Theory of Change for Womens Community Support Group

Theory of Change for Womens Community Support Group Describe the program logic Explain logic of change ( theory of change) that underpins it Who are we aiming to support and why-the target group This program is aimed at supporting a group of young women, aged between twelve and sixteen to overcome personal challenges. As it stands, these women have exhibited signs of social disengagement. This disengagement impacted not only on these womens emotional wellbeing, it has invariably impacted on their social wellbeing, including their school performance. Some of the reasons for such disengagement include but is not limited to bullying, family disadvantages, such as loss of parent, drug abuse and more. The purpose of this intervention is ensure that these women are provided with tools and motivation so as to re-engage with the community and maintain school attendance. Changes that the initiative seeks to support The initiative being proposed here is what Rogers (2008) calls complex intervention. Complex in the sense that it is both recursive and emergence. It is recursive because the cause/effect relationship may be mutual multidirectional and multilateral, Rogers (2008) citing Patton (1997). Changing behavior can be on such problem. There are no assurances that participants will not regress. The project involves different people with different life histories and attitudes. The intervention is emergence in the sense that the specific outcomes and means to achieve them emerge during implementation, as explained by Rogers (2008). This is due to the notion that the intervention is a wicked problem. Wicked in that what is being dealt with maybe a symptom of other problems, there is no right and wrong or true and false and failure may not be tolerated , Rittel and Weber (1973). Process or Sequence of change The process started with the recruitment of 10 women in years seven to ten, aged between 10 and 12. These women were judged to be suitable for the intervention because they exhibited signs of disengagement from the community. The program was to run weekly basis for three hours per session. Two schools were picked to host the program, with sessions run by an arts professional. The classroom is set out to provide a safe environment, which allows for better interaction amongst participants. The women have access to mentors as well. Tools provided include artwork materials such as pushes, canvases, table easels, aprons and oil paints. The main activity required participants to reproduce easily recognizable impressionistic masterpieces. Which allowed for novices to produce own art works that reflected own abilities. Which led to the women absorbing creative skills and aesthetic experience, leading to women to make connection with their surroundings. This in turn taught the women listening, observation and painting skills. Such skills would lead to self self awareness and confidence. Apart from artwork activities, participants have access to two to three adults with whom they can freely interact. The adults are composed of a policewoman, youth worker and a mental health-worker. Interaction with these individuals leads to participants gaining trust with authority and better mental health care and a better understanding of law. The classes also include a meditation session, that focuses on mindfulness and increased calm and emotional regulation. This is expected to lead to self-care and capacity to manage fear, anxiety and stress. The expectation is that this would improve self-confidence. It is hoped that the program lead to change of behavior and hence re-engagement with the community Assumptions According to Rogers (2008) assumptions are informed by beliefs and knowledge. In this project, it is assumed that all the women in this program have an interest in art. While the fact may be that some women do not like art at all. This may be due to the belief that local people in the area like expressing themselves through art. It is also assumed that they will get some support from the community outside the center. Another major assumption is that attendee will continue to practice meditations after the end of the program. Limitations At this stage, there is no support provided for the community surrounding these women. They are still living in that same environment that is causing the disengagement. This might greatly impact on the outcomes of the initiative. Avenues for interaction with other women after the program is also not assured. References Rittel, H.W. J. and Webber, M.M. (1973). Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning, Policy Sciences. 4 (2): 155-169. Rogers, P. (2008) Using Programme Theory to Evaluate Complicated and Complex Aspects of Intervention. Evaluation. Sage Publications, Vol 14.

Brazil´s Dictatorship and Military Regimes Essay -- military regimes,

In our class we learned a lot about the various military regimes that occurred throughout Latin America. However out of all the ones we discussed, Brazil’s dictatorship was never mentioned. I decided to write about it, but at the same time also compare it to the other military regimes in Latin America. Unlike most of the other governments, Brazil’s military one was not as brutal. It in no way measured up to the brutality of the Argentinian dictatorship or the ruthlessness of the dictatorship in Bolivia. However it was not an easy time either. Many Brazilians were exiled and many lost their lives because of this oppressive government. To start it all off, the regime did not just occur from one day to the next. There were years of build up to the eventual bust up. Janio Quadros was elected as president in 1960 after Juscelino Kubitschek was in charge; he based his entire campaign on criticizing Juscelino and to outright corruption in his government. Taking his idea to a new level, Janio made his symbol a broom because he intended to clean the government up. Janio was only president for two years but during his tenure he increased Brazil’s relations with communist countries which did not make his opposition comfortable (Evanson). In 1961 he resigned as president and his vice president, Joao Goulart, was to be made into president. However when this happened Joao was in China and some of the heads of the military tried to prevent him from becoming president because they thought he was a communist and they did not want a communist head of state (Breneman). On August 29, Congress voted against a motion to stop Joao Goulart from becoming president. This motion was brought to Congress by the heads of the three branches of the milit... ...w.fgv.br/CPDOC/BUSCA/Busca/BuscaConsultar.aspx>. "JOAO BELCHIOR MARQUES GOULART." Centro De Pesquisa E Documentaà §Ãƒ £o De Histà ³ria Contemporà ¢nea Do Brasil. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. . Rosenberg, Tina. Children of Cain: Violence and the Violent in Latin America. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print. "Superior Electoral Court - Brazil." Tribunal Superior Eleitoral. 3 Feb. 2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. . "TANCREDO DE ALMEIDA NEVES." Centro De Pesquisa E Documentaà §Ãƒ £o De Histà ³ria Contemporà ¢nea Do Brasil. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. . "A TORTURA NO REGIME MILITAR  « MANIFESTO JEOCAZ LEE-MEDDI." MANIFESTO JEOCAZ LEE-MEDDI. 13 Feb. 2010. Web. 23 Apr. 2011. . Brazil ´s Dictatorship and Military Regimes Essay -- military regimes, In our class we learned a lot about the various military regimes that occurred throughout Latin America. However out of all the ones we discussed, Brazil’s dictatorship was never mentioned. I decided to write about it, but at the same time also compare it to the other military regimes in Latin America. Unlike most of the other governments, Brazil’s military one was not as brutal. It in no way measured up to the brutality of the Argentinian dictatorship or the ruthlessness of the dictatorship in Bolivia. However it was not an easy time either. Many Brazilians were exiled and many lost their lives because of this oppressive government. To start it all off, the regime did not just occur from one day to the next. There were years of build up to the eventual bust up. Janio Quadros was elected as president in 1960 after Juscelino Kubitschek was in charge; he based his entire campaign on criticizing Juscelino and to outright corruption in his government. Taking his idea to a new level, Janio made his symbol a broom because he intended to clean the government up. Janio was only president for two years but during his tenure he increased Brazil’s relations with communist countries which did not make his opposition comfortable (Evanson). In 1961 he resigned as president and his vice president, Joao Goulart, was to be made into president. However when this happened Joao was in China and some of the heads of the military tried to prevent him from becoming president because they thought he was a communist and they did not want a communist head of state (Breneman). On August 29, Congress voted against a motion to stop Joao Goulart from becoming president. This motion was brought to Congress by the heads of the three branches of the milit... ...w.fgv.br/CPDOC/BUSCA/Busca/BuscaConsultar.aspx>. "JOAO BELCHIOR MARQUES GOULART." Centro De Pesquisa E Documentaà §Ãƒ £o De Histà ³ria Contemporà ¢nea Do Brasil. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. . Rosenberg, Tina. Children of Cain: Violence and the Violent in Latin America. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print. "Superior Electoral Court - Brazil." Tribunal Superior Eleitoral. 3 Feb. 2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2011. . "TANCREDO DE ALMEIDA NEVES." Centro De Pesquisa E Documentaà §Ãƒ £o De Histà ³ria Contemporà ¢nea Do Brasil. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. . "A TORTURA NO REGIME MILITAR  « MANIFESTO JEOCAZ LEE-MEDDI." MANIFESTO JEOCAZ LEE-MEDDI. 13 Feb. 2010. Web. 23 Apr. 2011. .

