Advantages and Disadvantages of Globalization to Economy

Advantages and Disadvantages of Globalization to Economy Introduction Globalization in the world of business is the process of intertwining markets all around the world by means of businesses extending their influence and operation on a global scale driving cross-border trade and investment (The Levin Institute, 2014). It includes the spreading and influencing of â€Å"world views, products, ideas and other aspects of culture† (Al-Rodhan, 2006). The rapid advancement of it, aided by the assimilation of global transportation, communication and advancing technology affects the â€Å"environment, culture, political systems, economic development and human physical well beings in societies† they reside in (The Levin Institute, 2014). The act of globalization brings about a wealth of benefits to both guest and host countries worldwide. This includes but not extensively â€Å"employment, education, product quality, cheaper prices, improved communication, transportation, and economic growth through free movement of capital, international trade and GDP increase† (Lovekar, 2013). Although beneficial, it inadvertently also bring about an abundance of detrimental factors. Some major issues comprise â€Å"health issues, loss of culture, uneven wealth distribution, environment degradation, disparity, conflicts†, and many others (Lovekar, 2013). An example being the alluring promise of allowing impoverished countries to develop economically through globalization inadvertently brings about the benefit of low-cost production from a detriment of instituting an under paid labor force. Considering the involvement of factors such as these (which will be further elaborated using various case studies in the report to follow), we can see that developed countries that are the ones leading the charge of globalization, hold the control and power to implement the way globalization is carried out. Therefore these countries should implement the policy on globalization by first taking a bigger step through advancing a deeper knowledge to understanding the impacts, and work towards solving problems and harmonizing the dividends across all parties affected by the monster of globalization (The Levin Institute, 2014). Advantages of globalization International trade International trade has contributed to the growth of U.S. economy in many areas. The export is valued at $2.2 trillion in 2012 and has created up to 38 million job opportunities in the state. This profit made from the trade will inadvertently trickle down the hierarchy and also help to raise the salary and wealth of the people. Looking at the large amount of exports from U.S, we can deduce that international trade has allowed the expansion of business mechanization and the advancement of technology which inadvertently has helped businesses to maintain and keep up with competitors all around the world. As the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (2014) points out, international trade through importing brings in a series of advantages such as providing an increased variety of goods that are not obtainable within the U.S. and make available all year round, products such as harvested crops that are not procurable from the country itself during certain seasons in the year. Moreover, it inadvertently helps to increase the domestic expenditure as they bring competitive prices that raise the spending ability of the regular American, which eventually also contributes to the economy of U.S.. Through importing as well, manufacturing companies are able to purchase raw materials for production that are not readily available in the country and on certain occasions at cheaper rates that will improve the profit margin (U.S.Chamber of Commerce, 2014). Therefore, we can see the importance of international trade and how the opening up of markets to foreign exchange benefits the country, as it allows goods and services to be traded with ease, concurrently increasing job opportunities and boosting economic growth. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Singapore’s Integrated Resorts, Marina bay sands (MBS) and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) are the main attractions for the tourism industry, and are the results of successful foreign direct investments. The tourism sector with these new attractions have brought in up to 13.2 million visitors and profited from $22.3 billion worth of tourist’s spending in 2011 alone. This has significantly contributed to not only the tourism industry but also to a substantial economic growth in Singapore. The FDI in this establishment of the Integrated Resorts project has contributed up to 40,000 job employments in sectors such as retail and Food and Beverage (FB). It has also trickled down and inadvertently helped to retain Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that are mainly outsourced to provide goods and services to the tourism industry such as transportation, laundry and floral services (Ministry of Trade and Industry Singapore, 2012). As shown in the graph by HSBC, FDI increased instead of plummeting during the financial crises and that allowed Singapore to continue to bring up the economy during this time of trouble where it would be overwhelming otherwise. (Singapore Business Review, 2010) Capital flow In 2013 Nestle, originally from Switzerland, expanded its research and development (RD) centre in Singapore. The company invested up to $5 million in this RD expansion and will create up to 20 more jobs while continuing its employment strategy of procuring expertise from a global workforce (Yan, 2013). Its establishment here has brought not only a spike of economic growth during the company’s time here, but also a decent pool of skillful and knowledgeable workers to Singapore’s labor market, and advanced technology in the field that will inadvertently aid in the growth of Singapore’s expertise in the area and provide a larger platform for future expansion. Recently, Nestle has announced that they are going to increase the capital flow by widening its RD project in the form of more â€Å"manpower, resources and investment† (Grosse, 2014). Investments has been pumped into a project to build up food and nutrition RD since January, consisting of a partnership with Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) (Grosse, 2014). With more capital flowing in to invest in such projects, Singapore would definitely benefit from this economic growth. Disadvantages of globalization Human costs Apple is known as the most successful and wealthiest company due to its manufacturing that is done globally. However, what Apple fails to disclose is that the major production of the devices came from China sweatshops. In order to meet the global demands of production set by the management in a given timeframe, workers from the Apple manufacturing factory in Chengdu said that they were forced to work long hours, almost seven days a week, in harsh environments which resulted in the straining of workers’ health. Apart from that, there have been serious cases of abuse such as child labour and inappropriate employee’s welfare. All these factors have concocted a hazardous environment that resulted in two blasts within the manufacturing factory