stock levels, poor customer service levels, poor capacity utilisation, aggravated problems with demand forecasting, and ultimately high cost and low levels of inter-firm trust (Chopra Meindl 2001; Lee, Padmanabhan Whang 1997a). While the effect is not new and a lot of research has been conducted and supply chain projects have been initiated since its discovery, it is still a timely and pressing problem in contemporary supply chains. Various research studies have quantified the effect and estimate that profitability in most supply chains might improve by up to 30% by eliminating the bullwhip effect (Metters 1997; McCullen Towill 2002). 2.2 Beergame setup and rules Having introduced the bullwhip effect and its implications for the supply chain and its players I will now introduce the beergame, its setup and rules. I begin by providing a brief history of the game before I present the general structure and the rules of the game. 2.2.1 History of the beergame The beergame (or beer distribution game) was originally invented in the 1960s by Jay Forrester at MIT as a result of his work on system dynamics (see Forrester 1957). While the original goal of the simulation game was to research the effect of systems structures on the behaviour of people (â€Å"structure creates behaviour†), the game can also be used to demonstrate the benefits of information sharing, supply chain management, and eCollaboration in the supply chain (Li Simchi-Levi 2002). A range of different versions of the beergame have emerged over the years. The original beergame was realised as a board game (Sterman 1989). Meanwhile a table version (Ossimitz, Kreisler Zoltan 2002 ) and also computerised simulations (Hieber Hartel 2003) have been developed. In this paper I predominantly draw on a table version, which I adapted from the so called Klagenfurt design (cp. Ossimitz, Kreisler Zoltan 2002); the structural setup of the table version is shown in figures 1 and 2. I will briefly discuss advantages and disadvantages of the different game versions in chapter 3.1 where I discuss the administration of the beergame in a classroom setting. 2.2.2 General structure of the game The beergame simulates a supply chain that consists of four stages (retailer, wholesaler, distributer and factory), each of which is played by one or better two or three players (Goodwin Franklin Sr. 1994). Hence, a supply chain is typically played by 8 to 12 people, while more than one supply chain can be administered in one class at the same time. The task of each supply chain is to produce and deliver units of beer: the factory produces and the other three stages deliver the beer un its until it reaches the external customer at the downstream end of the supply chain. In doing so, the aim of the players is rather simple: each sub group has to fulfil the incoming orders of beer. The retailer receives an externally predetermined customer demand and places orders with the wholesaler; the wholesaler sends orders to the distributor, who orders from the factory; the factory finally 590 produces the beer. Hence, orders flow in the upstream direction, while deliveries flow in the downstream direction of the supply chain. An important structural aspect of the game is delay (i.e. time lag) in order to account for logistics and production time. Each delivery (and production order) requires two rounds until they are finally delivered to the next stage. In the structural setup of the game this is represented by two shipping delay fields located in between the supply chain stages as well as at the production end (figure 1). Order flow Delay Delay Delay Delay Factory Factory Distributor Distributor Wholesaler Wholesaler Retailer Retailer Product flow Figure 1: Supply chain setup in the beergame table version Student Outgoing order Play sheet Incoming order Wholesaler Delay Distributor Distributor Outgoing delivery Delay Factory Incoming delivery Student Student Figure 2: Detailed table layout 2.2.3 Rules of the game The game is played in rounds, which simulates weeks. In each round the following steps have to be carried out by the players: 1) receive incoming orders, 2) receive incoming deliveries, 3) update play sheets (outstanding deliveries and inventory), 4) send out deliveries, and finally 5) decide on the amount to be ordered. In doing so, deciding on each round’s order amount is effectively the only decision that players are able to make throughout the game; everything else follows a set of fixed rules. The first rule is that every order has to be fulfilled, either directly (should the players’ inventory be large enough) or later in subsequent rounds. In the latter case, players have to keep track of their backlog (backorder) (Coakley et al. 1998). Secondly, inventory and backlog incur cost – each item in stock costs EUR 0.50 per week, while each item on backlog costs EUR 1.00. Consequently, the primary aim of ea ch subgroup is to keep their costs low. Hence, the optimal strategy for the players is to run their business with as little stock as possible without being forced to â€Å"move into backorder†. Thirdly, players are not allowed to communicate. The only information they are allowed to exchange is the order amount; there is no transparency as to what stock levels or actual customer demand is; only the retailer knows the external demand (Rafaeli et al. 2003). Moreover, the game is based on the simplification of unlimited capacity (in stock keep591 ing, production and transportation) and unlimited access to raw materials at the production end (Hieber Hartel 2003). 2.2.4 The external demand In playing the game the external demand is predetermined and usually does not vary greatly. In the beginning, the supply chain is pre-initialised with inventory levels (e.g. 15 units), orders (e.g. 5 units) and beer units in the shipping delay fields (e.g. 5 units). In order to induce the bullwhip effect to the supply chain the external demand remains stable for a few rounds (e.g. 5 units for 5 rounds) before it suddenly shows one steep increase (jumps to 9 units) before it remains stable again at this higher level for the remainder of the game (usually 40 to 50 rounds in total). However, the one increase in external demand is enough to induce variance into the supply chain, which will inevitably lead to the creation of the bullwhip effect and to a destabilisation of ordering patterns throughout the supply chain. 3 Using the beergame in class Having described the idea, the structural setup, and the rules of the beergame, I will now discuss the administration of the game in a classroom setting. This is followed by the presentation of typical results generated by beergame applications in eCommerces courses. These results are very useful for deriving the causes of the bullwhip effect in discussions with students in a so-called debriefing session (see section 4). For a session outline of a B2B course that uses the beergame please refer to appendix 2; the experiences shared in the following sections are more or less based on this session outline. 3.1 Administering the beergame 3.1.1 Choosing a beergame version As mentioned above, different versions of the beergame exist for use in classroom settings. The traditional version is a board game in which tokens are physically moved on the board to represent orders and stock. The upside of the board version is that people relate well to moving actual objects. However, there are two downsides: firstly, the board game is too slow, cumbersome and complex to administer; secondly and more importantly, because physical objects are used to represent inventory on the board, people enjoy an unwanted transparency of inventory levels of other supply chain stages and can thus strategically act upon their knowledge of incoming stock. The table version of the beergame was originally developed by a team at the University of Klagenfurt (Ossimitz, Kreisler Zoltan 2002). It shows several improvements to the original design such as a leaner and more pragmatic approach to moving orders and stock in the supply chain. Essentially this is done by using paper slips on which numbers are written by the players. However, it still shows some administrative overhead such as a bookkeeping pe rson that takes stock of all things happening within the supply chain using a computer. While this functions as a built-in safety net in case something goes wrong, it is still a hurdle to the application in a classroom setting and it also slows down the game, which results in long sessions and the students being bored throughout the game. Henceforth, I have adapted the table version and essentially eliminated the bookkeeper in order to achieve a more straightforward progression of the game. The 592 risk however is that students make mistakes in calculating order amounts or stock levels using the paper play sheet. While it helps to start slowly and to doublecheck the play sheet calculations during the first few rounds, in a few of my first beergame applications some people indeed miscalculated stock levels, which led to problems with interpreting the data later on. For this reason, today I use MS Excel and a laptop computer on each table for people to fill in their play sheets; this effectively eliminates the risk and ensures a quick progression of the game (see appendix 1 for a play sheet example). 