Chinese Chops - The History and Usage of Chinese Seals

The Chinese chop or seal is used in Taiwan and China to sign documents, artwork, and other paperwork. The Chinese chop is most commonly made from stone, but can also be made in plastic, ivory, or metal. There are three Mandarin Chinese names for the Chinese chop or seal. The seal is most commonly called Ã¥  °Ã©â€˜â€˜ (yà ¬n jià  n) or Ã¥  °Ã§ «   (yà ¬nzhÄ ng). It is also sometimes called Ã¥Å"â€"ç «   / å› ¾Ã§ «   (tà ºzhÄ ng). The Chinese chop is used with a red paste called æÅ" ±Ã§  â€š (zhÃ… «shÄ ). The chop is pressed lightly into the æÅ" ±Ã§  â€š (zhÃ… «shÄ ) then the image is transferred to paper by applying pressure to the chop. There may be a soft surface beneath the paper to ensure a clean transfer of the image. The paste is kept in a covered jar when not in use to prevent it from drying out. History of the Chinese Chop Chops have been a part of Chinese culture for thousands of years. The earliest known seals date from the Shang Dynasty (商æÅ"  - shÄ ng chà ¡o), which ruled from 1600 BC to 1046 BC. Chops became widely used during the Warring States period (æˆ °Ã¥Å"‹æ™‚ä » £ / 战å› ½Ã¦â€" ¶Ã¤ » £ - Zhà  nguà ³ Shà ­dà  i) from 475 BC to 221 BC when they were used for signing official documents. By the time of the Han Dynasty (æ ¼ ¢Ã¦Å"  / æ ±â€°Ã¦Å"  - Hà  n Chà ¡o) of 206 BC to 220 AD, the chop was an essential part of Chinese culture. During the history of the Chinese chop, Chinese characters have evolved. Some of the changes made to characters over the centuries have been related to the practice of carving seals. For example, during the Qin Dynasty (ç § ¦Ã¦Å"  - Qà ­n Chà ¡o - 221 to 206 BC), Chinese characters had a round shape. The need to carve them on a square chop led to the characters themselves taking on a square and even shape. Uses For Chinese Chops Chinese seals are used by individuals as signatures for many kinds of official documents, such as legal papers and bank transactions. Most of these seals simply bear the owners name and are called Ã¥ §â€œÃ¥  Ã¥  ° (xà ¬ngmà ­ng yà ¬n). There are also seals for less formal uses, such as signing personal letters. And there are seals for artworks, created by the artist and which add a further artistic dimension to the painting or calligraphic scroll. Seals which are used for government documents usually bear the name of the office, rather than the name of the official. Current Use of Chops Chinese chops are still used for a wide variety of purposes in Taiwan and Mainland China. They are used as identification when signing for a parcel or registered mail or signing checks at the bank. Since seals are hard to forge and should only be accessible to the owner, they are accepted as proof of ID. Signatures are sometimes required along with the chop stamp, the two together being an almost failsafe method of identification. Chops are also used for conducting business. Companies must have at least one chop for signing contracts and other legal documents. Large companies may have chops for each department. For example, the finance department may have its own chop for bank transactions, and the human resources department may have a chop for signing employee contracts. Since chops have such an important legal significance, they are carefully managed. Businesses must have a system for controlling the use of chops, and will often require written information each time a chop is used. Managers must keep track of the location of chops and make a report each time a company chop is used. Acquiring a Chop If you are living in Taiwan or China, you will find it easier to conduct business if you have a Chinese name. Have a Chinese colleague help you select an appropriate name, then have a chop made. The cost ranges from about $5 to $100 depending on the size and the material of the chop. Some people prefer to carve their own chops. Artists in particular often design and carve their own seals which are used on their artworks, but anyone with an artistic bent may enjoy creating their own seal. Seals are also a popular souvenir which can be bought in many tourist areas. Often the vendor will provide a Chinese name or slogan along with the Western spelling of the name.

