Education in Mizoram - 1577 Words

EDUCATION IN MIZORAM Education is the most vital process that contributes to all round development of a society. It not only brings about the best in human personality, but can also be the medium of peace and progress of a nation. Education is a critical factor in improving the quality of life of the people, in eradicating poverty and accelerating economic growth. It is the lifeline of any modern day civilization or country. â€Å"Without education, we cannot see beyond ourselves and our narrow surroundings to the reality of global interdependence. Without education, we cannot realize how peoples of other races and religions share the same dreams, the same hopes. Without education, we cannot recognize the university of human aims and†¦show more content†¦It also suggested that about 20% of the annual budget of higher education may be earmarked for infrastructural and instructional development in the colleges. The issues concerns and challenges of teacher education are also discussed in the report. It suggests that the existing may be strengthened with the help of additional inputs like infrastructural facilities and human resources. The report suggests upward mobility of teachers. It supports the idea of lifting of ban on new recruitments and avoidance of contractual appointment of teachers as far as practicable. The report suggests that the government should encourage professional development of school and college teachers by providing facilities like study leave, research grants, etc. SSA Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is a comprehensive and integrated flagship programme of Government of India to attain Universal Elementary Education (UEE), covering the entire country in a mission mode. SSA has been launched in 2001-2002 in partnership with the State Governments and Local Self Governments. The programme aims to provide useful and relevant, elementary education to all children in the 6 – 14 age group by 2010. It is an initiative to universalize and improve quality of education through decentralized and context specific planning and a process based, time bound implementation strategy. The programme lays emphasis onShow MoreRelatedRole of Government in Social Welfare1477 Words   |  6 PagesOF SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT OF MIZORAM Social Welfare was created as a small wing under Education Department during 1973 – 74 with one State Social Welfare Officer, one District Social Welfare Officer and a skeleton supporting staff. During 1974-75, the Social Welfare Wing was strengthened by posting one Programme Officer. Today, as many as 506 staff belonging to different grades is working in the Department, covering the whole of Mizoram. The Department of Social Welfare has been takingRead MoreIndi The Indian Subcontinent Essay1070 Words   |  5 Pagessaid that the Indian subcontinent is in a better position in terms of the social, political and economic status it enjoys in comparison to the other economies of the world. It has been able to carve its niche not only in tourism sector but also in education, employment and manufacturing sectors. To know about the geographical features of the Indian subcontinent that covers more than 700,000 villages and cities, you can refer to the Indian Subcontinent Map. Let s have a look at the neighbouring countriesRead MoreWho Is A Child? Essay912 Words   |  4 PagesAct in our country considers persons below 14 years of age to be children, the RTE Act 2009 narrows the definition down to persons between six to 14 years. Though the act expresses interest in taking necessary steps in providing free pre-school education for children above three years of age, leaving out this critical segment of the child population from the definition is worrisome. Not only does the act fail to cover all children, it does not provide definite timelines for many provisions. DefinitionRead MoreImpact of the Highway System in a Developing Country539 Words   |  2 Pagesmarket in an efficient manner, people must be able to get to work and conduct business. An effective road network can hasten progress in agricultural and rural development, industry and trade, the viability of urban areas and the expansion of jobs, education and personal opportunity. In India and even in other countries the major form of transportation is roadways or highways. Rural people can effectively drive the socio-economic development of the country and feel more included in nationalRead MoreWays to Eliminate Violence Against Women1737 Words   |  7 PagesThis is the most serious problem prevalent in different parts of the country. Constitutional provisions already exist to prevent dowry deaths but there is no stoppage to occurrences of this problem. Inter-caste marriages, love-marriages, increased education and employment to girls may help to a limited extent to eliminate this form of violence against women. Decrease in female population in India is indirect effect of dowry system. Parents Prefer to have male child for fear of paying dowry and facingRead MoreEastern vs Western India2630 Words   |  11 PagesWhile in the West, 16.1% women consume some form of tobacco. In northern India, Jammu and Kashmir has the highest prevalence of female tobacco users (10.3%), Punjab (0.5%), Chandigarh (1.7%) and Delhi (3.7%). As per the state-wise break-up, Mizoram records the highest number of female tobacco users (62%) followed by Tripura (48%), Nagaland (43%), Manipur (41.8%), Chhattisgarh (41.6%) and Bihar (40.1%). In eastern India, 19.3% women in West Bengal use tobacco. The corresponding figures areRead MoreGender Inequality Between India And India1225 Words   |  5 PagesGender inequality in India is referred to as fitness, education, political possibilities inequality bet. Diverse worldwide gender inequality indices rank India in a different way on each of these factors, as well as on a complicated basis, and those courses are arguable. Gender inequalities, and its social causes, impact India s intercourse ratio, girls s health over their lifetimes, their academic attainment, and monetary situations. Gender inequality in India is a complex difficulty that issuesRead MoreIndia Is A Greatest Nation On The Planet Essay1122 Words   |  5 PagesAndhra Pradesh 8. Nagaland 15. Jammu and Kashmir 22.Maharashtra 2. Assam 9. Punjab 16. Karnataka 23.Meghalaya 3. Chhattisgarh 10. Sikkim 17. Madhya Pradesh 24.Goa 4. Gujarat 11. Tripura 18. Manipur 25.Haryana 5. Himachal Pradesh 12. Uttarakhand 19. Mizoram 26. Tamil Nadu 6. Jharkhand 13. Arunachal Pradesh 20. Orissa 27. Uttar Pradesh 7. Kerala 14. Bihar 21. Rajasthan 28. West Bengal There are 7 Union Regions in India those spots which come direct under the control of the central/union government, NameRead MoreThe State Of Quality Of Primary Education1410 Words   |  6 PagesQuality of Primary Education in India The key concern about education, in any formal educational system, of all time, has been its quality. Every stake holder, direct or indirect, of education is concerned about its quality. Guardians or parents, irrespective of their socio-economic status, want to educate their children with best quality education which would add better value to the degrees their wards acquire subject to the budget constraints. But what do we mean by ‘quality education? How this qualityRead MoreWomen Education And Human Diversity1568 Words   |  7 PagesWomen Education Varsha Kori(201201228) Term Paper for HM326 (Multicultural Education Human Diversity) Prof. Radha Parikh Winter 2014-2015 Table of Contents 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‚¬ ¦....02 History and Present†¦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‚¬ ¦02 Reasons behind Low Literacy Rate in Women†¦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‚¬ ¦..03 Pioneers in the field of Women Education†¦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‚¬ ¦.05 Measures taken by the Government†¦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‚¬ ¦...05 Conclusion†¦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‚¬ ¦

What Are The Variables And Variables Of The Decisions Of...

Interrelated variables account for the decisions of per capita purchases for adults in considering automobile acquisitions. Most mainstream automotive manufacturers offer different models to fit each market segment based primarily on the customer’s age, purchasing power, and lifestyle. Depending on the market segment that an individual can enter into based upon their budget restrictions, a myriad of options are available based on one s lifestyle and automotive requirements. Today, automobile manufacturers offer compacts, intermediates, large, and premium size vehicles with correlating body styles such as coupe, sedan, sport utility, pickup trucks, and even crossovers. Utilizing a popular automobile manufacturer for an example of this observation, Toyota is currently considered to be the world’s largest automobile company (Holt, 2015). As of late, Toyota has also been the most successful automotive company. Recently plagued with accelerator, braking, and steering i ssues with their popular hybrid models, as well as supply chain disruptions in Japan’s recent tsunami disasters, Toyota has succumbed in its success to Volkswagen with a recent posting of 5.04 million vehicles sold worldwide in the second quarter of 2015 to Toyota’s posting of 5.02 million vehicles sold worldwide (Tuttle, 2015). The loss of market share by Toyota was due, in part, to lack of contingency plans for supply chain disruptions, which is liken to the biblical principle: â€Å"where there is no vision,Show MoreRelatedAsian Paints Global Expansion Strategy7628 Words   |  31 Pagescomputerized its operations in India using the cutting edge solution provided by SAP i2. It helped the company drive benefits of faster market analysis for bett er decision making. 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Kids Story free essay sample

A prosperous money-lender or Seth bought a house located right next door to the house of a tanner. From morning till evening the tanner converted hide into leather by treating it with tannin. From day one the money-lender was put off by the unpleasant smells of the tannery. So, he visited the tanners house and offered to buy his house. l would love to sell the house If you buy It Seth, said the tanner. He had no Intention of doing any such thing but he liked to play pranks. Give me a week or so to wind up some things, will you? The Seth agreed and went away. A week later, the overpowering smell coming from the tannery brought the Seth to the tanners doorstep again. I understand sir, said the tanner with wide-eyed sympathy when the money-lender told him that the smell had reduced his appetite largely. We will write a custom essay sample on Kids Story or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page But my mother is visiting me this week. I cant sell the house as long as she is around.Please wait for a month, until she goes away. The Seth agreed with great reluctance. He began to wait with bated breath for the guests departure. In the beginning he counted each day, impatiently waiting for one to finish and the other to begin. After a while though, he found he was no longer all hat interested in the month coming to an end. And when the month did end, the Seth did not go the tanners house to ask him to leave. He had simply forgotten about it.He did not ask the tanner to leave when they met next, either. You see, by then the Seth had become accustomed to the tan-yards smell. What have you done to drive away that infernal smell? he asked the tanner. Have you diluted the solution? The tanner smiled and nodded. He had been waiting for the day the Seth would get used to the smells from the tannery and stop bothering him. That was why he had asked the Seth to wait in the first place.

