Platos Allegory of the Cave

The â€Å"Allegory of the Cave† is among Plato’s philosophical writings that are presented in the form of allegory. The definition of an allegory writing is given as â€Å"the type of writing having two levels of meanings: literary and allegorical meaning†¦where a literary meaning is the content or the subject matter and allegorical meaning is the symbolic or metaphorical suggestion â€Å"(BachelorandMaster.com, n.d, para 1).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Plato’s Allegory of the Cave specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, there is much darkness in the cave and only very little light can be found in this place and it is so hard for a person who is in the cave to see the objects around. In the cave, we have people, around which chains have been tied on their feet as well as their necks, making them unable to move freely. They are prisoners (Cohen, 2006 ). This cave forms one world and there is another world outside the cave and between the two, a tall wall has been erected. A large number of people move on the wall carrying various things and their shadows are cast in the cave. Those living in the cave are unable to fully raise up their heads to see clearly but are only able to see the shadows about which they hold a believe that they are real. However, as much as they believe that the shadows are real, this is just their own illusion (Cohen, 2006). On the other hand, in the outside world, there is adequate light and everything can be clearly seen by people who live their. In case one of the cave prisoners is let out of the cave and allowed to join the outer world, this person is unable to see even a single thing initially because his eyes are not used to the bright light. However, as time goes by, the person gradually gets used to the light and starts to identify all things in the outer world. Following this, the person comes to a realization that the cave world is not a real world and it is the outer world that is real. He gets to appreciate himself and the memories of those who live in the cave come to him. He becomes sympathetic and pitiful to those who live in the cave because he realizes that they are living in darkness. What comes to his mind is that is far much better to be under bondage while living in the outer world than being someone honored or a leader while living in the cave. Although this person does not have the willingness to return to the cave, in case this person is returned to the cave, he can not be able to count anything in the cave because the dazzling of his eyes increases even more. In case he makes some efforts to convince those living in the cave that the cave world is not real and the outer world is what is a real one; these people will have to take away his life because they are ignorant (Meyer, Scheibel, Munte-Goussar, Meisel and Schawe, 2007).Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The allegorical meaning is also attached to the â€Å"allegory of the cave† since a large number of symbolic ideas are employed in the writing. In symbolic terms, the cave full of darkness and chained prisoners stands for the contemporary world which is filled with ignorance. The tall wall that has been erected between the cave world and the outer world is symbolic of the limited thinking that people in the contemporary world have. In addition, â€Å"the shadow symbolically suggests the world of sensory perception which Plato considers an illusion† (BachelorandMaster.com, n.d, Para 3). Basing on Plato’s opinion, â€Å"the appearance is false and reality is somewhere, which we can not see† (BachelorandMaster.com, n.d, Para 3). Plato being a perfect philosopher suggests that the world that can be seen is a photocopy of the â€Å"real world† (Bacheloran dMaster.com, n.d,). A photocopy like this is represented by the shadows and there is only a possibility to know the reality when the spiritual knowledge can be employed. The chains is a symbol of â€Å"our limitation in this material world so that we can not know the reality to know the reality; we have to break the material wolrd† (BachelorandMaster.com, n.d, Para 4). Spiritual reality is symbolized by the outer world which is filled with light and achieving spiritual realized can only be realized by â€Å"breaking the chains that are used to tie us† (BachelorandMaster.com, n.d, Para 4). In addition, lack of being able to see initially when one comes to the outer world is symbolic of the hardships of denying the material wolrd. The dazzling of the yes when one is returned to the cave is symbolic of a person’s hardship to agree to ignorance after one coming to know the reality. Therefore, it can be said that in â€Å"the allegory of the cave†, there has b een criticizing by Plato of â€Å"our limited existence in the material wolrd† (BachelorandMaster.com, n.d, Para 4). Overview of the Truman Show Film The â€Å"Truman Show† film is a TV show that focuses on the life of a man known as Truman Burbank. Truman was lawfully adopted immediately after birth by a major TV network â€Å"to be the unknowing star of television series, in which his entire life is watched by an audience of millions through an intricate series of hidden cameras† (Philosophical films, 1998, para 1). The main person behind the whole of this idea of the â€Å"Truman Show† is someone by the name Christof. This person sets up an â€Å"artificial world†, given the name as Seahaven, in which Truman starts to live. In the actual sense, this artificial world is only a quite big TV set. The dwellers of this artificial world are all actors and it is only Truman who is not aware of this fact (Philosophy and Truman Show, 2010). Truman is the only genuine person in the artificial world; the people he believes to be his mother and father as well as his spouse are people those who are being paid to engage in acting.