itself, consequently bringing about fatality as no proper safety measurements were taken. Apple at that point in time had a narrow vision of company profit and growth, and that resulted in the company procuring methods that will increase the profit margin regardless of ethics, and one of the targets was low-cost production. This inadvertently brought about the neglect of their 120,000 worker’s welfare (Duhigg and Barboza, 2012). Companies from developed countries tend to take advantage of workers from developing countries in order to meet their aggressive demand. This happens due to racism, the feeling of superiority brought about by the factors such as the workers are a lower class due to the education level of developing countries and even because they are not of their own nationality. Pollution As China is on the rise to become a large economic power, they have inadvertently contributed to a huge environmental impact on the world. China has increasingly become one of the countries chosen by many of its developed counterparts for factory establishment due to its ability to produce goods with low costs. However, with the increased number of factories setting up in China, it has resulted in the release of a huge amount of poisonous industrial gases into the air causing air pollution. In the study by â€Å"The Proceedings of theNational Academy of Sciences†,the release of such gases is connected to the large exports in China. The pollution has not only affected their neighbouring countries decreasing the quality of air but it has also spread over to the United States, causing haze in the westcoast. In order to curb this pollution created by China, Lane and Stromberg (2014) suggested that it is a necessity for countries to come together and make a stand through subduing â€Å"global political tensions† and the goal of â€Å"short-term economic incentives† that prevents cooperation.And as mentioned in the reading, this increasing rate of the air pollution, would result in the deterioration in the health of the Chinese and eventually the people at the rest of the world. (Lane and Stromberg, 2014) Insecurity and violence China’s recent movement of placing an oil rig near to Vietnam has caused an anti-china riot in Vietnam. This brought up a sensitive issue regarding the ownership of the area in which the oil rig was parked at. The action has since resulted in many Vietnamese protestors reacting violently through the destruction and burning down of many factories that are owned by FDI. As Vietnamese protestors could not differentiate the different nationalities, they unintentionally affected many FDI companies that are actually owned by Taiwanese or South Korean businessmen. Many factories operating in the area were forced to shut down and with businesses continually disrupted the violence caused a huge decline in income. Vietnamese protestors have been known to be targeting and attacking the Chinese employees as well. In which the riots have resulted in almost two fatalities while leaving many other Chinese nationals injured. Due to this continuous violence many Chinese were sent back to China for safety reasons (Whiteman, 2014). With many establishments of FDI businesses in global countries, it will cause its nation people to feel a sense of insecurity of others invading their country. As depicted in the recent China and Vietnam dispute, all it takes is such sensitive matter to spark all these insecurities. Conclusion As mentioned above, globalization has proven to greatly contribute to the country’s economic growth in both developed and developing countries. It has not only created a substantial number of job opportunities around the world, it simultaneously allows the distribution of technology and knowledge between countries that are essential for their economy’s advancement. Globalisation is also a crucial for developing countries as the input from other countries aids in the faster and continuous development of the country. However, while countries are enjoying the fruits of the economy’s growth, there are consequences that appear a result of globalization mostly affecting the developing countries. As mentioned earlier, globalization has resulted in issues such as violating human rights, environment pollution and distrust among countries. With globalization constantly growing and here to stay, more concerns would arise. With the rise of globalization, it has created a disparity between countries in today’s world. This is because while some countries are proving to be hubs where investments continually pour in for that purpose, resulting in rapid economic growth, other countries that are not as attractive and less developed are struggling to keep up. Developing countries are gradually becoming the generator of the developed countries’ economy growth and instead of growing together, the economic gap between these countries continues to widen. A global wealth report in 2013 said that wealthiest 10% of the global population possesses 86% of world’s wealth while the bottom half of the rest possess less than 1%. As compared to developed countries which reports show an average of a $100,000 wealth per person, the standard wealth of each person in the less developed countries was $5,000 or less (Appiah, 2014). In a report from 2012, it is said that the world’s population is made up of 82.5% who resides in less developed countries. This further shows that there are huge gaps in the wealth distribution between the developed and developing countries. It also means globalization while beneficial to the economy of developed countries, is inadvertently creating a larger disparity and straining the economic growth in the developing countries. Furthermore, globalization implicates internal problems within a country to the countries in which their businesses reside in. With the global economy differences, it creates social imbalance where people from both developed and developing countries hold different status and wealth, causing opportunities to be extended out only to the ones who can afford it (Appiah, 2014). Workers from developing countries working for these foreign companies feel that they are of lower status as compared to them. Due to the disparity, people from the developing countries feel disadvantaged and discontentment, which in an extreme example resulted in the act of terrorism, aimed at developed countries (Appiah, 2014). The rise of globalization would also mean more foreign companies establishment in developing countries which will increase a deeper sense of insecurity among its people in these countries. An example would be the significant U.S. September 11 attacks in 2001 whereby the New Yorks World Trad e Center towers were being hit by planes that were hijacked by terrorist which eventually affected the world’s economic and global assurance (BBC, n.d.). Violence is viewed as a repercussion of extensive inequality, affecting and compromising the world’s safety (Appiah, 2014). Therefore, globalization might be beneficial to the developed countries initially. However, with the rise of globalization, it would widen the gap that is of major disadvantage to the world, and this inequality would inadvertently cause tension that will lead to belligerent situations between countries.

