Culture of Chinese Family Stereotype Essay

Taiwan, my mother country, though suffering under complicated identification obscurity, is still applying Chinese culture and values. We still commemorate Chinese New Year, QingMing Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and so forth. We still believe in Confucianism and Chinese ethic moral rules like â€Å" †, â€Å" †, â€Å" , †, to name but a few. In addition, we also share the similar diet culture, since our staple food mostly based on rice and noodles. There are surplus parallels between Taiwanese culture and those adopted in the mother China even though we’ve been separated geographically for centuries. Though Taiwan is politically independent from China, as a Chinese, I would still accept the perspective that I’m belonging to part of the Great Chinese Culture Region( ), as we can call it â€Å"Chinese Family†. Although modern technology and knowledge keep flourishing, people nowadays may think that western culture somehow influence people more, included religion believing , fast food culture, insight of democracy and freedom, western literature, and so on. However, as a Chinese, I can’t deny that Chinese culture did affect our daily living physically and mentally. Many values originated from the ancient people and philosophers, included those in ,,,, still maintain clear and essential in our mind , since we have been taught to follow the concept and the worship the good deeds those ancient sages and virtuous, like Confucius, Zhuangzi, Mencius, Yao and Shun( )†¦ have conducted. â€Å" †, â€Å" †, â€Å" †, â€Å" †, â€Å" , , †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ these values not only affect the way Chinese people think, but also become a sub consciousness which lead to the way we live. As we often emphasis the importance of studying, Chinese parents are willing to spent their whole life working hard so their children can accept better education because they believe the sayings, â€Å" †, â€Å" , †. In contrary, western families take less focus on their children’s academic performance; they would rather think that children should seek out their interest instead of obtaining all A grades at school. Furthermore, it would also affect how parents educate their children, and this educating concept would pass on by generations. And the phenomenon is just the same in Taiwan as that in Mainland. As most Chinese parents always believe and hope their children to be the best( , ), they usually devote more than western parents do, just to provide the best resources for their children. This may somehow spoil a child, too. As Chinese family often pass their fortune to their descendants, rather than considering parents’ fortune as their own, offspring of a wealthy family may no longer eager to achieve his own life goal and seek his own fortune. In contrary, western children usually gain their own fortune by their hand, on their own, which is considered more independent and responsible. There’s a real story of a business man. Because he’s so busy and so was his wife, they’ve decided to send their 13 years old son to New Zealand for a couple of months, and there was a friend named Marry, who could take care of their child. When the child met Marry, the first thing she said was, â€Å"Listen, my sweet heart, I’ll like to notice you that I’m here only to take care of your living, but doesn’t mean I should make you breakfast, do your laundries and dishes, you should do it all by yourself. You’re now 13, which is definitely able to start taking care of yourself. Parents aren’t responsible to look after your whole life; thus, you should be independent from now on. You live your life and I do mine own business, is that clear enough? † After 6 months, while the business man and his wife picked their son back from New Zealand, they’re totally stunned; their son had changed thoroughly mature. He began to make breakfast, woke up early himself and was able to schedule his own life, which he never did before. This dramatically change simply based on how western and eastern parents educate their children. As a result, it leads to the circumstance that western children are usually more independent. In addition, the value of women rights also maintain deeply in Chinese people’s mind, though we are now in a world advocating gender equality. Even nowadays, some people still believe the concept â€Å" †, â€Å" †, â€Å" , , †, but mostly the elders. Thanks to the revolution New Culture Movement ( ) brought to the Chinese society. People started to explore and accept new technology and knowledge, not only the perception of Democracy() and Science( ), but also the new century values. For instance, in the old days, women are forced to bound their feet from their young ages, so that their feet may look tiny and delicate, which ancient Chinese regarded as sexy and beauty. They even worshiped tiny feet as â€Å" †. This social usage only happened in the upper classes which higher status women did not need to deal with tuff tasks that rural area women did. On the other hand, it also lead to the phenomenon that women were having lower social position than men were. But after the New Culture Movement and other further revolutions, women gradually stopped to suffer from the pain bounding feet brought to them, and started to handle more housework; little by little, women’s social status had been raised. When it comes to the argument of women’s right and discrimination, it’s no doubt that Chinese ancient culture and concept have deeply influenced the way the majority behaves. Not only in Mainland, but also the whole Chinese cultural region, included Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and other South East Asian countries. Take Japan as an example, Japanese girls are well known for their virtuous behavior, while men are quite accustomed to chauvinism( ). This may be somewhat resulted from the old sayings originated from China; for instance, â€Å" , †, â€Å" †, and so on. However, women status obviously do rise in this century, modern parents may be more willing to give birth to a girl because they may think girls are sweeter than boys, ignoring the stereotype that having a boy is better than a girl. This stereotype is resulted from the traditional custom that boys are able to pass the family name, while girls no longer belongs to the family after they’re married. Plus, this is also a chief reason why ancient Chinese family sent a boy to school rather than a girl, cause only when a boy achieve high social status after , will the whole family gain benefits. Thus, brought out a novel which the feminine role have to disguise herself as a guy so as to be able to pursue education. We can see that phenomenon changes not only in giving birth to a baby, but also in education providing. In the old times, there were mostly boys that could access complete education instead of girls, but now, we may even discover that the numbers of girls are surprisingly higher than boys. Which some researches declaim that it’s because girls are innately more careful and thoughtful than boys are. The case is similar in industries and working places, more and more â€Å"Iron ladies† exist and keep on controlling the whole company, which may be more success than men. What’s more there’re even throngs of specific phrases for modern women, like â€Å" — †, â€Å" †, â€Å" †(which refers to women that haven’t married but are successful in their carriers), and so forth. There is an awkward circumstance that women in upper social status are mostly unmarried, and so as men within lower social status. This is due to two main reasons; first, women education is relatively emphasized than that in the past; second, traditional concept has that a woman should marry a man better than she is. As the result, a woman graduated from high school may marry a man finished college studying; woman finished college studying may marry a guy accomplished graduated school; woman accomplished graduated school marry a PHD guy; and a PHD woman may marry a professor; then who will a female professor marry? Obviously not a guy graduated from high school! This worrying case lead to a sad ending, which then somehow may strictly proofed the saying â€Å" †. However, to my opinion, I think this is a controversial issue because being married involves mostly on love itself, we shouldn’t blame it all to the Chinese cultural effects. But frankly speaking, we can’t ignore truth that these old sayings somehow match to the phenomena we’re now facing. Even though women are now capable enough to compare with men in industry fields, there still exist â€Å" †, which means however hard women try, the promotion rate and the salaries are relatively lower than that of men’s. This may also be an outcome of the Chinese stereotypes that men are more capable then women are when it comes to work. For conclusion, old Chinese concepts really influence modern society deeply in an unmeasurable degree. All in all, although ancient Chinese empires had faded into history, glorious kingdoms had turned into dust, brilliant philosophy of ancient saints only exist in books now, the influence they brought to this Chinese world still remain and just couldn’t be erased from our mind. Chinese culture and ancient concepts couldn’t be ignored. They’re now the biggest part of our life because they’re what we come from, and what foster us. It’s our soul, our mother characteristic. Also, they’re things that allow us to identify ourselves as a member of this huge â€Å"Chinese Family†. And because it’s uniqueness and specialties, we’re always able to find our loyalties. In this complex culture integrated world, finding a sense of belonging is really important, because it may make us feel comfortable and gleeful to be part of this big family. We can even say that, without Chinese culture, we can’t be who we are now. Cherish our culture and maintain it well so as to pass the Chinese spirit on and on is what our generation should do. Despite of focusing and arguing on whether I’m a Taiwanese or a Chinese, It’s more vital and meaningful to define myself as a member part of Chinese culture. I’m from Taiwan, and I’m a Chinese. I’m proud of my identity; I’m proud of this Chinese family I belong to. It’s where my mind and spirit mature, where my ancestor struggled for their lives and for the next generation, for us.