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Plato’s Allegory of the Cave specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More All through Truman’s life, the TV network is determined to accomplish the mission of keeping Truman in the dark about the reality by controlling the environment in which he dwells (Clark and Cook, 1998). Even after Truman eventually comes to a realization of the reality and runs away from the â€Å"constructed world†, the film as well follows these events (Brearley and Sabbadini, 2008; Castle, 2011). How fears experienced by prisoners in Plato’s Allegory of the cave and by Truman in Truman Show similar It can be clearly seen that the â€Å"Truman Show† film bears significant similarities with Plato’s Alleg ory of the Cave. The film is full of ideas that are borrowed from â€Å"ancient philosophy†. The main themes that can be identified in the film and Plato’s allegory are such themes as total control, deceptive appearances, and looking for truth. The fear experienced by the prisoners in the cave was similar to the fear that Truman went through in some ways. For instance, in the case where Plato talks of a Freed Man from the cave; this man gets to know the reality when he gets accustomed to the outer world. Though he has no willingness to go back to the cave, the desire and willingness to deliver the others who still stay in the cave out of darkness eventually drives him back (The Hidden Lighthouse, 2011). On getting back to the cave, the freed man would join the prisoners and narrates to them his experience while in the outer world. The Freed man may encounter much hardships of making the prisoners to actually understand what he is talking about, in regard to the real wo rld. He would be dismissed by the prisoners and they would proclaim him as having gone mad. As a matter of fact, if this freed man goes on insisting on holding on to his new belief or went on persuading them to leave the cave to go to the outer world, the prisoners would turn out to be hostile to the man (The Hidden Lighthouse, 2011). The possibility that the idea they have in mind about reality might be a mistaken one makes these prisoners to experience fear. More so, much fear is experienced by the prisoners following the idea that if they left the cave to go to the outer wolrd, they would turn out to be blind and will not be able to see the â€Å"reality† they have always known. Plato points out that, men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that is better not even to think of ascending; and if any one tried to loose another and lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death (Plato, 2008, pg 14 0).Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This explanation clearly illustrates that the people in the cave would prefer killing over accepting to be taken out of the cave to the outer wolrd. They would have to do anything possible to ensure they won’t go out of the cave and this is for the reason that, to them this is the real world and it is a place they feel comfortable and at peace to stay (Linstead and Linstead, 2005). Considering the case in the film â€Å"Truman show†, Truman is absolutely unaware of realities around him. He is not aware that his entire life is under someone’s control. Relating Truman’s situation to Plato’s Allegory, in symbolic terms, chains have been tied around Truman and he is living in a cave and there is the appearance of shadows that he believes are real. Everyone around him are mere actors that are being paid to act and these people represents the shadows that appear on the wall, seen by Truman which are manipulated by Christof. These actors are being used by Christof to manipulate Truman’s life and to bar him from knowing the truth (Papathanassopouloulos, 2011). An element of fear comes in when Christof uses one of the actors, which Truman believes he is his father, to instill fear in Truman to prevent him from going away from the â€Å"island†. Through his manipulation, Christof assigns the role to Truman’s â€Å"father† in which this father pretends to drown. This event makes Truman to become fearful of water and fears coming closer to water, and thus remaining on the â€Å"island city†. By engaging in the manipulation of the world around Truman, the ability to have control over the belief held by Truman of what the reality is, is attained by Christof and he is now able to control him fully (Papathanassopouloulos, 2011). How humanity relate to the message As it has been considered above, both Truman and the prisoners in the cave experience some fear. This fear comes about as a result of some manipul ation that is carried out by unseen forces by the victims (Truman and the prisoners). The prisoners have been put in darkness and are not able to see the light. Truman is under the manipulation of Christof and is made to believe that there is no any other wolrd. They are under control and made to be fearful to discover any other world other than the one they know as a real one. Humanity relates to this message very closely. In the real world in which we live, people are used to the world they have been used to and brought up in. It has to be believed that there can be a better world where there is light since one may be currently living in darkness. Basing on the religious standpoint, we have a group of people who believe very much in material things and do not consider changing their lifestyles to follow spiritual knowledge. They are in darkness and may stay holding on to the belief that there is no any other world, which can be a world full of light and happiness. They are under t he bondage of sin and are not ready to seek out for deliverance because they lives are controlled by some evil powers that they can not see. Is fear dangerous? As it has been established above, fear can be very dangerous. This is because, by fearing, one can remain in darkness and fail to see the light or fail to discover the â€Å"real world† because he has mistaken the unreal one for the real world. It is good to understand that, it is out of courage and taking a bold move to exploit the outside world that an individual is lifted to a higher new level. The fear experienced by cave prisoners makes them to remain prisoners and to stay in darkness. The fear experienced by Truman makes him to remain in island â€Å"city† without realizing that all people around him are mere actors and outside, there is a whole big world full of opportunities. Therefore, it is important to realize this fact and make the necessary effort to overcome fear and go out to explore. By doing thi s, one can realize that the current world in which he is living in not a real world and the real world is out there and it is full of light. References Bachelorand Master. Plato (Allegory of the Cave). Web. Brearley, M. and Sabbadini, A. (2008). The Truman Show : How’s it going to end†. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 89 (2): 433–40. Castle, R. (2011). The Truman Show Sociology. Web. Clark, L. and Cook, L. (1998). The Truman Show: Curriculum guide. Web. Cohen, M. (2006). The Allegory of the Cave. Web. Linstead, S. and Linstead, A. (2005). Thinking organization. London: Routledge. Meyer, T., Scheibel, M., Munte-Goussar, S., Meisel, T. and Schawe, J. (2007). Education within a new medium: Knowledge formation and digital infrastructure. New York: Waxman Verlag. Philosophical Films. (1998). The Truman Show. Web. Philosophy and Truman Show. (2010). Review essays. Web. Papathanassopouloulos, S. (2011). Media perspectives fro the 21st Century. New York: Taylor Francis. Plato, B. J. (2008). The Republic. New York: Digireads.com Publishing. The Hidden Lighthouse. (2011). Plato’s Cave Matrix and The Truman Show. Web. This essay on Plato’s Allegory of the Cave was written and submitted by user Mar1e to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Events of Septrmber 11, 2001

