Hyphenated American

Chinese Americans tend to keep their separate identity In the United States, there are multiple hyphenated Americans groups, such as African- American, Asian- American, Irish- American, and Indian- American. People hold American nationality, but have a foreign birth or origins tend to identify themselves in some term of Hyphenated Americans. It means that they are not only Americans, but also involve in different ethnicity, religion, language, and culture. Chinese- Americans comprises the largest ethnic group of Asian Americans.Most of the early Chinese workers immigrated from Guangdong province in China for the Gold Rush (â€Å"Chinese Immigrants and the Gold Rush†, n. d. ). Since 1865, lots of Chinese worker come to the United States and worked on the famous Transcontinental Railroad project. The Chinese also worked as small merchants, gardener, laundry workers, farmers, and so on. More and more Chinese Americans immigrated with their children from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan(â€Å"Chinese Historycal Society of Southern California†, 2010).The Chinese Americans try to keep their Chinese culture, language, and community, and they tend to retain the separate identity. Chinese Americans tend to live together in their own culture community. According to the 2010 census, the Chinese American population was around 3. 8 million, and half of them lived either in  California  or  New York (â€Å"Race Reporting for the Asian Population by Selected Categories: 2010†, 2010 ). The Chinatown in San Francisco was the oldest and largest Chinese community in the United States.People can find Chinese culture elements everywhere in the Chinatown, for example, herbal shops, temples, dragon parades, Chinese book store, Chinese restaurant, Chinese language school, and even Chinese hospital. People living in the Chinatown communicate in Chinese language, and live exactly the same life style as people in China. Chinese Americans in New York also have such community in the Flushing area, know as Chinatown. There are Chinese transportation companies; travel agencies, and Chinese language school also. Almost every child in Chinese American family has attended Chinese language school after their regular school time.Their parents want them to keep ancestor’s culture, so they will always remember that they are rooted in China. There is a Columbus Chinese Christian Church in Columbus Ohio. Every Sunday, thousands of Chinese American Christians living in Columbus get together and model in the bible through teaching, music, and worship. After the teaching, people share a big dinner of Chinese food. Most of them speak Chinese, and only the new generations who were born in America prefer to speak English. Many of the old immigrated Chinese American even cannot speak English at all.Even though the kids speak English with each other, they can still speak frequently in Chinese with their parents. Chinese Americans stay in th eir own community to retain their culture, language, and customs. Chinese Americans are pride of their ethnic and culture. Music and dance are the common language among all human being. Chinese Americans hold Shen Yun performances all around the United States to spread Chinese art and music. Every year, students can see posts about Shen Yun performance on the wall around the OSU campus. The video Shen Yun 2013 Trailer on the Shen Yun website also shows some significant parts of the performance.Dancers wearing different styles of Chinese traditional ancient clothes performed the Chinese cultures of different dynasty and different ethics. The music play by Chinese traditional instruments was as good as the dancing. As it said in the video, the aim of the performance is to revive 5000 years of divine civilization. It shows Chinese Americans’ strong sense of pride of Chinese culture. Many of the new generation of Chinese American, which is also known as American born Chinese (ABC ), had a hard time to define themselves identity.A short story named â€Å"The Paper Menagerie† written by Ken Liu won the 2012 Hugo Awards. This short, bittersweet story describe Ken suffered a pain of having a Chinese born mom who was different with every else’s mom, also, whose accent and broken sentences embarrassed him (Ken, 2012). His mom taught him Chinese, cooked Chinese food, and made him Chinese tradition paper animals as toys. She liked to see the Chinese parts in her son. However, he hated his chink face and all the other Chinese parts from his mother. He refused to talk to her in Chinese even though she can barely speak English.After reading her lasting letter inside the paper animals after his mother’s death, Ken finally understand his mother’s life and know how much she loved him (Ken, 2012). There is an America born Chinese girl Amy Tan who define herself a completely American, and she wants nothing to do with China. However, she actually struggled a lot about which country she truly belongs to. Then she had a trip back to China with her mother. Tan said that once she touched Chinese soil, she better understood her connection to the land and to the country.She finally understood how she belongs to two cultures at the same, which make her accept her hyphenated identity, and view herself as a Chinese American. She said â€Å"I discovered how American I was. I also discover how Chinese I was. I discovered a sense of finally belonging to a period of history, which I never felt with American history†. She realized that â€Å"Once you were born Chinese, you cannot help but feel and think Chinese† (Lemontree, n. d. ). Ken and Amy all tried to refuse everything about China, and they want nothing to do with Chinese.Finally, somehow, they find the way to connect their Chinese heritage and American nationality, and they accept themselves as who they are. American born Chinese new generation all suffered from an un expected pain of trying to belong. They have Chinese faces; they were mostly raised up in Chinese community and eat Chinese food; they have Chinese friends and their family members speak Chinese at home. They don’t know which nation and culture they truly belong to. Sometime they feel embarrassed about having such a different family, and try to integrate into the American society.Their parents hope they can hold the hyphenated identity, because they are pride of Chinese ethnic and culture. Young generations always refuse to do so, but the Chinese heritages do exist in their body, and will have influences on their life. They need to honor their ancestor’s culture and accept combination of being Chinese and American. Reference Chinese Historycal Society of Southern California. (2010). Retrieved on Nov. 21, 2012, from http://www. chssc. org/history/histtimeline. html Chinese Immigrants and the Gold Rush (n. d. ). Retrieved on Nov. 21. 2012, from http://www. pbs. rg/wgbh/a mex/goldrush/peopleevents/p_chinese. html Ken,L. (2011). The Paper Menagerie. Fantasy & Science Fiction. Retrieved on Nov. 21, 2012, from http://a1018. g. akamai. net/f/1018/19022/1d/randomhouse1. download. akamai. com/19022/pdf/Paper_Menagerie. pdf Lemontree. (n. d. ). Hyphenated Identity: A Long Research Journey, Retrieved on Nov, 21, 2012, from http://ayjw. org/articles. php? id=696640 Race Reporting for the Asian Population by Selected Categories: 2010. (2010). U. S. Census Bureau, Retrieved on Nov. 21, 2012, from http://factfinder2. census. gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview. xhtml

Health Promotion and Prevention Levels Essay

Health promotion is the science and skill of facilitating individuals changes in their lifestyle toward a state of ideal health (Edelman, 2014 p. 11). Nurses promote health by advocating for patients in the hospital setting and community. Nurse support positive health practices and the hope is that these activities will become part of a normal occurrence. In this paper there is an examination of nursing roles and responsibilities and implementation methods that nurses use to recognize and extinguish crisis or potential crisis situations. In reviewing three journal articles about health promotion, it was determined that each dealt with health promotion on various levels of preventions. In this analysis we will review each health promotion prevention level mentioned and how they are classified. Purpose and Nursing Roles and Responsibilities Health promotion and disease prevention coexist with the nursing practice. We act as consultants, educators, and we enhance the effectiveness of an experience of health care services. Nurse’s attempt to lead the patient to positive health outcomes while adhering to the concept of increased knowledge and awareness of their illness, quality of life by understanding limitations and the nurse follows evidence based practices. In the mental health environment we are cognitive of behaviors and crisis in the milieu. In the community we can help support awareness. One article examined indicated that approximately 10-20% of the younger population 0-25 have mental health problems. Typically 50% of mental illnesses are revealed before the age of 14 and 75% by the age of 24. Mental disorders account for high burdens of disease in the younger age range. It is led by anxiety and mood disorders. In this age bracket it is the responsibility of the school nurse and counselors to recognize thos e at risk individual and use early interventions to prevent hospitalization and promote health and healing (Catina et al., 2011). When implementing health promotion competencies multidisciplinary knowledge includes alertness, ability to implement, and  consciousness of the economic and cultural issues people face. Primary Prevention In the primary prevention health promotion occurrence a nurse would use skilled competency including collaboration, communication, assessment, and be an advocate for the patients. Primary Prevention focuses on both the patient and the environment. It assists individuals to expand coping mechanisms enabling them to cope effectively with stress and it aims at reducing destructive entities in the environment. Primary prevention is focused on the pursuing of segments of the population at risk and then providing informative programs (Townsend, 2011 p. 710-11). For example teens are offered sex education, nutrition education, information about suicide prevention, eating disorders, and programs like DARE to prevent drugs and alcohol use. Secondary Prevention Secondary Prevention is clearly indicated once the individual have illness and it involve controlling symptoms or shorting course of the illness. The core concepts of secondary prevention are interventions intended to minimize initial symptoms of mental health illnesses or other medical health issues. It is targeted toward reducing the duration and frequency of the illness. It accomplishes this by early recognition of the problem and prompts initiation of effective treatments. Nursing in secondary prevention focuses on recognition of symptoms and looks into getting treatment. This could involve having group therapy after an initial alcohol or substance abuse problem. Support groups include alcoholics anonymous. Depending on the severity determines how aggressive the treatment should be. Maybe someone is hospitalized and agree to outpatient therapy before discharge to help them cope with their disorder. The idea is we want to prevent a long term problem. One journals article revealed that with the shrinking numbers of graduate programs preparing traditional child/adolescent (C/A) clinical nurse specialist (CNS) and the additions of only 20 newly certified C/A Psychiatric mental health (PMH) CNS’s per year means that children could be slipping from the secondary prevention level into the tertiary prevention levels (Delaney, 2011). Tertiary Prevention Tertiary Prevention the complications of a disease and it involves prompting maximum functioning. Basically, we are trying to keep them out of the hospital setting. We try to keep them out of the hospital and control the symptoms and we want to help them maintain their maximum mental health possible. They will have exacerbation that may depend on what stressors are going on in their life. Stress is usually a trigger for worsening of mental health symptoms. So there are lots of crisis that could trigger mental health or inappropriate coping. Services are meant to reduce lingering defects that are related to severe and persistent mental illness. So we are trying to promote rehabilitation that is directed toward achievement of each individual’s maximum level of functioning. This for example may involve ongoing home health nursing checks to confirm the patient diagnosed schizophrenia is taking medications. In reviewing the final journal from child and adolescent psychiatric nursin g it discussed a tertiary prevention model. It reviewed the downward trend of restraints and seclusion in children Psychiatric facilities. The article looked specific guidelines to reduce restraints and seclusions using six core strategies presented by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) (Waqar Azeem et al., 2011). Primarily nurses and doctors were analyzed tertiary prevention level patients and the hope was to reduce restraints and seclusions by having adequate staffing training and monitoring. In closing health promotion is viewed from the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention levels. Nurses’ roles and responsibilities are to safe guard patients by educating the patient and guiding the patient towards better health outcomes. In doing so the nurse must intervene and implement intervention that aid in the recovery of the patient. In doing so the nurse should be an advocate for the patient and review their resources to resiliency to adjust to the health situation. References Catina, L.S., Hetrick, S.E., Newman, L. K., & Purcell, R. (2011, October). Prevention and early intervention for mental health problems in 0-25 year olds. Advances in Mental Health 10 (1) p. 6-19. Delaney, K. (2011). Building a child mental health workforce: What vision are we working toward?. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing 24, 1-2. Edelman, C., Kudzma, & C., Mandle, C., (2014). Health promotion throughout the life span, 8th edition. Mosby. VitalBook file. Townsend, M. (2011). Essentials of psychiatric mental health nursing concepts of care in evidence based practice. F.A. Davis Company. Page 710-11. Waqar Azeem, M., Aujla, A., Rammerth, M., Binsfeld, G., & Jones, R., (2011). Effectiveness of six core strategies based on trauma informed care in reducing seclusions and restraints at a child and adolescent psychiatric hospital. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing 24, 11-15.