Italian Unification :: Italy History

Italian unification 1) There were a number of reasons as to the fact that Italian unification seemed so far away in the early 1850s, and reasons why nobody felt that Italy as one state would ever be possible. There had been a number of attempted uprisings between 1948 and 49, however all of these had been unsuccessful. The area that is now Italy was still separate parts, each part with their own culture and traditions. Around ninety percent of the population were uneducated and many did not even know the term Italy, many of these people did not have any concerns over who ruled them, and just wished to be ruled well. Austria was still very much the dominant power in Italy, and a dominant power in Europe, at the time it seemed impossible that they could ever be removed from Italy. 2) Cavour saw Mazzini’s ideas as negative, and idealistic, Cavour wanted Piedmontease expansion while Mazzini and his followers wanted a united Italy. Cavour detested Mazzini because of his extremist views, the opposite to Cavour’s middle of the road politics. As well as this Mazzini’s practical record had been one of complete failure, and many young revolutionaries died to no effect. Cavour believed that Mazzini was in fact a help to his cause, and so looked for support from different areas. 4) At Plombieres an agreement was signed in which the French under Napoleon the third agreed to help Piedmont eject the Austrians from states in the northern part of Italy, the meeting was vital because Cavour knew that he had no chance of removing the Austrians without outside support, which France agreed to give at the meeting at Plombieres. However they agreed only to do this on the condition that Austria were seen as the aggressors. To ensure that this was the case Cavour had troops mobilise inside piedmont which then resulted in Austria attacking, this gave France the excuse they needed to attack Austria and take many of the northern states. However fear of intervention by the Germanic states and fear of troubles at home lead Napoleon to him pulling out and not fulfilling the agreements made at Plombieres, and therefore not gaining niece and Savoy. When Cavour wished to continue the battle against the Austrians he was prevented from doing so by Victor Emanuel, and consequently resigned. 6) Cavour was a very skilled politician who wished Piedmont to be seen as a force in Europe, and to achieve this he did a number of things, firstly he involved himself in the Crimean war in which both Britain and France had a great interest in.

Mans search for meaning Essay -- essays research papers fc

REACTION TO VICTOR FRANKL’S MAN’S SEARCH FOR MEANING Frankl attains as high a level of humanism in his writing as one would think possible of any scientist. His psychology is based on empiricism. His experiences as a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp, stripped of everything but his bare existence, led him to explore the ultimate sense of meaning in human life. In own privileged western world we don’t have to struggle for life and its essentials, like food. Furthermore, there is plenty to keep us busy, whether it be work or other forms of entertainment. In such an environment it is easy to forget or procrastinate in the search for life’s meaning. In Frankl’s account, the search for meaning had life-and-death implications, like the need for food and water. Having formed a theory so based on experience, Frankl is much less schematic or cerebral than even the most humanistic of psychologists. Some of his conclusions are not unlike those of Abraham Maslow and Erich Fromm. This is clear in the importance all three give to transcendence. He asserts that â€Å"the more one forgets himself†¦the more human he is and the more he actualizes himself† (133). This assertion reminds one of Maslow’s definitions of â€Å"peak experiences† as those of transcendence. Maslow claims that it is possible to learn from such experiences in order to become more conscious of being. This idea firmly correlates with Frankl’s. The main concern for mankind is fulfilling a meaning. It is in this point that Frank...

The Hidden Key to E-Commerce Success

Order Fulfillment: The Hidden Key to e-Commerce Success By Fred R. Ricker and Ravi Kalakota n July 1995, a young Wall Street computer whiz named Jeff Bezos opened a bookstore offering more than one million titles yet virtually no inventory. His brainchild—Amazon. com—has grown since then from four employees operating out of a 400 square-foot garage in Seattle into an online company with a stock valuation greater than most Fortune 500 companies.His initial concept—a virtual bookstore designed to do business exclusively on The Internet offers a wealth of the Internet—was new business opportunities for obviously brilliant start-ups and established compaand well executed, nies alike. Yet while everyone as evidenced by wants a piece of the e-Commerce action, not everyone has laid the Amazon. com’s sucnecessary groundwork for success in gaining and cess. One of the most often overkeeping customer looked prerequisites is order fulfillattention and genermen t and distribution. Succeeding ating orders. n the e-Commerce age is every Yet the company’s bit as much about designing and success to date is executing these â€Å"blocking and dwarfed by the tackling† functions as it is about potential of its the latest technology. apparent ambition— to build the world’s most efficient consumer-direct orderFred R. Ricker is director of health-care supfulfillment system. ply chain strategy for Manhattan Associates Amazon. com enviInc. Ravi Kalakota is the director of the sions a â€Å"killer† supCenter for Digital Commerce and GCATT ply chain that can chair professor of electronic commerce at deliver virtually any Georgia State University.He is also the product—not just founder and CEO of e-Business Strategies. 60 Supply Chain Management Review I books— directly to customers better than its competitors. In fact, it took Amazon. com only one quarter after adding music to its offerings to become the N et’s leading music seller. The company currently is targeting the $150 billion pharmaceuticals market with a 40-percent stake in Drugstore. com. Today, the emphasis among more mature Web retailers like Amazon. com is shifting from marketing to fulfillment logistics—what happens after the rder is placed. Good fulfillment—taking the right product, putting it in the right box, shipping it, and gaining the customer’s approval on arrival—is a demanding task. We believe it is here—in the down-and-dirty details of consumer direct order fulfillment—that the epic battles for domination of the e-Commerce marketplace will ultimately be won or lost. The emergence of the e-Supply chain, a group of strategically aligned companies focused on delivering differentiable value, signals a shift in the nature of online competition.It involves rethinking traditional supplier relationships and the role of informationdriven fulfillment logistics. In the new network economy, establishing a sustainable e-Commerce position is as much about using the right fulfillment strategies to get your products or services to buyers as it is about having the right product at the right price. The key to success is being able to give customers what they want, Fall 1999 Illustration by Roger Roth when they want it, and how they want it—all at the lowest cost. That requires â€Å"real-time fulfillment† solutions.These rising demands have driven a three-phase evolution. First the e-Corporation, which focuses on creating and maximizing the potential of internal supply chains, evolves into e-Business communities, where distributors, suppliers, customers, and others are linked but not fully integrated. These communities then become the e-Supply chain, which requires business-process and technology synchronization across the entire chain. (Exhibit 1 depicts this progression. ) Unfortunately, much of the start-up planning for e-Commerce ventures a pplies old models to new enterprises.It assumes, for example, the existence of a brick-and-mortar support infrastructure for the fulfillment or the spontaneous development of that infrastructure. Like it or not, most e-Commerce retailers place their initial emphasis on the â€Å"exciting† areas: Web product development, traffic generation, dynamic or customized Web pages, transactions, and so on. Often, e-Commerce retailers give little thought to order fulfillment and distribution—a capability critical to the success or failure of Web commerce. Our research shows that the lack of an Fall 1999 ntegrated supply chain infrastructure or weaknesses in integrating multiparty logistics components can undermine the benefits of e-Commerce and hinder innovative responses to the competition. The e-Fulfillment Opportunity The Internet offers a rich new opportunity for direct consumer access, but it also raises new challenges. Web retailers find product fulfillment—picking a nd