3.1.2 Schedule of a beergame session The first step in administering the beergame is the preparations of the tables. As is illustrated in figure 2, four fields have to be marked on each table, which is done by fixing to the table 4 sheets of paper using sticky tape. The same is done with the delay fields. Furthermore, cardboard boxes (or plastic cups) and envelopes have to be filled with small paper slips to pre-initialise the supply chain with orders and deliveries. Then, every table has to be prepared with a stack of order and delivery slips that will be used by the players during the game. Finally, paper slips with the external demand progression (see above) have to be prepared that are handed to the retailer groups during the game. Also, for administering more than one supply chain, (student) assistants are needed to help with moving boxes and envelopes during the game. The second step is briefing the students; in doing so I provide a short introduction to the idea of the game, its history, structure, and rules (see above). When playing in more than one supply chain I stress the fact that groups of each stage are competing with one another (e.g. retailer vs. retailer), in order to get the students to take playing seriously. The third step is to start playing some initial trial rounds with the pre-initialised supply chain and to make sure that everyone gets used to filling in play sheets and order/delivery slips. Then, in the fourth step, the speed of playing the game is increased and the game is played for a number of 40 to 50 rounds. The game is then stopped abruptly so that the students do not have time to react strategically to the coming end of the game. The fifth and final part of the session is a short discussion directly after the game, where I ask students how they felt throughout the game and what they think the average customer demand was. The next session after the beergame session is the debriefing session, for which the data that the groups produced throughout the game has to be consolidated, plotted and analysed. Typical beergame results and their creation are presented in the next section; the debriefing session is described in section 4. 3.2 Typical progression and results of a beergame session Every beergame session follows roughly the same scheme, so that the progression of the game shows a recurring pattern. I usually start playing the game at a slow pace for people to get used to moving objects, taking stock and filling in the play sheets. What typically happens during these first few rounds is that people try to get rid of some of the inventory (e.g. 15 units) in order to manage their costs; hence they often only place small orders in the beginning (for an example see weeks 1-7 in figure 3). Consequently, when the customer demand jumps to the higher level in round 6 the supply chain has adjusted to a low demand scenario. After the steep increase many retailer groups tend to wait one or two rounds in order to see if the increase is permanent (as in figure 3). When they then place the first large order they invariably initiate a bullwhip effect that perpetuates through593 out the chain. Typically, the order amount increases with every stage in the supply chain (as in figure 3). What happens then is that the groups move deeply into backorder (see figure 4), because due to the delivery delays it takes quite some time for the beer to move through the supply chain to the retail end. Getting increasingly desperate players often try to send signals and place more large orders; in the end they typically lose track of what they have ordered and order way too much. The consequence is that the supply chain is flooded with beer and the inventories overflow (see weeks 2035 in figure 4). The effect is that people cease ordering entirely; e.g. a lot of very small orders are placed. This is especially true for the higher stages of the supply chain (see table 1). In the end, while the retailer groups often manage to stabilise their business, the higher stages have no idea of the actual customer demand and are left frustrated. Bullwhip Effect 70 60 50 Customer Orders 40 30 20 10 0 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 Week Retailer Wholesaler Distributor Factory Figure 3: Plot of order distribution, visualising the bullwhip effect Figure 3 shows the order distribution over 40 weeks and a typical bullwhip effect. Figure 4 shows the inventory fluctuation, with negative inventory representing back order. Table 1 finally shows the decrease in customer demand information upstream visualised by the average order amount by the four stages of the supply chain in this example. More importantly, the increase in order fluctuation upstream the supply chain is illustrated by the largest amount having been ordered in each stage and the number of small orders that were placed. This translates into an increase in inventory fluctuation as well. All this information is being used in the following debriefing session to discuss the bullwhip effect, its implications and the reasons for its existence. 594 Out of stock = Serious lack of service level! 200 150 100 Inventory 50 0 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 -50 -100 -150 Week Retailer Wholesaler Distributor Factory Figure 4: Example of inventory fluctuation (negative inventory = backorder) Key figures Retailer Wholesaler Distributor Factory ∅ order amount (units of beer) 8.33 8.68 8.75 9.95 Largest order amount 25 40 50 60 No of small orders (0-2 units) 4 11 14 18 Inventory fluctuation range 84 81 170 165 Table 1: Example of key figures derived from the beergame 4 Learning from the beergame results Having presented the way in which the beergame is administered and a typical progression of the game and its results, I will now first show how a debriefing session can be used to illustrate supply chain coordination problems and to derive typical causes for the creation of the bullwhip effect. Based on these causes one can then quite easily motivate eCommerce measures and ICT-based supply chain reform initiatives that aim at reducing the bullwhip effect and improving supply chain coordination. 4.1 The debriefing session The debriefing session follows the beergame session (see appendix 2). I usually begin the session with a brief discussion of students’ experiences throughout the game. Typically, the following questions are being discussed: Did you feel yourself controlled by forces in the system from time to time? Or did you feel in control? Did you find yourself blaming the groups next to you for your problems? Did you feel desperation at any time? This discussion typically shows that people indeed were blaming their neighbouring supply chain partners for not doing their jobs right (either not ordering in a 595 sensible way or not being able to deliver); desperation and frustration are common feelings during the last rounds of the game. A first learning from this discussion is that it is the structure of the game (i.e. the supply chain) that causes the behaviour. This is precisely what its inventor (Forrester) intended to achieve and what is referred to as the effects of systems dynamics. A second set of questions can then be discussed in order to reflect upon the beergame itself and its degree of simulating real world conditions: What, if anything, is unrealistic about this game? Why are there order delays? Why are there production delays? Shipping delays? Why have both distributor and wholesalers; why not ship beer directly from the factory to the retailer? Must the brewer be concerned with the management of the raw materials suppliers? Using these questions and by stressing the fact that real-life supply chains are much more complex (a huge variety of products and supply chain partners e xist, as well as complex criss-crossing networks of relationships) the students can quickly be convinced that real-life conditions favour the emergence of the bullwhip to a much greater extent and that the beergame is indeed a good vehicle to simulate the creation of the effect. Having established this necessary bit of legitimisation, the session can then proceed with presenting the beergame results and with identifying the underlying causes. Hence, the next step essentially is to present, for all supply chain groups, the data (table 1) and figures (3 and 4) presented above. In doing so, I typically have a very interactive and lively discussion. I ask what people thought while playing the game and what led them to, for example, place a huge order at a particular point in the game. In discussing the extreme examples, the class usually shares a laugh, which, as a nice by-product, leads to a more casual atmosphere and contributes to setting an open tone for the remainder of the course. I also honour the winning supply chain teams at this point in time. This is also the time where I introduce the concept of ‘cumulated supply chain cost’, e.g. by pointing ou t that the product at the customer end has to earn all (cumulated) costs of all supply chain parties; this insight serves as a first step in establishing the idea of global thinking and chainwide optimization, which essentially requires eCollaboration technologies. At this point in the session one can then either go straight to identifying the causes and effects of the bullwhip effect (see below), or take a little (useful) detour in discussing a teaching case to corroborate the results and to give the results of the beergame some more credibility. In doing so, I use the case of Italian pasta manufacturer Barilla, one of the first documented cases in which a company launched a project to identify the causes of the bullwhip effect and to introduce some countermeasures (see Simchi-Levi, Kaminsky Simchi-Levi 2003, p. 91). 