The Cloning Dilemma :: Science Genetics Essays

The Cloning Dilemma Cloning is one of the most widely talked about topics in this world. It is one topic that evokes a great public response worldwide. The defenders of cloning believe that cloning and genetic engineering will be the answer to most of the diseases in the future. On the other hand, the people against cloning view it as ‘ playing God ’. Cloning is unethical because people will lose their identities if their clones come into this world. We are taking nature into our own hands by cloning animals or humans. Cloning is the process of creating a cell, tissue line or even a complete organism from a single cell. The concept of cloning was introduced in 1903, and plants were the first living organisms to be cloned. Other examples of clones are trees sending up runners, worms dividing into smaller worms, populations of genetically identical bacteria and cells dividing into tissue. The word clone actually comes from the Greek root for â€Å" twig † ( klon ). Human cloning is a prospect no longer left to the fantastic realm of science fiction novels; rather it is a modern possibility. In 1997, embryologists in Scotland cloned the first mammal, a sheep named Dolly. Shortly thereafter, scientists in the United States cloned a set of monkeys. There are many advantages and disadvantages of cloning and a lot of ethical issues related to it. The entire realm of biotechnology is fraught with dangers and problems that require careful study and democratic debate of key ethical issues. In an era where everything depends on technology and where life can be created and redesigned in a Petri dish and genetic codes can be edited like a digital text, the distinction between ‘ natural ’ and ‘ artificial ’ have become very complex. The defenders of biotechnology extol its potential to increase food production and quality and to cure diseases and prolong human life. Its critics, on the other hand, claim that genetic engineering of food would produce â€Å" Frankenfoods † (Best and Kellner 440) that would pollute

Nazi Use of Darwinism Essay -- History, Politics, The Treaty of Versa

After the Great War in the nineteenth century, European nations had a difficult time finding economic stability. Germany took full responsibility for starting World War I and by signing the Treaty of Versailles, Germany agreed to give up huge portions of territory and pay reparation to victorious allies. The harsh principles which were outlined by the Treaty of Versailles made economic stability in Germany difficult to achieve and caused Germany to suffer from inflation and the Great Depression. Unemployment and the fear of communism allowed Adolf Hitler to rise to power in 1933. Before Hitler came to power, he spent nine months in jail where he wrote his autobiography Mein Kampf (My Struggle), where he mentions how Darwin’s theory of evolution was the only basis for a successful Germany. He sets forth a number of evolutionary ideas such as; struggle, survival of the fittest, and extermination of the weak to create a better society (Bergman.) Unable to accept Germanys defeat i n the Great War, Adolf Hitler convinced the German people they had been defeated from within-or stabbed in the back by Communist, Socialists, liberals, and the Jews. These â€Å"races† became scapegoats in Germany, and that is how they were constructed as the â€Å"inferior race.† These groups of people, especially the Jews, were not even considered human. With the belief of an inferior race, came the belief of a superior race, which were the self-proclaimed Germans. Concentration camps were created in Germany to separate the inferior race, or the non-Germans from the Germans. It was believed that the inferior race was contaminating the German gene pool. Social Darwinism is a term used to describe ideologies which compare Darwin’s ideas of evolution to social scienc... ...lf was an atheist, although Bergman cannot speak for a group of people who believed what Hitler said to be true. If Hitler was an atheist it further validates the point I am trying to make, Hitler indeed used Darwin’s ideas to justify his actions along with creationist ideas. Bergman unable to acknowledge the fact Hitler used manipulation and propaganda to encourage Nazism, was quick to attack the ideas of evolution. Now I shall ask, is it fair to say Hitler was a creationists because he used god in his speech, thus creationism is equivalent to Nazism? Better yet, if the Nazis did not believe in a god, would the holocaust have occurred? Now, do not be fooled by my last statement, I do not believe creationism is the cause of the holocaust. However, I am trying to prove that Bergman’s argument about Darwinism is just as foolish as my previous statement. Nazi Use of Darwinism Essay -- History, Politics, The Treaty of Versa After the Great War in the nineteenth century, European nations had a difficult time finding economic stability. Germany took full responsibility for starting World War I and by signing the Treaty of Versailles, Germany agreed to give up huge portions of territory and pay reparation to victorious allies. The harsh principles which were outlined by the Treaty of Versailles made economic stability in Germany difficult to achieve and caused Germany to suffer from inflation and the Great Depression. Unemployment and the fear of communism allowed Adolf Hitler to rise to power in 1933. Before Hitler came to power, he spent nine months in jail where he wrote his autobiography Mein Kampf (My Struggle), where he mentions how Darwin’s theory of evolution was the only basis for a successful Germany. He sets forth a number of evolutionary ideas such as; struggle, survival of the fittest, and extermination of the weak to create a better society (Bergman.) Unable to accept Germanys defeat i n the Great War, Adolf Hitler convinced the German people they had been defeated from within-or stabbed in the back by Communist, Socialists, liberals, and the Jews. These â€Å"races† became scapegoats in Germany, and that is how they were constructed as the â€Å"inferior race.† These groups of people, especially the Jews, were not even considered human. With the belief of an inferior race, came the belief of a superior race, which were the self-proclaimed Germans. Concentration camps were created in Germany to separate the inferior race, or the non-Germans from the Germans. It was believed that the inferior race was contaminating the German gene pool. Social Darwinism is a term used to describe ideologies which compare Darwin’s ideas of evolution to social scienc... ...lf was an atheist, although Bergman cannot speak for a group of people who believed what Hitler said to be true. If Hitler was an atheist it further validates the point I am trying to make, Hitler indeed used Darwin’s ideas to justify his actions along with creationist ideas. Bergman unable to acknowledge the fact Hitler used manipulation and propaganda to encourage Nazism, was quick to attack the ideas of evolution. Now I shall ask, is it fair to say Hitler was a creationists because he used god in his speech, thus creationism is equivalent to Nazism? Better yet, if the Nazis did not believe in a god, would the holocaust have occurred? Now, do not be fooled by my last statement, I do not believe creationism is the cause of the holocaust. However, I am trying to prove that Bergman’s argument about Darwinism is just as foolish as my previous statement.