packing in very small quantities and shipping via parcel carriers—a particularly difficult activity. It often requires relying on third-party fulfillment vendors (a concept discussed later in this article) to do the job.But collaboration in fulfillment chains is no longer confined to conventional two-company alliances, such as between shipper and a logistics services provider. Today, groups of enterprises are banding together for a common purpose—to satisfy customer demand. A new form of competition is emerging: e-Supply chain vs. e-Supply chain. In the Internet book retailing war, for example, the competition is not only between Amazon. com and Barnes & Noble but also among groups of companies that make up the e-Supply chain anchored by each company. An e-Supply chain is, in effect, a virtual organizaSupply Chain Management Review 61ORDER FULFILLMENT process. ) Vendors could work within specified routing guidelines and still tender for trucks online in conjunction with other geographically close vendors to get full-truckload rates. Internet start-ups have the luxury of starting from scratch and defining their fulfillment infrastructure Business Process and Technology specifically for the products Integration being offered online. This is not the case for established Phase 3 E-Supply Chain companies like catalog companies or store-based retailers such as Wal-Mart, Borders, and JCPenney.These companies already have fulfillment and distribution networks designed to ship a variety of products in bulk quantities to hundreds of stores. They realize that they cannot layer home delivery on the existing infrastructure. The established companies must decide whether to extend their existing facilities for consumer-direct eCommerce or build a new set of fulfillment facilities tailored to low volumes and high-variety product mixes. The enlightened ones realize that they need to invent a new customer-driven fulfillment model that can extract enough costs o ut of the current model to justify home delivery costs.That new model, we believe, is an intercompany order-fulfillment and replenishment model. It utilizes business process synchronization to eliminate redundant processes among supply chain trading companies and to improve information sharing— doing away with excess labor, inventory, and holding costs. The design and implementation of such a coordinated and synchronized fulfillment infrastructure poses a major managerial problem. To shed light on this problem and provide a prescriptive roadmap, we address the following questions: What is the impact of current customer-direct business models on fulfillment strategies?What is the definition of consumer-direct fulfillment logistics? Why is having a consumer-direct model so important? What types of fulfillment strategies are currently employed in e-Commerce? What strategic business-process reengineering and synchronization steps can managers take when designing a consumer-direct fulfillment logistics strategy? Fall 1999 EXHIBIT 1 Evolution of the Network Economy Distributors Suppliers Internal Supply Chain Reengineering External Linkages Customers Phase 1 E-Corporation Logistics Providers Phase 2 E-Business Communities ion that encompasses a group of trading companies, all working together to slash costs and share profits. By optimizing not only their internal processes but also their mutual interactions, they realize the benefits of a truly integrated supply chain. This concept—business-process and supply chain synchronization—lays the basis for the next revolution in supply chain management. It takes supply chain integration to a new level of efficiency by requiring companies to focus on synchronizing business processes around standard interface points and upgrading these points as the industry evolves.Synchronization of these â€Å"touch points† eliminates costs associated with inefficient movement of goods, redundant processes, and excess inventory. In doing so, it promotes a dedicated collaboration of all supply chain trading partners—suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, thirdparty providers, transportation companies, and retailers. Through e-Commerce, redundant processes among trading partners (such as multiple accuracy audits, receiving-dock appointments, and inventory planning activities) can be eliminated.The immediacy and availability of the Internet, once security and data cleansing issues are worked out, fulfills the promise of true synchronization. To take just a few examples, if vendors can gain access to a publicly available schedule on the Internet and book their own receiving appointments, they no longer need to send requests for appointments and wait for responses. Retailers would not need to research late payments if their customers could download payment status directly from the retailer’s Web site. (At least two major retailers have already begun this 62 Supply C hain Management ReviewThe Logistics of Consumer-Direct Fulfillment Three forces are converging to create an explosion in consumer-direct business models: technology forces are making it possible, market forces are making it viable, and social forces are making it inevitable. Keep in mind, though, that consumers demand more than an interactive experience. They want delivery convenience and lower fulfillment costs. They need to be assured of fast and reliable delivery. The value the consumer places on timely delivery can affect the logistics network design significantly. Time is money,† and digital consumers of the 21st century don’t have the same tolerance levels as their analog-world ancestors. Today’s consumers are yearning for instant gratification as never before. Partners in the supply chain must improve their efficiencies—from order capture to fulfillment— to provide that gratification. The goal of consumer-direct business models is to let cust omers select and configure products and services interactively, get a price quote, and receive a committed delivery date online.Companies serious about satisfying customers online must substantially change their process to make consumer-direct retailing and manufacturing attractive to the consumer. Companies must re-evaluate the complete fulfillment business model—promotions, merchandising, product selection, pricing, supplier relations, technical management, distribution, returns, and post-sale service. Each of these areas demands new processes, skills, and approaches. To satisfy a consumer-driven marketplace, companies must move beyond the singular mentality of intracompany optimization.Instead, they must focus on how intercompany business process synchronization can transform consumer demands into consumer satisfaction. As with a single company, core competencies of each component of the virtual organization must be evaluated objectively to eliminate inefficiencies. Manage rs of that virtual organization will continue to reengineer best practices, while at the same time: Building replenishment programs based on consumers â€Å"pulling† the product through the supply chain from the manufacturer. Employing new forecasting methods that reflect total pipeline visibility.Investing collectively in technology and equipment to capitalize on market opportunities. The success of consumer direct fulfillment logistics models depends on the successful integration of Fall 1999 four key elements: order-fulfillment planning, product execution, distribution management, and crossapplication integration. 1. Order-Fulfillment Planning. Rising customer expectations and short fulfillment deadlines call for effective planning that breaks artificial boundaries and bridges the gaps between the consumer and the other players in the supply chain.Fulfillment planning must consider the entire planning process— from manufacturing, through distribution and transportat ion—within a single integrated model. Fulfillment planning involves evaluation of multiple planning strategies such as: Establishing a sustainable e-Commerce position is as Profitable-to-promise: Should I take the customer order at this time? Available-to-promise: Is inventory available to fulfill the order? Capable-to-promise: Does manufacturing capacity allow order commitment?Select the plan that best meets the desired customer-service levels considering transportation and manufacturing constraints. It’s important to plan backwards from customer priorities and fulfillment deadlines. Thus, to generate a feasible plan, the fulfillment-planning process needs to consider all supply chain constraints simultaneously. These include transportation constraints such as truck capacity and weight, use of alternate modes, and availability of downstream resources such as loading docks. 