Dell Jit

Dell – Supply Chain Management Case Study 1 Case Contents 1. Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2 2. Dell – Company Overview †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2 3. Dell Products and Services †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3 4. Dell – Key Facts †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 5. Dell Timeline†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6. Dell – Business Segment Information†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 6 7. Dell’s Evolving Supply Chain Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7 7. 1. Typical Working of Dell’s Supply Chain †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 7. 2. Five key strategies in Dell’s successful Direct Model †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 7. 3. A supply chain with old technology is of little value â € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 8. Restructuring at Dell †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 8. 1. New Distribution Channels – Direct Model and Retail Strategy †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 9. Integrating the Supply Chain †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9 This case study covers the following issues: 1. Examine and analyze Dell’s Direct model, its basic working, success and future challenges 2. Typical Working of Dell’s Supply Chain and future supply chain challenges 3. Highlights Dell’s evolving Supply Chain practices and strategy and steps being taken by it to recapture its lost market leader positionCase Study Keywo rds: Dell, Direct model, Supply Chain Management, Supply Chain Strategies, Build-to-order model, Inventory optimization, PC Manufacturing, Retail Distribution Channel, HP, Notebook computers, Desktop personal computers, Competitive Business Strategies, Sustaining competitive advantage, Michael Dell 1 Please note: This case study was compiled from published sources, and is intended to be used as a basis for class discussion. Accuracy of information cannot be guaranteed. Please do not copy without permission.  © casestudyinc. com 2008 1. Introduction Dell thinks about their offerings as microprocessors, disk drives and frames-per-second graphics. But consumers just want a computer they can be proud of when they show it to their friends, listen to music, watch videos and do office work† – Christian Terwiesch, a Wharton professor Dell has been following its unique ‘direct build-to-order’ sales model for more than 20 years. Customers can plan their own configu ration and place orders directly with the company via the phone or its Web site. Over the years, Dell’s supply chain efficiencies and direct sales gave it a competitive advantage.In 2006 however, Dell faced several problems. Many customers complained about long delays in supplies. Recall of Sony battery cells in its laptops brought undesirable media hype to the company. Increasing discontent of customers led to a slowdown in sales. Consequently, Dell lost its market leadership to HewlettPackard Co. (HP). Industry analysts felt that, with Dell's competitors also improving their supply chains and matching Dell's direct model, the company had been losing its competitive edge. Dell will have to bear additional costs with its foray into retail distribution thereby minimizing its cost advantage.Besides, profit margins of Dell will drop further since it will have to offer incentives to compete with HP in retail stores. Though Dell spruced up its product design and range but Apple is clearly far ahead of it. Many experts feel that such new initiatives will only distract Dell from its supply chain operations. 2. Dell – Company Overview Dell is a leading technology company, offering a wide range of computer product categories. Its product categories include: desktop computer systems, mobility products (notebooks), servers, storage, software and peripherals, and services.Dell is the number one supplier of personal computers in the United States, and the number two supplier worldwide. Dell also offers various financing alternatives, asset management services, and other customer financial services. Dell has manufacturing locations worldwide. Dell’s build-to-order manufacturing model allows it to substantially reduce costs and at the same time offering customers the ability to customize their product purchases. 