Shrek reverse the tradition of the fairy tale genre Essay Example

Shrek reverse the tradition of the fairy tale genre Paper Donkey annoys Shrek on their journey but when they are near the castle the lighting changes quickly as one minute there is a beautiful blue sky with lush green lawns surrounding it, while the next black clouds appear with smoke spreading across the planes. There is a slight change in the music as it changes from joyful to raucous lightning and thunder. The camera changes its angle by zooming back and forth across a rope bridge, which is above a boiling lake of lava. As they reach the castle, Shrek and Donkey split up, as Donkey is pure mischief, he ends up finding the dragon. The dragon starts spraying rows of fire so Donkey sprints towards Shrek who is flung by the dragon into a room located in the tallest tower. The camera this time captures the fire as it changes into slow motion when it goes over Donkeys head. Donkey seduces the dragon with his charm. Incidentally, even the traditional fearsome dragon is not really a traditional dragon it turns out to be a she-dragon who wears lipstick and is only fearsome because shes lonely and unloved. This links to Shrek as the dragon should be scary but has reversed its nature to be good and kind hearted just like Shrek. It also has feelings and again people are scared of it just as people are when they meet Shrek. Donkey sees them as being normal people. We will write a custom essay sample on Shrek reverse the tradition of the fairy tale genre specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Shrek reverse the tradition of the fairy tale genre specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Shrek reverse the tradition of the fairy tale genre specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The music is very soothing when Shrek lands in the princesss room. He slowly rises and instead of sweeping the princess off her feet he starts to shake her violently. This is very un-fairy tale like as Shrek is not a prince and does not kiss the princess like in Snow White. He picks up the princess and sweeps up Donkey and makes his exit before the dragon kills them all. If it were a fairy tale, it would have now ended with them getting married, but it continues. During this scene Shrek quotes, Ive got to save my ass, which the princess took differently. She thought that Shrek was referring to himself but was actually talking about Donkey. Shrek does care about Donkey even though it does not seem to appear otherwise he would not have gone back to save him. Princess Fiona becomes upset about the rather abnormal way Shrek and his noble steed rescue her, as it is not fairytale-like. On their way to Duloc much is noticed about the princess. She might dream of the fairytale life but she is no princess. Princess Fiona is worse than Shrek as she belches, kick boxes, blows up frogs with straws, steals birds eggs for breakfast and sacrifices her beauty to be with the beast she loves. Shrek does not come up to the princesss standards of beauty and elegance she is upset by his looks. It is very unusual the way they used World Wrestling Federation moves on Robin Hood, which is great and successful. The movie makes fun of every meaningless element in Disney fairytales and includes some colossal fighting scenes, like famous action sequences from the Matrix intertextuality of modern/traditional books and films. The ending is like a traditional fairytale as Shrek stops the wedding between Princess Fiona and Farquaad. Farquaad himself is a freak a four-foot small midget. Farquaad cant face up to his difference and so he pays the ultimate price the fearsome dragon eats him. They marry and go off in a horse-drawn carriage like in Cinderella. They live happily ever after. There is then a song where the whole cast participates including the fairytale creatures. This is well structured and is inspiring. Shrek reversed the tradition of fairy tales right to the end as he took the full advantage and made a fun out of them, so viewers would find it humorous and strange.