1 2. Production Execution.With the advent of modular designs, more and more production functions are being performed at dedicated warehouses and distribution centers. The typical activities include light subassembly and sequencing, kitting, merging, consolidation, packaging, and labeling. Timing of the final assembly often drives the production plan for subassemblies. The process starts with the master production schedule for the finished product. An MRP (Manufacturing Resource Planning) system explodes this schedule to derive when, where, and in what quantities various subassemblies and components are required to make each product.Production also includes componentreplenishment strategies that minimize the amount of inventory in the pipeline and coordinate product Supply Chain Management Review 63 much about using the right order-fulfillment strategies as it is about having the right product at the right price. ORDER FULFILLMENT hand-offs between the various parties involved. Timely replenishment of warehouses is critical because customers will no longer tolerate out-ofstock situations. 3. Distribution Management.Distribution management encompasses the entire process of transporting goods from manufacturer to distribution centers and then to final consumption point. The process also may include packing, document preparation, customs brokerage, and inventory and warehouse management. One of the most important innovations here is the integration of distribution with transportation planning and scheduling through a comprehensive supply can address by utilizing standardized information formats and communication points between trading partners.Distribution center inventory has to be integrated effectively with the customer contact system. In high-velocity retail settings like the Web, customers quickly become unhappy if the seller is out of stock for what is advertised as in stock. Accurate distribution center inventory, updated frequently, is essential to running an effective online business. A Framework for e-Commerce Fulfillment Strategies In the face of increasing competition, absence of pricing power, and shrinking operating margins, companies will succeed or fail based on the efficiency of their fulfillment strategies.Business analysts often focus on the number of orders a company generates on the Web as an indicator of its competitive strength. But a more accurate measure may be the company’s process for rapidly and efficiently translating the orders into fill-rates that satisfy and exceed customer expectations. This section presents a framework of evolving fulfillment strategies. It then illustrates that framework with a wide array of examples and derives implications and guidelines for management. The framework is based on two dimensions: the structure and the operation of fulfillment strategies.On the structure dimension, the strategies are classified as either centralized or distributed. In a centralized structure, all warehousing, pickup, packing, and shipping are operated in a central site, usually a distribution or logistics center. In a distributed structure, warehousing, pickup, packing, and shipping or delivery are located at different sites. On the operation dimension, the fulfillment strategies are either self-operated if the fulfillment process is operated by the company itself or outsourced if it is done by third parties or partners.All of these strategies, discussed below, have trade-offs regarding investment, inventory costs, and operational complexity. Strategy A. Distributed Delivery Centers Fulfillment through distributed delivery centers is an acceptable approach for companies that are just getting online or for those that have a delivery funcFall 1999 â€Å"Time is money,† chain execution solution. Transportation-management software spans the life cycle of the shipment and allows customers to view all of their shipments across a network of multimodal transportation providers. Distribution anagement also means providing users with easy access to shipping, tracking, and del ivery data. Reverse logistics is another function of distribution management. Faster product obsolescence and more generous warranties have escalated the number of returns. Reverse logistics not only encompasses damaged or returned goods but also products designed for remanufacture, hazardous materials, and reusable packaging. 4. Cross-Application Integration. To be effective, companies need to seamlessly integrate the three elements of fulfillment logistics described above.At present, this rarely happens. Most Web servers only have a sporadic connection to the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system like SAP’s R/3, which controls accounting, production, materials management, and distribution. Thus, when the user wants to know when a product will be delivered, the Web application often cannot tell that user what inventory is available in the ERP system or at the third-party warehouse. These are precisely the kinds of problems that business-process synchronization 64 Supply Chain Management Review nd digital consumers of the 21st century don’t have the same tolerance levels as their analog-world ancestors. tion in their stores. This approach minimizes the upfront investment and can be set up quickly. It also facilitates strategies such as â€Å"Buy Here/Pick Up There. † This strategy allows consumers to place an order by phone or online at one store location and pick up the merchandise at another. Though distributed delivery centers do have their advantages (like the obvious reduction in shipping costs), they also can experience certain difficulties.For one thing, controlling inventory for every center at an appropriate level may result in operational complexity and incur expensive inventory costs. In addition, in-store employees often are unfamiliar with warehouse picking and packing procedures. Further, high employee turnover can make picking and packing quality standards difficult to maintain. Yet another problem is scheduling. To mini mize conflict with customers who are shopping during the daytime, picking operations often are scheduled for off-peak shopping hours.Although this may appear to be an efficient use of resources, the delayed picking may force an additional day into the delivery cycle, since carrier pickups may take place before the completion of the current day’s picking and packing activities. Strategy B. Partner Fulfillment Operations Some online retailers are using the partner fulfillment model, which means they have no inventory, no shops, and no product brands. Fulfillment is performed entirely by partners. This approach has clear advantages from the standpoint of inventory-carrying costs. But there are some disadvantages as well.This has been evident in the experience of Peapod, an online grocery retailer that provides online shopping and home delivery services. Peapod discovered that its initial strategy of partnering with local supermarkets for fulfillment meant charging consumers high delivery costs of up to $16 an order. This pricing level made it virtually impossible to build a customer base. To attract more customers, the company has begun to dismantle some of its partnerships and move toward a distributed-delivery fulfillment model by establishing its own warehouses in selected markets.The introduction of a distributed-delivery model, however, has put a strain on the company’s financial growth. Peapod management estimates that each new distribution center requires a capital expenditure of roughly $1. 5 million plus operating expenses. Peapod expects a net loss at each facility during the first 12 to 18 months of operation. In the long run, however, the new centers should give the company higher overall margins as well as greater operating efficiencies. Fall 1999 Companies will succeed or fail based on the efficiency of their fulfillment strategies.Strategy C. Dedicated Fulfillment Center Today, many online retailers have established their own dedicate d fulfillment centers. These players include Amazon. com, BarnesandNoble. com, Dell Computer, Micro Warehouse, and Insight Enterprises. This approach is well suited to the book and computer industry, where the fulfillment centers can facilitate prompt delivery. The dedicated fulfillment center model reduces delivery costs for low-margin items. Using this approach, companies can measure expected delivery time in hours—not days.The tradeoffs of this approach are: Low or unpredictable sales volumes. This will result in high inventory-carrying costs. High up-front investment. Depending upon its warehouse setup and flexibility, a distribution fulfillment center can incur high costs. It may, for example, require major systems modifications, automated warehouses, and conveyors. This option, moreover, can add operational complexity to the product and information flows. Yet even though this approach increases the up-front capital investment, it can reduce long-term operating costs.Dec reased flexibility. The operation’s scalability is restricted to the existing warehouse infrastructure. This may make it difficult to meet the variability in demand inherent in some retail segments. Strategy D. Third-Party Fulfillment Centers (â€Å"Virtual