Nursing Research Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nursing Research Article - Essay Example The article explains the importance of ensuring patients receive the expected high quality services and safety requirements. The research places importance on the healthcare facilities’ adhering to quality service standards. The article vividly shows the importance of the continuing delivery of high quality healthcare facilities’ nursing services and continuing improvement of the facilities’ patient safety healthcare facility safety. The Needleman and Hassmiller professional journal article shows the importance of continuing improvement the safety of the patients and healthcare professionals (Needleman & Hassmiller, 2009). The participants include a study of nursing care services of both Magnet hospitals and non-Magnet classified hospitals in the United States. The article focuses on the importance of hospital quality, nursing care, and efficiency. The authors emphasize adequate hospital nursing services are implemented. The article insists the continuing improvement of nursing care services is constantly tailored to fit each changing nursing care situation. Further, the article places timely importance on the nurses’ effective control of hospital or facility costs and expenses being harmonized with other affected departments, units, or areas. The journal article’s Magnet hospitals’ research findings show the importance of setting into motion the continuing improvement of front-line nursing staff healthcare service delivery. The improvements include the implementation of the Transforming Care at bedside quality healthcare services. The article’s additional research findings show nursing leadership, nursing staff, and healthcare facility administrators must actively contribute to improving the quality, safety, as well as efficiency of nursing care services. It is clear that the article places importance on the continuing improvement and safety of healthcare services. The article places importance on the

Week 4 assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 4 assignment - Essay Example The young man who slipped was actually carrying a package that fell and causes some fireworks that seemed to have hurt Plaintiff. The package fell on the Platform where Plaintiff was standing and was actually estimated to have been fifteen inches of feet. It was due to the injuries caused by the package explosion that Plaintiff decided to sue or file a case. History: When the case was presented on the trial court, Plaintiff was actually found for by the court and the defendants were forced to appeal making the judgment to be affirmed by the appellate court. Ruling/ Analysis: Negligence in a real life situation is believed not to be a tort until it leads to a wrongful act that tend to deprive or violate one of his or her rights (Furgeson et.al, 2008). It is therefore right to show the possibilities of the obvious danger if harm was not willfully done. Since Plaintiff’s harm did not happen willfully as per the defendant’s part, it was therefore right to prove that package drop, had the obvious prospect of danger(Furgeson et.al, 2008). Being that the package was wrapped and there was no more evidence to prove that it had explosives, no negligence was thrown away. Negligence was not found and railroad had nothing to do with Plaintiff’s injuries. Judge Andrew actually opposed and started defining negligence. In his statement, he said that negligence is a comparative notion and everybody is to stay away from an act or substance that can intrude or interfere with the safety of others(Furgeson et.al, 2008). Summary: Actually, nothing was found in the situation to imply as the wrapped package could have dropped for anybody as this means that no one could have evaded such a situation. Plaintiff’s injury was caused by the explosion and this act was invisible as no one was aware of the incidence. This is one of the reasons as to why Judge Andrew reversed the

Evaluating Organizational Behavior Research Paper

Evaluating Organizational Behavior - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that through observing from both internal and external perspectives, individuals understand why people tend to behave in a particular manner within a team environment. PepsiCo. Inc is a multinational corporation from the United States (USA) that deals with food and beverage with its headquarters at New York in the USA. The company engages in manufacturing, marketing as well as a distribution of beverages, grain-based snack foods, as well as other products. The multinational engages in business operations throughout the continent. A focus on the company’s human resource policies proves essential to understanding its organization behavior. With distribution channels and manufacturing units all around the globe, the company realized the reason for successful operation is achieved through enhancing effective human resource policies. The code of conduct and Human Rights Work Policy of the company outlines guiding measures that ensure an embodied companyâ€⠄¢s policy that enhances in dealing fairly and honestly with the company’ s associates regarding wages and benefits as well as other employment conditions. The company provides equal opportunities for associates without tolerance for discrimination and thereby ensuring compliance with all applicable regulations, laws as well as other employment standards. Consequently, the company maintains a â€Å"Speak Up† policy line operational for twenty-four hours and an internet portal to enhance reporting of any alleged or suspected human rights abuses. The company respects workers dignity in the workplace as well as ensuring the associate's rights to personal security, clean, safe, as well as the healthful workplace. The company also provides associates freedom from harassment and abuse of al manners. Fair treatment and honesty are consequently applied in relation to workers wages, benefits and all conditions of employment. The associates’ right to freedom of associatio n also remains a significant point of consideration within the company.

Siddartha Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Siddartha - Essay Example According to the four noble truths, suffering is an inherent part of existence, the source of suffering is ignorance, the main symptoms of ignorance are attached and craving and that this can ceased and lastly the noble eightfold path will cease the attachment and suffering. Wisdom cannot be achieved through following an enlightened one; this is evident from the book where Siddhartha and his friend part in search for enlightment, it cannot be achieved through words and teachings and the reason is because they may talk the truth but being concepts they trap you. To reach Nirvana one has to destroy the self in order to attain knowledge of the unknown innermost. When one reaches this state you experience peace and you lack desire and passion, this is illustrated in the book where the enlightened one is described as "Every finger of his hand spoke of peace, spoke of completeness, sought nothing, imitated nothing, reflected a continuous quiet, an unfading light, an invulnerable peace". To be wise you have to love the world and other people not because of their teaching but because of their deeds and their life, this is also in the book where Siddhartha explains to his friend that "It is only important to love the world, not to despise it, not for us to hate each other, but to be bale to regard the world and ourselves and all being with love, admiration and respect". (Hermann (1971) Siddhartha page 147) Above all you must learn to listen with a still heart, without passion, without desire and without judgment, you must listen with a waiting and an open soul, in the book Siddhartha learnt to listen from the river where he spent most of the time listening, this is also evident in the noble eightfold path where in order to achieve nirvana one has to have the right concentration. "Siddhartha learnt from the river how to listen, listen with a still heart, with a waiting, open soul, without passion, without desire, without judgment and without opinion". (Hermann (1971) Siddhartha page 106) To be wise you have to learn how to make sacrifices, Siddhartha learnt how to pray, fast and to think, this he got from the teachings of samana, and you must have self control and must not be destructed by earthly desires, for they will mislead you to what you are looking for. Siddhartha is a good example to illustrate this, he went to the city and forgot how to pray, think and fast. The world gave him much experience but did not give him the answer. Wisdom can be achieved only to those who sort it, it cannot be achieved through words and it needs action, Siddhartha left his home in search for knowledge, if he had not left home he wouldn't have reached nirvana. You must be ready to make sacrifices and not be led by desires, Siddhartha left his lover, wealth and the city to go live with the ferry man, this shows a lot of sacrifice and this is what one deserves to do in order to be wise. The decisions one makes must be right decisions, you should evaluate the options of anything that you do before

Project risk management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Project risk management - Essay Example Projects are regard the planning and execution of beneficial transform. This positive change may engage the creation of a preferred physical asset or some less physical organizational change. In either case, the quest of opportunities is an intrinsic central concern. There are various approaches used to tackle project risk management. In this paper, we analyze the key features of Performance Uncertainty Management Process (PUMP) approach. PUMPs have designed broad or specific processes facilitate its functions. One of its key features is iterative nature. Performance uncertainty management processes’ (PUMPs), designed to elucidate uncertainty, opportunity and threat in all types of organizations and projects. The importance is the strategy shaping phase of the venture lifecycle, precisely shaping the expansion of project execution and delivery approach plans. This feature allows it to do a cyclic process of the risk management (Barkley, 2004). It process iteration organization and has a plan-criterion structure comprehension. It has four broad phases that ensures the implementation of the twelve stages. A twelve plan categorization of the lifecycle offers a framework for contemplating the purpose of a PUMP at dissimilar stages in the lifecycle, when unlike performance contemplations operate. The fundamental PUMP offers a structure for uncertainty control, but the defined purpose, scope and factor of analysis done in each PUMP stage will rely upon the function context. There is no one outstanding approach for all circumstances. The essential phase of the basic Performance Uncertainty Management Process is concerning acclimatizing the basic procedure to the precise project context and lifecycle phase of instantaneous interest. The PUMP approach deals with the identification of all applicable sources of uncertainty and reaction options in a tightly coupled way; in part since unidentified reactions are a basis of vagueness. In PUMP approach, consequences or effects observed in qualitative stipulations are element of the bond between responses and sources. For instance, some sources entail potential consequences that require a useful reactive response, but others require an efficient preventative response, and others require both. Considering projects allied to a single deliverable asset or institutional change, a comprehensive description of the asset/transform lifecycle and the actions involved in each phase of the lifecycle is obtainable (Kendrick, 2009). Uncertainty around and in a project account, utilizes a 12 step nominal structure that distinguished variant features of the four essential life cycle phases of conceptualization, execution, planning and delivery also utilization of the change or asset delivered by a venture. This lifecycle supposed structure offers a structure in which indecision management can be organized in any suitable framework for fastidious contexts. An instant insinuation is that the extent and nature of th e procedure used to administer project uncertainty must be driven to areas where the lifecycle is situated, to efficiently address the questions pertinent to that stage. In conceptualization phase, the idea of the project is shaped also gateway for the project implementation is set. Shaping involve making best decisions on how to proceed with project

