How Modern And Ancient Military Conflict Differs History Essay

How Modern And Ancient Military Conflict Differs History Essay How does modern military conflict differ from ancient military conflict? What accounts for these differences? Ancient warfare began before history was recorded to the end of the ancient period. Ancient warfare was more centered on organization than technology. During Ancient warfare, mass was the key element for battles. Modern warfare is the methods, concepts, and technology that came out of World War II. As a result total war created the need to develop war policy with changed the awareness of tactical, operational, and strategic information. Ancient and modern warfare are different from the make-up of the armies, the tactics and weapons, and the transition to total warfare. In Ancient Warfare, the beginnings of modern armies began to rise. There were four main ways the armies were in ancient times, infantry, cavalry, chariot and naval. Infantry was the beginning of armies. It allowed for many countries to win by accumulated mass. Then the use of horses allowed for cavalry to be created. Further development created the use of the chariot as a device both of transportation and of battle became the central weapon. The naval power also began during ancient times as the method to control the seas. There are several types of modern warfare. It also includes a similar setup that ancient warfare used. The types of modern warfare are: asymmetrical, biological, chemical, electronic, ground, guerrilla, psychological, naval, and nuclear. Asymmetrical warfare is also known as terrorism. Biological warfare is fought by using germs. Chemical warfare is the use of toxic substances. Electronic warfare is cracking the enemyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s code or jamming their system s. Ground warfare includes the infantry, armor and artillery. Guerrilla warfare if fought with irregular troops. Psychological warfare is used to instill fear and terror to support the achievement of national objectives. Naval warfare is fought on a larger scale in the oceans and nuclear warfare uses nuclear weapons. The development of technologies created what is known as modern warfare today. With these technologies tactics, strategy, and weapons were also developed. During ancient times, the ancient strategy focused broadly on two goals. To convince the enemy that continued war was more costly than submitting, and make the most gain from war as possible. Forcing the enemy to submit generally consisted of defeating their army in the field. Once the enemyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s force was routed, the threat of siege, civilian deaths, and the like often forced the enemy to the bargaining table resulting in gaining simple profit. In modern warfare, the goals are simply to stop one from controlling the entire world. The use of tactics in ancient times depended on the sizes and skill levels of both armies, the unit types of both, terrain and positional advantages of both armies, and the weather. In a modern sense, the battles are always fought no matter what the opposition has, the terrain, nor the weath er. Ancient weapons consisted of the bow and arrow, the sling; pole arms such as the spear and javelin; hand-to-hand weapons such as swords, spears, clubs, maces, axes, and knives. Catapults, siege towers, and battering rams were used during sieges. Modern weapons consist of more missile type weapons such as the gun. There are also grenades, mines, missile launchers, and many other systems. During Ancient times, Greek warfare was a limited and ritualized form of conflict. Armies of hoplites would meet on the battlefield and decide the outcome in a single day. During the Peloponnesian War, however, the fighting lasted for years and consumed the economic resources of the participating city-states. In modern times, the United States underwent total mobilization of all national resources for the Second World War. Previously untouched sections of the nation mobilized for the war effort. Academics became technocrats; home-makers became bomb-makers, massive numbers of women worked in heavy industry during the war; union leaders and businessmen became commanders in the massive armies of production.  The great scientific communities of the United States were mobilized as never before, and mathematicians, doctors, engineers, and chemists turned their minds to the problems ahead of them. There is a big evolution from ancient warfare to modern warfare. Ancient warfare was mostly centered on organization, such as the use of the phalanx, and modern warfare focuses on technology and the use of information. During ancient times, the goals of the civilization were to have personal gain of simple profit and in modern times the goals are to stop one person from controlling the entire globe. Also ancient warfare focused on hand-to-hand combat while modern warfare focuses on the use of missiles and information. There was also the transition from limited warfare to total warfare to develop technologies need for a countries goal. Overall, ancient and modern warfare are different from the make-up of the armies, the tactics and weapons, and the transition to total warfare. OVERALL GRADE: 86.5/100 CONTENT: 40/50 You did an average job explaining some of the differences between ancient warfare and modern warfare. But, you got some of it wrong. Also, you did not adequately tell me WHY these differences occurred. I realize that this paper was written in a 2 hour time period, but I certainly hoped that you would have done a slightly better job at organizing your thoughtsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Remember, this type of writing is relatively simple. Step 1: come up with your thesis (opinion). Step 2: state three facts that support you thesis. Step 3: conclude your paper by telling me your opinion, again, and quickly reviewing your supporting arguments. Spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc: 46.5/50

