Native Americans and the Issue of Alcoholism free essay sample

Following the European invasion in America, Native Americans came to endure many problems. While some have faded, others still linger on in their lives. The issue of alcohol and alcoholism is one of them. From settlers using it to deceive, to today’s issues on the reservation, alcohol has played a devastating role in the lives of Native Americans. Knowing how the issue of alcohol became such a predominate part of Native Americans lives will allow us to spawn ideas on how to end the problem. Before the colonists arrived in America, Native Americans had little to no knowledge of alcoholic beverages. â€Å"Stereotypes of Native Americans† par. We will write a custom essay sample on Native Americans and the Issue of Alcoholism or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 1 ). Low alcohol beverages were produced by some tribes but this was only used for ceremonial practices (â€Å"History of Alcohol Among Native Americans† par 2). When the Europeans entered America they brought over beverages that superseded the alcohol percent of any drink produced by Indians. European colonization is what introduced alcohol to the Native Americans, but mass consumption did not occur until the seventeenth century (â€Å"Stereotypes of Native Americans† par. 2). As the fur trade began gaining momentum in the seventeenth century, so did the alcohol trade. Some European traders offered alcohol during the trading process to manipulate the Native Americans (Eshkibok par. 7). Also, skins and furs where being traded for alcohol instead of necessities the Indian people needed. This occurred because the younger Native American men, who became addicted to alcohol, had control over the trade and chose the alcohol over other items. These decisions left Indian nations in states of poverty and left them in difficulty dealing with the invading Europeans (â€Å"Stereotypes of Native Americans† par. ). As more Europeans entered American, more and more Native Americans were forced into reservations. These reservations left Indians in mass poverty, cultural shock and with no hunting grounds. Reservations with these issues are breeding grounds for social problems, including alcoholism. Many assumptions have been made as to why the Indians became so addicted to alcohol. The biggest factor that causes the alcoholism is how life on the reservations is for Native Americans. As said before, poverty and cultural shock causes depression among the population of the reservation, which leads to substance abuse to cure these feelings. There are a few statistics one must consider, presented in an article by Peter Katel. In reservations nationwide, forty nine percent of the population is unemployed; that is 10 times the national average. Also, deaths from alcoholism are at least six hundred and fifty times higher than the national average. These statistics show how life on the reservation is vastly different. With such a sense of despair in the reservations, it is understandable why people turn to substances for an outlet. While most blame it on the conditions of the reservations, some blame can be put on the chemical make-up and genetics of the Native Americans themselves. Depending on race, the time it takes to metabolize alcohol differs. In the case of Native Americans, the time it takes to metabolize alcohol is lower (Ringwalt par. 3). This difference in metabolizing rates could explain why the Indians developed a habit to alcohol very quickly when first introduced to it when the colonist arrived. Many misconceptions have arrived with the issues of alcoholism in Native Americans though. Due to some reservations having high populations of alcoholics, stereotypes have evolved. Bars began displaying signs forbidding them to drink (â€Å"Stereotypes of Native Americans† par. 5). According to an article written by grad student Mike Eshkibok, the stereotype has even made its way to the big screen in movies like Flags of our Fathers and Apocalypto ; â€Å"These powerful films depict Indians in a violent or stereotypical way, suggesting that all Indians are afflicted with drug and alcohol problems† (par. ). This stereotype has gone as far as to have people believe that Indians are either wise old men, or drunks (Nerburn pg. 185). Scientific study also is affected by these stereotype and leads to biased results. Recent studies were found to have false results about the percentage of Native American alcoholics from two reservations. Even though the results of the new study found that the amount of alcoholics on the reservation were fifty percent higher than national averages, it was still considerably lower than the previous study which found up to eighty percent f the men on the reservations were alcoholics (Ham par. 2). With stereotypes becoming so inflated that it affects scientific studies, a higher concern of solving this problem must begin. Native Americans have dealt with many problems after European colonization, and one of the prevalent issues is alcoholism. With the history of alcohol being an invasive and with modern times leading to more cases of alcoholism, it is hard to say when the Native Americans will see the day when their communities are free of this trouble. Section 2: Alcoholism is an issue in many peoples lives. But for Native Americans it has become a very common issues effecting many people. Native Americans also affect more than health, issues like stereotyping and control come into play. Two authors decided to include the effects of alcohol in their works. By showing the affects of alcohol in Native Americans, people will be able to see the difficulties of the disease and try to overcome some of the problems. In the play â€Å"Ghost Dance† by Annette Arkeketa, a women named Hokti is dealing with her issues of alcoholism while she lays in a coma. You see the thoughts of both Hokti and her family sitting by her side. This issues that are brought