4.2 Identifying the causes of the bullwhip effect The bullwhip effect, as simulated in the beergame, is mainly caused by three underlying problems: 1) a lack of information, 2) the structure of the supply chain and 3) a lack of collaboration and global optimisation. These three causes can be identified in an interactive session with the students by discussing the beergame experiences and then be corroborated with insights from practice and the literature. 596 4.2.1 Lack of information In the beergame no information except for the order amount is perpetuated up the supply chain. Henceforth, most information about customer demand is quickly lost upstream in the supply chain. Moreover, no other information is being shared. With these characteristics the beergame simulates supply chains with low levels of trust, where only little information is being shared between the parties. Without actual customer demand data, all forecasting has to rely solely on the incoming orders at each supply chain stage. In reality, in such a situation traditional forecasting methods and stock keeping strategies contribute to creating the bullwhip effect (Lee, Padmanabhan Whang 1997a; Simchi-Levi, Kaminsky SimchiLevi 2003). Unexpected increases in orders from downstream partners translate into even higher order increases upstream, because when players regard the increase to be permanent and want to avoid running out of stock, they need to update their safety stock levels; hence they place an even larger order. Later, when it turns ou t that an increase was only temporary, safety stock levels are lowered and players might order nothing for a while, hence contributing to the bullwhip effect. 4.2.2 Supply chain structure The supply chain structure, with its design as separate stages and the long lead times, contributes to the bullwhip effect. The longer the lead time, i.e. the longer it takes for an order to travel upstream and the subsequent delivery to travel downstream, the more aggravated the bullwhip effect is likely to be. With traditional ordering, the point in time where an order is typically placed (the order point) is usually calculated by multiplying the forecasted demand with the lead time plus the safety stock amount, so that an order is placed so far in advance as to ensure service level during the time until the delivery is expected to arrive (Simchi-Levi, Kaminsky Simchi-Levi 2003). Hence, the longer the lead time is, the more pronounced an order will be as an reaction to an increase in forecasted demand (especially in conjunction with updating the safety stock levels, see above), which again contributes to the bullwhip effect. 4.2.3 Local optimisation Local optimisation, in terms of local forecasting and individual cost optimisation, and a lack of cooperation are at the heart of the bullwhip problem. A good example for local optimisation is the batch order phenomenon. In practice, ordering entails fix cost, e.g. ordering in full truck loads is cheaper then ordering smaller amounts. Furthermore, many suppliers offer volume discounts when ordering larger amounts. Hence, there is a certain incentive for individual players to hold back orders and only place aggregate orders. This behaviour however aggravates the problem of demand forecasting, because very little information about actual demand is transported in such batch orders. And batch ordering, of course, contributes directly to the bullwhip effect by unnecessarily inflating the orders. This might lead to lower local cost in the short term, but translates into higher overall cost at the chain level. 4.3 eCommerce measures to tackle the bullwhip effect Having identified and discussed the three problem areas with regard to both the beergame and their real-world counterparts, I then present three areas of improvement that directly correspond to the three problem areas: 1) information sharing in terms of electronic data interchange, 2) ICT-enabled supply chain re597 design, and 3) supply chain collaboration for global optimisation (see figure 5). In terms of teaching, these three bundles of eCommerce measures and initiatives can then be briefly introduced in one session (see appendix 3) or in more (technical and organisational) detail in three separate sessions (see appendix 2). In the following sections I give a brief overview of what can be part of those sessions. 1 Information loss upstream the supply chain Without direct communication, forecasting is based on aggregated, inaccurate information. This causes large stock, high cost, poor service levels. Improvement Efficient communication and information sharing 2 Supply chain structure Long lead times lead to increasing variability upstream making planning nearly impossible: large safety stock is required, variability increased. Slow downstream product flow causes poor service levels. Improvement Supply chain redesign: processes, tasks roles 3 Local optimization Independent planning and local optimization lead to inefficiencies, such as local forecasting, batch ordering, inflated orders, etc. Improvement Cooperation to achieve global optimization Figure 5: Summary of bullwhip causes and areas of improvement 4.3.1 Efficient communication One of the most basic learnings from the beergame is to improve information sharing along the supply chain (e.g. of point-of-sale customer demand data); information sharing is the first step towards more advanced supply chain coordination (Muckstadt et al. 2001). Henceforth, the first step in teaching eCommerce measures is to present the principles and technologies of electronic data interchange. In doing so, I first of all discuss with the students the â€Å"principles of digitally mediated replenishment of goods† by Johnston (1999), essentially a collection of principles for effective inter-organisational electronic data interchange, such as the â€Å"once-only data entry principle† or the â€Å"synchronicity principle†. Based on these fundamental principles I discuss the ways in which traditional document-based ordering can be reformed using electronic data interchange. While these topics might seem to be outdated from a modern information systems perspective, it lays the foundation for a step-by-step increase of complexity that aims at providing the students with a more substantial knowledge of the problems and ideas behind ICT-enabled supply chain reform than can be achieved by a simple presentation of the latest communication technologies. The next step in this endeavour is to introduce technologies that are needed to enable effective inter-firm data interchange and electronic ordering, such as product numbering schemes and automatic product identification technologies. In most supply chains physical products have to be handled; hence ways are needed to attach information to these objects. Consequently, I introduce the following technologies: †¢ Standardised product numbering schemes: Here, the history, proliferation, functioning and impact of numbering schemes such as the Universal Product Code (UPC), the European Article Numbering (EAN) code and more special598 ised codes like for example container codes (SSCC) are introduced. Most of these codes today are administered by the standardisation organisation GS1 (2005). †¢ Automated product identification technologies: The technology with the greatest diffusion in the market is the barcode; while specialised barcodes exist in some industries, the most common one is the UCC/EAN-128 (Coyle, Bardi Langley 1996). The second, much newer technology to be discussed here is Radio Frequency based Identification (RFID). †¢ Electronic Data Interchange (EDI): EDI is the basis for electronic ordering. Here, traditional EDI standards, such as the UN/EDIFACT, which was jointly developed by ISO and the UN (Coyle, Bardi Langley 1996), can be discussed, as well as newer techniques such as Internet-based WebEDI and XML-enabled order exchange. In discussions with the students these enabling communication and data exchange technologies can then be related back to the beergame experience in that they 1) speed up the order process, thus reducing lead time and 2) enable more sophisticated information sharing of POS data. Moreover, they are the basis for the next step, the ICT-enabled redesign of supply chain structures. 