Kudler Fine Foods Hris Analysis Essay Example

Kudler Fine Foods Hris Analysis Essay Kudler Fine Foods is a specialty food store consisting of a workforce of approximately 17 employees at their administration office, 31 employees at their La Jolla store, 38 employees at their Del Mar store and 38 employees at their Encinitas store, totaling 124 employees (Kudler Fine Foods Intranet). Each location manages their own employees’ information on their own database. This proves to be a problem since all Human Resources and employee information should be managed at the administrative office on one central Human Resources Information System (HRIS). Another drawback to the current Kudler Fine Foods system is that the timekeeper and attendance records are done manually which is not only time consuming, but causes errors and is difficult for the HR department to manage. Kudler Fine Foods requires a timekeeper analysis process for finding a feasible solution for the company. Human Resource Information Systems Analysis Kudler Fine Foods started with one location and a relatively small workforce of employees. At the time, Intuit’s QuickBooks was sufficient to organize the finances and manage employee information. Employees fill out time sheets which are turned into management on a weekly basis. Time tracking is done manually and the information is stored locally at the store location’s database. In the company’s infancy stage, this process was sufficient, but as Kudler Foods began to grow and open new stores, they encountered problems with the management of information. Managers rely on paper to manage employee processes. They struggle to track employee information using a combination of homegrown spreadsheets and office file cabinets. We will write a custom essay sample on Kudler Fine Foods Hris Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Kudler Fine Foods Hris Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Kudler Fine Foods Hris Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Hiring information, payroll records, benefit plan elections, and training certifications for a single employee is stored locally on a database managed at the store location. This creates errors, as information becomes lost and outdated. The replication of each change to an employee’s data across several files has become tedious to create timely reports and analysis. Now that Kudler Fine Foods has three stores, their HRIS is limited and requires a new software system and administration timekeeper that will allow them to track employee’s time, produce payroll, centralize mployee records, track applicants and offer an employee self service system where employees can print out their paychecks, modify their benefits, change their tax deductions and acquire additional job education to assist them with job promotions. Sage Abra Human Resource Management System (HRMS) Although there are many options that will meet the HRIS needs of Kudler Fine Foods, one in particular is outsta nding. Sage Abra HRMS is a software solution for automating and managing Kudler Fine Foods’ core workforce administration. This solution will not only centralize all of Kudler Foods’ employee and payroll information for all of their locations, it will allow Kudler’s Human Resource (HR) department to manage these records. Sage Abra HRMS offers the centralization of employee job and personal information; government compliance; employee benefits and attendance; payroll; recruitment; planning, analysis and reporting; as well as employee development, compensation, and retention (sageabra. com). Implementing an HRMS eliminates much of the routine paperwork associated with HR. An HRMS automates the most manual and time-consuming human resources functions: Payroll, new-hire processing, benefits and compensation management, employee development, internal analysis, and government reporting. This automation frees up valuable time that can be spent on employee relations, compliance analysis and/or training. Sage Abra HRMS Benefits and Features Sage Abra HRMS would allow Kudler Fine Foods’ HR department to create timely, comprehensive reports for management by using either several predefined standard reports or a custom report writer. Security features, such as audit trails, allows control and monitoring by someone with the proper permissions of sensitive employee data and tracks who made changes in the system. In addition, this HRMS system allows HR to: †¢ Track important employee information including employment history, skills, licenses, certifications, and continuing education or training data so that employees can be helped with career development. †¢ Record employment status, EEO, FLSA and I-9 data, as well as other information eeded to demonstrate compliance with various hiring and discrimination laws. †¢ Manage performance and compensation information such as job definitions, reviews with documentation, employee ratings, salary ranges, pay grades, and incentives such as bonuses or stock plans. Benefits Administration For companies that offer multiple benefits such as health, life, and disability insurance, administration plans with multiple insurance carriers must be set up. This can take up to 30% of HR professional’s time just on routine benefits administration. With Sage Abra HRMS, HR will be able to define benefit plans as well as enter employee dependents and beneficiaries. It allows tracking and monitoring of employee elections and calculates employer and employee contributions for benefits. When employees leave the company, this HRMS system tracks COBRA enrollments for improved efficiency and accuracy. Attendance Accurate attendance information is essential to managing workforce costs and processing accurate payroll. With attendance tracking and analysis capabilities of an HRMS, HR can pinpoint trends in absences and identify areas for improvements. Reports from HRMS will demonstrate attendance histories and allow HR to analyze reasons for absence and opportunities to improve attendance levels. Payroll Sage Abra HRMS automates payroll processing and would help to keep Kudler Fine Foods in compliance with the latest government regulations for withholding, filing, and depositing taxes. With payroll and HR data stored in the same database, unnecessary paperwork is greatly reduced. Changes made to the HRMS database reflect in both payroll and HR systems. This eliminates errors and the need for duplicate entry of employee, pay rate, benefits, and deduction information. Employee Self-Service Providing Kudler Fine Food employees with access to their own benefits, personnel, and paycheck information is a good way to reduce routine administration. Employee Self-Service (ESS) solutions allow employees and their managers to view, create, and maintain their information using a web browser. Self-service lets employees find answers to questions about paychecks and benefits, as well as update information such as contact information or dependents. ESS reduces the burden of paperwork, while retaining HR’s ability to control and approve processes. Kudler Fine Foods would be able to use ESS technology to create a communications portal that distributes information about company policies and benefits to the entire workforce. Benefits Enrollment Automation An HRMS with online benefits enrollment enables employees to self-enroll in benefit programs, review their benefits data, and report life event changes over the Internet or a company network. The system prompts employees to choose plans based on eligibility criteria and helps them compare costs and coverage. Kudler Fine Foods would be able to monitor the status of the enrollment in real-time. When open enrollment is over, HRMS produces detailed cost projections and other reports. Taking benefits enrollment online reduces the paper and manual data entry, can shorten the open enrollment period, and reduce the cost of open enrollment. Recruiting Automation With an HRMS, Kudler Foods would be able to standardize processes for recruiting and ensure that every candidate for employment is tracked, responded to, and treated the same. Automated recruiting features enable HR to create and track job requisitions and track applicant data from application through hiring/rejection. For each applicant, HR can track his/her progress, as well as drug screenings and pre-employment tests. For applicants who are hired, HR can create employee records using the information stored in the candidate tracking. Online recruiting can help Kudler Fine Foods fill positions more quickly and reduce the cost per hire. Conclusion With Kudler Fine Food’s success and rapid growth, their current manual HR system is extremely inefficient and is in need of a centralized and more powerful HRIS system that will allow Kudler’s HR department to manage and control employee data. Sage Abra HRMS offers the tools and technology needed to track, manage and report employee data while improving the overall Human Resource function, making it more highly efficient while lowering company costs. References Kudler Fine Foods Intranet. Kudler Fine Foods Human Resources. Apollo Group, 2007. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. . Human Resource Management System. Sage Abra HRMS, 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. . Kudler Fine Foods Hris Analysis Essay Example Kudler Fine Foods Hris Analysis Essay Kudler Fine Foods is a specialty food store consisting of a workforce of approximately 17 employees at their administration office, 31 employees at their La Jolla store, 38 employees at their Del Mar store and 38 employees at their Encinitas store, totaling 124 employees (Kudler Fine Foods Intranet). Each location manages their own employees’ information on their own database. This proves to be a problem since all Human Resources and employee information should be managed at the administrative office on one central Human Resources Information System (HRIS). Another drawback to the current Kudler Fine Foods system is that the timekeeper and attendance records are done manually which is not only time consuming, but causes errors and is difficult for the HR department to manage. Kudler Fine Foods requires a timekeeper analysis process for finding a feasible solution for the company. Human Resource Information Systems Analysis Kudler Fine Foods started with one location and a relatively small workforce of employees. At the time, Intuit’s QuickBooks was sufficient to organize the finances and manage employee information. Employees fill out time sheets which are turned into management on a weekly basis. Time tracking is done manually and the information is stored locally at the store location’s database. In the company’s infancy stage, this process was sufficient, but as Kudler Foods began to grow and open new stores, they encountered problems with the management of information. Managers rely on paper to manage employee processes. They struggle to track employee information using a combination of homegrown spreadsheets and office file cabinets. We will write a custom essay sample on Kudler Fine Foods Hris Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Kudler Fine Foods Hris Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Kudler Fine Foods Hris Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Hiring information, payroll records, benefit plan elections, and training certifications for a single employee is stored locally on a database managed at the store location. This creates errors, as information becomes lost and outdated. The replication of each change to an employee’s data across several files has become tedious to create timely reports and analysis. Now that Kudler Fine Foods has three stores, their HRIS is limited and requires a new software system and administration timekeeper that will allow them to track employee’s time, produce payroll, centralize mployee records, track applicants and offer an employee self service system where employees can print out their paychecks, modify their benefits, change their tax deductions and acquire additional job education to assist them with job promotions. Sage Abra Human Resource Management System (HRMS) Although there are many options that will meet the HRIS needs of Kudler Fine Foods, one in particular is outsta nding. Sage Abra HRMS is a software solution for automating and managing Kudler Fine Foods’ core workforce administration. This solution will not only centralize all of Kudler Foods’ employee and payroll information for all of their locations, it will allow Kudler’s Human Resource (HR) department to manage these records. Sage Abra HRMS offers the centralization of employee job and personal information; government compliance; employee benefits and attendance; payroll; recruitment; planning, analysis and reporting; as well as employee development, compensation, and retention (sageabra. com). Implementing an HRMS eliminates much of the routine paperwork associated with HR. An HRMS automates the most manual and time-consuming human resources functions: Payroll, new-hire processing, benefits and compensation management, employee development, internal analysis, and government reporting. This automation frees up valuable time that can be spent on employee relations, compliance analysis and/or training. Sage Abra HRMS Benefits and Features Sage Abra HRMS would allow Kudler Fine Foods’ HR department to create timely, comprehensive reports for management by using either several predefined standard reports or a custom report writer. Security features, such as audit trails, allows control and monitoring by someone with the proper permissions of sensitive employee data and tracks who made changes in the system. In addition, this HRMS system allows HR to: †¢ Track important employee information including employment history, skills, licenses, certifications, and continuing education or training data so that employees can be helped with career development. †¢ Record employment status, EEO, FLSA and I-9 data, as well as other information eeded to demonstrate compliance with various hiring and discrimination laws. †¢ Manage performance and compensation information such as job definitions, reviews with documentation, employee ratings, salary ranges, pay grades, and incentives such as bonuses or stock plans. Benefits Administration For companies that offer multiple benefits such as health, life, and disability insurance, administration plans with multiple insurance carriers must be set up. This can take up to 30% of HR professional’s time just on routine benefits administration. With Sage Abra HRMS, HR will be able to define benefit plans as well as enter employee dependents and beneficiaries. It allows tracking and monitoring of employee elections and calculates employer and employee contributions for benefits. When employees leave the company, this HRMS system tracks COBRA enrollments for improved efficiency and accuracy. Attendance Accurate attendance information is essential to managing workforce costs and processing accurate payroll. With attendance tracking and analysis capabilities of an HRMS, HR can pinpoint trends in absences and identify areas for improvements. Reports from HRMS will demonstrate attendance histories and allow HR to analyze reasons for absence and opportunities to improve attendance levels. Payroll Sage Abra HRMS automates payroll processing and would help to keep Kudler Fine Foods in compliance with the latest government regulations for withholding, filing, and depositing taxes. With payroll and HR data stored in the same database, unnecessary paperwork is greatly reduced. Changes made to the HRMS database reflect in both payroll and HR systems. This eliminates errors and the need for duplicate entry of employee, pay rate, benefits, and deduction information. Employee Self-Service Providing Kudler Fine Food employees with access to their own benefits, personnel, and paycheck information is a good way to reduce routine administration. Employee Self-Service (ESS) solutions allow employees and their managers to view, create, and maintain their information using a web browser. Self-service lets employees find answers to questions about paychecks and benefits, as well as update information such as contact information or dependents. ESS reduces the burden of paperwork, while retaining HR’s ability to control and approve processes. Kudler Fine Foods would be able to use ESS technology to create a communications portal that distributes information about company policies and benefits to the entire workforce. Benefits Enrollment Automation An HRMS with online benefits enrollment enables employees to self-enroll in benefit programs, review their benefits data, and report life event changes over the Internet or a company network. The system prompts employees to choose plans based on eligibility criteria and helps them compare costs and coverage. Kudler Fine Foods would be able to monitor the status of the enrollment in real-time. When open enrollment is over, HRMS produces detailed cost projections and other reports. Taking benefits enrollment online reduces the paper and manual data entry, can shorten the open enrollment period, and reduce the cost of open enrollment. Recruiting Automation With an HRMS, Kudler Foods would be able to standardize processes for recruiting and ensure that every candidate for employment is tracked, responded to, and treated the same. Automated recruiting features enable HR to create and track job requisitions and track applicant data from application through hiring/rejection. For each applicant, HR can track his/her progress, as well as drug screenings and pre-employment tests. For applicants who are hired, HR can create employee records using the information stored in the candidate tracking. Online recruiting can help Kudler Fine Foods fill positions more quickly and reduce the cost per hire. Conclusion With Kudler Fine Food’s success and rapid growth, their current manual HR system is extremely inefficient and is in need of a centralized and more powerful HRIS system that will allow Kudler’s HR department to manage and control employee data. Sage Abra HRMS offers the tools and technology needed to track, manage and report employee data while improving the overall Human Resource function, making it more highly efficient while lowering company costs. References Kudler Fine Foods Intranet. Kudler Fine Foods Human Resources. Apollo Group, 2007. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. . Human Resource Management System. Sage Abra HRMS, 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. .