Paper Cranes :: Creative Writing Essays

Paper Cranes 1. From the Menninger Institute's seven criteria for emotional maturity: The capacity to find more satisfaction in giving than receiving. The capacity to relate to other people in a consistent manner with mutual satisfaction and helpfulness. The capacity to love. 2. In the opening scene of the film L.I.E., the main character, Howie, a fifteen-year-old boy with baggie jeans and hair that does a chipmunk tail flip at the top of his forehead, jumps up to stand on the railing of an overpass on the Long Island Expressway. Arms extended to the sides, he tightrope walks to the left. He stops, turns, and begins back. Then stops again and lifts one foot so he's balanced only on the tip of one sneaker, on a metal beam the width of a cassette tape. We, the audience, see him from behind: a thin figure in too-big clothes, car after car after car whizzing by beneath him, all oblivious to the boy who, with just the slightest sudden gust, could land, crumpled, on their roof. As you watch, all you want to do is wrap your arms around the boy and hug him to the ground, to safety, to chiding words about what could've happened, and keep on hugging him. And as you watch the rest of the movie, that feeling never leaves: Howie only seems more and more alone. You see th e already motherless Howie abandoned by his father, abandoned by the boy he'd thought was his best friend, bullied at school, until the only person left to listen to him at all is a middle-aged man who also happens to be a pedophile. At first I was outraged that the director portrayed this pedophile as the only person willing to put a supportive arm around Howie's shoulder. After all, aren't pedophiles scum? But then I realized that maybe that was the point. It's easy to judge. And it's easy to keep speeding home, aware only of the other metal boxes zooming along next to you in tenuous synchrony. 3. When I was little I got fevers. They were uncomfortable fevers that made it so all I could think about was feeling nauseous and anticipating the moment when I would feel well enough to eat the promised popsicle. But the worst part was at night, when I'd float somewhere in and out of consciousness: since I wasn't always sure if I was sleeping or not, I wasn't sure when I was dreaming or not, either.

charhf Development of Hucks Character :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

Huckleberry Finn – Development of His Character    Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn displays the development of a 'sound hearted pre teen boy' called Huck Finn. We see Huck develop in character, attitude and maturity as he travels down the Mississippi River. This is represented through Huck's search for freedom from 'sivilisation' and it's beliefs and through his personal observations of a corrupt and immoral society. Most importantly, we live through Huck's confusion over his supposedly immoral behavior and his acceptance that he will '...go to Hell...' as he conquers his social beliefs.    Huck's displeasure in 'sivilisation' and it's beliefs is the trigger to his development. Initially, Huck is presented as a uneducated 12 year old, born in to the rigorous life of pre-civil war America. He lives with Widow Douglas (Huck's conservative and motherly foster parent) and Miss Watson (Widow Douglas' sister) who both try to 'sivilise' Huck through religion, manners and beliefs. 'In the opening chapters, Huck is relatively though not completely, untouched by society. He is totally unsophisticated and is basically unthwarted by the ethical ideals and manners of adult society or by the game-playing unreality of Tom Sawyer.' PAUL EGGERT: Literary Perspectives. From this critics comment, we see that Huck's limited understanding in the 'sivilised' world also limited his capacity to comprehend society's teachings such as religion '...she told me all about the bad place, and I said I wish I was there.' and it's rules and life style 'She put me in them new clothes again, and I couldn't do nothing but sweat and sweat, and feel all cramped up.' This in many ways allowed Huck to make decisions from his own moral evaluation instead of relying on the disillusioned teachings of society.    As the novel develops, we see Huck kidnapped by his father, a drunken byproduct of society's corruption. At first, Huck enjoys the relief from religion and the 'sivilized' life '...it warn't long after that till I was used to being where I was and liked it...' but latter realized he was still trapped in the depressing confines of 'sivilisation'. Huck is subjected to the constant tyrannical treatment inflicted from his father ranging from beatings to being locked up days at a time.

