Internship Shadowing a Substance Abuse Counselor

Abstract Overwhelming challenges of the 21st century force many people to use drugs, as they are unable to keep up with the pace of the contemporary life. Many people become addicts and they are unable to handle the issues associated with their addiction.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Internship: Shadowing a Substance Abuse Counselor specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, counseling is coming to the fore, as counselors are able to assist drug addicts to quit their harmful habit and effectively integrate into the community. This paper dwells upon the internship at Legacy Services (New York). The intern shadowed a substance abuse counselor to gain the necessary experience for practice. It is necessary to note that participation in sessions and multi-disciplinary staff meetings; observation and contribution to development of certain treatments strategies equipped the intern with the necessary skills and knowl edge that will help him be an efficient drug abuse counselor. Moreover, strong and weak sides of the Legacy Services are analyzed and conclusions are made. In the end of the work discussion of the main presented ideas is introduced. Recommendations and possible implications of the main ideas of the work are suggested. Introduction Statement of the Problem The issue of substance abuse counseling includes why people use drugs and to understand the effects on their health. It also considers the effects of drugs on one’s health as well as the resulting mental health issues because of substance abuse. Substance abuse has been around for years,and individuals are not aware of how to identify and learn to cope with the challenges of addiction. Additionally, behavioral assessments, intervention, multidisciplinary management, preparation, education, and program development and execution made huge changes in participants’ substance abuse behaviors (Babinski,Pelham, Waxmonsky, 20 13).Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Babinski et al. (2013),counseling for people who depend on chemicals requires some skills for it to be effective. Also, most participants prefer counseling that is done by specialists(Babinski et al., 2013). However, severalprograms of substance abuse were examined; all engaged moralistic group settings on various clinical issues, which showed the programscould affect participants’ treatment(Greenfield Venner, 2012). The programs should be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to guide the participants to their future endeavors or self-sufficiency(Dufour et al., 2014). Also, counselors’failure to keep up with modern information to encourage the participant’schange of behavior could lead to relapse. Relapsing into drugs or alcohol abuse can occur even after long periods of sobriety (Greenfield Venner, 20 12).Therefore, the reason why it is critical for the counselors in this field to utilize the emerging knowledge to help participants who are drug addicts. Purpose of the Internship The internship period is to gain in-depth knowledge of mental health by acquiring new emerging information from the mentor,concerning people who have health impairments (Greenfield Venner, 2012). It will enable the intern to learn and take an active role in shaping individuals’ lives and assisting people and their families with mental problems. Emerging information is important in helping participants who have advanced mental problems to improve healthcare outcomes. He will learn basic counseling skills from the mentor as well as knowledge about ethical issues to be considered during the helping process (Wallace, Brown, Hilton, 2014).The learner wouldlearncurrent data to monitor the progress of a participant of the program using emerging methods of data collection.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Internship: Shadowing a Substance Abuse Counselor specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition, he would learn to understand the needs of participants and the possible causes of mental disabilities (Greenfield Venner, 2012). Review of Literature Risk for Substance Abuse Over the past two decades, researchers have tried to reveal the factors behind the beginning of substance abuse and the progression to addiction (Corte Szalacha, 2010). Main risk factors lead to the increase of a person’s chance to become abused. However, there are several protective factors that reduce personal risk. Main risk factors for substance abuse are different for every person and affect people at different stages of lives. The substance abuse counselors focus on the risk factors before initiating the counseling approaches (Corte Szalacha, 2010). In the case of children, risk factors include aggressive behavior, social difficultie s, or academic failure. The risks, such as aggressive behavior,can be controlled by helping children develop appropriate positive attitudes in life and prevent further risk. Other factors, such as poverty, peer influence, drug availability, and lack of parental supervision, mainly affect the youth. The more a person is predisposed to the risks, the higher are the chances of substance abuse. Ineffective parenting and a guardian who is involved in substance abuse increase the risk of children and adolescents to substance abuse. According to Gallagher (2014), the highest risk of substance abuse are adolescents. For this reason, the counselors focus on preventive interventions and support skills of enhancing protective factors of substance abuse (Gallagher, 2014). Clinical level of evidence-based There are several clinical evidence-based approaches applied to deal with substance abuse (Smith Liu, 2014). Several statewide initiatives of substance abuse treatment systems have been growin g in the past decade as a result of movements towards evidence-based practice in health care systems.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The importance of using the scientific clinical advances in intervention of clinical practices has been emphasized by many scholars. Several psychological evidence-based programs have been utilized in the approaches to substance abuse. Clinical expertise is important in the translation of scientific evidence-based approaches into practice that include the behavioral approaches and Pharmacotherapies. The health care providers are supposed to develop statements that assist them in identifying the appropriate intervention for the clinical circumstances (Corte Szalacha, 2010). The pharmacotherapy approaches include nicotine replacement therapies: application of drugs, such as bupropion, methadone, and naltrexone: and combination of drugs with behavioral treatment. Behavioral approaches focus on abstinence and modification of peoples’ behaviors as well as their attitudes about substance abuse. Additionally, they include cognitive behavior therapy, contingency management interventi ons, motivational enhancement, and community reinforcements (Gordon, 2013). The Effects on the Body Substance abuse has adverse effects on the body, such as mental health problems (Corte Szalacha, 2010).For instance, continuous abuse of cannabis results in mental health problems, such as schizophrenia. Substance abuse predisposes a person to diseases, such as asthma, heart diseases, and lung cancer. Cocaine is known to be over-stimulating, causing pregnancy complications, such as stillbirths and miscarriages. Also, substance abuse can expose a person to diseases, such as HIV, because of sharing of injecting devices. According to Gallagher (2014), the substances weaken the immune system, cause memory problems, and excessive dehydration (Gallagher, 2014). The Burden of Substance Abuse between Nations Substance abuse poses a significant threat to the health, economic and social status of the affected families, communities, and the countries (Smith Liu, 2014). In year 2000, substance a buse contributed to 12.4% of all deaths worldwide (Gallagher, 2014). The calculation of adjusted life years in Mexico and the United States indicated that the life lost because of premature mortality related to substance abuse is on the rise. The burden of the disease in disability-adjusted life years is high in the United Kingdom and the United States as compared to African and Mediterranean countries. Substance abuse has both economic and health effects on the nations affected. For instance, evidence-based prevention and treatment costs can save the U.S. government up to $10 in subsequent costs of every $1 spent (Gordon, 2013). The ones involved in the abuse cannot unleash their full potential in economic growth as the productivity is reduced. Productivity losses estimated at $ 120 billion, calculated as labor and non-participation, are significant in the United States. Similarly, studies have identified a 0.4 % loss in GDP in Canada as a result of non-labor participation because of substance abuse (Gordon, 2013). The situation is similar in Australia that experienced 0.3 % GDP loss (Gallagher, 2014). The Determinants of Health and Health Inequity The health of a person includes an individual’s well being physically, mentally, and emotionally (Regina Valeria, 2014). Several factors determine the health of a person. These include the genetics and physiology of a person, such as the sex and age. Individual behavior, such as substance abuse, plays a significant role in determining a person’s health. The social and physical environment as well as the interaction determines the health status of an individual as he or she is expose to several diseases causing factors, such as stress, discrimination, and overcrowding. Health inequity is mainly determined by infrastructure, health services, and policy formulations (Gordon, 2013). Discrimination in the access of health services affects the approaches to substance abuse because of health inequity. Acces s to quality health care minimizes the causes of health inequity in societies. The health policies formulated should take into consideration the disparities and variations in achievement of quality health care (Regina Valeria, 2014). Social and economic factors Social and economic factors have a significant influence on the substance abuse (Corte Szalacha, 2010). For instance, poverty and socioeconomic status of a family can make a person turn to substance abuse to find solace. It is a result of lack of basic human needs such, as food, shelter, education, and proper health care. The social structures and factors in the community play a significant role in substance abuse as they determine the peer influence. The familial and demographic factors are important predictors of substance abuse (Gordon, 2013). Besides, research studies have established a relationship between the parent socioeconomic status and substance abuse. Parents have a tremendous influence on their children to desis t or initiate substance abuse. Peer influence plays a great part as socialization can initiate substance abuse (Gordon, 2013). Physical and environmental factors Many people do not understand how others initiate substance abuse and addiction (Gordon, 2013). However, physical and environmental factors explain