Cause and Effect of Oil Prices on the U.S. and World Economy

Cause and Effect of Oil Prices on the U.S. and World Economy Oil prices are continuously fluctuating resulting in various effects in the U.S and world at large. This may be due to the fact that oil is a very critical commodity with regard to the operations of any country hence; a slight change in the macro or micro environments of the oil producing countries alters the oil prices.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Cause and Effect of Oil Prices on the U.S. and World Economy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There are various direct and indirect factors that affect oil prices. Oil prices have substantial effect on the economy of the U. S. as well as that of the entire world. This paper seeks to talk about the causes and effects of oil prices on the U.S and the world economy. Various geo-political factors and natural calamities like the North Korean missile tests, hurricane Katrina and the conflict between Israel and Lebanon in 2006 are deemed to have an indirect link to the global oil market, but have great short-term effects on oil prices (Tuttle Ola, 2010). However, the onset of global recession in 2008 seemed to indicate that the aforementioned factors have insignificant effects on oil prices because the recession was associated with a fall in oil price from $147 to $32. Fall in oil prices has a positive effect on the economy of the U. S. as well as that of the entire world since business activities are not limited (Tuttle Ola, 2010). Supply disruption is also conceived to be an attributing factor to oil prices with the incidence of 1973 as evidence. The oil supply growth has been slow despite the fact that oil production has surpassed new discoveries. Similarly, the demand is too high to be met by the slow supply for oil hence, acting as an attributing factor for oil prices as well. High demand and low supply leads to an increase in oil price. The United States is the leading consumer of oil and high oil prices usually have a very great impact on the c ountry’s economy (Roubini Setser, 2004). The impact of oil prices varies depending on the fluctuation of the continuously changing oil prices. When fluctuation in oil price is increased, then the effect on the U. S. and global economy is negatively affected. The U. S., as well as the global economy improves with every decline in oil price. The effects of oil price shocks are great and have been the reason for every U.S. and global recession experienced in the past. Oil price shocks tend to suppress the economic growth of the U.S and related oil importing countries. An adamant escalation in oil price by 10% leads to a reduction in the US and global economic growth rates by 0.3-0.4% in one year. High oil prices lead to reduced consumer spending hence a reduction on economic growth. An increase in oil prices results in increased production costs and a reduction in profits for industries that highly rely on oil in the United States (Roubini Setser, 2004).Advertising Loo king for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The international Energy Agency (IEA) supports the highly held conventional wisdom that oil price increase leads to lowered GDP and increased inflation and high rates of unemployment causing a general dwindle in OECD’s economies. Facts show that barrel increase by 10 $ results in a reduction of OECD’s GDP by 0.4%, which is below baseline, as was the case in 2004 and 2005 respectively. In addition, the inflation rate is raised by 0.5 and 0.6% respectively, above the standard or acceptable rates (McKibbin Stoeckel, 2004). It is without doubt that oil prices have a great impact on the U.S and global economy. Oil prices are continuously changing due to various factors as mentioned above. An increase in oil prices is however associated with lowered economic growth, high rates of inflation and unemployment while acceptable/reduced oil prices ensu re economic growth, increased business activities as well as increased consumer spending. Regulation of oil prices is very important because it is apparent that high oil prices negatively affect the U.S and global economy. References McKibbin, W., Stoeckel, A. (2004). Oil Price Scenarios and the Global Economy. Economic Scenarios. Web. Roubini, N., Setser, B. (2004). The Effects of the Recent Oil Price Shock on the U. S. and Global Economy. Web. Tuttle, R., Ola, G. (2010). Oil Ministers See Demand, Prices Rising Undeterred by Greek Debt Crisis. Bloomberg. Web.

Prescription for Improvement of Organizational Behaviors- Part 5 Essay

Prescription for Improvement of Organizational Behaviors- Part 5 - Essay Example Gender discrimination was observed in the organization and as well as biases against older employees. Another negative attitude observed in the organization was that management do not let go any mistake of the employees, no matter how small it is and there is a very little mediation seen on the management side. All these create a negative impact on the organization. Budget restraint is another problem and the government should solve it. It not only creates problems during work but also restraint them to hold on their projects and activities which affects their work capabilities. The work overload is another problem in the organization and this is due to less staff and more work. Deploying more staff members can solve this problem. All these negative points increase complaining and too much complaining declines the quality of work as well as the work environment get tense. After observing the organization and the behavior of employees and manager, I am suggesting some ways to improve the environment of the organization. Drucker (2006) has given a very convincing analysis of what the effective manager should be like. As a manager, following steps can be taken in order to overcome these negative attitudes in the organization: According to Drucker (2006) â€Å"Effective executives do not start with their tasks. They start with their time.† As a manager, one must model positive behavior to all the employees, and it should never be negative. Each staff members is important for the manager and showing favoritism towards any staff member is a self-attack for the manager. So the first thing is that the behavior of the manager should be positive and a model for his employees. Manager must show confidence in the abilities of his staff members and like this a positive and constructive work place environment can be build. If a manager talks in a negative way and favors a particular employee, staff will follow him and will feel no shame in doing the same. When a

Find an article about weather (within the last 2 years 2012-2014) and Assignment

Find an article about weather (within the last 2 years 2012-2014) and summary the article - Assignment Example However, with plate movements, comes climate change. This can explain the reason it has become challenging to predict weather and in this case El Nià ±o and La Nià ±a. Global warming in turn is causing melting of the ice sheets, movement of the magnetic pole and the following rise in sea level could bring about an effect on the distribution of mass on the Earths surface (278). This paper seeks to relate the themes of movement, Human-Earth –relationship, and weather in relation to geography. The fickle El Nià ±o of 2014 written by NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory will be the article under analysis. Science Daily recently did a feature article on the prediction of another El Nià ±o occurrence in the west America region in 2014. This article is based on information from journals, other organizations such as NASA and as well as universities. According to the article, there were high hopes of another cycle of El Nino in the region, which is mostly a dry area. Earlier in the year hopes were raised as from February through to May when a chain of larger atmospheric west wind burst triggered an earlier series of Kelvin waves (NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory, para 1). The situation was short lived though as the warming of the eastern equatorial Pacific by the Kelvin waves dissipated, interfering expectations for an El Nià ±o this year but these latest Kelvin waves have appeared, reviving hopes for a late arrival of the event. Measurements of sea surface height are a prime indicator in predictions of El Nià ±o and La Nià ±a which have become a part of the long-term, changing condition of global climate (NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory, para 2). Climatologist Bill Patzert is convicted that it is too early to be certain for sure. However, he would not be shocked if the current Kelvin waves are the signal for this much-hoped-for El Nià ±o (NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory, para 4). One of the themes of Geography, Human-Earth -relationship, seeks to explain the

Incident Response Essay Example for Free

Incident Response Essay Any network can be subjected to security compromise. There is no amount of coding or access control that can ultimately prevent an attack to a network. However, there is a need for any organization to ensure that their networks are safe and their incidence responses are effective. There are many tactics and tools that are employed by attackers to evade any detection by the investigation or incidence response teams, remain anonymous and to avoid attracting any attention by looking like normal users. If this fails, the attacker has the ability to degrade the system to make investigations more complicated. It is also important to note that the attackers are always technically more advanced than the security staff managing the network security monitoring systems and in some cases may be more sophisticated than the investigators (Mobrien, 2003). There are a many tools that are available to intruders that can be used to penetrate the network security monitoring systems. These tools are available in the internet including vulnerability of different software and how to develop programs that can penetrate networks. Other than being readily available, these tools are becoming increasingly easy to use making it possible for anybody with basic knowledge to be able to attack a computer network. Some of these tools include programs such as remote penetration and local penetration that can control a computer in the network without any authorization, network and vulnerability scanners, password crackers and sniffers (Mobrien, 2003). The attacker employs different tactics to promote anonymity. This is by using all means to separate all possible ties between the computer to which the attack is directed and the computer in which the attack is launched. This can be done by first compromising a system that is then used as a stepping stone, forging the IP address (spoofing) or using a service provider’s netblock. He can also remain anonymous by launching the attack from a trusted host who may be a close business associate or exploiting the vulnerability of the client rather than the server. To frustrate any investigation or incidence response to the attack, the attack may prefer to use public intermediaries such as an IRC channels. Rather than trying to remain anonymous, the attacker may evade detection by providing false leads to the incidence response or investigation team. This can be done by properly timing the attack to ensure that the duration between probes is sufficient to confuse the investigators. Other methods of evading detection include distributing the attack or blocking the web defacer. Moreover, it is important to note that by the attacker appearing normal or a legitimate user of the system is an effective way of frustrating incidence response (Bejtlich, 2004). Although protecting the network from such sophisticated malicious attack is in many instances considered a trivial task, there are some incidence responses considerations that need to be incorporated in the network security monitoring systems. Some of these security measures include an intrusion detection system that detects an intruder in the network and strict security policies in the organization. The staff dealing with the systems must also be well equipped with incident response handling abilities. The staff should be aware of when to inform the police or called emergency incidence response. The staff should also be able know when the network has been broken and the most appropriate measure to take. It is also suggested that administrators or consultants with high level of knowledge and experience in systems vulnerability and management should handle incident responses (Mobrien, 2003).