Green Goblin :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many super heroes I could have chosen to do this report on, but I chose not to. Instead, I chose a super villain we all know; his name is the Green Goblin.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The meaning of a super hero is a figure endowed with powers usually used for fighting crime. So a super villain would be a figure endowed with powers used for causing crimes. The crime causing Green Goblin was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in July of 1964. He filled the position of Spiderman’s most deadly villain. He first appeared in Spiderman#14 the comic series.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before becoming the Green Goblin he was known as Norman Osborn the second, or as Spiderman’s best friend’s dad. He became the Green Goblin because one of his experiments at Osborn Industrial (he was the owner) went terribly wrong. The messed up experiment caused him to have the following powers/gadgets: super strength, pumpkin bombs and other sorts of bombs. He did not use these new found powers as Spiderman did; the Green Goblin used them for chaos. To be specific he used his powers to fight Spiderman and his other enemies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As the years went by the Green Goblin changed a lot. He started out in a comic book, which was later turned into a television show. In the year 2002 he was featured in the movie Spiderman: the Movie. Another sort of change that occurred in his life time was his costume and his powers. He started as a little goblin with a hat (as seen in the picture on the left) to one with a full body suit (as seen in the picture on the right.) In addition to his powers of super strength and pumpkin bombs, other gadgets were introduced, such as electric bombs and a hoverboard.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, the Green Goblin has made it a long way from the comic book series to big time movies.

The Spartan Warriors Essay -- Ancient Greece

OUTLINE I. Introduction. In society today the term â€Å"warrior† is used loosely and sometimes even associated with an athlete training for a specific event. By the fourth century B.C., Sparta designed a culture solely for training soldiers, a warrior culture. The problem with the design of a warrior culture is not in the fighting capabilities of the group, but in the artistic legacy that was lost during the life of a fighting culture. II. Body. 1. Historical Background a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prior to the Messenian War b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the Messenian War 2. Training a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Age and Sex b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Way of life 3. Politics a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Women in Sparta b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Constitution c. Lycurgus 4. Significant Battles a.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Battle of Marathon   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  b. Battle of Thermopylae   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  c. Battle of Plataea d.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Peloponnesian War 5. Sparta without a war a. Shortcomings b.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Battle of Leuctra 6. Summary III. Conclusion The training regiments and social structure of the Spartans were geared towards building the strongest men and nation physically, but without the artistic and political training, the warriors or Sparta were unable to bring the Grecian empire together. History remembers so much from the philosophy teachings of Socrates and the Athenian paintings, dishes, and sculptures, but little is remembered about the other superpower in Greece and of the warriors of Sparta. THE SPARTAN WARRIORS In society today the term â€Å"warrior† is used loosely and sometimes even associated with an athlete training for a specific event. By the fifth century B.C., Sparta designed a culture solely for training soldiers, a warrior culture. The problem with the design of a warrior culture is not in the fighting capabilities of the group, but in the lack of an artistic legacy that was lost during the life of a fighting culture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prior to the forming of the military community of Sparta there is evidence of a society rich in culture. Archaeologists have found vase paintings depicting fish, snakes, plants, and kings. The illustrations on the dishes of Sparta showed increasing skill in drawing of human dimensions and animal characteristics. The city-state of Sparta had been formed as a cultural center that produced not only pottery but was noted for its festivals of song and dance as well. Other types of craftsmanship included wood, metalworking, weaver, and leather. The Spartan culture would soo... ...cago, Illinois:Rand McNally, 1970) Dryden, John. Translation. Plutarch: The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans. (New York, New York:Modern Library, dt unk) Hale, William H. The Horizon Book of Ancient Greece. (New York, New York:American Heritage Co, 1956) Hawkes, Jacquetta. Dawn of the Gods: Minoan and Mycenaean Origins of Greece. (New York, New York:Random House, 1968) National Geographic