Jewish Philosophers on Reason and Revelation Essay -- Research Essays

Jewish Philosophers on Reason and Revelation Footnotes are Misssing ABSTRACT: Are reason and revelation different sources of truth? Do they contradict or complement each other? The present essay tries to give an answer to these ancient questions from a Jewish pluralistic point of view. I describe the essential views of the most important representatives of the two main schools of Jewish thought: the rationalists Maimonides, Moses Mendelssohn, and Hermann Cohen, and the antirationalists Judah Halevi and Solomon Levi Steinheim. I show that even the antirationalists use the tools of rationalism, by which Talmudic-rabbinic thought is characterized, in an attempt to show that they are not irrationalists. The comparison of this attitude with the general philosophic tradition shows that Aristotle’s notion of potential knowledge is closer to Jewish thought than Plato’s view of recollection. Introduction Throughout the history of philosophy and theology the question of the relation between reason and revelation as the two ways of leading to the recognition of truth has always been discussed. Is human reason capable of recognizing and understanding the phenomena of the physical world? Can it make any statements about the metaphysical realm (provided that it exists at all)? Or may be man has to depend on religious truth, as in Christianity e.g., which claims to be based on the concept of incarnation as truth? What is the relation between reason and belief, between philosophy and theology? Does one exclude the other, or do both have a function with a common concern? If so, perhaps one way is only of an instrumental character while the other is actually expressing the aim itself? Many answers have been given during the long histor... ...th the general philosophical tradition, I would say that it contradicts Plato's view as expressed in "Meno" according to which enquiry and learning are impossible; they only are, or remembering. Aristotle's notion of potential knowledge, on the other hand, is very close to the rational character of Jewish thought. I have tried to outline in a few words some contributions of the Jewish tradition which might serve for the promotion of advanced educational research. I am aware of the fact that the task that this general philosophical-historical outline has suggested, still has to be spelled out. I wish it only to serve as a theoretical base on which educational projects can be built, provided that they take into consideration the biblical view that man should use and develop his rational faculty, both to "conquer"(29) the world and to be aware of his being created.

What Is Meant by International Business Ethics

While business ethics emerged as a field in the 1970s, international business ethics did not emerge until the late 1990s, looking back on the international developments of that decade. Many new practical issues arose out of the international context of business. Theoretical issues such as cultural relativity of ethical values receive more emphasis in this field. Other, older issues can be grouped here as well. Issues and subfields include: The search for universal values as a basis for international commercial behavior. Comparison of business ethical traditions in different countries. Also on the basis of their respective GDP and [Corruption rankings]. Comparison of business ethical traditions from various religious perspectives. Ethical issues arising out of international business transactions; e. g. bioprospecting and biopiracy in the pharmaceutical industry; the fair trade movement; transfer pricing. Issues such as globalization and cultural imperialism. Varying global standards – e. g. the use of child labor. The way in which multinationals take advantage of international differences, such as outsourcing production (e. g. clothes) and services (e. . call centers) to low-wage countries. The permissibility of international commerce with pariah states. Foreign countries often use dumping as a competitive threat, selling products at prices lower than their normal value. This can lead to problems in domestic markets. It becomes difficult for these markets to compete with the pricing set by foreign markets. In 2009, the International Trade Commission has been researching anti-dumping laws. Dumping is often seen as an ethical issue, as larger companies are taking advantage of other less economically advanced companies. A business has moral duties that extend well beyond serving the interests of its owners or stockholders, and that these duties consist of more than simply obeying the law. A business has moral responsibilities to so-called stakeholders, people who have an interest in the conduct of the business, which might include employees, customers, vendors, the local community, or even society as a whole. Stakeholders can also be broken down into primary and secondary stakeholders. Primary stakeholders are people that are affected directly such as stockholders, where secondary stakeholders are people who are not affected directly such as the government. They would say that stakeholders have certain rights with regard to how the business operates, and some would suggest that this includes even rights of governance. Local culture affects ethical issues greatly because this entails managing two cultures, looking at the fact that a French organization moving production to Nigeria will encounter cultural and language barrier. In Nigeria been a multilingual society, civil service employment is done on quota system, as such positions created may be filled by unqualified candidates were as more qualified personnel may be left out. This is contrary to a French culture were the best hands gets the job. Another ethical issue involves the standard of conducting business in multinational corporations. The US congress and the Securities and Exchange Commission consider it unethical for corporations to make payments to government officials of other countries to promote trade. However, in many countries, for an organization to effectively operate, you need to pay government official usually called kick back. For example the case of Halliburton raised by US congress about their activities in Nigeria.