Warehouse Management System Information Technology Essay

Warehouse Management System Information Technology Essay A warehouse management system, or WMS, is a key part of the supply chain and primarily aims to control the movement and storage of materials within a warehouse and process the associated transactions, including shipping, receiving, put away and picking. The objective of a warehouse management system is to provide a set of computerized procedures to handle the receipt of stock and returns into a warehouse facility, model and manage the logical representation of the physical storage facilities (e.g. racking etc), manage the stock within the facility and enable a seamless link to order processing and logistics management in order to pick, pack and ship product out of the facility. History: Warehousing roots go back to the creation of granaries to store food, which was historically available for purchase during times of famine. As European explorers began to create shipping-trade routes with other nations, warehouses grew in importance for the storage of products and commodities from afar. Ports were the major location for warehouses. As railroads began to expand travel and transportation, the creation of rail depots for the storage of materials became necessary. World War II impacted warehousing in several ways, including the need to increase the size of warehouses and the need for more mechanized methods of storing and retrieving the products and materials. As mass production grew throughout manufacturing, the needs of efficient and effective warehousing capabilities grew with it. The warehouse industry found itself recovering from a recession at the start of the twenty-first century, partially brought on by the hype of the dot-com bubble and the excess production created after it burst. It also coped with new methods of distribution, such as just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing-where warehousing is unnecessary because products are shipped directly to customers. Global Current Scenario: Warehousing companies are now striving to become more than simply storage facilities. They are transforming themselves into third-party logistics providers or 3PLs that provide a wide array of services and functions. In addition to packing and staging pallets, contemporary warehousing facilities offer light manufacturing, call centers, labeling, and other non-storage options. A significant trend is the continuing growth of 3PL providers as companies try to cut costs and management issues by outsourcing their warehouse and distribution functions. An outcome of increased 3PL activity is a wave of mergers that are consolidating the industry. Customer demands for one-stop shopping and new technologies are a driving force behind this consolidation. According to a Warehousing Management survey, competition in warehousing has become extremely tight because businesses seek warehouse firms with extremely thin margins. Warehouse management system (WMS) requirement will help managements to take their warehouse and company to the next level. An optimized WMS will play a key role in allowing a company to better manage its warehouse operations. In the past warehouse management was very paper-intensive in its coordination of a multitude of activities. This has changed with the introduction of WMS which assist managers in tracking products throughout the entire storage and distribution process. These systems span from simple computer automation systems to high-end, feature-rich management programs that improve order picking, facilitate better dock logistics, and monitor inventory management. Warehouse management systems record all events and activities in the receipt, handling and storage of products and orders in the warehouse or distribution center, including the location of inventory Companies are succeeding by remaining flexible and investing in technology. The main issues or trends in warehousing include radio frequency identification (RFID), transportation management systems, pick-to-light technology, and voice-activated receiving and packaging. A paperless warehouse management system (WMS) could cut costs by increasing productivity and accuracy, which also improves customer service. But a good WMS is more complex and expensive than most people have been led to believe. To avoid installation problems, follow up-front-planning steps to select a cost-effective WMS. The operational benefits that can be expected out of WMS installation are Misplaced or Lost stock Search Times Paperwork Human Error Labor and Overtime Need for Physical Inventory Taking Stock outs Shipping Errors On Hand Inventory Cycle Times Space Utilization Inventory accuracy Throughput Order/shipment Tracking Stock Rotation/Inventory Tums Customer Service Product Planning Fill Rate Performance Labor Productivity Prospects: The warehousing industry is a key component of the supply chain and will likely remain so as long as there are manufacturers and consumers. Past supply chain solutions were limiting due to their expense, closed architecture, lack of mobility, and inability to share with partners. WMS Software as a Service delivery model, rapid implementation and easy customization drive quick Return on Investment with minimal up-front investment. Now, any size company can reduce cost while streamlining their supply chain and improving service levels. A WMS has the potential to reduce errors, increase space utilization and decrease labor costs by offering a comprehensive suite of capabilities and work with a range of best-in-class software partners. Its state-of-the-art systems monitor and control all critical warehouse processes. They also provide support for transport and distribution operations and communicate with customs and other authorities. The implementation of the WMS led to the standardizat ion of operations throughout distribution facilities. Access to, and influence over, leading-edge supply chain technology Access to best-in-class applications that are platform and database independent facilitating standardized business processes View real-time inventory status at each individual warehouse location or all locations Search by Part number or Lot number and Track Orders out of each warehouse by Order Number, Ship to or Date. Print or download query results to a spreadsheet. Review Audit History to see chronological record of incoming and outgoing products. Rapid start-up and reduced risk in global deployment including project delivery, service management, supplier management, integration and hosting Scalability and repeatability worldwide Unrivalled expertise in interfacing with your stock control, resource planning and business information systems Proven, pre-integration with other supply chain partner systems including visibility and control Regulations in Warehousing Management Services: The Warehousing (Development and Regulation) Bill, 2005 was enacted in Parliament to make provisions for development and regulations of warehouses in India. This act covers warehouses in the whole of India except Jammu and Kashmir. Its scope includes negotiation of warehouse receipts, establishment of a warehousing development and regulatory authority and for matters connected to it. According to this Bill, A registration certificate in respect of the concerned warehouse is necessary for any person starting this business. The authority will issue a negotiable certificate. A warehouseman is liable for loss or damage to goods for which he couldnt take necessary precaution. If the damage is not due to the negligence of the warehouseman then he is payable to tune of the value of goods at the time bringing it to the warehouse. If the damage is caused due to the negligence of the warehouseman then he is payable to the tune of original value of goods plus the loss of profits caused to the holder of the receipt. Duties of the warehouseman are to keep the records and accounts of warehouse business. Also the warehouseman is responsible for keeping the goods in safe condition. Warehouseman has the special powers of dealing with perishable and hazardous goods. He can take necessary action to remove the potentially hazardous goods. A warehouse receipt shall be a document of title to goods in writing if it contains receipt number, warehouse registration number, name and address of warehouse, date of issue of receipt, rates of storage and handling charges, market value of goods, description of goods, name of the insurance company securing against fire, flood, theft, burglary, riots, strikes or terrorism, whether the warehouse receipt is negotiable or non-negotiable etc. Any warehouseman who knowingly issues a receipt without taking the actual physical entry of goods in his warehouse is entitled for an imprisonment for a term which may extend to up to three years. Also if warehouseman issues a duplicate receipt then he is entitled to the same punishment. Whenever any offence is committed by a company under this Act, every person who was present at the time when the offence was committed shall be liable for the punishment accordingly. Building Warehousing Competitiveness: Central warehousing Corporation (CWC) tries to implement the best practices in the field of logistics and warehousing in India. Warehousing accounts for 20% of domestic logistics industry. Thus even a 1% reduction in warehousing cost could have a significant positive impact on the national economy. In designing a warehouse, due attention should be given on how to pick best orders, how to plan the pickup time, how to use sales data to plan the product line, etc. Lay outing is therefore an important aspect of a warehouse design. Automation and modern equipment will make warehouses more efficient. E.g. Sun City and Sri City. Warehouse services providing companies: We are mentioning a few domestic and international players who are providing warehouse management services. Domestic Players: 1. AB Sea Container Private Ltd: They are providing goods warehousing services, industrial goods warehousing, commercial goods warehousing and automotive warehousing services. They are located in New Delhi. 2. Falcon Freightlink Pvt. Ltd: They provide 3PL services to the customers. They also offer cargo warehousing services, customized logistical solutions, expedite cargo transportation services. They are located in New Delhi 3. Threestar Solutions And Services Private Ltd: They provide international warehouse services, commercial warehousing, warehouse management services. They are located in Mumbai. 4. Mars Shipping Agency: They provide general warehouse management services, inventory management system, goods storage service, safe goods storage services, dock stuffing services. They are located in Mumbai. 5. Pace Carrier Private Ltd: They provide warehousing services, warehouse consultation services, goods storage services, bulk storage services, industrial goods storage services and electronic goods storage services. They are located in Ghaziabad. 6. Trinitys Clearing and Shipping Agencies: Apart from the regular warehousing services, their specialties include expedite cargo transportation services, packing services, moving facilities to exporters and importers in India. They are located in Chennai. International Players: 1. Admiral Logistics (INDIA) Pvt. Ltd: They provide warehouse management services, freight forwarding services, air freight services, freight shipping services, Cargo services, custom clearance services. They are an Indonesian company and operates in Hyderabad in India. 2. Anjie International transportation Co Ltd: They provide warehouse management services, Air freight services, and customs clearance services. They are a Chinese company. 3. Mamufa Global Ltd: They provide warehousing management services, shifting services, air and sea freight forwarding services, international freight services. They are a Nigerian company. 4. PWC Logistics: They provide warehousing and logistics services. They are a Kuwaitian company. 5. Network Logistics: They provide warehousing and transportation services. They are an American company. Companies using Warehouse Management Services: Procter Gamble: PG is one of the top players in manufacturing, distribution and marketing of nearly 300 brands related to baby, feminine and home care products. Procter Gamble is concerned more about storing the manufactured products undamaged. It realised that accurate case picking and pallet making will keep the shipments free from damage. So PG implemented AutoPallet3 system to enhance its case pick operation. It takes order data and converts it into instructions to pick a high-cube damage-free pallet. Since then, PG was able to cut down case picking time in its warehouses dramatically and has created opportunity to ship damage-free truck loads. Also in China, PG invested and improved its warehouse management system by using mobile computing technology. It enabled the sales orders to enter in to an Integrated Distribution System and transfer the information to warehouse workers. So implementation of this technology enhanced productivity for a more efficient warehouse management system which led to further cost savings in supply chain. Pfizer Pharmaceuticals: Pfizer is a global pharmaceutical company which is consistently ranked in top 3 in the world. It is based in New York city. Pfizer started its warehousing services in Chicago in 1882. It built a new state-of-the-art automated warehouse and distribution centre at Kent in UK in 2001. This new warehouse provided storage for raw materials for both bulk and the dosage form drugs from manufacturing plants along with providing storage and order fulfilment services for bulk exports and for finished pack sales of pharmaceutical and animal health products. All these warehouse functions are accomplished by using a number of automated systems and managed by a computerized warehouse management system. This facilitated services like direct to hospital and direct to clinic deliveries of medicines. Wal-Mart: Wal-Mart, famous multinational retailer achieved and is maintaining its differentiation, cost leadership position mainly due to its innovative warehousing system. It has a flexible regional warehousing system. In a retail business like Wal-Mart warehouses are necessary to restock the stores frequently. Also, the warehouses should be as close to the stores as possible. Wal-Marts warehousing system solved the problem of contrast of few warehouses coupled with short distances and reduced overheads which significantly reduced production costs. This made the goods available for customers at lower prices. Maruti Suzuki: Maruti Suzuki, with its headquarters in Delhi is the first Indian company to produce and sell million cars. Its entire logistics and supply chain system especially its warehouse management system played a vital role in its success. It has a single main warehouse at Gurgaon where the components of its finished cars are stored. Its warehouses are fully automated with latest equipment and technology required for material identification, periodic stock taking and inventory carrying cost analysis. This system was devised to ensure quality and was highly successful because dealers order spare parts along with the cars. Now, Maruti is decentralizing its warehouse management system with warehouses in every region of the country due to increased competition. Future Prospects in Warehouse Services: Outsourcing: Many companies are already opting to outsource their warehousing functions to Third party logistics providers (3PL). This move not only cut down the costs of warehousing for the company but also provides the ability to leverage on the expertise of 3rd party service providers. Labour Management Systems: These can be used to track the performance of the employees working in a warehouse. Accordingly incentives can be provided along with enhancing the efficiency of working. Decision Support Tools: These tools provide the ability to design key performance indicators that can be tailored to achieve specific goals. These are usually web-based and deliver their metrics through graphical dashboards. Reverse Logistics: Reverse logistics help the companies to increase the efficiency of operations of returns from first customer interaction to final product disposition. It also increases the service levels of a company. Slotting: Slotting of packages is done to allow operations to optimize product location with respective warehouses for increased picking efficiency. RFID(Radio Frequency Identification): Famous retailers like Wal-Mart is already using this technology due to its potential to help supply chains lower operating costs, improve inventory accuracy, increase throughput, reduce inventory levels and increase visibility in warehouses. But the usage is limited because of high cost of implementation. It is expected to be one of the dominating technologies in the coming years. Future needs of Warehousing Industry: Current shift to goods and services tax (GST) will have a positive impact on the warehousing industry. It will help the industry to work more efficiently. Also free trade warehouse zones (FTWZs) should come up. In the longer run, the growth will come from space optimization, use of new technologies, efficient tax policies, IT adoption, value added services, use of appropriate storage types, adoption of right architecture, installation of surveillance and security systems and skills training. Warehouses should not just stock goods. It should also equip itself to receive goods, break shipments, and prepare for shipments. Warehousing industry is hampered by lack of capital and sufficient funding options are not available. Hence government should consider introducing tax holidays that might attract private equity players to the industry. The industry players will also do well to get listed on the secondary markets. Also the government should consider granting industry status to warehousing, which will improve the funding prospects. The bigger challenge for the industry would be to bridge the skill gap. This is because the major part of the industry is unorganized and there is deficit of industrial skills development centers in the country.