Society. Greece and Rome: Builders of Our World. (Washington, District of Columbia:National Geographic Society, 1968) Preston, Richard A., Alex Roland, and Sydney F. Wise. Men in Arms: A History of Warfare and its interrelationships with Western Society. (Belmont, California:Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2001) Reuben, Gabriel and Sheila Schwartz. How People Lived in Ancient Greece and Rome. (Chicago, Illinois:Benefic Press, 1967) Tomlinson, R.A. Argos and the Argolid: From the End of the Bronze Age to the Roman Occupation. (Ithaca, New York:Cornell University, 1972) Warry, John. Warfare in the Classical World: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Weapons, Warriors, and Warfare in Ancient Civilisations of Greece and Rome. (Norman, Oklahoma:University of Oklahoma Press, 1995)

Managing Church Conflict

Managing Church Conflict Conflict within Churches continues to be a problem (Tony Cartledge 2001), and it shows little sign of abating. In fact, the opposite could be much closer to the truth. Perhaps this is why so many in the ministry turn to the writings of Hugh Halverstgadt (2002), a ministry professor from Chicago. In the introduction to his book â€Å"Managing Church Conflicts†, Halverstgadt analyzes the personal and congregational reasons that provide the root causes, which can lead from minor disagreements to outright conflict. His book develops the theme that, as in many areas of life, to sensibly address these problems, ministries and churches globally need to institute a system of conflict management. Leading the reader through a step-by-step conflict management strategy, covering a wide range of typical scenarios, Halverstgadt leads us to his image of peace in churches based upon the notion of Shalom, which promotes the â€Å"right harmonious relationships to other human beings,† (Nicholas Wolterstorff, 1983).   The real question is whether the views held, and the solutions that Halverstgadt promotes to resolve conflict, address the situation. Halverstgadt’s preface asks the question â€Å"can Church conflict be Christian?† and argues that where it degenerates into a â€Å"dirty fighting† scenario, which is not uncommon, this is perhaps not the case. To address this he suggests that ways of turning such disputes into a â€Å"fair† Christian fight need to be found. However, he accepts that there is no need for the Church to fear conflict, provided it is engaged in a manner of fairness. He provides an insight into the reasons conflicts, identifying that essentially the foundation for all conflict is power and that power turns to conflict once its balance is disturbed. Such disturbances can one sector seeks to promote its power in a way that other may perceive would result in a weakening, and therefore limiting or reducing, the power that they think they should enjoy. As, in the case of the Church, most conflicts are deemed centered round power battles within the congregation itself, the book promotes the theory that it falls to the pastor or minister to take on the mantle of conflict manager. It suggests that to successfully take on and execute the role, the manager will needs to reassess their own ideas and beliefs in terms of conflict and their reactions to a situation that arises. In effect, Halverstgadt is looking to the conflict managers to retrain themselves into this new role so that their approach will lead to a solution to the issue that will be acceptable to all of the parties concerned. He acknowledges that the force nature of such a role may be alien to the person, but counsels that as long as they approach it from a position of self-worth, a knowledge that one is a loved member of God’s and the communities family, others will respond positively to them. Part two of â€Å"Managing Church Conflicts† concentrates on the understanding of the issues that have given rise to the conflict, and analyzing these issues and the parties involved into their component parts. One of the first steps advocated is to set rules for the discussion of the conflict, which may mean reorganizing the current ways that existing systems of debates within the Church and its congregation are managed. Often, in conflict situations, both the root causes and indeed the participants in the dispute are not easily identifiable. Therefore, the book suggests that there is a need for the conflict manager to move between the disputing parties and draw them together in conversation that is open and productive. One of the first, and most important, steps in this process includes ensuring that the disagreements move from a â€Å"dirty fighting† stance, which is characterized by its personal direction and content, to an open discussion based upon the foundation of Christian ethics. Haverstadt suggests that it is only once all of these issues have been addressed that the ministry or pastor can move onto the next step, which is the task of managing the conflict and bringing about a resolution that is just, fair and brings about unity once again. Haverstadt further recognizes that managing a conflict situation is no easy task, even for the most experienced conflict manager, and that is has certain limitations. Therefore, in the second part of his book, he sets out a straightforward systematic process for the church mediator to follow.   