Two Key Logistics Activities In Humanitarian Aid And Relief Operations Business Essay

Two Key Logistics Activities In Humanitarian Aid And Relief Operations Business Essay The natural disasters and armed conflicts in various parts of the world in recent years have challenged the competency of traditional emergency relief operations. The challenges have revealed deficiencies which prompt the humanitarian relief sector to redefine the logistical activities that can meet the needs of humanitarian relief operations. the process of planning, implementing and controlling the efficient, cost-effective flow and storage of goods and materials, as well as related information, from point of origin to point of consumption for the purpose of meeting the end beneficiarys requirements (Kovacs Spens 2009). Nowadays humanitarian logistics is receiving interest from both logistics academics and practitioners as well. Humanitarian logistics is an umbrella term for a mixed array of operations. Delivering humanitarian aid can, therefore, be seen as a substantial global industry. According to Long and Wood (1995), food relief alone accounted for $5 billion worth of food in 1991; which has important consequences for the worlds agricultural and transportation industries. Every government in the world is involve in relief operations and might be donor and recipient of operations. Many practices shows the most difficult steps in responding disaster respond operation is providing right reliefs in right time for the people in need(Smirnov, et.al 2007). For the success of disaster relief mobilizing people, skills, resources and knowledge are the key process to help affected people by disaster and emergencies. This essay discusses the importance of two key logistics activities in humanitarian aid and relief operations. It also discusses the how two key logistic activities add value to relief operation in terms of place, time and firm utility. It concludes with a framework for humanitarian logistics in disaster relief. The key logistics activities are 1) Inventory management, and 2) Transportation management. Key logistics Activities Form utility: Form utility refers to the value added to goods through a manufacturing, production, or assembly process that can be used by the customer and is of value to the customer (Murphy woods 2009). It is a simple process of adding the raw materials together to produce a something of value product in form that adds value to the product. In todays global economic, logistics activities can also provide form utility. For example, breaking bulk and product mixing, which typically takes place at distribution centres, change a products form by changing its shipment size and packaging characteristics. Thus, unpacking a pallet of coca-cola into individual customer size adds form utility to the product. 1) Inventory management: Inventory is the stock of items used to support production processes raw materials and work in process, customer service and other activities that are maintained for many purpose. The most common is to satisfy the normal demand. Inventory management is the process of planning and controlling physical inventory. It is the key concept of supply chain management. Managing inventory is balancing the supply of inventory with demand for inventory. Every company want to have enough inventories to satisfy the demand of its customers. But companys doesnt want to keep too much inventories because it costs. Inventory costs money of holding cost, capital cost, service cost and inventory risk costs. So it is better not to have too much inventory. But every company should have their safety stock level. There are lots of approaches for to manage inventories In which JIT (just in time) approach best suits for humanitarian relief operation which adds value in terms of place, time and form utility. All of the humanitarian relief operations have the common aim to aid people in the survival. The main focus of disaster relief operation is to transportation of first aid material, food, equipment, and rescue personnel in time. The inventory of first aid materials and foods in warehouse is supplied in bulk quantity to the point of disaster for affected people, which adds value when foods are distributed to the victims it got value and it is their basic needs. So the inventory of a place got form utility in relief operations. The approach of JIT helps to provide everything needed in time which creates form utility of a product in relief operations. 2) Transportation management: Transportation can be defined as the actual, physical movement of goods and people between two points (Murphy Woods 2009). Transportation influences, or is influenced by many logistics activities. Transportation costs, it represents 40 to 50 percent of total logistics costs and 4 to 10 percent of product selling for many companies. Transport logistic direct affect the total logistic costs. Means of transportation also affect the cost and lead time. Means of transportation are air, road, and waterways. In a humanitarian relief operation normal ordered is processed where items are produced locally or in a product manufacturer. Items are then transported to the warehouse via truck or airways. And also emergency ordered are placed internationally to donor country or from United Nations and transported via air transport. Emergency orders have a much shorter transportation time than normal orders, but carry higher shipping costs. Once the supplies have reache d the airport from the production area, they are sent to the field of relief operation where they are received and recorded, at the distribution centres. Distribution centres receives good in pallets and big boxes, then they are break into the normal or consumption size, which adds value to the goods in terms form utility, from bigger form to consumption size in humanitarian relief operation base, which is possible via only transportation. Then it is distributed to affected people. Transportation also carries or helps rescue team to be in operation field where they provide their service. So transportation adds value in a service of rescue members by helping to be there in rescue operation field. Place utility: Place utility is having products available where they are needed by customers. Logistics provides place utility by moving goods from production surplus point to where demand exists, or moved from point of lesser value to point of greater value (Coyle, Bardi Langley 2002). Logistics adds economic values in products this addition of economic value of goods and services by moving from point of production to the point of consumption is known as place utility. For example, moving of produces in a farm by logistics to market where the produce is consumed or needed by customers this produce creates place utility. So the product which does not have value in a certain place might be of huge value in other place by moving the product which creates place utility. 