The Events of Septrmber 11, 2001 On the morning of September 11, 2001, Islamic extremists organized and trained by the Saudi-based jihadist group al-Qaeda hijacked four American commercial jet airliners and used them as flying bombs to carry out suicide terrorist attacks against the United States. American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into Tower One of the World Trade Center at 8:50 AM. United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into Tower Two of the World Trade Center at 9:04 AM. As the world watched, Tower Two collapsed to the ground at about 10:00 AM. This unimaginable scene was duplicated at 10:30 AM when Tower One fell.   At 9:37 AM, a third plane, American Airlines Flight 77, was flown into the west side of the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia. The fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, initially being flown toward an unknown target in Washington, D.C., crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania at 10:03 AM, as passengers fought with the hijackers. Later confirmed as acting under the leadership of Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden, the terrorists were believed to be attempting to retaliate for America’s defense of Israel and continued military operations in the Middle East since the 1990 Persian Gulf War.   The 9/11 terrorist attacks resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 men, women, and children and the injuries of more than 6,000 others. The attacks triggered major ongoing U.S. combat initiatives against terrorist groups in Iraq and Afghanistan and largely defined the presidency of George W. Bush. America’s Military Response to the 9/11 Terror Attacks No event since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor propelled the nation into World War II had the American people been brought together by a shared resolved to defeat a common enemy. At 9 PM on the evening of the attacks, President George W. Bush spoke to the American people from the Oval Office of the White House, declaring, â€Å"Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.† Foreshadowing America’s impending military response, he declared, â€Å"We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.† On October 7, 2001, less than a month after the 9/11 attacks, the United States, supported by a multinational coalition, launched Operation Enduring Freedom in an effort to overthrow the oppressive Taliban regime in Afghanistan and destroy Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda terrorist network. By the end of December 2001, U.S and coalition forces had virtually eradicated the Taliban in Afghanistan. However, a new Taliban insurgency in neighboring Pakistan resulted in the continuation of the war. On March 19, 2003, President Bush ordered U.S. troops into Iraq on a mission to overthrow Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, believed by the White House to be developing and stockpiling weapons of mass destruction while harboring Al Qaeda terrorists in his county. Following the overthrow and imprisonment of Hussein, President Bush would face criticism after a search by United Nations inspectors found no evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Some argued that the Iraq War had unnecessarily diverted resources from the war in Afghanistan. Though Osama bin Laden remained at large for over a decade, the mastermind of the 9/11 terror attack was finally killed while hiding out in an Abbottabad, Pakistan building by an elite team of U.S. Navy Seals on May 2, 2011. With the demise of bin Laden, President Barack Obama announced the beginning of large-scale troop withdrawals from Afghanistan in June 2011. As Trump Takes Over, War Goes On Today, 16 years and three presidential administrations after the 9/11 terror attacks, the war continues. While its official combat role in Afghanistan ended in December 2014, the United States still had nearly 8,500 troops stationed there when President Donald Trump took over as Commander in Chief in January 2017. In August 2017, President Trump authorized the Pentagon to increase the troop levels in Afghanistan by several thousand and announced a change in policy regarding the release of future troop level numbers in the region. â€Å"We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities, Trump said. Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on,† he said. â€Å"Americas enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out.† Reports at the time indicated that top US military generals had advised Trump that a â€Å"few thousand† additional troops would help the U.S. make progress in eliminating the insurgent Taliban and other ISIS fighters in Afghanistan. The Pentagon stated at the time that the additional troops would be conducting counterterrorism missions and training Afghanistan’s own military forces.   Updated by Robert Longley