How I Address Conflicts Can Be A Difficult Task For Your...

Taking a step backwards to examine the conflicts you experience in your personal and professional life can be a difficult task. Gaining perspective on matters in which you carry deeply rooted emotions or have a large personal stake can be a challenge for even the most mature and established persons. This paper will attempt to take that step backwards and examine the conflicts I currently face in regards to my family, friends, coworkers, and society. After taking these things into considering I will attempt to forecast how these situations will influence conflict in my future. To gain a better understanding of how I address conflicts we must examine my origins and current position in life. Currently I am 29, soon to be married, a senior in college, five years into my career as a water professional, and I reside in a middle to lower income neighborhood in Norfolk, VA. I was raised in the rural grassfield area of southern Chesapeake, VA. 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Supply Chain Management of the Amazon-Free Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Supply Chain Management of the Amazon. Answer: Introduction Supply chain management deals with the procedures as well as methods involved for the management of products and services, the flow of the goods from their manufacturing units to the target consumers, which generally includes the processing of goods, their distribution procedures and transportation. The supply chain management merges all the layers along with the decisions related to marketing, desires and expectations of the customers in relation to the goals and strategies of the organization (Abbasi Nilsson, 2016). Amazon Company is being taken as an example for establishing this report on supply chain management. Started off as an online bookstore, the website now sells diversified items. Founded in the year 1994, by Jeff Bezos, the industry is now a largest retailer across the world and second largest after Alibaba, in terms of market capitalization and total revenue. The company also manufactures electronic items for the consumers like, Kindle e-readers, Echo, Fire TV and Fire Tablets. They also produce basic products like clothes, accessories, utensils and more. In the year 2015, the company has been regarded as the most valuable retailer in terms of market capitalization, at United States (Ahi Searcy, 2013). The report highlights the supply chain management processes of the company. The report throws light on the supply chain management of the industry chosen and being the supply chain manager of that organization, an analysis is done. It is done on the effectiveness of the four key flows, the make process and the supply chain forecasting. In addition to this, the report consists of some recommendations for improvements in the supply chain processes of the company. The key flows in Supply Chain The strategy of Supply Chain Management of the Amazon Company fits with their competitive strategy that has been the target consumers retailer choice. The combination of the multi-tier management, superlative transportation, efficient usage of Information Technology as well as the warehouses wider network, has assisted a lot by aligning the companys Supply Chain Management as well as their competitive strategies. The other aspect is related to the companys outsourcing of its inventory management. The company implements some strategy for the products which are not frequently purchased by the consumers or those which requires urgent delivery. They outsource their distribution as well as storage of items, which also consists of the goods where costs of storage are more than the marginal returns of sales (Ahi, P., Searcy, 2015). Amazon stocks purchased items and frequently ordered products at their warehouses, which assists them in being responsive towards consumer needs and demands. They hesitate on compromising the delivery and lead times as well. In other words, segregating inventory enables the company to respond to their consumers more effectively. Moreover, it helps Amazon by cutting the costs and slacks where needed. The company differentiates their consumers and segregates them into segments based on their demands by following certain strategies of price differentiation (Mangan Lalwani, 2016). The deliveries are of various forms, such as first class delivery, one day delivery, super saver or free delivery and prime customers delivery. The company provides its consumers with several options and alternatives for the available segments. Firstly, the consumers have an option of spending extra money for receiving their products delivery faster. Secondly, they can even depend on the usual delivery time of the product. Coupled with the inventory outsourcing, customer segmentation and the price differentiation strategies have helped the company to bear with the dynamic fluctuations and changes (Awudu Zhang, 2017). Amazon Companys Supply Chain Management is evolving due to its market growth. For instance; the company started as an online bookstore and acted as a middleman or intermediary between the buyers and