E-Procurement And E-Logistics

our site – CUSTOM ESSAY WRITING – Business Management Dissertation Ideas ABSTRACT In this paper, we analyze the e-procurement and e-logistics of the Dell Inc. Company. This will include a brief overview of the company, an exploration of its Customer Relationship Management, the Supply Chain management and an analysis of the various softwares used by Dell Inc in promoting its relationship marketing. INTRODUCTION Today, many people have discovered the significance of E-commerce. E-commerce, also known as electronic commerce refers to business transactions and communication via computers especially over the internet and networks (Botha, Bothma and Geldenhuys, 2008: p.23). This involves buying and selling of services and goods, and transfer of funds among other commercial communications through the internet, mainly through the World-Wide Web (Botha, Bothma and Geldenhuys, 2008: p.23). E-commerce takes place in different situations such as between businesses and customers (B2C), between one business/company and another (B2B), and between customer and customer (C2C). It is mainly divided into two main parts, which are e-procurement and e-logistics. E-procurement is defined as an electronic method of conducting business transactions while e-logistics refers to the transfer of goods sold over the internet to customers (Botha, Bothma and Geldenhuys, 2008: p.24). A well implemented e-procurement system is highly effective in connecting businesses and other business processes with suppliers while running all interactions between them. According to Botha, Bothma and Geldenhuys (2008: p.23), the development and advancement of technology, many businesses now sell their products through computer technology, which is a brilliant way of making companies reduce overhead costs and reach a wide customer base. Thus, e-procurement benefits not only the business owners, but also customers since they can shop without leaving their homes. Also, customers can easily find the lowest price of products when buying their goods via the internet. In this paper, we analyze the e-procurement and e-logistics of the Dell Inc. Company. DELL INCORPORATED Dell Inc. is a computer company that was established by Michael S. Dell, in 1984 (Krauss 2003: p.7). It offers a wide range of technology product categories (Krauss (2003: p.8). These products range from personal computers to services such as storage solutions. Also, it gives a variety of services, which range from business services and configurable information technology including product-related support services, consulting and applications and infrastructure technology (Krauss, 2003: p.8). As stated by Levy (1999: p.20), Dell Inc. operates in four global business segments, which include public, Large Enterprise, Consumer, and small and Medium Business. The company designs its own products, manufactures and markets them, sells, as well as supports a range of products and services, which can be modified to individual requirements of customers (Perret and Jaffeux, 2007: p.4). Dell Inc. is considered among the companies that are most profitable. The company offers the most innovative customer service, as well as product custom configuration in the world (Perret and Jaffeux, 2007: p.5). For this reason, the company is faced with the challenge of satisfying the customers’ needs while maintaining a stable relationship with them. E-PROCUREMENT AT DELL Dell Inc. is widely known for selling its computers and others services through the internet to other business (B2B) and to individual customers (B2C) (Perret and Jaffeux, 2007: p.5). B2B refers to business transactions between one company and another such as business customers, suppliers and distributors. The B2C refers to business transactions between a company and consumers. At the beginning of the 1990’s, Dell Inc. attempted to distribute wares by retailing. However, the management found out later that this method was unprofitable for business (Gattorna, 2003: p.51). Hence, Dell Inc. decided to key on boosting its customer support and services by allowing customers to make orders directly (Gattorna, 2003: p.52). This was considered a unique strategy for Dell customization. Recently, Dell Inc. improved its sourcing and buying processes by implementing a leading e-procurement solution known as Ariba Buyer (Krauss, 2003: p.8). In order to ease the business processes between Dell Inc. and its supplier companies, Ariba Buyer which is an e-procurement solution is used. It is quite useful in automating and streamlining sourcing. (Li, 2007: p.20). In earlier years, making purchase orders at Dell was a highly laborious process since company workers filled out forms for each purchase process every time they ordered an item, which included collecting about ten approval signatures (Li, 2007: p.21). The buyers were then expected to re-enter the data into two different systems that included a home-grown Access database and the legacy purchasing system. This paper-based process was challenging for Dell to track its purchases by commodity, as well as analyze its purchasing patterns in terms of where, how much and from whom the supplies were bought, hence the change in its procurement process. Thus, Dell Inc. implemented an e-procurement solution known as Ariba Buyer. E-procurement enabled Dell to streamline its supplying base. This helped in the elimination of maverick spending, as well as standardization of the ordering processes for its suppliers. (Krauss, 2003: p.8). This was followed, by Dell’s move, to assess 3 e-procurement systems depending on five criteria. These criteria included a user-friendly boundary, cost-effectiveness, and integration with existing back-end system (Krauss, 2003: p.8). Others included e-commerce links to most of Dell’s supplying companies, and compatibility with the current IT policy of Dell servers (Li, 2007: p.20). According to Gattorna (2003: p.50), close to seven months were spent by the personnel that were responsible for implementing Ariba. This time was spent in developing twenty interfaces that would facilitate connection of Ariba buyer with Dell’s legacy systems. They created linkages for Ariba and Dell’s purchase order, catalog data, cost center, accounting code validation, and employee data among other systems (Gattorna, 2003: p.50). This was made to ascertain that all the processed orders had been validated. This resulted in a final product, which facilitates making purchases online. This product is known as Dell Internet Requisition Tool (DIREQT) (Gattorna, 2003: p.51). Currently, DIREQT has made it easy for Dell employees to complete purchasing orders online by loging into DIREQT Web site, as well as conducting searches for certain products, suppliers or services, which usually give accurate status reports (Levy, 1999: p.23). Immediately, Ariba Buyer forwards the catalog items and requisition straight to