Block 6 (Week 11&12) Cardiovascular Physiology Exercise (Lab Exercise Lab Report

Block 6 (Week 11) Cardiovascular Physiology Exercise ( Exercise #6) - Lab Report Example The period of time between the effective refractory period and phase 4 is the ‘relative refractory period’. The refractory period of cardiac muscle is about 250 milliseconds—almost as long as the contraction of the heart. Summation does not occur in the heart muscle contraction. The refractory period of the heart muscles is longer than that in the skeletal muscles, therefore heart twitches do not overlap and hence increased (summed) ventricular contraction is not seen. Summation would result in more powerful contraction of the ventricle causing irregular high cardiac output. Heart might find it diffult to recvoer from this ‘double-twitch’, i.e. repolarization might take a long time. This irregular pumping of heart would cause dysrhythmia. Vagus nerves are the part of para-sympathetic nervous system and act by decreasing the heart rate by direct effect on the SA and AV nodes in the heart atrium. Parasympathetic stimulation by the vagal nerve endings in the atrium results in slowing down of the heart rate and can bring the cardiac output to almost zero. Vagus nerves are parasympathetic and supply to AV and SA nodes. Parasympathetic stimulation result in decrease in the heart rate and cardiac output. Since the vagal fibers are primarily distributed in the atria, they result in a decrease in the heart rate. Decrease in the heart rate along with slight decrease in ventricular contraction can decrease the cardiac output by 50%. The cardiac muscle has inherent autorhythmicity, i.e. they can generate the contraction activity automatically. However, the un-stimulated heart beats at a much slower rate and needs continuous sypathetic stimulation to maintain the nornal heart rate, i.e. 70 pulses a minute. Also, sympathetic stimulation increases the power of the ventricular contraction to as much as double the normal, thereby increasing the volume of blood pumped and increasing the ejection pressure. The vagal nerve endings

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Strategic Management - Essay Example lated businesses, gaining administrative synergy in the process by utilizing their existing presence in wide geographical areas of Australia, and 3) using the Owner-Managed Branch (OMB) concept to attract investment capital and entrepreneurial commitment of experienced bank executives. 2. Bank of Queensland’s lending grew by 27 per cent and retail deposit by 33 per cent and these figures were 1.7 and 3.7 times ahead of overall growth of the Australian banking system. This market leadership has been maintained tin the last two years. It is obvious that the bank has scanned its environment correctly and has matched its resources and capabilities with the threats and opportunities in the external environment to generate such impressive results. These achievements prove that Bank of Queensland has applied sound strategic management principles and practices. In terms of functional strategy, its efforts to improve efficiency and a customer-centric approaches have yielded good rewards for the company. Its business strategy of opening Owner-Managed branches and expanding its branch networks has worked wonders for the bank in terms of deposits generated and volume of lending, as well as sound bottom lines. Finally, the banks corporate strategy of acquiring related businesses to complement "organic" expansion has proved a success as well. Unless the momentum falters, the future looks bright for Bank of Queensland. Bank of Queensland (BOQ) is Australias fastest growing full-service retail bank and has undertaken an aggressive expansion program in the last five years that has brought its rapidly growing network to 280 branches and 13 business banking offices throughout Australia. Its unique franchise-type Owner-Managed Branch model permits individuals, mainly former bank executives, to own and operate local branches backed by the product range and security of the bank. BOQ is listed in the Australian Stock Exchange since 1971 began its expansion thrust in 1985

Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 49

Personal Statement Example During the long labor hours, I occasionally walked out of the room pacing with anticipation and fear. My elder sister had travelled to my grandmother’s place the previous day away from all the chaos. My parents thought that I was adequately ready to witness the birth of my first cousin. My whole body froze as the screams of joy filled the entire room; a baby boy had been born. It was my very first experience of midwifery and obstetrics, one of the most memorable life experiences. Later on, my older sister and my nephew joined the family. Being in a home with three women instilled a sense of empathy and enhanced my interpersonal skills that would be vital later in the field of nursing and midwifery. Since I was ten years, I have been exposed to a range of women health issues especially those involving maternal care. Such exposure has helped grow my desire to pursue a course in nursing and midwifery in the best university. Primarily, my ambitions and desires were driven by my first hand experience of childbirth at a young age. As I grew I had many opportunities to educate my peers on women health issues; with time it grew to a strong desire to be in a scenario where learning and teaching was rife. We lived with the extended family under one roof; each family member had a different point of view on politics and religion. I enjoyed cooking and performing other house chores collaboratively with my cousins thus, this adapted me to become a team player. Growing up in such an environment helped nurture my interpersonal skills and other traits vital to succeed as a professional midwife. Nursing and midwifery is a humbling and emotionally challenging specialty. A number of events in my life have infused a variety of qualities to overcome the challenges. Self-motivation, inquisitiveness, and time management have driven my academic accomplishments. After high school, I worked with various charity organizations providing free medical care to women immigrants. During

Ariel case study Essay Example for Free

Ariel case study Essay Case analysis: Statement of problem: 1. First of all Martin have to find out if the company should improve the equipment. 2. If they decide to improve, then, which currency should they make the purchase in? 3. How can they calculate what their expected rate of return at the most certainty? Analysis: The general question is if the company should make the improvement or not, and if they do (assuming the project is beneficial) which currency will give the highest profit? Since it is calculated that the cost will drop when implementing the new equipment, we assumed that the cash flow equals the difference between the two figures. The NVP is 2,960,532 pesos, but Martin wanted to know whether to make the investment in Euros or Pesos. When we calculated the NPV in euros we can use two different approaches. You can find the NPV (Euro) by either translate NPV (Peso) by dividing it by 15,99. However, the better solution is to use the expected future spot rate on every cash flow, because this estimate is more accurate. Inflation rate is important to look at because, if the inflation rate changes, the NPV also changes and that will effect their decision. So, they have to consider the risk of inflation changes. If the inflation rate drops to 3% in Mexico, the purchase in Euros is more profitable, because the Peso is strengthened. Another variable to consider when deciding between Euros and Pesos is the risks concerning prediction of future currency rates. The short-term exposure, long-term exposure, the political risk and translation exposure could all affect the inflation. Recomendations : The company should go through with the project, because the net present value is positive. However, they should choose which currency to purchase the equipment in carefully, due to the uncertainty of the exchange predictions. They need to take all the risks into account.