Feminism in Pop Culture

Many myths and misconceptions float around the term ‘Feminism’. It is a movement that is frequently projected as being violent, aggressive, and full of ‘bra burning’ extremists. The word alone often evokes reactions among people that are negative, uncomplimentary and stereotypical. The disturbing of the patriarchal paradigm was a phenomenon that became prominent only in the Twentieth Century. Historically speaking women have always numerically outnumbered men, but through the system of patriarchy they have been suppressed by political, economic and social machinery. The difference between Gender and Sex When trying to examine feminism we must keep in mind the subtle difference between ‘gender’ and ‘sex’. For example, if a man were to dress or behave like a woman, it would not change the fact that he is still biologically a man, and here is where the difference lies. When we use the term ‘gender’, we are referring to a social construct, a store knowledge that has developed over generations that helps us in our identification of a person as a man or a woman. A person’s sex on the other hand is purely biological. A primary argument of feminist theory is that arbitrary allocations such as this that are constructs of society are completely devoid of any genuine value. Thus the duty of feminism, in one sense, involves the subversion of existing patriarchal paradigms by questioning phallocentric, or penis-centred, sources of power. Patriarchy and the Woman The term ‘Patriarchy’ itself can be broadly defined as an ideological system of belief that privileges males over females. This is a complex system that employs androcentric values, rituals and practices in order to maintain status quo. Another means of control involves patriarchy passing itself off as the so-called ‘norm’ or the ‘right’ way in which a society must divide itself, and regards the Female as a departure from this ‘norm’ and treats her as ‘the other’, a notion that only reinforces the sharp cleavage between the two sexes. As a result of this treatment, the decisions of a society are based on whatever the man decides, whereas everything else is lumped together as ‘the other’, the Female. It is however ironic that patriarchy itself requires the co-operation of the Female in order to subjugate her, making her a willing participant in her own suppression. As the French feminist Simone de Beauvoir put it so aptly in her seminal book, ‘The Second Sex’, published in 1949, ‘One is not born, but rather becomes a woman. ’, a statement that raises our consciousness to the disparity between the male ‘norm’ and the female ‘other’. It was indeed French Feminism that first brought to light the fact that all western languages are irredeemably male-engendered, male constituted and male-dominated. Discourse itself is phallocentric as seen in its vocabulary, syntax, rules of logic and its tendency for classification and opposition as well as the need for objective knowledge. Definitions of Feminist Literary Criticism There are multiple definitions that can be applied to Feminist Literary criticism. It differs from other schools of critical theory in that it does not derive its literary principles from a single authoritative figure or from a body of sacred texts. This is quite unlike other approaches such as Psychoanalysis, Marxism or Deconstruction, which can all be attributed to their primary exponents, Freud, Marx and Derrida respectively. Feminist theory has evolved from several sources, with several feminist thinkers contributing to the canon. Moreover, critical theory used in readings of Woman’s literature borrows from other disciplines such as History, Anthropology, Linguistics, Psychoanalysis and Marxism. It was a form of criticism created by literary and academic women who participated in the women’s liberation movement in the late 1960s. Kate Millet’s book, ‘Sexual Politics’ (1870) was the first major treatise on feminist criticism, and also represented a strong political argument for women’s rights. The Dictionary of Concepts in Literary Criticism and Theory defines Feminist Criticism as ‘The understanding and analysis of and response to literary works, and/or language and/or the institution of literary study or theory from the point of view of women’s experience. ’ â€Å"Feminist Criticism†, says Elaine Showalter, in her book ‘New Feminist Criticism’, â€Å"has established gender as a fundamental category of literary analysis. † Her article, ‘Dancing through the Minefield’ has also made some observations on the politics and practice of feminist criticism. She also points out that the earlier groups of feminist critics were preoccupied with the gender bias in writing, whereas the later group of gynocritics studied women as writers. Another columnist, Annette Kolodny, defines feminist criticism as â€Å"An acute and impassioned attentiveness to the ways in which primarily male structures of power are encoded within our literary inheritance, and the consequences of that encoding for women†¦ not only for a better understanding of the past but also for an improved recording of the present and the future. This form of criticism, as a self-aware and concerted approach to literature came into being in the late 1960s, as a part of the international woman’s movement. One of the first areas it looked into and challenged was literature, where it was always assumed that the representative reader, writer and critic were all male. The historical background and watershed marks in Feminist Criticism Behind the movement in the 1960s, however, lay two centuries of struggle, represented only by a few texts such as Mary Wollstonecraft’s ‘The vindication of the Rights of Women’ (1792). A later book, this time by John Stuart Mill, ‘The Subjection of Women’ (1869) was also brought to the fore. It suggested that the Wife was a family’s source of sustenance, and therefore the empowerment of the generations could be achieved only by empowering The Woman. The next seminal work in Feminist Criticism was penned by Virginia Woolf in 1929. Called ‘A Room of One’s Own’, the book talked about the major directions in which feminist explorations of literature needed to develop. The book is rich with insights about the absence of women writers and readers, and the probable fate to which the hypothetical ‘Sister of Shakespeare’, blessed with equal or greater genius, would have been consigned to thanks to socio-cultural obstacles of the age. In it, Woolf’s contention is that ‘A woman must have money and a room (referring to space, privilege and opportunity) of her own if she is to write [fiction]. † Other significant books include Toril Moi’s ‘Sexual/Textual Politics’ (1985) and Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar’s ‘No Mans Land: The Place of the Woman Writer in the 20th Century’. These texts introduced the principles of feminist literary theory to the world. Their purpose was to offer feminist readings of texts that looked at the images and the stereotypes of women in literature as well as the omissions and misconceptions about women in criticism and ‘women-as-sign’ in semiotic systems. This kind of criticism concerns itself with developing a specifically female framework for dealing with works written by women, in all aspects of their production, including analysis and interpretation in ll literary forms and expressions, including journalism and popular culture, like Patricia Mayers-Spack’s ‘The Female Imagination’, Ellen Moer’s ‘Literary Women’, Elaine Showalter’s ‘A Literature of their Own: British Women Novelists from Bronte to Lessing’, or Gilbert and Gubar’s ‘The Mad Woman in the Attic’, a reference to Bertha Mason, who is ‘usually in some sense the author ’s double, (the other) an image of her own anxiety and rage. ’ Through the women’ liberation movement, literary criticism drew a connection between the lived lives of thousands of women who studied and taught literature. An important area of research was the limited secondary roles of fictional heroines and other feminine stereotypes in canonical literature. The Role of Feminist Criticism Feminist criticism, developing in tandem with the women’s liberation movement brought in a dual perspective that brought about a reappraisal of texts, looked at the construction of gender through language and the gendering of text, and examined the representation of women in literature and the exclusion of women as fictional characters, authors and readers. As far as literature is concerned, the role of Feminist criticism was to look at canonical literary works and the manner in which they represent women as stereotypes, and to develop theories for sexual differences in reading, writing and literary interpretation. It brings to the fore and establishes ‘gender’ as a fundamental category of literary analysis, and takes into account the fact that the vast majority of what is conceded to be the ‘literary canon’ is by and large authored by men, based on masculine norms and values, and women’s writing therefore is either excluded or undervalued in canonical literature, criticism and theory. Feminist critics also look at the representation of female experiences in literature. They reason that because a major aspect of literature is the reporting of our biological sense experiences, it would be impossible for the male to authentically capture an entirely feminine experience such as menstruation or childbirth. Feminist criticism also bases itself on two other primary assumptions: That gender is constructed through language (by way of political incorrect words and phrases such as ‘chairman’, ‘male nurse’ or ‘actor and actress’), and that writing strategies are sex-related and therefore misogynistic. Feminist criticism also shows that women readers, critics and writers bring different perceptions and expectations to their literary experiences, and insist that women have important stories to tell of their own culture. This kind of criticism opened space that now extended beyond the study of only women writers and now included the reappraisal of all literature that makes up our heritage. Feminist critics look at literary representation of sexual differences, and how literature shapes masculine and feminine values, privileging one set over another. The aim of feminist criticism therefore becomes to re-examine male texts, emphasize writing by women by charting a new literary history that includes neglected texts, a female tradition created by a sub-community of women writers who found support from their literary foremothers and so become role models for younger female writers. They also look at the oral tradition and other extra-literary expressions. Another aim involves the creation of new reading and writing collectives, libraries, publishing houses, social centres, colleges and so on. Feminist criticism confronts the problem of the feminist reader by offering new methods and fresh critical evaluation of issues, such as the mother-daughter cultural and relational aspect. Another major concern of Gynocritics is to identify what is taken to be distinctly feminine subject matter in literature written by women, the idea of sisterhood and female bonding, domesticity, gestation, birth, motherhood, mother-daughter or woman-woman relationships, etc. They also undertake to show that there is a distinctive feminine mode of experience or subjectivity in thinking, feeling, valuing and perceiving the self and others. French Feminism Related to this is the specification of the traits of women’s language and its distinctive style of speech and writing. Women must write in a way in which they can avoid the pitfalls of phallocentric language mentioned earlier, in a style represented by the term ‘ecriture feminine’ or writing in the feminine, a concept that was a product of French feminism. Helene Cixous, its main exponent, credited with authoring its manifesto, ‘The Laugh of Medusa’ (1975), stated that ecriture feminine is to be found in metaphors of female sexuality and women’s libidinal differences. Another critic, Luce Irigary, talks about women’s writing and its evasion of the male monopoly by replacing the monolithic phallus by the diversity, fluidity and multiple possibilities represented by female sexuality. These critics believe that women must try to resurrect the ‘feminine-feminine’ which possibly lies in the unconscious of all women. Julia Kristeva speaks of a pre-natal, pre-linguistic, pre-oedipal and unsystematic signifying language between the mother and the infant centred on the mother that she labels as semiotic and abstract, as opposed to the symbolic or letter based language of the father. Semiotic writing disrupts phallocentric writing because it is free from oppressive order and rationality. Both men and women can write in this mode, which deconstructs masculine structures of knowledge and attacks patriarchy and its language. The overall aim of ecriture feminine is therefore to allow a woman to write of, from and about their bodies. French feminist theory has contributed significantly to feminist literary criticism by studying the relationship between women, psychology and language. Currently feminist criticism employs a wide range of approaches and addresses a variety of issues of feminist interest. This is called ‘Playful Pluralism’. The oft-asserted goal of feminist critics has been to enlarge and re-order, or in some cases entirely displace the (patriarchal) literary canon. Feminist studies have served to raise the stakes of many female authors who were erstwhile neglected or even overlooked.