4.3.2 ICT-enabled supply chain reform initiatives The second building block in dealing with the bullwhip effect comprises a range of different supply chain reform initiatives that can be subsumed under the concept of efficient replenishment. As such, two distinct types of measures can be distinguished: 1) inventory management concepts that aim at changing the ways in which actors in the supply chain carry out their roles of stock keeping and ordering and 2) logistics concepts that aim at improving actual material and information flow. Efficient inventory management is based on the idea that suppliers have timely access to POS data and can thus eliminate traditional forecasting and change the way ordering and inventory management is carried out (Lee, Padmanabhan Whang 1997b). Three concepts with increasing degrees of complexity can be distinguished: †¢ Quick Response: The idea behind this concept is for the supplier to become more responsive to changes in customer demand through the sharing of POS data. Retailers still prepare individual orders, but suppliers are better prepared. †¢ Continuous Replenishment: Suppliers continually receive POS data from retailers to prepare shipments at agreed-upon levels. †¢ Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI): Under this initiative the suppliers manage all inventory aspects for their own products at the retailer end. Suppliers decide on shipment levels without any orders from the retail end to be placed. In fact, the retailer has very little to do with the operational aspects in VMI (Waller, Johnson Davis 1999). The second type of efficient replenishment measures is efficient logistics (see Simchi-Levi, Kaminsky Simchi-Levi 2003). Here, two main building blocks can be discussed: †¢ Warehousing and delivery concepts: Depending on the kinds of goods that are moved along the supply chain, different kinds of warehousing and delivery can be applied in order to achieve an optimal flow of goods. Cross docking is a concept i n which warehouses function as inventory coordination points rather than actual inventory storage points; hence, goods are only re-shuffled 599 between trucks coming in from suppliers and trucks leaving for stores. This instrument can be used for fast selling products. For bulk products central warehousing can be used; while fresh products benefit from direct delivery. †¢ Full-blown just-in-time delivery (JIT): Most commonly found in the automotive industry, ‘just-in-time’ describes a concept, whereby supplier and manufacturer align their logistics and production processes to a degree that no (or very little) inventory is needed. Goods can be directly delivered from the production at the supplier to arrive just in time to be used in production at the manufacturer end (e.g. Johnson Wood 1996). Changing the way in which inventory is managed means to effectively change the supply chain structure. For example, by implementing VMI the supply chain partners eliminate one stage of ordering, thus eradicating one step in the typical bullwhip chain of events. Moreover, by speeding up product flows using the logistic s concepts lead time is being reduced, which in turn softens the bullwhip effect. Consequently, all measures discussed in this section can be directly motivated by the beergame. In presenting this block to the students I also point out, for every singly concept, the role of information systems and eBusiness technologies. 4.3.3 eCollaboration: joint planning and global optimisation The third block of eBusiness measures for tackling the bullwhip effect is the most sophisticated one and builds on the first two blocks. Global optimisation of supply chain processes can only be achieved through the collaboration of supply chain partners under a joint initiative. I present the Collaborative Planning Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR) initiative as an example from the Grocery industry (VICS 2001) and also discuss (sometimes only briefly) joint product development initiatives in the automotive industry. CPFR as a concept builds on and extends concepts such as VMI by aiming at establishing a long-term planning of joint promotion activities. CPFR is based on the observation that a combination of inventory management and logistics concepts (see section 4.3.2 above) can reduce the bullwhip effect for day-to-day deliveries, but that these concepts still can not cope with demand variations induced by promotion activities. Hence, CPFR aims a t jointly planning promotions and to create transparency as to the expected demand increases induced by these promotions. The concept is based on the use of shared eMarketplace infrastructures, which I also discuss in some detail in this section. Again, the application of eCommerce technologies can be nicely illustrated using the beergame. 4.3.4 Summary The discussion of the three building blocks of eCommerce measures culminates in the development and presentation of an integrated model of eCommerce-based supply chain management informed by the key learnings from the beergame. The model is presented in figure 6. Following the line of argument in the last sections, it becomes obvious that the beergame can be used to motivate and substantiate large parts of a typical eCommerce masters course (as in appendix 2). In the next section I draw some final conclusions and briefly reflect upon the use of the beergame in a classroom setting. 600 Supply Chain Reform Initiatives Supply Chain Reform Initiatives Tactics Operations Infrastructure Improvements Improvements Suppy Chain Suppy Chain problems problems trade-offs trade-offs Information loss Joint Planning CPFR (promotions, product introduction), Category Mgmt, Production scheduling Collaboration Strategic alliances for global optimization Efficient Replenishment Inventory Management: Quick Response, CRP, VMI, SBT Redesign ICT-enabled supply Chain re-structuring S.C. structure Materials information flow: Direct delivery, Warehousing, X-docking Local optimization Communication Information sharing, Electronic ordering Efficient Communications Infrastructure, EDI, AutoID, Product numbering, Process simplifications Figure 6: A comprehensive eCommerce and supply chain model 5 Conclusion and outlook I have introduced the beergame and demonstrated its usefulness in teaching B2B eCommerce and supply chain management. To the present day, I have used the beergame mainly in eCommerce masters courses at different Universities in different national contexts. The experiences and also the teaching evaluations have always been positive and very encouraging. While I believe that the beergame, and the way it is embedded in my B2B eCommerce syllabus, works well in providing students with both a profound understanding of the underlying wisdoms of eCommerce, as well as with a good overview of eCommerce measures, there is more to it than that. Playing the beergame is great fun, for the teacher and for the students, and it is always a good experience in itself. As such, the beergame is also very helpful for the general course atmosphere and the creation of positive team dynamics in the group. For the future, we are working on a software version of the beergame, which can be used in a classroom setting in the same interactive role-play style, but avoid some of the still remaining problems of the table version. While software versions today only provide a simulation (instead of role-play) mode and are not built for classroom use, a client-server software version of the game might replace the cumbersome logistics aspects (the moving of boxes) and help in gathering data that can be used for debriefing straight away. Moreover, it would be great to be able to play the beergame with different setups, e.g. with implementing effective sharing of (customer demand and inventory) data in order to demonstrate, in a second round of play, the usefulness of information sharing in reducing the bullwhip effect. To this end, our software will be flexible enough to incorporate such exploration of different supply chain modalities.1 1 For further information please see: http://www.beergame.org. 601 Appendix 1: Beergame play sheet The following table shows the play sheet of a retailer group that was filled in during a beergame session. The ‘incoming order’ column shows the external customer demand with its increase in round 6. During the game the students only have to fill in the white columns – the ‘incoming delivery’ and the ‘incoming order’ are taken from the incoming paper slips, while in the ‘your order’ column the students have to fill in their order decision for the respective weeks. Having done that, the play sheet shows exactly what has to be