How they can avoid damaging exchanges between the parties, partially by using the interpretations of faith on the issues, and seeking calmer methods of controlling the discussions. He further discusses ways in which this process should not be limited to just the main protagonists as this could bring about the arising of new conflicts, but include the Church community, so that everyone understands where the process is heading. Furthermore, recognizing that there are issues within the individuals involved that might be better served in private, he suggests that the using of a mentor, or coach, may be beneficial. This gives the individuals the opportunity to discuss those feelings on a personal basis, and to receive comfort and counseling from those appointed to assist them. The desire is that this will lead to a situation where parties can put forward the basis of their strategies and arguments in a positive and clearly defined manner. In the relative calmness of discussion that these moves are hoped to produce, Haverstadt’s book then attempts to deal with the subject of resolution itself, outlining the strengths and weakness of the possibility of trying to reunite the differences or achieving a negotiated settlement acceptable to all. The whole focus or aim of the procedures that Haverstadt’s book promotes is the perception that, by following the guidelines outlined, a position of shalom will be reached. Shalom, in the biblical understanding of the term, a vision which emphasizes the notion of a united, just community bound in pleasant relationships. Although this may seem to exclude discord and diverse viewpoints, as Haverstadt explains, this is not the case. Diversity in the vision of shalom is realized and accepted within an enthusiastic wish to maintain and restore relationships with others using the one abiding link between the congregation, namely their belief in God and the trilogy. Differences in this situation become part of the core strength of the community, rather than the influence that tears the community apart. Result To the extent that the focus of Halverstgadt’s interpretation that the causes of Church conflict are produced by a clashing of power bases, there is little evidence to argue against his findings. If one looks at the development of the Christian Church over the centuries since it’s birth with the death of Christ, the power theory is evidently supported. From a that one focus, Christianity, one has seen it develop into a multi-faceted structure, with the only link, and that somewhat precarious, being the core belief in the trilogy. Catholic, Anglican, Baptist and Methodist, amongst a host of Churches, ostensibly promote the same message, all offering the same vision for the salvation of the human being. Yet, when reflecting about each other, the divisions are obvious, sometimes almost vitriolic in their expression. Historically, it is clearly demonstrated that these divisions resulted from a conflict of power. A typical example is the way in which the King of England separated the Anglican Church from the Church of Rome. Halverstgadt’s promotion of the use of conflict management in an effort to resolve Church conflicts, by providing a calm and common sense vehicle through which issues can be identified and resolved is laudable. Such systems have been used as an integral part of human resource management in business for a number of years, often with much success. However, like all strategies, it has its limitations. Successful conflict management in a community relies upon all the protagonists having the same goals. Business is possibly unique, in that all involved have a tangible focus for conflict management, the business itself. The difference with Church conflicts is that although much of the dispute is about power, it also rests in emotions and non-tangible ideas and beliefs. For example, some of the congregation would promote the idea that the Church should accumulate wealth, so that it can promote its message from a position of strength, others promote the idea that strength of message is better served and more honest from a position of meekness. Conclusion My opinion of this book is that it will serve as a good foundation for dealing with Church conflicts in a number of instances, the main areas to benefit from this good will be concentrated on a parochial basis. At the level where major conflicts occur, as identified in the example of conflict between King of England and the Church of Rome, the power driven differences are too embedded within the psyche of the dominators of the various factions for mediation to be truly successful. In addition, whilst the vision of Shalom is a worthy target for all communities, particularly in Churches, such is the nature of the Human Being that it is unlikely the culmination of this vision will come to fruition. My conclusion therefore is that, whilst the book provides valuable direction from which the Church, its concentration and examples are too localized to make a significant impact upon the area where it is needed most, namely the hierarchy of the various religious sects themselves. References Halverstgadt, Hugh. F. (1992). Managing Church Conflict. Westminster/John Knox Press. U.S. Cartledge, Tony. W.   ed. (2001). Church conflict a common problem. Biblical Recorder. North Carolina. U.S.A. Wolterstorff, Nicholas (1983). Until Justice and Peace Embrace Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. p 70.               