Business of Being Born Essay

There is a culture of â€Å"women-only† that runs rampant in spaces for pregnant women. Much of the talk is about how valuable women find the support of other women. It also excludes men from the process and experience of pregnancy, as much as they can experience it. Overall the film focuses on the fact that women have been told they’re not responsible for their birth. Katsi Cook, a Mohawk women and Native women’s health activist said she â€Å"believes that the relationship of trust and respect between a woman and her midwife empowers the woman to ask questions and obtain the information she needs to make real choices about her health and life. (The Mother’s Milk Project, 611) In the film, Ricki Lake wanted to explore women’s â€Å"rite of passage,† by giving the power back to the women. There’s this idea since hospitals are a business that once they â€Å"facilitate† an intervention has been started and it becomes a domino effect after that. When these interventions have started, the questions: â€Å"what’s best for the baby? † â€Å"Is the baby going to benefit from this or not? † need to be well thought out. According to Overview of Maternity, â€Å"medical evidence shows that the routine use of unnecessary interventions put mothers and babies at risk. In the film Marsden Wagner M. D. , stated that there is no history of worthy obstetrical practices and careful studies of the long-term effects of the interventions. The United States has gotten away from midwifery starting in 1955, only 1% of births took place at home. The culture shift portrayed midwives as â€Å"vestige of the old country. † Midwives were understood as dirty, ignorant and illiterate. Now midwives are often perceived as unprepared. Once doctors started graduating from medical school, business took over the birthing process. Births then went into the hospitals and midwives did not follow. The concept of normal changed. Midwives often lack available and affordable malpractice insurance; because of this midwives are then perceived â€Å"inferior† to physicians. Overview of Maternity states â€Å"Midwives recognize birth as a normal, natural process and support the use of less invasive techniques, such as position changes, waiting, hydrotherapy, and perinatal support, that carry fewer risks to mothers and babies and are usually more effective. † Another effect the culture has on the lack of midwives is when the culture as a whole insinuates that birth s scary and dangerous. Yes, there will always be some sort of risks when it comes to birth. However, that is where I believe technology has had a positive effect on birth. More than less, we are now able to detect the dangers ahead of time. The film associates the amount of trust we put into hospitals and technology is reflected upon our infant-mortality rate. Our neonatal statistics are not the greatest. In the film midwives and hospitals are not looked to blame. It is our diverse population that distorts those statistics in where we stand in the world. The argument presented in this film to revitalize midwifery focused generally on the idea of pain suffered during birth was the only way to feel accomplished and provide love for their baby. However, I completely disagree. Women that undergo C-sections and even families that adopt can have the same amount of love for their children as the women that endure pain during birth do. Normal births are not medical issues, yet they may turn into life threatening issues within seconds. Not all women are the same, they have different difficulties, and some even have disabilities that impact their birthing process. Which then increases the risks. According to Overview of Maternity, â€Å"Research shows that midwives are the safest birth attendants for most women, with lower infant and maternal mortality rates and fewer invasive interventions such as episiotomies and surgical births (cesareans). † Optimum outcome of the mother and child is based on how open to suggestions we are with midwives and patient satisfaction. The validity of your options must always be questioned. The safety of the birthing process is going to vary depending on the training, patient choice, and circumstances on geographical constraints.

Pros and Cons of Gun Ownership in the U.S.