the situation. The environment in which a person lives has different influences on substance abuse. These include the access to drugs such as those living in urban areas and the general quality of life. The socioeconomic status of friends and families can either increase or limit access to these substances. Peer influence, bad parenting, physical or sexual violence and high level of stress influence the escalation of substance abuse. Similarly, the availability of drugs is the primary physical factor related to substance abuse. The development of the effective prevention strategies for the substance abuse counselors is based on the knowledge of the risk and protective factors (C orte Szalacha, 2010). Individual behaviors/characteristics Individual behaviors and characteristics of substance abuse determine the type of approach chosen by the counselor (Gallagher, 2014). The characteristics indicate the level of addiction and dependence. People who have already become addicted to different substances exhibit the characteristics of an overwhelming and repetitive urge to them. The substance abuse has become a part of their lives and a life’s priority. They experience problems in their wok or schools as their performances are low. Besides, irritability and confusion are common among the addicts (Gordon, 2013). The victims of substance abuse experience changes in their attitude and behavior because of mood swings and reduced inhibitions. They include suicidal behaviors and self-imposed isolation (Gordon, 2013). Strategies/Recommendations Prevention of substance abuse is dealt with by first recognizing the risk and protective factors. Counselors play a vital role in designing the strategies (Garner, 2009). The initial strategies are personal. They include helping the person deal with peer pressure. Teens and adolescents start substance abuse as a result of peer pressure. They should find a plan for resisting the pressure. Dealing with life pressures such as stress is an effective prevention strategy that helps a person to cope with life rather than turning to substance abuse. The counselors should help those seeking help for the people with mental problems that result from substance abuse. These include post-traumatic stress, Schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression. Before the initiation of behavioral or pharmacological therapies, it is necessary to the counselors to examine the risk factors. They include the social, environmental, and economic factors to give an overview of the problem and identify the appropriate therapies. The strategies undertaken depend on the level of addiction. There are several promising strategies to end substa nce abuse. These include: law enforcement, treatment, and prevention strategies. The prevention strategies comprise community-based processes, prevention education in learning institutions, as well as the environmental approaches that promote policies reducing the risk factors. The preventive measures should start early in life and proceed to adolescence (Corte Szalacha, 2010). Building of family bonds is essential in promoting responsible parenting. The treatment strategies include an emphasis on family-based treatment, rehabilitation of the addicts, and other programs according to the clinicians. Law enforcement is a crucial strategy for dealing with substance abuse and reducing the number of such cases. Introduction of tough penalties can deter adolescents and teenagers from engaging in substance abuse. Additionally, law enforcement includes the community policing to give insights of drug availability in the societies. Commitment and follow-up of the affected are essential to ach ieving the desired results of the programs (Garner, 2009). Methods and Procedures Method There is one method used in the writing of this paper. The method will be developmental. Procedures Sites Specifics Mentor The mentor is James Brown, MA, M.Ed, LCDC; he is an experienced Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor who helps clients who are referred to his Behavioral and Public Health Department, which helps participants globally. The mentor is also an instructor of a mental health program, and he utilizes effective skills to help people who are addicted and have become dependents. The counselor has 15 years of experience and has a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations, Bachelor of Science in Government, Master of Arts in Counseling and a Master of Education Degree. The mentor has good communication skills and creates a good rapport with clients. He dresses modestly, speaks fluently, and sits in an upright posture during counseling sessions. Facility The facility is named Legacy Ser vices. The department has other workers who work in collaboration with the mentor, but in different departments. Population served Behavioral and Public Health Department serves people of different ages whose behaviors have been affected by drugs and have experienced difficulties in coping with the demands of life. It is notable that young adults and adults are the most affected. With regard to the population that the intern would be handling in this department, he would be helping the trainer to offer services to about 200 persons in a day. The participants would be alcoholics and persons who abuse other drugs and who would not able to cope without them (Carroll, De Leon, Joseph, Winick, 2013). The intern would coordinate with his mentor to monitor the progress of participants. Internship objectives Specifically, the intern want to learn how to understand substance abuse group and individual sessions in a therapy and counseling setting or environment. The learning objectives inclu de the following: The intern will learn to identify signs and symptoms that are associated with mental problems. The intern will learn to identify the challenges in participants’ daily lives, such as addressing boundaries, anger management, denial, minimization and blame. The intern will learn to identify the fourethical dilemmas related to substance abuse counselling, such as beneficence, do no harm; autonomy, independent living, give the participant the benefit of the doubt; justice, fair and equal treatment, and fidelity, keep promises to participants. The intern will learn how to identify participants’ detoxification needs such as signs and symptoms of withdrawal, screening and evaluation during intake process. Schedule of activities Internship activities are scheduled to take place from November 3, 2014 to January 7, 2015.Also, allactivities will be used to facilitate the learning of the objectives. Table 1 Schedule of Activities Week Activity Hours 1 The i ntern would participated in various group sessions as part of orientation to counseling. Introduction to basic emerging counseling skills was achieved during this period. 8 2 The intern shadowed the mentor on intensive outpatient sessions using 12-step and clinical modalities treatment to bring about a positive change in the participants life. 8 3 The intern shadowed the mentor and observe emerging individual counseling boundaries or taking notes of the daily sessions. 8 4 The intern shadowed the mentor on how to identify diagnosis classification and the type of mental issues a participant would report during intake process. 8 5 The intern participated in treatment preparation and conceptualization. 8 6 The intern shadowed the mentor on this day by carrying out research by utilizing modern methods of peer-reviewed research from the State website. This information was used to better educate the participants of new techniques. 8 7 The intern listened to the mentor educate him about the types of addictions, how addictions occur, and how to deal with addiction. The mentor educated two separate groups of participants. 8 8 The intern participated in crisis intervention and primary care integration. 8 9 The intern attended seminars learning about emerging issues in mental health. 8 10 The intern shadowed the mentor while he collaborated meetings with multi-disciplinary staff. 8 Total hours 80 Learning benefit The learning benefit that the intern will be expected to receive during this mentor internship experience on addiction and substance abuse counseling was important because of the need to learn the challenging face-to-face counseling group’stechniques, crisis intervention supports and tools that would enable the intern to build on counseling skills. The intern believe these skills would helpwith the progress from a simpler and immature phase to a more complex level of maturity about addiction. Current employment The intern is employ ed as a Health Crisis Coordinator and coordinates many programs, for example, behavioral and public health, injury and disability, vocational and employment services. Most of his assignments are conducted domestically; however, he does travel to London from time to time. In addition to a Bachelor of Science in Education and Master of Arts in Education degree. Also, he holds a Post-Specialty Certificate in Emergency Management and Post-Master’s Certificate in Professional Counseling. Search procedure Libraries used There was only one library used to search for sources for this project. The Counseling Professions Division Library at Southern Mills University and Google Scholarwas used for the project. Search engines and databases used The following databases were used to search for the sources for this project. The databases werePubMed and PsycINFO and MEDline (EBSCO) and Global Health and Alt Health Watch and MEDLINE (Ovid). Search terms Several search terms were used to ident ify sources for this project. The search terms included (a) Behavioral Health, (b) Substance Abuse,(c) Behavioral Therapy, (d) Public Health, (e) Behavioral Treatment, and (f) Alcoholism. Boolean strings Boolean strings were considered for the literature search. No Boolean strings were used in the literature search. Age of the sources The significant literature will be reviewed. Sources from the last 5 years will be considered for inclusion in the review of literature. No historical or seminal articles will be considered. Inclusion criteria There were four inclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria included (a) literature published since 2010, (b) English-language text, (c) peer-reviewed articles, and (d) Web sites relating to shadowing a substance abuse counselor. Exclusion criteria There were fourexclusion criteria.The exclusion criteria included (a) literature published before 2010,(b) text not published in English, (c) articles not peer reviewed, and (d) Web sites not relating to sh adowing a substance abuse counselor. Results Introduction The internship is a highly valuable experience for the intern who wants to improve his/her skills and knowledge in the sphere of drug abuse and mental health That is why, it is vital for him/her to choose the right institution which can guarantee his/her further development as a professional. Resting on this fact, it can be recommended to draw an interns attention to the Legacy Services. The Legacy Services is a company which promotes development of knowledge and awareness of the issue of substance abuse among interns. Being very efficient and credible company, it can guarantee high level of its services and professionalism of its workers. However, having its main strengths it also has its weak sides. That is why, it is important to investigate the company precisely to determine the main aspects of its work to understand better the main regularities according to which it functions. Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, opportuni ties, and Threats Strengths The first strength of Legacy Services is a highly reputable company that provides quality services. Its reputation in terms of the provision of superior substance abuse counseling services elevates its credibility in enabling an intern to obtain the set of objectives. The organization also has qualified staff members who act as its strength in the provision of services. Secondly, the organization upholds integrity at all its levels of operation. Thirdly, there are adequate resources that include training kits, office space, finance, working incentives among others that aid service delivery. Weaknesses Although clear strengths of the organization have been identified, it is, however, difficult for identification of weaknesses to be indicated at this time. The weaknesses are always identified when an experience has already been achieved either positive or negative. Therefore, it is prudent for the weaknesses to be enumerated later because of more time is ne eded. Opportunities The underlying opportunities why the intern selected the institution are based on its capacity to expand its customer base, counseling services and revenue base. The organization is promising based on its strategic plans that are formulated already. In particular, the expected customer growth rate makes the organization so attractive for interns who expect to offer services to some of the customers. Increase revenue amounts or financial capacity of the company may also help in hiring some of the interns hence its preference. Likewise, the advancement of counseling services indicates a wider knowledge on counseling matters that is noble for interns. Threats Probable threats the organization has the potential of facing that may impede the realization of the set objectives of an intern including high enrolment rate, lack of divergent funding sources and competition. In particular, people enroll for the internship position in the organization more than it can accommo date. This makes it difficult for prospecting interns to be sure of getting the privilege of working there. Secondly, the company faces stiff competition from other rival institutions that focus on providing counselling services. The high rate of competition may affect its reputation and stature in the society. The institution also has limited sources of funding that may affect its capacity of accommodating more interns who aspire to acquire experience. Based on the institution’s SWOT analysis, it is evident that it holds the capacity of ensuring that the intern receives best results. The choice is good for intern in a broader perspective given that its strengths and opportunities outweigh its weaknesses and threats. Discussion During the internship, interns are able to observe the way seasoned counselors work and the way clients respond to the treatment. This internship can be seen as one of such experiences. The intern was fully integrated in the process. Thus, he participa ted in numerous sessions where he could note peculiarities of behavior of the mentor and clients, strategies employed during the sessions, the way clients respond to this or that strategy. The intern could also trace possible signs of clients’ potential relapse. The intern took part in meetings with multi-disciplinary staff and this was a very important experience. Cooperation with different professionals enabled the counselor to provide high-quality services to clients and make sure their needs could be met. Importantly, the intern had an opportunity to collaborate with mentor and develop some treatment strategies. This was a remarkable experience as the intern obtained many insights from his mentor during development of the strategies. Admittedly, it is impossible to gain such experience through reading books and articles. The intern obtained an opportunity to observe quite conventional as well as extraordinary cases as all people are different and they often face quite dif ferent challenges. The intern could feel the specific atmosphere, which is created during sessions. These observations and shadowing enabled the intern to get certain confidence, which will be crucial for his future career. Conclusions Having analyzed the data, it is possible to make certain conclusions. The issue of substance abuse counseling is very important nowadays within the framework of the increase of level of abuse among people. That is why, the need in professionals who can provide qualified advice for a person who suffers from the substance abuse is obvious. With this in mind, some patterns for preparation of qualified interns should be suggested. Taking into account complexity and topicality of the issue, the analysis of the methodology and main objectives of internship was also provided. Moreover, the importance of practice for internship should also be mentioned as it allows an intern to obtain knowledge which is not available in books or some other sources. Great sign ificance of the process of teaching and preparation of interns should also be remembered. Implications It is obvious, that the main ideas presented in the work should be adopted as it can promote improvement of the situation connected with the issue of substance abuse. Implication of the main points mentioned in the work can guarantee further development of knowledge in this sphere. Moreover, the issue of training of the professionals who are ready to consult people who suffer from substance abuse can become very helpful in terms of blistering growth of this kind of dependence. Main methods outlined in the work can also be applied to the process of training of new interns as they will allow increase of the level of efficiency of interns and general improvement of the situation. With this in mind, the data presented should be studied and taken into account in order to provide better understanding of the issue. Recommendations Having analyzed the issue, it is possible to make several recommendations. First of all, it is necessary to say that the change of the existing system of internship is needed. The emphasis should be made on practice as only it can allow better knowledge and practical skills among interns. Moreover, some new methods should be applied to existing system for it to be more modern. However, there is one more recommendation. It goes without saying, that the further investigation of this issue is necessary. Within the framework of the increase of number of people who suffer from substance abuse, it is very important to investigate different methods to prevent it. Taking this fact into account, it is possible to say that internship which allows students to obtain practical knowledge can serve as the first stage in better understanding of the problem of substance abuse. References Babinski, D. E., Pelham, W. E., Waxmonsky, J. G. (2013). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder complicated by stigma: A case study.   Clinical Case Studies, 15(34), 65-77. Carroll, J. F., De Leon, G., Joseph, H., Winick, C. (2013). Reflections on the past, present, and the future of the chemical dependency treatment field: Four unique perspectives.  Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 31(1), 107-120. Corte, C., Szalacha, L. (2010). Self-cognitions, risk factors for alcohol problems, and drinking in preadolescent urban youths. Journal of Child Adolescent Substance Abuse, 19(5), 406-423. Dufour, S. P., Graham, S., Friesen, J., Rosenblat, M., Rous, C.,Richardson, J. (2014). Physiotherapists supporting self-management through health coaching: A mixed methods program evaluation. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 10(1), 1-10. Gallagher, S. (2014). Treatment strategies for forensic psychologists working with clients dealing with substance abuse, legal charges, and enabling parents. Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice, 14(2), 158-168. Gordon, A. (2013). Substance abuse journal: New beginnings. Substance Abuse, 34(4), 339-341. Regina, C., Valeria, M. (2014). Social determinants of health and inequity among people with disabilities: A Brazilian experience. Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology, 6(11), 326-337. Smith, B., Liu, J. (2014). Latent practice profiles of substance abuse treatment counselors: Do evidence-based techniques displace traditional techniques? Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 46(4), 439-446. Wallace, L. M., Brown, K. E., Hilton, S. (2014). Planning for, implementing and assessing the impactof health promotion and behavior change interventions: Away forward for health psychologists. Health Psychology Review, 8(1), 8-33. This essay on Internship: Shadowing a Substance Abuse Counselor was written and submitted by user Nolan Newton to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The World Trade Organization essays

The World Trade Organization essays Beginning January 1st, 1995 the World Trade Organization was created from the remnants of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which was established at the end of World War II. The WTO was established as a supreme-like international institution that created trade regulations and laws to oversee the global trade amongst its 146 nation members. United States was one of the first members, which was the leading force behind the creation of WTO. The intentions of this creation were to create more jobs and open frontiers for new opportunities for American businesses and citizens. With the establishment of WTO, U.S. jobs in manufacturing, agriculture, and service industries has increased by 11.7 million, and the unemployment rate declined from 6.1% to 4.5%. Although the WTO has brought success to wealthy countries such as United States and Western European countries, many argue that developing 3rd world countries are exploited and driven deeper in their economic chaos for the ben efit of the wealthy. Because of less trade restrictions, big corporations have been able to go into developing countries and use cheap labor for production as well as exploit the regional environment. The globalization of trade, which has been created by the WTO, enables countries to trade amongst each other on the same level playing field. Yet at the same time this globalization has enabled the WTO to have a monopoly over the global trade where WTO has the last word in every trade matter. United States being the forerunner for WTO must try to slow down this globalization so that some form of rules can be created that would protect the environment from exploitation and assure that economic development proceeds according to the principle of sustainable development. A general definition of sustainable development is, Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Sustai...

