Introduction to the Bible

The Message within the Message David R. Hayes Introduction to the Bible RELS311, Section B001 Win 13 Mark D. Wessner February 10, 2013 The Message within the Message Even though some may say that there is nothing more to a narrative than what one may see and read on the pages before them, I believe that some stories are more than just historical narratives. For example, in the story of David and Goliath I believe that the example David sets by his faith and trust in God to give both him and Israel the victory against this ominous foe as well as David's words of wisdom to combat the menacing taunts from Goliath are more than meets the eye.In this paper, I intend to dissect this passage from the Bible by explaining where it is located, I will analyze the literary style and characteristics of this passage, and I will give a detailed and thoughtful interpretation of this passage by using the appropriate exegetical approach. The story of David and Goliath is found in the first book of Sam uel which is located between the book of Ruth and the second book of Samuel in the Old Testament.This narrative encompasses the entire 17th chapter of this book and is made up of fifty-eight verses. The first book of Samuel is one of thirty-nine books that make up â€Å"the canon of the Old Testament†, taken from the Greek word kanon which â€Å"means a rule—[or] a standard for measurement†, and is part of the Christian â€Å"authoritative list of the books belonging to the Old Testament or New Testament (Comfort, 2003, p. 51). In this case, it is part of the Old Testament canon.This narrative is just one of many that make up â€Å"over 40 percent of the Old Testament†¦ [which] constitutes three-quarters of the bulk of the Bible† (Fee, 2003, p. 89). Besides the writings of Moses, a major prophet and author of the first five books of the Bible, also known as the Pentateuch, it is believed that after Moses and the other prophets and prophetesses durin g his lifetime: the great outbursts of prophetic activity began with Samuel†¦ and the arliest kind of writing in which they seem to have engaged extensively was history, which afterwards became the basis of the books of Chronicles†¦ and probably of Samuel and Kings too, which have so much material in common with Chronicles. (Comfort, 2003, p. 53) Additionally, â€Å"[i]t is noteworthy [to point out] that in Jewish tradition Samuel, Kings, the Minor Prophets, Ezra-Nehemiah, and Chronicles are each reckoned as a single book† (Comfort, 2003, p. 57).The narrative begins with the gathering of two armies: the Philistines in Ephes-dammim and Israel on the other side of the Valley of Elah, which was between them, both on mountains separated by this valley (1 Samuel 17:1-3). Ephes-dammim, which is called â€Å"Pas-dammin† in the first book of Chronicles (1 Chronicles 11:13), meaning â€Å"boundary of blood† which is believed to possibly have come from â€Å"[t ]he deep red color of the newly plowed earth in this [location]†¦ and may have given origin to the idea of â€Å"blood†Ã¢â‚¬ , but the location is not absolutely certain (Masterman, n. . ). The Valley of Elah, on the other hand, is located just north of where the Philistine armies are believed to have gathered with, which most likely was, the dry creek bed of the Wadi es-Sant dividing them from Saul's armies in the Judean mountains, though a more accurate description would be hills (Wilson, n. d. ). The valley between them â€Å"is a triangle-shaped flat valley, located on the western edge of the Judean low hills or Shepelah†¦ [o]nly in the rainy season does water flow in the creek bed†¦ rom the hills to the east to the Mediterranean on the west† (Wilson, n. d. ). This narrative ends with the devastating loss of the Philistines' champion, Goliath, followed by the massacre of the Philistine armies, and the victory of God's chosen people, the Israelites. This narrative, like all narratives, is a story which retells us a historical event which was written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and is â€Å"intended to give meaning and direction for a given people in the present† (Fee, 2003, p. 0). Fee points out that the major difference between a biblical narrative and other narratives is that â€Å"the story they tell is not so much our story as it is God's story—and it becomes ours as [H]e †writes† us into it† (2003, p. 90). But like all narratives it has three main characteristics: characters, plot, and plot resolution (Fee, 2003, p. 90). The characters consist of protagonists (e. g. God), antagonists (e. g. Goliath), and agonists (e. g. David) (Fee, 2003, p. 90).The conflict in this plot would be the imminent battle between the Philistines and Israelites as well as the daily challenge given to the Israelites by Goliath which subsequently leads to fear and inaction by Saul's armies. The plot resolu tion, or denouement, would be the devastating defeat of Goliath at the hands of David which reverses roles between the Philistines and Israelites, instills fear into the hearts of the Philistine armies, and completely overturns the expected outcome of this battle.In the Bible most narratives are also historical and/or biographical accounts and include accounts in the following books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Jonah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Haggai, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts (â€Å"Literary genres†¦ †, n. d. ). Though there are many narratives in these books it does not mean that each book is strictly narratives or any other genre for that matter.One thing that puzzled me was when Fee appears to contradict himself when first he states that narratives â€Å"are intended to give meaning and direction†, but later states that â⠂¬Å"Old Testament narratives are not allegories or stories with hidden meanings, are not intended to teach moral lessons, and do not necessarily teach directly† (2003, pp. 90,92). So which is it? This leads into the characteristics of Hebrew narratives: the narrator, the scene(s), the characters, dialogue, plot, features of structure and a final word (Fee, 2003, pp. 3-99). For this passage the narrator is Samuel, I believe, but cannot be certain because later in this book his death is recorded (1 Samuel 25:1). The scene is set around the Valley of Elah. The characters in the order they are mentioned are: Goliath, King Saul, Jesse, Eliab, Abinadab, Shammah, David, and Abner. The primary dialogue is between David and Goliath but there is also a dialogue between David and Jesse, David and his brothers, David and King Saul, and King Saul with Abner.The plot starts off with the gathering of armies for battle which leads into the conflict presented by Goliath's challenge to the Isra elite armies, the acceptance of this challenge by David, the slaying of Goliath by David, and the defeat of the Philistine armies. The feature of structure in this particular narrative is the repetition of the power and authority of God. This narrative, in my opinion, connects the dots from David's anointing to be the next king of Israel to his establishment of his kingdom.Then, to even further define a narrative one can separate biblical narratives into three different levels which creates a â€Å"hierarchy of narrative[s]† (Fee, 2003, p. 91). The top, or third level, is â€Å"[o]ften called the †metanarrative†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ [and] has to do with the whole universal plan of God worked out through [H]is creation†, e. g. the creation and the fall of humanity (Fee, 2003, p. 91). The next, or second level, â€Å"is the story of God's redeeming a people for [H]is name†, e. g. he first and second covenant (Fee, 2003, p. 91). Finally, the last and first level is c omprised of â€Å"all the hundreds of individual narratives that make up the other two levels†, e. g. the individual narratives of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, or Joseph) (Fee, 2003, p. 91). This covers the basics of a narrative, but to fully understand a narrative or passage the reader must take an exegesis approach to carefully and systematically study the Scriptures â€Å"to discover the original intended meaning† (Fee, 2003, p. 3). The most important part of exegesis is knowing what questions to ask while reading to determine the context, whether historical or literary, and the content (Fee, 2003, pp. 24-28). After taking an exegesis approach the reader must then take a hermeneutics approach which can include exegesis but in this case is referring to â€Å"seeking the contemporary relevance of ancient texts† (Fee, 2003, p. 29). Fee, however, says that this approach is much more difficult to define than the exegesis approach (2003, pp. 29-31).For ei ther, you do not have to be an †expert† but you must understand the meaning of a passage in reference to the meaning of the sentences or passages before and after it (Fee, 2003, p. 27). Fee points out that â€Å"[t]he most important contextual question you will ever ask, and it must be asked over and over of every sentence and every paragraph [while reading] is, â€Å"What’s the point? † (2003, p. 27). We must, however, understand that â€Å"[t]his question will vary from genre to genre, but it is always the crucial question [emphasis added]† (Fee, 2003, p. 7). Interestingly, according to Fee, Bible translations like the King James Version and the New American Standard both are generally written in paragraph form which can interfere with the exegesis approach because it can â€Å"obscure the author’s own logic† (2003, p. 28). It does not mean it is impossible but should definitely be accounted for when studying exegetically. For my exe getical approach towards better understanding this passage I turned to the help of commentary from theologians like Matthew Henry and John Gill as well as a few other websites.According to the commentary of Matthew Henry, the Philistines were setup in Israel's territory, not their own, and this could have been due to the knowledge of God's departing from Saul as king, the end of Samuel and Saul's relationship, and/or Saul's inability to be the king his people needed him to be (Henry, n. d). According to Josephus, in John Gill's exposition of the Bible, this all occurred because the Philistines sensed weakness in Israel and saw their chance to further expand their own territory not to mention the opportunity for retribution for previous defeats at the hands of Israel (Gill, n. d. . I would have to agree with both suggestions as possible answers to the question, â€Å"What is the point? †, of this narrative. I believe, nonetheless, that the main point is that David was just a s hepherd, but by God's strength he was able to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines just as he had done in the past delivering sheep from his flock from a lion and a bear (1 Samuel 17:34-37). David's words are inspirational: Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands. (1 Samuel 17:45-47)In this passage, when David proclaims the name, or shem, of the Lord he invokes â€Å"something like our power of att orney, where one person can act with the legal authority of another†¦ [therefore it really] means to come with Yahweh's presence, power, authority, and divine appointment† (Wilson, n. d. ). Just as Christians pray in Jesus's name David was claiming the victory over Goliath and the Philistines in the name of the Lord. David sets a great example of faith and obedience throughout this passage by trusting in God and by defending God's reputation and glory.More importantly, he points out that the battle is still ultimately the Lord's (Wilson, n. d. ). This is not the only example of the faith of David, a man after God's own heart, or others similar to him in faith. Several examples of â€Å"[t]his same principle is reiterated time after time throughout scripture, e. g. 1 Samuel 14:6b; 2 Chronicles 20:15, 32:8; Psalm 33:16-18, 20, 44:6-8; Proverbs 21:30-31; Hosea 1:7; Zechariah 4:6; Romans 8:31, 37; and 1 John 4:4 (Wilson, n. d. ).In conclusion, the majority of the Bible is ma de up of many narratives which are both historical and biographical that by God's infinite wisdom serve a purpose for us all today. There are those that would say that you should not read too deep into these narratives because what you read is what you get. There are others that distort these narratives to make them mean what they want them to for their own ulterior motives. I, on the other hand, fall in between these two very different schools of thought.I believe that ultimately there is a message within the message that God wants us to understand, but without the right questions you will never get the right answers. I hope after reading this research paper that I have achieved my goals: to dissect this passage from the Bible by explaining where it is located, to analyze the literary style and characteristics of this passage, and to give a detailed and thoughtful interpretation of this passage by using the appropriate exegetical approach.In closing, I would like to quote a very tr ue, but enlightening just the same, statement that I came across while researching: Even though we rely on the Spirit, we are not so foolish as to make no preparation. As St. Augustine once said, â€Å"Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you. † Faith and preparation are not mutually exclusive. (Wilson, n. d. ). References Comfort, P. W. (2003). The origin of the Bible. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. Fee, G. D. , ; Stuart, D. K. (2003).The Old Testament Narratives: Their Proper Use. How to read the Bible for all its worth (3rd ed. , pp. 89-106). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Gill, J. (n. d. ). John Gill's exposition of the entire Bible. Freegrace. net. Retrieved February 8, 2013, from http://www. freegrace. net/Gill/1_Samuel/1_Samuel_17. htm Henry, M. (n. d. ). Matthew Henry commentary on the whole Bible. Freegrace. net. Retrieved February 8, 2013, from http://www. freegrace. net/library/mhc/1 _samuel/ 17. html Literary genres†¦ composing information with style†¦ (n. . ). Helpmewithbiblestudy. org. Retrieved February 9, 2013, from http://helpmewithbiblestudy. org/5Bible/HermComposingInformationWithStyle. aspx Masterman, E. W. G. (n. d. ). Ephes-dammim. BibleAtlas. org. Retrieved February 8, 2013, from http://bibleatlas. org/ephes-dammim. htm The Scofield Study Bible. (1945). New York: Oxford University Press. Wilson, R. F. (n. d. ). David and Goliath: Bold Faith. The JesusWalk Bible Study Series. Retrieved February 8, 2013, from http://www. jesuswalk. com/david/02_david_goliath. htm