Herbert Marcuse: One Dimensional Man

Herbert Marcuse: One Dimensional Man This thinking paper will examine Brookfields interpretations of the above article, and endeavour to explain from the empirical writings of Herbert Marcuse, his thoughts on emancipating Ideological beliefs and encouraging Liberation. Marcuse beliefs highlighted further what he saw was a One Dimensional Society with only a One Dimensional Thought. Their way or the high way! This predisposes challenges in these social movements to combat oppression and thus encourage Liberation, in a genuine socialist society. Although Marcuses writings signify he was a fan of elements to Marxs Ideology, he also found Marx, in his day, was not a true libertarian who did not consider or connect himself with the individual. As a result, if Marxs theory was to continue to remain credible, Marcuse decided to act as a catalyst for the reassessing and re-examination of oppositional social movements in combating oppression and domination. His movement directed us through three pathways Rebellious subjectivity, liberating tolerance and Conceptual thought in Criticality, from the perspectives of reassessing Marxism and in the practices of Adult Education. Marcuse, found the concept of socialism, to be the most important issue, which precipitated and gave rise to his movement. He felt the concept of socialism had taken Marxs theory and developed it to become more focussed on the development of the productive forces Capitalisation and promotion of learning as a commodity, into another higher productive society which alienated and isolated individuals. Furthering his view, this could generate critical dispositions which he termed as rebellious subjectivity. To alleviate rebellious subjectivity, encouraging liberation of aesthetics from the demands of capitalism within classrooms, adult educators endeavour daily to create conducive learning environments Ultimately inspiring liberation in a genuine socialist society today! Concurring with Brookfields resonation to Marcuses idea of repressive tolerance, diversity in education could be construed as the dominant culture appearing to be more open to the learners voices, when in fact it is a refined way of reasserting its control over public discourse remoulding the junior and leaving certificates and with the introduction of CAS (common awards system) in 2010, into adult education. We can, as adults be resistant to change but we also recognise manipulation. Thus surmising as adult educators, in the field, we need to critically be very carefully in our classrooms too! In the practice of liberating tolerance, Marcuse identified to be inclusive, fair and equal to all running discussions, listening to the voice of the learner and developing curricula to accommodate different learning styles, was of paramount importance in critical adult education. However, is this really in existence and to what level of acceptance is it? Brookfield highlighted Marcuses disagreement for those who did possess radical opinions and rebellious perspectives and argued that such tolerance is repressive, not liberating. (Brookfield, 2002) Although concurring with the majority of the literature and Marcuses ideas, as an advocate of listening to the voice of the learners, with the freedom to express their viewpoints, are educators allowing this to selfishly improve their own practices? However, I too am dancing to the tune of somebody elses fiddle, by issuing a disciplinary for time keeping, attendance, disruptive behaviours. Could this not subtly be perceived as a contradi ction to my beliefs, reasserting control over public discourse too, and constricting freedom more and more? Unwittingly serving to reinforce an unfair status quo (Brookfield, 2002) concluding that dominant mainstream perspectives still overshadow the minority in practice! Lastly, Brookfield reviewed the writings of Newman and his view on conceptual thought in Criticality. Newman(1994) states that critical thinking is about laying blame and defining enemies, both are necessary precursors to informed social change. (Brookfield, 2002). It can be argued that to liberate learners, accountability and ownership are crucial to develop individual positive visions. Yes, criticality can be both positive and negative. Negative feedback in the classroom can motivate learners! Concurring with Marcuse, in order to truly feel great liberation, we need to get great refusal. We get knocked down, but we get back up again! Onwards, upwards and forwards Change and liberation does not happen without the forwards. However, in general, adults are not always receiving of constructive criticism, previous experiences can cloud judgements! Brookfield states that Marcuse is at odds with those adult educators who emphasize that the road of criticality begins with examining the sp ecific experiences of adult learners. (Brookfield, 2002). On the other hand, it can be argued that this view is crucial in criticality in order to enable the learners to self-correct. References Brookfield, S., 2002. Reassessing Subjectivity, Criticality, and Inclusivity: Marcuses Challenge to Adult Education. Adult Education Quarterly, 52(4), p. 274. Brookfield, S., 2002. Reassessing Subjectivity, Criticality, and Inclusivity: Marcuses Challenge to Adult Education. Adult Education Quarterly, 52(4), pp. 265-280. Brookfield, S., 2002. Reassessing Subjectivity, Criticality, and Inclusivity: Marcuses Challenge to Adult Education. Adult Education Quarterly, 52(4), p. 271. Brookfield, S. D., 2005. Critical Theory for Adult Learning and Teaching. Berkshire: Open University Press. Brookfield, S. D., 2005. Learning Liberation. In: Critical Theory for Adult Learning and Teaching. Berkshire: Open University Press, p. 182. Graham Cagney, A., 2016. Reading No. 10 Marcuse on Liberation, Waterford: s.n. Does Hip Hop Culture Influence Youth Gangs? Does Hip Hop Culture Influence Youth Gangs? Gang violence and the use of violent weapons have been highlighted by the media recently. The government have initiated aims in order to curb and deal with gang violence in the United Kingdom. In order deal with this issue, influencing factors have been acknowledged. This research explores the supposed influence that the hip hop culture has on young males engaged in gangs, and their willingness to use violent weapons. a systematic review of the literature and a qualitative content analysis of four songs lyrics have confirmed that there are themes which are consistent with the attitudes and behaviours that young people express due to the music they listen to. A significant proportion of the literature that surround young people and youth gangs in the UK focuses on possession and use of weapons (e.g. Bullock and Tilley, 2002; Bennett and Holloway, 2004b; Marshall et al, 2005). Research by Lemos (2004) found that some young people were likely to carry weapons through fear of being attacked by other gang members or more worryingly because they associated it with being cool. This was also reflected in Kinsellaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s (2011) report for the government, following the murder of her brother Ben during a knife attack in 2008. Through visiting several projects across the country, Kinsella found two prominent motivational factors that were highlighted in each project. Those were à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾fearà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾fashionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸. Some young people in the projects explained that they carried knives because they feared that others were also weapons, and so felt it necessary to carry knifes as a method of self-protecti on. Chapter 1:  Introduction Youth gangs and the attitudes and behaviours of young males have been a major issue in the United Kingdom. Researches and theories have been conducted in order to evaluate the emergence of youth street gangs. The murders of innocent young people in the last decade have urged the government and academics to conduct reports and research on gang and post code gang feuds. Due to an increase of gang violence the government introduced the Gang Injunction within the Police and Crime Act 2009. The gang Injunction is aimed at preventing young people from engaging in, encouraging and assisting gang related violence (Home Office). Research from the Associations of Chief Police Officers (2007) and Pickle (2009) show that apart from gang members being involved in gangs, they are also engaging in the use and possession of violent weapons. Hip hop artists have been criticised by politicians and the media for influencing young males to engage in violent behaviour. However this idea is not supported by research and can be rejected, because when looking at research from government reports and academics there is no evidence to support the idea that hip hop influencing young males behaviour and attitudes. However research from Kubrin (2005) and Miranda and Claes (2004) who are both Canadian and American, suggest that some of the themes in hip hop are reflected in the behaviour of young males. So therefore there is a relationship between hip hop and young males, but unfortunately this research has not been conducted in the United Kingdom. In the response to the lack of research on the link between hip hop and youth gangs and violence, the aim of this study is to the answer the research question: Youth Gangs: Does the Hip Hop culture Influence Young Males in the UK to Join Street Gangs and the Use of Violent Weapons? In order to answer this research question and to find out whether there is a link between youth gangs and hip hop culture, this research will explore if the use and possession of violent weapons is really glamorised by hip hop, or whether the claims by the government and media are unjustified. The main aims in this research are to: Find out if beliefs, attitudes and behaviours of young gang members can be attributed to the lifestyle portrayed by hip hop artists. Establish where prominent behaviours in the literature, song lyrics and images of hip hop artists can be associated with the influence of violent weapons Apply theory to the attitudes, behaviours and the prominent themes associated with gangs in order to provide a more holistic approach. These aims will be conducted through a discussion of literature from books, journals, government reports, newspapers and media articles. A content analysis will be conducted on hip hop (Grime UK) song that young males may listen to, and a semiotic analysis on images of hip hop artists. Chapter 2 of this research provides a literature review looking into the problems with gang definition, the UK new gang culture, the background of gangs, gang membership, the possession and use of violent weapons and the hip hop culture and the influence of hip hop. Chapter 3 focuses on the methodology and outlines the approach that has been conducted during the research process. The research design and the analyses are included in this chapter, alongside the ethical considerations. Chapter 4 discusses and evaluates the analysis of the hip hop song lyrics, the signs that images from hip hop portray using a semiotic approach and then finally the themes that emerged from the literature and lyrics. These three themes are drug dealing, which is discussed in relation to rational choice theory, strain theory and differential association theory. The second theme is street credibility and this is discussed in relation to social identity theory and masculine theories. The final theme is the Territorial post code wars, this theme is discussed in relation to social capital theory and social learning theory. Chapter 2:  Literature Review This chapter will be exploring the literature surrounding young males, gangs, violence and weapons. As well as the influence the hip hop culture can have on these young males. Different literature such as books, journals, government reports, newspaper articles and research studies will be examined and reviewed in order to view the current state of gang culture and violence in the UK. The following issues will be discussed in order to examine relevant literature on the study. Gang definition, the UK gang culture, gang membership, and the background of gangs in general, the possession and use of violent weapons and finally the influence of hip hop culture on young people. The problem with definition The term Gang has had some issues surrounding its definition, and this is a problem that remains dominant within the UK based literature. The definition of the term has been mainly developed with reference to American gang culture. Some theorists argued that a new definition of the term