sellers. The company did not stock their own items. Gradually, this strategy helped them in holding some of the goods at their warehouses. Currently, the company is hugely following push and pull strategies. The push strategy is the inventory and pull strategies include the shipments of all the items. In addition to this, the company blindly follows pull strategy for the goods they dont stock. However, the Supply Chain Managements discussion is incomplete without their multi tier inventory systems analysis. The first tier of the multi inventory system deals with the distribution centers aggregation, which enables the company to hold fewer inventories and to respond to the customers demands in a dynamic manner (Barney, 2012). The second tier consists of the partner distribution centers and the wholesalers as well. Whenever, an item which is ordered by the consumer, is not available at the enterprises distribution centers, Amazon completely depends on their wholesalers and the partners for supplying the required products to the customers. Furthermore, by implementing real time as well as sophisticated strategies of information technology, Amazon can however, leverage their effectiveness in the distribution. The third or last tier consists of the networks of third party sellers, manufacturers, publishers and vendors who enable the company to act as a mediating link for fulfilling the customers orders by linking them to the tiers (Beske, Land Seuring, 2014). Figure: Key Flows in Supply Chain (Source: Created by Author) The Make Process Amazon is one of the largest retailers across the world. The company does not only have plans of growing into biggest logistics company but also, they want to revolutionize other industries. Presently, the company has made some investments in their procedures and capabilities of supply chain management (Jacobs Chase, 2013). In near future, they also have plans for handling sufficient shipments, other than the courier companies as well as special delivery postal. The company is also planning for building their own streamlined delivery systems and procedures, which may help in replacing their established specialists. In addition to this, the company has also signed a deal for expanding their services which may increase their market profitability (Brandenburg et al., 2014). Amazon sells their own merchandise to their target customers and also operates in the market place. The major difference is that the gross merchandise values of the marketplace and the monetary values of all the items, which are being sold on their platform. Moreover, information technology benefits the manufacturing procedures and processes by reducing manual work and labor intensive work (Mc Cormack Johnson, 2016). It also proves advantageous for the warehouse management. After the completion of the production, the consumer goods manufacturers start packaging their items inside cartons, which is then delivered to the warehouse of purchasing company. The cargos used for sending the products to the destinations, first visit the warehouse. It becomes problematic to keep a track of all those cartons. In addition to this, it is time and labor consuming procedure (Brindley, 2017). Figure: Planning and Control (Source: Created by Author) The implementation of information technology is done in such crisis situations to ease the procedures as it assists in managing all information and keeping a record of the numbers of cartons. Every individual unit is installed with tags that help in information storage of the warehouses computers (Heizer, 2016). At each warehouses entrance, reading as well as writing devices is installed, as it benefits by registering all information of the cargos going in or out. It becomes easier for management centers for managing a number of products as well as items, which moves inside and outside the storage system. Furthermore, it acts as a major segment for the recognition of cargos and sending them to the replacement units whenever they stop working. The reading as well as writing devices benefits the strategic planning and management of the location of the products inside the warehouse (Christopher, 2016). The application of information technology also benefits the distribution procedures of Amazon. It benefits the company by accelerating their delivery speed to a huge extent. It increases accuracy and improves efficiency in selecting and distributing procedures as well. It is advantageous for managing the warehouse, locating the goods is done in an efficient manner, recording the goods assists in planning of the products location more strategically. Furthermore, it helps in reducing the costs of distribution; along with keeping a track record of all the goods and items, by registering them at the distribution centers system (Coyle et al., 2016). The supply chain forecasting Proper forecasting is essential for any organization or industry, as it ensures in having enough supply in hand, in order to satisfy the demands and desires of the consumers. Business analysts utilize the systems of logistics and supply chain management as well as some other tools, in order to forecast the demands in