Impact of Technology on the Work-Life Balance Essay

Technology has done a lot for human beings. Without the development in technology it is possible that the pyramids would never have been built and neither would we be able to communicate with each other from remote places all over the world. Some say that these technological advances such as the internet and cellular phones are a boon on society and humankind yet there are also those detractors who say that it is has not simplified life in so much as it has complicated matters. While we enjoy everything that technology has to offer, it cannot be argued that there are times that we are more inconvenienced by it. There are times when one would rather turn his or her cellular phone off so that they can relax more and take it easy. There are also times when they wish they had battery power on their technological devices so that they can work more or accomplish more. The problem it seems is that as technology becomes more advanced and incorporates itself more in the daily lives of people it becomes more difficult to escape from it. The biggest difficulty nowadays is actually turning that piece of technology off without fearing that doing so will leave a person uninformed or make him feel so isolated and left out of this world which is moving at a very rapid pace. It is commonplace to see a person check his computer (either desktop or laptop) every few minutes or so just to make sure that they read the email as soon as it comes in. People bring their work with them almost everywhere they go these days. Work is no longer limited to the confines of a cubicle or an office but can now be performed virtually anywhere thanks to the technological advances that have enabled the invention of portable workstations such as blackberries, laptops and cellular phones. The introduction of teleconferencing has made travel to meetings all but obsolete and the push for more digital convergence has made it possible for people to work from their homes. The proper characterization of this phenomenon is not increasing worker productivity, as it is claimed, but rather invasion of privacy. There is no longer any place that is safe from the summons from work or the orders of a superior. Virtually every place on this planet allows people to perform work at any time and from any location. This means that since the day has still remained at 24 hours, unless scientists have found a way to alter that, and the more that time is devoted to work, the less time on that 24 hour clock is left for privacy and relaxation. Even certain studies have shown that the work hours have dramatically increased from the levels that it was at previously. More and more people put in longer hours with each technological breakthrough that is introduced. It has been argued that this is a good thing because people make more money and more money means happier people. While there is no arguing the fact that more money does make people happy, in general, the devices that have been invented to allow the generation of higher incomes has also reduced the time left to spend that hard earned money. The extra income that is generated by these devices now seems so meaningless and useless since it cannot be spent due to the lack of time to do so. Another problem is also the cost of worker burn out. While productivity is theoretically increased per worker, the added stress and workload that is given per worker leads to a faster deterioration of the human resource and means that in the long run the potential productivity gains are actually nullified by the deterioration of human capital. All of these time saving devices which claim to increase productivity were invented for a simple reason, to decrease work time. They were not really invented to free time up for other work but were envisioned to allow a person to do more with less. We should learn to keep it that way, be happy with doing more with less and do not fret about doing more with more.

Political Philosophy Essay

Barber (1999) refers to strong democracy as one of the democratic responses to contemporary political condition. The author clearly distinguishes the strong democratic type from unitary democracy, pluralist democracy, authoritative, and juridical democracy. All these types of democracy are idealistic, and are never applied to real political conditions in their pure forms, but they represent the five different visions of the democratic order which deserve attention and should be objectively reviewed. Barber (1999) defines authoritative democracy in centralized executive terms. Authoritative democracy exercises the principles of differential citizenry; although authoritative democracy is fully accountable to the democratic community which elects it, this type of democratic order relies on the excellence of elites (Barber, 1999). The two major deficiencies are characteristic of authoritative democracy: first, it tends towards hegemony; second, it tends to camouflage its political representation under the cover of political wisdom. As a result, individuals risk confusing the political virtue with the political excellence (Barber, 1999). Juridical democracy is based on the principles of protecting human rights. Arbitration and adjudication are the necessary preconditions of juridical democracy (Barber, 1999). In juridical democracy, the principle of differential citizenry is expressed through excessive reliance on courts, which resolve and mediate political issues and substantially limit the power of the democratic government. Barber (1999) writes that â€Å"juridical democracy is deficient because it subverts the legislative process†. The author is confident that juridical democracy initially distorts the notions of the natural right and the higher law, using them as the disguise for political reintroduction and representation (Barber, 1999). Pluralist democracy is the most ideal democratic form of all Barber describes in his work. Pluralist democracy is based on the principle of the social contract which free political markets use in the process of political exchange (Barber, 1999). In distinction from the two previous forms of democracy, the pluralist form relies on active (not differential) citizenry. All conflicts and issues are arbitrated with the help of bargaining in which free equal individuals are involved. The pluralist democracy is deficient because the power of the social contract and bargaining is very weak. In Barber’s (1999) view, pluralist democracy is too innocent, and cannot lead to formation of any public thinking. Unitary democracy could initially become the political representation of certain norm as the central element of democratic order. Although unitary democracy promotes the unanimous character of political decisions, it tends to undermine the principles of individual autonomy. The role of citizenry in unitary democracy is vague (Barber, 1999). The problem is in that the unity of political deliberation requires that individuals merge with the rest of the political community. As a result, they risk losing their political individuality, and promote collective political thinking. Unitary democracy cannot foster self-realization; in massive forms, unitary democracy borders on coercion and malevolence (Barber, 1999). In many aspects, unitary democracy is synonymous to â€Å"conformist† type of political order, which mixes tyranny with terror and views community consensus through the prism of collectivity and collective political interests. Barber (1999) is confident that strong democracy is the political order of the future. The author views this type of democratic order as a community which will never be collectivistic, and which is the most compatible with the contemporary society. The core of strong democracy is the self-government, in which citizens govern themselves (Barber, 1999). The conflict resolution is based on self-legislation, and the creation of the political community. The mentioned political community is the key element of strong democracy, and it is the necessary condition for transforming the political conflicts into the useful epistemological tools of public thinking (Barber, 1999). Simultaneously, Barber fails to define the criteria for the creation and existence of the already mentioned political community. If strong democratic community exists to transform political conflicts or implement political decisions (Barber, 1999), it is unclear whether this community will keep its previous form as soon as it achieves its political goals. One can’t but agree with Barber (1999) in that in strong democracy community is invariably linked to the notion of citizenship, but there are striking disparities between the notions of community and participation. Although strong democracy claims striking the misbalance between participation and community, it does not offer any reliable criteria for achieving the democratic world of the common ends, in which conflict serves the dialectical means of turning the masses into the democratic citizenship. Conclusion Strong democracy is viewed by Barber (1999) as the best and the most realistic type of democratic order. Barber (1999) emphasizes the deficiencies which authoritative, juridical, unitary, and pluralist democracies display. Simultaneously, Barber (1999) fails to provide the criteria for creating and supporting the strong democratic community and participation. The relation between community and participation remains misbalanced, and strong democracy will hardly strike it.

Schools Competency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Schools Competency - Essay Example It is a pervasive perception that test scores do indeed stand to be the viable indicators as to the quality of education and teaching in a school. However, in a pragmatic context, evaluating the competency of a school merely on the bases of test scores is not only a narrow approach towards gauging the quality of education in a school, but is also a belief that happens to be utterly counterproductive. Â  Tests tend to predict the academic performance of the students in a school under a standardized test environment and format. The thing that needs to be understood is that performing in a test happens to be a skill in itself and not all students happen to be good at evincing the right responses in a test, irrespective of the fact that many of them actually happen to be conversant with the academic discipline on which they are being evaluated (Corwin & Schneider, 2005). Tests are mostly conducted in an environment that happens to be loaded with stress and tension, and it is practical t o expect that not all students may be able to cope up with such a format. Hence test scores actually depict as to how good a school is at preparing its students to perform in a test, rather than reflecting on a school’s ability to impart knowledge. Â  The other thing is that tests tend to ascertain mainly the academic provenance of the students in a school and that too in a very narrow context. Tests do happen to ignore the varied salient aspects of education like imagination, creativity, proficiency in social skills, leadership ability.

Buyer- open to buy 1,214,000 for retail store- demographics Essay

Buyer- open to buy 1,214,000 for retail store- demographics - Essay Example In view of the various businesses available, I would like to deal with the women business suits during the spring season. This is because business suits are widely accommodated by the general population. Bloomingdale business store located in New York is my business venture. It is a business that delivers an awesome world-class experience in retailing. It showcases a brand portfolio and represents latest and desirable merchandise throughout main and stores at home alike (Donnellan 17). Ladies suits can generate more profits unlike the casual wear that is only for a youth and cannot be worn during the spring season at various occasions. The store deals in the ladies suits and separates. These include suiting, dresses, statement jackets, skirts, layering pieces and pants. The goal of any business start up or an established one is to make profits. Consequently, I would deal in designs that would bring in more profits in my operations. Taking into consideration the spring season, the la dies are to cover their bodies for warmth and still ensure that they are more trendy and decent. There is an upcoming trend in the mode of dress for all ladies to become decent and my customers would not be left aback either. There is much beauty in decency and smartness. The premises that are used in business should be cheap in the form of the rent paid so that it cuts on a number of costs. There should always be a careful inspection and analysis of all business costs that may be affected by the business location. The order to buy amount will act as the capital for the merchandise business. The order to buy amount will be used to buy grey suits, blue suits, gray pinstripe suit, skirt suits, dress shirts, and black suits. This is to be able to satisfy the need of the many customers available. The order to buy amount will be divided proportionately to avail the stock. The merchandise is made in the European tropical wool so that it fits the spring season. It is of great

Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Research Paper - Essay Example Well, what happens when the economy takes a turn like it has in the past few years? Current research has shown that 75 percent of women will not marry someone who was unemployed. Having a job is an important factor when meeting a future spouse! (Gannon) Unemployment can cause a couple to feel overwhelmed, powerless and frightened. Even if you have a job, research has shown that even the profession you choose and the length of your commute can have a positive or negative impact on your relationship. It was interesting to read that certain careers like dancers, choreographers, bar tenders and roofers had some of the highest divorce rates. The professions with the lowest divorce rates were people with careers in religion, optometry, nuclear engineering and public transit. Professions with high stress were also a source of marital discord. Some careers may put a marriage at risk when they are all-consuming. (Gannon) The economic downturn in 2007 caused strain on 29% of marriages, accordi ng to University of Virginia’s Survey of Marital Generosity. The economic downturn is putting stress on couple in every income level. Many couples are seeking financial, marital and spiritual counseling to help them through these difficult times. As study conducted on 134 married couples who were seriously depressed indicating 48% showing improvements that were clinically significant, five years following the reception of sessions of weekly therapy for 26 weeks. 27% ended up being separated or divorced. The remaining percentage either exhibited no change or deteriorated relationships. Unemployment can lead to depression, illness, alcohol, drug abuse, anger and violence. A wife may resent the fact that she must now be the family’s bread-winner when her husband loses his job. A husband may no longer feel that he has what it takes to â€Å"be a man,† when he cannot be the family’s main provider. On the other hand, when a woman loses her job and has to stay, she may develop the feeling that she has been brought down the level of merely ensuring that domestic chores are taken care of, and as such view this as going back to the stereotypic era in which men fended for the family, and women cared for it. I personally know some people that are postponing or avoiding marriage due to financial reasons. It is interesting to see how the economic downturn has caused a decline in marriage rates and how the work-life balance has an interesting effect on our love lives. Sociologist W. Bradford Wilcox believes some couples are simply postponing a divorce until the economy rebounds. Manhattan divorce lawyer Jacalyn F. Barnett said that â€Å"In the past year, I have seen how the dramatic changes in our economy have had a dramatic effect on married people, especially those who have been used to earning high salaries, and many of those couples can no longer handle the stress.† (Cohen). Currently, if a couple is planning to get divorced this is a good time if they want to get out cheap because the plunging real estate prices may give them a better chance to buy out his or her spouse. The will likely be able to keep the family home for much less money than it would have cost a few years ago. (â€Å"Crisis Cuts Divorce Rates†) Education level is also linked to unemployment rates. Studies have been shown that males with high school diplomas are twice as likely to be unemployed than males with college degrees. It has also been found that those with a high school degree also

Internets Impact on Location of Global Firms Assignment

Internets Impact on Location of Global Firms - Assignment Example The problem touches on key issues - globalisation and the Internet - that confront managements of several firms, challenging them to discover how to make the Internet a part of global strategy. What is globalisation and global strategy Micklethwait and Wooldridge (2000, p. xvi) called globalisation "the most important economic, political, and cultural phenomenon of our time" characterised by the "integration of the world economy, reshaping business and reordering the lives of individuals, creating social classes, different jobs, unimaginable wealth and, occasionally, wretched poverty." Stiglitz (2002, p. 9) defined global strategy as "the way firms cope with integration of countries and peoples of the world brought about by the enormous reduction of transportation and communication costs, and the breaking down of artificial barriers to the flow of goods, services, capital, knowledge, and people across borders." In other words, a global strategy is a set of objectives that help a firm deal with globalisation, e.g., what goods to sell to world markets, how to sell these goods, and how to transport these goods from where they are produced to where they are consumed. Globalisation affects firms that sell products like autos and appliances, and service firms in banking and retailing. Porter's Diamond Porter's Diamond refers to a framework (Porter, 1990) that a nation or economy can use to analyse and develop its competitive advantage, a concept he explains (Porter, 1985) as the added benefit that a firm's product or service has over that of its competitors so that customers buy from the firm instead of from its competitors. Porter (1985, p. 3) enumerates three basic types of competitive advantage: cost leadership, differentiation, and focus. A firm attains the first through economies of scale and cost minimisation; the second through brand image, technology, product features, service and support quality; and the third by supplying a particular market or niche very well. Applied to nations, the diamond-shaped framework is a map - of what Porter calls Competitive National Advantage - which consists of four determinants that we describe and show in Figure 1: factor conditions, demand conditions, related and supporting industries, and firm strategy, structure, and rivalry (1990, p. 72). [Insert Figure 1 here] These determinants are broad attributes existing in a country that shape the environment in which local firms compete and that promote or impede the creation of competitive advantage. They indicate why a nation is globally successful in a particular industry. He cites examples of how competitive national advantage promoted the success of industry clusters in printing equipment in Germany, pharmaceuticals in Switzerland, home appliances in Italy, and robotics in Japan. Porter's thesis is that each country has a unique set of conditions that enable local firms to compete successfully in the global marketplace. Porter states that the diamond is a system (1990, p. 144), with each determinant affecting the others in a dynamic way, either building up or destroying the competitiveness of firms and affecting their ability to compete globally. Yip's Drivers Firms need to develop global strategies and implement

Victoria Chemicals plc-Merseyside and Rotterdam Projects Case Study

Victoria Chemicals plc-Merseyside and Rotterdam Projects - Case Study Example James Fawn the vice president of the Intermediate Chemicals Group (ICG) and John Camperdown, the financial analyst met to review the two projects. The proposals submitted by plant managers from both Liverpool and Rotterdam required an expansion of the polypropylene output of the respective plants by 7%. The strategic analysts in Victoria Chemicals held the view that an increase in polypropylene by 14% would not make sense though a 7% would do. This would compel them to approve one of the projects. The rational analytical process to use in extricating the ambiguities of the present measures of investment attractiveness of the two projects will be done through a thorough analysis and evaluation in terms of their net present value, payback, growth in earnings per share and internal rate of return to determine which of them is attractive for investment. After the evaluation, the best project based on its attractiveness will be chosen. 1. The proposal from Merseyside, Liverpool This proje ct would retain its flexibility in order to add technology in the future. The investment criterion for this project is as follows: Average annual addition to EPS GBP 0.22 Payback period 3.8 years Net Present Value GBP 10.5 million Internal rate of return 24% The contribution to net income for the project is a positive one. This is based on the calculation carried out by the average annual earnings per share contribution of the project over the economic life of the project using the number of outstanding shares at the recent financial year. The payback period which is the number of years which are necessary for free cash flow of the project to amortize the initial project outlay completely for the project is within the maximum payback period which is six years. The Net Present Value of the company is positive an indication of a better performing project. The internal rate of return of the project which is 24% is more than 10% and this is an indication of how attractive the project is . A summary of the performance of the Merseyside project is as follows 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Output 267,500 267,500 267,500 267,500 267,500 New Gross Profit 21.72 24.83 24.83 24.83 24.93 Old output 250,000 250,000 250,000 250,000 250,000 Free cash flow 1.27 3.92 3.86 3.77 3.08 Incremental gross profit 2.32 5.42 5.42 5.42 5.42 Based on the above analysis, it is quite evident that Merseyside project is quite attractive in terms of its performance and this makes it a good project for investment. The Merseyside project will be of great help to Victoria Chemicals as it would lead to an increase in free cash flow, increase in gross profit and increase in output for the company. The increase in output would see the company operate in full efficiency and to remain competitive in the market. Even though the Merseyside project seems promising in terms of output and return, the plant operations will be disrupted in the course of upgrading the technology in the company which will then affect the total output of the company. The period at which the plant will not be operating will mean that the company will temporarily lose its business from the close of the customers. The temporal close of business and clients may be a cost to pay by the company as it may end up losing the customers due to the inconveniences caused. The table below shows the assumptions made towards the DCF Analysis of the Merseyside Project: Annual output in metric tons 250,000 Output gain 7% Gross margin rate 12.5% The gross margin rate and the output gain are standard and this means that the company (Victoria Chemicals) will not take a long time before it enjoys the full benefits of the investment. This

Competition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Competition - Essay Example Competition is discussed well below. He stated that "China has one of the largest labour forces in the world with a population of nearly 1.3 billion, over half of whom were in employment in 2002. About two-thirds of them are rural workers. China also has one of the highest labour participation rates in the world (over 80 per cent). As one of the largest exporting countries and the second largest beneficiary country of foreign direct investments (FDIs), China presents itself as one of the economically(Slavin, 1989) most important nations in the world. However, China's increasing interdependence with the world economy has been achieved through a period of political, social and economic change over the past twenty-five years." Because the factory laborers from China are paid very much lower per hour as compared to factory labourers that are doing the same jobs in factories located in the United States, United Kingdom and other European countries, there is a strong demand for the United Kingdom companies to outsource the m anufacturing of goods to china. This means that the United Kingdom company is encouraged to put up a manufacturing facility to produce cars and other high value finished goods in China and other countries where labour rates per hour. Many companies have reduced its workforce because some of the work can be done by the computer. Computer generated work is, in most cases, replaced by the computer.Many companies have downsized their work environment(Irwin, 2000) by replacing many human being processed work with a computer or robot. This scenario has erupted into lay-offs as well as early retirement for currently working employees because the company wants to save on salaries that will be paid on a regular basis. The unemployment rate has been increasing because. According to Malthus, the population will increase faster arithmetically as compared to the growth rate of the basic food which is geometrically. The increase in the population will result, in all probability, an increase in th e unemployment rates. COMPETITION. Competition is one of the pillars of capitalism because it will stimulate innovation, encourage efficiency or drive down prices. Competition can, in some instances may equally lead to waste because a job could be repeated and thereby increased costs and prices in some circumstances. In the supply and demand curve in economics, if there is so many competing products that are similar, then the customer has more choices to make. The competitors will then try to lower prices in the hope of cornering juice customers. On the other hand, in a monopoly economic situation, the sole supplier of goods can jack up the sales prices to generate profits and increase the sales. The customers have no other alternative but to follow. On the other hand if the demand for a product increases because of lack of finished products, then the prices of goods sold will increase for the customers will prefer to spend more and have the goods now or today.D. G. Goyder stated that (1998) "Competition is the relationship between any number of undertakings which sell goods or services of the same kind at the same time to an identifiable group of customers. Each