First Union: An Office Without Walls Essay

Introduction The purpose of this paper is to analyze the Integrative Case 5.0, â€Å"First Union: An Office Without Walls,† found on page 589 of the text book Organization Theory & Design, by Richard L. Daft, and to respond to the questions relating to the case study. Problem Statement First Union Federal is a large savings and loan banking organization at which Meg Rabb has been employed with since she was 18. Meg has been recently promoted to Vice President of her division after serving the last five years as assistant V.P. At the time Meg was hired as an assistant V.P. there had not been a single female in the position of V.P. After a week in her new position, Meg was notified by her boss Dan Cummings that she would be moving into a new office. After three weeks of construction, Meg’s office was complete; however, only a day after settling in, Meg was summoned to her boss’ office yet again. She was informed that the First Union president had performed a walkthrough of the building and ruled that Meg’s office was too large and would have to be torn down and rebuild from the current 12 feet by 12 feet specifications down to the new 10 feet by 10 feet specifications outlined in the new regulations. Meg was angry and questioned herself how this would effect and damage her department’s morale, and how she could possibly lose the respect from her peers she worked so hard to earn. Meg also wondered if this had to do with her being a woman in a position of power – especially when her promotion came after an intervention from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC discovered that First Union did not have any female executives at or above the level of V.P. prior to Meg’s promotion and encouraged First Union to seek out qualified female candidates for promotion to executive status. This paper will identify the main issue at First Union, discuss the forces for cultural change, explain the use of power, and finally determine what political tactics Meg should use to resolver her office situation at First Union. Questions What is the main issue in this case? The main issue in this case is First Union’s corporate culture, the accompanying ethical values and how these are motivated by organization managers. According to Daft (2013), organizational culture exists at two levels – on the surface are the visible characteristics and observable behaviors and below the surface are the underlying values, assumptions, and beliefs that make up the second level (p. 393). At First Union, the issue with corporate culture touches on both levels of organizational culture. The observable behaviors include office layouts, the type of control systems and power structures used by the company and the ceremonies organizations share (Daft, 2013, p. 393). The office layout in Meg’s department was split up into sections and partitioned off for each of her 12 staff. Depending on their level in the organizational hierarchy, employees had variable office furniture for their individual section. The lowest-level employees received minimal second-rate quality furniture and often had to share the space with other employees. Robertson argues with the right approach, a company can become forward-thinking by creating a workspace with flow and function that motivates and inspires people and their business (2006, p. 35). Today, forward-thinking companies are turning to egalitarianism to get the job done. Rather than acting like the office space is symbol of status, all office spaces should be equal, cutting down on costs of space, equipment and furniture (Robertson, 2006, p. 34). Secondly, Meg’s boss, Dan Cummings, is senior V.P. of human resources. With his position, he organized the first annual â€Å"Dan Cummings Golf Invitational† now in its fourth year setup. Invitations to this prestigious event indicated status in the organization – only those V.P.s and assistant V.P.s close to senior management received invitations; yet no female employee had ever been invited to the golf tournament. Disregard to ethics threats substantial harm to reputation and to other significant intangible corporate assets – including employee morale and productivity. The outcomes of unethical behavior can affect an organization’s ability to survive (Doorley & Garcia, 2007, p. 30). In addition to these contributing factors, Meg was the first person to fall victim to stri ct adherence to the miscalculation of  her office size. Not only that, but shortly before her promotion, the EEOC put pressure on First Union to hire female executives since none had been put in place. Meg was the first of her kind. The EEOC was trying to encourage diversity management. Diversity management is defined by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) as a practice intended to produce and maintain a positive work environment that recognizes the value of individuals’ similarities and differences, so that everyone can reach their potential and make the most of their contributions to an organization’s strategic goals and objectives (GAO, 2013, p. 5). What are the forces for cultural change at First Union? Cultural changes will need to start from the top down. According to Daft (2013), culture changes refer to changes in the values, attitudes, expectations, beliefs, abilities, and behavior of employees such as the mindset of the organization (p. 435). Miller and Tucker (2013) suggest the senior leadership must set the tone at the top for integrity and ethics including diversity (p. 56). Consulting with First Union’s outside auditors, internal and outside legal counsel may be helpful in laying the groundwork for an updated diversity plan and Code of Ethics (Miller & Tucker, 2013, p. 56). Miller and Tucker go on to state top management should work with legal counsel to identify possible events that could impact the company’s diversity program, such as the annual golf tournament (2013, p. 56). Discuss the use of power at First Union. The use of power at First Union is interesting as it has many facets. For one, the mortgage division was considered the most powerful as it was the department that made that brought in a substantial amount of revenues. Because of the mortgage division’s contribution to the bottom line, the mortgages offices had been remodeled so beautifully, that they stood out from the rest of the bank. This is an example of reward power (Jing, 2010, p. 220). The president was not happy with the cost of the renovations but kept his displeasure to himself due to the significant profits generated by the mortgage division. Just as stated above, First Union had not employed any female executives until the EEOC intervened encouraging them to do so. And just as there had not been any women executives in a VP status, none had been invited to play in the annual golf invitational either. This is a prime example of referent power, which refers to the ability to provide others with feelings of personal acceptance, approval, usefulness, or worth (Jing, 2010, p. 220). The artwork around First Union was also suggestive of the values perceived by top management as one particular art piece displayed a member of the female body and was hung in the president’s conference room. This is another example of referent power. An example of legitimate and possible coercive power is the president’s influence on the building manager in deciding to downsize Meg’s office. As stated in the text, Meg was the first person to come under scrutiny with the current regulations. This is considered legitimate because of the president’s position to impose a sense of obligation on the building manager to follow the guidelines even though they were casually held in compliance with other executives. It is also coercive as the president has the power to grant and take away rewards and privileges (Jing, 2010, p. 220). What political tactics should Meg use? Political behavior is an important factor of power progressions in organizations and has been found to enhance leader-member relations, career mentoring, and customer satisfaction (Gupta, Singh, & Singh, 2008, p. 16). Meg should only employ sanctioned political tactics that are perceived as acceptable in the workplace as a way to progress positive relationships. She should try to cultivate positive relationships throughout the First Union by learning about their views and developing mutually advantageous coalitions and alliances (Daft, 2013, p. 548). Meg should also use the political tactic of reciprocity which works hand in hand in building coalitions and alliances. Being in a V.P. position, Meg has the prime opportunity to be a mentor to  other females since she is the first woman V.P. at First Union; not only would she be educating females, but educating males on acceptable behavior changing the culture of First Union and its perception of women in the workplace (Gupta et. al, 2008, p. 23). Other political tactics include: promoting self-interests (such as her golf lessons) through creating and maintaining a favorable image with the â€Å"power holders† to help foster a change in culture. Meg can draw the attention to the success her department has in establishing positive staff morale and by developing a reputation as formidable as the mortgage division. Doing so would make her as a V.P. and the department more desirable to the influential members of First Union (Gupta et. al, 2008, p. 24). And lastly, Meg can become a â€Å"mentoree† by looking up to the more senior members of the organization for advice and support. Conclusion In conclusion, First Union’s main issue is the corporate culture and the need for change in the organization. In order to foster this need, top management will need to change their way of thinking and educate the staff from their level on down. With Meg being the first woman hired as a female V.P., she is in a prime position to help pave the way towards this new cultural change. References Daft, R. L. (2013). Organization Theory & Design (11th ed.) Mason, OH: South-Western. Doorley, J., & Garcia, H. (2007). Reputation Management: The Key to Successful Public Relations and Corporate Communication. New York: Routledge. Government Accountability Office. (2013). Diversity management. (GAO-13-238). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Jing, Z. (2010). Cross-cultural study on French and Chinese managers’ use of power sources. International Journal of Business & Management, 5(5), 219-225. Miller, S.K., & Tucker III, J. J. (2013). Diversity trends, practices, and challenges in the financial services industry. Journal of Financial Service Professionals, 67(6), 46-57. Robertson, D. (2006). Does your office work for you?. J@Pan Inc, (66), 32-35. Gupta, B., Singh, S., & Singh, N. (2008) Self-monitoring and perceived job security and use of sanctioned and non-sanctioned political tactics. Vilakshan: The XIMB Journal of Management, 5(2), 15-32.