Warehousing†) As companies struggle to manage unpredictable demand better, they are turning toward third-party fulfillment centers (3PFs), which can be thought of as virtual warehouses. Through this approach, companies can lease the skills and facilities needed for order fulfillment rather than owning them.Third-party fulfillment companies offer flexibility in accommodating wide swings in demand over short periods. They also help facilitate inventoryreduction initiatives such as just-in-time programs. Another advantage of 3PF is the limited changes that must be made to legacy information systems. This option provides a much more robust capability than in-store fulfillment and minimizes operational impact. It also co nverts much of fulfillment into a variable cost offset by eliminating warehouse and Supply Chain Management Review 65 ORDER FULFILLMENT store costs associated with the sale of the product.This strategy allows retailers to leverage their buying power and extend product selection into lines not currently offered in their stores. The primary drawback of 3PF is few existing national fulfillment companies can accommodate a wide range of products. Even more problematical, ceding control of this critical aspect of the business represents a major paradigm shift for retailers. Depending upon the service levels required by customers, multiple fulfillment centers may be necessary to minimize delivery time—and this increases costs and required stock levels. y clear that customers don’t just buy products; instead, they buy the â€Å"service envelope. † They are looking to enter into a complex relationship with the selling company. Given the new reality, companies do not crea te value for customers by merely offering varieties of products. Rather, they must devise a logistics fulfillment strategy that envelops the product and meets customer needs such as convenience, reliability, and support. The choice of a fulfillment strategy depends on whether a company elects to compete essentially on customer responsiveness or operating excellence.In either case, the fulfillment strategy must support the overall business strategy. To ensure that this happens, a company needs to complete the following steps: (1) assess the competitive environment, (2) select the fulfillment strategy, (3) achieve business-process synchronization, and (4) design and implement the necessary cross-application integration. Importantly, the fulfillment strategy must take full advantage of new planning, warehousing, and transportation technologies that can cut order fill times dramatically.Assess the Competitive Environment The first step in fulfillment-logistics design is assessmentâ€⠀that is, identifying the opportunities, strengths, and weaknesses that will influence overall performance and viability of the fulfillment strategy. During the assessment phase, a company must gather information on the competitive environment across these strategic variables: Effectiveness. What are customers’ priorities and how are they changing? How closely does the overall design address the stated and unstated requirements of customers?Consider likely changes in buying patterns, potential competitors, long-run cost pressures, and new technologies. Value differentiation. Why do my customers buy from me? What makes my value proposition unique compared to the competition? Do customers appreciate the value in my offering and can this be leveraged into differentiated pricing strategies? The first step toward value differentiation is to map your customer’s entire experience with your product or service. Do this for each important customer segment. Capital intensity. Sh ould we choose a capitalintensive, high fixed-cost strategy?Or a less capital-intensive, flexible strategy? The e-Commerce impact on working capital outlay differs from retailer to retailer. It depends on such factors as the existing logistical infrastructure (dispersion of warehouses, existing product flow, etc. ), the Fall 1999 Effective fulfillment strategy is dynamic, using multiple channels simultaneously to reach important customers. Strategy E. Build-to-Order The customized build-to-order model is an emerging fulfillment center strategy that extends beyond the traditional framework and adopts an integrating or boundary-spanning perspective.Companies working to coordinate build-to-order fulfillment logistics strategies need to: Synchronize and manage the entire flow of materials through a complex network of resources in their supply chains as opposed to simply managing inventory in warehouses. Turn their attention to maximizing the throughput, rather than focus on controlling fixed costs. Alter the material flow upstream quickly and proactively as demand and product mix change, rather than react to changes in customer demand at the end of the process.A fundamental requirement of fulfillment logistics is the dedicated collaboration of all supply chain trading partners to eliminate the costs associated with inefficient movement of goods, redundant processes, and excess inventory. Effective collaboration not only ensures that the order flows through smoothly but also provides two crucial capabilities: the ability to adapt to increasingly frequent changes in consumer tastes and e-Commerce technology and the ability to improve processes continuously.Designing the Right Fulfillment Strategy Design of the fulfillment strategy is central to the overall corporate strategy. It is becoming increasing66 Supply Chain Management Review nature of the products carried (for example, books Select the Fulfillment Strategy The second step in the design process is to select vs. produce), and the delivery demands of the an appropriate fulfillment strategy based on the findcustomer. Channel extendibility. Can the fulfillment design ings of the competitive assessment.Each fulfillment handle possible new products and services and strategy brings its own strengths, weaknesses, and incorporate new forms of customer interaction? trade-offs. These center on such issues as investEstablished companies must remain committed to ment, effectiveness, cost efficiency, operational coma portfolio strategy of customer interaction. This plexity, channel extendibility and scalability, and is based on the belief that valuable synergies exist risks associated with the business alliances. Exhibit 2, among online, catalog, and specialty retailing.To which summarizes the key characteristics of the five cite one example, EXHIBIT 2 online order desks A Summary of Five Fulfillment Strategies with sophisticated Type of Distinctive Major Potential Management walk-up interfaces Fulf illment Characteristics Strengths Weakness Challenges Strategy can be located strategically in Distributed delivery Distributed Easy start-up; Complex inventory Establishing sophisevery store so that centers Prompt delivery; management; ticated inventoryoperation sites; Operation in control.High inventory management sysSelf operated. shoppers can costs; tem; order products Unfamiliar with JIT inventory manand serve themwarehousing proce- agement. dures. selves. With an integrated portfo- Partner fulfillment Minimized up-front Service limited by Establishing orderDistributed lio strategy, estab- operations investment; partnership; routing system; operation sites; Less operational Low overall Maintaining stratePartner operated. ished companies responsibility; efficiency; gic alliance with can gain many Flexible delivery High inventory costs partners; new online cusarrangement; and inventory-man- Ensuring service Low shipping charge agement complexity. quality and reliability. tomers f rom the to customers. retail outlets. I n f r a s t r u c t u re Dedicated Avoids the higher High up-front Converting traditionCentralized inventory costs; investment; al warehousing to operation site; scalability.Can the fulfillment centers Easy to manage; Decreased flexibility. consumer-direct fulSelf operated. design handle Fast delivery; fillment; multiple products Reduced long-term JIT inventory mancosts of operation. agement. and a high shipment volume? Physical distribu- Third-party fulfillLeast investment; Few options Selecting the third Centralized No learning curve; available; party; tion can be a ment centers (3PFs) operation site; Third party No operational com- Risks in strategic Establishing intermajor logistical operated. lexity; alliances; organizational inforand administrative Limited changes to High operational mation systems with legacy systems; charge. the 3PF. headache. Online Minimized operaretailers are findtional impacts. ing that having to Build-to-order Spa ns both Minimum inventory; Over-customization; Synchronizing entire adapt their existcentralized â€Å"Pulling† ensured; Costs and resources flow of materials vs. ing infrastructure and distributed No stock inventory; of integration. anaging inventory; to handle small operations. Controlled fulfillAltering material ment. flow upstream vs. shipments