up show how each side is affected by the disease. Hokti herself is affected by the â€Å"Alcohol Spirit† who deems her unable to live life with out alcohol, while her family is listening to her younger sister Lori state how she has changed and how dying would be best for her. The problems that are brought up show how the family is affected by the alcoholic daughter and proves that even if they are Native American, they are dealing with a huge problem. Arkeketa play is told by a man telling a story to two children. He is trying to explain why there are no more Native Americans. Alcoholism is tearing up the Native American culture and with out the strength of the Indians and the help from the out side world the Native Americans may never overcome the grasp of alcoholism. Arkeketa may be trying to create this concept in her play. Hokti is hearing the words of her sister, the out side world, and is becoming informed on how she is acting, while hearing this she is battling, and ultimate helping herself conquer alcohol. Alcohol has also affected the reputations of all Indians, not just the ones who are alcoholics. In Neither Wolf Nor Dog by Kent Nerburn, the issue of stereotyping Indians is brought up. Nerburn travels around with an Indian elder named Dan and hears his take on problems facing the Indian people. While at a bar in a local town, two drunk Native Americans walk in and make a scene. This sets Dan off on a story about how people only see Native Americans as either the wise elders or drunk slobs. Dan states â€Å" ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬For white people they only see two types of Indians. Drunken bums and Noble Indians†¦. When they meet one of us who‘s not drunk they have to deal with us†(185). This stereotype is very true, and has been around for a long time. Signs in bars stating â€Å"We don’t sell to Indians†, and laws being passed to make selling alcohol on reservations illegal (â€Å"Stereotypes of Native Americans† par. 7). Stereotyping begins many doubts about the Indian people, even if some chose not to drink or can tolerate themselves. Nerburn was asked by Dan to write this book in hopes of dispelling the common misconceptions about Indians and to show how exactly they have been living. Throughout the story Nerburn has had trouble figuring out how to write the story. He is told that he must not make it white or the message will not get across. Nerburn then decided to write the story as is occurs, in first person. This makes the reader as if themselves are Nerburn going through this journey. So when readers are experiencing this journey they really come to realize how the Native Americans are feeling and get a new perspective. This way of writing will help the readers dispel the stereotypes they may have had, especially on alcoholism. Seeing an Native Americans point of view on issues like this really gives the public a full view of issues like alcoholism in Native American lives. With authors like Nerburn and Arkeketa writing about the difficulties of alcoholism in Native Americans lives, people will begin to see how the Native Americans are dealing with the issue and how some are connected even though they don’t suffer from the diseases at all. When people begin to understand the problems, more effort to fix it will come up.

Vincent van Gogh Biography Timeline

Vincent van Gogh Biography Timeline 1853 Vincent is born on March 30 in Groot-Zundert, North Brabant, The Netherlands. His parents are Anna Cornelia Carbentus (1819-1907) and Theodorus van Gogh (1822-1885), a Dutch Reformed Church minister. 1857 Brother Theodorus (Theo) van Gogh is born on May 1. 1860 Vincents parents send him to a local elementary school. From 1861 to 1863, he was homeschooled.   1864-66 Vincent attends boarding school in Zevenbergen. 1866 Vincent attends Willem II College in Tilburg. 1869 Vincent starts working as a clerk for the art dealer Goupil Cie in The Hague through family connections. 1873 Vincent transfers to the London office of Goupil; Theo joins Goupil in Brussels. 1874 From October to December, Vincent works at the head office of Goupil in Paris, and then returns to London. 1875 Vincent is again transferred to Goupil in Paris (against his wishes). 1876 In March, Vincent is dismissed from Goupil. Theo transfers to the Goupil office in The Hague. Vincent acquires an etching of Millets Angelus  and accepts a teaching post in Ramsgate, England. In December, he returns to Etten, where his family lives, in December. 1877 From January to April, Vincent works as a book clerk in Dordrecht. In May, he arrives in Amsterdam, stays with uncle, Jan van Gogh, a naval yard commander. There, he prepares for university studies for the ministry. 1878 In July, Vincent gives up his studies and returns to Etten.  In August, he earns admission to a school of evangelism in Brussels, but he fails to obtain a post there. He leaves for the  coal-mining area near Mons, known as Borinage, in Belgium, and teaches the Bible to the poor. 1879 He begins work as a  missionary for six months in Wasmes. 1880 Vincent travels to Cuesmes, where he lives with a mining family, but then moves to Brussels to study perspective and anatomy. Theo supports him financially. 1881 April leaves Brussels to live in Etten. Vincent attempts to have a romantic relationship with his widowed cousin Kee Vos-Stricker, who spurns him. He quarrels with his family and leaves for The Hague around Christmas. 1882 Vincent studies with Anton Mauve, a cousin by marriage. He lives with Clasina Maria Hoornik (Sien).  In August, his family moves to Nuen. 1883 In September, he leaves The Hague and Clasina and works alone in Drenthe. In December, Vincent returns to Nuen. 1884 Vincent begins using  watercolors and studies of weavers. Vincent reads Delacroix on color. Theo joins Goupil in Paris. 1885 Vincent paints about 50 heads of peasants as studies for Potato Eaters.  