The Causes and Aims of World War One

The Causes and Aims of World War One The traditional explanation for the start of World War 1 concerns a domino effect. Once one nation went to war, usually defined as Austria-Hungary’s decision to attack Serbia, a network of alliances which tied the great European powers into two halves dragged each nation unwillingly into a war which spiraled ever larger. This notion, taught to schoolchildren for decades, has now been largely rejected. In The Origins of the First World War, p. 79, James Joll concludes: The Balkan crisis demonstrated that even apparently firm, formal alliances did not guarantee support and co-operation in all circumstances.† This doesn’t mean that the formation of Europe into two sides, achieved by treaty in the late nineteenth / early twentieth centuries, isn’t important, just that the nations were not trapped by them. Indeed, while they divided Europe’s major powers into two halves - The ‘Central Alliance’ of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, and the Triple Entente of France, Britain and Germany - Italy actually changed sides. In addition, the war was not caused, as some socialists and anti-militarists have suggested, by capitalists, industrialists or arms manufacturers looking to profit from conflict. Most industrialists stood to suffer in a war as their foreign markets were reduced. Studies have shown that industrialists did not pressure governments into declaring war, and governments did not declare war with one eye on the arms industry. Equally, governments did not declare war simply to try and cover up domestic tensions, like the independence of Ireland or the rise of socialists. Context: The Dichotomy of Europe in 1914 Historians recognize that all the major nations involved in the war, on both sides, had large proportions of their population who were not only in favor of going to war, but were agitating for it to happen as a good and necessary thing. In one very important sense, this has to be true: as much as politicians and the military might have wanted the war, they could only fight it with the approval – greatly varying, maybe begrudging, but present - of the millions of soldiers who went off to fight. In the decades before Europe went to war in 1914, the culture of the main powers was split in two. On the one hand, there was a body of thought – the one most often remembered now - that war had been effectively ended by progress, diplomacy, globalization, and economic and scientific development. To these people, who included politicians, large-scale European war had not just been banished, it was impossible. No sane person would risk war and ruin the economic interdependence of the globalizing world. At the same time, each nation’s culture was shot through with strong currents pushing for war: armaments races, belligerent rivalries and a struggle for resources. These arms races were massive and expensive affairs  and were nowhere clearer than the naval struggle between Britain and Germany, where each tried to produce ever more and larger ships. Millions of men went through the military via conscription, producing a substantial portion of the population who had experienced military indoctrination. Nationalism, elitism, racism and other belligerent thoughts were widespread, thanks to greater access to education than before, but an education that was fiercely biased. Violence for political ends was common  and had spread from Russian socialists to British women’s rights campaigners. Before war even began in 1914, the structures of Europe were breaking down and changing. Violence for your country was increasingly justified, artists rebelled and sought new modes of expression, new urban cultures were challenging the existing social order. For many, war was seen as a test, a proving ground, a way to define yourself which promised a masculine identity and an escape from the ‘boredom’ of peace. Europe was essentially primed for people in 1914 to welcome war as a way to recreate their world through destruction. Europe in 1913 was essentially a tense, warmongering place where, despite a current of peace and obliviousness, many felt war was desirable. The Flashpoint for War: the Balkans In the early twentieth century, the Ottoman Empire was collapsing, and a combination of established European powers and new nationalist movements were competing to seize parts of the Empire. In 1908 Austria-Hungary took advantage of an uprising in Turkey to seize full control of Bosnia-Herzegovina, a region they had been running but which was officially Turkish. Serbia was livid at this, as they wished to control the region, and Russia was also angry. However, with Russia unable to act militarily against Austria – they simply hadn’t recovered enough from the disastrous Russo-Japanese war – they sent a diplomatic mission to the Balkans to unite the new nations against Austria. Italy was next to take advantage and they fought Turkey in 1912, with Italy gaining North African colonies. Turkey had to fight again that year with four small Balkan countries over land there – a direct result of Italy making Turkey look weak and Russia’s diplomacy - and when Europe’s other major powers intervened no one finished satisfied. A further Balkan war erupted in 1913, as Balkan states and Turkey warred over territory again to try and make a better settlement. This ended once more with all partners unhappy, although Serbia had doubled in size. However, the patchwork of new, strongly nationalistic Balkan nations largely considered themselves to be Slavic, and looked to Russia as a protector against nearby empires like Austro-Hungary and Turkey; in turn, some in Russia looked at the Balkans as a natural place for a Russian-dominated Slavic group. The great rival in the region, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was afraid this Balkan nationalism would accelerate the breakdown of its own Empire  and was afraid Russia was going to extend control over the region instead of it. Both were looking for a reason to extend their power in the region, and in 1914 an assassination would give that reason. The Trigger: Assassination In 1914, Europe had been on the brink of war for several years. The trigger was provided on June 28th, 1914, when  Archduke Franz Ferdinand  of Austria-Hungary was visiting Sarajevo in Bosnia on a trip designed to irritate Serbia. A loose supporter of the ‘ Black Hand’, a Serbian nationalist group, was able to assassinate the Archduke after a comedy of errors. Ferdinand wasn’t popular in Austria – he had ‘only’ married a noble, not a royal - but they decided it was the perfect excuse to threaten Serbia. They planned to use an extremely  one-sided  set of demands to provoke a war – Serbia was never meant to actually agree to the demands – and fight to end Serbian independence, thus strengthening the Austrian position in the Balkans. Austria expected the war with Serbia, but in case of war with Russia, they checked with Germany beforehand if it would support them. Germany replied yes, giving Austria a ‘blank check’. The Kaiser and other civilian leaders believed swift action by Austria would seem like the result of emotion and the other Great Powers would stay out, but Austria prevaricated, eventually sending their note too late for it to look like anger. Serbia accepted all but a few clauses of the ultimatum, but not all, and Russia was willing to go to war to defend them. Austria-Hungary had not deterred Russia by involving Germany, and Russia had not deterred Austria-Hungary by risking the Germans: bluffs on both sides were called. Now the balance of power in Germany shifted to the military leaders, who finally had what they had been coveting for several years: Austria-Hungary, which had seemed loathe to support Germany in a war, was about to embark on a war in which Germany could take the initiat ive and turn into the much greater war it desired, while crucially retaining Austrian aid, vital for the  Schlieffen Plan. What followed was the five major nations of Europe – Germany and Austria-Hungary on one side, France, Russian and Britain on the other – all pointing to their treaties and alliances in order to enter into the war many in each nation had wanted. The diplomats increasingly found themselves sidelined and unable to stop events as the military took over. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia to see if they could win a war before Russia arrived, and Russia, who pondered just attacking Austria-Hungary,  mobilized  against both them and Germany, knowing this meant Germany would attack France. This let Germany claim victim status and mobilize, but because their plans called for a quick war to knock Russia’s ally France out before Russian troops arrived, they declared war on France, who declared war in response. Britain hesitated and then joined, using Germany’s invasion of Belgium to mobilize the support of the doubters in Britain. Italy, who had an agreement with Germany, refused to do anything. Many of these decisions  were  increasingly taken by the military, who gained ever more control of events, even from national leaders who sometimes got left behind: it took a while for the Tsar to be talked round by pro-war military, and the Kaiser wavered as the military carried on. At one point the Kaiser instructed Austria to cease trying to attack Serbia, but people in Germany’s military and government first ignored him, and then convinced him it was too late for anything but peace. Military ‘advice’ dominated over diplomatic. Many felt helpless, others elated. There were people who tried to prevent the war at this late stage, but many others were infected with jingoism and pushed on. Britain, who had the least explicit obligations, felt a moral duty to defend France, wished to put down German imperialism, and technically had a treaty guaranteeing Belgium’s safety. Thanks to the empires of these key belligerents, and thanks to other nations entering the