advance. Amazon uses forecasting techniques to increase the satisfaction of the consumers, reduce the inventory stock outs, schedule the production effectively, lowering the safety requirements of stocks, reduce obsolescence costs of products, manage the shipping better, improve price and promote management (Fawcett, Ellram Ogden, 2013). This information helps in putting the boxes properly and that too in correct locations by sorting them quickly and efficiently. In addition to this, they are also dispatched to the retailers at less time span and with huge accuracy. It enables the inventory controls accuracy, as the products are scanned and registered automatically on r eaching their destination units. Therefore, it highly accelerates the delivery speed, at the same time improving their efficiency and increasing their accuracy. Furthermore, it helps in reducing the time and their distribution costs (Dekker et al., 2013). Figure: Forecasting Model (Source: Created by Author) The three major forecast types used within supply chains context are; demand forecasting to investigate the demands and requirements of the buyers, supply forecasting to know about the current suppliers and producers and lastly, the price forecast, which is the compilation of demands and supplys information. Forecasting abilities of any business varies from organization to organization. In order to improve the forecasting abilities, one needs to understand the size of the demands and the uncertainty drivers (Gereffi Fernandez-Stark, 2016). The demand planning and strategy needs to be kept simple. The organizations should always have backup plans as well as change their strategies when needed. Amazon has been utilizing the forecasting technique in a brilliant way for the movement of their supply chain. It utilizes the tags for labeling all the equipments that assist in tracking and recording the movements easily, keeping it secured and safe. With the implementation of several technol ogies, the items are safely stored and tagged (Govindan, Soleimani Kannan, 2015). Previously, the whole activity was done by the security guards. They checked each and every items serial number by matching those with a list, which consisted of the details of those items. Therefore, supply chain management has proven to be advantageous for the company, as it helped in lessening the labor costs and time as well. Modern days competitive environment calls for new and innovative measures implementation in the supply chain management of the companies (Green Jr et al., 2012). Each and every company looks out for innovative ways to improve their own supply chains and its application. They are upgrading the supply chain systems or even implementing a new one in order to compete with the other companies. The implementation must be planned and strategically made, keeping in mind the pros and cons (Grant, Wong Trautrims, 2017). Recommendations In conclusion, some recommendations are made for the improvement of the companys supply chain management. Amazon can implement these strategies for making their supply chain world class and a source of advantage in the competitive field. The company relies on their courier services to a large extent. Therefore, they can undertake strategies for creating their own transportation through delivery vehicles and personnel, which will be advantageous for them. They can also improve their supply chain management by shifting from the model of cooperation to the coordination mode. In addition to this, it would enable information sharing between their partners and their suppliers as well, with the assistance of innovative and latest information technology. This will benefit them by creating a unified system of information technology. Therefore, it will call for significant investments as well as newly modified and innovative business models and strategies; where the company will not work in is olation; instead it will benefit them by bringing in all necessary as well as important elements and components for the supply chain management. References Abbasi, M., Nilsson, F. (2016). Developing environmentally sustainable logistics: Exploring themes and challenges from a logistics service providers perspective.Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment,46, 273-283. Ahi, P., Searcy, C. (2013). A comparative literature analysis of definitions for green and sustainable supply chain management.Journal of Cleaner Production,52, 329-341. Ahi, P., Searcy, C. (2015). An analysis of metrics used to measure performance in green and sustainable supply chains.Journal of Cleaner Production,86, 360-377. Awudu, I., Zhang, J. (2017). Uncertainties and sustainability concepts in biofuel supply chain management: A review.