In November, he goes to Antwerp and acquires Japanese prints. His father dies in March. 1886 In January-March, Vincent studies art at Antwerp Academy. He moves to Paris and studies at Cormon studio. Vincent paints flowers influenced by Delacroix and Monticelli. He meets Impressionists. 1887 The  Impressionists palette influences his work. He collects Japanese prints. Vincent exhibits in a working-class cafà ©. 1888 In February, Vincent goes to Arles. He lives at 2 Place Lamartine in the Yellow House. He visits Saintes Maries de la Mer in the Carmargue in June. On October 23, he was joined by Gauguin. Both artists visit Alfred Bruyas, Courbets patron, in Montpellier in December. Their relationship deteriorates. Vincent mutilates his ear on December 23. Gauguin leaves immediately. 1889 Vincent lives in mental hospital and in the Yellow House at alternate intervals. He voluntarily enters the  hospital in St. Rà ©my. Paul Signac comes to visit. Theo marries Johanna Bonger on April 17. 1890 On January 31, a son Vincent Willem is born to Theo and Johanna. Albert Aurier writes an article about Vincents work. Vincent leaves the hospital in May. He briefly visits Paris. He goes to Auvers-sur-Oise, less than 17 miles from Paris, to begin care under Dr. Paul Gachet, who was recommended by Camille Pissarro. Vincent shoots himself July 27 and dies two days later at age 37. 1891 January 25, Theo dies in Utrecht of syphilis.

Heat Exhaustion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Heat Exhaustion - Essay Example Sunburns, heat cramps, heat stress, heat stroke and heat exhausting are some of the heat related disorders. While the symptoms and treatment may differ, in each case there is overexposure to heat or the person has over exercised for his/her age and physical condition in the existing thermal environment. Heat exhaustion is caused by a loss of salt and water from the body usually through excessive sweating (SJA, 2007). Severe debilitation occurs due to extreme body heat. Excessive heat and dehydration cause the body temperature to rise above 102 degrees (Alonzo, 2003). While the causes of heat exhaustion can be many, there are various ways in which people can protect themselves from the effects of prolonged exposure to extreme heat. The symptoms of heat exhaustion include paleness, nausea, extreme fatigue, dizziness, light-headedness, or even vomiting, fainting and cool and clammy skin (Alonzo). The treatment and prevention are issues which should be known to every individual. If the victim is out in the sun, he/she should be brought out of the sun and made to lie down after loosening the clothes preferably in an air conditioned room. Wet cloth should be applied and urged to take frequent sips of water. If this causes nausea then water sips have to be discontinued. Medical attention may be required if vomiting persists. There are various ways in which the people themselves or the organizations can reduce or even prevent heat exhaustion. First and foremost the body should be allowed to acclimatize to the difference in temperature especially for those who are not used to working in hot environment (Dresser). They have to get accustomed to working in the heat which normally takes a week or two to get used to. Reducing the physical demands of the job for a week or two allows a worker to acclimatize. Cool shady environments are prerequisites for prevention of heat exhaustion. Secondly, the body has to be well hydrated and this means

Art works Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Art works - Essay Example v=FIVAEwjiU8I However, it is also no longer there. Due to copyright issues, they changed the music. The new music is more appropriate to the geographical location, but it does not have the power of the original, and there really is no narrative. The actual show in Hang Zhou is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSMDgMhfM_M I found this because I was a little suspicious of the Chinese watermark on the building face in the upper right corner of the screen. Since a Chinese travel site is responsible for a link to this video, perhaps it was intentional. However, the fountains in Hang Zhou seem more tuned to their music. It is possible that the sound actually controls the fountains. This is not the case in Dubai. In the first video there was a slight disconnect, because of this. The first musical fountin I ever saw was in Seattle and the music actually controls the fountain. It is only one fountain, but an excellent experience, since there is no disconnect between the audio and the vis ual. The location of the Chinese musical fountain is really worth noting as a work of art in itself. West Lake in Hang Zhou is three large lakes joined by bridges, and it has been developed as a local and tourist attraction based mostly upon the Legend of the Snake Lady. Many attractioins have been created and they are all affordable even to the lowest wage earners in China at ranging from 10 rmb (1.5 cents USD) to 75 rmb (9 cents USD)Ten wood carvings are located in Leifing Pagoda and a nightly show of music and dance telling the tragic story of the snake who turned into a lady and fell in love with Xu Xian . "Leifeng Pagoda in Evening Glow" is one of â€Å"Top Ten Views of West Lake†. In the pagoda, you also can find a series of wood carvings themed Legend of the White Snake. Faced on three sides by typical Chinese landscapes of cloud shaped hills, the lake has been developed artistically as a World Heritage Site. The light and fountain show, Time to Say Goodbye is located in an inlet on the lake shore where these hills are the visible background on one side and the cityscape is the other. The fountain show plays nine to eleven times daily and it is free. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXCTt8hXtF8 I found this video of the rather disturbing. I would not walk twelve blocks to see it. There was no narrative to connect the audio and the video. The sculpture was nice and changing the lights and colors is a great idea. But nice is not art to me; it is decoration. I would also prefer more musical sound, perhaps short musical sound bytes. The sound was the most disturbing element of this work, as it also had no connection, but seemed like a selection of random sounds, some quite unpleasant with random spaces of silence. Then if the viewer could control the whole exhibit somehow, either with a keyboard or with a pressure board or even video it could become quite interesting. As it is, it is obviously an expression of feeling, but it seems more like a nightma re, or indigestion. Of course this might have been intentional if the artist dislikes human creations and thinks they should not be seen alongside nature. I was unable to find out anything about this video, so I cannot even guess by the other works of this artist or by his or her history. Because of the extreme disconnection between the very ordered stack of blocks and the weird sounds, I assume that this is an intentionally

Same-sex marriage debate Essay Example for Free

Same-sex marriage debate Essay The world is constantly changing and evolving. It isnt possible to stop this from happening, but it is possible to stand up for what is morally right and for what isnt. And now, we are faced with what many people feel is the inevitable evolution of marriage: legalizing homosexual marriages. Not allowing homosexual marriages to be recognized by the government and to be legal would prevent changing a fundamental institution, would prohibit breaching the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and would prevent unthinkable consequences. Marriage has been around for as long as anyone can remember. And after all this time, it has changed very little in the eyes of the law. Every major religion and culture has embraced marriage as a unique relationship between a man and a woman. One of the only times marriage was altered, was when no-fault divorce was legalised. No-fault divorce was introduced, and it has proven to be a complete disaster for children and often for the adults involved. Statistics now show that 53% of marriages end in divorce. And now, we find ourselves gambling yet again with an institution that is foundational to the well-being of our children and a healthy society. The same argument once made in support of no-fault divorce, This will not affect good marriages and healthy families, is now being made in support of gay marriage. Yet we have no credible evidence to prove that altering our marriage laws again will be any less problematic for children and society than was no-fault divorce. The painful lessons we have learned as a result of no-fault divorce should stop this process cold in its tracks. To fundamentally change an institution whose worth has been proved over thousands of years and in hundreds of cultures risks unintended and unexpected consequences. It is with infinite caution that any man ought to venture upon pulling down an edifice which has answered in any tolerable degree for ages the common purposes of society. Secondly, it has been argued that prohibiting homosexuals to marry would breach the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Charter was modified in 1981 with the following heading Whereas Canada is founded upon the principles  that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law. With such an acknowledgement, how could the acceptance of same-sex marriages even be considered? Time and again, the Bible clearly states and demonstrates Gods position on homosexuality: Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of homosexuality (Gen 18:20-21; 19:5-7, 13); Homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9-10); Those who practice homosexuality are called perverted men (Jdg 19:22); The penalty under the Old Testament for homosexuality was death (Lev 20:13); It is abominable, whether committed by men or women (Ro 1:26-27) Three Ontario judges stated that prohibiting gay couples from marrying violates the Charter The Charter, acknowledging the supremacy (ie. dominion, preeminence) of God strikes down any notion that same-sex marriages can be accepted in Canada. Thirdly, the Marriage Act of Ontario, when speaking of a marriage mentions a man and wife. How does a same-sex couple fit this definition? The same document outlines a list of people whom a man cannot marry (grandmother, mother, daughter, sister, granddaughter). Likewise, a list of people whom a woman cannot marry is provided (grandfather, father, son, brother, grandson). If the Marriage Act permitted homosexual marriages, why is a man not restricted from marrying his grandfather, father, son, brother, grandson? And likewise, why is a woman not restricted from marrying her grandmother, mother, daughter, sister, granddaughter? It is for the simple reason that same-sex marriages do not fall within the framework of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Marriage Act of Ontario, or most importantly, Gods holy word. To change the definition of marriage would be to change the nature of marriage; to recommend that, the full impact of the change must be understood. And that impact must be considered not just at the individual level, but most importantly at the societal level, and not just for the present, but also the future. Definition (and language in general) create human reality. We dont just change words, we change the nature of an entity when we redefine it. Definitions are frames that we place on events, concepts or circumstances, in order to give them meaning we frame reality with language in order to find meaning in that reality. Those in the gay community who want same-sex marriage are right to seek meaning in their relationships and to want to have that meaning publicly recognized. They are wrong, however, to try to do it by co-opting the institution of marriage. The institution of marriage cannot function in that way without being deformed and destroyed.