conflict, the war soon involved much of the globe. Few expected the conflict to last more than a few months, and the public was generally excited. It would last until 1918, and kill millions. Some of those who expected a long war were Moltke, the head of the German army, and Kitchener, a key figure in the British establishment. War Aims: Why each Nation went to War Each nation’s government had slightly different reasons for going, and these are explained below: Germany: A Place in the Sun and Inevitability Many members of the German military and government were convinced that a war with Russia was inevitable given their competing interests in the land between them and the Balkans. But they had also concluded, not without justification, that Russia was militarily much weaker now than it would be should it continue to industrialize and modernize its army. France was also increasing its military capacity – a law making conscription last three years was passed against opposition – and Germany had managed to get stuck in a  naval race  with Britain. To many influential Germans, their nation was surrounded and stuck in an arms race it would lose if allowed to continue. The conclusion was that this inevitable war must be fought sooner, when it could be won, than later. War would also enable Germany to dominate more of Europe and expand the core of the German Empire east and west. But Germany wanted more. The German Empire was relatively young and lacked a key element that the other major empires – Britain, France, Russia – had: colonial land. Britain owned large parts of the world, France owned a lot too, and Russia had expanded deep into Asia. Other less powerful powers owned colonial land, and Germany coveted these extra resources and power. This craving for colonial land became known as them wanting ‘A Place in the Sun’. The German government thought that a victory would allow them to gain some of their rivals’ land. Germany was also determined to keep Austria-Hungary alive as a viable ally to their south  and support them in a war if necessary. Russia: Slavic Land and Government Survival Russia believed that the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires were collapsing  and that there would be a reckoning over who would occupy their territory. To many Russia, this reckoning would be largely in the Balkans between a pan-Slavic alliance, ideally dominated by (if not entirely controlled by) Russia, against a pan-German Empire. Many in the Russian court, in the ranks of the military officer class, in the central government, in the press and even among the educated, felt Russia should enter and win this clash. Indeed, Russia was afraid that if they didn’t act in decisive support of the Slavs, as they had failed to do in the Balkan Wars, that Serbia would take the Slavic initiative and destabilize Russia. In addition, Russia had lusted over Constantinople and the Dardanelles for centuries, as half of Russia’s foreign trade traveled through this narrow region controlled by the Ottomans. War and victory would bring greater trade security. Tsar Nicholas II was cautious, and a faction at court advised him against war, believing the nation would implode and revolution would follow. But equally, the Tsar was being advised by people who believed that if Russia didn’t go to war in 1914, it would be a sign of weakness which would lead to a fatal undermining of the imperial government, leading to revolution or invasion. France: Revenge and Re-conquest France felt it had been humiliated in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 – 71, in which Paris had been besieged and the French Emperor had been forced to personally surrender  with  his army. France was burning to restore its reputation and, crucially, gain back the rich industrial land of Alsace and Lorraine which Germany had won off her. Indeed, the French plan for war with Germany, Plan XVII, focused on gaining this land above everything else. Britain: Global Leadership Of all the European powers, Britain was arguably the least tied into the treaties which divided Europe into two sides. Indeed, for several years in the late nineteenth century, Britain had consciously kept out of European affairs, preferring to focus on its global empire while keeping one eye on the balance of power on the continent. But Germany had challenged this  because it too wanted a global empire, and it too wanted a dominant navy. Germany and Britain thus began a naval arms race in which politicians, spurred on by the press, competed to build ever stronger navies. The tone was one of violence, and many felt that Germany’s upstart aspirations would have to be forcibly slapped down. Britain was also worried that a Europe dominated by an enlarged Germany, as victory in a major war would bring, would upset the balance of power in the region. Britain also felt a moral obligation to aid France and Russia because, although the treaties they’d all signed didn’t require Britain to fight, it had basically agreed to, and if Britain remained out either her former allies would finish victorious but extremely bitter, or beaten and unable to support Britain. Equally playing on their mind was a belief that they had to be involved to maintain great power status. As soon as war began, Britain also had designs on German colonies. Austria-Hungary:  Long-Coveted  Territory Austria-Hungary was desperate to project more of its crumbling power into the Balkans, where a power vacuum created by the decline of the Ottoman Empire had allowed nationalist movements to agitate and fight. Austria was particularly angry at Serbia, in which a Pan-Slavic nationalism was growing which Austria feared would lead to either Russian domination in the Balkans, or the total ousting of Austro-Hungarian power. The destruction of Serbia was deemed vital in keeping Austria-Hungary together, as there were near twice as many Serbs within the empire as were in Serbia (over seven million, versus over three million). Revenging the death of  Franz Ferdinand  was low on the list of causes. Turkey: Holy War for Conquered Land Turkey entered into secret negotiations with Germany and declared war on the Entente in October 1914. They wanted to regain land which had been lost in both the Caucuses and Balkans, and dreamed of gaining Egypt and Cyprus from Britain. They claimed to be fighting a holy war to justify this. War Guilt / Who was to Blame? In 1919, in the Treaty of Versailles between the victorious allies and Germany, the latter had to accept a ‘war guilt’ clause which explicitly stated that the war was Germany’s fault. This issue – who was responsible for the war – has been debated by historians and politicians ever since. Over the years trends have come and gone, but the issues seem to have polarised like this: on one side, that Germany with their blank cheque to Austria-Hungary and rapid, two front mobilization was chiefly to blame, while on the other was the presence of a war mentality and colonial hunger among nations who rushed to into to extend their empires, the same mentality which had already caused repeated problems before war finally broke out. The debate has not broken down ethnic lines: Fischer blamed his German ancestors in the sixties, and his thesis has largely become the mainstream view. The Germans were certainly convinced war was needed soon, and the Austro-Hungarians were convinced they had to crush Serbia to survive; both were prepared to start this war. France and Russia were slightly different, in that they weren’t prepared to start the war, but went to lengths to make sure they profited when it occurred, as they thought it would. All five Great Powers were thus prepared to fight a war, all fearing the loss of their Great Power status if they backed down. None of the Great Powers was invaded without a chance to step back. Some historians go further: David Fromkin’s ‘Europe’s Last Summer’ makes a powerful case that the world war can be pinned on Moltke, head of the German General  Staff, a man who knew it would be a terrible, world changing war, but thought it inevitable and started it anyway. But  Joll  makes an interesting point: â€Å"What is more important than the immediate responsibility for the actual outbreak of war is the state of mind that was shared by all belligerents, a state of mind that envisaged the probable imminence of war and its absolute necessity in certain circumstances.† (Joll  and Martel, The Origins of the First World War, p. 131.) The Dates and Order of the Declarations of War

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Mercedes Benz Operations Management Essay