Is global warming causing severe weather Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Is global warming causing severe weather - Essay Example Economic science helps to understand economic benefits and material losses caused by severe weather conditions taking into account results obtained by Climate science and Geology. Economic science investigates and develops measures to reduce negative impact of economic activity on climate and global warming. Taking into account the information mentioned above, it si evident that an interdisciplinary research is crucial, because one science is unable to solve the problem of global warming without collaboration with other disciplines. Recent years, hurricanes have become a great problem for many coastal villages and towns around the world. Scientists explain that hurricanes are caused by heated water and variations of sea level. For instance, according to Avery: " The computerized global climate models predict we'll get more and bigger storms as the planet warms", which results in severe weather conditions. Avery explains that "heat in the atmosphere is the fuel that leads to stormy weather," and "weather disasters are occurring with ever-greater intensity and frequency around the world." (Avery, n.d.). So, it is evident that this "fuel" in the atmosphere is the result of human activities (gas emissions and other pollutant) which lead to the heated atmosphere and hurricanes. Nevertheless, there is an opposite view supposing that "the present hurricane surge is part of a 60 to 70-year cycle linked to natural effects" (Briggs, 2005), and has nothing to do with heated weather conditions. Unfortunately, nobody can reject the fact that thousands of tons of mercury, lead, and other heavy metals are put into the water and air each year in the form of liquids and gases, which cause the sea temperature increase. Heavy metals, like pesticides, are long lasting and can spread over large areas. Algae and fish are disappeared and natural processes of adsorption stops. These changes in biosphere resulted in global warming.b) Tornados is another problem caused by heated water. This phenomenon was proved by Carter who stated that tornados are caused by temperature increase and storm chasing. He illustrates this fact stating that 'the escalation in extreme weather conditions over the past two decades has led to an increase in the frequency and intensity of storm conditio ns" (Carter, 2005). Some scientists try to explain tornados and storms as a result of changing weather conditions neglecting the influence of global warming on this process. They say: "When we look at the Mozambique floods, at the storms that hit France, at the absence of winters in Britain over the past few years, at the avalanches in the Alps, we are witnessing events that are now clearly tainted by human actions" (Carter, 2005). The question is "Why changing weather conditions occur" Following Carter, it is possible to say that these changes occur because of global warming. To conclude, it is possible to say that the majority of scientists agree that global warming and "green house effect" are the main reasons why we suffer from

Mac Os X Essay Example for Free

Mac Os X Essay The Mac OS X Panther operation system has met with both technical and commercial success. Since the debut of Mac OS X in 2001, its features have continued to improve. The initial system Mac OS X 10. 1 was originally shipped in September 2001 and was referred to as Puma; Jaguar, version 10. 2, was shipped in August 2002, and Panther, the current version, was shipped in October 2003. The focus of this paper is on the key technologies that have made Mac OS X Panther a technical success such as CPU scheduling, symmetric multiprocessing, memory protection, and virtual memory; we begin with an overview of the MAC OS X operating system. Overview of Mac OS X Panther Mac OS, from Apple Computer, can be considered two families of operating systems: the older and now unsupported classic Mac OS (the system that shipped with the first Mac in 1984 and its descendants, culminating with Mac OS 9), and the newer Mac OS X. Mac OS X Panther is a UNIX-based Operating System with the intuitive user interface called Aqua. The modern core UNIX-based Operating System brings benefits such as protected memory and preemptive multitasking to Macintosh computing. Mac OS X Panther also has a sparkling user interface capable of visual effects such as translucence and drop shadows. The central characteristic of the Mac OS X architecture is the layering of system software, with one layer having dependencies on, and interfaces with, the layer beneath it (see Figure 1-1). Mac OS X has four distinct layers of system software (in order of dependency): Application Environments consists of the frameworks, libraries, and services necessary for the runtime execution of programs developed with those API. Mac OS X currently provides five application (or execution) environments: Carbon, Cocoa, Java, Classic, and BSD Commands. Application Services incorporates the system services available to all application environments that have some impact on the graphical user interface. It includes Quartz, QuickDraw, and OpenGL as well as essential system managers. Core Services incorporates those system services that have no effect on the graphical user interface. It includes Core Foundation, Open Transport, and certain core portions of Carbon. Kernel Environment provides the foundation layer of Mac OS X. Its primary components are Mach 3. 0 and FreeBSD, but it also includes networking protocol stacks and services, file systems, and device drivers. The kernel environment offers facilities for developing device drivers (the I/O Kit) and loadable kernel extensions, including Network Kernel Extensions (NKEs). This integrated kernel environment is called Darwin and it is an Open Source technology available from www. apple. com/darwin. The following is the components that Mach 3. 0 and FreeBSD provide: Mach †¢ support for SMP †¢ untyped IPC and RPC memory management †¢ support for real-time services †¢ external pager †¢ modular architecture †¢ improved performance BSD †¢ file systems †¢ networking †¢ basic security policies such as user IDs and permissions †¢ the system framework a mechanism for exporting APIs to the application layers †¢ the BSD process model, including process IDs and signals †¢ FreeBSD kernel APIs †¢ Pthre ads (POSIX threads implementation) [pic] Figure 1-1 System Layer CPU Scheduling The kernel environment of Mac OS X, specifically Mach, provides the fundamental thread support. Mach maintains the register state of its threads and schedules them preemptively in relation to one another. In general, multitasking may be either cooperative or preemptive. Classic Mac OS implements cooperative multitasking which was not very intelligent. In cooperative CPU scheduling the OS requires that each task voluntarily give up control so that other tasks can execute, so unimportant but CPU-intensive background events might take up so much for a processor’s time that more important activities in the foreground would become sluggish and unresponsive. On the other hand, preemptive multitasking allows an external authority to delegate execution time to the available tasks. Mac OS X’s Mach supports preemptive multitasking in which it processes several different tasks simultaneously. To affect the structure of the address space, or to reference any resource other than the address space, the thread must execute a special trap instruction which causes the kernel to perform operations on behalf of the thread, or to send a message to some agent on behalf of the thread. In general, these traps manipulate resources associated with the task containing the thread. Mach provides a flexible framework for thread scheduling policies. Mac OS X supports both the multilevel feedback queue scheduling and round-robin (RR) scheduling algorithm. The multilevel feedback queue scheduling algorithm partitions the ready queue into several separate queues and allows a process to move between queues. In the multilevel feedback queue scheduling algorithm, each run queue has various priorities that are handled in different ways. A multilevel feedback queue scheduling thread’s priority is raised and lowered to balance its resource consumption against other threads. Round-robin threads execute for a certain time quantum (time slice), and then are put at the end of the queue of threads of equal priority. Setting a round robin thread’s quantum to infinity effectively makes the thread run-till-block within its priority. Mac OS X internally has 128 priority levels, ranging from 0 (lowest priority) to 127 (highest priority).

Lord of the Flies Symbolism Analysis Essay Example for Free

Lord of the Flies Symbolism Analysis Essay Plato, a famous Greek philosopher born in 428 BC, once said, â€Å"The measure of a man is what he does with power.† This statement shows that man will truly be defined for what he does with the power he receives; whether he would use it for manipulation, cruelty and lofty desires, or whether he would treat everyone fairly, maintain democracy and control himself in such a high position. In William Golding’s Lord of The Flies and George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the power is shown and given to a character, which would use it for his own benefits and does not choose to do what is right for those under his power. Jack, a power-hungry dictator, uses his manipulative and deceiving tactics to reign over a group of schoolboys who get stuck on an island. Napoleon, a pig, uses power along with fear to control the other animals around him and asserts violence to get his role as a leader. The desire for power and control in both characters stimulates them to use fear and violence as a way of keeping their high position and satisfying their needs. It is clear that the two leaders Napoleon and Jack both used physical harm as a way of getting their message across to their other citizens. Jack displayed this behavior after he gets his own tribe, where he ruled merciless and punishes anyone he is not pleased with. When Roger and Robert were having a brief conversation in Chapter 10, they said, ‘He’s going to beat Wilfred’. ‘What for?’ ‘I don’t know. He didn’t say. He got angry and made us tie Wilfred up. He’s been†- he giggled excitedly- â€Å"he’s been tied up for hours, waiting-.†(Golding 176). This shows Jack and his cruel use of power among his own tribe. Napoleon, on the other hand, doesn’t punish his own tribe, but does go to an extent where he vows a death sentence towards anyone who is working or wants Snowball to come back to the farm. This is shown in the execution of four pigs, â€Å"Without any further prompting they confessed that they had been secretly in touch with Snowball ever since his expulsion, that they had collaborated with him in destroying the windmill, and that they had entered into an agreement with him to hand over Animal Farm to Mr. Frederick. They added that Snowball had privately admitted to them that he had been Joness secret agent for years past. When they had finished their confession, the dogs promptly tore their throats out, and in a terrible voice Napoleon demanded whether any other animal had anything to confess.† (Orwell 73). Despite being a pig, Napoleon shows the same qualities as a human dictator and even goes as far as to making innocent pigs confessing to a crime they had never done. Within both leaders, anger becomes the main reason for punishment to the citizens. Both leaders, nonetheless, use their people for their own benefit whether they were given permission or not. In Lord of the Flies, Jack went as far as to stealing Piggy’s glasses without Piggy’s consent in hopes of being able to make a fire at any time he requests. Regardless of Piggy’s anger and necessity for glasses, Jack steals them and even kills Piggy when Ralph, Piggy, Sam and Eric confronted his tribe for Piggy’s glasses. Along with this situation, in Animal Farm, Napoleon’s desire for power and money drives him towards betraying his best worker who works for him every second he is awake for whiskey money. The animals would work continuously for Napoleon, and this is clear in Orwell’s statement in chapter VI, â€Å"All that year the animals worked like slaves† (Orwell 53).