Ops Presentation

BGMT 20010 Operations and Supply Chain Management Report December 2011 ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- DANKERS FUNITUTE LTD ————————————————- ————————————————- THE NEW BUSINESS PLANNING CASE ————————————————- ——————————— Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- â€Å"If You Are Not Measuring, You Are Not Managing† CONTENTS 1. Executive Summary 2. Overview of the Organisation 3.Description of the main issues raised in the case 4. Problem One; Breakdown in Organisational Relationships * Main issue raised in the case * Steps management adopted to address the issue raised * Analysis of the effectiveness of the existing approach * Recommendations on how it could be addressed more effectively 5. Problem Two; Short-term actions regarding the new product development process * Main issue raised in the case * Steps management adopted to address the issue raised * Analysis of the effectiveness of the existing approach * Recommendations on how it could be addressed more effectively . Problem Three; Long-term developments regarding the new product development process * Main issue raised in the case * Steps management adopted to address the issue raised * Analysis of the effectiveness of the existing approach * Recommendations on how it could be addressed more effectively 7. Conclusion 8. References 1. Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to provide Rolf Danker and Danker’s Furniture Ltd with some short-term and long-term suggestions on how to successfully implement their new business venture into timber framed conservatories.This report offers advice on how to successfully incorporate this new venture into the existing processes within the company as well as recommendations on short-term establishment and long-term expansion. Some of the problems that were encountered at the onset of the venture included communication breakdowns between company departments, quality concerns in the two existing Strategic Business Units, and resource constraints. This report suggests that Danker’s adopt a swim lane process map to help with the communications failures as well as improvements in the internal and external supply chains. 2.Overview of the organisation During the 1800â⠂¬â„¢s, a Danker family from Norway moved to County Meath, Ireland. The family was associated with a tradition of high quality furniture design, and high-class customary made furniture. The Danker family discovered that there was a market for their furniture in Meath, enclosed by rich middle class estates. During the next few generations, the Danker’s family continued the family tradition of making furniture and at the end of the 20th Century, ‘Danker’ was renowned for its ability to produce customised hardwood design based on clients specific requirements and specifications.The company became known as Danker’s Furniture Ltd and was well established in the manufacturing markets. The company had been very profitable and had obtained a great reputation. But in the late 1990’s the company experienced problems and the newly appointed Managing Director Rolf Danker appointed me as operations manager, which quickly resolved the underlying difficulties in t he business at the time. Currently under the management of newly appointed Managing Director Rolf Danker, the business’ strategic focus is to grow and expand through the production of new goods and services.The massive economic growth in the 1990’s resulted in a huge development in the construction area, Rolf Danker, successfully discovered an opportunity to enter into the standard cabinetry market. The company started making kitchen cabinets and wardrobes to exploit the rapid increase in the number of houses being built which required reasonable priced furniture. Danker’s believed that their established reputation in the customised furniture making industry accompanying the standard cabinets would increase their market share.Rolf believed that this would be a quick way to increase profits instead of continuing exclusively with the previous business model. But by the 2000’s Rolf’s new initiative caused problems in the company’s business foun dations. Fortunately, Rolf appointed me as Operations Manager at Danker’s, which helped to quickly resolve the underlying difficulties in the business at the time. Now in 2002, the company has two independently operated strategic business unites (SBUs), the craft purpose-made and the standard cabinet, the business is performing well again and enjoying good profit margins. 3.Description of the main issues in the case The division was completely financed from the company’s reserves, and in 2002, the company’s balance sheet was very strong with no long-term loans or debt equity. Bankers to the company were very willing towards them and the company were constantly being encouraged by the bankers to take up the finance being offered to them and further expand their business. Following a new product concept generation process involving external consultants, a gap has been identified in the market and the Danker’s Board has agreed to enter the timber conservator y market.The Irish market for conservatories is constantly growing but there is not a huge demand in the home market for hardwood timber framed. But it has been recognised that the UK market is around 20 times the size of the Irish one with a 50% share being for timber framed conservatories. It has been explained that due to the foregoing and rising interest in ‘sustainable construction’, which has been evident in the growth of timber-framed windows, due to improvements in technology and conveniently meets revised Irish Building Regulations.There is no dedicated manufacturer for timber conservatory in the Irish market and this is where Danker’s have seen the opportunity, coupled with the attraction of the large, growing UK market. Rolf feels before focusing on the export opportunity, the company should focus on the home market first and gain experience, amend any defects in their product and then look to expand into the huge UK market. This will be Danker’ s third SBU. Rolf has asked me as Operations manager to plan this new business venture for the company.Duty as operation manager is the planning, scheduling and control of the activities that transform inputs into finished goods and services. For the new venture to succeed it is important that there is close co-operation between marketing, operations and engineering. * The company already has got expertise knowledge and skills in the marketing and operations areas; was short on engineering skills. * Production Engineer, John Brady was appointed by Danker’s. * He is appointed to provide the initial engineering aspects for the conservatory line and then also provide production-engineering support to all the SBU’s. The sales manager drew up a report on the market characteristics for hardwood conservatories to begin the process of conservatory design and to decide on product specifications for the new product line. * The engineering manager drew up a Technical Specificatio n Report (TSR) to develop a bill of materials (BOM) with a detailed analysis of dimensions and specifications for all the items on the BOM. * TSR contained a great deal of * Development costs * Product costs * Schedules * Materials technical specifications. * New product development planning schedule was also developed This plan was presented to the management team meeting and was approved. * The plan approved is to have the third SBU first production lot produced in 11/12 months time. * In order for the development plan to be a success, need to strictly adhere to the planning schedule, as any delay will result in extra costs. * This is when some problems began to arise. * Jack, the sales manager, did not see the need to have weekly product design meetings with John because he felt that the marketing and production teams already had enough to worry about with their existing products. In this report, we address this breakdown in communication as well as potential problems that will a rise within the short-term and long-term operations and supply chains of the company from implementing their new timber conservatory SBU. 4. The first problem identified was what could be done to clarify the organizational relationships between marketing, production, and engineering. The issue that arose with the introduction of the third SBU was the smooth functioning of the interdepartmental relationships within the company.To create a successful new product it involved more work than the primary sourcing of materials and construction of the conservatories. There needs to be a cohesive and common effort made by all departments to achieve success for this new product. We see this problem arising with Jack, sales manager who was slow to hand in the report on the market characteristics of hardwood conservatoires and declined to attend the weekly product design meetings, claiming the marketing department had too much on its plate.A problem is created in the intrinsic makeup of the pro duct, as now market research is not being contributed to the production of the new product. This could be a fatal flaw for Danker’s as they could be producing something that is not exactly what the customer wants. This increases the riskiness of this new venture. As well as this problem the breakdown in the relationships can result in delays and process breakdown as well as distracting from the two other S. B. U’s of the business.The approach management took to address the issues raised was to focus on improving the relationship between the departments. This was done with a focus being placed on department approval. This system was going to be implemented at the weekly product meetings. Here the department heads could input on resources available, capacity and ability of their department to input on the production process. Jack would be able to have an input into important feedback in relation to aiming and promoting the product to the right customers.A recommendation that could effectively deal with the issue is to implement swim lane process maps. The implementation of swim-lane process maps by the management at Danker’s will help to clarify the organisational relationships between marketing, production and engineering and combat the breakdown in their relationships. The swim lane process maps allowed each department to determine exactly what was required of them throughout the new product design process and prevented situations occurring where marketing refused to attend weekly product design meetings because they felt they were being overworked.Each department was required to attend the weekly product design meetings; this was the first stage of the swim-lane process maps, the second stage involved finalising the product design and this was successfully carried out by the three departments and the third strategic business unit is now ready for launch into the Irish market. There was no ambiguity in relation to what was required from ea ch department and if they were unsure of their role in the development process they re-analysed the swim-lane process map and took corrective action. 5.The second problem that we focused on was to look at what short-term actions could be done to improve the new product development process. For the new venture to succeed it is important that there is close cooperation between marketing, operations and engineering. * The company already has got expertise knowledge and skills in the marketing and operations areas; was short on engineering skills. * Production Engineer, John Brady was appointed by Danker’s. * He is appointed to provide the initial engineering aspects for the conservatory line and then also provide production-engineering support to all SBU’s. The sales manager drew up a report on the market characteristics for hardwood conservatories to begin the process of conservatory design and to decide on product specifications for the new product line. * The engineeri ng manager drew up a Technical Specification Report (TSR) to develop a bill of materials (BOM) with a detailed analysis of dimensions and specifications for all the items on the BOM. * TSR contained a great deal of * Development costs * Product costs New product development planning schedule was also developed New Product Development Planning Schedule – 2003| Jan| Feb| Mar| Apr| May| Jun| Jul| Aug| Sep| Oct| Nov| Dec| Jan| Establish Project Team|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Define Marketing Need|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Concept Cost Estimate|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Technical Specs Complete|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | First Model Complete|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | First Model Testing|   |   |   |   |   |    |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Design Review Meeting|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Hazard Analysis|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Field Test Model Tests|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Production cost Estimate| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Tooling / Process Design| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Release to Production| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Order Parts| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Production of Lot 1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | This plan was presented to the management team meeting and was approved. The plan approved is to have the third SBU first production lot produced in 11/12 months time.This approach adopted by management could be successful, but they need to strictly adhere to the planning schedule, as any delay will result in extra costs. The hiring of an engineering production manager was very valuable as he created a TSR which would aid the BOM ensuring the correct materials would be ordered, avoiding a potential loss of earnings. Recommendations which could provide additional help to Danker’s would be for each individual sector to improve their own areas which would impact on the overall development process in the short term. For engineering department important aspects they could focus on would be concept development and design. In the marketing area, it is critical that planning improves as well as commercial preparation.By encouraging Jack attendance at the weekly meetings, he will have detailed knowledge of the other two departments, which will aid him in designing the marketing strategy for the SBU. In the production sector, it is vital that process for the supply chain is efficient. By implementing a detailed process map, this will ensure that there is an efficient process layout selected. The layout can then be measured using takt time, theoretical minimum and line balancing so that the amo unt of time idle at the workstation is minimised and the Danker’s can maximise their capacity. This process can then be evaluated at the end of the first year to identify any areas for improvement and opportunity to improve efficiency. The operations manager also needs to ensure that there is good, quality control.All products produced need to adhere to the ISO 9000 and ensure that all products are inspected before they leave the production’s premises. In order to gain a competitive share of the Irish timber conservatory market, Danker’s must develop a competitive strategy. A business strategy can be defined as the identification of the market(s) in which the business will participate and how the business will gain a competitive advantage in those markets. A strategy is a pattern that integrates an organisation’s major goals, policies and actions into a cohesive goal in order to gain a competitive advantage. There are two main types of strategy; 1) Cost L eadership FocusThis strategy involves company managing their costs better than their competitors, so that they can offer a lower cost to their consumers. 2) Differentiation focus The product produced is unique. Customers are willing to pay premium price for it. Having seen already by the work done by the operations manager, Danker’s imposes two different strategies for its two SBU’s; 1) Cost leadership focus implemented for the standard cabinet 2) Differentiate focus for the custom made furniture. Now that Danker’s are producing their third SBU, it is important they distinguish what strategy they are going to implement with it. As operations manager, we recommend that we implement a cost leadership strategy with the production of timber conservatory market.If we succeed in managing our costs better than other competitors in the fragmented home industry, this will enable us to offer a lower price to our consumers and enable us to gain a competitive advantage in t he market and contribute towards the goal of becoming the market leader in the Irish Market. As operations Manager, my job is to make sure that * The business strategy gets translated into operational terms. * Assure the co-ordination with marketing and engineering. * Provide direction and guidance for operation decisions. The operations strategy is a pattern of structural and infrastructural operations decisions that configure the shape and design of the operations function and constitutes the operations strategy.Currently Danker’s had two production lines, one for craft purpose-made and one for the standard cabinetry. We propose as operations manager that Danker’s changes its operations to three production lines, which would incorporate its new business products production process. In the short-term, we would advise Danker’s to use its retained earnings to fund the creation of the third product, as unknown whether its going to be a success, so should start out small to minimise costs. If Danker’s were having difficulties with three production processes or were struggling to fulfil capacity requirement, we recommend that Danker’s could subcontract out the work.There would be no production costs involved. They would have to pay the company but if successful they could expand and develop the company. We propose that Danker’s outsource their distribution costs which are not close to their production premises and engage in distribution contracts with company’s in the North, South, West and deliver to companies in the East of Ireland. 6. The third point recognised was the long-term developments of the new product development at Danker’s. Apart from this new product development opportunity on the home market, Rolf and the Danker’s Board were also attracted towards the larger, growing market for timber framed conservatories in the UK.However Rolf felt that before focusing on this export opportunity, the company should first gain experience in the market / industry sector on the home market first, modify any shortcomings in the product-offer, and then look at how he might make in-roads in the UK. Rolf reckoned that the introduction phase of timber conservatories in the Irish market would need to have 2/3 years experience in Ireland to confirm its viability, before entering the UK market. The UK market is 20 times the size of the home market and up until now it has been described as a fragmented joinery industry. There is great potential to break into the UK market and establish as a leader in the market. This would generate huge profits for Danker’s. It is important to note that Danker’s Balance Sheet has been very strong, with no debt equity, long-term loans, or overdraft.Bankers to the company were very favourably disposed towards them. Rolf Danker and his accountant brother Erik were constantly being encouraged by their bankers to take up the finance being offered t o them and expand their business further. This approach taken by management to gain experience in the Irish market first, evaluate the product, and adjust any shortcomings they may experience before attempting to break into the UK market is crucial. 2-3 year’s experience in the home market would be essential before expanding. Before expansion of the product it is vital that our strategy in the short term is achieved and we successfully become a market leader in the home market first.This will enable us to establish a reputation while creating a loyal customer base giving us a competitive advantage against competitors in the market. Furthermore, this would provide Danker’s with experience of the market before attempting to make in-roads in the UK. Provided we are successful in the home market, there are a number of tasks that would need to be in place for expanding our product. We would need to expand the business by purchasing a larger warehouse to produce the goods in order to facilitate production in the wider UK market as well as maintaining production in the home market and our other SBU’s. To aid expansion, we recommend on taking up on the Bank’s offer providing us with a loan.By increasing capacity this will enable Danker’s to avail of a number of capacity considerations. There include economies of scale, technology/labour mix, and learning curves. With economies of scale the average unit cost decreases as output increases. It is essential that Danker’s are able to obtain lower costs by expanding their business. The technology/labour mix means that Danker’s can improve capacity by introducing new technologies, which will increase fixed costs but reduce their variable labour costs. The phenomenon of learning curves results in increasing output overtime, without an increase in resources. The external supply chain would also need to be developed to penetrate the UK market.The existing supply chain used in the home market would be a template and then extend and adopt it to make it suitable for the UK market. An effective recommendation could be to design a detailed process map. This would allow all staff to ascertain what was required at each stage and the time constraints that would need to be adhered to. As operation manager, it is in imperative to ensure that the process is efficient. However, if Danker’s are finding it difficult to break into the UK market, they could create Strategic Alliance with suppliers from the UK. Distribution costs and warehouse costs will be a major contribution to costs as the firm breaks into the UK market. There needs to be smart decisions made by the operations manager in regards to logistics management.This involves the planning, implementation, and control of the effective flow and storage of goods from the point of origin to the point of consumption. An effective recommendation for Danker’s would be to outsource their transport requireme nts, this will provide more control, improve customer service, and would be less expensive for the business. With the money from the loan, Danker’s could look to develop a production center in the UK to cut costs. They should then set up distribution centers close to the market in the UK, which would reduce transportation costs. Danker’s then should evaluate their performance on their third SBU to ensure that they are achieving their goals. A method of performance, which could be used is benchmarking.This involves comparing the business to others in the industry to gauge where they stand and steps they may need to identify in order to become more successful. 7. Conclusion Once Danker’s have their third SBU up and running, they will be able to develop sales and operations plans and forecast for the business by looking at previous sales, which will help them to determine the levels of capacity required, both strategically and tactically. They will also be able to plan for future materials required and gauge what inventory levels are required for their business. This will facilitate them to be able to develop a master production schedule. This will drive the supply chain and set precise production levels.We believe that once Danker’s follows the short-term objectives and implements our recommendations, they will generate profits from their new product development and facilitate them in becoming a market leader in the home market. As a result, this will enable them to penetrate the wider UK market in the long run and alongside our advice compete with their product on a large scale. By expanding their business and creating a third SBU we believe that they can generate massive profits and become a leader in the timber conservatory market. 