Personal Response on the On the Rainy River free essay sample

On the other hand, for me, Canada is separation: separation from the friends and family who I most dearly loved and looked up to, separation from the institutions which developed the principles and character I have today, separation from the culture, language, and traditions that I grew up in, separation from the life I have lived for seventeen years, and separation from the dreams I have dreamed for seventeen years†¦ or is it? Tim and I might have totally different definition of Canada but for both of us the decision to move or to stay was merely just a choice. I lived seventeen years of my life in the Philippines, four years of which is with my mom separated from us because she had to move and work in Canada while my dad also seemingly separated from us since he had to work longer hours shifting his loneliness and longing for my mom, to his focus on his daily counseling and paper work. We will write a custom essay sample on Personal Response on the On the Rainy River or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Within those four years, my mom was able to cope with the sadness of being homesick by being able to talk to us every day for an hour before we went to school in the morning and a couple of hours before we went to sleep at night. Those hours of conversation made us feel like we were closer than we actually were. My mom became more well-informed with every detail of our daily activities from the morning we woke up and got ready for school up to the last prayer we recited at night. The worries and fears of being separated from my mom were changed into joy and love of being closely connected as we constantly shared our stories from different sides of the world every single day. After years of waiting, our family finally got the blessing we prayed for: our Visa, a Visa that finally makes our family go to Canada and be with mom. Through the Visa we have the opportunity to be together again as a family. Ironically, I can’t help but cry and feel miserable. It is not that I didn’t want to be with my mom again, of course I did, but it is because of those seventeen years that I felt like I am wasting. At that time, I believed that I still have a choice, a choice to not move to Canada and just stay in the Philippines and continue to fulfill those dreams I have set for myself for seventeen years. Days passed by and my begging of staying in the Philippines was not considered, in fact, I was even asked to assist my dad in doing all those things in relation to the application— from filling up tons of forms from the embassy to photocopying every file of information that each of the member of the family have. I never wanted to move to Canada but with the family being at stake, I understood that the truth is†¦ I don’t actually have a choice. In June of 1968, after receiving the draft letter that asks Tim to go to war, his ordinary teenage life changed into a complicated life of making choices. Being a man of intellect and not of action, Tim sees himself as a young man ‘too good, too smart, too compassionate, too everything (39)’ for the war that he never understood and have always hated. With the experience he had in the summer of 1968 working in an Armour meatpacking plant in his hometown in Minnesota, together with the draft letter experience, he realized that his life in the plant is seemingly a microcosm of the Vietnam War. The eight long hours of standing a quarter-mile from the assembly line removing blood clots from the necks of the pigs, the way he uses that heavy eighty-pound, some kind of a water gun, the unpleasant work, the nasty stinking smell that seems to stay within his whole body, the dates that he couldn’t get that summer, the feeling of isolation from his community, brought him to two choices: flee to Canada bringing with him his morals and beliefs but be branded a coward and a traitor or fight for the war with his life and reputation to make his people proud, but lose his principles or maybe even his life. The same society that built the morals and beliefs and principles he has in him had then become the same society that crippled him to make the choice of leaving all those behind as he stated, â€Å"And what was so sad, I realized, was that Canada had become a pitiful fantasy. Silly and hopeless. It was no longer a possibility. Right then, with the shore so close, I understood that I would not do what I should do. (55)† In the stories Tim O’ Brien and I shared, there is this one little detail in common, we both made a choice. At first, the decision of moving to Canada felt like a selfish decision I was â€Å"forced† to make only for the family’s sake. Actually, I even held them responsible for my misery for a couple of weeks. But as those weeks and months pass by, I came to realize that such choice was actually one of the greatest things that can happen to me, for it was more than just an opportunity for our family to be whole but a breakthrough to endless possibilities towards reaching my dreams. However, for Tim, without any further details after he went to the war, we are left into thinking what might have happened after he made his choice. But as I delve deeply into his tale, I can feel how much he regretted the decision he made just because he does not want the feeling of embarrassment and shame and of cowardice and isolation from the society of people that led him into being the person he is. My decision to choose family over the Philippines and Tim’s decision to choose Vietnam over Canada are our choices made as we come to consider our personal priorities and obligations to my family and to his country. Choice is an act of selecting or making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities. As Steve Maraboli says, â€Å"How would your life be different if†¦ You stopped allowing other people to dilute or poison your day with their words or opinions? Let today be the day†¦You stand strong in the truth of your beauty and journey through your day without attachment to the validation of others†. Like Tim and I, each individual has choices they have to decide on. No matter what kind of decision it is, may it be something for ourselves or for the people around us, we cannot just say that the society â€Å"pressured† us to make such choice. Being individuals granted with free will, we would always be held accountable for every choice we make. In the end, the decision whether to let others poison our lives with their opinions or stand strong in our own journey is merely up to us.