Importance of Supplier Relations Management

Importance of Supplier Relations Management Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Objective â€Å"Supply chain management (SCM) is the combination of art and science that goes into improving the way your company finds the raw components it needs to make a product or service and deliver it to customers.(Worthen., 2008)†. The main objectives of this research are to structure a supply network through multiple tiers. It extends in identifying the importance of Supplier relations management. Todays market as we know is customer driven, with extensive subcontracting, Inventory and supply chain management can make or break a deal. Good supply network emphasizes on seamless integration between Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and its suppliers. It encourages in merging its design of Product, process and services. Regard to todays world, Global Supply chain Management is changing virtually every day (group, June 2006 ) Large and Small companies are keen and very likely to trade internationally and also to take advantage of low cost countrys for their sources. (group, June 2006 ). This study takes a more holistic approach in identifying issues and constraints of global supply chain management. A very rigorous approach for optimally coordinating information, material and financial flow between supplier ti ers is another objective of this study. Study is supported by mapping different models and approaches in order to provide a harmonic coordination within a closed supply network. As mentioned earlier small and large companies are turning their interest towards low cost developing countries for sources, this research intends to study current trends and opportunities among these developing nations for sustainable supply network coordination. Chapter 2 Literature Review 2.1 Summary This paper revolves around various objectives as discussed earlier. The purpose of a literature review is to describe the work that has been reported on a topic. It illustrates an individuals ability to identify vital information and sketch existing knowledge. This literature review is carried out to review current market trends and also to have a thorough knowledge correlating our main objectives. Ideas and thoughts of different authors has been analysed to demonstrate a more eccentric review of the topic. Few case studies has also been analysed to understand practical difficulties and competitive advantage of a better supply network design. Table 1 illustrates various definitions proposed by authors. 2.2 Multi Tier Supply Chain Overview and key elements In general many Manufacturing Organizations are a network production and distribution sites. They transfer raw materials to finished products and supply it to end users (billington 1992). Strategic supply chains are those in which â€Å"members are strategically, operationally, and technologically integrated†(Hult 2004) and are assumed to be a long-term stable relationships with a potential to change in accordance with the variable demands and market conditions(Hult 2004). Inventories play a very important role at both macroeconomic and microeconomic levels (Jaber 2009). According to (Jaber 2009), Current inventory costs accounts to half of total logistical expenses of a supply chain(Lancioni 2000). Improper Inventory management in a supply chain usually tends to increase conflicts between entities of the supply chain i.e., between retailer, buyer, manufacturer and suppliers, which may result to inefficiencies of the supply chain.(Jaber 2009). In a ideal supply chain every firm is considered to be unified, thus in an ideally integrated supply chain, end users or ultimate customers are the pulling force of a value chain unlike classical way of Manufactures pushing the goods out(Tan 2001). Realistically achieving full integration of a value chain is difficult with its complexity, thus strategically important business organizations are emphasized (Tan 2001). Key elements and activities of supply chain are as shown below. Key Elements Of supply chain According to (Christopher 2005), One important aspect of effective SCM is to reduce or completely eliminate Inventory issues between different entities/Organisation in a supply chain. He suggests eliminating this issue by effective information sharing of all stock levels. This concept is called ‘Co- Managed Inventory CMI.(Christopher 2005).(Tan 2001) Suggest that primary focus of a SCM is to achieve efficient end product distribution from manufacturer to customer by replacing inventories with information. Supply chain managements philosophy also suggests that its operations are not concerned only with logistics, but expands through all other operations of an organisation to achieve a greater customer satisfaction and value.(John T. Mentzer 2001).Other basic characteristics of a SCM, according to (John T. Mentzer 2001) are Considering the whole supply chain as a single entity and by this virtue, total inventory flow is managed in a SCM. Orienting Intrafirm and interfirm operations with a strategic approach and thus reinforcing its capabilities by co-operative measures. Unique/Personalized approach should be carried out for every customer to stay competitive and to achieve better customer satisfaction. For years Supply chain was considered as channels for distribution. The main intent of channel distribution was to make each organisation more productive and efficient. It emphasized on making each organisation more profitable without considering its other counter parts of the channel, i.e. like Tier1 suppliers, tier2, distributors or retailers (Lancioni 2000). Over the years with the advent of Supply chain management, focus drifted from intrafunctionaltowards a more interfunctional vision, by which co-ordination between these entities of SCM was emphasised. Interfunctional Channel distribution or termed as the modern day supply chain management considered the opportunity in supply network coordination: â€Å". . . altering the levels of the various activities, often referred to as logistical in nature (such as transportation, inventories, facility location, and order processing) may adversely affect achieving the objectives of these other functional areas†(Lancioni 2000). Thu s customer becomes the driving force of supply chain management. Supply chain analysis (SCA) deals with vertical inter dependencies between the firms; it also requires a systematic approach towards resource allocation and information exchange at every stage of production (Simchi-Levi 2000). Globalization represents cross-border flow of finished goods and increase in global competitors, identifying opportunities and competitive supply chain within its industrial sector(John T. Mentzer 2006). Realistically Supply-chain Managers identify difference between a domestic and a global supply chain even if the conditions are same. It is found that complexitys designing Global supply chain is exponentially high compared to a domestic supply chain, also its ability to stay competitive lies in understanding subtleties of GSCM that exists only during cross border trade offs(John T. Mentzer 2006). Supply chain distinguishes itself from its constituent entities with its integration of operations (Mahapatra 2004). Supply chain management goes beyond co-ordination among firms; it recognises inter dependencies among them and also delivers effective relationship management. Logistics is an integral part of effective supply chain.(Pierpaolo Pontrandolfo 2003) Suggest that Logistics operations within an organization can be related to Forward flow of goods both WIP and Finished goods Information flow feedback Management and Control Network Analysis (NA) is a technique which provides many tools to map relationship between internal organisations. NA also concerns with horizontal dependencies unlike SCA (Sergio G. Lazzarini 2001). As SCA and NA there are many other analyses methodologys suggests the importance of Interdependencies between organizations, According to (John T. Mentzer 2001) , the following activities are necessary to implement a better SCM. â€Å"Integrated Behaviour Sharing risks and rewards mutually Co-ordination Mutual sharing Information Goals and focus to serve customers Process integration Installing Long-term relations with suppliers and customers†(Mentzer 2001). The term supply chain management had an increased influence over the past decade. For instance, Annual Conference of the Council of Logistics Management 1995, 13.5% of the conference sessions posted titles concerning the words â€Å"supply chain.† At the 1997 conference, just two years later, the number of sessions about the terminology drastically increased to 22.4% (John T. Mentzer 2001). This increase has been steady all these years. This increase widely illustrates the global importance and benefits of Supply chain management. There are different types of channel relations in a supply chain as illustrated in Fig4. Supplier Organization/OEM Customer Figure3a: Direct Supply Chain Suppliers Supplier Organization Customers SupplierCustomer Figure 3b: Extended Supply Chain Third party Logistics Supplier Ultimate Supplier Organization Customer Ultimate Supplier Customer Financial Market Provider Research The figure1 identifies different degrees of supply chain complexity they are direct, extended and ultimate supply chain. A direct supply chain consists of a supplier and a customer involved in upstream and downstream flow of (Products, services, finance and information)(Figure: 4a.)(John T. Mentzer 2001) Similarly an extended supply chain includes suppliers, Immediate suppliers and customers and immediate customer, all involved in the upstream and/or downstream flows of products, finances, services and info(Figure: 4b). Thus an ultimate supply chain includes all the organizations involved in all the upstream and downstream flows of products/services/finances, and information from the ultimate supplier to the ultimate customer. (Figure: 4c) illustrates the complex functions of an ultimate supply chains. This may include 3rd Party Financial institutions; this involvement may be a cause to reduce overall risk involved. Similarly Even logistical operations are also supported by (3PL) In figure:4c , a market research firm is also seen as an entity of this complex chain. These may very well support the Manufacturer by providing vital market information about their end users.(John T. Mentzer 2001). Process of Supply chain management Many organisations believe that with process approach it is difficult to reduce/optimize their production flow in SCM (Cooper 2000). Customer relationship management Customer service management Demand management Order fulfilment Manufacturing flow management Procurement Product development and commercialization Returns. Multi Levels Explained It is necessary to understand different network analysis, methodologies to understand and resolve issues in designing a better supply chain management. Fig2 illustrates a basic model of a multi tier supply chain. Each level has its own importance and prominent influence over the chain thus making every level an integral part of the complex system. Fig2 is a sceptic of four level supply chain with centralised decision process. The different levels are as described below(Goyal 2009) First level-This Level of supply network contains multiple buyers/Distributor. Second Level- This level encompasses of Vendors or Manufacturer ie., Original Equipment Manufacturer. Third level- This level contains Tier-1 /Immediate Suppliers of the supply chain. Fourth level- This level contains different tier 2 suppliers. These suppliers support tier1 suppliers or directly to the manufacturer by providing product, service or finance.(Goyal 2009). Levels of issue The major issues at different levels that have to be addressed in a multi dimensional Supply chain are(David Simchi-Levi 2003). Strategic level: Strategic level of decisions are vital which provides and long and sustainable effect on an organization. Major decisions like factory location, storage, Plant capacity and logistic network fall under this level. Tactical level: These decision that change steadily(eg: every quarter) depending on market position, like transportation, production capacity, inventory policy, customer review etc., Operational level: These decisions are mostly day to day like scheduling, lead time, quotes, routing etc.,(David Simchi-Levi 2003). According to (David Simchi-Levi 2003), the above issues can be addresses with few strategies as follows Distribution Network Configuration Inventory Control Supply Contracts Distribution Strategies Supply Chain Integration and Strategic partnering Outsourcing and Procurement Strategies Product Design Contrastingly other author(Simon Croom 2000) looks to analyse supply chain management as different levels as addressed below. Dyadic Level: This level considers just two party relations, like Supplier-Manufacturer or Supplier-Retailer Chain Level: This level composes of relations with different dyadic levels, relations with customer-manufacturer-supplier-distributor-retailer etc., Network Level: This level is concerned with all network operations like upstream and downstream flow.(Simon Croom 2000). Areas of concern for Supply chain Literature Figure 6: Principle component bodies of supply chain literature Source: (Simon Croom 2000) 2.3 Global Supply Chain Management [GSCM] In this decade of global exploitation for raw materials, cheap and skilled labour has impounded interest towards global supply chain. Fig6 illustrates a typical Global Supply chain network. Interfunctional characteristic of a value chain has grown more complex and non feasible. Manufacturers usually set up factories in foreign to take advantages of low cost labour, trade concession, reduced logistic expense for foreign market, subsidies in capital investment it also makes manufactures more reliable to customers due to their close proximity(Gargeya 2005).Greater needs for GSCM is debated in this chapter below. Authors debate of many learning methodologies to understand framework of Global Supply chain management (GSCM). According to (Pierpaolo Pontrandolfo 2003) GSCM issues can be understood by an Artificial intelligence approach called Reinforcement learning (RL). Currently there are many such frameworks, helping different Multi National Companys as a business model. (Barry 2004), describes â€Å"An enterprise may have lowest over-all costs in a stable world environment, but may also have the highest level of risk if any one of the multiple gating factors kink up an elongated global supply chain!† In a global supply chain, supply risk should be identified, asses its possible occurrence and provided with a monetary value for better understanding, Companys should easily modify towards alternate suppliers (Barry 2004). 