gang should be given for the new gang culture in the UK. The reason behind some definitions given to describe the gang culture in America was investigated by Ball and Curry (1995) they believed that although it is easy to identify a gang, the real issue arises when attempting to create a definition. After engaging in a lengthy linguistic analysis of various ways to define gang, they proposed that gang definitions would do better to focus on the abstract, formal characteristics of the phenomenon rather than connotative, normative content (Ball Curry, 1995:240). Ball and Curry (1995) also stated that old definitions for the term are acceptable but due to the frequent changes in sociological, political and cultural changes it is important to have a new definition for the term, because the changes may affect the phenomenon of gang culture. Despite the need for a current definition, government and academic organisations believe that a fixed definition is essential in order to develop further research into gangs. For example the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) stated that it was difficult to determine the proportion of crime that contributed to gangs, because the agreed definition of gangs on the data base was non-existent (ACPO, 2007:14). The Metropolitan Police Service (2008) also identified several other factors that differentiate a gang from relatively small, unorganised and transient peer groups. These factors include names, an organisable structure, and the use of violence and delinquent behaviour to promote group identity and to acquire social capital (Metropolitan Police Service, 2007: 21) The UK New Gang Culture The media, government and professional academics have all raised their concerns about the growing perception of gang culture in the UK. The media frequently report criminal activity, and in response some academics have argued that the media sensationalises the gang problem in the UK (Alexander, 2008:4). Other academics such as Bullock and Tiley (2002) have also suggested that the need to understand and tackle the gang violence is more important instead of sectionalising gang violence. Following the medias numerous reports regarding the increase in high profile gang related crimes since 2007, Heale (2008) stated that youth gangs have been frequently highlighted in the media. The fatal shooting of an innocent five year old girl in Stockwell in 2012, Is another incident that caught the medias attention. Thusha Kamaleswaran was left permanently paralysed after a gang related shooting occurred at her aunts shop (Telegraph, 2012). The media suggested that the shooting was linked to youth g ang violence; the metropolitan police gave a statement stating, It is believed two black youths ran into the shop before shots were fired. Peter Robbins who is the counsellor from Lambeth council also gave a statement, there is a fairly well known problem with gangs and guns in Lambeth (Daily Mail, 2012). Gangs are not only running into shops and causing injury to innocent individuals, they are also engaging in the American style drive by shootings. For example, the Telegraph (2011) reported a drive by shooting in west London which injured three teenage girls and left one girl in critical condition. These shootings also attracted the media and public attention and the they believed that the American style drive by shootings performed by UK gangs where indeed becoming a lot more like the American gangs. Academics have criticised the media despite there being evidence of growing youth violence taking place in the UK, academics believe that the media solely focuses on the dramatic consequences of gang violence, instead of how it can be prevented and tackled (Fitch, 2009: 2). Deuchar (2008) suggested that the majority of gang members tend to predominantly be from black or ethnic minority groups, despite this suggestion Bennett and Holloway (2004a: 319) found that the majority of gang members were white, followed by Caribbean and Bangladeshi. Due to this inconsistency in literature surrounding the race and ethnic minority of gang members, it is clear that the race and ethnicity of gang members is not an important factor in researching gangs. So therefore this study will not focus on race and ethnicity. Instead this study will focus on why young people join gangs and the characteristics of gang members. Background Studies and research where conducted in order to give an insight into the increase of gang membership. Bennett and Holloway (2004a: 305) found evidence from governments reports, newspapers, local agencies and national bodies that suggested gangs in the UK and the number of gang members where increasing. Bennett and Holloway (2004a) argued that with the obvious increase in violent weapons and the possessions and the use of guns, the British gangs where not that different to the American stereotype that the UK often rejected. Research into gangs in America could not be generalised to the rising youth gang culture in Britain, despite the early research into gangs and youth groups. Subculture theorists in America have largely focused on the study of youth groups and gangs for almost over a century. Research into gangs in America mainly focused on the Chicago city, which is a research that has provided what is known as the first study into the gang culture phenomena. After the research in Chicago gang culture, subculture theorist Merton began his research into delinquent groups, with the help of Cohen (1955) and Cloward and Ohlin (1961). Mertons (1938) research on the Social structure and Anomie thesis anticipated that the American Dream was at the forefront of every individuals aspirations in life. But not every individual would be able to acquire this. For example education was only accessible to some people and this led to anomie. Also deviant behaviours such as violence and petty crimes amongst young working class males who were most affect were caused by the feeling of strain. Cohen (1955: 66) extended the concept of social structure and anomie by explaining that in order to explain non instrumental vandalism and violence was due to status frustration. He stated that the individuals who felt frustrated would, gravitate towards one another to establish new norms and new criteria of status, and this would then form a delinquent subculture. This statement was furt her extended by Cloward and Ohlin (1961:1), they believed that every individual had access to legitimate and illegitimate opportunities and suggested three types of subculture. The retreatist subculture which fails to find legitimate or illegitimate means in order to succeed, so therefore the individual turns to alcohol or drug abuse while the conflict subculture is when individuals use manipulation of violence as a way of winning status. The criminal subculture describes a group of individuals who rely on theft and extortion as a means of getting income. The subculture that is most relevant to this research on the young males and the influence of hip hop is the Conflict subculture. Downes (1966) systematic review found no evidence that Cloward and Ohlin (1961) retreats, conflict and criminal subcultures existed in the UK because the young males lacked structured cohesion that the American gangs boasted about. Cohen (1955) notion of status frustration was criticised by Downes who believed that by Cohen conducting his research in only one borough meant that his findings may not be generalised to the rest of the UK. Despite this Downes concluded that the research into gang delinquency in the UK is a reflection of its absence (Downes, 1966:116). In addition to this Campbell et al (1989) believed that the gang notion belonged to America, whilst the subculture notion belonged to the UK. As a result of this Campbell et al (1982) felt that a separate definition and research for youth gangs in the UK would need to be developed in order to provide a better framework for future research into gangs Campbell et al, 1989: 276) Gang Membership It is believed that young people especially males are known to join gang memberships for different psychological or social reasons (Bennett and Holloway, 2004a: 307). Some of the psychological reasons for young people joining gangs are believed to be because they have a desire for money, to gain status and respect from other gang members and the feeling of being protected and having a connection within the gang membership. Psychological reasons for young people joining gangs usually develop from lack of effective support from their parents, family, teachers and the police (Harris et al, 2001: 9). Sociological reasons have been heavily focused on in terms of explaining gang membership. Research by the NASUWT Teachers union (2008) found that if there is an absence or lack of positive role models in a young individuals life, then in order to build a social identity they will look towards accessible role models. Also the study found that young people from broken families where a father f igure was not present are more likely to look up to individuals in gangs or family members involved in gang memberships (NASUWT Teachers union, 2008: 11). Wood and Alleyne (2009) found evidence that gang membership gives young people a chance to acquire powerful status amongst their friends, opportunity for excitement especially if they live a boring life. Protection from other gang members and most importantly it offers social support that is lacking in young peoples lives from their family. Whereas Marshall et al (2005) suggests that the reason for young people engaging in gang membership is due to their exclusion and alienation from mainstream society, particularly education and employment. Whilst most theorists offer an explanation as to why young people join gangs, they have failed to outline the specific features and characteristics of gang members. Evidence from Bennett and Holloway (2004a) suggests that gang members tend to me male, involved in drug taking and supplying, mor e likely to carry weapons and are criminally active. Possession and the violent use of weapons There are various literatures that focus on youth gangs and the use of violent weapons amongst young people in the UK. Lemos (2004) report on Fear and Fashion: The use of knives and other weapons by young people believed that most young people were more likely to carry violent weapons due to the fear of being attacked by other young individuals or just because they believed that carrying a violent weapon made them look cool. The home office affairs select committee published a knife crime report which investigated the levels and causes of knife crime and the attitudes of the offenders. Knife crime has been and still is a persistent and worrying concern that has a huge impact on young people in the UK. During June 2012 there were approximately 29,513 recorded offences involving knives and other sharp instruments, accounting for 7% of selected offences (Berman: Knife Crime Statistics, 2012). In the UK more than 70 teenagers were violently killed by the use of violent weapons. Majority of these deaths were gang related violences. In 2008 gang and knife crime were regularly featured in the media headlines, these crimes were mapped out in various locations around the UK, but London suffered the highest number of crime amongst young people. Dr Bob Golding, who is a criminal justice lecturer at the university of Portsmouth, stated that knife crime is simply a symptom; you have associated with this a development of gang culture (Golding, BBC News: 2008). The possession and the use of violent weapons were also reflected in Brooke Kinsellas (2011) Tackling Knife Crime Together report. Kinsella report was conducted following the death of her brother in a knife attack in 2008. The report also gave the public an insight into the seriousness of violent weapon crimes. Kinsella found that motivational factors influence young people into carrying violent weapons, these two factors were fear and fashion. In the report it was also discovered that youths reasons for carrying weapons was due to the fear of being attacked by other individuals, so therefore they felt the need to protect themselves. The reason that was more worrying was the need to be in possession of violent weapons because they believed it was fashionable or a cool thing to do (Kinsella, 2011: 2). Recently the media reported two incidents that allegedly occurred with five hours. The first incident was the shooting of a 19 year old male in Clapton, east London and the stabbing of a 16 year old male in Wandsworth, south west London. Although the police believe that these crimes where not linked to gangs, it just shows the frequent use of violent weapons within the