cathedrals :: essays papers

cathedrals Throughout the centuries, beautiful Medieval cathedrals have been towering above every building and till this day, still survive with their astonishing appearance. Their structure resemble the power and glory of heavens. Today, they are known as "prayers in stone" because they are respected as holy places. Taking literally hundreds of years to build these great Gothic buildings, the skillful carpenters and masons responsible for the construction are respected for constructing these powerful buildings that tell us about the past (Macdonald 1). The construction of the cathedrals were more than hundreds of years (Macdonald 14). The overall shape of appearance was planned out before any construction was started. The contractors were usually peasants of the low class. Cathedrals were built on old church sites throughout Europe and the world to spread the religion of Christianity. There were many architectural styles for the churches. Carpenters used long lasting materials such as stone and strong wood. Some of the best stone came from France. Cranes and pulleys powered by men and animals were used to haul these stones, especially in the dangerous job of quarrying. The appearance of the cathedrals were magnificent. As one of the largest buildings of its time period, they represented the heavens in which people believed was peaceful and serene. Walls and pillars were massive structures enclosing hundreds of yards. Stone arches and gargoyles were put in various places for decoration. The elevating towers on top of the cathedrals were called "fingers" pointing to heaven. Inside these enormous "fingers," immense bells and clocks were placed. Stained-glass windows on the sides describe the lord, Jesus, and his life. The ever going ceilings and their paintings represent heaven. Statues symbolized sacred priests of the church (Macdonald Intro.). The purpose of these cathedrals were to praise and thank God. People offer prayers and offerings to God at the great cathedrals thinking it would bring a prosperous and healthy life. In the Middle Ages, these "prayers in stone" were made to spread Christianity throughout the world. Being the Bishop’s church, the greatest centers of studies were inside the depths of the cathedrals. The pope answered the most theorized questions about Christianity. Cathedrals and the people inside implored that God is the most important part of a person’s life and should be thanked for everything.

Managing Operations, Information

Managing Operations, Information, and Knowledge of Gate Gourmet Words 3,000 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract 4 1. 0 Introduction 5 2. 0 About Gate Gourmet 5 3. 0 Systems that enable efficient use of input resources and their impact on output of goods and services supplied by Gate Gourmet 6 3. 1 Transformation Process 6 3. 2 Production Techniques 6 1. Cuisine Sous-Vides 6 2. Hot Filling 6 3. Modified Atmosphere Packing 6 4. Food Safety Checks and Assurance Systems 7 5.Gate Serve Provisioning services 7 6. Post Flight Aircraft Stripping 7 2. Existence of Trade-offs within Gate Gourmet and challenges faced by following this approach 8 4. 0 Supply Chain Management issues and supplier selection 9 4. 1 Supply Chain 9 2. Supply Chain Management 9 3. Impact of integrated system in the management of suppliers and supplier selection 9 1. Alpha Flight Group 9 2. Pourshins 10 3. Supplair 10 4. DeSter 10 5.Potmstudios 11 6. Harmony 11 4. Recommendations for less advanced suppliers to establish con sistent standard of operations with the supply chain activities 11 5. 0 ERP System 12 5. 1 Scala 12 1. E-Gatematrix 12 1. Challenges faced by the company in implementing ERP System 12 2. ERP implementation problems and solutions 13 1. Galley Planning 13 2. Complications of Data 13 3. Business Intelligence and Reporting 14 4.Selection of menus according to the passenger mix 14 6. Huge information used by Gate Gourmet to deliver their service 14 1. Human tacit and implicit knowledge is essential to make sense of hard statistical information and the same is used for enhancing performance 14 7. Conclusion 16 References 17 Abstract A biggest challenge for the companies in today’s world is the managing operations, information and knowledge throughout the organisation. Each and every company is struggling for the management of operations, information and knowledge in the competitive market.The whole production and delivery process, challenges with the existence of trade-off, supply chain activities, ERP, and human tacit and implicit knowledge to deal with the processes are discussed in this part with reference to the Gate gourmet Company. Managing Operations, Information, and Knowledge of Gate Gourmet 1. Introduction Each company wants to sustain in the highly competitive market. For this, the companies are involved in the management of operations, information and knowledge throughout the organisation, which has now days become of utmost importance.The company go for integration with other firms to improve their processes and for the application of software, which are used uniformly by the different departments of the organisation and their suppliers as well as customers. In the business of catering, providing right quantities at right time at the right place is of greatest importance. For the achievement of the goal, the company that enable efficient use of input resources to generate the effective output uses those systems. The company in integration with th e other companies to provide the quality meals uses new production techniques.Also the supplier selection plays a critical role in supply chain management process. The company to improve their processes uses the ERP system and human tacit and implicit knowledge. In this part of study, all these activities are discussed with the case of Gate Gourmet. 