Business Correspondence Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business Correspondence Portfolio - Essay Example I have observed from your company brochure related to the product that the desired software package includes 4 different components, amid which Grammar Buster is one. In this regard, in order to finalize a purchase decision related to the stated software package, I would be requiring a quotation exemplifying the cost that would incurred for the 10 software packages. In addition, I would also like to gain certain amount of idea about your technical support services which you provide after the sales. I would be expecting information related to the timing of availability related to the technical support services and any other special features that need to be noted. Thus, it would be great if you can include an additional attachment regarding your technical support services with the quotation. An early reply from your end is highly solicited. Thank you. Sincerely, Emma Chaney PERSUASIVE LETTER Gomke Software Company Sales Personnel 340 Main Indianapolis, IN 46200 July 7, 2013 Emma Chaney Director of Purchasing for Clay Corporation 1340 Miller Street Jackson, MI 12345 Dear Emma Chaney: In response to your earlier letter, I would like to convey that Mr. Daniel Harrison, head of the Accounting Department has responded to your requirement for quotation which stands as follows: The final sales offer for software: 10 software packages = $4,000 12 software packages = $4,800 In this regard, I would like to point out that there is an exclusive offer made to you along with this quotation, which signifies that there will be a 20 percent discount if you make purchase of 12 software packages from us. Thus, the revised cost of 12 software packages would be $3,840. I believe that this can be a great opportunity for to avail such discounts if you desire to purchase more packages of this highly sought-after software package. I would deeply like to regard your concerns regarding the technical support of our company and want to state that the technical assistance provided by our comp any is 100% genuine and you can get any kind of assistance at any point of time as we provide 24/7 technical assistance. Thus, I would be expecting your reply in relation to this letter and would like to state that the best date for closing this deal would be before 10/7/2013. And, on the behalf of my company, we are looking forward to maintaining a long-term mutually beneficial business association with you. I am not attaching any enclosure form with this letter. Sincerely, ABC Salesperson, Gomke Software Company BAD NEWS LETTER Date: 14/July/2013 Dear Miss. Chaney: I would like to firstly acknowledge that we are extremely pleased to receive your voice message stating that you have agreed to our offer of increasing your order to 12 software packages. However, in this context, I would like to regretfully inform you that a grave mistake has been committed from our part for which I deeply apologize. The earlier quotation that was sent to you had certain misrepresentations due to overs ight on behalf of our company with regard to the current sales processes of the company. The company no longer sells a 4-pack of software. Instead, the Mark III Grammar Buster is now available only with the purchase of 5-pack, which I personally was not aware of. As per the revised calculations, the total cost on making the purchase of the 5-pack software package would be $4,406. And, unfortunately, the cost of the purchase order