going customer demand to millions of condownstream. sumers can be time consuming, complex, and expensive. The challenge is to keep each and every fulfillment strategies, is a managerial guide for customer satisfied while protecting the bottom determining which strategy is right for a company at line from erosion resulting from waste, errors, and a given situation. inefficiencies.How well do the available distribu- Achieve Business-Process Synchronization Intercompany business-process synchronization, tion strategies help accomplish that key objective? Fall 1999 Supply Chain Management Review 67 ORDER FULFILLMENT in its purest form, gives rise to the virtual organization in which all trading companies work together as one competitive supply chain entity—the e-Supply chain. In the virtual organization, each trading company shares its information and resources, which results in better planning and more efficient product movement.In making business-process synchronization a reality, companies typically will encounter these challenges: Design and Implement Cross-Application Integration Among the key objectives of intercompany collaboration are more sophisticated distribution services, such as frequent inventory replenishments, more customized packing of goods to reduce unpacking times, more creative packaging and labeling of goods to meet merchandising strategies, and more effective exchange of trading information in compliance with EDI standards.Achievement of these objectives demands an increased use of cross-application integration. Superior application integration in a supply chain is central to achievi ng superior fulfillment productivity and speed. An effective fulfillment-management system must have the ability to integrate with: 1. Integrated enterprise applications. Included here are the ERP systems that integrate the inventory management, marketing, and financial functions. 2. Integrated interenterprise systems. These are the supply chain management systems for transportation, order management, warehouse management, and demand planning.For instance, FedEx has integrated its logistics and transportation capabilities with the SAP R/3 system. For R/3 users, the solution will simplify every related process step from order entry through shipment and tracking by tightly integrating with FedEx. For FedEx, this capability creates a competitive barrier that other carriers have to overcome. 3. Distribution center management and warehouse management systems. Included among these solutions are facility management systems. Efficient management of a distribution center operation now requir es collecting information on customer orders, inbound shipments, products vailable on-site, storage locations, product weights and sizes, and outbound shipping data (including customer-specific shipping requirements, routing data, and carrier requirements). This information must be analyzed dynamically to determine the most efficient use of the distribution center’s labor, materials-handling equipment, and shipping and receiving areas. Today’s information technology revolution does not merely support new order-fulfillment strategies, it creates them. Technology Challenge. Intercompany businessprocess synchronization requires sophisticated technology applications.It can be difficult, however, to identify those systems that truly support this initiative. The Data-Sharing Challenge. Supply chain systems not only need to communicate with one another but also to integrate their business practice knowledge into each trading company’s business logic. The companies must work quickly and painlessly to integrate their trading partners’ knowledge into their own business applications. The Adaptability Challenge. All the information in the world cannot help if trading companies don’t have the flexibility to alter business processes as consumer demands change.In this regard, all trading companies face similar challenges. For instance, when UPS issues a rate update, thousands of customers must implement these changes by a specified date and time. Companies need to implement business systems that can be upgraded easily to move with the market. The Standardization and Compliance Challenge. When one major player in the supply chain decides to upgrade to a new technology or adopt a new technical functionality, the other players are challenged to synchronize accordingly.When there are thousands of â€Å"touch points,† or interface points, the challenge can become enormously complex. In a perfect world, all trading partners would migrate i n unison to the latest technologies to realize the maximum benefit. But it is not likely that an entire supply chain can or will do this at once. Thus, it is important to focus on synchronizing business processes around these touch points and upgrading them as the market evolves. 68 Supply Chain Management Review Acting in Unison for the Consumer Order fulfillment and replenishment is a core business process. What makes onsumer-direct eCommerce compelling to customers is not just the online shopping experience but on-time delivery, fewer fulfillment errors, extra service, and convenience. These are the things that customers value. When companies fall short in responding to those values, they risk alienating or losing customers as a result. Fall 1999 ORDER FULFILLMENT Many potential e-Commerce participants have underestimated the difficulty and importance of the fulfillment side of this market arena. They see fulfillment and distribution logistics as peripheral to their competitive s trategy.Companies need to recognize that such benign neglect is risky and wastes opportunities for competitive advantage. In response to pressures from powerful market trends and technological changes, they must inspect past practices, channel commitments, and vendor relationships vigorously. Effective fulfillment strategy is dynamic, using multiple channels simultaneously to reach important customers. Today’s information technology revolution does not merely support new fulfillment strategies, it creates them. Consumers interface with technology daily, raising the bar on what is expected on the fulfillment side.Meeting these rising expectations requires a conscious shift in fulfillment strategies and a technological infrastructure that ties together every aspect of the consumer-direct â€Å"fulfillment chain. † Interenterprise business-process synchronization is a key to success in this emerging real-time marketplace. Deep information exchange among supply chain partn ers brings opportunities to develop interenterprise strategies that become new sources of competitive advantage. Information integration allows companies to monitor daily trends, market conditions, product acquisitions, and planning functions.To achieve operational integration, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers must exchange information effectively with other supply chain participants at key interface â€Å"touch points. † Importantly, this includes providing real-time information to customers so they know the status of their order at any given moment. When all trading partners—including raw-material suppliers—perform all of the key supply activities in unison, they can make inventory decisions that lead to dramatically improved results.They can then share the rewards of producing the correct amount of the product, thereby lowering the cost of overproduction. Business-process synchronization also enables partners to respond quickly and easily to unplann ed consumer demand for items or for personalized and enhanced products—the kinds of things today’s Internet shoppers desire. The companies that employ business-process synchronization in the development of their consumerdirect order-fulfillment strategy will fulfill these consumer desires and emerge as the big winners in the Internet economy.Author’s Note Used as a reference for this article was a White Paper by Alan Dabbiere of Manhattan Associates titled â€Å"Business Process and Supply Chain Synchronization: Achieving Supply Chain Excellence Through Technology. † Footnote 1 Companies providing early versions of advanced planning capability include SAP’s Advanced Planning and Optimization (APO) engine, i2Technologies, Manugistics, and Logility. More sophisticated systems that integrate production planning and transportation planning are under development. 70 Supply Chain Management Review Fall 1999

One girl one dream Essay