written on the outgoing order and delivery slips (in the dark columns). All orange columns are calculated automatically, so that students can easily keep track of their inventory and cost progression. After the beergame this data is then put together and consolidated with the data that was collected in the play sheets of the other groups of the same supply chain. It is then plotted to create figures 3 and 4 and table 1 (see above). Week Incoming Delivery Available Incoming Order Your Delivery Backorder Inventory Cost 7,5 15 22,5 30 35 37 40 45 49 52 64 78 86 100 118 137 159 180 201 223 244 265 283 295 303 316 317,5 321 324,5 328 331,5 335 338,5 342 345,5 348,5 351 353 355 357 Your Order Please fill out play slips: Delivery Order 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 5 5 5 5 0 3 2 7 10 10 0 7 15 3 5 8 6 10 9 8 10 9 12 15 13 4 25 13 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 9 9 20 20 20 20 15 13 6 7 10 10 0 7 15 3 5 8 6 10 9 8 10 9 12 15 13 4 25 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 15 14 13 13 13 5 5 5 5 5 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 5 5 5 5 5 9 6 7 10 10 0 7 15 3 5 8 6 10 9 8 10 9 12 15 13 4 22 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 4 3 12 14 8 14 18 19 22 21 21 22 21 21 18 12 8 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 15 15 15 15 10 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 5 4 4 4 0 3 2 7 7 12 5 10 10 6 5 7 15 25 15 5 5 6 11 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 9 5 5 5 5 5 9 6 7 10 10 0 7 15 3 5 8 6 10 9 8 10 9 12 15 13 4 22 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 0 3 2 7 7 12 5 10 10 6 5 7 15 25 15 5 5 6 11 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 9 602 Appendix 2: Syllabus for a beergame-based B2B course The following table gives an overview of how the beergame can be incorporated in a typical (B2B) eCommerce (masters) course (e.g. 12 weeks with 3 hour sessions). The beergame and the subsequent modules can cover up to 6 sessions. After presenting the three blocks with eCommerce improvements, an additional session can be used to discuss management challenges of inter-firm collaboration, covering issues such as trust, managing interfaces, ICT standards etc. Throughout the course, cases from the grocery and the automotive industries might be used for illustration purposes and to facilitate discussions. Depending on the setting, background readings might also be handed out to the students. Sessions (3 hours) Topics / session contents 1. Beergame session a. Introduction to supply chains (why have supply chains?) b. Beergame introduction (setup, structure, rules of the game) c. Playing the game (40-50 rounds) d. Brief discussion afterwards 2. Debriefing a. Discussion of experiences and game setup b. Presentation and discussion of beergame data (results) c. Teaching case Barilla: bullwhip causes [optional] d. Identification of the three main causes of the bullwhip effect e. Short presentation of three areas of improvement and the schedule for the next three sessions 3. Information sharing a. Short discussion: why is information sharing important? b. Principles of electronic data sharing c. Attaching information to physical goods: standardised product numbering, Automated product identification technologies: barcodes, RFID d. Electronic Data Interchange: EDI, WebEDI, XML-based ordering 4. Supply chain reform a. Overview: efficient replenishment initiatives b. Efficient inventory management: Quick Response, Continuous Replenishment, Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) c. Efficient Logistics: Warehousing, Direct Delivery, CrossDocking d. Just-in-Time Delivery in the automotive industry [Kanban] 5. eCollaboration a. eCollaboration in the supply chain: idea and philosophy b. Collaborative Planning Forecasting Replenishment (CPFR) c. Joint product development in the automotive industry 6. Management of inter-firm collaboration a. Complexities of supply chain reform initiatives b. The role of trust and social capital in inter-firm relationships c. Interoperability of ICT d. Managing inter-firm interfaces 603 Appendix 3: Session outline for a beergame-based workshop The following table shows a short workshop format based on the beergame. Such a workshop can be incorporated in other (general IS) courses or be a stand-alone event, for example as an executive teaching offering. The workshop is essentially made up of two sessions – the actual beergame session and a combined debriefing and learnings session. As an example industry the Grocery industry can be used to illustrate the application of the eCommerce initiatives and technologies. Sessions (~3 hours) Topics / session contents 1. Beergame session a. Introduction to supply chains (why have supply chains?) b. Beergame introduction (setup, structure, rules of the game) c. Playing the game (40 rounds) d. Discussion of experiences and game setup 2. Debriefing eCommerce initiatives a. Presentation and discussion of beergame data (results) b. Identification of the three main causes of the bullwhip effect c. Discussion of three areas of improvement: a. Information sharing: Product numbering, AutoID, EDI b. Supply chain reform: Inventory management logistics concepts c. eCollaboration: CPFR d. Complexities of supply chain reform initiatives 604 References Chopra, S., Meindl, P. (2001): Supply-Chain Management, Upper Saddle River, NJ. Coakley, J. R., Drexler Jr., J. A., Larson, E. W., Kircher, A. E. (1998): Using a computer-based version of the beer game: Lessons learned, Journal of Management Education, Vol. 22, No. 3, pp. 416-424. Coyle, J. J., Bardi, E. J., Langley, C. J. (1996): The Management of Business Logistics (6th Ed.), St. Paul. Forrester, J. W. (1957): Industrial Dynamics. A major breakthrough for decision makers, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 36, No. 4, pp. 37-66. Forrester, J. W. (1961): Industrial Dynamics, Cambride, MA. Goodwin, J. S., Franklin Sr., S. E. (1994): The Beer Distribution Game: Using Simulation to Teach Systems Thinking, Journal of Management Development, Vol. 13, No. 8, pp. 7-15. GS1 (2005): About the EAN/UCC System, Available: [http://www.ean-ucc.org] (2007-12-13). Hieber, R., Hartel, I. (2003): Impacts of SCM order strategies evaluated by simulation-based ‘Beer-Game’ approach: the model, concept and initial experiences, Production, Planning Control, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 122-134. Johnson, J. C., Wood, D. F. (1996): Contemporary Logistics (6th Ed), Upper Saddle River. Johnston, R. B. (1999): Principles of Digitally Mediated Replenishment of Goods. Electronic Commerce and Supply-Chain Reform, in Electronic Commerce: Opportunities and Challenges, S. M. Rahman M. Raisinghani, (eds.), Idea Group Publishing, Hershey, pp. 41-64. Lee, H., Padmanabhan, V., Whang, S. (1997a): The Bullwhip Effect in SupplyChains, Sloan Management Review, Vol. 38, No. 3, pp. 93-102. Lee, H., Padmanabhan, V., Whang, S. (1997b): Information Distortion in a Supply-Chain: The Bullwhip Effect, Management Science, Vol. 43, No. 4, pp. 546-558. Li, M., Simchi-Levi, D. (2002): The Web Based Beer Game Demonstrating the Value of Integrated Supply-Chain Management, Available: [http://beergame.mit.edu/guide.htm] (2007-08-25). McCullen, P., Towill, D. (2002): Diagnosing and reduction of bullwhip in supply chains, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 164-179. Metters, R. (1997): Quantifying the bullwhip effect in supply chains, Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 89-100. Muckstadt, J., Murray, D., Rappold, J., Collins, D. (2001): Guidelines for Collaborative Supply-Chain System Design and Operation, in Technical Report of the Cornell University School of Operations Research and Industrial Engineering, Nr. 1286, Ithaca, NY. Ossimitz, G., Kreisler, B., Zoltan, M. (2002): Simulation von Supply-ChainManagement Systemen, Available: [http://www.uniklu.ac.at/~gossimit/pap/bg_endbericht.pdf] (2007-02-11). Rafaeli, S., Raban, D. R., Ravid, G., Noy, A. (2003): Online Simulations in Management Education about Information and Its Uses, in Educating Manag- 605 ers with Tomorrows Technologies, C. Wankel R. DeFillippi, (eds.), Greenwich, pp. 53-80. Simchi-Levi, D., Kaminsky, P., Simchi-Levi, E. (2003): Designing Managing the Supply-Chain (2nd ed), Boston, MA. Sterman, J. D. (1989): Modeling Managerial Behaviour: Misperceptions of Feedback in a Dynamic Decision Making Experiment, Management Science, Vol. 35, No. 3, pp. 321-339. VICS (2001): Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR), Version 2, Available: [http://www.vics.org/committees/cpfr/voluntary_v2/CPFR_Tabs_061802. pdf] (2008-01-07). Waller, M., Johnson, M. E., Davis, T. (1999): Vendor Managed Inventory in the Retail Supply-Chain, Journal of Business Logistics, Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 183-203. Warburton, R. (2004): An Analytical Investigation of the Bullwhip Effect, Production and Operations Management, Vol. 13, No. 2, p. 150–160.