Prepare an Observing Proposal (See attachment) Essay

Prepare an Observing Proposal (See attachment) - Essay Example What is the information that could be reconstructed? What are the natural changes regarding M6 cluster that could be observed? These are the questions that the proposed study would seek to establish. Considering the fact that astronomy is central to modern scientific developments, this study would serve to reconstruct information in astronomy, informing further development in the field. Table Summary of Observation Run Proposed for the Project Run Presently observed Features No nights Optimal months Accept months 1 Keck telescope Jan-Feb Jan-Feb 2 MMT 2 Feb-March Jan-Feb 3 KP-4m 3x 0.5 June-April Jan-Feb 4 WTYN 5 Feb-Jul June-April 5 CT-1.5m 3 Feb-Jul Feb-Jul 6 GEM-SQ 1.8 Feb-July Feb-Jul Scheduling Constraints Avoid cloudy days: Days that are cloud may obstruct vision; hence, unfruitful examination. Only clear days of the season are favorable. Scientific Justification Technological and scientific discoveries are playing a crucial role in enhancing human life. These developments are not only enhancing human life but are also shunning human curiosity through discovery and reconstruction of new information. Astronomy has been one of the areas that are central to scientific discoveries, especially in earth and physical sciences. Its developments have been revolutionized by technological revolution, like other areas of science. ... Keck II telescope was utilized for astronomical observation in 1996, but its potential effectiveness was realized in 1999 following the installation of all large first adaptive optics. Furthermore, in 2004, the Keck Telescope was incorporated with laser guide star AO systems, creating the allowance for the Telescope to have a resolution equivalent to the Hubble Space Telescopes. In 2005, various technological developments were realized creating the allowance for the two Keck Telescopes to be operated together (Plotner 789). In the obvious way, the developments in the Keck Telescope are a reflection of its increasing capability to discover various astronomical phenomena. There is the need to utilize the revolutionized and the state-of-art Keck Telescope to test the accuracy of the available information, such as those of the Messier star clusters. One most notable advantage of Keck Telescopes is that they do not have distortions of the atmosphere because they are over the atmosphere. T his has resulted in much sharper images. Another merit is that it is not compromised by lights which are scattered in the atmosphere. These two factors are responsible for a condition called twinkling stars. One more advantage of Keck Telescopes is that they observe a variety of wavelengths on light easily, which are hard to use while on the ground because they are placed in the atmosphere. Keck Telescopes can detect frequencies in the atmosphere and ground without distorting the signal. Therefore, places with electromagnetic mediums such as ultraviolet, gamma and X-Ray are easily viewed from the space. One of the inherent challenges with the use of Keck Telescope is that Earth’s rotation implies that the scope must frequently compensate for its movement in order to align it on a