community. (BBC, 2013) Although it is difficult to determine the link between violent weapon crimes and gangs, recent research into gangs has noted the relationship between firearms and gangs (Squires et al, 2008). A research report was carried out by Bullock and Tilley (2002), they found that 60% of firearm crimes can be linked to gangs meanwhile; the Home Office 2009/2010 reported 5% increase of injuries as a result of firearms. In order for the government to tackle the possession and use of violent weapons, they need to establish the main reasons why young people engage in violent weapons. As this could enable them or it could be a starting point for them to limit gang violence. The Hip Hop Culture and the Influence of Hip Hop Hip hop today is known as a cultural reform and social reconstruction. Hip hop first developed in the drug infested gang streets of the Bronx in New York City. Apart from the glamorous and provocative nature of hip hop, it is mainly associated with and for freedom, peace, equality and social harmony. Alongside creating a successful industry hip hop also gave ethnic minorities in America a chance to voice their opinions internationally, a civil rights movement that is still relevant today. Price (2006:1) defines hip hop as a liberation movement in the form of a diverse culture, it was a next generation civil (human) rights movement sparked by ostracized, marginalized and oppressed inner- city youths. Hip hop culture has grown to represent urban, rural, suburban and global communities of all ages, genders, religions and races. One main factor that is mainly held responsible for the increase in gang violence is the hip hop culture. It is believed that the hip hop has a negative influence on young people. David Blunkett reportedly made a statement about gang violence, stating idiots like so solid crew are glorifying gun culture and violence. This statement was made a year after one of the members from So Solid Crew Ashley Walters was sentenced to 18 months for the possession of a firearm (Telegraph, Sally Pook: 2003). David Cameroon also voiced his opinions on violent music. In the British society (2006) he asked BBC radio station 1, do you realise some of the stuff you play on Saturday nights encourages people to carry guns and knives? Despite the perception that the hip hop culture glamorises gang and violence, there is very little research on this concept. United Kingdom based research has dismissed the concept that hip hop influences young males into gangs and violent weapon. Hallsworth and Silverstone (2009: 362) suggested that style and music do not define the relationships between the individuals and the violence that they do, or the weapon they carry. There is no empirical support for the statement; however they do believe that those who carry weapons tend to imitate the American hip hop style by carrying guns. Well-known hip hop artists spoke about the comparison between hip hop and the trend of violence amongst young people in the communities. 50 Cent who has recently turned to acting and has become an entrepreneur refuted claims of there being a connection between hip hop and gun violence. He stated in his interview that his music was more a reflection of his experiences in life, rather than a glorificati on of assault weapons (CBS News, 2013). Hip hop and gangs have always been linked in some form. It is believed that the hip hop culture has created and influenced gang violence over the decades. Literature in the UK regarding the effect of hip hop music on young males and gangs on focuses on deviant behaviour in adolescence, whereas literature in the USA have a wider range of research and literature. Miranda and Claes (2009) researched the possible link between preference of rap music and deviant behaviours such as, drug use, violence and street gang involvement amongst French Canadian adolescents. Miranda and Claes found that despite trying to control the adolescent deviancy, a significant link can still be found between rap music and deviant behaviour. However despite their finding they did not find a link between hip hop and street gang involvement. This shows that there needs to be future research in order to come to a conclusion as to whether or not there is an association between hip hop and gang violence (Miranda a nd Claes, 2009). The issue of hip hop music lyrics and how they may have an effect on young people has been approached by Kubrins (2005) study. Kubrin conducted a content analysis of rap songs in America and also addressed the use of violent weapons suggesting that the gun becomes a symbol of power and a remedy for disputes (Kubrin, 2005:363). Research from Miranda, Claes and Kubrin, found that young people joined street gangs in order to acquire status and a social identity, which is seen and stated in the music they listen to. Because the majority of these studies are based on American and Canadian individuals, it is possible that the findings cannot be generalised to gangs in the UK. Chapter 3:  Methodology This section will explain the methodological approach that this research has adopted in order to establish if the hip hop culture has an influence on youth gangs and the use of violent weapons in the UK. The method which was chosen for the purpose of this paper was desk research, sometimes known as secondary data or secondary research (Bryman, 2008). This research involves gathering data that already exists from internal sources, publications of governmental and non-governmental institutions, free access data from the internet, in articles, newspapers and other relevant sources (Bryman, 2008:à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..). A systematic review of literature, a qualitative content analysis on four hip hop song lyrics, and a semiotic analysis on a hip hop image will be conducted in order to establish if a relationship between hip hop culture, youth gang and the use of violent weapons exists. At first a qualitative research was initially considered in order to gather data and in order to answer the research question. The majority of research in to gangs and the use of violent weapons are normally conducted through qualitative surveys and interviews with current or previous gang members and offenders. These types of primary research would be dangerous and difficult to replicate as an undergraduate student. Research Design The research design of this study discusses the literature in the form of a systematic review. Government reports, journal articles and published texts on gangs and the use of violent weapons from the last decade have all been reviewed. Secondary data has been used to conduct this study. The secondary data has been used with caution and all literature used are from trustworthy sources. Literature based research has its strengths, and they mainly fall on the fact that the research is able to analyse data that is already available because the time consuming research has already been conducted by academics. There will be no contact with current or previous offenders who have been involved in gangs or crimes involving violent weapons, so the potential harm and risk involved in this research is minimised. However as explained by Bryman, (2008) not conducting a primary research means that there will be no control over the variables and so it is acknowledged that the grounds may be differen t to the present study. therefore this research has been conducted carefully in order not to manipulate the literature to support the hypothesis of the present study By conducting a content analysis of hip hop song lyrics, this study will be able to establish whether the genre of music can be held responsible for the behaviour of youth gang members or whether claims by the media are false. Out of the four songs that have been analysed, two demonstrate how the hip hop culture can influence young males, particularly in regards to joining gangs and the use of violent weapons. The two other songs acknowledge social exclusion as a reason for delinquency. The Song lyrics where obtained from lyric databases such as, Metro lyrics, sweet lyrics, urban lyrics and AZ lyrics. Even though the validity and reliability of these lyrics are questionable, all the songs used are from official version on YouTube, a reliable video broadcasting website. Due to the fact that majority of the songs analysed are likely to contain words and languages that are likely to be difficult to understand, a slang website called Urban Dictionary was used as a means to translate any difficult words. Analysis Key themes have been highlighted in the literature articles through a process of thematic analysis during a systematic review. These themes include repetition, differences and similarities. The following analytical chapters will be discussing these themes in relation to theories in order to give a better understanding as to why young males may seek these identities. Firstly the song lyrics will be discussed in relation to the themes that have been highlighted through the thematic analysis. This will be done using a similar approach conducted by Kubrin (2005) study on Gangstas, Thugs, and Hustlas. Song lyrics will be discussed and the images will be discussed using a semiotic approach in order to evaluate whether or not the music that is marketed to youths encourages the use of violent weapons. This will then be followed by a discussion of the themes in relation to the literature. Theory will be included in order to provide a more holistic understanding as to why young people join youth gangs, their behaviour and attitudes. In order to identify the themes within the literature a critical discussion of the findings will provide a foundation for recommendation on future research on this topic. By using these analytical methods a detailed account of the influence the hip hop culture has on young males can be generated from the literature. Ethical Considerations Due to this research being a secondary research, it does involve as many ethical issues as a primary research. For example no participants will be interviewed, so there is no need for informed consents and there are no issues regarding deception and invasion of privacy. Also there is no need to consider data protection or storage because the research studies reports are available and have been published for public viewing. The following ethical considerations from the British Society of Criminology (BSC) Code of Ethics have been considered and relate to this research. As mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, there will be no contact with previous or current gang members so the emotional and physical well-being of the researcher will be maintained (BSC 3: iii). As the BSC states, researchers should promote equal opportunity in all aspects of their professional work and actively seek to avoid discriminatory behaviour (BSC, 3: iv).Whilst doing this research every effort has been m ade not to address young male gang members in terms of age, and racial or ethnic group sensitively and to use non-biased language. Also this research has made every effort not to disrespect the views and beliefs of young gang members, as one of the aims for this dissertation is to focus on developing a theoretical and holistic understanding of the behaviour of gang members. Also the views and beliefs of the gang members have not been disrespected whilst conducting a systematic review of the literature and analysing the literature through the themes that developed in the content analysis, alongside the arguments for and against hip hop culture influencing violence, the use and possession of violent weapons. Research studies by academics include young gang members who have consented to taking part in a published research study, so it is believed that any data from interviews conducted in previous reports are acceptable to use for secondary data. This therefore means that the ethical c ode (4: iii) will not be breached. However, if an entire data set was used for the present research, a Research Ethics Committee would have been required to conduct an expedited review (Economic and Social Research Council). Because this is a secondary research one of the major limitations is that some sources, especially internet sources may not be reliable, so a serious amount of importance was placed when using reliable data and sources from the internet as well as sources where the reliability of the internet information was uncertain. In addition to this No favoured judgement has been made towards certain research findings and a conscious effort has been made by the researcher not to manipulate or misinterpret the findings to suit the research question. By doing so a one sided argumen