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,16(2), 1359-1368. Barney, J. B. (2012). Purchasing, supply chain management and sustained competitive advantage: The relevance of resource?based theory.Journal of supply chain management,48(2), 3-6. Beske, P., Land, A., Seuring, S. (2014). Sustainable supply chain management practices and dynamic capabilities in the food industry: A critical analysis of the literature.International Journal of Production Economics,152, 131-143. Brandenburg, M., Govindan, K., Sarkis, J., Seuring, S. (2014). Quantitative models for sustainable supply chain management: Developments and directions.European Journal of Operational Research,233(2), 299-312. Brindley, C. (Ed.). (2017).Supply chain risk. Taylor Francis. Christopher, M. (2016).Logistics supply chain management. Pearson UK. Coyle, J. J., Langley, C. J., Novack, R. A., Gibson, B. (2016).Supply chain management: a logistics perspective. Nelson Education. Dekker, R., Fleischmann, M., Inderfurth, K., van Wassenhove, L. N. (Eds.). (2013).Reverse logistics: quantitative models for closed-loop supply chains. Springer Science Business Media. Fawcett, S. E., Ellram, L. M., Ogden, J. A. (2013).Supply Chain Management: Pearson New International Edition: From Vision to Implementation. Pearson Higher Ed. Gereffi, G., Fernandez-Stark, K. (2016). Global value chain analysis: a primer. Govindan, K., Soleimani, H., Kannan, D. (2015). Reverse logistics and closed-loop supply chain: A comprehensive review to explore the future.European Journal of Operational Research,240(3), 603-626. Grant, D. B., Wong, C. Y., Trautrims, A. (2017).Sustainable logistics and supply chain management: principles and practices for sustainable operations and management. Kogan Page Publishers. Green Jr, K. W., Zelbst, P. J., Meacham, J., Bhadauria, V. S. (2012). Green supply chain management practices: impact on performance.Supply Chain Management: An International Journal,17(3), 290-305. Heizer, J. (2016).Operations Management, 11/e. Pearson Education India. Jacobs, R., Chase, R. (2013).Operations and supply chain management. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Mangan, J., Lalwani, C. (2016).Global logistics and supply chain management. John Wiley Sons. Mc Cormack, K. P., Johnson, W. C. (2016).Supply chain networks and business process orientation: advanced strategies and best practices.

Rewriting What to do when you have to rephrase someone else’s words - The Writers For Hire

REWRITING: WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU HAVE TO REPHRASE SOMEONE ELSE’S WORDS One of the things freelance writers are often called upon to do is rewriting. That is, they’re charged with finding new ways to present information that’s already been written about elsewhere – sometimes because the original format is not suited for the target audience and sometimes to avoid copyright infringement. This isn’t always easy. Sometimes, the source material is highly technical and therefore difficult to explain to non-expert readers. (Much less frequently, it’s the other way around, with source material written in such a simplistic fashion as to bore the experts.) And sometimes, when the material comes from a proprietary source, rewriting is a delicate task that requires writers to choose their words carefully and present ideas differently, so as not to blur the boundaries of intellectual property. Despite these challenges, freelance writers can thread this needle. In this post, we’ll discuss some of the ways freelance writers can achieve their aim while still turning out high-quality copy. Striking the right tone We’ll start by addressing the question of how to strike the right tone. As noted above, rewriting can involve adapting highly technical material for a lay audience – say, using an article from a medical journal as the source material for a blog post on new developments in medical research. If this is the case, the writer handling the assignment should assess two factors: first, the average actual level of technical knowledge displayed in the original material and second, the average likely level of technical knowledge among members of the target audience. The next step is to estimate the gap between those two averages. Once the writer has an idea of how large that gap is, he or she can choose words that bridge that gap. Unfortunately, there’s no mathematical formula for making this call. Instead, there’s a subjective element, meaning that the writer has to decide how much to adjust the original material. If, for example, the source material reads like this ORIGINAL: Using genome-wide data from 253,288 individuals, we identified 697 variants at genome-wide significance that together explained one-fifth of the heritability for adult height. the writer might offer the following to a general audience with little or no specialized knowledge SIMPLIFIED REWRITE: Researchers have determined that 20% of the differences in adult height can be explained by a combination of nearly 700 different genetic variations. and the following to readers with a moderate level of specialized knowledge: MODERATE REWRITE: An analysis of genome-wide data from more than 250,000 individuals has led researchers to conclude that combinations of 697 specific genetic variants account for 20% of inherited differences in height. Both of these rewrites succeed because they convey the main idea of the source material, using language that is appropriate for the target audience. Even better, they transform dry, technical prose into something that reads more like a story than a laboratory report. Avoiding