1) Inventory management: In a time of disaster the most necessary things are human rescue and basic needs of people, food, water and medicines. The ability of rescue team or government delivery food and medicines and services to the affected locations relies heavily on transportation network. Advances in technology also allow firms to analyse their delivery networks and develop a route that will serve the item in the affected place. Here the necessary things for relief operations food, medicines etc are transported to the place of need which adds value in these goods and services from the warehouse where it had no value. 2) Transportation management: Transportation management is the logistic of flow of goods, information, services and other information from the point of origin to the point of consumption (..). Transport logistic is a channel of supply chain which adds the value of place utility. The value of goods or service is directly related to its location. For the humanitarian relief operation the food items, medicines and services has less value in the production area or in warehouse than in identical location or field of disaster relief operations. By transporting resources, foods, medicines and services value increases. Transportation adds value by moving the products and resources from one place to the area of rescue field. Place utility likewise impacts the value of services, considering a doctor trained to perform a unique procedure in relief operations. A victim who requires that procedure to live would place an enormous value on the services of the doctor. If there is no way to transport the doctor to the relief operation field the value of his service is zero at the patient. So it makes clear that transportation adds value in form of place utility at the humanitarian relief operations. Time utility: Time utility is having products available when they are needed by customers or economic value added to a product or services by having it at a demand point at a specific time (Murphy woods 2009). Logistics creates time utility through proper inventory maintenance and strategic location of goods and service. For example, it creates time utility by promoting and advertised products available in stores. Time utility adds value to the products in a certain time, winter clothes are of value only in the winter so it adds value for customers by providing in winter season. If they are selling winter clothes in the summer it has got no value and no time utility. 1) Inventory management: Transportation of inventory create time utility by moving something more quickly to a disaster relief operation base. Time utility is much more important in disaster relief operations because of the emphasis on reducing lead time and minimising inventory level through logistic related such as JIT inventory management approaches. To response a disaster relief humanitarian operation a lot of inventories have to be held; these should be of clothes, food and medicine. Transportation from the warehouse to affected area might take time depending on the situation and distance. In the relief operations the first aid materials and foods have to provide in time so that immediate response is required that affected people can get in time. It makes clear that providing right services and goods on time in need of people creates value in those goods and services. 2) Transportation management: When disaster strikes, the emergency plans of regional actors come to action in immediate response. But, however, prepared these actors are, they will need to operate in an environment with a destabilized infrastructure in certain time. Some disasters such as famines occur more often in less developed regions, which from the outset struggle with inadequate infrastructures and a lack of transport connectivity. Less developed regions are also more prone to a larger scale destruction of their infrastructure once a disaster strikes. As an example, earthquakes and floods are often magnified, due to poor housing situations and inadequate construction requirements. The nature of most disasters demands an immediate response, hence supply chains need to be designed and deployed at once even though the knowledge of the situation is very limited (Kovacs Spens 2007). The supply of rescue team and necessary items in a operation via transport logistics makes it easy to get there in time and help the people affected by disaster. At the place of disaster people are in need of help, to provide help for helpless people operation team needs to be there as soon as possible. For that purpose transportation helps a lot which adds value in the circumstances of disaster to rescue people. Transportation also helps to move food and medicine products to the field in time where these items are distributed among the people. Conclusion: In conclusion it can be stated that above discussed two key logistic activities has its distinct features to support in humanitarian relief operation in terms of form, place and time utility. By using inventory management and transportation management logistic activities it supports to provide necessary materials and services at humanitarian relief operations in terms of place time and form utility. It also find that inventory management policies for humanitarian warehouse must be easy to implement and flexible to change. Essay shows, for the humanitarian logistic basic principle of logistic can be applied. As they combined their aim with the motivation to help people, right people, resources, in right time, in the place, in the right time as soon as possible to deliver maximum relief.