Executive Summary Daimler Mercedes-Benz is one of the most valuable companies around the world; it is ranked number ten out of 100 leading brands worldwide (Bestglobalbrands.com, 2014), Mercedes-Benz is part of Daimler AG which is one of the best leaders in automobiles brands. The Daimler AG brand aims to deliver services, value and premium quality to its customers. The company has 14 sub-companies that produce cars, vans, trucks, and financial services. It has more than 100 vehicle models in over 200 countries worldwide, offering high quality products is the company’s strategy and  goal. Daimler Mercedes-Benz cars have sold 1,565,563 million unit with revenues of over 64,307 million euros; with over 274,000 thousand employees in 2013, the company has also invested in plants and equipment worth over 3,751 billion euros (Daimler AG, 2013). This management report includes an in-depth study of the operations management inside the company, by covering the most important parts of the company such as manufacture, assembly line and warehouses management. The aim of this report is to study current issues as well as the status of the company and how changes in demand can be handled. At the end of this report, the conclusion and recommendations offer the company solutions to prevent any issues that they may face during the production life cycle. Part (A) A-I: Operations Management at Daimler Mercedes-Benz  Quality & Material Management Mercedes Benz’ manufacturers use a global quality management system to ensure that their automobile products meeting their standards, which in return increase customer loyalty to the brand. Producing high quality automobiles is the goal of Daimler- Mercedes’ strategy to meet the customer’s requirements, as well as opening a new road for new customers to experience Mercedes automobiles. Recently, the company has aimed to increase quality by adding extra environmentally friendly features to their products to help the global environment (Daimler AG, 2013). However, Mercedes Benz’ customer satisfaction can be damaged by quality worries. Alarms led the company to take the decision to recall over 250,000 cars from the year 2008 until late 2014 for mechanical and safety concerns at the assembly line. Mercedes recalled these vehicles to be serviced immediately for customer safety (Jensen, 2014). On the other hand, BMW had to recall fewer vehicles than Mercedes Benz, for immediate maintenance related to mechanical issues. Such issues could cause a crash due to a power fault in the engine (CBS Miami, 2014). Outsourcing outside Germany had increased this risk for Mercedes Benz, by decreasing the company quality and safety. The company recalled more than 55,000 vehicles that were produced in  China because of a faulty circuit made by the manufacturer (Wantchinatimes.com, 2014). These issues are related to the quality management of the company, and can decrease customer loyalty, which could lead them to consider changing to other brands. Quality and safety issues affect the company’s yearly ranking, which in return can increase or decrease their total revenues. Quality is one of the most important components for the company to keep ahead of the competition. Furthermore, according to (Miller and Lundegaard, 2002) Mercedes’ quality has to be bulletproof as the highest company priority, through closing any gaps that occurred through previous issues. The increasing numbers of sub-model cars can also affect the brand quality through increasing any risk issues once launched to the public. Furthermore, according to (Stephen, 2004) Mercedes customers have high expectations about the high quality promised by the company. In 2003, the company disappointed many customers when they sold over 2000 vehicles with an extra option for a navigation system, which were not ready to be delivered at the right time, also accompanied by other mechanical issues. On the other hand, the company made an announcement about its new high quality hydraulic breaking system, which increased its competitiveness in terms of safety and quality against other competitors in the industry. Our company should make sure that manufacturers deliver products with the highest design specification, in order to be order-winner quality conformance, by delivering products with no defects (Hill and Hill, 2012). Furthermore, improvements in quality lead to a decrease in cost for the company. According to (Evans, 1997) higher quality products lead to a decrease in costs for the company through higher productivity: ‘improvements in quality leads to lower cost because of less re-work, fewer mistakes, fewer delays and snags’ (Evans 1997, P.55). Speed According to (Hill and Hill, 2012), synchronising all supply chain activities through using the same data, and completing production at the scheduled time, coordinated between the manufacturer and suppliers, enables manufacturers to respond quickly to the demand changes. Therefore, synchronisation ensures that our manufacturers are able to deliver products faster and more flexibly to the customers. Furthermore, Daimler Mercedes-Benz understand what customers are looking for, therefore the company is expanding our dealers network to meet the customer requirements for vehicle availability. Our company’s relationship with the current suppliers is improving every day to minimise any risk of supplying defective vehicles (Automotivesupplychain.org, 2013). In addition, working closely with suppliers reflects positively on our brand’s customer service. In 2008, the company faced a problem with one of its suppliers, which caused a delay in one of our products models. The supplier was supposed to deliver special battery materials to the manufacturer’s warehouses (Ireson, 2008). However, the supplier refused to meet Mercedes-Benz’ requirements, which caused a delay in delivery and to use of low quality batteries which were defective. Our company is using the powerful application to manage our suppliers, this application is called SAP, it is making our supply chain management more efficient, flexible, and at the lowest cost. The SAP solves any gaps in the company’s capabilities by using the supply chain fingerprint system to scan all the parts and materials; these technologies is helping the company to reduce any extra cost (mSE Solutions, 2012). In addition, the SAP increases the flexibility of our manufacture as well as increasing the speed of delivery for the customers, through just in time (JIT). It does this by enabling many features for the dealer to calculate the vehicle price of the order during the order stage and at the same time getting an order-number to track the order. All these steps are integrated together into the supply chain management system, and are informed by each stage of the order (Infosys, 2005). This synchronises the information in real-time, reflecting on the company strategy to change with demand. Also, there are advantages in using the SAP application to manage our company warehouses where the company stores materials for vehicles. By sending orders for the warehouse to get ready to deliver an order to the assembly line, this can achieved by using the just in time (JIT) efficient method for manufacturing. In the meantime, this creates an extra space for new materials in the storage area at the  warehouse; the SAP system will already be sending a new order to fill and stack those storage areas for future orders from the system (Bayigen, 2012). All these measures combine to increase the speed, therefore reducing the cost of manufacture, and maintaining dependability in an efficient way. For our company dependability is an important factor of the company’s success, it reduces any ambiguity within the supply chain management (Slack et al., 2012). Dependability and Flexibility Our company had dependability issues in 2014. This dependability issue started after launching the new high quality CLA-Class model at an affordable price. Dealers of Mercedes-Benz could not deliver the new model on time, meaning customers had to wait at least two months until they are available in stock. Not keeping up with high demand could lead to loss of brand-loyal customers or interested buyers who are willing to trade in or paying cash immediately. This makes our company less flexible in terms of adapting to changes in customer demand (Flierl, 2014). Cost Our company differentiation strategy to produce high quality luxury cars is inspiring in itself, in terms of the creation of unique high quality vehicles that exceed our customers’ expectations. Our company charges a premium price for most of its models. This differentiation strategy helps the company to increase the brand image positively in our customers’ eyes, by including high-end technology and unique services (Tanwar, 2013). Also, our company provide different vehicles types with unique colours including high variety and volume to attract new costumers as well as reducing the unit cost from the supplier side. On the other hand, our company variation in demand is high due to the complexity of the production and the way that we keep in touch with the demand. A-II: Process Management at Daimler Mercedes-Benz Process management is a vital part of our company success. According to (Slack et al., 2012), operations and process management can break the whole business at any stage or place when they are managed in the wrong way. Furthermore, processes at Daimler Mercedes-Benz are internationally the same. Our processes include inputs, via a transformation stage, to create and deliver high quality outputs that meet the customer expectations and more. Customers’ orders are processed through the operations system as soon as they ask for a particular model. Types of Daimler Mercedes-Benz customers 1) Customers asking for a particular model through the dealer: Most of the time, Mercedes-Benz dealers have all the models in the showroom and ready to be sold. In the case of high demand for a model, dealers will have to order a new delivery from our company in order to manage the demand. 