Pros and Cons of Gun Ownership in the U.S. About 80 million Americans, representing half of U.S. homes, own more than 223 million guns. And yet, 60% of Democrats and 30% of Republicans favor stronger gun ownership laws. Historically, states have regulated laws governing individual ownership and use of guns. State gun laws vary widely from loose regulations in many southern, western and rural states to restrictive laws in the largest cities. In the 1980s, though, the National Rifle Association increased pressure on Congress to loosen gun control laws and restrictions. In June 2010, however, the Supreme Court struck down Chicagos restrictive gun-control laws, declaring that that Americans in all 50 states have a constitutional right to possess firearms for self-defense. Gun Rights and the Second Amendment Gun rights are granted by the Second Amendment, which reads: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. All political viewpoints agree that the Second Amendment guarantees the right of the government to maintain an armed militia to protect the nation. But disagreement historically existed as to whether or not it guarantees the right of all persons to own/use guns any place and at any time.. Collective Rights vs. Individual Rights Until the mid-20th century, liberal constitutional scholars held a Collective Rights position, that the Second Amendment only protects the collective right of the states to maintain armed militias. Conservative scholars held an Individual Rights position that the Second Amendment also grants an individuals right to own guns as private property, and that most restrictions on buying and carrying guns impede individual rights. Gun Control and the World The U.S. has the highest rate of gun ownership and of gun homicide in the developed world, per a 1999 Harvard School of Public Health study. In 1997, Great Britain banned private ownership of almost all handguns. And in Australia, Prime Minister John Howard commented after a 1996 mass killings in that country that we took action to limit the availability of funs, and we showed a national resolved that the gun culture that is such a negative in the U.S. would never become a negative in our country. Wrote Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne in 2007, Our country is a laughingstock on the rest of the planet because of our devotion to unlimited gun rights. District of Columbia vs. Heller Two U.S. Supreme Court rulings, District of Columbia vs. Heller (2008) and McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010), effectively struck down or nullified restrictive gun ownership and use laws for individuals. In 2003, six Washington D.C. residents filed a lawsuit with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the constitutionality of Washington D.C.s Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975, considered among the most restrictive in the U.S. Enacted in response to a horrifically high crime and gun violence rate, the D.C. law outlawed ownership of handguns, except for police officers and certain others. The D.C. law also specified that shotguns and rifles must be kept unloaded or dissembled, and with the trigger locked. (Read more about D.C. gun laws.) The federal District Court dismissed the lawsuit. The six litigants, led by Dick Heller, a Federal Judicial Center guard who wanted to keep a gun at home, appealed the dismissal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. On March 9, 2007, the federal Appeals court voted 2 to 1 to strike down the dismissal of the Heller suit. Wrote the majority: To summarize, we conclude that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms... That is not to suggest that the government is absolutely barred from regulating the use and ownership of pistols. The NRA called the ruling a significant victory for individual... rights. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Handgun Violence called it judicial activism at its worst. Supreme Court Review of District of Columbia vs. Heller Both litigants and defendants appealed to the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear this landmark gun rights case. On March 18, 2008, the Court heard oral arguments from both sides. On June 26, 2008, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to overturn the restrictive gun laws of Washington D.C., as depriving individuals of their right to own and use a gun in their own home and in federal enclaves, as guaranteed by the Second Amendment. McDonald v. City of Chicago On June 28, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court resolved anmiguities created by its District of Columbia vs. Heller decision as to whether or not individual gun rights apply to all states, as well. Briefly, in striking down Chicagos strict handgun laws, the Court established, by vote of 5 to 4, that the right to keep and bear arms is a privilege of American citizenship that applies to the States. Background Political focus on U.S. gun control laws has increased since 1968 passage of the Gun Control Act, enacted after the assassinations of John F. and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. Between 1985 and 1996, 28 states eased restrictions on concealed weapon carrying. As of 2000, 22 states allowed concealed guns to be carried almost anywhere, including places of worship. The following are the federal laws enacted to control/tax guns held by individuals: 1934 - National Firearms Act imposed a tax on the sale of machine guns and short-barrel firearms, in reaction public rage over gangster activity.1938 - Federal Firearms Act required licensing of gun dealers.1968 - Gun Control Act expanded licensing and record-keeping; banned felons and the mentally ill from buying guns; banned the mail order sale of guns.1972 - The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was created to oversee federal regulation of guns.1986 - Firearms Owners Protection Act eased some gun sale restrictions, reflecting the growing influence of the NRA under President Reagan.1993 - Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act requires gun dealers to run background checks on purchasers. Establishes national database of prohibited gun owners.1994 - Violent Crime Control Act banned the sale of new assault weapons for ten years. The Act was sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY). the Republican-led Congress allowed the law expire in 2004.2003 - Tiahrt Amendment protects gun dealers and manufacturers from certain lawsuits. 2007 - via the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, Congress closes loopholes in the national database after the mass shooting at Virginia Tech University. (For more info from 1791 to 1999, see A Brief History of Firearms Regulation in America by Robert Longley, About.com Govt Info Guide.) For More Restrictive Gun Laws Arguments in favor of more restrictive gun laws are: Societal needs for reasonable gun control lawsHigh rate of gun-related violence and deathSecond Amendment does not provide for individual gun rights Societal Needs for Reasonable Gun Control The federal, state and  local governments  enact laws to protect and defend the people and property of the U.S. Proponents of more restrictive gun ownership laws contend that under-regulation puts U.S. residents at unreasonable risk. A  1999 Harvard School of Public Health study  revealed that Americans feel less safe as more people in their community being to carry guns, and that 90% believe that regular citizens should be prohibited from bringing guns into most public places, including stadiums, restaurants, hospitals, college campuses and places of worship. U.S. residents have a right to reasonable protection from dangers, including danger from guns. Examples cited include the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting deaths of 32 students and teachers and the 1999 killings at Colorados Columbine High School of 13 students and teachers. High Rate of Gun-Related Crime Americans favoring more restrictive gun ownership/use laws believe that such measures will reduce gun-related crime, homicide and suicide in the U.S. About 80 million Americans, representing 50% of U.S homes, own 223 million guns , easily the highest private gun ownership rate of any country in the world. Gun use  in the United States is associated with the majority of homicides and over half the suicide,  per Wikipedia. More than  30,000  U.S. men, women and children die each year from gunshot wounds, the highest homicide rate from guns in the world. Of those 30,000 deaths, only about  1,500  are due to accidental shootings. Per the Harvard 1999 study, most Americans believe that U.S.  gun violence  and homicide would decrease by reducing the private ownership and use of guns. Constitution Does Not Provide for Individual Gun Rights ... nine federal appeals courts around the nation have adopted the collective rights view, opposing the notion that the amendment protects individual gun rights. The only exceptions are the Fifth Circuit, in New Orleans, and the District of Columbia Circuit,  per the New York Times. For hundreds of years, the prevailing opinion of Constitutional scholars has been that the Second Amendment does not address private gun ownership rights, but only guarantees the collective right of states to maintain militias. For Less Restrictive Gun Laws Arguments in favor of less restrictive gun laws include: Individual resistance to tyranny is a civil right guaranteed by the Second AmendmentSelf defenseRecreational use of guns Individual Resistance to Tyranny Is a Constitutional Right No one disputes that the intended purpose of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is to empower U.S. residents to resist governmental tyranny. The controversy is whether that empowerment is intended to be on a individual or collective basis. Holders of the  Individual Rights  position, which is considered the conservative stance, believe that the Second Amendment gives private gun ownership and use to individuals as a basic civil right to protection from government tyranny, such as the tyranny faced by the founders of the United States. Per the  New York Times on May 6, 2007: There used to be an almost complete scholarly and judicial consensus that the Second Amendment protects only a collective right of the states to maintain militias. That consensus no longer exists - thanks largely to the work over the last 20 years of several leading liberal law professors, who have come to embrace the view that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to own guns. Self-Defense in Response to Crime and Violence Holders of the  Individual Rights  position believe that allowing increased private ownership and use of guns as self-protection is the effective response to controlling gun violence and homicide. The argument is if gun ownership is legally restricted, then all and only law-abiding Americans will be unarmed, and therefore would be the easy prey of criminals and law-breakers. Proponents of less restrictive gun laws cite a  number of instances in which stringent new laws  resulted in a dramatic increase, not decrease, in gun-related crimes and violence. Recreational Use of Guns In many states, majority of citizens contend that restrictive gun ownership/use laws impede safe hunting and shooting, which to them are important cultural traditions and popular recreational pursuits. For us, guns and hunting is a way of life, said Mr. Helms, the manager of Marstillers Gun Shop (in Morgantown, West Virginia) per the  New York Times on March 8, 2008. In fact, a  bill was recently passed  in the West Virginia legislature to allow hunting education classes in all schools where twenty or more students express interest. Where It Stands Gun control laws are difficult to pass in Congress because gun rights groups and lobbyists wield enormous influence on  Capitol Hill  via campaign contributions, and have had great success in defeating pro-gun control candidates. Explained the Center for Responsive Politics in 2007: Gun rights groups have given more than $17 million in... contributions to federal candidates and party committees since 1989. Nearly $15 million, or 85 percent of the total, has gone to Republicans. The  National Rifle Association  is by far the gun rights lobbys biggest donor, having contributed more than $14 million over the past 15 years. Gun control advocates... contribute far less money than their rivals a total of nearly $1.7 million since 1989, of which 94 percent went to Democrats. Per the Washington Post, in the 2006 elections: Republicans received 166 times as much money from pro-gun groups as from anti-gun groups. Democrats received three times as much from pro-gun as anti-gun groups. Congressional Democrats and Gun Laws A sizeable minority of Congressional Democrats are gun rights advocates, especially among those newly elected to office in 2006. Freshman senators who strongly favor gun rights include  Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA),  Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. (D-PA), and  Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT). Per the NRA, House members newly elected in 2006 include 24 pro-gun rights advocates: 11 Democrats and 13 Republicans. Presidential Politics and Gun Laws Statistically, Americans most likely to own guns are men, whites and southerners... not by coincidence, the demographics of the so-called swing vote that often decides the victors of presidential and other national elections. Former President Barack Obama believes that the country must do whatever it takes to eradicate gun violence... but he believes in an individuals right to bear arms. A full transcript of his 2013 remarks on gun violence are provided by ABC News.. In contrast, U.S. Senator John McCain, reaffirmed his unequivocal support of unfettered gun laws,  saying on the day of the Virginia Tech massacre: I do believe in the constitutional right that everyone has, in the  Second Amendment to the Constitution, to carry a weapon. Following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and subsequent student-led protests in 2018, President Donald Trump tweeted on March 28: THE SECOND AMENDMENT WILL NEVER BE REPEALED!