2. About Gate Gourmet The Gate Group brand was introduced in early 2008 after several acquisitions after being founded in the year 1992. The company offers catering and last mile provisioning for airlines and railroads, lounges and business aviation. The company’s main force of secondary revenue is onboard retail operations (Gate gourmet). . Systems that enable efficient use of input resources and their impact on output of goods and services supplied by Gate Gourmet 1. Transformation Process It includes the processes, which converts the input to the output by adding value to the product. There are two categories of input resources i. e. transformed resources which are converted from input to the output and include materials and information, and transforming resources which helps to convert input to the output and include facilities like buildings, equipments, process technology and the staff (NSW Government). 2.The new production techniques are used by Gate Gourmet to provide the meals of restaurant quality and also manageable in terms of cost, quality, service and safety. These production techniques help in efficient use of input resources. 1. Cuisine Sous-Vides The company to achieve amazing flavour and texture uses this technique. This technique relies on temperature-controlled circulator in which the food is vacuum-sealed and cooked in a precisely controlled water bath. As the method is very easy to learn, it helps in better control and reasonable results every time (PolyScience). 2. Hot FillingThis technology is very easy to handle even by unskilled workers. This high temperature helps in the sterilisat ion of bottles and other equipments to maintain the high quality standards. 3. Modified Atmosphere Packing The technology helps in expanding the shelf life of fresh food products. The modified atmosphere packing technology substitutes the atmospheric air inside the package with the protective gas mix which ensures that the product will stay fresh for long time. The company used this technology for packing of red meats, fruits and vegetables. This helped to achieve the minimal spoilage of the input resources and lowers the costs.The company has established sophisticated machineries for this purpose (Modified Atmosphere Packaging). 4. Food Safety Checks and Assurance Systems The company voluntarily follows HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) to ensure food safety. The company inspects every vehicle that delivers the raw materials, check by digital probe food temperatures during the production and delivery process, temperature checks on every batch food; every dish and surf ace is cleaned while food preparation, this helps in production and delivery of food that is clean and safe (Gate Gourmet). . Gate Serve Provisioning services Gate Serve, a subsidiary of Gate Gourmet, helps in assembling soda drawers, packing silverware, provisioning packaged food items, and aircraft watering. This helps in efficiently responding to changes of new procedures in the marketplace (Gate Serve). The provisioning of items helped in making the trip safe and comfortable for the passengers. For these services, the company has installed cooling systems, onboard cameras and state-of-the-art engines. 6. Post Flight Aircraft StrippingIn the catering process, the carts are removed and taken to the flight kitchen and unloading and sanitisation. Using the recycling system, the trash is separated from the general waste stream and sterilised before disposal. Crockery and other reusable items are sent for dishwashing and sterilisation line (Gate Gourmet Aircraft Provisioning). 3. Exis tence of Trade-offs within Gate Gourmet and challenges faced by following this approach The tradeoffs between economising and flexibility were noticed within the organisation.The reduction in expenditures helped the company to gain the competitive advantage whereas; the flexibility needs to be applied to meet the last minute demand of the clients, sometimes, which may cause wastage of food products. With the conflicting demands of the organisation, trade-offs were considered within the organisation. The trade-offs are considered for balancing the transformation process. Main challenge in front of managers is to maximise the cost reduction with flexibility and the dilemma cannot be completely eliminated.The stabilisation mechanism needs to be established within the organisation to meet the uncertain demands and to maintain stability in the production and delivery process. Also, the company had dilemma of trade-offs between making and buying of certain products. Buying of food product s included outsourcing to the other company. But the challenge was that the making led to increase in costs and buying which will lead to outsourcing has hidden costs that will diminish its advantages with time. And, at the time when Texas Pacific bought the company, it was under enormous stress to cut down its costs (The Guardian, 2005). . Supply Chain Management issues and supplier selection 1. Supply Chain Supply chain includes procurement of raw materials from the suppliers, conversion of raw materials to intermediate goods, and then finally to finished products. It also includes the distribution of it to the customers. Three kinds of flows exist in supply chain i. e. material, information and finance (Ganeshan R & Harrison T, 1995). Upstream refers to the activities that take place before the supply phase. And, downstream refers to the activities that take place after the supply phase.IFx system was used to integrate the whole supply chain (AirlineHubBuzz, 2012). 