      This knew that this wasn’t the end of the man, he would be back, but next time I will hopefully be a bit more prepared. â€Å"Eleza is that you? † Cried a soft voice â€Å"Mum? Mum is that you? † I didn’t think it was possible â€Å"Eleza I knew you would come back† she replied â€Å"I have to go mum sorry, I can’t get close to you because it will rip you apart when I leave again, sorry† I shouted while running away down the street â€Å"No Eleza no! I can’t cope without you† screeched mum That was the last time I ever saw my mum. Gun shots were fired shortly after I had left, and I just assumed that the police heard her and found out where she was hiding. I knew that the police would be after me soon so I searched refuge on the out skirts of the village, fortunately a couple were also on the run from the police so I went into a home with them, it wasn’t an amazing home but at least it provided a roof over my head and food for my empty stomach. â€Å"Why are you running from the police? † I questioned the couple, â€Å"because of our religion, people here do not support our beliefs and say that we don’t belong in this community† they stopped, they were going to say more but they could see that I was too tired to listen and so they rested my head in the cloth and rug bed they had made up for me, I thanked them. I started to shiver as it got later into the night so I moved my bed closer to the raging fire to keep warm. I woke up the next morning still feeling incredibly tired because I didn’t sleep very well. The couple were very kind to me, for breakfast they gave me a cup of milk and also a piece of bread. Once I had finished eating my food I told the couple what my situation was and what my plans are, they took it as quite a surprise but understood completely and even offered to help out. Knowing that they were old enough to earn a living I stayed along side them for many days. Later on that evening we gathered around the beaming fire and chatted for hours and hours, that was until there was a knock at the door, â€Å"shh, Eleza hide quickly† said the couple silently. I tip toed towards the wooden toy chest and climbed in. â€Å"open up! † demanded a strong deep voice, The woman opened the door to the strange dark clothed man. â€Å"on the floor, now! † he shouted again The did as he said, I couldn’t see everything but I could see through a little hole in the side of the chest. Even before the couple could have a chance to speak, the man shot them both in the head. As that bullet pierced into their skull I cringed and couldn’t bare the sight, I wanted to cry but any noise could give me the same shot to the head. The strange dark man left, dragging the 2 bodies behind him. I broke out of the toy chest and went to the bathroom; I splashed water onto my face to revive my self, I knew it wasn’t worth getting worked up about as I already had a mission to complete. But this incident just made me more determined to get back at the mayor. What’s next? – Chapter 11 Screaming with silent rage I crept through the village of murderers. My mind was spinning and I had headaches slicing in and out my skull. I noticed the mayor walking down the street, I followed not too far behind, by the looks of it he was walking towards the forest, I wanted to go see if Oscar was ok but didn’t want to chance getting caught. I gave up on following the mayor because he walked into a building and then just disappeared out of sight. I then focused on getting into the forest to see the construction so far. It had been raining the night before so the way up the hill was wet and slippery, I fell many times, but easily managed to get back up again. When I finally reached the top of the hill I saw that the construction hadn’t progressed much at all. I went around back to see more, â€Å"Eleza.. PST.. Eleza over here† came a whisper from behind. â€Å"hey, how are you here, I saw you had a arrow in your back, you cant be alive! † I stepped back in shock, â€Å"that was a tranquiliser, the guard saw me and assumed I was trying to steal the blueprint, so shot me simple mistake, I’m sorry I scared you like that. † â€Å"are you still willing to help me then? † I wanted to get this over with so I wasn’t going to laze about. â€Å"don’t worry about the building Eleza, since you’ve been gone I have spoken to the mayor and many arguments were fought, but I have managed to convince them to make the building eco friendly. It will cost a lot more money to make but you are the reason why many animals in this forest will be preserved and protected well done! † â€Å"thank-you for doing this for me, how can I repay you for this? † I felt incredibly happy that someone was inspired by me. â€Å"come down to the mayors office with me tonight, I think he wants to talk to you† replied the boy. â€Å"are you mad! I will be killed! † I shouted â€Å"no seriously I can honestly say that you are safe with me, please trust me as I trusted you before† pleaded the boy I felt that if I didn’t go then it would be mean because he had helped me out a great deal and I should help him in return. â€Å"ok then, but if anything should go wrong then may your thoughts be guilty for ever† I accepted to see what the mayor wanted. I went off into the forest to get ready for tonight, I found Oscar beneath a big branch where we once stayed. He followed me down to the lake, I took a swim to clean off so not to get bad impressions with the mayor. The time passed and by the time I had dried off and got back to the construction site it was already time to go. â€Å"come on then we best get a move on† I said while already walking. We reached the mayors present house on time, we knocked on the door and waited for a response. Helping out- chapter 12 â€Å"Enter please† spoke a well mannered butler â€Å"Just stay calm and when the mayor wants to talk then let him† demanded the boy â€Å"Hello Eleza, I have heard many stories of you, I understand that you like to stand up for what you believe in, am I right? † said the mayor in a strong voice â€Å"Yes, you are correct† I answer in the simplest way possible â€Å"I want you to do a favour for me, I will pay for your food and sleeping place, you wonder why, but I really do think that you have the courage we need, do you think you can manage to stand up for what you believe in even if the opposition is bigger?. † I thought for a while before proclaiming my reply, â€Å"I would love to take hold of the responsibility of helping out, but do not understand why you would choose me to do this, I was being chased by your men the other day, how can I know that I can trust you? † I still wasn’t convinced but if what he was saying was true then I would be overwhelmed and hopefully do a good job. â€Å"Ok, I guess I should tell you now, I haven’t been completely straight with you, I will look after the forest here for you, but you must leave to southern Africa to do a job for me, flight is paid for, and you will be helping the green team to help decrease the amount of de forestation, and also in your free time you will be helping the smaller children in the schools but if you do not accept this then your precious forest will be burned to the ground for my house to be bigger! So the choice is yours. † It wasn’t much of a choice so I just did what I had to and agreed to go. â€Å"I will go but Oscar must be able to fly over with me! † â€Å"I’m sorry but it is illegal for wild animals like Oscar to fly over on the plane with you† I knew he was right so I just gave in, but made sure that he is promised to be looked after by the mayor. I looked back and went to talk to my friend, â€Å"I’ve never been to Africa, is this a nice place to be? † â€Å"I haven’t ever been either, but I do know that it is a third world country, with children that need your help† replied my friend. The mayor went out the room and talked to another man about the trip, I was shacking but not because I was scared, just because I was filled with many emotions, I was actually quite excited. Journey and arrival – chapter 13 I set off early the following morning and endured 12 long tiring hours on the flight to northern Africa, then another 9 hours on a train to my destination. When I got off the train my legs were numb and floppy. When I arrived I was directed into a small long building and was told what I should do. The mayor explained that he is only here today then will be flying home tomorrow, and then he introduced me to my mentor. â€Å"Eleza, I hope that your stay here will be pleasurable, my name is Mandisa please come meet our youngest residents in our village. † I was taken into a classroom where little children stared at the teacher, they gave her all their attention, there was no shouting, it was just calm nice place to learn. I didn’t want to disturb them so instead I went into the village centre and saw just how hard it was for them to survive. â€Å"Could I have a cup of water please? † I asked a local The man said nothing, he walked over to a well and scooped out a bucket of water, I went over to him, he handed me the bucket. â€Å"Is this what you drink everyday? † I wondered I looked into the bucket; the water was cloudy with dirt floating on the surface. This wasn’t what I was expecting, I was hoping that the people hadn’t been drinking this for too long, this water isn’t drinkable and could kill if the wrong bits are drank. â€Å"It is the end of the school day now, come with me to see the children† said Mandisa I followed her to the classroom again and met up with the kids, meeting them made me