Supplier Selection Process in the Aerospace Sector

Supplier Selection Process in the Aerospace Sector Executive Summary The ever increasing competition in global markets today has led businesses and companies to find different methods for reducing production and manufacturing costs in order to maintain their competitive edge. The competition has no longer remained company to company but has become supply chain to supply chain. From a buyers perspective a qualified supplier is a key factor to reduce costs. Thus supplier selection and evaluation has gained vital importance in the supply chain management environment. It is extremely essential to develop a supplier selection model which is efficient, effective and considers all the aspects required by the company. A number of supplier selection methods are available in the current literature. Creating a model based on these methods that addresses the particular requirements of the company is vital. The following paper is in 5 sections. The literature review in the first section is on the various methods for supplier selection and evaluation. The following methods are reviewed. Mathematical Programming Data Envelopment Analysis Analytical Hierarchy Process Analytical Neural Network Fuzzy Set theory Along with the review of the methods a discussion on the evolution of supplier selection criteria is also included in the first section. In the second section, two existing supplier selection models in the aerospace sector have been critically reviewed. The description of the Aerospace industry and comparison between the two models is included in the third section. To determine the essential criteria to be included in the model and prioritizing them, the research methodology used was a survey design. The results of the survey are included in the fourth section. The fifth section contains recommendations for building a new model for supplier selection in the aerospace sector. Introduction One of the major topics discussed in most of the production and operations management literature is supplier selection and performance evaluation of suppliers. It is one of the most critical activities of firms due to the increasing significance of the purchasing function (De Boer et al., 2001). The main objective of a supplier selection process is to maximize overall value to the purchaser, reduce the purchase risk and develop a close and long term relationship between the buyer and supplier. Supplier selection is a multi-criterion decision making problem and a number of conflicting factors affect its outcome. The factors taken into consideration are wide ranged and are both quantitative as well as qualitative (Ho et al., 2009). Operational research offers a range of methods and techniques in the form of models which can support the supplier selection decision making. A number of supplier selection methods have been proposed such as data envelopment analysis (DEA), analytic hierarch y process (AHP), mathematical programming, fuzzy set theory and vague set theory, multi attribute rating systems etc. A literature review of international journal articles discussing different multi-criteria supplier selection methods is carried out in this paper. The methods that are prevalently applied in practice, the priority of the evaluating criteria and evolution of selection criteria are also discussed and reviewed. The aim of this paper is to carry out a literature review of the various methods and criteria for supplier selection available in the current literature, in order to produce a set of recommendations for building a new model for the supplier selection process in the aerospace sector. To achieve this, two supplier selection models were critically reviewed, one of which is currently implemented in an aerospace industry and the other one is a theoretical model. A survey on global sourcing and supplier selection process containing 25 questions on various aspects of st rategic sourcing was also carried out in order to identify the different characteristics that influence sourcing decisions. Supplier selection methods: Supplier selection methods or techniques are the models which are used by decision makers to conduct the supplier selection process. They act as supporting tools for the selection process. The selection of an appropriate method is essential for the overall selection process and can significantly influence the outcome of the selection results (Li et al., 1997). There are number of supplier selection methods available in the literatures. Mathematical Programming (MP): MP allows the formulation of the decision problem in the form of a mathematical objective function which needs to be minimised or maximised depending on the objective function by varying the values of the variables. It is an optimization method which selects a number of suppliers in order to maximize either a single criteria or multi criteria objective function subjected to supplier or buyer constraints (DeBoer et al., 2001). Talluri and Narasimhan (2003) used mathematical programming in the form of a linear programming model to first minimise and then maximise the performance of the suppliers against the best target measures set by the buyers, thus providing a wide-ranging understanding of supplier performance. The authors applied this model considering a set of six suppliers to a Fortune 500 Pharmaceutical company in the process of implementing a JIT system. They regarded price, quality and delivery as the top three criteria for evaluating the suppliers. One of the key features of this max-min approach was that it could identify a set of suppliers with identical characteristics, thus providing the buyer with effective alternates to make their final decision. For the supplier selection problem Ng (2008) developed a weighted linear programming model with an objective function of maximizing supplier score. He implemented the model considering 18 suppliers to a manufacturing firm producing agriculture and c onstruction equipment. He included five criteria namely quality, supply variety, delivery, distance and price. In order to maximise the revenue function Hong et al. (2005) developed a mixed integer linear model to optimize the number of suppliers and order quantity. He applied the model to the supply chain of the agriculture industry in Korea as the customer demand varied seasonally over a period of time. Similarly OBrien et al. (2001) created a mixed integer non-linear model to optimize the allocation of products to suppliers thus minimizing the annual purchasing costs. Narasimhan et al. (2006) and Wadwa et al. (2007) constructed theoretical multi-objective programming models to optimize supplier selection and order quantity and to minimise lead time, price and number of rejects. Karpak et al. (1999) constructed a goal programming model and applied it to an international manufacturing firm to minimise costs and maximise quality and delivery reliability for selection of suppliers an d allocation of products between them. The authors considered cost, quality and delivery reliability as the criteria for supplier evaluation. On one hand Mathematical programming is advantageous as compared to the other approaches as it takes into account all the constraints during the formulation of the problem. Hence it is much easier to work when a large number of constraints are considered. It can also be used for multiple supplier selection as the current situation can be taken into account in an MP model. On the other hand some of the drawbacks of using an MP model are that it often only considers the more quantitative criteria neglecting the qualitative criteria which are important in supplier selection especially when the goal is to build supplier partnership. Most of the theoretical MP models are complicated to build for the supplier selection problem, due to the large number of variables, but as it can be seen from the above mentioned examples, they can be implemented in an industry as they can be simulated and solved by computers. They are not considered as the most effective method for vendor evaluation as they do not take into account qualitative factors and are incapable of performing a qualitative analysis which is an important aspect of the supplier selection process, thus limiting their use. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA): The concept of DEA is constructed on the basis of calculating the efficiency of the decision alternatives or suppliers. The DEA is a non-parametric method the measures the efficiency without specifying the form of the production function or the weights of different inputs and outputs. The efficiencies are evaluated on the basis of benefits as output and cost as the input criteria (DeBoer et al., 2001). The efficiency of a supplier can be defined as the ratio of the weighted sum of the suppliers outputs to the weighted sum of his inputs, thus the DEA method calculates the most favourable set of weights for each supplier alternative classifying them into efficient and inefficient suppliers. The favourable set of weights that are calculated maximise the supplier efficiency ratings without altering its own rating or making the other suppliers efficiency ratings more than one (DeBoer et al., 2001). In order to measure the efficiency of alternative suppliers Braglia and Petroni (2000) applied the DEA method by proposing nine evaluating factors to measure the supplier ratings. The authors applied their proposed methodology to the supplier selection process of a middle-sized company manufacturing bottling machinery to test its efficiency. They also calculated the Cross efficiencies in which the weights chosen for a particular supplier can be applied to the weights of the inputs and outputs of the other suppliers as well as Maverick index which is the percentage relative difference between cross efficiency and simple efficiency in order to avoid the selection of false positive supplier. Talluri and Barker (2002) and Talluri and Sarkis (2002) applied DEA to evaluate suppliers, manufacturers and distributors as a three phase approach for a logistics distribution network. They also employed the DEA to measure the performance of the suppliers using six evaluating factors having two inp uts and four outputs. Ross et al. (2006) evaluated the supplier performance with respect to the performance attributes of both buyer and supplier by using DEA. The author carried out three sensitivity analysis; the first one computed supplier efficiency scores without taking into account the evaluation teams and the buyers weights. The second analysis considered the evaluation taking into account the teams preferences and the third analysis considered the buyers preference. Liu et al. (2000) constructed a DEA model to evaluate the overall performance of a supplier considering three inputs namely price index, delivery performance and distance factor and two outputs which were supply variety and quality. The authors applied the DEA model to a firm manufacturing agriculture and construction equipment containing a multi modal assembly line. The model could select suppliers with a high supply variety, thus reducing the number of suppliers. Seydel et al. (2006) developed a DEA model to evaluate technology suppliers considering three factors. He included amount of know-how transfer as a qualitative factor in the model. The author developed a five point scale to rank the suppliers in term of the qualitative factor. The DEA method provides a means to evaluate and select suppliers on the basis of their performance over a period of time. It compares supplier performance in a multi criterion setting thus allowing the purchasing firm to evaluate each suppliers performance relative to the performance of the best supplier in the market by calculating the efficiency measures. Observed supplier performance data is used in a DEA method, thus the purchasing firm does not have to calculate its own utility functions as is required in the other techniques. Some of the limitations of the DEA approach are that its focus is not on selection an optimal supplier as the other mathematical programming models; hence it cannot be used if the purchasing firm requires the selection of an optimal supplier. The DEA model also makes some assumptions like any other supplier selection model thus limiting its use. (Garfamy et al., 2006) Evolution of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP): Linear Weighting Model: Weights are assigned to the criteria with the largest weight corresponding to the highest priority, in a linear weighted model. The ratings of the criteria are then multiplied with their respective weights and the sum of weights is assigned to each supplier, thus the supplier with the highest overall rating can be selected. There are a few imprecisions in the rating mechanism such as difficulty to determine the score of a supplier on a criterion or importance of some criterion with a high degree of precision. To overcome these imprecisions the use of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was proposed (DeBoer et al., 2001). Analytic Hierarchy Process: The AHP is a decision making method first introduced by Saaty (1980) which prioritizes alternatives or suppliers when considering multiple criteria, thus allowing the decision maker to restructure complex problems in the form of a set of integrated levels or a hierarchy. It is one of the most commonly applied methods in practice as it incorporates qualitative as well as quantitative criteria and is relatively simple to understand. Various adaptations of AHP have been developed since its introduction. Muralidharan et al. (2002) developed an AHP model consisting of five stages to rate and select suppliers considering nine criteria. Some of the major criteria that the author considered were quality, delivery, price and technical ability. The model was then applied to the supplier selection process to evaluate six suppliers of a leading organization manufacturing bicycles. Liu and Hai (2005) created an AHP model and used Noguchis voting and ranking system thus allowing each manager to determine the order of criteria instead of weights for the selection and evaluation of suppliers. They used a six step process for supplier evaluation and considered eight criteria in their analysis, some of them being quality, responsiveness, delivery, technical capabilities etc. The authors applied this model for selecting one of ten suppliers for the Umbrella Scheme of Malaysias furniture industry. Chan and Chan (2004) constructed an AHP model considering six criteria namely cost, delivery, flexibility, innovation, quality and service with twenty sub-factors among them. They applied the model to the supplier selection process of a leading company that manufactures and supplies semiconductor assembly equipment assuming that the supplier had to be chosen for a critical product. The relative priority ratings were calculated based on customer or buyer requirements. Hou et al (2007) developed a decision support system based on AHP in a mass customization environment considering internal and external factors to meet market requirements. The author applied the model to the selection process of a subsidiary company of a local Chinese printer manufacturer. Chan (2003) created an AHP based interactive selection model which determined the relative importance of evaluating criteria without being subjected to human judgment. The AHP model can also be integrated with other supplier selection models in order to achieve optimized selection results. Ramanathan (2007) suggested that the qualitative and quantitative information gained from the total cost of ownership model and AHP model can be utilized to evaluate the performance of a supplier using the DEA method. The author considered the costs from total cost of ownership as inputs and the weights gained from the AHP method as outputs. Sevkle et al. (2007) applied the AHP-DEA integrated method to solve