8. References We got our information for our report from the following; * Introduction to Operations & Supply Chain Management; Bozarth & Handfield, 2nd Edition (2008); Pearson International Edition. * B GMT 20010 Operational and Supply Chain Management 2011 Lecture Material, University College Dublin. Ops Presentation BGMT 20010 Operations and Supply Chain Management Report December 2011 ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- DANKERS FUNITUTE LTD ————————————————- ————————————————- THE NEW BUSINESS PLANNING CASE ————————————————- ——————————— Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- â€Å"If You Are Not Measuring, You Are Not Managing† CONTENTS 1. Executive Summary 2. Overview of the Organisation 3.Description of the main issues raised in the case 4. Problem One; Breakdown in Organisational Relationships * Main issue raised in the case * Steps management adopted to address the issue raised * Analysis of the effectiveness of the existing approach * Recommendations on how it could be addressed more effectively 5. Problem Two; Short-term actions regarding the new product development process * Main issue raised in the case * Steps management adopted to address the issue raised * Analysis of the effectiveness of the existing approach * Recommendations on how it could be addressed more effectively . Problem Three; Long-term developments regarding the new product development process * Main issue raised in the case * Steps management adopted to address the issue raised * Analysis of the effectiveness of the existing approach * Recommendations on how it could be addressed more effectively 7. Conclusion 8. References 1. Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to provide Rolf Danker and Danker’s Furniture Ltd with some short-term and long-term suggestions on how to successfully implement their new business venture into timber framed conservatories.This report offers advice on how to successfully incorporate this new venture into the existing processes within the company as well as recommendations on short-term establishment and long-term expansion. Some of the problems that were encountered at the onset of the venture included communication breakdowns between company departments, quality concerns in the two existing Strategic Business Units, and resource constraints. This report suggests that Danker’s adopt a swim lane process map to help with the communications failures as well as improvements in the internal and external supply chains. 2.Overview of the organisation During the 1800â⠂¬â„¢s, a Danker family from Norway moved to County Meath, Ireland. The family was associated with a tradition of high quality furniture design, and high-class customary made furniture. The Danker family discovered that there was a market for their furniture in Meath, enclosed by rich middle class estates. During the next few generations, the Danker’s family continued the family tradition of making furniture and at the end of the 20th Century, ‘Danker’ was renowned for its ability to produce customised hardwood design based on clients specific requirements and specifications.The company became known as Danker’s Furniture Ltd and was well established in the manufacturing markets. The company had been very profitable and had obtained a great reputation. But in the late 1990’s the company experienced problems and the newly appointed Managing Director Rolf Danker appointed me as operations manager, which quickly resolved the underlying difficulties in t he business at the time. Currently under the management of newly appointed Managing Director Rolf Danker, the business’ strategic focus is to grow and expand through the production of new goods and services.The massive economic growth in the 1990’s resulted in a huge development in the construction area, Rolf Danker, successfully discovered an opportunity to enter into the standard cabinetry market. The company started making kitchen cabinets and wardrobes to exploit the rapid increase in the number of houses being built which required reasonable priced furniture. Danker’s believed that their established reputation in the customised furniture making industry accompanying the standard cabinets would increase their market share.Rolf believed that this would be a quick way to increase profits instead of continuing exclusively with the previous business model. But by the 2000’s Rolf’s new initiative caused problems in the company’s business foun dations. Fortunately, Rolf appointed me as Operations Manager at Danker’s, which helped to quickly resolve the underlying difficulties in the business at the time. Now in 2002, the company has two independently operated strategic business unites (SBUs), the craft purpose-made and the standard cabinet, the business is performing well again and enjoying good profit margins. 3.Description of the main issues in the case The division was completely financed from the company’s reserves, and in 2002, the company’s balance sheet was very strong with no long-term loans or debt equity. Bankers to the company were very willing towards them and the company were constantly being encouraged by the bankers to take up the finance being offered to them and further expand their business. Following a new product concept generation process involving external consultants, a gap has been identified in the market and the Danker’s Board has agreed to enter the timber conservator y market.The Irish market for conservatories is constantly growing but there is not a huge demand in the home market for hardwood timber framed. But it has been recognised that the UK market is around 20 times the size of the Irish one with a 50% share being for timber framed conservatories. It has been explained that due to the foregoing and rising interest in ‘sustainable construction’, which has been evident in the growth of timber-framed windows, due to improvements in technology and conveniently meets revised Irish Building Regulations.There is no dedicated manufacturer for timber conservatory in the Irish market and this is where Danker’s have seen the opportunity, coupled with the attraction of the large, growing UK market. Rolf feels before focusing on the export opportunity, the company should focus on the home market first and gain experience, amend any defects in their product and then look to expand into the huge UK market. This will be Danker’ s third SBU. Rolf has asked me as Operations manager to plan this new business venture for the company.Duty as operation manager is the planning, scheduling and control of the activities that transform inputs into finished goods and services. For the new venture to succeed it is important that there is close co-operation between marketing, operations and engineering. * The company already has got expertise knowledge and skills in the marketing and operations areas; was short on engineering skills. * Production Engineer, John Brady was appointed by Danker’s. * He is appointed to provide the initial engineering aspects for the conservatory line and then also provide production-engineering support to all the SBU’s. The sales manager drew up a report on the market characteristics for hardwood conservatories to begin the process of conservatory design and to decide on product specifications for the new product line. * The engineering manager drew up a Technical Specificatio n Report (TSR) to develop a bill of materials (BOM) with a detailed analysis of dimensions and specifications for all the items on the BOM. * TSR contained a great deal of * Development costs * Product costs * Schedules * Materials technical specifications. * New product development planning schedule was also developed This plan was presented to the management team meeting and was approved. * The plan approved is to have the third SBU first production lot produced in 11/12 months time. * In order for the development plan to be a success, need to strictly adhere to the planning schedule, as any delay will result in extra costs. * This is when some problems began to arise. * Jack, the sales manager, did not see the need to have weekly product design meetings with John because he felt that the marketing and production teams already had enough to worry about with their existing products. In this report, we address this breakdown in communication as well as potential problems that will a rise within the short-term and long-term operations and supply chains of the company from implementing their new timber conservatory SBU. 4. The first problem identified was what could be done to clarify the organizational relationships between marketing, production, and engineering. The issue that arose with the introduction of the third SBU was the smooth functioning of the interdepartmental relationships within the company.To create a successful new product it involved more work than the primary sourcing of materials and construction of the conservatories. There needs to be a cohesive and common effort made by all departments to achieve success for this new product. We see this problem arising with Jack, sales manager who was slow to hand in the report on the market characteristics of hardwood conservatoires and declined to attend the weekly product design meetings, claiming the marketing department had too much on its plate.A problem is created in the intrinsic makeup of the pro duct, as now market research is not being contributed to the production of the new product. This could be a fatal flaw for Danker’s as they could be producing something that is not exactly what the customer wants. This increases the riskiness of this new venture. As well as this problem the breakdown in the relationships can result in delays and process breakdown as well as distracting from the two other S. B. U’s of the business.The approach management took to address the issues raised was to focus on improving the relationship between the departments. This was done with a focus being placed on department approval. This system was going to be implemented at the weekly product meetings. Here the department heads could input on resources available, capacity and ability of their department to input on the production process. Jack would be able to have an input into important feedback in relation to aiming and promoting the product to the right customers.A recommendation that could effectively deal with the issue is to implement swim lane process maps. The implementation of swim-lane process maps by the management at Danker’s will help to clarify the organisational relationships between marketing, production and engineering and combat the breakdown in their relationships. The swim lane process maps allowed each department to determine exactly what was required of them throughout the new product design process and prevented situations occurring where marketing refused to attend weekly product design meetings because they felt they were being overworked.Each department was required to attend the weekly product design meetings; this was the first stage of the swim-lane process maps, the second stage involved finalising the product design and this was successfully carried out by the three departments and the third strategic business unit is now ready for launch into the Irish market. There was no ambiguity in relation to what was required from ea ch department and if they were unsure of their role in the development process they re-analysed the swim-lane process map and took corrective action. 5.The second problem that we focused on was to look at what short-term actions could be done to improve the new product development process. For the new venture to succeed it is important that there is close cooperation between marketing, operations and engineering. * The company already has got expertise knowledge and skills in the marketing and operations areas; was short on engineering skills. * Production Engineer, John Brady was appointed by Danker’s. * He is appointed to provide the initial engineering aspects for the conservatory line and then also provide production-engineering support to all SBU’s. The sales manager drew up a report on the market characteristics for hardwood conservatories to begin the process of conservatory design and to decide on product specifications for the new product line. * The engineeri ng manager drew up a Technical Specification Report (TSR) to develop a bill of materials (BOM) with a detailed analysis of dimensions and specifications for all the items on the BOM. * TSR contained a great deal of * Development costs * Product costs New product development planning schedule was also developed New Product Development Planning Schedule – 2003| Jan| Feb| Mar| Apr| May| Jun| Jul| Aug| Sep| Oct| Nov| Dec| Jan| Establish Project Team|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Define Marketing Need|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Concept Cost Estimate|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Technical Specs Complete|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | First Model Complete|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | First Model Testing|   |   |   |   |   |    |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Design Review Meeting|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Hazard Analysis|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Field Test Model Tests|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Production cost Estimate| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Tooling / Process Design| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Release to Production| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Order Parts| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Production of Lot 1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | This plan was presented to the management team meeting and was approved. The plan approved is to have the third SBU first production lot produced in 11/12 months time.This approach adopted by management could be successful, but they need to strictly adhere to the planning schedule, as any delay will result in extra costs. The hiring of an engineering production manager was very valuable as he created a TSR which would aid the BOM ensuring the correct materials would be ordered, avoiding a potential loss of earnings. Recommendations which could provide additional help to Danker’s would be for each individual sector to improve their own areas which would impact on the overall development process in the short term. For engineering department important aspects they could focus on would be concept development and design. In the marketing area, it is critical that planning improves as well as commercial preparation.By encouraging Jack attendance at the weekly meetings, he will have detailed knowledge of the other two departments, which will aid him in designing the marketing strategy for the SBU. In the production sector, it is vital that process for the supply chain is efficient. By implementing a detailed process map, this will ensure that there is an efficient process layout selected. The layout can then be measured using takt time, theoretical minimum and line balancing so that the amo unt of time idle at the workstation is minimised and the Danker’s can maximise their capacity. This process can then be evaluated at the end of the first year to identify any areas for improvement and opportunity to improve efficiency. The operations manager also needs to ensure that there is good, quality control.All products produced need to adhere to the ISO 9000 and ensure that all products are inspected before they leave the production’s premises. In order to gain a competitive share of the Irish timber conservatory market, Danker’s must develop a competitive strategy. A business strategy can be defined as the identification of the market(s) in which the business will participate and how the business will gain a competitive advantage in those markets. A strategy is a pattern that integrates an organisation’s major goals, policies and actions into a cohesive goal in order to gain a competitive advantage. There are two main types of strategy; 1) Cost L eadership FocusThis strategy involves company managing their costs better than their competitors, so that they can offer a lower cost to their consumers. 2) Differentiation focus The product produced is unique. Customers are willing to pay premium price for it. Having seen already by the work done by the operations manager, Danker’s imposes two different strategies for its two SBU’s; 1) Cost leadership focus implemented for the standard cabinet 2) Differentiate focus for the custom made furniture. Now that Danker’s are producing their third SBU, it is important they distinguish what strategy they are going to implement with it. As operations manager, we recommend that we implement a cost leadership strategy with the production of timber conservatory market.If we succeed in managing our costs better than other competitors in the fragmented home industry, this will enable us to offer a lower price to our consumers and enable us to gain a competitive advantage in t he market and contribute towards the goal of becoming the market leader in the Irish Market. As operations Manager, my job is to make sure that * The business strategy gets translated into operational terms. * Assure the co-ordination with marketing and engineering. * Provide direction and guidance for operation decisions. The operations strategy is a pattern of structural and infrastructural operations decisions that configure the shape and design of the operations function and constitutes the operations strategy.Currently Danker’s had two production lines, one for craft purpose-made and one for the standard cabinetry. We propose as operations manager that Danker’s changes its operations to three production lines, which would incorporate its new business products production process. In the short-term, we would advise Danker’s to use its retained earnings to fund the creation of the third product, as unknown whether its going to be a success, so should start out small to minimise costs. If Danker’s were having difficulties with three production processes or were struggling to fulfil capacity requirement, we recommend that Danker’s could subcontract out the work.There would be no production costs involved. They would have to pay the company but if successful they could expand and develop the company. We propose that Danker’s outsource their distribution costs which are not close to their production premises and engage in distribution contracts with company’s in the North, South, West and deliver to companies in the East of Ireland. 6. The third point recognised was the long-term developments of the new product development at Danker’s. Apart from this new product development opportunity on the home market, Rolf and the Danker’s Board were also attracted towards the larger, growing market for timber framed conservatories in the UK.However Rolf felt that before focusing on this export opportunity, the company should first gain experience in the market / industry sector on the home market first, modify any shortcomings in the product-offer, and then look at how he might make in-roads in the UK. Rolf reckoned that the introduction phase of timber conservatories in the Irish market would need to have 2/3 years experience in Ireland to confirm its viability, before entering the UK market. The UK market is 20 times the size of the home market and up until now it has been described as a fragmented joinery industry. There is great potential to break into the UK market and establish as a leader in the market. This would generate huge profits for Danker’s. It is important to note that Danker’s Balance Sheet has been very strong, with no debt equity, long-term loans, or overdraft.Bankers to the company were very favourably disposed towards them. Rolf Danker and his accountant brother Erik were constantly being encouraged by their bankers to take up the finance being offered t o them and expand their business further. This approach taken by management to gain experience in the Irish market first, evaluate the product, and adjust any shortcomings they may experience before attempting to break into the UK market is crucial. 2-3 year’s experience in the home market would be essential before expanding. Before expansion of the product it is vital that our strategy in the short term is achieved and we successfully become a market leader in the home market first.This will enable us to establish a reputation while creating a loyal customer base giving us a competitive advantage against competitors in the market. Furthermore, this would provide Danker’s with experience of the market before attempting to make in-roads in the UK. Provided we are successful in the home market, there are a number of tasks that would need to be in place for expanding our product. We would need to expand the business by purchasing a larger warehouse to produce the goods in order to facilitate production in the wider UK market as well as maintaining production in the home market and our other SBU’s. To aid expansion, we recommend on taking up on the Bank’s offer providing us with a loan.By increasing capacity this will enable Danker’s to avail of a number of capacity considerations. There include economies of scale, technology/labour mix, and learning curves. With economies of scale the average unit cost decreases as output increases. It is essential that Danker’s are able to obtain lower costs by expanding their business. The technology/labour mix means that Danker’s can improve capacity by introducing new technologies, which will increase fixed costs but reduce their variable labour costs. The phenomenon of learning curves results in increasing output overtime, without an increase in resources. The external supply chain would also need to be developed to penetrate the UK market.The existing supply chain used in the home market would be a template and then extend and adopt it to make it suitable for the UK market. An effective recommendation could be to design a detailed process map. This would allow all staff to ascertain what was required at each stage and the time constraints that would need to be adhered to. As operation manager, it is in imperative to ensure that the process is efficient. However, if Danker’s are finding it difficult to break into the UK market, they could create Strategic Alliance with suppliers from the UK. Distribution costs and warehouse costs will be a major contribution to costs as the firm breaks into the UK market. There needs to be smart decisions made by the operations manager in regards to logistics management.This involves the planning, implementation, and control of the effective flow and storage of goods from the point of origin to the point of consumption. An effective recommendation for Danker’s would be to outsource their transport requireme nts, this will provide more control, improve customer service, and would be less expensive for the business. With the money from the loan, Danker’s could look to develop a production center in the UK to cut costs. They should then set up distribution centers close to the market in the UK, which would reduce transportation costs. Danker’s then should evaluate their performance on their third SBU to ensure that they are achieving their goals. A method of performance, which could be used is benchmarking.This involves comparing the business to others in the industry to gauge where they stand and steps they may need to identify in order to become more successful. 7. Conclusion Once Danker’s have their third SBU up and running, they will be able to develop sales and operations plans and forecast for the business by looking at previous sales, which will help them to determine the levels of capacity required, both strategically and tactically. They will also be able to plan for future materials required and gauge what inventory levels are required for their business. This will facilitate them to be able to develop a master production schedule. This will drive the supply chain and set precise production levels.We believe that once Danker’s follows the short-term objectives and implements our recommendations, they will generate profits from their new product development and facilitate them in becoming a market leader in the home market. As a result, this will enable them to penetrate the wider UK market in the long run and alongside our advice compete with their product on a large scale. By expanding their business and creating a third SBU we believe that they can generate massive profits and become a leader in the timber conservatory market. 8. References We got our information for our report from the following; * Introduction to Operations & Supply Chain Management; Bozarth & Handfield, 2nd Edition (2008); Pearson International Edition. * B GMT 20010 Operational and Supply Chain Management 2011 Lecture Material, University College Dublin.