the right manager at the cost center who signs the order electronically. The system then automatically creates an approving chain before directing it to an employee network. (Gattorna, 2003: p.51). However, if the product ordered is not present in the catalogue, Ariba Buyer includes a Dell buyer to source the product and hands over the request for last signatures (Perret and Jaffeux, 2007: p.6). After the requisition has been approved, it is moved to the Ariba Commerce Services Network (ASCN). ASCN is a shared network infrastructure that helps to connect with buyers and marketplaces, on the Ariba Business to Business (B2B). Commerce stand (Perret and Jaffeux, 2007: p.6). Ariba uses ASCN to communicate its orders to suppliers, which includes shipping through e-mail, faxes, Extensive Markup Language (XML) and electronic data interchange (EDI) (Perret and Jaffeux, 2007: p.6). Moreover, Ariba Buyer also accelerates the payment process in Dell Inc. The receipts that Dell’s central receiving department prepares for wares are brought into the organization and matched automatically with the right invoice. This is then fed into the system by the account payable processors (Bothma and Geldenhuys, 2008: p.25). In addition, the purchasers create receipts of the service given to them, which is also matched in an automatic manner. Therefore, this practice helps to avoid the early routine of service invoices, which is time-consuming, when making purchases for approval. As stated by Botha, Bothma and Geldenhuys (2008: p.25), with the Ariba Buyer at Dell, the requisition cycle time is likely to be reduced by 62%, and lessen operation costs by 61%. However, Dell Inc. believes that it stands to benefit on a larger scale from the perception into the buying process attained through combining customers’ information. Moreover, through the use of Ariba, Dell is able to gather information necessary to evaluate its supply base and re-evaluate key business to market communications services, office products and consulting, among many more kinds of expenditures (Gattorna, 2003: p.50). CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT According to Perret and Jaffeux (2007: p.7), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is the creation and maintenance of relations with customers. The key aim of Dell is to offer its customers technologically reliable customer service requirements. Perret and Jaffeux (2007: p.7) argue that the software that help in facilitation facilitate Dell’s CRM include marketing automation software, a system that benefits the sales, and custom designed Web pages that contain purchase data. According to Ross (2010: p.88), today, one fifth of standard-based computers sold in the world is Dell’s product. The key concept of Dell Inc. is to sell computers directly to customers. This will increase their success in the computer business. (Ross, 2010: p.88). Before Dell Inc. invented the made-to-order concept, its customers used to buy its products from electronic shops and retail stores. In this case, customers interacted only with the salesperson of the store and not the manufacturer. Therefore, Dell introduced the concept of interacting directly with the customer via the internet so as to fulfil the demands of its clients and deliver quality services. E-LOGISTICS AT DELL INC. For Dell Inc., the E-logistics has entirely changed it way of distributing its products. Traditionally, Dell used to pick up components from the warehouses of suppliers then collect them in its central or regional distribution centres, and finally merge them in stock in order to deliver the final products to customers (Ross, 2010: p.88). Currently, through implementation of e-logistics, Dell Inc. can now pick up components from the ware houses of suppliers and then forward the merging of components made during the transit to the logistic-service providers through USP or Airborne Express (Li, 2007: p.36). This has resulted in less fixed costs spent in warehouse centers and distribution, no product technological obsolescence, and no stock-keeping units (SKU). SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT AT DELL INC. Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a system that Dell established to ensure the availability of precise computer components for its customers on demand and location. SCM describes how the company manages how raw materials are transformed into the end products and how products and services get to all its consumers (William, 2003: p.150). This has enabled the company to develop a tight bond with its supplier companies and consumers. In this regard, Mencarini (2003: p.19) states that Dell Inc. have one of the most effective SCM system in the world, and that it is focusing on creating the best SCM through the i2. This will improve the supply chain process through connecting its suppliers and planners in order to satisfy the requirements, as well as demands of their customers. SOFTWARE USED BY DELL IN PROMOTING RELATIONSHIP MARKETING Dell also uses a variety of software to promote relationship marketing such as Hotlink, Premier Pages and an enhanced CRM system, among others (Gattorna, 2003: p.57). Its database software is highly efficient and effective with customer relationship management, which stores tables of data used to check the information of customers and establish promotional campaigns. These databases mainly include the information of customers, their products and interests. According to Gattorna (2003: p.57), customer database helps to increase profits since it contains the information of clients, which determines the efficient and effective ways to target and divide the consumers. Hotlink is an automation software program, which facilitates tergeting and marketing communication, monitoring of customers and market development (Mencarini, 2003: p.21). This software gives Dell a free opportunity to advertise its products through the word of mouth. Also, it impacts its customer base to ensure that customers receive better services than before. Premier Pages are a transparent online system/software custom designed Web pages, which contain all the purchasing data (Gattorna, 2003: p.57). In addition, the software contains a paperless ordering process, which captures the technology configurations of customers. Mencarini (2003: p.21) argues that Dell created Premier Pages in order to gather less clientele details than they already have and develop a win-win situation that is more realistic. This starts when the clients places their orders for a computer and built later. Another system that Dell uses is an enhanced CRM system, helped by an information system company called the IS Partners (Moon, 2003: p.45). ProClarity offers a comprehensive analytical ability that highlights negative and positive areas of the business. Moreover, the company breaks down its sales by region where each team enables Dell to measure