2.3a Current State Issues However experts believe that Global supply chain are more complex and difficult to maintain unlike domestic SC. Transportation cost tend to increase substantially due to foreign location, also complicates decision making because of increased lead time(Gargeya 2005). The other factors that dont encourage Global supply chain are listed below (Gargeya 2005) Inventory Cost Trade offs Supplier availability and Quality Different Language, Culture, practices Difficulties in Material planning and demand forecast Infrastructural incapability and non sophisticated telecommunication Inadequate skilled labour, Technology and Equipments Uncertain exchange rates Instable economics and politics Inconsistency of financial performance of supply chain. Efficient product and service distribution to upcoming markets can only be provided if an effective marketing infrastructure is developed.(Richey 2001). Globalization process should be viewed as a network embedded with contemporaneous options, constraints and events(Richey 2001). It intends to look into developing a strategic supply chain development and implementation. One of the challenge in a Global supply chain is development of a decision making model which incorporates almost every concerns of entities running across the chain(Mahapatra 2004). It is one of the biggest concerns to produce effective decisions to reduce risk. Considerable efforts has now been expended in developing this model, many conventional methodologies are adopted like, Simulation, Mathematical program, statistics etc., (Mahapatra 2004). 2.3 b Emerging Issues Numerous Global Supply chain models have been proposed consistently by researchers to tackle issues. Diffusion in multiple plant production systems, globalized market has escalated researchers interest towards this field. Fig11 illustrates one of the models that help to design a supply network. This model proposed by authors â€Å"Carlos J. Vidal† and â€Å"Marc Goetschalckx† illustrates an overlook of a decision making model to tackle transfer pricing and transport cost allocation problems. It is seen from fig6 that the suppliers are broadly classified as internal and external suppliers. For External suppliers it is clear that there is no possible decision for transfer pricing because they directly sell to organizations at market prices. Unlike external suppliers an optimal transfer pricing is determined using the model for internal suppliers (Goetschalckx 2001). A detail literature review of transfer pricing issue and its effect on Global supply chain will be discusse d later in this chapter. Table 2: Major international issues considered in selected global supply chain models Source: (Goetschalckx 1997) Market place around Global supply chain is changing continually reflecting to more emerging issues. These issues have to be resolved in a very short span to stay competitive and to make supply chain more financially effective (Gargeya 2005). First issue is dramatic increase of organizations, outsourcing its work to both domestic and international locations. Secondly many industries outsourced with a unidirectional and enterprise level motive, but now strive to coordinate its decision process across different levels of suppliers (Gargeya 2005). Third issue is recent development in the field of supply chain resulting in expanded definition of â€Å"supply chain performance, as mission, strategy and objectives can vary considerably based on value of the product offered to the customer† (Gargeya 2005). Even with extreme significance and necessity for Global Supply chain management, the subject is complex and diffuse. Many technique and methods have emerged from different areas like operations, logistics, sociology, International relationship, marketing, management, economics et,. But still due to its significant growth and complexity it becomes hard to keep abreast with current development in the field of GSCM (John T. Mentzer 2006). Cementing is the fact that many of these methodologies has evolved with little interdependency, considering little attention in relating with existing models (John T. Mentzer 2006). Outsourcing and Global Supply chain management focus to cost reduction, improved quality; thus increasing its overall competitiveness through structure and process that increase managerial commitment and competencies (Richey 2001). On other hand increased outsourcing of manufacturing to foreign locations in recent years has influenced mangers to design their supply chain considering not only in-house facilities but also to incorporate supplier capabilities and infrastructure. Broader criteria are taken into account while selecting the suppliers unlike fundamental ways. Suppliers are chosen based on customers perception of suppliers to meet demand, with suitable attributes such as quality, quantity, delivery, service, price etc.,. In some case more broader criteria as defined by total ownership cost for carrying inventory, training and repair (Meixell 2005). Supplier selection escalates structure of design problems with limitations in number of vendors in a certain geography, minimum order quantity, geographic preference and supplier capacity (Gargeya 2005). Supply network integration through a supply chain also influences Global supply chain design. Business process integration is one of the best options, coordinating decision across multiple tiers of suppliers/vendors. In reality organizations engage in coordination activities like â€Å"Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI), Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and replenishment (CPFR)† (Gargeya 2005) by sharing sales promotion information. Advanced planning system (APS) integrate production decision making process, these systems are designed with precautions having Supplier capacity and Inventory in mind. These constraints influence Global Supply chain design in large scale (Gargeya 2005). As part of global supply chain design many factors like import duties has to be designed while framing since they contribute nearly 5-10 % of total cost (Pierpaolo Pontrandolfo 2003).Thriving through these issues, a well-coordinated and integrated design of Global Supply chain is hard to replicate thus making is very efficient and helps to achieve a competitive strategy in global scale (Gargeya 2005). 2.3c Need of Global Supply chain Management: Market Drift Global Supply chain models are complex and difficult to provide a solution compared to a domestic supply chain. In a global supply chain flow of cash and information is difficult to maintain unlike single country model. Inclusion of various taxes, Transfer pricing, duties, exchange rates, trade barriers are basic necessity to instil a real time supply system (Goetschalckx 1997). Todays market has advanced with increased globalization of supply sources and demand, drastic improvement of information transparency, innovative business models and venture capital. With such high competitive nature, Simple pursue for higher market share is no longer effective in improving profitability. Focus has drifted towards redefining their competitive profit zone; Companies now tend towards co-relationship to capture life time customer rather than mass buyers through strategic development and Management partnership (John T. Mentzer 2006). Global Market has immensely changed in these following factors Increase value of end users over mass buyers Importance of customization Emerging global consumer segment Time and quality related competition Improvements in communication Value for Information sharing Changing government policies Power shift to End users In broad spectrum of supply chain power has shifted towards End users. Customer satisfaction becomes the ultimate goal. Interfirm relation and collaboration is critical to increase customer satisfaction.(John T. Mentzer 2006). Original equipment manufacturers and supporting suppliers should be quick to react to customer requirements or else have to face prospect of losing market share. Mass Customization Mass customization results in increase in variety without compromising quality, price and efficiency i.e., customers expect better quality level and customization for low or competitive cost. This level of customization can only be achieved with full commitment of every entity of a supply chain like employees, distributors, suppliers etc,(John T. Mentzer 2006). Improved Communication Global competitive market means unit of business analysis of an organization is whole world not just a country/region. Communication revolution has offended late design or delay in delivery. In this context, â€Å"Kotler Philip† said â€Å"As firms globalize, they realize that no matter how large they are, they lackthe total resources and requisites for success.Viewing the complete supply chain forproducing value, they recognize the necessity of partnering with other organizations(John T. Mentzer 2006) â€Å". Time and Quality importance Time and Quality focused market competition can be achieved by basic Lean methodologies, reducing waste in the form of time, defects etc,. Improved quality not just means finished goods but also every area of a company.(John T. Mentzer 2006) Information Technology Influenced Most Powerful and conceptual influence is through immense improvement in the field of Information technology. Invention of modern computers superseded monolithic companies. Fast communication increased link between every member also eliminating multiple layers of people serving as information channel and control group, reducing cost and improved linkage eliminating time delays(John T. Mentzer 2006). 2.3d Benefits of Global Supply chain In this competitive world, market research is a fundamental aspect of any organizations design process. Anticipated results are an aspect of a design process, so it is necessary to understand possible benefits of Global Supply chain. Few benefits described by (Mechanic 2010), are Highest standard of quality. Increased standard expectancy from developing nations. Reduced Inventory and Transportation. Competitive advantage. Make or buy decisions simplified. Wider marker scale to target (New Market opportunity). Opportunity to learn and adapt business models around the globe. Increase in Supply chain flexibility. Surviving Economic recessions with auxiliary markets. 2.4 Supply Network design and collaboration 2.4 a General literature According to (Sheng Su 2008)†A supply chain is an integrated network of suppliers, transformation plants and distribution channels which are organized to acquire raw materials, transform the materials into final products, and deliver those products to customers(Sheng Su 2008)†. Recent developments in technology have forced typical sequential manufacturing industry into designing current ideas for business-business relationship with companies in supply networks (james B. Rice Jr 2002). (james B. Rice Jr 2002) Suggest that, Organizations which are looking for coordination across a strategic supply chain can be achieved by three independent segment coordination such as Information system Logistics Network Financial trade offs Author (Christine Harland 2003) describes the increasing complexity in supply networks. In growing market, issues can arise due to various reasons. Following table illustrates few origins of issue Table 3: Increasing Complexity in Supply network Source (Christine Harland 2003) Design of supply network can be approached as stages, Production, Procurement and distribution. Each stage can be scattered across supply network positioned anywhere in the globe as illustrated in fig11 (D.J. Thomas 1996). Designing and coordinating supply chain for a specific product usually tends to break functional and boundary barriers, resulting as a major issue. Functional boundaries can be deceiving in delivering knowledge thus a clear understanding is hard even for top management (D.J. Thomas 1996). Supply chain management is a new concept but coordinated planning has a profound history since early 1960 (D.J. Thomas 1996). Since then researchers had focused to integrate planning, scheduling and distribution (D.J. Thomas 1996), some of the early models and their functionality are review later in this chapter as illustrated in tables 7-13. Inventory Management barrier Managing Inventory is a vital and significantly increases customer satisfaction and also improves profit. According to (Billington 1992), there are 13 pitfalls in Inventory management. No Supply Chain metrics: Generally it is found that there is no strict performance metrics used to evaluate each entity of the supply chain. Usually individual organizations inside a supply network may have conflicting objectives which tends to reduce overall efficiency. This issue has to be addressed by assessing and orienting supply chain metrics which is governed by customer satisfaction criterion (Billington 1992). Inadequate definition of customer service: Usually customer service does not mean just better delivery time or quality. Many critical details like order cycle time and back order time et., these issues can be omitted by proper understand of customer and standards of expectancy (Billington 1992). Inaccurate Delivery status date: This clerical issue can result in massive impact on total efficiency of the supply chain. It can be resolved by centralized data storage under regular monitor (Billington 1992). Inefficient information systems: These issues mostly resolved with recent developments in Information Technology. Softwares like Enterprise resource planning can help to resolve this issue. Ignoring the impact of uncertainties: In a supply chain there can be different sources for uncertainties as, supplier lead time, raw material quality, process lead time, Transportation and fluctuating market etc., Implementation of Just-In-Time (PULL System) can help to resolve these issues as this system monitors uncertainties closely and react immediately (Billington 1992). Simplistic inventory stocking policies: This issue can be resolved with efficient safety stock policies (Billington 1992). Discrimination against internal customers: This is caused when Work in Progress goods are delivered and handled with your supplier unlike finished products to ultimate customer (Billington 1992). Poor coordination: as mentioned earlier in this research, harmonic network coordination is a fundamental entity of supply chain. Better coordination can be achieved by effective Supplier relationship management Incorrect assessment of Inventory costs: Occurrence of this issue is generally by omitting few inventory maintenance cost while formulating supply chain, usually An effective supply chain design helps in identifying best, Location and distribution centres, Plant Capacity, Market access and planning. Importance of Supplier Relations Management Importance of Supplier Relations Management Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Objective â€Å"Supply chain management (SCM) is the combination of art and science that goes into improving the way your company finds the raw components it needs to make a product or service and deliver it to customers.