The Pantheon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Pantheon - Essay Example The force of the presence of Pantheon as well as its environmental symbolism often works charismatically upon visitors who experience the beautiful reach of its canopied void while passing through its bronze door into the enclosing rotunda. The extensive and influential architectural effects of the Pantheon upon the subsequent buildings are incontrovertible, and documented widely for the design and various aspects of the architecture (Baker 30). The controversial designer of the architecture, Hadrian, had an in-depth architectural brilliance accompanied with deep interest in architecture. He demonstrated inexplicable impudence and superiority in his architectures. Literature reveals that the conception and design of the Pantheon was original. Notwithstanding the fair amount of data and information on the history of the building, the eventual meaning and impression of the building remains in its intricacy and mystery. The description of the Rome architecture, the Pantheon, is presente d with information on its history. The description will cover the interior and exterior descriptions. History of the Pantheon According to MacDonald, the architect of the Rome Pantheon is unidentified. MacDonald states that it is almost certain that Hadrian was not the architect of the Pantheon despite his name being widely suggested as the one. He argues that the construction of the building must have required a thorough going professional to create the drawings and models, calculate the design and construction details and supervise the complex and extracting work as it progressed. Whoever the architect of the Pantheon may have been, the architect stands in relation to the building of Hadrian as Justinian to the Hagia Sophia or Louis XIV to Versailles. Hadrian, the Pantheon as well as the cultural texture of the early second century are all interlinked inextricably. As a result, no doubt exists that Hadrian was the motivating personality behind the conception and design of the Pant heon (MacDonald 12). Hadrian was born in well established colonial family in Roman Spain during the reign of emperor Vespian in 76 A.D. Hadrian was made the emperor upon the death of Trajan who reigned between 98 and 117 A.D. Hadrian reigned between 117 and 138 A.D. The location where the Pantheon was built was earlier occupied by a rectangular sanctuary of similar dedication built by the great minister Agrippa of Augustus, and dedicated around 25 B.C. The building was burnt down twice prior to the accession of Hadrian, and replaced entirely by Hadrian with the current structure. Nevertheless, Hadrian reinstated the original inscriptions of Agrippa, â€Å"Marcus Agrippa the son of Lucius, three times consul, built this,† on his new building. This inscription has led to significant confusion. Up-to-date, the Pantheon is uncommonly said to have been constructed during the period of Augustus Caesar. This date is wide off the mark by approximately 150 years because the inscriptio n in bold bronze letters that spreads across the entablature of the great porch is modern (MacDonald 13). The appropriate date of building the Pantheon is approximated to be the first half of the reign of Hadrian. The architecture was not commenced prior to 117 A.D., and was most probably dedicated around 126 A.D. to 128 A.D. During the second century, the Roman brick makers stamped methodologically a