2. Supply Chai n Management Effective supply chain management is the coordination between the various players in the chain and each channel member operates independently (Ganeshan R & Harrison T, 1995). 3. Impact of integrated system in the management of suppliers and supplier selection The company goes on maintaining the relationship with those suppliers who can meet quick and flexible supply in respect to the demand changes, deliver consistently and on time with high degree of mutual understanding and trust (Acorn live: 22). . Alpha Flight Group Alpha provided full catering and provisioning services in Amsterdam. Gate Gourmet intended maximum growth and operational flexibility with Alpha through its integrated system. The company aimed to serve 80 peak season flights a day with Alpha (aircraftinteriorsinternational. com). 2. Pourshins Pourshins, a fully integrated partner provides the tools required for supply chain model including sourcing and procurement, asset management and food and beverage logistics (Pourshins. com). The challenge in front of the company was to reduce the LEAN’s supply chain management cost, which was rising.The integration challenge was to merge the two teams of employees in the United States and understanding the Gate Gourmet’s existing warehousing, distribution and software functions (Andersen, 2008: 29). But at the same time, the integrated system helped to aggregate purchase volumes, which resulted in lowering of costs, optimisation of products and services for the total value (Pourshins. com). 3. Supplair The company designed food including fresh food preparation and packaged food to keep them safe, appealing, and requires minimum handling.The challenge in front of company with the integrated system was to review the food offered for the crew consumption and introduce the same within four weeks for Easy Jet. The elements for the key success with the integrated system were the proven web-based ordering system, which was easy to use and the excellent distribution supply chain (Supplair. com). 4. deSter Gate Gourmet selected deSter as its supplier, deSter being leading supplier in service solutions across all aircraft cabins. To win the competitive advantage over the other bidders, the tender was in the favour of Gate Gourmet with Etihad Airways.This was because of technical know-how and production capacities of deSter (deSter. com). 5. Potmstudios The company offers design for packaging, cutlery, food and beverage service ware and passenger facilities for the in-flight services. The positive implication was the best computer aided design software, which was used by the company for the fast and accurate designs (Potmstudios. com). 6. Harmony The company is totally integrated airline service provider and involved in the designing of amenity kits.Harmony provides tailor-made solutions for enhancing the passengers’ comfort on board. The operational excellence of the company helped in managing the quality of the service (Harmonyonboard. com). 4. Recommendations for less advanced suppliers to establish consistent standard of operations with the supply chain activities First of all, for implementing integrated system, the less advanced organisations analyse their business processes. It helps in the modernisation of processes during the time of changes.It is quite easier for the centralised organisations to implement the integrated system. Secondly, balancing of work designed according to the requirements of the customers is of prime importance. The software should be configured before use. Lastly, the company needs to establish a system to convert the existing data into the integrated one. For this, the company may have to move for data migration planning like identification of data, data templates generation, and deciding migration interrelated set-ups and reporting policies.This will help the less advanced suppliers to gain the competitive advantage and will also help in modernisation. The genuine trick for the integration is the free flow of information, cooperation and respecting each business’s independence (Andersen, 2008: 30). 5. ERP System ERP system is the organisation wide network for harmonising the resources, information and functions of a business. It is the modern extension of MRP1 (Materials Requirement Planning), MRP11 (Manufacturing Resource Planning), and CIM (Computer Integrated Manufacturing).It helps in communicating with the customers and the suppliers to improve the quality of supply chain management (Acorn live: 19). 1. Scala system Scala is the ERP software and support ERP processes. This system was exercised by the company to cover the maximum business processes of catering operations. 1. E-Gatematrix The real-time data was fed into the Scala system through ‘e-gatematrix’ system, which is the web-interface system for capturing data. 2. Challenges faced by the company in implementing ERP System 1.The company has to face the challenges due to demand fluctuations- As food has to be prepared just before 12 to 24 hours before departure, the demand keep on fluctuating till the last moment. The ‘just-in-time’ delivery after the preparation and supply of food with the last minute fluctuations become difficult and challenging (Fidanza). All the last minute changes using ERP systems become difficult sometimes. 