Amazon.Com Supply Chain Management

Running head: Amazon. com Supply Chain Project Amazon. com Supply Chain Project Jarrel Nightingale [email  protected] edu Capella University BUS3004: Supply Chain Management Professor Dr. Robert Goldwasser December 10, 2012 Amazon. com Supply Chain Project Introduction In today’s society, Online Shopping and the industry of e-commerce has become very popular and mainstream. Many individuals have integrated online shopping into their normal routine and have replaced traditional shopping altogether.Online shopping has become so popular, there has been a shopping holiday called â€Å"Cyber Monday† which is the equivalent to â€Å"Black Friday. † Traditional brick and mortar retail stores are now forced to offer their products online in order to remain competitive. This is a new position for most businesses to be in, so businesses are forced to make the necessary adjustments to conform to the consumers’ demands. Complying with the demands of technology has b ecome a problem for some of the smaller businesses due to the lack of resources and infrastructure to produce these changes.Amongst the many online retailers that have emerged, Amazon. com has set itself apart as the industry leader in Online E-commerce. Since 1994, Amazon. com has built a successful empire that has become the default name for when one thinks about buying anything online. Through their documented success, Amazon. com has created the blueprint for those to follow in order to become a successful Online Retailer. In this assignment, I will discuss Amazon. com as it relates to their success and the structure of its company.Business Model Amazon. com sells books, music, and other items over the Internet and is one of the pioneers of consumer e-business. Amazon, based in Seattle, started by filling all orders using books purchased from a distributor in response to customer orders. This practice differs from that of a traditional bookstore, which usually purchases directly from publishers and stocks books in anticipation of customer orders. In 2008, Amazon had eight warehouses in the U. S. and another fifteen in the rest of the world.Amazon stocks many books, though it still gets other titles from distributors or publishers. It uses the U. S. Postal Service and other package carriers such as UPS and FedEx to send books to customers. Amazon has continued to expand the set of products that it sells online. Besides books and music, Amazon has added many product categories such as toys, apparel, electronics, jewelry, and shoes. (Chopra, et. Al, 2012) In addition to adding more products, the strategy of Amazon. com is technology based as it relates to consumer demand.Amazon's supply chain is so tightly integrated that when an online customer buys a couple of books and a CD, the order-management system communicates with inventory- and warehouse-management systems to find the optimal distribution center or centers for fulfilling the order. The customer know s in less than a minute how long it will take to ship the items and whether they will come in one package or separately (Bacheldor, 2004). Global Challenges Unlike most companies, Amazon. com has positioned itself to remain competitive in the national and global markets as well.Shipping is one of the most main expenses of e-commerce and shipping internationally can be a lengthy and expensive process. As mentioned earlier, Amazon. com has built new warehouses and changed the markets supplied by each warehouse as its customer base has grown. Currently there are 15 warehouses in total; 8 of those are located in the United States and the other 7 are located internationally. As a result, it has lowered shipping costs and improved responsiveness (Chopra, et. Al, 2012).There is a trade off because inventory and facility costs increase as the number of facilities in the supply chain increase; and transportation costs decrease as the number of facilities increase. The functionality of its te chnology is also designed to help with reducing costs so that transportation costs stay at a point where operating globally is still achievable. Amazon. com’s supply chain management applications communicate in real time when an order is placed and assigns shipping warehousing and cost based on location (Bacheldor, 2004).When the average company ships internationally the response time is typically in excess of 14 days and the cost to expedite takes any potential savings from purchasing online go away. Importance of Aggregate Planning Amazon. com is beginning to aggregate other e-commerce that are linked via strategic placement and investments. The vision is to make it so customers don’t have to go elsewhere to shop very often especially online (Scally, 2000). The reputation it has is so strong that any