Ahmedabad: History, Culture and Growth

Ahmedabad: History, Culture and Growth Ahmedabad is the largest city in the state of Gujarat. It is located in western India on the banks of the River Sabarmati. The city has been under different rulers since its creation and thus had a rich history. The city has been a former capital of Gujarat and has been the home to most important leaders of India like Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel during the Indian independence movement. Ahmedabad is also the cultural and economical centre of Gujarat and the seventh largest city of India. (Wikipedia) Origin of Name Although fondly called Amdavad by the locals here, there is a very interesting legend associated with the city of Ahmedabad. Towards the beginning of the fifteenth century, the state of Gujarat was ruled by the Muslim Muzaffarid dynasty. Legend has it that once when the Sultan, Ahmed Shah was standing on the banks of river Sabarmati and he noticed a tiny hare chasing a strong ferocious dog. He kept pondering over it. He approached his spiritual advisor and asked for an explanation. The wise man said that, it was the uniqueness of the land that cultivated such rare qualities in people. After having heard this, the Sultan got so impressed that he decided to set his capital in that same location and called it Ahmedabad after himself. Early History Archaeological evidence also points to the occupation of the site from a much earlier period than that of Sultan Ahmed Shah. It was known in ancient times as Ashapalli or Ashaval. In the eleventh century the Solanki King Karandev I, ruler of Anhilwara (modern Patan), waged a war against the Bhil king of Ashaval. After his victory he established a city called Karnavati on the banks Sabarmati at the site of modern Ahmedabad. Solanki rule lasted until the thirteenth century, when Gujarat came under the control of the Vaghela dynasty of Dwarka. (Wikipedia) Muzaffarid Dynasty On founding the city in 1411, Ahmed Shah invited merchants and traders to the new city, which became a prosperous commercial, trading and industrial city, with textiles as its most important products. Wealthy Hindu and Jain merchants made up the commercial class dominating the community, eventually as the oldest and most established families, while Muslims were the skilled weavers working for them and (until Maratha rule) the government officials ultimately ruling them. (Joshi, 2004). Ahmed Shah built some of the still existing monuments that are spread across the city. JAMA MASJID, TEEN DARWAZA It is the largest mosque in Ahmedabad and stands in the heart of the city. Made by using yellow sandstones in 1423 AD, the architecture of this mosque is a blend of Hindu and Muslim styling. This edifice was built using items rescued from the demolished Hindu and Jain temples. Supported by 260 pillars, the Jama Masjid of Ahmedabad consists of 15 domes. There are different entrances to the mosque. Near the eastern entrance, stands the tomb of the Sultan Ahmed Shah, which houses the graveyard of three great rulers, namely Ahmed Shah I, his son, Mohammed Shah and his grandson, Qutub-Ud-Din Ahmed Shah II. The strong structure of this mosque has been able to withstand the pressure exerted by heat and rough weather. TEEN DARWAZA Teen Darwaza is an architectural marvel, the beauty of which is surely going to leave you awestruck. Consisting of gorgeous arched gates, Teen Darwaza is one of the longest as well as the oldest gateways of the Ahmedabad city. It was established in the year 1411 A.D. by Sultan Ahmed Shah, who founded the city of Ahmedabad. Lying adjacent to the famous Bhadra fort, Teen Darwaza has been intricately carved. Initially, it served as an entrance to Royal Square at Bhadra Fort. The great Mughal emperor Jahangir used to come here along with his beloved wife Noorjahan, to take a look at the procession that started from this grand gateway and went nonstop till Jama Masjid. The walls and pillars of Teen Darwaza are beautifully designed. Teen Darwaza of Ahmedabad, India is truly an epitome of the fine Islamic architecture. The windows of this fabulous monument are semi circular and adorned using mesh work. The central window depicts the tree of life. Five palm trees are shown that are covered with snakes. This portrayal also serves as the symbol of the Gujarat Government. This regal citadel is one of the most sought after tourist destinations in Ahmedabad. (http://www.ahmedabad.org.uk/monuments/teen-darwaza.html) BADSHAHS TOMB, MANEKCHOWK In the middle of the busy street market and the popular food bazaar of Manekchowk, sleeps Sultan Ahmed Shah at the Badshah no Hajiro. The tomb( Badshah-no Hajiro) of Ahmed Shah; the founder of the city, situated just outside the east gate of the Jama Masjid, is square in shape with porticos on each side and has perforated stone windows. Women are not allowed into the central chamber. Opposite the Hajiro, across the main road is the Rani-no Hajiro where the queens of subsequent Sultans were buried. (http://www.chhotikarbala.org/siteseeingplace.htm) Descendants of royal musicians still play the shehnai here. Around this monument is the citys traditional block prints bazaar. Sultanate Rule After Ahmed Shahs reign, Gujarat was conquered by the Sultanate of Delhi at the end of the thirteenth century. In 1487 Mahmud Begada, the grandson of Ahmed Shah, fortified the city with an outer city wall six miles in circumference and consisting of 12 gates, 189 bastions and over 6,000 battlements to protect it from outside invaders. The last Sultan of Ahmedabad was Muzaffar II. (Wikipedia) Even the Sultans built impressive structure and contributed to the culture of the place. Since, Ahmed Shah had already taken the initiative of making Ahmedabad a prosperous city, groups of skilled artisans, merchants etc. were formed. Social institutions to safeguard various economic interests included the mahajans, guilds of merchants, and panches, guilds for artisans. The leader of the community, who came from the Jain business elites, was known as the nagarsheth, who would resolve disputes between mahajans and individuals and who interceded with royal officials. Under the nagarsheth, the city remained free from interference from the state or other powers. (Joshi, 2004) The society in itself was multi-cultural ranging from a strong Jain group to Hindus and Muslims. SIDI SYED MOSQUE, LAL DARWAZA Located near Lal Darwaza in Ahmedabad, the mosque of Sidi Sayed is one of the most prominent mosques in the Ahmedabad city. Constructed in the year 1573, the mosque was established by Sidi Sayed, a slave of Sultan Ahmed Shah. Sidi Sayed mosque in Ahmedabad, India consists of ten semi circular windows, the appeal of which is accentuated by the splendid mesh covering them, which is more popularly known as Jali. AZAM KHAN-MUAZZAM KHAN KA ROZA According to experts, the Azam Khan-Muazzam Khan ka Roza is also known to be one of the earliest massive brick mausoleums of Ahmedabad, like Darya Khan Ghummat in Shahibaug and is known to be built around 1457. This is more or less the only structure of its type in Ahmedabad and often compared to Mughal architecture with its double corridors, which are often compared to Humayuns tomb. ROZA, SARKHEJ Lying at a stretch of 8 kms on the south western side of Ahmedabad, Sarkhej Roza was the home of the spiritual leader of Sultan Ahmed Shah named Ahmed Kattu Gang Baksh, who was a Muslim religious leader. It contains a cluster of monuments, the origin of which can be dated back to the times of Mughal rule in Ahmedabad. (http://www.ahmedabad.org.uk/monuments/sarkhej-roza.html) KANKARIA LAKE A circular lake built in 1451 by Sultan Qutub-ud-Din. In the centre of the lake is an island garden with a summer palace known as Nagina Wadi. It has a very beautiful Musical Fountain show (although the music isnt too good, the lights and fountain are worth a trip). The lake is a popular recreation centre surrounded by parks, Bal Vatika an aquarium, a boat club, a natural history museum and a zoo. Mughal Rule After the power of the Delhi Sultans faded, Gujarat was conquered by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1573. During the Mughal reign, Ahmedabad became one of the empires thriving centres of trade, especially in textiles, which were exported as far as Europe. Jehangir, son of Akbar, visited Ahmedabad in 