Use of informants in criminal investigation Essay

Use of informants in criminal investigation - Essay Example Identifying motivators, insuring the informant has access to the information that is desired, and maintaining control over the informant are the essential components for successful use of an informant in an investigation. The basis for American law enforcement in using informants is the concept of probable cause. In Aguilar v. Texas, the Supreme court designed a test that was divided into two aspects of determination under which to establish probable cause on hearsay evidence. The two things that must be accomplished are 1). the credibility of the informant be established, and 2). the reliability of the informant’s information also be established (Greene, 2007, pp 353). An informant’s credibility could be established by checking to see if the statements that have been made were able to lead to prosecution. An informant who has been used more than once has established a record of success or has been shown to be without value. The second aspect of determining probable cause requires that the reliability of the information be established, which is accomplished by checking to see if the informant has direct knowledge of the information that is being A variety of sources can be cultivated by law enforcement officers A cultivated source is one who is engaged in a legal business that allows for access to a person of interest. These individuals are can be hair stylists, hotel employees, doormen, legitimate gun dealers, bartenders, or anyone who does business with someone who has the potential to commit a crime and then allows some evidence of that crime to be discovered by the informant. This kind of network of individuals who watch the world as it functions within their job parameters allows for law enforcement to create a source of information that is more widespread, and sometimes very unexpected. Service workers, especially, aren’t necessarily identified as a threat and can sometimes allow for a

Marbury v. Madison and It's Effects on the United States Today Term Paper

Marbury v. Madison and It's Effects on the United States Today - Term Paper Example The rising power of Adams-appointed Marshall also pushed the judiciary into the political struggle between Federalists and Republicans and made the Marbury v. Madison a critical pawn in the government's political chess (Henderson, 2010, p.43). This paper summarizes the facts and decision in the Marbury v. Madison and explores the effects of its ruling on the United States today. It argues that the Marbury v. Madison emphasized the role of the independent judiciary, separation of the judiciary from political squabbles, and the importance of checks-and-balances in the American government. Marbury v. Madison: A summary As his term ended, President John Adams had made a number of federal appointments, including William Marbury, as justice of the peace in the District of Columbia, in the process known as â€Å"midnight appointments.† Thomas Jefferson, the new president, noticed the pile of documents related to these appointments and refused to recognize them, including Marbury's ap pointment. The Secretary of State James Madison should have delivered these appointments, but he followed Jefferson and did not deliver Marbury's commission (Henderson, 2010, p.59). Marbury sued Madison, and the Supreme Court handled the case. ... The primary question is that: Could Congress, based on the 1789 law, broaden the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, as indicated in Article III of the Constitution? Article III clearly stated that: â€Å"In all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and those in which a State shall be a party, the Supreme Court shall have original jurisdiction. In all other cases before mentioned, the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction both as to Law and Fact† (qtd. in Henderson, 2010, p.60). Marshall argued that according to the Judiciary Act of 1789, delivering these commissions for judges and justices was unconstitutional, since it provided higher authority to the Supreme Court, which infringed on Article III of the Constitution. The Congress did not have the authority to expand the powers of the Supreme Court. Hence, the Supreme Court ruled that the Judiciary Act of 1789 was unconstitutional and should not be followed. Since the law that prov ided authority to the Court in issuing writs of mandamus was void, the Court could not give a writ of mandamus and Marbury v. Madison had been dismissed. Effects of the Marbury v. Madison Independence of the Judiciary Marbury v. Madison asserted the role of an independent judiciary in having the â€Å"last word in law and the Constitution† (Sloan & McKean, 2009, p.49). Chief Justice Marshall established the Court's authority â€Å"to say what the law is† (Lively, 2000, p.392) and not have the executive and legislative power dictate how the law should be interpreted by the judiciary. This case is a landmark case, because it emphasizes the power of the judicial review in aligning laws with the Constitution. Marshall provided a â€Å"narrow† interpretation of the limits