its own trend and success. ProClarity significantly benefits all the financial sections of the company. It also helps the Dell staff to easily access detailed demographic information about customers. The marketing department is able to follow product sales, customer activity and marketing mixes via this software. The management can follow activities in customer accounts, and act on lapsed quotes. Additionally, Dell installed the e-commerce software i2 Collaboration Planner, i2 Supply Chain Planner and i2 Factory Planner in order to meet its supply chain needs (Moon, 2003: p.45). This is applicable in the management of build-order procedures that exist between placing orders and customer support. The software enables Dell Inc. to classify customers and target them through their most preferred medium, obtain and analyze results (Moon, 2003: p.45). Moreover, Dell Inc. has signed an agreement with Part-Miner (Gattorna, 2003: p.51). Part-Miner is a vertical portal in electronic components industry, which provides information and helps to meet the demand and supply of the components. FUTURE PLANS OF DELL INC In future, Dell plans to update its processes of purchase such as the establishment of online auctions for products and services like printing, shipping, and paper (Li, 2007: p.20). The company also plans to make order status, payment information and receipts easily accessible to suppliers online. In coming years, Dell intends to expand its catalogue base and purchase choices by convincing its main suppliers to use the Ariba Business to Business Commerce Platform (Li, 2007: p.20). CONCLUSION CRM-SCM integration tries to satisfy clients through prompt delivery of products, ensuring its accessibility and maintain the manufacturer’s profits and returns. Thus, there are several lessons that can be drawn from Dell’s application of e-business. This trend can be emulated by other organizations in the industry. This will result in offering of better services to customers. It can be portrayed via the way Dell Inc. uses CRM to its advantage. Customer satisfaction will increase their trust in the organization, improving its reputation. In addition, custom-building a PC desired by the clients has formed a particularly strong relationship between Dell and its customers (Moon, 2003: p.50). In addition to this, implementing technology in a phased fashion has helped Dell to achieve a strong relationship with its clients. Dell set up simulated environments in order to support the i2 system in blotches without affecting the live form. Dell ensured that all stages of the comp leted process allowed future growth of the company before developing the whole system. Hence, this reduced risk and increasing efficiency. Another significant lesson from Dell would be to extend the link from the customer to the supplier, while maximizing its operation efficiency as well as customer satisfaction (Ross,2010: p.92). As a result, customers were able to spend less money on purchasing customized machines. This is because Dell approved the savings that resulted from managing its inventories efficiently. The company was, therefore, able to share information with suppliers about customer requirements and buying patterns in real-time. REFERENCES Botha, J., Bothma, C. & Geldenhuys, P. 2008. Managing E-commerce in Business, New York, Juta and Company Ltd. Gattorna, J. 2003. Gower handbook of supply chain management, Burlington, Gower Publishing Ltd. Krauss, M. 2003. Dell looks to Sears to extend buyer reach. Marketing News, April 28, 2003, Vol. 37, Issue 9. Li. L. 2007. Supply chain management: concepts, techniques and practices enhancing the value through collaboration, Tokyo,World Scientific. Moon, K. 2003. Dell Computers: A Leader in CRM. Retrieved February 20, 2010 Mencarini A. 2003. E-Business: Dell Case Study, UK, Strathclyde Business School. Perret, F. & Jaffeux, C. 2007. Essentials of logistics and management, London, EPFL Press. Levy, R. H. 1999. The Visible Marketer: Dell’s CRM model stresses transparent processes. Available from http://directmag.com/mag/marketing_visible_marketer_dells/index.html {Accessed 20th February 2012} Ross, D. F. 2010. Introduction to Supply Chain Management Technologies. London, CRC Press. William C. 2003. The true meaning of supply chain management. Logistics Management, June 2003, Vol. 42, Issue 6.

Sports Psychology

Sport Psychology Athletes in today’s society are bigger, stronger, and faster than ever before but they still share the same goals as their predecessors, climb to the top of their sport and be crowned champion. Unlike in previous generations, the â€Å"game† is no longer just a game, it’s a booming business. Major League Baseball alone boasts a three point seven billion dollar a year industry.In this new generation of big business, how do athletes cope with the pressure of grossing fifteen million dollars a year and performing in front of twenty thousand screaming fans packed into Madison Square Garden or seventy-two thousand fanatical â€Å"Cheese Heads† at Lambeau Field? One of those answers is with sport psychology. But one answer leads us down a convoluted path with many other unanswered questions. This paper will define sport psychology and identify where it come from. It will also discuss the objectives of sport psychology and how are they applied.Th e final topic will describe sport psychologists do. According to the sport psychology program at San Diego State University, sport psychology can be defined as â€Å"the study of people and their behavior in sport and exercise contexts†, or â€Å"the effect of sport itself on human behavior†, or â€Å"a field of study in which the principles of psychology are applied in a sports setting. †(SDSU, web para. 1) How did we arrive at this definition? The history of sport psychology can be divided into five periods dating as early as 1895 to the present.The first period is from 1895-1920. Norman Triplett, a psychology professor at Indiana University, was the first researcher to confirm that bicyclists sometimes rode faster when they raced in groups or pairs than when they rode alone. Following Triplett’s work in 1899 is E. W. Scripture of Yale. Scripture believed that a certain set of personality traits could be fostered through participation in sports. In 1903 , G. T. W Patrick wrote an article for the â€Å"American Journal of Psychology† that stated attending sporting events allowed fans to release pent-up emotions.We wrap up the early era with Coleman Griffith. Griffith began informal research of basketball and football players in 1918. His research led to the second period of sport psychology named in his honor, the Griffith era. The Griffith era of sport psychology begins in 1921 and runs into 1938. Coleman Griffith is considered the grandfather of North American Sport Psychology due to his contributions during this period. Between 1921 and 1931, Griffith published over twenty