(Worthen., 2008)†. The main objectives of this research are to structure a supply network through multiple tiers. It extends in identifying the importance of Supplier relations management. Todays market as we know is customer driven, with extensive subcontracting, Inventory and supply chain management can make or break a deal. Good supply network emphasizes on seamless integration between Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and its suppliers. It encourages in merging its design of Product, process and services. Regard to todays world, Global Supply chain Management is changing virtually every day (group, June 2006 ) Large and Small companies are keen and very likely to trade internationally and also to take advantage of low cost countrys for their sources. (group, June 2006 ). This study takes a more holistic approach in identifying issues and constraints of global supply chain management. A very rigorous approach for optimally coordinating information, material and financial flow between supplier ti ers is another objective of this study. Study is supported by mapping different models and approaches in order to provide a harmonic coordination within a closed supply network. As mentioned earlier small and large companies are turning their interest towards low cost developing countries for sources, this research intends to study current trends and opportunities among these developing nations for sustainable supply network coordination. Chapter 2 Literature Review 2.1 Summary This paper revolves around various objectives as discussed earlier. The purpose of a literature review is to describe the work that has been reported on a topic. It illustrates an individuals ability to identify vital information and sketch existing knowledge. This literature review is carried out to review current market trends and also to have a thorough knowledge correlating our main objectives. Ideas and thoughts of different authors has been analysed to demonstrate a more eccentric review of the topic. Few case studies has also been analysed to understand practical difficulties and competitive advantage of a better supply network design. Table 1 illustrates various definitions proposed by authors. 2.2 Multi Tier Supply Chain Overview and key elements In general many Manufacturing Organizations are a network production and distribution sites. They transfer raw materials to finished products and supply it to end users (billington 1992). Strategic supply chains are those in which â€Å"members are strategically, operationally, and technologically integrated†(Hult 2004) and are assumed to be a long-term stable relationships with a potential to change in accordance with the variable demands and market conditions(Hult 2004). Inventories play a very important role at both macroeconomic and microeconomic levels (Jaber 2009). According to (Jaber 2009), Current inventory costs accounts to half of total logistical expenses of a supply chain(Lancioni 2000). Improper Inventory management in a supply chain usually tends to increase conflicts between entities of the supply chain i.e., between retailer, buyer, manufacturer and suppliers, which may result to inefficiencies of the supply chain.(Jaber 2009). In a ideal supply chain every firm is considered to be unified, thus in an ideally integrated supply chain, end users or ultimate customers are the pulling force of a value chain unlike classical way of Manufactures pushing the goods out(Tan 2001). Realistically achieving full integration of a value chain is difficult with its complexity, thus strategically important business organizations are emphasized (Tan 2001). Key elements and activities of supply chain are as shown below. Key Elements Of supply chain According to (Christopher 2005), One important aspect of effective SCM is to reduce or completely eliminate Inventory issues between different entities/Organisation in a supply chain. He suggests eliminating this issue by effective information sharing of all stock levels. This concept is called ‘Co- Managed Inventory CMI.(Christopher 2005).(Tan 2001) Suggest that primary focus of a SCM is to achieve efficient end product distribution from manufacturer to customer by replacing inventories with information. Supply chain managements philosophy also suggests that its operations are not concerned only with logistics, but expands through all other operations of an organisation to achieve a greater customer satisfaction and value.(John T. Mentzer 2001).Other basic characteristics of a SCM, according to (John T. Mentzer 2001) are Considering the whole supply chain as a single entity and by this virtue, total inventory flow is managed in a SCM. Orienting Intrafirm and interfirm operations with a strategic approach and thus reinforcing its capabilities by co-operative measures. Unique/Personalized approach should be carried out for every customer to stay competitive and to achieve better customer satisfaction. For years Supply chain was considered as channels for distribution. The main intent of channel distribution was to make each organisation more productive and efficient. It emphasized on making each organisation more profitable without considering its other counter parts of the channel, i.e. like Tier1 suppliers, tier2, distributors or retailers (Lancioni 2000). Over the years with the advent of Supply chain management, focus drifted from intrafunctionaltowards a more interfunctional vision, by which co-ordination between these entities of SCM was emphasised. Interfunctional Channel distribution or termed as the modern day supply chain management considered the opportunity in supply network coordination: â€Å". . . altering the levels of the various activities, often referred to as logistical in nature (such as transportation, inventories, facility location, and order processing) may adversely affect achieving the objectives of these other functional areas†(Lancioni 2000). Thu s customer becomes the driving force of supply chain management. Supply chain analysis (SCA) deals with vertical inter dependencies between the firms; it also requires a systematic approach towards resource allocation and information exchange at every stage of production (Simchi-Levi 2000). Globalization represents cross-border flow of finished goods and increase in global competitors, identifying opportunities and competitive supply chain within its industrial sector(John T. Mentzer 2006). Realistically Supply-chain Managers identify difference between a domestic and a global supply chain even if the conditions are same. It is found that complexitys designing Global supply chain is exponentially high compared to a domestic supply chain, also its ability to stay competitive lies in understanding subtleties of GSCM that exists only during cross border trade offs(John T. Mentzer 2006). Supply chain distinguishes itself from its constituent entities with its integration of operations (Mahapatra 2004). Supply chain management goes beyond co-ordination among firms; it recognises inter dependencies among them and also delivers effective relationship management. Logistics is an integral part of effective supply chain.(Pierpaolo Pontrandolfo 2003) Suggest that Logistics operations within an organization can be related to Forward flow of goods both WIP and Finished goods Information flow feedback Management and Control Network Analysis (NA) is a technique which provides many tools to map relationship between internal organisations. NA also concerns with horizontal dependencies unlike SCA (Sergio G. Lazzarini 2001). As SCA and NA there are many other analyses methodologys suggests the importance of Interdependencies between organizations, According to (John T. Mentzer 2001) , the following activities are necessary to implement a better SCM. â€Å"Integrated Behaviour Sharing risks and rewards mutually Co-ordination Mutual sharing Information Goals and focus to serve customers Process integration Installing Long-term relations with suppliers and customers†(Mentzer 2001). The term supply chain management had an increased influence over the past decade. For instance, Annual Conference of the Council of Logistics Management 1995, 13.5% of the conference sessions posted titles concerning the words â€Å"supply chain.† At the 1997 conference, just two years later, the number of sessions about the terminology drastically increased to 22.4% (John T. Mentzer 2001). This increase has been steady all these years. This increase widely illustrates the global importance and benefits of Supply chain management. There are different types of channel relations in a supply chain as illustrated in Fig4. Supplier Organization/OEM Customer Figure3a: Direct Supply Chain Suppliers Supplier Organization Customers SupplierCustomer Figure 3b: Extended Supply Chain Third party Logistics Supplier Ultimate Supplier Organization Customer Ultimate Supplier Customer Financial Market Provider Research The figure1 identifies different degrees of supply chain complexity they are direct, extended and ultimate supply chain. A direct supply chain consists of a supplier and a customer involved in upstream and downstream flow of (Products, services, finance and information)(Figure: 4a.)(John T. Mentzer 2001) Similarly an extended supply chain includes suppliers, Immediate suppliers and customers and immediate customer, all involved in the upstream and/or downstream flows of products, finances, services and info(Figure: 4b). Thus an ultimate supply chain includes all the organizations involved in all the upstream and downstream flows of products/services/finances, and information from the ultimate supplier to the ultimate customer. (Figure: 4c) illustrates the complex functions of an ultimate supply chains. This may include 3rd Party Financial institutions; this involvement may be a cause to reduce overall risk involved. Similarly Even logistical operations are also supported by (3PL) In figure:4c , a market research firm is also seen as an entity of this complex chain. These may very well support the Manufacturer by providing vital market information about their end users.(John T. Mentzer 2001). Process of Supply chain management Many organisations believe that with process approach it is difficult to reduce/optimize their production flow in SCM (Cooper 2000). Customer relationship management Customer service management Demand management Order fulfilment Manufacturing flow management Procurement Product development and commercialization Returns. Multi Levels Explained It is necessary to understand different network analysis, methodologies to understand and resolve issues in designing a better supply chain management. Fig2 illustrates a basic model of a multi tier supply chain. Each level has its own importance and prominent influence over the chain thus making every level an integral part of the complex system. Fig2 is a sceptic of four level supply chain with centralised decision process. The different levels are as described below(Goyal 2009) First level-This Level of supply network contains multiple buyers/Distributor. Second Level- This level encompasses of Vendors or Manufacturer ie., Original Equipment Manufacturer. Third level- This level contains Tier-1 /Immediate Suppliers of the supply chain. Fourth level- This level contains different tier 2 suppliers. These suppliers support tier1 suppliers or directly to the manufacturer by providing product, service or finance.(Goyal 2009). Levels of issue The major issues at different levels that have to be addressed in a multi dimensional Supply chain are(David Simchi-Levi 2003). Strategic level: Strategic level of decisions are vital which provides and long and sustainable effect on an organization. Major decisions like factory location, storage, Plant capacity and logistic network fall under this level. Tactical level: These decision that change steadily(eg: every quarter) depending on market position, like transportation, production capacity, inventory policy, customer review etc., Operational level: These decisions are mostly day to day like scheduling, lead time, quotes, routing etc.,(David Simchi-Levi 2003). According to (David Simchi-Levi 2003), the above issues can be addresses with few strategies as follows Distribution Network Configuration Inventory Control Supply Contracts Distribution Strategies Supply Chain Integration and Strategic partnering Outsourcing and Procurement Strategies Product Design Contrastingly other author(Simon Croom 2000) looks to analyse supply chain management as different levels as addressed below. Dyadic Level: This level considers just two party relations, like Supplier-Manufacturer or Supplier-Retailer Chain Level: This level composes of relations with different dyadic levels, relations with customer-manufacturer-supplier-distributor-retailer etc., Network Level: This level is concerned with all network operations like upstream and downstream flow.(Simon Croom 2000). Areas of concern for Supply chain Literature Figure 6: Principle component bodies of supply chain literature Source: (Simon Croom 2000) 2.3 Global Supply Chain Management [GSCM] In this decade of global exploitation for raw materials, cheap and skilled labour has impounded interest towards global supply chain. Fig6 illustrates a typical Global Supply chain network. Interfunctional characteristic of a value chain has grown more complex and non feasible. Manufacturers usually set up factories in foreign to take advantages of low cost labour, trade concession, reduced logistic expense for foreign market, subsidies in capital investment it also makes manufactures more reliable to customers due to their close proximity(Gargeya 2005).Greater needs for GSCM is debated in this chapter below. Authors debate of many learning methodologies to understand framework of Global Supply chain management (GSCM). According to (Pierpaolo Pontrandolfo 2003) GSCM issues can be understood by an Artificial intelligence approach called Reinforcement learning (RL). Currently there are many such frameworks, helping different Multi National Companys as a business model. (Barry 2004), describes â€Å"An enterprise may have lowest over-all costs in a stable world environment, but may also have the highest level of risk if any one of the multiple gating factors kink up an elongated global supply chain!† In a global supply chain, supply risk should be identified, asses its possible occurrence and provided with a monetary value for better understanding, Companys should easily modify towards alternate suppliers (Barry 2004). 