3. Dell Products and Services Product Lines and Brands Desktop PCs †¢ OptiPlex †¢ Dimension †¢ XPS †¢ Alienware †¢ Vost ro Servers and Networking PowerEdge and PowerConnectStorage Dell | EMC and Dell PowerVault Mobility XPStm and Alienware, Inspiron and Latitude lines of notebook computers Software and Peripherals Dell branded Printers, software titles, televisions, notebook accessories, networking and wireless products, digital cameras, power adapters, scanners, and other products Enhanced Services †¢ Infrastructure Consulting Services †¢ Deployment Services. †¢ Asset Recovery and Recycling Services. †¢ Training Services †¢ Enterprise Support Services †¢ Client Support services †¢ Managed Lifecycle services Financial Services Various customer financial services for business and onsumer customers in the U. S. through Dell Financial Services L. P 4. Dell – Key Facts Dell: Quick Facts Company Type Corporate Headquarters Revenues Industry Employees Manufacturing Facilities Distribution Product Lines Brands Major Competitors Business/Growth Strategy Key Executive s Name, (age),Designation Website Public (NASDAQ: DELL) Round Rock, Texas $57. 4 billion (fiscal 2007) Hardware, PC Manufacturing Approximately 90,500 total employees (Fiscal 2007) †¢ Brazil — El Dorado do Sul †¢ Florida — Miami (Alienware) †¢ North Carolina — Winston-Salem †¢ Ohio — West Chester †¢ Tennessee — Lebanon and Nashville Texas — Austin †¢ Ireland — Limerick and Athlone (Alienware) †¢ China — Xiamen †¢ Malaysia — Penang Worldwide †¢ Desktop PCs †¢ Mobility products †¢ Servers and Storage †¢ Software and peripherals and †¢ Services †¢ OptiPlex †¢ Dimension †¢ XPS †¢ Dell Precision and Alienware MJ-12 ® †¢ PowerEdge †¢ Dell PowerVault †¢ Inspiron †¢ Latitude †¢ HP †¢ Acer †¢ Lenovo Direct customer model Highly efficient manufacturing and logistics, and New distribution channels to reach custo mers Michael S. Dell (42) Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO Donald J. Carty (61) Vice Chairman and CFO Michael R.Cannon (54) President, Global Operations Stephen J. Felice (50) Senior VP and President, Asia Pacific-Japan Mark Jarvis (44) Senior VP, Chief Marketing Officer David A. Marmonti (48) Senior VP and President, EMEA www. dell. com 5. Dell Timeline Dell Timeline 1983 Michael Dell used to upgrade IBM compatible PCs in his spare. (He was a freshman at the University of Texas, Austin) 1984 Michael Dell established PC's Ltd with sales US$ 6 million in its first full year of operations 1985 Turbo PC, first computer introduced by the company. Turbo PC was advertised in computer magazines and sold directly to customers 993 Dell joins the ranks of top-five computer system makers worldwide 1996 Dell pioneers Internet sales with earnings approx 1 million dollars per day just seven months after launch of www. dell. com 1998 The company changed its name to Dell Computer Corporat ion 1999 Dell introduces E-support tool to provide online technical support 2000 Online sales continue to grow to $50 million per day 2001 Dell achieves No. 1 ranking on global market share 2003 Dell launches Dell Recycling initiative 2004 Inventory turnover rate in Dell was at 107 times a year, compared to 8. 5 times at HP and 17. times in IBM. 2005 â€Å"America’s Most Admired Company† – Fortune Magazine 2005, 2006 Dell faced several problems, and lost its position as the largest selling PC manufacturer to HP 2007 Dell announced that it planned to move most of its global supply chain and manufacturing operations to Singapore, which would function as the company's ‘shared headquarters 2007 Michael Cannon assumes responsibility as the Head of Global Operations Organization 2007 Michael Dell (Michael) returned as CEO on January 31, 2007 2007 Retail partnerships with Wal-Mart, Staples, Gome, Bic Camera and Carphone Warehouse 2007Dell launches the Direct2Dell corporate blog and other idea forums to listen and engage customers 6. Dell – Business Segment Information Dell conducts operations worldwide. Dell is managed in three geographic regions: †¢ †¢ †¢ Americas Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) Asia Pacific-Japan (APJ). Major Business Segment Based in Americas Round Rock, Texas EMEA Bracknell, England APJ Singapore Covers Business – sales to corporate, government, healthcare, education, and small and medium business customers U. S. Consumer – sales primarily to individual consumers and selected retail partners Covers Europe, the MiddleEast, and Africa. Covers the Asian countries of the Pacific Rim as well as Australia, New Zealand, and India 7. Dell’s Evolving Supply Chain Strategy Dell’s past performance has been the result of its direct customer model. Dell’s success is attributed to a constant focus on delivering directly to its customers, related technology and services a t the best value. Dell’s operations involve highly efficient manufacturing and logistics to lower the cost of technology. 