Of Mice and Men – the American Dream

According to Dictionary. com, the American Dream is defined as â€Å"The ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American; a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U. S (American Dream). † But everyone’s idea of the American dream is an altered version of this idea whether it meant being independent or becoming richer. In the book Of Mice and Men, many characters try and pursue the life consisting of the American dream, and in the end, all of their work was in vain.At one of the ranches that George and Lennie go to, they meet a man named Candy, who is an old ranch handyman, who is starting to think that the boss will soon fire him because of his old age and disabilities. One day, he over hears George and Lennie talking about their ‘American Dream. ’ â€Å"S’pose I went in with you guys†¦ I ain’t much good, but I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some† (Steinbeck, pg 59). Although he knows that he isn’t that useful, he hopes that George and Lennie will accept his offering and let him have a piece of their dream.After Candy finds out about Lennie killing Curley’s wife, he knows that his dream had just become more impossible. Crooks, the black stableman, is another character that has a dream. â€Å"I remember when I was a little kid on my old man’s chicken ranch. Had two brothers. They was always near me, always there. Used to sleep right in the same room, right in the same bed- all three. Had a strawberry patch. Had an alfalfa patch† (Steinbeck, pg 73). He wanted what his old man had: a ranch, family, and independency.He also asked George if he could be apart of their ranch†¦ which later we find out that he later told George to forget about it because he knew that in the end, it wouldn’t have worked out. Curley’s Wife is another individual who o nce had a dream. One day she was talking with Lennie and how she almost fulfilled that dream. â€Å"Well, a show come through, an’ I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show†¦ ‘Nother time I met a guy, an’ he was in pitchers. Went out to the Riverside Dance Palace with him. He says he was gonna put me in the movies. Says I was a natural.Soon’s he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it†¦ I never got that letter†¦ I always thought my ol’ lady stole it†¦ so I married Curley. Met him out to the Riverside Dance Palace the same night† (Steinbeck, pg 88). She clearly had a dream consisting of fame and fortune. After that dream was crushed by her mother, she followed up with her back up plan to get hitched. It didn’t work out so great, if you ask me. According to Steinbeck, it was nearly impossible, if not, impossible, to achieve the American dream. Anyone who tried to do so was doing it in vain.After we see each character describe his/her dream, we see someone/something that gets in the way and prevents that certain dream from turning into a reality. So, according to Steinbeck, pursuing the American Dream is to vain as an infant is to hard labor, each being impossible. ————————————————- Work Cited â€Å"American Dream. † Dictionary. com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 01 Mar. 2012. . Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. A Penguin Book Literature, Print.