1617 but did not like it and called it Gardabad, the city of dust. Shahjahan spent the prime of his life in the city, and also built the Moti Shahi Mahal in Shahibaug. (Joshi, 2004) For centuries, the city existed without depending on feudal lords or patronage from a single court. An efficient system of lending, banking, credit and accounting developed, and Ahmedabad financiers developed a sophisticated banking network across the country. They were influential in the Mughal Court and loaned money to the ruling classes through the 16th and 17th centuries. (Joshi, 2004) The people of the city prospered and they were quite self-sufficient by all means. Because of this economic strength of the city, when the British came to Ahmedabad, there was no particular involvement from their side towards the social fabric and they just kept themselves to administering the region. SHAHIBAUG PALACE Shahibaug Palace was built during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who as prince Khurram spent the early years of his marriage in Ahmedabad as victory of Gujarat. SHAKING MINARETS, SARANGPUR At the Sidi Bashir mosque, if you shake one minaret, the other also shakes. Scientists say, the acid in the atmosphere dissolves the feldspar in the sandstone, creating space which shakes the minarets. Feudal lord Malik Sarang built this mosque. More commonly known as Jhulta Minar. A classic example of superb craftsmanship, Jhulta Minar is actually a part of the mosque Siddi Bashir. Maratha Rule In the year 1753, the rule of Mughals came to an end and the city came under the rule of Maratha generals Raghunath Rao and Damaji Gaekwad. The power struggle between them eventually led to the destruction of the city. British Rule The city was taken over by the British East India Company in the year 1818. The year 1824 led to the setting up of a military cantonment. A major development took place in the year 1864, when railway line was laid that connected Ahmedabad with Bombay. These developments brought Ahmedabad in the map of leading centers of trade and manufacturing. The textile Industry flourished and Ahmedabad was soon referred to as the Manchester of the East. It is interesting to note that inspite of their reign in the region, one does not find too many of remenants of colonialism. SWAMINARAYAN TEMPLE, KALUPUR The British gave land to the Swaminarayan sect to build a temple in 1800. The 12 pillars of this colourful temple disguise carvings of the first war of independence of 1857. HATHISINGH TEMPLE, SHAHIBAUG Sheth Hathisingh, Ahmedabads nagarsheth (city head) in 19th century planned this temple in 1840. His wife Harkuvar Shethani got it completed after his death. It combines Solanki, Islamic and Jain styles. An impressive white structure, the Jain temple built of white marble and elaborately carved is dedicated to Dharmanath the 15th Jina or Jain Apostle. Similar to all Jain temples, this temple to is rich in intricate carvings displaying, among other things, musicians. MAGANBHAIS HAVELI, KHADIA This was the home of famous mill owner Ambalal Sarabhais grandfather, Maganbhai Karamchand. This wood-carved 19th century haveli used to have Belgian chandeliers and German glass artifacts. Maganbhai had no son so he adopted his daughters son Sarabhai. GANDHI ASHRAM, SABARMATI Mahatma Gandhis nephew Maganlal Gandhi built this Satyagraha Ashram in 1917. The memorial and library were built by famous architect Charles Correa. Gandhis Dandi March to protest against British salt laws in 1930 began here. Post Independence The post independence period saw the declaration of Ahmedabad as a provincial town of Bombay. On the 1st of May in the year 1960, Ahmedabad became the capital city of Gujarat. SCIENCE CITY Located off the Sarkhej Gandhinagar Highway, Science City is an ambitious initiative of the government of Gujarat to trigger an inquiry of science in the mind of a common citizen with the aid of entertainment and experiential knowledge. Covering an area of more than 107 hectares, the idea is to create imaginative exhibits, virtual reality activity corners, and live demonstrations in an easily understandable manner. Currently the 3D Imax theater, musical dancing fountain, energy park and simulation rides interest visitors. It is hoped that as this place develops, the investment helps to create awareness and sensitivity to better care for our ecology and people through the appropriate use of science and technology. HUSSAIN-DOSHIS GUFFA A quiet refuge in the midst of this bustling city, which is surrounded by trees, art and fantasy, than a visit to this underground cave gallery will do you good. Also popularly known as Amdavad ni Gufa on Kasturbhai Lalbhai campus. It is a creative union of two of Indias most imaginative minds, the celebrated architect B. V. Doshi and painter M F Hussain. It is a lively whimsical fusion of modern art and natural design with undulating interconnected domes inlaid with mosaic tiles. This space also houses an art gallery by the same name and becomes a nourishing hub of creative exchange. Although the above mentioned is just a capsule of the history of the city, it gives one an idea of the various factors that influence the culture of Ahmedabad. During our talks with the people of the SCR, we figured out that the history of the city was very much alive. Some of the structures near the Teen Darwaza area of the old city are still used for living and business purposes. The Teen Darwaza area is pretty much the heart of the city with its bazaar of yore still very much alive even today. A lot of these monuments have spawned areas with shops and small stalls to buy almost anything and everything these days. The Sunday Jhumri on the banks of River Sabarmati is another feature of historical relevance A bazaar that happens once a week on a holiday where tradesmen get together and sell their wares. The co-existance of this with the latest shopping malls amongst other things is what makes Ahmedabad unique. People are very proud of their heritage and lineage. One will find the old existing side by side the new. The influence of History on the culture of the city from business to behaviour (like taking ownership), food (like the Bhatiyaar galli meat markets) to traditional clothing (like at law garden) and so on can clearly be seen. It is a fascinating and vibrant city with an even more interesting sub-culture. Change Drivers Nothing endures but change. (Heraclitus) The culture of the city of Ahmedabad has also grown with times and a lot of changes have happened over the years as well. During our research and interaction with people, we found that although certain aspects continue to remain the same, some others have resulted in a change or have influenced change in some way or the other. There have been changes in the past 2 decades since liberalization. Some of them are as follows : Mall culture Increased standard of education Higher standard of living Growing middle-class Entrepreneurial success Media exposure and awareness NRI factor Infrastructure development Progressive governance etc. The above mentioned factors have changed a lot of things from empowering woman to changing of consumption pattern which will be discussed in detail further in the report. Current trends There have been plenty of changes in the city for the past couple of decades. With the advent of mall culture, higher education institutes and better infrastructure, Ahmedabad has caught up with the pace of modernisation and forged its way ahead to become one of the most important cities of India. With globalisation, Ahmedabad has also taken steps to keep up with global standards. The Science city, ISRO and educational institutes like IIM-A, NID, CEPT and the likes have firmly placed Ahmedabad as not just a destination for culture but for quality higher education as well. Developments in the field of education and IT have been taking place on one hand and one the other infrastructure developments like construction of better roads, highways and the government initiatives to make Ahmedabad a city with a high standard of living have all ushered in a new era. Even with a lot of urban culture and western culture coming in, Amdavadis are still very much rooted to their culture and heritage. They have conveniently adopted the new without losing essence of their true identity and what makes them different.