7. 1. Typical Working of Dell’s Supply Chain Dell Supply Chain works as follows: 1. Customer places an order, either by phone or through the Internet on its website . Dell processes the order in 2-3 days by evaluating financial feasibility (credit checking) and technical feasibility (technical con? guration) 3. Dell processes the order to one of its manufacturing locations 4. These plants can put together, test, and package the product in about eight hours 5. Dell typically plans to ship all orders no later than ? ve days after receipt 7. 2. Five key strategies in Dell’s successful Direct Model Five key strategies in Dell’s successful Direct Model †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Rapid time to volume Built to order products Elimination of reseller markupsSuperior customer service and support Low inventory and capital investment 7. 3. A supply chain with old technology is of little value The direct model involves bypassing retailers and selling personal computer systems directly to customers. This helps avoid the delays and costs of an additional stage (holding inventory) in the supply chain. Typically, each technology component loses about 0. 5 to 2 percent in a rapidly changing environment. A supply chain with old technology is of little value. Dell maintained very little inventory and concentrated on pacing its products through its supply chain.This also meant that there was no question of selling old products at a discount. 8. Restructuring at Dell Dell failed to meet its quarterly financial forecasts. Consequently, Dell lost its market leadership to Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP). In order to settle a few accounting issues, the company decided to restate its financial results for the last four years. Michael Dell had to take the CEO’s responsibility again, replacing Kevin Rollins. Michael Dell felt th e importance of increasing the capacity, via the direct model, to manufacture close to its customer and fully integrate its supply chain into one global organization.To do so Dell had to innovate and adapt its supply chain model to help drive differentiated product design, manufacturing and distribution models. He began a series of restructuring exercises. 8. 1. New Distribution Channels – Direct Model and Retail Strategy While part of the restructuring involved cutting 8,000 jobs, or 10. 0% of its workforce, the biggest surprise was the move of Dell to complement its ‘direct sales model’ with sale of PCs through retailer channels as well. To reach even more customers globally, Dell launched new distribution channels to reach commercial customers and individual consumers around the world.This meant moving from a model of direct sales to making its goods available in stores across the world. This move allowed Dell to reach customers that it could not reach directl y previously. From June 2007, it started placing its products in the shelves of Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores. In December 2007, Dell also announced that its Dell laptops and desktop computers will be sold through Tesco stores in Britain and Ireland as well as the high-growth eastern European markets of Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. In U. S. Asia and Europe, Dell added Best Buy, WalMart, Staples, China's Gome Stores, Japan's Bic Camera, France's Carrefour and British phone retailer, Carphone Warehouse to sell its products at nearly 10,000 retail outlets worldwide. In December 2007, Dell also chose WPP, the world's second-largest marketing, media and communications conglomerate after Omnicom, to create a new agency that will handle $4. 5 billion in accounts over the next three years. Dell hoped that creating the agency would increase the time and money spent focusing on marketing and customers rather than pitching for the next project 9.Integrating the Supply Chain Earlier, Dell's manufacturing, supply chain and procurement activities functioned separately. Procurement functioned as a standalone unit, the regional business executives were in-charge of manufacturing, and supply chain was a part of the worldwide operations of the company. All Dell's factories had been managed regionally, and procurement functioned as a separate division. Michael aimed to integrate its supply chain and achieve higher efficiency and quality through Global Operations Organization (GOO). GOO is Dell's center for integrating its global manufacturing, procurement

International Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 3

International Finance - Essay Example This is a clean product currency procedure. In the 18th century product, money schemes became challenging because there was a deficiency of silver and this organization steadily provided way to a structure where paper currency issued by a domineering bank was reinforced by gold (Staiger, 2006). Therefore, the impression was that money’s worth could be articulated in terms of a quantified component of gold. Therefore we may say that a component of paper money a dollar note may be value x granules of gold (Staiger, 2006). Gold was also reflected to be the standard method of creating intercontinental payments. Therefore, as trade extended, inequities in commerce result from and this demanded that gold be moved between countries (in boats) to account these inequalities. Trade discrepancy nations had to transport gold to exchange surplus nations. (Steinberg, 2002). This introduction of gold would permit the administration to increase the money stock since they consumed more gold to reverse the exchange. This development was in exact amount to the set worth of the gold in terms of granules of gold (Simmons, 2002). Increasing currency supply would drive contrary to the price increases barrier, which would eventually render transfers less appealing to foreign person and the exterior discrepancy, would decrease (Simmons, 2002).

Tragedy of the Commons and Collective Action Term Paper

Tragedy of the Commons and Collective Action - Term Paper Example Acceptance of the reality of interdependency is implicit idea that all kinds or types of natural resources are for the good of everybody. This means resources are safeguarded for a common purpose of use, exploitation and preservation for replenishment and eventual use of all future generations. This idea is called the global commons of natural resources (Nonini 164). Early or primitive human societies had latched unto this idea of the commons due to their own survival instincts. Every member of the tribe is tasked to help preserve all resources not only for today's present consumption needs but for the future requirements of succeeding generations as well. Because of this concept of environmental preservation, the tribe members had banded themselves together with some social, cultural or religious arrangements to ensure that resources are safeguarded from over-exploitation, allowed to recover and replenish and to make everyone aware that no one owns these resources exclusively but ev erybody owns it. It is this idea that is known as the commons with the added sense of good stewardship. People are supposed to take only what they need from their common-pool resources. A fertile or rich environment can support a population adequately to provide a comfortable life as long as this practice is enforced. Nobody is supposed to take more than what they need, such as exploiting a resource for profit because some people had become too greedy. This had been practiced by the native Americans before the white colonizers came along. In fact, this is shown to be viable, a sense of abundance even in marginal ecological zones (ibid.). Continued population growth had put pressure on natural resources, a grim reminder of the theory put forward by Malthus centuries ago regarding... Good governance today demands consent, cooperation and commitment from people and the old ways of using coercion is no longer an acceptable alternative when imposing some form of social contract in managing common-pool resources (CPR). In fact, this was what the Nobel prize winner Elinor Ostrom advocates, using her recommended seven principles on the best ways on how to govern the commons while privatization is also considered but it has its limitations but an important point is that socio-economic models for sustainable extraction of resources can be implemented using the old ideas of liberal democracy. Global commons has been shown to be generative as well if done right, such as in music, literature, new medical technologies, hybrid seeds and in computer software where the intellectual rights are recognized and protected by copyright and patent laws.

Critically evalutate the evidence that criminal profiling is effective Essay

Critically evalutate the evidence that criminal profiling is effective - Essay Example It is usually carried out in a three stage process: â€Å"First, police officers collect crime scene data and forward it to a profiler; second, the profiler conducts an analysis of the crime scene data; and third, the profiler provides predictions about the type of individual likely to have committed the crime in question.† (Snook et al,, 2007, 438) There was initial enthusiasm for this approach, especially in the United States where the FBI set up a special ‘Behavioral Science Unit’ which analysed crimes and made recommendations for the application of criminal profiling in serious crime cases. From the beginning it was clear that the process involves multiple skills and multiple agencies, being a technique that combines elements of both art and science (Cook and Hinman, 1999, 230) and crosses over traditionally constructed professional boundaries. There has been discussion about some of the tensions arising from this multi-disciplinarity, and the gulf between res earchers and practitioners. (Alison et al, 2004). Critical opinion on the practice of criminal profiling has been mixed, ranging from positive evaluations to serious doubts as to whether criminal profiling is any more valuable than common sense. This paper reviews the underpinning theories behind criminal profiling, discusses its methodologies and the problems that can arise in its use, and then finally evaluates its effectiveness. Theories behind criminal profiling. Psychology is the major science behind criminal profiling and its origins can be traced back to the beginning of the twentieth century: â€Å"the inferring of general characteristics of a person on the basis of a limited amount of information about them, has scientific roots in psychometric testing.† (Canter, 2000, p. 3) This in turn is based on a large body of research into the variation that exists between individuals. Psychologists searched for ways of isolating small individual features which, when considered together and against a large database can predict with some degree of accuracy what type of personality a person has and how they are likely to behave in different situations. The predictions are inferred, which means they start with what is known, but move into speculation based on a number of different areas of knowledge including past experience and databases collected and collated over the years. The so-called â€Å"homology assumption† asserts that â€Å"criminals who exhibit similar crime scene actions have similar background characteristics.† (Doan and Snook, 2008, p. 61). In practice this means that investigators in a case of rape, for example, will go on the assumption that there is â€Å"a positive linear relationship between the similarities of the crime scene actions and the corresponding similarities in the background characteristics for a sample of rapists.† Any inferences that are made are deliberately not absolute statements, but are based on li kelihood and similarity: â€Å"It’s certainly possible for some characteristics to be consistent or homologous, and indeed this can be demonstrated in some cases. However, it is not a reasonable assumption in every case or even in most cases.† (Turvey, 2008, p. 540) Additional factors such as drug or alcohol use and mental illness with or without adequate medication can affect the offender’s behaviour in unpredictable ways, causing a depart at times from his or her enduring characteristics. Because of these variables, some of which cannot be known by