2) Customers asking for a particular model through the website: The company’s website gives customers details about car models. The website also allows customer to customise their desired car by adding extra features to the interior or exterior of the car model. Furthermore, when the customer is at the order-check out, it will automatically locate the nearest dealer to the customer to confirm the order. Once the dealer confirms the order, the order is entered into the SAP application and sent to the manufacturer. Where our company has already launched the new vehicle model, these models are produced using these processes: Advanced Design Process Daimler Mercedes-Benz’ models are designed by 440 designers from all over the world, from countries including the United States of America, Europe, and Asia. These designers are responsible for designing future cars using their creativity and imagination. Our company has invested millions of dollars into building high technology designing studios to meet the future of these  automobiles. Here, designers are involved in the development of each model through strategic management, to operation management of the vehicle design. Designers at Mercedes Benz control the design process as well as the model’s lifecycle, from the drawing stage to the stage where the interior and exterior meets the company’s quality standards. From here, the design is moved into a virtual digital design on computers, to add features and a superior look. The design process takes a long time, in some cases more than three years (Media.daimler.com, 2010). According to (Slack et al., 2012), designing process types depend on the complexity of the project. Mercedes-Benz vehicles tend to take too long to be designed, making their projects low volume as well as having a high variety of projects. The design process is sent to the board of management at our company with a planned schedule for the production life cycle. Approval is sought from the board of management: this stage of accepting or rejecting the new design impacts on the production process. The production process then involves the body shop and the assembly line. The Body and paint Shop (Raw Materials and Workers job commitment) High technology robots create the vehicle bodies including the metal shell. After the board of management have accepted the new vehicle design, the robots transform the design concept into reality by producing the body parts. Over 1200 robots are in daily operation at Mercedes Benz U.S. International, in order to increase the speed of production. These robots are used to guarantee quality and fast delivery. This means the workers can knows exactly when supplies are coming. This ensures that the line is not stacked with vehicle parts in order to make the process more flexible. Furthermore, the SAP application helps to reduce the chance of late delivery by ensuring that the parts are on time and by checking availability of the materials at the warehouses. Our company ensures that customer quality and safety standards are met by increasing the welding parts to more than 5000 welds on each vehicle. When the process is done, engineers have to check the quality of the vehicle as well as following the ‘just in time’ method in sending them on to the next process. Workers at the body shop are well  trained to meet standards such as safety and cleanliness of the work place (Mbusi.com, 2012). The Assembly Line Implementing innovation in the Mercedes-Benz assembly line is one of its drivers to success. An example of this is our assembly line at Mercedes Benz U.S. International which contains four lines. When parts are finished at the paint shop, our assembly line and its workers are ready to build up the final vehicle shape. Our strategy makes the assembly line moves while the workers are working, which decreases waste in terms of time. Suppliers respond to our strategy to be environmentally friendly by using re-usable plastic packages. At the end of the assembly line stage, there is a new stage of quality checks, including a rattle test, wheel alignment test, roll test, and shower test. These all ensure that the quality meets the company standards. After the quality check results are confirmed (Mbusi.com, 2012), the vehicles are made ready for worldwide shipping by transporting them to the marshalling yard, containing the transportation areas. Customer Service Strategy At Daimler Mercedes-Benz, customer service plays a big role in the brand image. It helps the company to ensure that customers are satisfied and their expectations are met. To satisfy customers, their perception of the product needs to match the delivered product (Johnston et al, 2012). Our company had created a new service called customer service assistant system CSA in order to provide customers with a broad range of services in each country. This customer service assistant system is available 24/7in order to assist owners of the vehicles, so they can be in contact with any issues that may occur. Furthermore, the company is also investing in research for future customer needs. Staff can speak many languages, making the service more efficient and more flexible. The CSA allows customers to complain about any issues relating to their vehicle. The CSA system studies and checks each issue, while also sending the customer to their nearest Mercedes-Benz dealer to resolve the issue as soon as possible. This strategy helps our company to  ensure that the functionality of the customer services meets and exceeds customers’ expectations (sustainability.daimler.com, 2012). The company’s current customer services include: Safe-Driving courses for the safety of the owners Rescue services booklet 24/7 emergency breakdown assistance Financial services After-sales services According to (Hill and Hill, 2012), quality is determined by how well a company’s services meet their customers’ requirements and expectations. Our company CSA system is meeting the customers’ expectations by contacting them after their purchase to ensure that they are happy with the service. Including customers by ask for recommendations. This strategy provides our company with extra information about areas that we should cover in the future, which increases the company sales revenue; and decreases vehicle defects, which saves time. Furthermore, accepting customers’ complaints helps our company to look again at how the manufacturer produces car models in the future. This ensures that our customers are satisfied by the services provided. The after-sales services should be prepared for any mistake in the manufacture, by informing customers one-by-one once any issues have been discovered. Inventory Management At Daimler Mercedes-Benz, each region has its own warehouse where the company stores all the parts of the car models. Each region has its own geographic areas where temperatures can range from below zero degrees to over 35 degrees. These parts are either sent to the manufacture or to the after-sales services. Furthermore, our company is the owner of the most warehouses across the world. Our company uses SAP to control these parts in each region. However, the company failed to ensure that the warehouses were ready to send vehicles for its new CLA model. This is an alarm for the company, warning it to look into the system in order to catch up with high demand. It also shows that there was a time-waste issue between delivering  the materials to the manufacturers and new orders for new materials to be stocked in the warehouses. This may cause issues in the future when it comes to high demand orders. There may be an increased risk of unavailable parts. Furthermore, when the inventory management fails to catch up with demand by putting customers in queues, this can make these customers unhappy, which can affect the company’s revenue in other ways (Slack et al., 2012). Purchasing and Supply Chain Management Our company is facing material shortages from the suppliers. These shortages notified our managers to focus more on research from around the world, in order to implement new ideas by finding solutions. At Mercedes-Benz’ our suppliers are local suppliers in each country, working under specific conditions and requirements. The aim in commissioning local suppliers is to reduce time, so materials can be delivered to the ware house ‘just in time’, further decreasing extra costs for the company (BayIgen, 2012). One of the issues that faced our company when a certain supplier was not able to deliver batteries on time was the resulting delay in the production process. This delay affected customer demand, causing customers to look at other products. Therefore, the company is now using the SAP application to manage their suppliers. The Process Chart A-III: Lean Management at Mercedes Benz At Mercedes-Benz, lean management has been in place for more than 15 years; lean management is a vital part of our operation management. This is achieved through using the Mercedes-Benz production system (MPS), which refers to: layout, standards, tools of the production, and the methods for operating our company plants worldwide. Furthermore, MPS is divided into two systems: one for training and the other for support. The MPS training centre ensures that our trained experts are working hard and are well motivated on the production line as well. It also ensures that improvements are made by managers, meeting the minimum company requirements and standards. The  process of training employees and managers at Mercedes-Benz takes more than six months. This involves the employees in the operation processes, in order to deliver the quality of services that our customer expects. MPS trainees receive one type of training that covers the theories and four types of training that put what they have learnt into practice. MPS aims to enhance communications between the plants, leading our company to ensure that lean synchronisation processes are well constructed, in order to eliminate waste. A significant approach to eliminating waste of time is used by our company. When the our workforce understands exactly how important high quality is to the company, each employee has the experience and is well enough equipped with the minimum tools to do the given job role. Then the employee can find the car set up, with the tools next to him and ready to be used (Daimler AG, 2012). A new strategy has been developed by the company to take a closer look at customer demand. This strategy is based on launching our products in public. At the same time the plant has started production of a new model to test and catch up with demand in each country, by applying the lean and just in time principles to reduce overproduction as well as producing what our customer needs at a given time, and delivering a high quality car model (Azok, 2014). This new strategy strengthens our company view on demand as well as producing high quality car models as soon as possible, meeting our customers’ expectations. Other plants around the world are, one by one, each month, preparing to start production. It is clear that the company is doing its best to forecast customer demand. Furthermore, according to (Slack et al., 2012), implementing lean synchronisation in a company operations means that they can produce at