copyright violations But rewriting isn’t always about tone and sizing up target audiences. Sometimes it’s a more straightforward task – something along the lines of summarizing news coverage of a particular topic. If so, writers must remember that the journalistic material they’re using – wire reports, newspaper articles, magazine features, etc. – is almost always copyrighted. As such, it is subject to legal restrictions on its use, and writers who want to use the information must take steps to ensure that their product does not mirror the original text. Fortunately, there are several ways to do this. One way is to take the facts presented, and re-word them in a way that is unique, but still tells the same basic information. In practical terms, this might entail starting with â€Å"Snow White and the Seven Dwarves† and then using the thesaurus to end up with â€Å"The Seven Short Men and Frost White.† And in less fanciful terms, it might involve starting with this Reuters article, dated September 3 ORIGINAL: The U.S. Federal Reserve should cut interest rates by half a percentage point at its meeting in two weeks to get ahead of both financial market expectations for a rate cut and a global trade war that has become a broader â€Å"reckoning† over how the world economy is organized, St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard said in an interview on Tuesday. and ending up with something like this: REWRITTEN: James Bullard, the president of the St. Louis Federal Reserve, has spoken out in favor of a cut in interest rates. In an interview with Reuters, Bullard urged the U.S. Federal Reserve to bring interest rates down by 0.5% at an upcoming meeting, saying this would help Washington stay ahead of market expectations and also take the lead in trade disputes that have raised questions about the organization of the global economy. This method can also be used for direct quotes from proprietary sources. It can help writers start with the following excerpt from the same Reuters article ORIGINAL: â€Å"This is an unraveling of the trade liberalization process that has been going on since World War Two.† and finish with this: REWRITTEN: According to Bullard, the disputes between the U.S. and other countries such as China indicate that efforts to liberalize trade are faltering after more than 70 years of forward movement. Writers can also look for opportunities to emphasize a different point from the source material. If the original text addresses a secondary theme somewhere in the middle, the rewritten text can bring that secondary theme into the spotlight, rather than leading with the primary topic. For example, writers can begin with this ORIGINAL: The U.S. Federal Reserve should cut interest rates by half a percentage point at its meeting in two weeks to get ahead of both financial market expectations for a rate cut and a global trade war that has become a broader â€Å"reckoning† over how the world economy is organized, St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard said in an interview on Tuesday. Global investors have sent bond yields plummeting in recent weeks to record lows, leaving the Fed’s overnight policy rate seemingly out of line, Bullard said. Economic data on Tuesday meanwhile showed the U.S. manufacturing sector had contracted for the first time in three years amid slowing global economic growth and as China and the U.S. ratchet up tariffs on each other. and end up with this: REWRITTEN: James Bullard, the president of the St. Louis Federal Reserve, expressed concern about newly released economic data showing that the domestic manufacturing sector had shrunk for the first time since 2016, even as global economic growth rates slowed and trade disputes between the U.S. and China persisted. In an interview with Reuters, Bullard noted that recent developments had caused bond yields to sink to new lows. Under these conditions, he said, the U.S. Federal Reserve’s overnight policy rate is due for a change. He specifically recommended that the Fed consider reducing interest rates by 0.5% at an upcoming meeting. Taking this step would help the U.S. government address financial market players’ predictions of a rate cut and stay one step ahead of questions about how the U.S.-China trade war has affected the organization of the global economy. Once again, these rewrites succeed because they convey essentially the same ideas and the same information as the source material. But they also serve the writers’ purposes because they use different words and phrases (and sometimes emphasize different points) as they do so. Coloring outside the lines In the examples listed above, we have seen that writers who are trying to rework source material face restrictions – either technically, because they are dealing with subject matter that is complex, jargon-laden, and stylized in its presentation, or legally, because of its copyrighted status. But we have also seen that there are ways to work within and even transcend these restrictions. Writers can benefit significantly if they remember to use basic tools such as a thesaurus, but they can do even more if they find new ways to approach the same old information.