Relativism and Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Relativism and Morality - Essay Example Goodman presents a great challenge to the idea of relativism of morality. According to him, morality is relative but to some extent. However, some moral actions are universal and are independent of construct of human nature. One of the best examples of challenges of moral relativism is rape. It is undeniable that rape is morally wrong irrespective of what mirror one uses to analyze rape. Rape is not justifiable under any circumstance, it is simply wrong. Irrespective of any human construct, rape amounts to violation of human rights. Rape, whether it inflicts physical damage or not, violates the victim’s personhood (Goodman, 2010). It steals and destroys human dignity and sexuality. It foregoes all tenets of natural act of love often associated with sex and sexuality. Therefore, it is justified to argue that rape is universally immoral. This does not come by surprise considering the fact that rape has often been used to devalue, humiliate, and demoralize societies during the ti me of war (Jebreal & Lukes, 2011). Simply put, rape is simply wrong, totally. Another example that challenges the relativism of morality is the issue of terrorism. Terrorism is one of the most controversial topics to discuss. Supporters of terrorism and terrorism activities posit that the actions are justified and are meant for a greater good. However, it is plainly evident that terrorism targets the innocent people in the society. There are many avenues of solving all types of conflict without necessarily resulting to terrorism. Ironically, terrorists devalue the same values they claim to protect when executing terrorism acts (Goodman, 2010). Arguably, it is ironical to fight for human rights by killing people, it is simply not logical. For instance, the September 11 attack on World Trade Center caused more damage to the society than the good the perpetrators sought to achieve. Actually, besides killing many people and causing damage, the perpetrators, may have achieved nothing aft er all. Therefore, terrorism is immoral irrespective of any circumstance. Therefore, it can be concluded, safely, that terrorism is simply wrong, it is universally immoral. Although modern slavery is usually hidden from the public limelight, it serves as a good example of universally immoral acts. Slavery is the worst scenario of exploitation of human hood. Actually, it can be claimed that slavery is even worse than murder or genocide (Jebreal and Lukes, 2011). Whereas murder and genocide eliminates the victims from further suffering, slavery keeps the victims alive whilst exploiting them maximally (Goodman, 2010). Among the many forms of modern slavery, human trafficking for sexual exploitation is the most prevalent. Many girls and women are transported across many nations and taken to sex dens where they are sexually exploited until they are of no use. Accompanying sexual exploitation is drug abuse, crime, and violence (Goodman, 2010). Undeniably, there is no single person in the world who would want to go through such inhumane act. Therefore, modern slavery of any form is unacceptable in any society. This makes it safe to conclude that slavery is, universally, unacceptable. The most saddening and worrying issue both in the past and modern society is the act of genocide. Historically, genocide has been perpetrated among many societies across