the lowest possible cost and the highest quality. This is achieved through delivering exactly what the customers expect from the company. Also, applying this method our plants in other countries, to produce cars at different times, enables our company to handle any mistakes or errors that may occur at the first plant by compensating and changing at other plants. Thus, it will decrease quality issues, since information can be shared between our plants ‘just in time’. In return, this will ensure that efficiency and improvement principles are in place, reducing costs as well as eliminating unnecessary steps. The ‘just in time’ (JIT) concept of Mercedes-Benz is similar to Toyota’s concept. The assembly line at Mercedes-Benz can handle producing new models, reducing the time needed to build a new assembly line and to commission new plants. This represents a cost incentive for the company. Since the assembly lines at our company are able to handle new models, this will decrease the setup time, which in return will reduce waste of resources. According to (Evans, 1997), setup time reduction will increase the flexibility of the production line by decreasing the production time as well as decreasing the inventory; furthermore, it increases company productivity. The similarities between Mercedes-Benz’ production system (MPS) and Toyota’s production system lie in their JIT, pull production and kanban systems. These enable both companies to produce any quantity of vehicles depending on demand. They help the company to use available materials depending on the demand level. At this point, our company is going to replace containers of used materials with new containers by asking our long-term suppliers to send a new order. This uses a high technology card that can be removed from the container and scanned using the MPS system. It then sends the new order to our supplier. In this way, MPS minimises the inventory as well as using minimum inputs to produce the highest outputs (Clarke, 2006). Our company has already received many awards for its lean production as well as for reducing the production of many models from 43 to 30 hours in 2015. This is enabled by our lean production system, which has reduced waste in terms of time (Hamprecht, 2012). Part (B) Capacity Management at Mercedes Benz Daimler Mercedes-Benz’ capacity management failed to chase the demand for our new CLA model. According to (Hill and Hill, 2012), capacity means serving customers by delivering products through matching the organisation’s resources to current demand. Our company could not cope with the high volume of requests for this model due to an inaccurate estimation of demand. The management team needs to be more efficient in chasing demand by tweaking the  output to match the current demand of this model. This would start with hiring more labour and asking workers if they are able to take overtime shifts in order to fulfil the high volume production. This could then decrease the number of customers who were dissatisfied by the delay, waiting for more than three months in the queue. Also, since that our company already has a long-term strategy for achieving high demand, the company should consider asking the nearest plants outside the country whether they have products ready to be dispatched directly. Weak cooperation between those countries could cause delays. The complexity of the operation process affected the delivery of the CLA model. The management team could have waited longer before launching the model to the public, by checking all the available resources. Nevertheless, our company manufacturers were not ready to deliver ready products on time to the customers. This led to a hard decision for managers to decide what is best for both the company and customers. The decision to make customers wait in queues for three months until this model is available is, in the customers’ eyes, harming our company’s image. Furthermore, the warning signs of being out of stock were not checked properly; from this it is clear that our staff should be more skilled. Also, asking for recalls for defective models due to manufacturing issues, affects the quality of the production inside the manufacturer as well as our customers will be unhappy. Quality is a high priority problem, which negatively affects our company relationship with the customers, leading to queues, as with the shortage of CLA models. Lack of dependability and flexibility can decrease our company sales revenue as well as increasing in costs, which in return reduces our lean synchronisation. The company was aware of these risks yet our company decided to launch the new CLA model. Our company is already scheduling our future growth by investing in expanding our capacity. This will lead our company being more flexible in the future, as well as better able to serve high customer demand. Our company has realised that there is a lack of space for expansions in many places, therefore our company is looking to find more locations to build up new assembly lines to enhance our production (Daimler.com, 2013). It is  important that the company should always attempt to catch up with demand to ensure that our customers are satisfied, as well as to increase our sales revenues. An automobile manufacturer should always match the existing material flow with production, and also ensure that the company record the capacity planning in order to get more details about our actual capacity. This will enable our company to control the demand properly. Also, when our company could not control the demand, this led the company to face many challenges relating to our supply chain management. When a company cannot meet customer demand, this makes it more difficult for the company to manage their capacity. This complexity is called the ‘bullwhip effect’, suppliers should expand their current capacity in order to be more flexible to catch up with the high demand on the materials (University Alliance, 2015). Capacity management has many levels. In the case of our company, the capacity level depends on demand, especially as most of the services that Mercedes-Benz offer are related to physical materials such as vehicles and service parts. This is considered to be a mixed long-term capacity which depends on demand. The demand forecast in our company is different from one year to another. Accurately forecasting the demand means that our company has the ability to evaluate uncertain risks that may occur. Also there is a value in operational terms, in knowing our company’s limits: knowing what we can and cannot do. On the other hand, our company already has experts who control our capacity. Controlling capacity means planning at an advanced level for companies to be well-prepared in terms of: responding to uncertain changes in terms of demand; and controlling the inventory and warehouses so that inputs are ready to be transformed into outputs. This will benefit companies and manufacturers in terms of increasing revenues, and through establishing an organisation where high demand places pressure on the parties inside the company (Slack et al., 2012). Part (C) Conclusion and Recommendations Dependability is an important factor that can help the supply chain to deal  with high demand. According to (Slack et al., 2012), focusing on dependability at an earlier point may reduce uncertainty about any risks that the manufacturer may face. This is especially important when it comes to dealing with quantities; our manufactures should focus more on delivering products on time. Dealers should be prepared for such an event and could be warned by the manufacture of high demand in order to be prepared to be flexible at an earlier stage in the order. Covering a high demand of orders from customers is important. In order to satisfy them, our company should be more flexible to reduce the impact of any events that may occur. The company should address quality issues at an earlier stage. The company already conducts high quality checks on each process and stage. It is highly recommended to report any concerns that may appear during the product life cycle. Reporting these at an earlier stage will give our company extra time to find proper solutions. In the case of covering the inventory management, our company failed with the new CLA model. The company should consider looking again at the whole warehouse system. It is recommended that the operations manager should focus on increasing the physical quantity stored in warehouses inside the company, in order to anticipate future demand as well as increasing the company’s value to its customers. Also, since that our company is the owner of most of the warehouses, it is a competitive advantage to never be out of stock, even when the demand is increasing. Furthermore, the warehouses at Daimler Mercedes-Benz should become more efficient through using the SAP application. The company should consider giving more opportunities for the employees to gain more skills and experiences. Since our company is investing in capacity, it is also a competitive advantage for us to always be ahead of demand; this will ensure that the company increases levels of customer satisfaction, whereby products meet customer demand. Being able to forecast the demand on a daily basis will help the company to decide whether they should invest more in capacity or reduce the number of suppliers. Mercedes-Benz should focus more on suppliers’ entry requirements and how a long-term or short-term arrangement can be an advantage or disadvantage for the company. Managing suppliers in an effective way will reduce any extra cost as well as making sure that our suppliers realise the company requirements in terms of JIT. In addition, our company should enhance its relationships with all suppliers. This will ensure that the suppliers are happy when they are dealing with our company and are not likely to provide the company with defective products. 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