feel important, I felt like I was a vital part of their lives, and that I could make a difference to their lives. â€Å"Hello, my name is Keon, what’s your name? † questioned a young boy â€Å"Eleza, I am here to help you and your class friends out. â€Å"Yay, no-ones ever come to our village before, other than Aitan, your mayor† â€Å"Is your mum going to pick you up from school? † I just wanted to talk to him, I wanted to make friends. â€Å"My mum is gone† Keon fell silent and faced the ground â€Å"she is gone, but my dad is in the fields. I have to go; my older sister has a disease and needs all the support she can get. † Before I could get a chance to comfort him he was gone. I walked down the road and met up with Mandisa. â€Å"Come; come quick, its Keon’s sister! She is in desperate need of help. † I didn’t rely, I just ran with her to his home. There was a huge gathering of people out side of the house; me and Mandisa stepped into the sweltering house mounted of sad people, the mood was unbearable and cries came from the room that Keon’s sister lay. I ran into the room and looked into the eyes of the girl, I could see that she was in a cycle of eternal pain; I knew this was an incurable disease and couldn’t help but feel sorry for the girl, at such a young age, (2 years younger than me and 3 years older than Keon.) I left the house and went to the little mud cottage where I was staying, I sat on the bed and relaxed, I can’t stand emotional moments, it just brings back bad memories that I’d rather not think about. There was a knock at the door, â€Å"Hello, Eleza are you in there? † sobbed a voice from behind the door, I went over to the door to find Keon looking at me then grasped my waist and burst into tears I hugged him for over 10 minutes before he let go and sat next to me on the bed and told me the tragic news about his sister. His father kindly invited me to the funeral then took Keon back home to get some sleep. I was shattered and was shocked by how much happened to me in one day, and was glad when the day came to a close. But I was eager to see what tomorrow had in store for me. African life – chapter 14 â€Å"Eleza, Eleza time to get up† whispered a soft voice in my ear I couldn’t talk because my lips were so dry and crisp they remained sealed, I leapt out of bed. They gave me a towel and a bucket of water to wash my face with. The first job of the day was to cover a simple lesson of spelling; I walked to the classroom with the children and was introduced to them all. I then started off the lesson by asking each individual child what they think their abilities are, this helped me to know what their level of learning is currently. The teachers didn’t have books to teach from, just a teacher that goes by memory. I didn’t get an education so I wasn’t doing anything too complicated; I just went over what I already knew. The school day wasn’t very long because the children got too hot in the classroom, after the class Mandisa met me outside. She told me that I was here to make a difference to the people’s lives and that I should try to make some tasks up for myself to complete. I thought for just a few moments then decided what I was going to do next. Keon showed me around the village and pointed over to the forest, or what remained of it anyway. I told him that I will protest against the men but I couldn’t use force. â€Å"I think I have a plan, what is the cutest creature in your forest? † I questioned â€Å"The baby monkeys are cute, they live high in the trees† Keon replied â€Å"Let’s go then† I shouted to him while running through the forest. Keon knew that there was only a slim chance that my plan would work and so he didn’t get his hopes up. It took a while to spot any wildlife in the forest because the noise of the chainsaws had frightened them half to death, I crept up quietly to one of the babies, the mother was higher in the trees so she didn’t see me coming, Keon gently lifted down the monkey and handed it to me, then we walked for miles and miles to find the campsite of the tree murderers and once there Keon gave a good firm knock on the door and waited for a response. â€Å"Who’s there† came a voice behind them I turned around quickly and addressed them, â€Å"We are begging you please stop cutting down the trees, so many animals die because you have taken away their home and family, here is a monkey that is calling out for your help† I had to make up a sad story about the monkey or it wouldn’t take effect. â€Å"I am just against it as you but we must do this otherwise we are out of jobs and wont be able to afford to survive. † I could see that the man wasn’t the kind to give up easily and so I diverted to the second plan,†you know, we will always have a place for you in the village and even though you have had you arguments with them, I’m sure if you stop cutting the trees down they will be happy to take you in. † if this didn’t work then we were screwed. This is something I will consider, it wont be immediate but you idea will not be discarded, don’t come back, we will move I’m due course. † The turned and walked away into their house, we went back to the village and carefully put the baby monkey back exactly where we found it. I went back to my where I slept the night before and rested there. As I lay I thought about all the changes I could make to this village if I put my mind to it, I wasn’t an adult, but the village treated me as one and made me feel wanted. This was when I knew, my dream has become a reality, I wanted to make a difference to the world and help those in more need than me. For once in my life I feel that I have done my parents proud and just wish that they could be here beside me. Everyday for over a month I got up and helped around the village, and every evening I would visit Keon’s mother and comfort her because the loss of her daughter was still on her mind. I had gone through so many adventures in my life and only in 1 year I had gone half way across the world and have witnessed life and death pass me by, and yet am still at a young age of 14, but my birthday is next week and the village kindly offered to have a little bonfire to celebrate, Keon even offered to sing a traditional African song called Kpanlogo this song had a strong meaning behind it but he wanted to sing it because it had a great tune to it. Free life takes a change – chapter 15 Keon was now a big part of my life and was like a brother to me, his mum was a thoughtful woman and she welcomed me into her family. I took the job of permanently teaching his class and in the process I even taught myself new things and the children told me about the animals and wildlife that surrounds them. That night Mandisa walked up to me with tears building up in her eyes, she told me that the mayor said that I couldn’t stay any longer, he needed help back home. So unfortunately my time in Africa came to an end. I was heartbroken to leave my new family, I felt like someone when I was there and didn’t want to go.

Mr.michael

What are the advantages and disadvantages of living alone? How can living alone or living with other people affect your mood or behavior? Is living alone something that Is appropriate for you? Why or why not? The advantages of living alone are that you feel more comfortable being dependent on yourself, no sense of control, and free. You can do whatever and however you want, keep things in the order you want, and no one will judge you.For example, ear anything you want, watch your favorite channel and listen to music as loud as you wish, and no one will complain about it. The disadvantage of living alone is that it gets depressing from time to time. Having a partner or a roommate is really helpful in many situations. One of the examples, if you fall ill there will be someone who will take care of you. Another example is that you will have company when watching TV, cooking food, or dinning together.But, there are different types of people, some refer living alone and it doesn't get bor ing or depressing for them, others like to live with someone and feel comfortable with it. People who live alone tend to be more angry, lonely and depressed. Therefore, their mood is not always good. People who live with other people most of the times would be happy. This is because there is always someone they can chat with, discuss, and be around with. Living alone for me is appropriate, for now. I think that Is because now Is the stage in my life, where I need to live alone for a bit.Learn how to be dependent on myself, be responsible for the actions I do, and feel free. Mr.. Michael By mushy DO. Write What are the advantages and disadvantages of living alone? How can living alone or living with other people affect your mood or behavior? Is living alone something that is appropriate for you? Why or why not? Want, keep things in the order you want, and no one will Judge you. For example, Living alone for me is appropriate, for now. I think that is because now is the stage.