the supplier selection problem of a major Turkish TV manufacturer BEKO, in which he used AHP to derive local weights from a given comparison matrix and summed up the local weights to get the overall weights. In order to calculate the efficiency scores of all the suppliers DEA was used on the decision making units. Percin (2006) applied integrated AHP-GP method, where AHP was used to measure the priority weightings of alternate suppliers considering twenty evaluating factors. The author used the weightings obtained by AHP Goal programming method as the coefficients for five object ive functions. The integrated model was used to optimize the order quantity from the most appropriate supplier considering the capacities of the suppliers. Mendoza et al. (2008) offered an integrated AHP- GP model in order to reduce a large number of potential suppliers to a manageable figure. He ranked the alternatives considering five evaluating criteria to optimize the order quantity. Xia and Wu (2007) applied the AHP model to calculate the performance scores of potential suppliers. The authors then applied the scores as coefficients of one of the four objective functions in a multi-objective mixed integer programming model. The model was developed in order to determine the optimal number of suppliers and to select the best set of suppliers. Some of the advantages of AHP method are as follows (Chan et al., 2003) The system can be represented in a hierarchical manner to explain the changes in priority and its effect at upper and lower levels. The desired performance of the supplier is characterized by hierarchical selection criteria viz. the management of the suppliers is better if the suppliers performance is evident to the buyer. It utilizes multiple paired comparisons of criteria to rank order alternatives and it is the most exceptional Multi-criterion decision making approach. Efficiently progresses through modular construction and final assembly of modules than those assembled as a whole, this is known as hierarchical assembly of natural systems. Identifies the key elements assisting in making more accurate business decisions and is a structured method which obtains information from target respondents (decision makers or experts). It provides information regarding the structure and function of a system in the lower levels of the hierarchy and gives the outline of the criteria and their purposes in the upper levels. Limitations on the elements in a level are best denoted in the next higher level to ensure they are satisfied. It has stability and flexibility, stability as small changes have small effects and flexible in the sense that the performance is not hampered if there are any additions to a well structured hierarchy Disadvantages: (Chan et al., 2003) Most of the supplier selection problems do not have a single hierarchy. Utilization of this statistical method is complicated for most of the users and this makes the process unmanageable. It is not cost effective to procure the essential information i.e. due to lack of information /willingness to compare two alternatives with respect to some criterion the supposition of comparability is invalid. To reach an agreement with the team members by reviewing the models is time consuming. The presumption that the relative importance of criteria affects the suppliers performance is definite which cannot effectively take into account the risk and uncertainty in assessment of suppliers potential performance. Analytic network process (ANP): Sarkis and Talluri (2000) suggested the use of analytic network process, which was a more sophisticated version of the AHP method. The authors believed that the supplier evaluating factors could influence each other and this interdependency needed to be considered in the process. They applied the ANP process to evaluate and select suppliers in a company manufacturing custom-designed high technology metal-based products, considering organizational factors and strategic performance matrix. The model included seven evaluating criteria namely cost, quality, flexibility, delivery time etc. also considering their interdependencies. Bayazit (2006) implemented an ANP model considering ten evaluating criteria. Some of the important criteria included were on time delivery, quality, flexibility and delivery lead time. He classified the criteria into supplier performance and capabilities clusters and the interdependencies among them were formulated by considering each cluster as a controlling fa ctor for a pair wise comparison matrix. Demirtas and Ustun (2008) developed an integrated model in which they used ANP to evaluate the performance of potential suppliers considering 14 criteria. The weights were then considered in one of the three objective functions of a multi-objective mixed integer programming model. Similarly the authors integrated the ANP and the GP methods of supplier selection and evaluation in 2009. The only difference to the previous model was that there were four goals in the GP model. Gencer et al. (2007) developed ANP model considering various evaluating criteria. He classified them into three clusters to take into account their interrelationships to evaluate and select the most appropriate supplier. Some major advantages of ANP process over AHP are that ANP provides with additional insight as most of the real world supplier selection problems have interdependencies among the evaluating criteria. It also incorporates both qualitative as well as quantitative factors which are important in supplier selection. The ANP method can deal with various uncertainties and complexities as it makes use of ratio scales to incorporate a variety of interactions. In spite of the advantages, the ANP method does have a few limitations as it is a very complex method and requires additional effort and time as compared to AHP. Fuzzy Set Theory: The fuzzy set theory is used to model uncertainty and imprecision in the supplier selection situation. Fuzzy set systems make use of linguistic rules which are very well suited to describe the behavior of practical problems. In most of the real world applications, fuzzy rules are created by the decision makers with a few input variables. When the number of input variables increases, the possible number of fuzzy rules for a particular system increases exponentially. It is rather difficult for the decision maker to generate a complete set of rules to assess the supplier selection system (Chan et al., 2006). Chan et al. (2006) presented a hierarchy model based on the fuzzy set theory which could deal with both quantitative and qualitative criteria. The author used linguistic values to assess the ratings and the weights for the evaluation factors. The ratings were arranged in triangular fuzzy numbers. They created a hierarchical structure of the decision problem and applied the model to a high technology manufacturing company to select a suitable supplier to supply material for key components of a new product. Sarkar and Mohapatra (2006) used a fuzzy set method to eliminate the imprecision in a number of subjective characteristics of suppliers. The authors evaluated and selected the suppliers on the basis of performance and capabilities as the two major measures for evaluation. They considered a hypothetical case to exemplify their model by considering a pool of ten suppliers and the goal being to reduce that number and select the best two suppliers. Kahraman et al. (2003) applied the integrated fuzzy AHP approach to select the most appropriate supplier for the biggest white goods manufacture in Europe to supply the plastic part scroll housing for their new model of aspirators. In this model the decision makers could specify their preferences in terms of linguistic variables regarding the priority of each evaluating criteria. Chan and Kumar (2007) also applied a fuzzy AHP methodology for selection of suppliers. The authors used triangular fuzzy numbers and fuzzy synthetic extent analysis methods to choose the final priorities of different criteria. The authors applied the model to the supplier selection process of a manufacturing company to select the best global supplier for one of their critical parts used in the assembling process. The criteria considered in the model for evaluation were overall cost, quality of product, service performance, supplier profile and risk factors. Amid et al. (2006) formulated an integrated fuzzy multi-objective linear programming model which took into account the vagueness and imprecision of the input data in order to optimize the order quantity. The author developed an algorithm to solve the model which incorporated three objective functions with different weights. They considered a hypothetical case to select three suppliers for supplying a new product to a market. The purchasing criteria considered for the model were net price, quality, service and capacity. The author also formulated a fuzzy multi-objective mixed integer programming model which was similar to the earlier model but it also took into account the quantity discount. The price discount was directly proportional to the quantities ordered (Amid et al, 2006). One of the primary advantages of using fuzzy set theory for supplier selection is that it makes use of linguistic variables, which are highly beneficial when the performance values cannot be expresses in terms of means of the numerical values. Thus, taking into consideration the uncertainty and imprecision of the quantitative data gathered by the purchasing company or provided by the supplier. It is beneficial and easier to use linguistic variables instead of numerical values while assessing potential suppliers with respect to criteria and weights. A modified fuzzy set theory is capable of handling both qualitative as well as quantitative data ratings and is flexible in use, which is an added advantage (Chan et al, 2006). Some of the disadvantages of fuzzy set theory are that the analysis is based on the theory and not exploratory data; hence validation of the data may be required. It is a subjective methodology, thus justification for each step is necessary. As the number of variabl es increase the complexity increases, thus requiring a number of procedures in the sub-systems of the methodology. Other Methods: A number of other methodologies exist for the supplier selection problem such as artificial intelligence and expert systems which includes case based reasoning (Choy et al, 2005; 2002; Humphreys et al, 2003) and Bayesian belief networks (Kreng et al, 2003). Multi-criteria decision methods which include outranking methods (DeBoer et al, 1998; Dulmin et al, 2003), judgmental modeling (DaSilva et al., 2002; Naude and Lockett, 1993), interpretive structural modeling (Mandal and Deshmukh, 1994) and categorical methods (Houshyar and Lyth, 1992). Multivariate statistical analysis that incorporates structural equation modeling (Lin et al., 2005; Tracey and Tan, 2001), Factor analysis (Krause et al., 2001; Tracey and Tan, 2001) and confidence interval approach (Muralidharan et al., 2001). Group decision methods (Han and Ahn, 2005; Mandal and Deshmukh, 1994) and multiple integrated methods also exist for supplier selection. All the methods that are utilized for selections of suppliers have their own advantages and disadvantages. No method can be said to be the perfect method which covers all aspects of the entire selection process. Modifications and improvements can be made to every method in according to the requirements of the decision makers. The selection process can be improved by integrating different techniques in order to negate the limitations of the techniques taken individually. Considering this procedure, the fuzzy integrated AHP model and the DEA integrated ANN model are comparatively the best combination of methods that can be implemented for supplier selection. Supplier Selection Criteria: Evolution of supplier selection criteria: A number of criteria need to be considered for the supplier selection decision making process which makes the selection of suppliers a complicated practice. Since the early 1960s, practitioners and academics have been focusing on the analysis of supplier selection criteria and measurement of supplier performance. Dickson et al, (1966) suggested From the purchasing literature is fairly easy to abstract a list of at least 50 distinct factors that are presented by various authors as being meaningful to consider in a vendor selection decisionÂ?. In his work he carried out a survey to identify the most important criteria required for the selection of suppliers. The author came up with 23 criteria and their relative importance for vendor selection. The following table summarizes the 23 criteria and their level of importance. Weber et al. (1991) conducted a similar study on the bases of the 23 criteria identified by Dickson (1966). The authors reviewed and classified 74 related articles appearing between 1966 and 1990. Their study provided a clear indication of the issues concerning selection of suppliers. Both the studies indicated net price, quality, delivery and production facility and capacity as the top 4 criteria for supplier evaluation. These two studies were the primary studies done on supplier selection criteria and were the bases of a number of papers in the forthcoming years. A number of changes at a profound level have taken place in the business environment, including purchasing and procurement since Weber et al.s work in 1991. The basic definitions of Dicksons 23 criteria have undergone change and expansion and new criteria have emerged due to a substantial growth in business and supply chain needs. Dickson (1966) defined net price as price offered by each vendor including discounts and freight charges. In the development of the net price criteria, the term net price had been replacement by the term cost which includes a number of costs such as fixed cost, inventory costs, ordering costs, supplier costs and costs associated with quality, after-sales and technology (Current and Weber, 1994). The term total cost of ownership has also become important in recent times which include not only the purchasing price but also purchasing related costs (Bhutta et al, 2002). The delivery criterion was defined by Dickson (1966) as the ability of each vendor to meet specified delivery schedules. The delivery criterion has now been developed to incorporate lead time, cycle time, shipment quantity and quality, delivery capacity etc (Karpak et al, 1999). According to Dickson quality was defined as the ability of each vendor to meet quality specifications consistently. The quality criterion has now been extended to include inspections and certain specifications such as the ISO9001 system (Lee et al, 2003) In addition to the evolution and development of the basic criteria a number of new criteria have emerged in literature from various authors. Some of the new criteria are flexibility, which includes process and production flexibility, response to change, responsiveness to customer needs (Ghodsypour et al, 2001), flexibility to change the order and order quantity and ability to respond to fluctuating demand (Verma et al, 1998). A product design and development criterion consists of commitment to continuous improvement, product development and improvement, design capabilities and continuous improvement in product and process (Chan et al, 2003). Supplier relationship is another criterion that has gained importance in recent years due to integration of various sections of supply chain. Supplier relationship has two aspects, strategic and tactical. The criterion can be sub divided into 4 sections namely strategic long term relationship, tactical long term relationship, strategic short term relationship and tactical short term relationship. Due to the growth in the businesses, buying firms prefer to integrate the suppliers in their supply chain, thus forming a strategic long term alliance with their supplier