Mental Health Counseling Field (Social Work perspective) Essay

Mental Health Counseling Field (Social Work perspective) - Essay Example It is the belief of Marx that a struggle among social classes will engineer the change required (Marx, 2008). According to Kirst Ashman, structural reasons are common causes of poverty, which fall under the economic and political systems. The economic factor of poverty occur where wages are low for the working class and not adequately fulfilling the survival needs of the workers, hence they remain under the poverty line. The movements of industrialists to North America where there are cheap production costs have also increased poverty because the availability of employment has decreased (Ashman, 2010). The consequences of poverty are declining healthcare where most of the employment paying their workers poorly provides no healthcare policies. Insurance policies have forbidding costs that the lower class people cannot afford to raise. Nearly 15 per cent of citizens in the U.S. do not have health insurance cover. Poverty in families causes poor educational quality. It is a fact that the highest number of cases of people dropping out of school are from the poor class in the society. The poor are not as educated as the rich are. The housing conditions of the poor are also unaffordable since of them live in inferior housings. Their property owners neglect them. Many of the poor people cannot afford to pay their rent. According to the Marxist, a culmination of socialist revolution is to be expected. Moshack, 2011, defines generalist practice as the application of diverse professional skills and roles in social work practice. The generalist practice is an ethical model based on a knowledge base, where social work is developed and based on values enhanced by social work (Ashman & Hull, 2007). Social workers utilize this practice to engage, advocate and educate clients. They work with both individuals and communities in various social work settings. General practitioners involved in mental health have the obligation to view clients from the perspective of strength.

The Organisational Structure Of Fedex Commerce Essay

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

The Storm: An Inner Reflection Essays -- Emotions Psychology Essays

The Storm: An Inner Reflection Memories are all we have sometimes, but what if memories bring out unwelcome feelings? In Romesh Gunesekera's short story "Ranvali," a young lady goes back to her father's old holiday bungalow and begins to discover new feelings toward her beloved Communist father. The story is set in an idyllic bungalow in Ranvali, by the coast of India. Theorists such as Roland Barthes would argue that setting in modern narratives "no longer need meaning: they simply are: that is their meaning." (qtd in Chatman 145). However, in "Ranvali," the storm that besieges the bungalow while the young lady is there clearly mimics her thoughts and gives the reader a greater sense of the inner turmoil that she must be going through. It can thus be shown that the storm is an essential part of the setting that Gunesekera uses to evoke certain feelings in the readers of "Ranvali." In the story, the storm mimics the narrator's inner turmoil at discovering new feelings about her father. But is the storm part of setting? Chatman makes a distinction between existents - characters and setting. For Chatman, "setting 'sets the character off'; it is the place and collection of objects 'against which' his actions and passions appropriately emerge" (Chatman 134). The storm is part of the description of the 'place' where the story unfolds. The memories of the narrator's father, which may be considered the 'actions and passions' within the story, emerge before and after the occurrence of the storm. The storm is thus part of the background to which the events in "Ranvali" occur. Chatman also gives three criteria for being a character - presence, being named and importance (Chatman 139). The storm in "Ranvali" is clearly not explicitly... ...der is given a definite analogy to how she might be feeling. Gunesekera's use of this narrative device as opposed to using the narrator to describe her emotions makes the reader sympathetic to the narrator's plight in an almost unconscious way. Although the storm is part of the setting, it subconsciously draws a connection to the narrator's inner thoughts. The reader thus can imagine that a storm rages within her mind, with thoughts about her father's idealism conflicting with her love for him. Without this narrative device of the storm, the story would have been much impoverished, as the final effect of "Ranvali" would have been much reduced. Works Cited Chatman, Seymour, "Existents" Story and Discourse: Narrative Structure in Fiction and Film. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1978. 131-145. Gunesekera, Romesh. "Ranvali." Monkfish Moon. London: Granta, 1992: 89-102.