EU Structural Funds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

EU Structural Funds - Essay Example Indeed, this approach towards collective growth broadly forms the guideline for the distribution of the Funds; especially during the current budgetary cycle (DNSRF 2006, p. 7, 9). The Structural Funds are split into the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF) (DNSRF 2006, p. 7, 10), based on the kind of activities they foster - while they are distributed based on 'Objectives'. Objectives are the eligibility criteria drafted by the EU which determine the volume of investment aid that can be assigned to a region. The areas that are eligible for investment aid are identified by the Member States based on the EU's Regional State Aid Guidelines (DNSRF 2006, p. 6, 7). The 2000-2006 programme had three Objectives, namely, Objective 1, Objective 2 and Objective 3, and also a few Community Initiatives like 'Interreg'. The 2007-2013 perspective has three Objectives again, but has the following changes: the Convergence Objective (which replaces Objective 1), to develop those regions with a GDP per Capita below seventy-five percent of the EU average; the Regional Competitiveness and Employment Objective (which replaces Objectives 2 and 3), to support the more prosperous regions; and the Cooperation Objective (which replaces 'Interreg'), to foster cross-border and trans-national cooperation (DNSRF 2006, p. 7, 11). ... DF activities include developing infrastructure and environmental sustainability, improving accessibility and connectivity, promoting community regeneration and rural development, promoting and encouraging enterprise, increasing investment in research and development and improving favourable business environment. ESF activities include increasing - and tackling barriers to - employment, improving skills levels of the local workforce, progressing people into sustained employment and progressing people to better-quality and better-paid jobs (DNSRF 2006, pp. 35-36, 44-48). National Strategic Reference Framework Each Member State is required to draw up an Assisted Areas Map based on the EU's Regional State Aid Guidelines which establishes the areas that are eligible for investment aid. These areas are provided aid either by the Member State or through the Structural Funds (DNSRF 2006, p. 6, 7). The EU does not fund all the projects of its Member States. It requires them to draw up a National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) which not only acts as a reference instrument for the provision of Structural Funds but also ensures that the "Structural Funds spending is consistent with the Community Strategic Guidelines and the Member State's National Reform Programme (NRP) for delivering the Lisbon Agenda." (DNSRF 2006, p. 9, 18). The NSRF includes an "analysis of the Member State's economic strengths and weaknesses and [specifies] the strategy chosen for the [three Objectives] (DNSRF 2006, p. 9, 19). The NSRF thus becomes a key instrument upon which the EU depends, for the distribution of its funds - specifically the Structural Funds. As it needs to illustrate a Member State's strengths and weaknesses, the NSRF contains data from the previous perspectives, thus leading

Examine the impact of the US economic crisis on the caribbean nations Essay

Examine the impact of the US economic crisis on the caribbean nations - Essay Example In the Caribbean region which is highly dependent on tourism, the effects of the financial crisis have been most felt on the tourism industry, which has been the key driving force of the region’s economy from the start of 1990s.This later on, caused ripple effects to be felt on the other sectors of the economy such as health. Caribbean countries have been making significant improvements and developments in health outcomes, but due to the US economic crisis, this progress has been threatened, by the reduction of the potential to invest in health by both government and households (World Bank 2009b, p.1).Even though there is a mixture up in empirical results, many studies show that the adverse effects of economic crisis is most likely to be concentrated in countries and households that are poor. (ibid, p.9). Outcomes in health and financing in health are mostly affected by financial crises in more complex manners. Thus in several countries such as those in the Caribbean regions health and disability funding highly deteriorated during the US economic crisis, however the result is quite sensitive to existing policy measures aimed at mitigating the economic effects of the crisis. Thus quick and effective responses are required from the international bodies and respective governments will be very crucial in protecting of the vulnerable sick and disabled people from the adverse effects of US economic crisis. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact that the US economic crisis had on the health and disabled fraternity in the Caribbean nations. The paper aims at looking at the impact of the US economic crisis on such social indicators as health and those that are afflicted by disability. It will look at the impact that aggregate fluctuations in income has on indicators of human development, particularly concerning health and the disabled. The results indicate that economic crisis had an adverse

Mathematical Tasks Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Mathematical Tasks - Math Problem Example which is 4. Then we have 14 x 4 -= 56cm Similarly, CD = 15 x 4 = 60 cm The perimeter of CDE then becomes 60+52+56 = 168cm Measurement as a mathematical object is also very necessary in this mathematical task where the measurement units are given in centimeters. Mathematical process like connection where mathematic ideas interconnect and build on one another to produce a coherent whole has highly been applied on this task. Mathematical processes like representation is also very important as it helps the learner to organize, record, and communicate mathematical ideas. Geometric reasoning. (ii) Chapter 3 is about geometric reasoning. Basing on task 3.3.3 the following mathematical task has been formulated. B A C To construct a circle inside the triangle to touch the side of the triangle which is generally termed as an inscribed circle, then there is a lot of geometry involved (Bates, 1979). This can be done as follows: - (a) Bisection of angle BAC and extending the bisecting line to a point, p. (b) Bisecting the angle ACB and extending the bisector to a point, m. Where the two bisecting lines meet, say point O, becomes the centre of the circle. With a pair of compasses, you pin at the meeting point of the two lines and draw a circle that touches the vertices of the triangle ABC. This is what is called an inscribed circle. This can be shown in fig,1.2 below: - B o A C Measurement as a mathematical tool is highly used here. The length of the sides of the triangle can be measured as well as the radius of the inscribed circle. Reasoning and proof are mathematical processes that are also applied on this mathematical task. It is only...A mathematical task like the one below entails many more mathematical objects apart from geometry because algebra can also be involved. Measurement as a mathematical object is also very necessary in this mathematical task where the measurement units are given in centimeters. Mathematical process like connection where mathematic ideas interconnect and build on one another to produce a coherent whole has highly been applied on this task. Mathematical processes like representation is also very important as it helps the learner to organize, record, and communicate mathematical ideas. Measurement as a mathematical tool is highly used here. The length of the sides of the triangle can be measured as well as the radius of the inscribed circle. Reasoning and proof are mathematical processes that are also applied on this mathematical task. It is only through concrete reasoning and proofing what you reason by for example bisecting the angles that one comes to see that the circle touches the sides of the triangle but not the vertices. Use of mathematical tools like a pair of compasses, calculators and rulers has also been highly applied to solve this mathematical task. Mathematics thinking and language is highly exercised and mathematics ideas expressed precisely. (iii) In chapter 4 which is

Using Technology in Tertiary Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Using Technology in Tertiary Education - Essay Example In addition, with the technology, social media has also been playing an influential role in reframing the educational sectors all around the world. Competitive universities today have further become quite concentrated on making a better use of the information and the platform rendered by the social media of 21st century for the educational processes. It is in this context that technology in alliance with the implications of social media tends to create both advantageous and disadvantageous impacts upon the educational sector which can be identified as the complex and multidimensional phenomenon (Carr, 2012). Based on this context, the study will intend to offer a comprehensive understanding of the impacts created by technology upon education sector, emphasizing upon the classroom or lecture environment of the tertiary education process. In this regard the discussion will also take into account the role played by social media in transforming the traditional learning process by means o f rapidly advancing technology. Concerning the current day context, it can be apparently observed that universities are becoming increasingly inclined towards utilizing technological advancements in the traditional education systems to obtain greater competitive advantages through differentiation (Schwartz, 2012).In this regard, various benefits can be observed to be yielded by the universities by making use of technologies. For instance, the utilization of advanced technology has often observed to assist the educators to effectively communicate to the learners with practical illustration with a live display, which further helps the students to obtain a clear view of the topic or subject. Technology involvement in tertiary education can also be observed to present the subject matter as more interesting to the students. Technology involvement has been encouraged in the educational sectors also due to the reason that it helps in more active learning of the students.

Astronomy assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Astronomy assignment - Essay Example It is a fact that moon does not produce its own light but only acts as a reflector of the sun’s lights. One can observe different parts of illuminated moon by the sun as it moves around the sun. This is the reason why the moon changes its shape in time and regularly. This observations where moon changes its shape in time is called the phases of the moon. As the moon moves around the earth, its one side is illuminated and changes in time from dark to fully lit and henceforth. When the moon is fully lit, it’s said to be in lunar phase (Pamela, 1996, Web) where one observes a full moon on the side facing the earth. This phase only appears when the earth positions itself between the sun and the moon where the moon reflects the lights of the sun directly to the earth. The moon the enters the quarter moon phase in about a week later and is seen as half since the visible lit portion is half by somebody on earth. When the moon moves between the earth and sun, one observing it from the earth sees a complete dark surface since at this time it’s reflecting the lights back to the sun. The complete darkness is seen at different parts since the moon itself is not transparent and blocks the lights from the sun. Although some of the lights surpasses it and directly hit the earth as the moon is smaller than the size in terms of size. This occurrences is called the new moon phase. Before and after the quarter phases of the moon, there are crescent and gibbous phases. In crescent phase, the moon surface as reflected on earth is less than half lit. Whilst in gibbous phase, the moon surface viewed on earth is more that half, but not full lit. The moon’s revolution around the earth makes it to appear like it is changing its shape. But the fact is that, it is caused by the different angles by which, it is observed on its lit-surfaced side. As

Bread & Roses Essay Example for Free

Bread Roses Essay â€Å"It is bread we fight for, but we fight for roses too. † This quote, originally in a poem written by a man named James Oppenheim, embraced a fierce social movement created by large number distraught textile workers who eventually created what we now know as the â€Å"Bread Roses Strike†. This strike proudly showed the lengths one working under such unruly conditions would go in order to achieve respect, better working conditions, and enough food to feed their families. The book, â€Å"Bread and Roses†, written by Bruce Watson, is a novel concerning textile workers living in Lawrence, Massachusetts in the year 1912. Potential workers flocked to the city of Lawrence to better their lives, many of which soon realized posters and advertisements beckoning them to join in and share the city’s wealth did not prove to be as true as they claimed. Bruce Watson illustrates the working conditions of textile workers during this time period and proves as a reminder that during times of struggle, you gain your rights. Effective January 1, 1912, a new law was passed reducing the numbers of hours one could work. The workers wouldn’t have had a problem with this reduction if there was no cut in pay, but there was. That seemingly small pay cut, for multiple families, proved to become a financial splinter in their lives as they struggled day after day to keep food and warmth circulating throughout their already-small homes.