association with Amazon. com helps create an impression of validity and success for anyone that chooses to partner with them.Amazon has one of the most-sophisticated sup ply-chain systems in the world, and it was all built from scratch. Homemade applications handle nearly every aspect of its supply chain: warehouse management, transportation management, inbound and outbound shipping, demand forecasts, inventory planning, and more. In the last four years, Amazon has worked to minimize the need for human intervention in its supply-chain processes, such as manually inputting sales forecasts into an inventory-management system (Bacheldor, 2004).Today, Amazon's supply-chain apps communicate in real time, a rarity when most companies have to integrate a variety of software tools and manual processes, such as phone and fax orders. Ultimately, the goal is to try to â€Å"touch† every type of transaction on the web dealing with e-commerce and to integrate with business partners to enhance the online shopping experience (Scally, 2000). Many traditional brick and mortar stores are affiliating themselves with Amazon in order to gain online presence and s ell its merchandise online. This is a mutual benefit as it allows Amazon to continue to diversify its products.Role of Demand Forecasting and Pricing Promotions To achieve strategic fit, a firm must tailor its supply chain to best meet the needs of different customer segments. To retain strategic fit, supply chain strategy must be adjusted over the life cycle of a product and as the competitive landscape changes. Future risks, uncertainties, and environmental concerns must be accounted for when firms design their supply chain strategy. Customers ordering a book at Amazon. com are willing to wait longer than those who drive to a nearby Borders store to get the same book.In contrast, customers can find a much larger variety of books at Amazon compared to the Borders store. Thus, Amazon customers trade off fast response times for high levels of variety (Chopra, et. Al, 2012). Amazon offers its customers a large menu of prices for products that are purchased from the company. For exampl e, a person purchasing two books worth $30 could use standard shipping (ships in 3–5 business days) at a cost of $4. 98, two-day shipping (ships in 2 business days) at a cost of $13. 97, one-day shipping (ships in 1 business day) at a cost of $22. 97 or use free shipping (ships in 7–14 business days).The pricing menu allows Amazon to attract customers with varying levels of desired responsiveness (Chopra, et. Al, 2012). Whereas customers paying for one-day shipping impose a high degree of uncertainty on Amazon, customers opting for free shipping can be used to level out the workload at the warehouse over time. Amazon can thus use its pricing to provide responsiveness to those who value it while using customers who want a low price to help it improve its efficiency. Amazon also uses pricing effectively to shift some of the Christmas peak to November, by offering free or discounted shipping.The discount moves some of the December demand forward, allowing it to reduce its December peak and improve its efficiency without giving up on responsiveness for those customers who do not want to order earlier. Conclusion Since 1994, Amazon. com has built a successful empire that has become the default name for when one thinks about buying anything online. Through their documented success, Amazon. com has created the blueprint for those to follow in order to become a successful Online Retailer. By offering a vast variety of products, Amazon has changed the way many consumers shop for our merchandise.In addition to more options, the prices are often times cheaper even though the merchandise ordered is always shipped from a different location. What Amazon started in 1994 has now been revolutionized as Amazon continues to find ways to better the merchandise, the technology involved, and most important the customer experience. References Anonymous. 1998. IceGroup Releases Amazon. com Analysis . PR Newswire, Retrieved from www. lexisnexis. com/hottopics/lnacademic Bacheldor, B. (2004). FROM SCRATCH: Amazon keeps supply chain close to home. InformationWeek, (979), 40-40.Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/229180916? accountid=27965 Chopra, Sunil, Meindl, Peter. (05/2012). Supply Chain Management, 4/e for Capella University, 4th Edition. Pearson Learning Solutions. Scally, R. (2000). Amazon. com: The force that's altering e-tail, one category at a time. DSN Retailing Today, 39(9), 42-44+. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/228466615? accountid=27965 Willis, C. (1998, Apr 06). Does amazon. com really matter? Forbes, , 55-58. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/195047045? accountid=27965