2. The company has to re fix the schedules with flight delays- The whole process of delivery becomes cumbersome with flight delays.All the data communication through ERP in rush becomes complex. 3. ERP implementation problems and solutions 1. Galley Planning Problem-With the technological support, galley planning becomes time consuming process. Solution-Galley Planning System (GP4) of the e-gate solutions can be easily incorporated into other material planning systems to increase the precision of the data. It leads to the fuel-cost impact analysis, automatic publishing of packing instruct ions and the online communication of changes to the supply chain (e-Gate Solutions). 2.Complications of Data Problem- There was complications of data and their application using the e-marketplace application. Solution- The company replaced it with ePix application to improve the order search capabilities and for the simplification of the data (e-Gate Solutions). 3. Business Intelligence and Reporting Problem-The reporting of real-time sales and analysis was difficult with ERP implementation. Solution-Onboard Retail Technology (TS4) was selected for reporting functions, as TS4 was able to reconcile the real-time sales to inventory.It was also used to identify the passengers’ buying trends (e-Gate Solutions). 4. Selection of menus according to the passenger mix Problem- The main challenge in front of the company was to reduce the inventory using ERP, when the menus were fixed but the types of passengers’ keeps on changing even six hours before take-off. Solution-The Pour shins’ trademark forecaster system for food helped to build new menus and reduce the inventory and costs (e-Gate Solutions). 6. Huge information used by Gate Gourmet to deliver their service 1.Human tacit and implicit knowledge is essential to make sense of hard statistical information and the same is used for enhancing performance Inventory management includes the processes involved in maintenance of optimal number of goods and services to avoid over and under inventory. The company focuses on inventory management through state-of-the-art software. Gate Gourmet collects the necessary data from state-of-the-art software with the help of Pourshins for inventory management (Gate Gourmet). The experienced personnel are hired by the company for the use of different software’s through their tacit and implicit knowledge.The main difference between tacit knowledge and implicit knowledge is that the implicit knowledge can be codified but it is impossible to codify tacit knowle dge (Toolbox. com, 2008). Suppose a flight from Taiwan to New York, may stop at Los Angeles for 2-3 hours, the company will be required to unload the trash items in this time and have to load the 5 tons of new food with cutlery and other equipments. But the challenge now appears when the last minute passengers come up and like to have the menu according to the menu of the airlines. Also, the special meals like low fat meals are required by certain group of passengers.Through the use of software, it is easy to get the statistics but the right quantities are decided by experts so as to keep the wastage and costing minimum. Here comes the use of human tacit knowledge used by experts for the inventory management, Through the use of tacit knowledge the over-catering and under-catering is avoided. As the production and delivery of more meals than actual required is both the loss for airlines as well as for the Gate Gourmet. The software covers almost all the business processes involved in inventory management.The delays in flight arrivals upset the work schedules. It becomes crucial for the company to provide right quantities at the right place to the right person. The dedicated team members take action with flexibility and quickly to achieve the goal. The costs have reduced to the great extent with the management of inventories through the tacit knowledge of the staff (Donna, 2009). Hands do the majority of food preparation, which is also a time consuming process. The inventory of finished stock of goods needs to be kept ready with the demand fluctuations.They to reduce the wastage at the bottom level use the culinary expertise and implicit knowledge. The culinary trends and expertise is used to design the menus as per the trends. This has helped the company in gaining the competitive advantage and food and journey becomes enjoyable by the customers. Inventory forecast is a mix of statistical data with the use of human tacit and implicit knowledge. The company has been using the vast information and statistics, which finally gets evaluated by the experts to decide the optimal level of inventory.As a result, it helps in improving the function of the processes; reduce inventory wastage, optimal quantity ordering to the suppliers. 7. Conclusion Concluding the whole discussion, it is very imperative for the company to go for managing operations, information and knowledge to survive in the market cutthroat competition. The company has to face various challenges for the achievement of aspirations. Besides tough times faced by Gate Gourmet, the company has been successful in the administration of operations, information and knowledge. For this, the company has deployed experienced staff all over the organisation.