Women in Positions of Power in Northen Ireland

Women in Positions of Power in Northen Ireland Few women have made an impact on politics in Northern Ireland. The political culture and traditions of Northern Ireland politics are very much male-oriented and whilst women have worked hard for change behind the scenes for many years, few have taken the step into standing as candidates in elections, less still successfully winning elections. Following the Belfast Agreement, things may, slowly, be beginning to change. Mo Mowlam writes enthusiastically of the part that women played in the talks leading up to the Agreement: â€Å"one of the most remarkable aspects of the talks process was seeing women, not only in the Women’s Coalition, but also in other parties, sitting alongside their male colleagues and arguing their points. They brought a new quality of debate to the proceeding† (Galligan, Ward Wilford 1999).Nonetheless, despite the election of three women MPs in the first general election (2001) after the Belfast Agreement, women remain massively under-represented in politics in Northern Ireland. This dissertation examines the reasons for this. Chapter two looks at the traditional role of women in politics, both in Northern Ireland and in other parts of the world. Election in the UK and policies towards women of other British parties are examined. The chapter also looks at women’s movements abroad, in the likes of South Africa and Nicaragua and analyses how they have affected the political landscape in their own countries. Chapter three takes a general overview of women in Northern Ireland, commenting on how they have reacted to the traditional view and values of the Church and the State in the province. The formation of the earlier Women’s movements is detailed here – although these groups have remained on the borders on mainstream politics, the fact that women have for decades joined together on particular issues is important in the context of women’s involvement in politics. The difficulties face by women in what is a conservative, traditional and often sexist culture is also discussed. Chapter four looks at the attitudes towards women in politics held by voters in Northern Ireland and analyses whether the small number of women involved is determined by supply or demand factors. Using data from the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey, this chapter argues that there is no lack of demand for women to be involved in politics amongst the electorate, rather that a number of factors around the inclination of women to enter into politics and the traditional views that still hold sway in Northern Ireland, are influential. This chapter also makes use of research undertaken in interviewing a number of women councillors in Northern Ireland about their perceptions on why many women avoid political life. Various reason for women to remain outside of representative politics are given – again he traditional culture of Northern Ireland and perceptions about a woman’s role are seen as important, Chapter five examines in details the attitudes and policies of the main political parties in Northern Ireland towards women’s issues and the role of women within the political parties themselves. Parties in Northern Ireland have traditionally focused primarily on constitutional and security issues to the detriment of women’s issues. Party leadership in parties across the political spectrum have been male dominated. This chapter looks at each of the main parties, examining firstly how party structures and leaderships accommodate female members and secondly how party policy makers address (or fail to address)women’s issues. Chapter six provides a conclusion to the dissertation. The situation in Northern Ireland where women have traditionally had difficulties establishing themselves within the formal political process has been mirrored, if perhaps not to such an extent, in other Western democracies. Evidence from UK elections indicates a historical prejudice against women candidates, whilst elsewhere in Europe and across the world, there are examples of women having to draw together on their identity as women to challenge their exclusion from politics. Analysis of general elections in Britain indicates that many fewer women than men are selected as prospective parliamentary candidates and those that are usually chosen for less hopeful seats (Leonard and Mortimore 2001, p97). However, the number of has candidates has grown reasonably steadily since 1996, with parties gradually accepting the need to take steps to increase the number of women selected. The Conservative in particular have found this difficult, largely due to the reluctance of the party leadership to interfere with the autonomy and conservative nature of many of its local associations. The Labour Party has had more success. Its party conference took the decision in1993 to try to increase its number of women MPs by introducing policies of positive discrimination. The introduction of all-women shortlist and quotas proved controversial, with the process being deemed illegal by an industrial tribunal in 1996, yet the drive by Labour to increase women’s representation paid dividends – with the party’s victory in the1997 election, the number of women in the house of Commons doubled to120 (Leonard and Mortimore 2001, p97). Elections for regional assemblies in Scotland and Wales have seen an increase in the number of women winning seats. The systems of proportional representation used in these elections has allowed Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the nationalist policies to ensure that candidates on lists were alternately male and female. As a result over38 per cent of representatives at Holyrood and 40 per cent at Cardiff Bay have been women (Leonard and Mortimore 2001, p98). Elsewhere, women have made direct interventions within their political systems to ensure that they are represented within the political process. In Spain, the Women’s Democratic Movement (WDM) began as an opposition group to the Franco regime and went onto lobby for women’s interests during the country’s democratic transition. It successfully pressured the government into ratifying the Convention for Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). In Iceland the Icelandic Women’s Alliance (IWA) emerged in the 1980s as a group powerful to win 11.1% of a national poll (Fearon 1999 appendix 1). In Sweden, the issue of women’s participation in politics directly compelled women to join together on a cross-party basis in the prelude to the 1994 elections. As a result, Sweden then elected what Faluditerms â€Å"the most female government in the world – a parliament that was41% female with a cabinet that was 50% female. (Fearon 199 9, appendix1). More relevant to the issues around women’s political involvement in Northern Ireland are the examples of South Africa and Nicaragua, where women have acted together to challenge male-dominated political times when their countries have been undergoing periods of transition. In Nicaragua, women achieved political gains during the revolutionary period but, perceiving that these gains were not being fully transferred to the new society after a transitional period, women joined together to form the Nicaraguan National Coalition of Women(NNCW) in January 1996. Under this cross-party coalition women joined together to educate and themselves and prepared themselves to go backend fight elections within their existing parties in October of that year. The aim was to promote the equitable participation of women in the country’s politics, something that was made difficult, as women within the coalition had historically been political or even military enemies. There were certainly so me similarities with Northern Ireland and the group had to strive hard to focus on unity and reaching a consensus. The NNCW was able to agree a minimum agenda emphasising women’s participation in civil and political society. In South Africa, women had become influenced by the experiences of women’s organisations around the world and the ANC Women’s League(ANCWL) sparked a debate across the country about ‘the necessity of organising as women’ (Fearon 2001 appendix1). In September 1991 thirty women’s organisations came together in the Women’s National Coalition(WNC) to discuss the drawing up of a women’s charter on equality. The charter was eventually produced after a huge participatory exercise that included an estimated 2 million women and was made up of twelve articles, one of which called for â€Å"mechanisms to enable women’s participation in civic and political life† (Fearon 2001 appendix 1) The charter was vitally important to the development of women in politics in South Africa as it challenged traditional perceptions and values about the woman’s place in political and civic life. Another success of the WNC was to lobby hard for a ruling passed in 1993 that required all negotiation delegations to reserve space for women. Prior to the formation of the NIWC, the impact that individuals or groups of women had made on Northern Ireland politics had been relatively minimal. There are however a few examples of women who, although not directly involved as representatives in the political process, made their presence known. In the 1970s, two Belfast women, Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan won the Nobel Peace Prize for leading a peace movement that aimed to end the violence by way of ‘people power’. Inspired to action following the death of three children in a car chase involving IRA men, the Peace People as the movement was known called on the people of Northern Ireland to reject terrorism and quickly snowballed into a movement that could attract tens of thousands of people onto the streets in outdoor rallies. The movement eventually failed due to internal divisions within the movement, personality clashes and disputes on how to spend the Nobel Prize money. Whilst still surviving today, the Pe ace People is now a small-scale movement that failed to deliver on the hopes that it once raised. Helen McKendry was a brave Belfast woman who campaigned to raise the issue of the so-called ‘disappeared’ victims of the IRA, who had included her own mother Jean McConville, taken from the family home in1972 and never heard of again (Independent, March 2, 2005). Following the IRA ceasefire in 1994, McKendry launched a campaign to have her mother’s body returned and eventually pressured the IRA into giving details about the location of her mother’s body and those of other victims. May Blood was a woman that played a prominent role in the loyalist community for many years, prior to involvement in the NIWC. She was a determined community activist in the Shankhill Road district, concentrating on issues such as housing, welfare, jobs, training, employment and labour relations. Speaking after she had been made across-bench peer in 2000, Baroness Blood stated: â€Å"My life is about serving this community, particularly young people. For years they have just been fodder for the paramilitaries. We want the next generation to be real people with real futures.† (Independent, March 2, 2005). It is worth noting that like May Blood, the trend in Northern Ireland has generally been for women activists to concentrate on community development rather than electoral politics. The situation of women in Northern Ireland is not entirely unique. Whilst the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland affect politics at all levels, the fact remains that women in Northern Irel and share common experiences with women elsewhere in terms of the difficulties that they have making an impact in the political arena. Rightly or wrongly, representative politics around the world remains largely dominated by males, and in this respect women in Northern Ireland face the same challenges as women elsewhere. Analysis of the women’s movement in Northern Ireland or attempters tointegrate women more fully into the political process must understandsome of the cultural traditions and influences that affect women’slives. As Monica McWilliams states: â€Å"the role which both the Church andState play shapes not only the more traditional thinking behind some ofthe major institutions, such as the education system or the judiciary,but it also responsible for the extremely conservative ideology forwhich the Province has become infamous† (Hughes 1991, p91). Theattitude of the Church has certainly been that the primary role ofwomen is that of mothers and housewives and this has been somethingthat has held women back from entering into politics. Issues aroundsexuality, the dissolution of marriage or rights in the home or at workhave seen feminists face opposition from clergy, politicians and as aresult, their communities. Again McWilliams summarises the situationstating, â€Å"in the face of such traditional Catholicism and Protestantfundamentalism, it has proved extremely difficult for women to organisearound issues which are of personal and political influence to them(Hughes 1991,p81). Both the Protestant and Catholic Church have maintained a traditionalline on the domestic role of women. They have exhorted mothers to takeresponsibility for their children by looking after them at home andhave largely opposed political initiatives such as the provision of daycare for children as it poses a challenge to the traditional ideologywhich supports the segregated division of labour in the home. The viewof the Church from half a century ago has remained prevalent in modernday Northern Ireland. Bishop McGean had stated in 1945 that â€Å"the properplace for the baby is in the home and the proper guardian is themother. Nature decided that and God approved of that decision ofnature† (Hughes 1991, p89). Women’s groups in Northern Ireland have made gradual progress ininstigating political and social change. They have begun to createstructures that enable individual women to have some measure of controlover their lives. One example is found in the work of an umbrellaorganisation known as ‘The Women’s Information Day’, along withprojects such as Women’s Aid, the Women’s Education Project and theNorthern Ireland Women’s Rights Movement. All of these groups, formedprior to the establishment of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition,were organised in a non-sectarian way, holding meetings in bothloyalist and nationalist areas and raising controversial issues thatwere sensitive to one another’s beliefs. In 1985, whilst campaigning onchanges to the benefit system, a group of Catholic and Protestant womentravelled to London to lobby their MPs to oppose a propose SocialSecurity Bill and were appalled to find that their own political representatives were more interested in opposing the Anglo-Irishagreement (which had been launched on the same day) and refused to meetthem on the grounds that they were too busy. McWilliams writes thatâ€Å"they returned home to Belfast on the same night more convinced thanever that their political representatives were much less interested inmatters of social and economic concerns† (Hughes 1991, p92). One of the most glaring features of life for women in Northern Irelandhas been the hardship of poverty with all its social, financial andpsychological repercussions. Women in Northern Ireland have come at thetop of research tables listing infant mortality rates, unemployment ordependency on social security (Hughes 1991, p92). It is women who haveexperienced poverty as prisoner’s wives, as widows, as single parents,divorced, separated or unmarried, as managers of unemployed families,as single and elderly women living alone, or as low paid wage earners.As a result, women’s groups such as the Northern Ireland Women’s RightsMovement began to offer advice and information to women, producingleaflet to help women in the face of overpowering bureaucracy.McWilliams writes of the pressures upon women in Northern Irelandstating â€Å"existing from day to day in the North can often become anintolerable strain for women. Not only must they provide a reasonablestandard of liv ing for their kids, but they have the additional anxietyof worrying about husbands and children when they are out of the home.The years of ‘the troubles’ have added to their pressures and manyrespond y using tranquillisers or smoking excessively† (Hughes 1991,p93). Women in Northern Ireland have played a leading role in anti-povertycampaigns, a significant political role which tends to be overlooked bymedia, church leaders and politicians. Such groups have remainednon-hierarchical and have refused to let single individuals becomesolely identified with their campaigns. The non-hierarchical structurehas provided the supportive type of environment that women require andeach group has become knowledgeable about the particular issue underscrutiny. Often the women have maintained links after individualcampaigns have been dissolved. Northern Ireland feminists have played apart in various campaigns and community projects over the last fewdecades. Many cut their political teeth in the civil rights movementsof the 1960s and 1970s and had their first dealings with other feministmovements. Female students at Queens University held a public meetingin1975 which formed an action group ‘with the aim of bringing the roleof women in Northern Ireland into l ine with that of their sisters inBritain’ (Hughes 1991, p93) and went on to form the Northern IrelandWomen’s Rights Movement which successfully campaigned to bring the SexDiscrimination Act to Northern Ireland. There are of course issues that divide women’s groups in NorthernIreland. Many are related to the national question, which as in allareas of politics in the province, remain difficult to overcome.Whether groups are based on single issues such as Women’s Aid or theRape and Incest Line, or more generic groups such as the Derry, Belfastor Falls Road Women’s Centres, the political affiliations of membersmay be surreptitiously agued in order to clarify the line that theymight take on the national question. The sheer weight of issues aroundthe constitution and security in Northern Ireland make it near onimpossible for the issue to be ignored. Disputes have occurred between,for example, the Relative’s Action Committee and Women AgainstImperialism (which largely supports Sinn Fein) and other women’s groupssuch as the Belfast Women’s Collective and the Northern Ireland Women’sRights Movement. The Belfast Women’s Collective argued that it wasvital to work in as wide a range as possible, including areas which maynot initially meet with a big response because they challengetraditional political and religious beliefs (Hughes 1991, p95). TheRelative’s Action Committee, on the other hand, organising around thewithdrawal of political statues for the H Block prisoners took the viewthat the campaign about prisons should be central. Regardless of divisions within women’s movements in Northern Ireland,the fact remains that the there is a level of oppression caused by theunique nature of politics in the province. Many women arepsychologically scarred by the deaths of or injury to loved ones. Manyothers are emotionally burnt out by the years of armed troops presenton the streets. Women on both sides of the sectarian divide have seenthe destruction of family life when family members are arrested underthe Prevention of Terrorism Act and possibly held for long periodswithout trial. Women visiting husbands and son in prison have beensubjected to degrading and humiliating strip searches. They live infear for the lives of their children and have had the constant worrythat they will be caught in crossfire, caught up in a riot or killed byan explosion. On top of all of these factors, women have also had totackle continuing economic exploitation and sexual oppression. Women in Northern Ireland have had to endure an ingrained culture ofconservative sexism that emanates both from the UK and the Republic ofIreland. They have had to fight for equality of opportunity in theworkplace – interestingly, the Equal Opportunities Commission, which isknown to play a more active role in women’s lives than its GBcounterpart, was almost abolished in Northern Ireland (Hughes 1991,p96). An influential factor in the under representation of women in NorthernIreland politics has been the traditional assumption of gender rolesand values held by many within the province. These powerful politicaland cultural restraints support the theory that the lack of women inpolitics is due to supply rather than demand factors – the electoratehas little problem with female candidates, it is getting women intoposition as candidates for public office that is largely the problem. There is general support amongst the Northern Ireland public for womento be involved in politics and indeed this support has grown steadilythroughout the 1990s and the development of the Belfast Agreement. Oneof the key questions included in the 2002 Northern Ireland Life andTimes Survey was did respondents think that the greater number of womenin politics since the formation of the Northern Ireland Assembly makethings better or worse in Northern Ireland politics? Whilst 44 per centof respondents remained neutral on the question, 41 per cent thought ithad made things better, with only 14 per cent thinking it had madethings worse (NI Life and Times Survey 2002). Attitudes towards therole of women in politics shifted markedly from the survey completed adecade earlier. In 1991, only one fifth of men felt that at least onehalf of senior government posts should be held by women. By 2002 thisfigure had doubled to 40 per cent, with support from women rising from38 per cent to 50 per cent (L ife and Times Survey 2002). Research carried out in 1993 sought to use the experience of womencouncillors within Northern Ireland to attempt to gauge exactly why sofew women were involved in politics at the time. In 1989, only 60 ofthe 566 district councillors were women, equating to a mere 10.6 percent (Wilford et al 1993, p341). Following changes after direct rulewas introduced in 1972, many functions of local government had beenreplaced by intermediate bodies appointed by the Secretary of State forNorthern Ireland. This situation reduced the tiers of local governmentwith Wilford et al commenting â€Å"Thus, aspiring politicians enjoy anextremely limited opportunity to run for elected office† (Wilford et al1993, p343). In addition, council meetings throughout the 1980s wouldoften be used by political parties to argue out their constitutionaldifferences rather than focussing on the relevant issues of localpolitics – the symbolic value of politics in Northern Ireland helps toexplain the paucity of women. Interviews with women councillorsrevealed six main reasons that they believed explained the small numberof women in Northern Ireland politics – psychological, familial,organisational, functional, patriarchal and systematic. All have somerelevance. Psychological reasons included a simple lack of self-esteem felt bywomen. The vast majority of women councillors had been prompted orasked to stand for election by other members rather than have theconfidence to stand on their own initiative. It seems exceptional forwomen to deem themselves eligible for candidature, yet this is setagainst a backdrop where with relatively few people willing to standfor election in local politics and being successful would be seeminglyunproblematic. One SDLP councillor commented on the issue: â€Å"it neveroccurred to me to stand†¦we (women) had the traditional view that wewere the back up for men: making the tea and the like† (Wilford et al1993 p344). Familial reasons were most cited reason for non-participation of womenin politics and reaffirm the ideas of traditional cultural valuescontributing to the role of women in Northern Ireland. There is a cleardifferential in the assumed responsibility of men and women for childrearing in Northern Ireland and this impacts strongly on theopportunity for women to enter into public life. At the very least, astrong and supportive partner is needed by women looking to go intopolitics, yet in addition to this it would appear that many women inNorthern Ireland do not simply put family responsibilities firstbecause that is their assumed role – many believe that they actuallyshould put their family first and postpone any political aspirationsuntil their children have reached post-school age. It should also benoted that childcare facilities in Northern Ireland were poor duringthe 1980s and 1990s, a further complication for women that wanted toenter into politics. Organisational reasons for women councillors are similar reasonscommonly cited by women MPs in the UK Parliament – the unsocial hoursthat politician are required to work. Councillors in Northern Irelandfound that childcare made it difficult for them to attend councilbusiness scheduled during the day. At the time of the survey, Sinn Feinwas the only political party in Northern Ireland that paid thechildcare expenses of its councillors (wilford et al 1993, p344). Patriarchal reasons for the limited involvement of women in localpolitics in Northern Ireland are based around the attitude of malecouncillors towards their female counterparts. One councillorinterviewed stated: You’re a thorn as a female councillor. Men don’twant you there; they’d prefer it to be all male. They want to be thedominant ones in the council; it’s true everywhere† (Wilford et alp344). Mnay of the women councillors interviewed felt that they werenot taken seriously because of their sex and this was a hugedisincentive to continuing to take an active role in politics. Manyreferred to the cultural belief ingrained in Northern Ireland about awoman’s place and that the arena of politics was very much a mansworld. There is evidence that women were ‘ghettoised’ into certaincommittees that were less important and more focussed on what weredeemed to be women’s issues – home safety committees serve as anexample. Ag ain, the partisanship of politics in Northern Ireland has tobe seen as a factor here – some of the issues likely to be raised bywomen in particular, like pre-school places, education and the NHS,have a tendency to take a back seat to constitutional and securityissues. Finally, under the label of patriarchal concerns were genuineconcerns of sexual harassment within the arena of council politics.Some female councillors reported patronising language as well as outand out harassment. Systematic and functional reasons for non-participation are also given.The lack of power held by local government in Northern Ireland prior tothe Belfast Agreement has been a disincentive – women are deterred fromsacrificing family life simply due to the fact that there is relativelylittle to do in local politics and little opportunity to instigateeffective change. For the more ambitious women, local government is notseen as a step on the way to better things and many women see the listsof men waiting to become MPs and simply assume that they have littlechance of ever doing so. A final systematic reason for women stayingout of politics is the actual physical risk involved. It is not unheardof for Northern Ireland councillors to be targeted or even murdered byparamilitaries. Much of the research carried out with female councillors supports thetheory that it is indeed supply rather than demand that limits thenumber of women involved in politics in Northern Ireland. With onlythree women MPs being elected between 1972 and 1990 (Wilford et al1993, p345) there is clearly a problem in attracting candidates. In looking at the demand for women in politics, whilst there isevidence that the public has a growing desire to see women involved inpolitics, it is also important to examine the reasons that people inNorthern Ireland think that there are relatively few women involved.The 2002 Life and Times Survey asked for explanations as to why thereare so few women in politics: What is noticeable from this research is that the main factors appearto be based on a conscious choice made by women rather thandiscrimination against them. Women not putting themselves forward ascandidates and putting their families before their political aspirationappear to be more decisive factors than a view that women do not havethe interest in or capability to succeed in politics. Certainly thisattitude has hardened during he 1990s. Whilst in the 1991 survey womensaw the reason for a lack of women as a mixture of barriers andinclination, by 2002 the most important reasons are clearly women’s owninclinations and choices. Another important perception is that aroundwhether or not people assume that women candidates lose votes – in boththe 1991 and 2002 surveys, only around one third of respondents thoughtthat this was the case. One of the obvious solutions to the fact that there are proportionatelyfew women involved inpolitics in Northern Ireland would be theintroduction of positive discrimination policies by the major parties.Howver, whilst there appears to be a view that women involve themselvesin the political process and be encouraged to do so, there is littleevidence that parties should actually be required to blance theircandidate lists with similar numbers of men and women. When questionedas to whether political parties should be required to put forward aproportion of women candidates, only 19 per cent of respondents agreed– 17 per cent of men and 21 per cent of women (Life and Times Survey2002). The more common view was that political parties should beencouraged to put forward a proportion of women candidates – 55 percent agreed with this (52 per cent of men and 57 per cent of women).The survey also asked whether the parties should put more resourcestowards the campaign of women candid ates than men candidates: this metwith a slightly more positive response with 33 per cent of men and 45per cent of women agreeing that more resources should be assigned towomen candidates. A further indicator that there is sufficient demandfor women politicians came from the questions asking respondents tochoose four attributes they would most like to see in Northern Irelandpoliticians and the attributes that they would then use to describeboth male and female politicians. Clearly, the Northern Ireland see women candidates as most likely tohave the attributes that they see as desirable. Whilst male politiciansare seen largely as aggressive, ruthless and crafty, female politiciansare seen as more likely to be honest, approachable and willing tocompromise. Attitudes in Northern Ireland towards women politician are generallyfavourable. These attitudes have noticeably become more positive since1991 and voters are now looking to parties to present them with morewomen candidates both in the Northern Ireland Assembly and atWestminster. Whilst barriers to women entering politics remain, theyappear to have been diluted over the last 10-15 years and whilst thereis still some discrimination against women in politics this haslessened. Perhaps most importantly of all in terms of attitudes towardswomen in politics, there appears to be a consensus that the qualitiesthat women bring to political life are closer to the qualitiesidentified in an ‘ideal’ candidate or representative than are of thoseof men in politics. Other research on specific questions about the role of women inpolitics gives a good insight into the attitudes of the NorthernIreland electorate. Surveys On line asked respondents what proportionof senior government posts should be held by women. Male Female % % A majority 2 3 About half 18 35 At least some 47 38 Nodefinite proportion 31 21 None 2 2 This would suggest that theelectorate is generally happy to see women holding some of the mostimportant posts in government. Again, this would suggest that there isno problem in terms of demand for women to be involved in politics inNorthern Ireland. Opinions of the general involvement of women onpolitics give a similar picture. Asked about women being elected to anational assembly, respondents felt that there should be: Again the broad consensus appears to be in favour of women beinginvolved in politics. Research indicates a slight imbalance in thatwomen appear to be more strongly in favour of a greater political role,but men also are broadly in favour of women’s involvement The attitudes towards