Strategic Supply Chain and Logistics Management Essay

Strategic Supply Chain and Logistics Management - Essay Example This is a flexible method because Dell sells through retail outlets. Dell also kept track of customer’s inventory, allowing them to order PCs directly rather than going through the hassles of purchasing. (Kraemer, Dedrick, and Yamashiro 2000) The advantage in Dell’s strategy is that it minimizes inventory. Dell’s method is direct selling, and selling through the Internet. At Dell Computer, speed and balance are the secret weapons to creating value. (CNET Networks Inc. 2007) Hewlett-Packard (HP) does not rely on outsourcing of supplies. Rather than relying on a network of partners, the company builds its PCs in-house. HP computers are of highest quality. Management believes that every part and component should be designed and produced in house. Since the beginning, HP had been making its own screws. HP people focused on developing new technology internally, resisting collaboration with outside partners to leverage existing technology. (Mendelson and Siegler 1999, 134) Executive management is right on the top, which means this is the top echelon of the company or business. Important decisions and company strategies have to come from this part of the organization because they affect the operation, to include the future and success of the organization. Supply management is equally important as in other strategic decisions processes in the organization. Supply management sustains the lie of organization. Without an effective supply chain, business cannot thrive or be successful in the long run. Operation is the process by which goods and services are created. We find productive processes in all kinds of organized activities such as factories, offices, supermarkets, and hospitals. Production and operations management deals with decision making related to productive processes to ensure that the resulting goods or services are

Is war an inevitable feature of international relations Essay

Is war an inevitable feature of international relations - Essay Example Historically, mankind has engaged itself in bloody conflicts from time to time. Fighting over power, religion, resources, money, and freedom has been the order of the modern world. Some people opine that war is avoidable and unnecessary, but the reality is, war is something that can never be avoided. War is an inevitable occurrence in the modern world economies, where politics, conflicts over resources and supremacy of power has taken centre stage. Propaganda has been heavily used not only in the past but also today. In fact, much of the military propaganda is motivated towards making yourself into a stronger figure that many emulate. This is popularly seen in the ads such as the army slogans, "Not Just Strong, Army Strong", the Marine Corps. Slogan, "Which Way Will You Run?", and "The Few, The Proud" With these types of the ads, they promote the idea of joining the military force while glorifying the idea of going into the battle (Singer, 2011). The media has also contributed immensely in glorifying war today. For instance, the movies that we watch are constantly being produced about the war in the Middle East. Films such as â€Å"The Hurt Locker†, the United States is highly glorified because of how they depict the three-man bomb squad and the lone Humvee clearing the buildings (Kamber, 2010). Indeed, when the idea of the battle is being glorified, the idea of the war is even more appealing. Therefore, propaganda is a reoccurring trend, and the conflict is the turning wheel of the violence and tension. If indeed these trends have held the film industry for centuries, can the cycles be stopped? Psychology is the most convincing perspective about how war is the inevitable feature of the international relations. In one of his articles titled, â€Å"War Inevitable?†, E.O. Wilson states that, "Our bloody nature, it can now be argued in the context of modern biology, is ingrained because group-versus-group competition was a principal