five research articles relating to sport psychology.Griffith was also appointed as the director of research in athletics at the University of Illinois in 1925. The focus of the department was psychomotor skills, learning, and personality. The largest accomplishments of Griffith come in 1926 and 1928 when he wrote Psychology of Coaching and Psychology of Athletics respectively. We close the Griffith era when Phillip Wrigley hires him as sport psychologist for the Chicago Cubs in 1938. The third and fourth periods of sport psychology are by far the slowest developing time for the new science.This portion begins in 1938 when Franklin Henry of the University of California, Berkeley established the psychology of physical activity graduate program. The forties and fifties were rather stagnant but we arrive in Rome, Italy for the first World Congress of Sport Psychology in 1965. Following the World Congress gathering is the first annual North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA) conference in 1967. NASPSPA closed the door on the fourth period in 1974 when they published the proceedings of their conference for the first time.Our current period in sport psychology is considered the contemporary period. The first event of the contemporary period was the establishment of the â€Å"Journal of Sport Psyc hology†, which is now known as â€Å"Sport and Exercise Psychology†. One of the most monumental steps was during the 1984 Olympic Games when American television emphasized the role that sport psychology played in premier athletic training. The US Olympic Team hired its first full-time sport psychologist in 1985. The trend continued in 1986 as The Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP) is established.The AAASP began to publish their official journal in 1989. Finally, the AAASP began to award the â€Å"certified consultant† designation in 1991. Now that we know what sport psychology is and where it began, we can attempt to determine the objectives of sport psychology. The first basic objective in sport psychology is to learn how psychological factors shape a person’s physical performance. The second objective is to comprehend how participation in athletics affects a person’s psychological health, development, and well-bein g. With those two objectives in mind, how do we actually apply them?First off, there are a number of reasons for sport psychology, and for every reason, there is a distinct group of people who are using sport psychology to their advantage. With that said, let’s move on to those reasons. The first reason for sport psychology is probably the most obvious, the pursuit of excellence by athletes. Simply put, sport psychology plays a vital role in how athletes train. Next is the enormous salaries paid in professional sports today. A 24 year old college graduate being drafted by a professional sports team is suddenly a very wealthy person overnight.Most people need assistance in transitioning to that kind of lifestyle. Our third reason is the undisputable fact that the recognition gained by athletic competition is huge. Most children cannot tell you that the current Vice President of the United Sates is Dick Cheney but could tell you who Alex Rodriguez or Ron James are, who they pla y for, and what position they play. The final reason for sports psychology is what is known as the fitness movement. The phenomena can be dated back to the fifties where fitness was beginning to be sold as a way of life.It is safe to say that fitness is a way of life. The television can confirm this as it is filled with ads that include sports drinks and home exercise equipment. What groups is sport psychology for? We can start with our children when we let them play tee ball and pee wee football and work all the way through senior citizens taking aerobics classes at the nearest community center. We can also include our novice intramural softball leagues on the weekends all the way to our elite professionals and Olympians competing on the world stage.Applying sport psychology techniques to most of the different groups in sports is very basic. The most popular group for sport psychologists are coaches, teachers, fitness trainers, and elite athletes. Coaches, teachers, and fitness tra iners receive basic reinforcement and motivation training to help them get their teams to perform. Our elite athletes however have a full scope of services offered to them. Most professionally owned sports teams have a team of three to four sport psychologists assisting the organization. It can be considered a type of insurance policy on their investment.Let’s discuss how this â€Å"insurance policy† work for the pros. Sports psychologists handle many issues depending on the sub area of sport psychology in which they certified. The two basic areas are clinical sport psychology and educational sport psychology. The less traveled path of these is the clinical approach. These specialists are licensed psychologists and primarily deal with severe emotional disorders. Examples of these are athletes with eating disorders and substance abuse. The most common area of sport psychology is the educational side.Educational sport psychologists have been trained with a sport science background. This type of psychology is considered the mental coach approach. The goal of these psychologists is to assist coaches and athletes with shortcomings in their confidence level, dealing with performance anxiety, and improving concentration skills. Educational sport psychologists are typically employed by professional sports teams. These psychologists are not certified in clinical psychology and usually refer athletes with more sever disorders to a clinical psychologist.With sports and exercise such a big part of today’s society, there comes a need for a field dedicated to the psychological aspects of sports and exercise. Sport psychology has grown from an accidental study of cyclists to a science that can identify what athlete performs better and why. This paper has defined what sport psychology is and where it started. I have also covered the objectives of sport psychology and how they are applied. Finally, I covered what sport psychologists do. The next time you s it down to watch a professional sports contest you can ask yourself if this athlete is mentally prepared to perform today.WORKS SITED American Board of Sport Psychology. http://www. americanboardofsportpsychology. org/ Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology. http://www. aaasponline. org/ Martin, Scott. http://www. coe. unt. edu/martin/KINE5121/5121intr. htm University of North Texas. 2004 SDSU sport psychology http://www-rohan. sdsu. edu/~psyched/index. html Street and Smith. â€Å"For a handful of sport psychologists serving teams, a mind is a terrible thing to overlook†. Street and Smith’s Sports Business Journal. http://www. mwiop. com/perf_consult/articles/sport_a. html December 1999.