Death of a naturalist Essay

In the poems presented, the main theme of parent and child relationships can be clearly illustrated. For example, Catrin which is composed by Gillian Clarke emphasises the theme of how powerful the bond is between parents and children. This point can be clearly addressed as Clarke provides the perfect metaphor ‘Red rope of love which we both fought over. ‘ The use of such a graphic metaphor highlights how humans have an instinctive need to protect their children. Furthermore, by a mother remembering such a graphic event at child birth in particular the vocabulary ‘red rope’ shows how bearing a child is one of the great duties of life. Furthermore, this moment of becoming a mother addresses the theme of how important children and parent relationships are. However in contrast, Seamus Heaney who wrote Digging isn’t addressing the point of child birth with the use of quite graphic vocabulary. Instead Heaney highlights the main theme of parent and Child relationships with tradition with the use of the metaphor ‘I’ll dig with it’. The use of presenting this quote as the last line emphasises how he respects his father’s ability to provide. Which on line fifteen is sophisticatedly composed ‘By God, the old man could handle a spade. ‘ This quote highlights how he idealises his father suggesting that Digging is another poem based on the instinct between the bond of parents and family. In huge contrast to both these poems, Johnson who presents On my First Sonne addresses the poem as an epitaph. The use of the structure being an epitah highlights the theme of parent and child relationships. This particular theme can be highlighted as it emphasises the emotions of a parent bidding farewell to his seven year old child. The quote which can highlight my point is ‘Farewell, thou child of my right hand, and joy. ‘ This quote emphasises the theme quite clearly as it uses the words ‘child of my right hand, and joy’ these words highlight that there is a strong bond between poet and child which is the main theme of child and parent relationship. However, even though it uses the following theme like the other poems. There is a contrast from Clarke and Heaney as this is a poem mourning the relationship which Jonson treasures ‘my right hand, and joy. ‘ Just like Jonson’s poem, The affliction of Magaret also deals with loss. However, instead of mourning the death of a child it presents a mother who laments the loss of her son at sea. This poem relates to the theme of parent and child relationships as it shows just like Catrin the duties of a mother. Implying that by the pain and suffering of any mother at child birth such as Magaret you start to worry and assume the worst. ‘Where art thou, my beloved son, Where art thou, worse to me than dead? ‘ This quote highlights the worry of a mother and that like Clarke and Johnson it emphasises the parent and child relationship through mourning like Johnson and by her past memories as her attitude of her son just like in Catrin. In all of the poems mentioned there is a frequent use of poetic techniques to present the way a poem is. The use of enjambment, can change the tempo of a poem and create and overall effect and theme. This point can be emphasised by Heaney ‘He straightened up to drink it, and then fell to right away. ‘ The use of this particular quote emphasises how enjambment speeds up the tempo. This also shows to the reader in between lines that Heaney idealises his grandfather as stronger and better than any other on Toner’s Bog. This point of idealism can again be addressed On My First Sonne as Johnson uses the term ‘his best piece of poetrie’. Emphasising just like in Digging that he has respect for his son and family. Even though as a reader it must emphasised this poem is an epitaph for a son that has passed away. However, when relating back to the original point of enjambment On my First Sonne uses the quote ‘will lament the state he should envie? ‘ This quote presents a sombre tone and expresses the grief of a man. This view contrasts with Digging and Catrin ‘strong long brown hair’ depicting the child in a good view much like the other three poems. This again emphasises the struggle of children and that bringing a child into an adult will always be a struggle for an adult and that it has its rewards. This contrasts to My First Son and Affliction of Magaret ‘I question things, and do not find’ or ‘one that will answer to my mind and create the effect of eternal grief’, as Margret has heard no word from her son. The Affliction of Magaret also becomes intertwined with Catrin because they are both forms a mother’s point of view. Furthermore, they show an over exaggeration of there ideas ‘as you may ask may you state in the dark, for one more hour,’ in Catrin and ‘seven years alas! To have received no tidings to an only child’ From the Affliction of Margaret both poems show the characteristics