E-Learning Master Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

E-Learning Master - Essay Example I will lso use cse study to support the evidence of the theory. It hs been rgued tht computer-bsed communiction is the most fundmentl chnge in communictions technology in the lst 150 yers (de l Sol Pool 1984). The prolifertion of the personl computer combined with the Internet hs precipitted fr-reching chnges in society. Electronic communictions nd digitl networks re trnsforming the wy we work nd re reshping personl communiction nd entertinment. This trnsformtion hs hd tremendous effect on the need nd opportunity to lern. Unfortuntely, the trnsmission model tht still domintes eduction hs chnged little. Notwithstnding the widespred doption of computer communictions in society, we hve yet to fully experience the trnsformtive effects of this medium, prticulrly its effect on e-lerning. We re in wht John Seely Brown (2000) described s the grdul development phse of this trnsformtive medium nd re yet to experience its explosive impct. We re only experiencing e-lerning in its erly forms nd hve much to lern of its inherent cpbilities nd the cretion of new 'lerning ecology' (Brown 2000). s hs been suggested, e-lerning is not simply nother technology or dd-on tht will be quietly integrted or ultimtely rejected. E-lerning represents very different ctegory nd mode of communiction. Since communiction is t the hert of ll forms of eductionl interction, it is likely tht its impct on eduction systems nd individul techers nd lerners will be significnt. It mkes little sense to replicte or simulte trditionl fce-to-fce pproches. Clerly, if we relly re experiencing new lerning ecology, simulting prctices bsed on very different ecology simply misses the point. Not only would opportunities to improve the lerning experience be lost, but merely simulting trditionl prctices resists cpitlizing on the chrcteristics of new er of lerning. E-lerning will inevitbly trnsform ll forms of eduction nd lerning in the twenty-first century. Notwithstnding tht e-lerning's influence in trditionl eductionl institutions hs been wek - in relity, little more thn n enhncement of current prctices - s we gin better understnding of its potentil nd strengths, e-lerning will effectively trnsform how we pproch the teching nd lerning trnsction (Grrison nd nderson 2000). E-lerning trnsforms eduction in wys tht extend beyond the efficient delivery or entertinment vlue of trditionl pproches. E-lerning cnnot be ignored by those who re seriously committed to enhncing teching nd lerning. 1. new relity with ccess to E-lerning t the core of the e-lerning trnsformtion is the Internet. report of the US Web-bsed Eduction Commission (on-line) stted: The question is no longer if the Internet cn be used to trnsform lerning in new nd powerful wys. The Commission hs found tht it cn. The Web-bsed Eduction Commission clls upon the new Congress nd dministrtion to embrce n 'e-lerning' gend s centrepiece of our ntion's federl eduction policy. (Retrieved July 2001) The report recommended tht vstly expnded development nd innovtion progrmme 'should be built on deeper understnding of how people lern, how new tools support nd ssess lerning

Thinking Realities of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow Assignment

Thinking Realities of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow - Assignment Example (Singleton, 2010, p. 143) There has been a considerable shift in the perception of a â€Å"good nurse† over the years. Traditionally, literature concerning nursing ethics indicates that the merits of the nurse included such qualities like being respectful towards authority (especially of medicine), being loyal to duty, being careful, being calm, gentle and clean. Sympathy, concern or any kind of emotional attachment with a patient was discouraged and was considered to be a weakness in the character of the nurse. The early literature also mentions unwillingness to ‘report’ another nurse or defy any unsafe practice. Other essential qualities budding from the ethics literature were obedience, tolerance, serenity, modesty, humility etc. (Begley, 2010, p. p. 527-531)In the past the training of nurses in matters of ethics often focused on things like how to dress and to show respect (etiquette) rather than act upon the moral perceptions of practice (ethics). However, this does not indicate that all nurses were meek and timid and were not able to think for themselves. But in actuality, the culture was such that it did not encourage assertiveness or support challenges to the authorities. (Meehan, 2012, p. 2905) The nursing practitioner today is expected to question and team up with other professionals instead of just obeying instructions of the superiors. Patients’ well being is the first priority and today nurses are accountable for their actions and are given the responsibility to guard the patients from the mistakes and carelessness of others. Today the nurses are expected to have a strong knowledge of their work and they are expected to be sufficiently confident to confront doubtful practice. Based on right knowledge and information, today’s nurse should report any method or behavior or action practiced that is unethical, unsafe, illegal or incompetent in nature. Thus, modern codes of ethics