2.3a Current State Issues However experts believe that Global supply chain are more complex and difficult to maintain unlike domestic SC. Transportation cost tend to increase substantially due to foreign location, also complicates decision making because of increased lead time(Gargeya 2005). The other factors that dont encourage Global supply chain are listed below (Gargeya 2005) Inventory Cost Trade offs Supplier availability and Quality Different Language, Culture, practices Difficulties in Material planning and demand forecast Infrastructural incapability and non sophisticated telecommunication Inadequate skilled labour, Technology and Equipments Uncertain exchange rates Instable economics and politics Inconsistency of financial performance of supply chain. Efficient product and service distribution to upcoming markets can only be provided if an effective marketing infrastructure is developed.(Richey 2001). Globalization process should be viewed as a network embedded with contemporaneous options, constraints and events(Richey 2001). It intends to look into developing a strategic supply chain development and implementation. One of the challenge in a Global supply chain is development of a decision making model which incorporates almost every concerns of entities running across the chain(Mahapatra 2004). It is one of the biggest concerns to produce effective decisions to reduce risk. Considerable efforts has now been expended in developing this model, many conventional methodologies are adopted like, Simulation, Mathematical program, statistics etc., (Mahapatra 2004). 2.3 b Emerging Issues Numerous Global Supply chain models have been proposed consistently by researchers to tackle issues. Diffusion in multiple plant production systems, globalized market has escalated researchers interest towards this field. Fig11 illustrates one of the models that help to design a supply network. This model proposed by authors â€Å"Carlos J. Vidal† and â€Å"Marc Goetschalckx† illustrates an overlook of a decision making model to tackle transfer pricing and transport cost allocation problems. It is seen from fig6 that the suppliers are broadly classified as internal and external suppliers. For External suppliers it is clear that there is no possible decision for transfer pricing because they directly sell to organizations at market prices. Unlike external suppliers an optimal transfer pricing is determined using the model for internal suppliers (Goetschalckx 2001). A detail literature review of transfer pricing issue and its effect on Global supply chain will be discusse d later in this chapter. Table 2: Major international issues considered in selected global supply chain models Source: (Goetschalckx 1997) Market place around Global supply chain is changing continually reflecting to more emerging issues. These issues have to be resolved in a very short span to stay competitive and to make supply chain more financially effective (Gargeya 2005). First issue is dramatic increase of organizations, outsourcing its work to both domestic and international locations. Secondly many industries outsourced with a unidirectional and enterprise level motive, but now strive to coordinate its decision process across different levels of suppliers (Gargeya 2005). Third issue is recent development in the field of supply chain resulting in expanded definition of â€Å"supply chain performance, as mission, strategy and objectives can vary considerably based on value of the product offered to the customer† (Gargeya 2005). Even with extreme significance and necessity for Global Supply chain management, the subject is complex and diffuse. Many technique and methods have emerged from different areas like operations, logistics, sociology, International relationship, marketing, management, economics et,. But still due to its significant growth and complexity it becomes hard to keep abreast with current development in the field of GSCM (John T. Mentzer 2006). Cementing is the fact that many of these methodologies has evolved with little interdependency, considering little attention in relating with existing models (John T. Mentzer 2006). Outsourcing and Global Supply chain management focus to cost reduction, improved quality; thus increasing its overall competitiveness through structure and process that increase managerial commitment and competencies (Richey 2001). On other hand increased outsourcing of manufacturing to foreign locations in recent years has influenced mangers to design their supply chain considering not only in-house facilities but also to incorporate supplier capabilities and infrastructure. Broader criteria are taken into account while selecting the suppliers unlike fundamental ways. Suppliers are chosen based on customers perception of suppliers to meet demand, with suitable attributes such as quality, quantity, delivery, service, price etc.,. In some case more broader criteria as defined by total ownership cost for carrying inventory, training and repair (Meixell 2005). Supplier selection escalates structure of design problems with limitations in number of vendors in a certain geography, minimum order quantity, geographic preference and supplier capacity (Gargeya 2005). Supply network integration through a supply chain also influences Global supply chain design. Business process integration is one of the best options, coordinating decision across multiple tiers of suppliers/vendors. In reality organizations engage in coordination activities like â€Å"Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI), Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and replenishment (CPFR)† (Gargeya 2005) by sharing sales promotion information. Advanced planning system (APS) integrate production decision making process, these systems are designed with precautions having Supplier capacity and Inventory in mind. These constraints influence Global Supply chain design in large scale (Gargeya 2005). As part of global supply chain design many factors like import duties has to be designed while framing since they contribute nearly 5-10 % of total cost (Pierpaolo Pontrandolfo 2003).Thriving through these issues, a well-coordinated and integrated design of Global Supply chain is hard to replicate thus making is very efficient and helps to achieve a competitive strategy in global scale (Gargeya 2005). 2.3c Need of Global Supply chain Management: Market Drift Global Supply chain models are complex and difficult to provide a solution compared to a domestic supply chain. In a global supply chain flow of cash and information is difficult to maintain unlike single country model. Inclusion of various taxes, Transfer pricing, duties, exchange rates, trade barriers are basic necessity to instil a real time supply system (Goetschalckx 1997). Todays market has advanced with increased globalization of supply sources and demand, drastic improvement of information transparency, innovative business models and venture capital. With such high competitive nature, Simple pursue for higher market share is no longer effective in improving profitability. Focus has drifted towards redefining their competitive profit zone; Companies now tend towards co-relationship to capture life time customer rather than mass buyers through strategic development and Management partnership (John T. Mentzer 2006). Global Market has immensely changed in these following factors Increase value of end users over mass buyers Importance of customization Emerging global consumer segment Time and quality related competition Improvements in communication Value for Information sharing Changing government policies Power shift to End users In broad spectrum of supply chain power has shifted towards End users. Customer satisfaction becomes the ultimate goal. Interfirm relation and collaboration is critical to increase customer satisfaction.(John T. Mentzer 2006). Original equipment manufacturers and supporting suppliers should be quick to react to customer requirements or else have to face prospect of losing market share. Mass Customization Mass customization results in increase in variety without compromising quality, price and efficiency i.e., customers expect better quality level and customization for low or competitive cost. This level of customization can only be achieved with full commitment of every entity of a supply chain like employees, distributors, suppliers etc,(John T. Mentzer 2006). Improved Communication Global competitive market means unit of business analysis of an organization is whole world not just a country/region. Communication revolution has offended late design or delay in delivery. In this context, â€Å"Kotler Philip† said â€Å"As firms globalize, they realize that no matter how large they are, they lackthe total resources and requisites for success.Viewing the complete supply chain forproducing value, they recognize the necessity of partnering with other organizations(John T. Mentzer 2006) â€Å". Time and Quality importance Time and Quality focused market competition can be achieved by basic Lean methodologies, reducing waste in the form of time, defects etc,. Improved quality not just means finished goods but also every area of a company.(John T. Mentzer 2006) Information Technology Influenced Most Powerful and conceptual influence is through immense improvement in the field of Information technology. Invention of modern computers superseded monolithic companies. Fast communication increased link between every member also eliminating multiple layers of people serving as information channel and control group, reducing cost and improved linkage eliminating time delays(John T. Mentzer 2006). 2.3d Benefits of Global Supply chain In this competitive world, market research is a fundamental aspect of any organizations design process. Anticipated results are an aspect of a design process, so it is necessary to understand possible benefits of Global Supply chain. Few benefits described by (Mechanic 2010), are Highest standard of quality. Increased standard expectancy from developing nations. Reduced Inventory and Transportation. Competitive advantage. Make or buy decisions simplified. Wider marker scale to target (New Market opportunity). Opportunity to learn and adapt business models around the globe. Increase in Supply chain flexibility. Surviving Economic recessions with auxiliary markets. 2.4 Supply Network design and collaboration 2.4 a General literature According to (Sheng Su 2008)†A supply chain is an integrated network of suppliers, transformation plants and distribution channels which are organized to acquire raw materials, transform the materials into final products, and deliver those products to customers(Sheng Su 2008)†. Recent developments in technology have forced typical sequential manufacturing industry into designing current ideas for business-business relationship with companies in supply networks (james B. Rice Jr 2002). (james B. Rice Jr 2002) Suggest that, Organizations which are looking for coordination across a strategic supply chain can be achieved by three independent segment coordination such as Information system Logistics Network Financial trade offs Author (Christine Harland 2003) describes the increasing complexity in supply networks. In growing market, issues can arise due to various reasons. Following table illustrates few origins of issue Table 3: Increasing Complexity in Supply network Source (Christine Harland 2003) Design of supply network can be approached as stages, Production, Procurement and distribution. Each stage can be scattered across supply network positioned anywhere in the globe as illustrated in fig11 (D.J. Thomas 1996). Designing and coordinating supply chain for a specific product usually tends to break functional and boundary barriers, resulting as a major issue. Functional boundaries can be deceiving in delivering knowledge thus a clear understanding is hard even for top management (D.J. Thomas 1996). Supply chain management is a new concept but coordinated planning has a profound history since early 1960 (D.J. Thomas 1996). Since then researchers had focused to integrate planning, scheduling and distribution (D.J. Thomas 1996), some of the early models and their functionality are review later in this chapter as illustrated in tables 7-13. Inventory Management barrier Managing Inventory is a vital and significantly increases customer satisfaction and also improves profit. According to (Billington 1992), there are 13 pitfalls in Inventory management. No Supply Chain metrics: Generally it is found that there is no strict performance metrics used to evaluate each entity of the supply chain. Usually individual organizations inside a supply network may have conflicting objectives which tends to reduce overall efficiency. This issue has to be addressed by assessing and orienting supply chain metrics which is governed by customer satisfaction criterion (Billington 1992). Inadequate definition of customer service: Usually customer service does not mean just better delivery time or quality. Many critical details like order cycle time and back order time et., these issues can be omitted by proper understand of customer and standards of expectancy (Billington 1992). Inaccurate Delivery status date: This clerical issue can result in massive impact on total efficiency of the supply chain. It can be resolved by centralized data storage under regular monitor (Billington 1992). Inefficient information systems: These issues mostly resolved with recent developments in Information Technology. Softwares like Enterprise resource planning can help to resolve this issue. Ignoring the impact of uncertainties: In a supply chain there can be different sources for uncertainties as, supplier lead time, raw material quality, process lead time, Transportation and fluctuating market etc., Implementation of Just-In-Time (PULL System) can help to resolve these issues as this system monitors uncertainties closely and react immediately (Billington 1992). Simplistic inventory stocking policies: This issue can be resolved with efficient safety stock policies (Billington 1992). Discrimination against internal customers: This is caused when Work in Progress goods are delivered and handled with your supplier unlike finished products to ultimate customer (Billington 1992). Poor coordination: as mentioned earlier in this research, harmonic network coordination is a fundamental entity of supply chain. Better coordination can be achieved by effective Supplier relationship management Incorrect assessment of Inventory costs: Occurrence of this issue is generally by omitting few inventory maintenance cost while formulating supply chain, usually An effective supply chain design helps in identifying best, Location and distribution centres, Plant Capacity, Market access and planning.