The Social Problem: Class Inequality

The Social Problem: Class Inequality Class inequality refers to the inequality of incomes between individuals, families, or between different groups, areas, or countries (Black, 2002). These inequalities occur as a result of differences in the ability to earn incomes as well as differences in property ownership. Some individuals usually have lower incomes than others, especially those who are economically inactive. This is usually as a result of age, poor health, or inability to find employment. Class inequality is a major social problem in the US and other parts of the world. For example, several studies have demonstrated that a childs future may be determined by the social status. One study found that although children may have similarities in their ability, differences in the circumstances to which they were born could make the difference on who will be successful in future, and who will not. By considering two children Bobby (the son of a lawyer) and Jimmy (son of a custodial assistant) who both do well in class, the study found that it makes it 27 times more likely that Bobby will get a high profile job, while Jimmy had one chance in eight of earning a median income. It is projected that currently, social inequality is greater in the US than in any other industrialized nation (Wolff, 1995). In 2007, a study conducted by the Congressional Office Bureau revealed that the wealth held by the richest 1 percent of the total American population totaled US$16.8 trillion, which makes up USD$2 trillion more than the combined wealth of the lower 90 percent of the American population. Another study conducted by the Center for American Progress (2007) showed that between 1979 and 2007, the average income of the bottom 50 percent of American households grew by only 6%, while the top 1% incomes increased by a massive 229 percent. This reveals that the gap between the rich and the poor in the US is widening, and may affect the future of children who come from economically disadvantaged families. This may lead to accelerated rates of crime, violence and drug abuse amongst poor communities. High advances in technology have led to the globalization phenomenon, whereby people in different parts of the world can interact faster and less expensively than before. Some activists consider globalization a social problem. For example, Stiglitz (2002) argues that globalization forced developing nations to liberalize their economies before they were ready, which pushed their citizens to poverty, a major social problem. Further, religious groups, especially Muslims and Christians, are opposed to globalization because it may erode some of their values. With globalization come cultural clashes, which are leading to erosion of cultures. These conflicts may not be easy to resolve because with globalization, there are difficulties in the issues related to justice, identity and equity. For example, previously, when disputes arose between people, they could be resolved by the government or the local council. The process of conflict resolution was faster. However, with globalization, socia l disputes go beyond local, regional and international boundaries. The process of conflict resolution is slower, and this makes people feel victimized, angry and powerless. As a result, there is a tendency for people to turn to violence when they feel they have no alternative. According to Stiglitz, globalization has its advantages, but also disadvantages. He states that it has a high potential to bring benefits to the world. So far, globalization has not brought comparable benefits in many parts of the world, and it is viewed by many as a disaster. However, since globalization is now a reality which affects everyone, it is essential that we strategize on how to benefit from it, and how to mitigate its negative impacts. In order to reap the benefits of globalization, the world will have to make rational decisions for people on both sides of the divide. A number of Sociological Theories attempt to explain why people commit crimes. These include the Strain Theory, the Social Learning Theory, the Control Theory, the Labeling Theory and the social Disorganization Theory. According to Agnew (1992), all crime theories attempt to explain crime as a component of the social environment. Social environment includes the family, school, peer group, workplace, community as well as the society. The structural strain theory, for example, states that social structures in a society could encourage its citizens to commit crimes. The structural strain theory was advanced by several sociologists. These were Merton (1938), Cohen (1955), Cloward and Ohlin (1960), Agnew (1992), as well as Messner and Rosenfeld (1994). According to the authors, strain can either be structural, which depicts the processes at the societal level which filter down and affect how an individual perceives his or her needs. That is, if particular social structures are inherently inadequate, the individuals perceptions may change to view them as opportunities. On the other hand, strain can be at the individual level, where it refers to the pain experienced by an individual when he seeks ways to satisfy his needs. At this level, if the goals of a society become significant to an individual, actually achieving them may become more important than the means adopted. The labeling theory, also known as social reaction theory, was developed by Howard Becker (1963), a sociologist. This theory states that deviance is not a quality of the act, since results from personality factors associated with committing deviance. Its main focus is on the linguistic tendency of majorities to negatively label minorities, mainly those perceived as deviant from the norms. According to this theory, self-identity and behavior of individuals can be influenced by the terms used to describe them. This theory is sometimes used to explain why people take drugs. An individual, for example, may escape to drugs due to low self esteem resulting from being constantly stereotyped. Blade Runner 1982 Ridley Scott | Analysis of Postmodernism Blade Runner 1982 Ridley Scott | Analysis of Postmodernism Research Proposal Commentary ‘Blade Runner 1982 Ridley Scott Postmodernism, after the modernist movement, is a term now almost as ‘ubiquitous, disliked and misunderstood as its parent, the modern (Jencks, C, p.14). It is a reaction to modernism, an aesthetic, to try and describe changes to conditions and institutions by the drawing of ‘attention to conventions (Oxford, 2009). Throughout this commentary I will explain how my chosen film of discussion ‘Blade Runner 1982, directed by Ridley Scott, is relevant to the postmodern era. I have chosen Blade Runner as the object for study as it is one of my favourite films; I feel it engages artistically and complexly with the issue of postmodernism. It is around the theme of identity I consider the film best represents not only its understanding of postmodernity but also its connection with postmodernism, ‘as the structure of feeling of late capitalism (McGuigan, 1992, p.221). The city of Blade Runner is relevant to the postmodern era, as it highlights the representation of post-industrial decay; it is not the ultra-modern but rather the postmodern city. The city represents an aesthetic of decay, revealing the process of ‘disintegration what could be seen as the ‘dark side of technology (Giuliana, B). Recycling, erosion and the explosion of boundaries help reinforce this postmodern aesthetic in Blade Runner. ‘Post-industrialism, ‘spatial relations, ‘urban decay, ‘pastiche consumption and ‘time consumption are five recognised postmodern issues I find to be represented within Blade Runner. Post-industrialism is clearly embodied in Blade Runners Tyrell Corporation (the main business company within the film). The film references changes in the dominant mode of production and the organisation of business, which could be called ‘advanced corporate capitalism (Davis, 1992). 1.Harvey 1989 states how ‘flexible accumulation creates the postmodern economic actuality of ‘overwhelming corporate power: Blade Runner is inundated with advanced technology, from hover cars, large electronic advertisements on blimps to videophones, the driving force behind the post-industrial society creating this power. In terms of spatial relations, postmodernity is characterised by class polarisation, with the wealthy and the poor becoming progressively more socially isolated from each other. This relationship makes itself evident in the ‘concrete spatial relations of postmodern cities, like Los Angeles (2.Harvey, 1989). This is made apparent with the architectural mise-en-scene in Blade Runner, particularly with the monolithic ivory tower of Tyrell, dominating the urban landscape of the poor, portraying a hierarchical class division. One of the most clearly presented conditions of postmodernity in Blade Runner is time compression, the outcome of increased consumption and exchange on the experience of time. Bringing with it an emphasis of unpredictability and ‘volatility (2.Harvey, 1989), the postmodern society is required to become accustomed to the demands of flexible accumulation. This is relevant with the replicant characters in Blade Runner, who are forced to live in ‘disconnected temporality (Bruno, G 1990). It is this lack of safe ‘temporal continuity represented within Blade Runner (Jameson, 1985) from neurotic preoccupation of its characters with individual pasts to ageing diseases that makes the film postmodern. Another issue represented within Blade Runner, which is considered another postmodern concern, is urban decay. Bruno states the speed and growth of development brings its own rapid ineluctable death and decay. Blade Runner portrays a post-industrial decaying future of Los Angeles, opposed to the familiar perception of ultra-modernity (shown within sci-fi films in the 1950s). It emphasises the effect of de-concentration with the result of immigration known as ‘geographical displacements and condensations (Bruno, 1990). As the upper class individuals vacate vast areas of the city, the poor and immigrants then can use these areas. Blade Runners ‘Off World colonies could be a symbolic extension in the trend to vacate a city in support of the commuter land of home-based work, as a blimp advertises â€Å"A chance to begin again!† As well as the issue of urban decay being a postmodern issue within Blade Runner, there is also pastiche consumption. This is where the postmodernist culture and postmodern socio-economics links start to be revealed as ‘difficult and uneven (Connor, 1989). In the film, the use of pastiche images and past/present styles is portrayed particularly in the mixture of architectural designs within the urban landscape, as Bruno states it is a ‘pastiche city. An example of this pastiche in Blade Runner is where Rachael played by actress Sean Young is dressed in 1940s utility clothing blending the space age of the 1960s. An architectural example is the style of the ‘retro bar where Deckard (Harrison Ford) finds Zhora (Joanna Cassidy). These points I have outlined reveal how Blade Runner is considered to be relevant to the postmodern era, using postmodern theoretical references. However, they are not the only reference points between Blade Runner and postmodernism. The Film also portrays elements of ‘hyperreality and ‘simulacra, which I will discuss within the essay. Bibliography: Jencks, C. 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Kuhn (ed.), Alien Zone: Cultural Theory and Contemporary Science Fiction Cinema. London: Verso. Jameson, F. (1985). ‘Postmodernism and consumer society. In H. Foster (ed.), Postmodern Culture. London: Pluto Press. Connor, S. (1989). ‘Postmodernities. In Postmodernist Culture: An Introduction to Theories of the Contemporary. Oxford: Blackwell.