of motherly fears and begin to portray them to the reader. Therefore, we tend to emphasise with the poems and feel their emotions such as anxiety. In all the poems I as a reader can highlight certain grammar techniques such as similes and metaphors. For example in Digging, ‘ the squat pen rests’ and in Catrin ‘the red rope of love’ both create using grammar techniques to make the emotions of love an connection. In Catrin it creates a joyful mood by the use of the metaphor. However, in My First Sonne and Affliction of Margaret they use metaphors in an entirely different effect. In the Affliction of Margaret it uses the quote ‘seven yeeres thowert lent to me, and an incommunicable sleep. From this quote it shows My First Sonne and Affliction of Magaret show sadness and death. This helps create a sombre mood overall. Similes are also used in all four poems ‘snug as a gun’ from Digging as it suggests that Heaney finds poetry comfortable but by writing he makes those around upset and lose face just like the use of a gun. However, in Catrin there is also the use of metaphors to create no comfort like Digging. The use of the extended metaphor that calls child birth a ‘struggle’ and a ‘fierce confrontation’ suggests that parenting is hard and although the struggle of child birth appears hard, parenting is a simply a continuing process ‘still I am fighting you off. ‘ In conclusion this essay has highlighted different issues such as idealism. Furthermore, I have shown the huge contrasts when the poet explores parent relationships. Like in Oh my First Sonne it deals with an epitaph. Whilst in Catrinit deals with the beauty of child birth. Lastly, the affliction of Magaret deals with the death of a child.

Who Were the Saracens of Asian History

Today, the word Saracen is mainly associated with the Crusades, a series of bloody European invasions into the Middle East that took place between 1095 and 1291 CE. The European Christian knights who went crusading used the term Saracen to denote their foes in the Holy Land (as well as Muslim civilians who happened to get in their way). Where did this odd-sounding word come from? What does it really mean? Meaning of Saracen The precise meaning of the word Saracen evolved over time, and which people it was applied to also changed through the ages. To speak very generally, though, it was a term for Middle Eastern people that was used by Europeans from at least late Greek or early Roman times forward. The word comes into English via the Old French Sarrazin, from the Latin Saracenus, itself derived from the Greek Sarakenos. The origins of the Greek term are unclear, but linguists theorize that it may come from the Arabic sharq meaning east or sunrise, perhaps in the adjective form sharqiy or eastern. Late Greek writers such as Ptolemy refer to some of the people of Syria and Iraq as Sarakenoi. The Romans later held them in grudging respect for their military capabilities, but certainly classed them among the barbarian peoples of the world. Although we do not know exactly who these people were, the Greeks and Romans distinguished them from the Arabs. In some texts, such as that of Hippolytus, the term seems to refer to the heavy cavalry fighters from  Phoenicia, in what is now Lebanon and Syria. During the early Middle Ages, Europeans lost touch with the outside world to some extent. Nonetheless, they remained aware of Muslim peoples, particularly since the Muslim Moors ruled the Iberian Peninsula. Even as late as the tenth century, though, the word Saracen was not necessarily considered the same as Arab nor as Moor -- the latter specifically designating the North African Muslim Berber and Arab peoples who had conquered much of Spain and Portugal. Racial Ties By the later Middle Ages, Europeans used the word Saracen as a pejorative term for any Muslim. However, there was also a racial belief current at the time that Saracens were black-skinned. Notwithstanding that, European Muslims from places like Albania, Macedonia, and Chechnya were considered Saracens. (Logic is not a requirement in any racial classification, after all.) By the time of the Crusades, Europeans were set in their pattern of using the word Saracen to refer to any Muslim. It was considered a disparaging term by this period, as well, stripped of even the grudging admiration that the Romans had bestowed upon the Saracens. This terminology dehumanized the Muslims, which likely helped the European knights to slaughter men, women, and children without mercy during the early Crusades, as they sought to wrest control of the Holy Land away from the infidels. The Muslims didnt take this insulting name lying down, however. They had their own none-too-complimentary term for the European invaders, as well. To the Europeans, all Muslims were Saracens. And to the Muslim defenders, all Europeans were Franks (or Frenchmen) -- even if those Europeans were English.