Ethnic Groups and Discrimination

Ethnic Groups and Discrimination Free Online Research Papers I am a descendent of Mexican American and Irish Americans and I chose to explore the history of the Mexican immigration to the United States. I have found that the Mexicans that immigrated to the United States faced many obstacles and suffered through a great deal of discrimination from the Americans. The immigrants dealt with a severe dual labor market during the early to mid 1940’s in the United States. There was also a definite portrayal of redlining with the Mexicans immigrating to the United States. The Mexican migrates had several issues that they faced upon trying to first enter the country and even today there are still many things that they have to face if they wish to enter and become a part of the United States. There are currently approximately 5.3 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States that hail from Mexico; according to the U.S. census of 2008. Mexico also currently represents the largest source of immigration to the United States they also have the most undocumented immigrants. Do to this large population of the Mexican immigrants there was a negative connotation attached to the Mexicans living in the United States. The media is where the negative image came from. They have been discriminated because of their race, culture, language and ethnicity. One of the biggest reasons though they faced discrimination was because of the illegal immigration. Many citizens of the United States were and are upset about the way these immigrants enter the country and think that it is unfair. The Mexicans faced a great extent of discrimination while trying to make a better life for themselves in the United States. The dual labor market that the Mexican immigrants faced was a very tough one; there were several obstacles that they constantly had to overcome. Demographically the Mexican Americans are highly urbanized, young, disproportionately blue collar, and poor. The immigrants have many things going against them and it is hard to overcome these obstacles due to the fact that they are limited in the income that they can make in the United States because of their lack of education, language barrier and poverty that they have to deal with. Their occupational gains are slow and have an enormous sensitivity to the economic conditions in the United States. With all these issues that they faced everyday there was still the fact that the immigrants could not get the United States citizens to accept them openly to their country as contributing, working citizens. The 1940’s is when the media really started negatively portraying the Mexican Americans. This is following the Great Depression where over 500,000 Mexican immigrants were deported from the United States back to Mexico. However the Mexican entered World War 2 hoping that by fighting for their country that they resided in would help to show their loyalty to the United States, but it did not. Over 300,000 Mexicans fought in the war and when the war ended and everyone came back thousands were turned away from medical facilities when they needed attention for the wounds that they acquired while fighting the war to protect the United States. These soldiers were not welcomed back into the United States and were still considered disloyal foreigners in the country. With all this going on the Mexicans still continued to migrate to the United States by the thousands some legally but most of them illegally. In 1986 the Immigration Reform and Control Act grandfathered in approximately 2 million formerly undocumented Mexicans that were in the process of acquiring legal status in the United States. Since this happened the process of gaining legal citizenship to the United States has become easier for the Mexicans and the United States has also been more accepting of the Mexicans into the country. After reviewing the information that I found about Mexicans immigrating to the United States, I think that I can identify more with the mainstream culture that I live in now. I have deep sympathy for the experiences that the past immigrants had faced. The biggest reason that I think I relate more to the main stream culture is because I was raised in a predominantly American household and practiced American cultures and grew up in American school systems. I also never faced the discrimination that the Mexican immigrants did because I really don’t look of Latin descent. Also I truly believe that things are getting better for all immigrants in the United States and I hope that things keep moving in that direction. Resources: MigrationInformationSource.org Mexican Immigration to the U.S.; the Latest Estimates Passel, Jeffrey March 2004 www.sagepub.com Mexican Americans, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Moore, Joan W.; University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Research Papers on Ethnic Groups and DiscriminationThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This Nice19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropePETSTEL analysis of IndiaPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andTwilight of the UAWTrailblazing by Eric Anderson

LDL Cholesterol Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

LDL Cholesterol - Essay Example Therefore, it is not easy for anyone to know whether they are in danger or not. As a matter of caution, people are advised to have their cholesterol levels assessed regularly. These checks are conducted through ‘lipoprotein profile’ blood tests (National Cholesterol Education Program, 2005). The total level of cholesterol is significant in determining the risk of CHD in any individual. The total cholesterol level is computed by adding bad (LDL cholesterol), good cholesterol (HDL) and triglycerides. The difference between LDL and HDL is that LDL contributes to the build up and blockage of arteries, whereas; HDL prevents cholesterol build within arteries. Comprehensive assessment of cholesterol levels requires a lipoprotein profile test. However, where this is not possible one can still get a general idea on the probable level of their cholesterol and risk level. Cholesterol measures are done in milligrams (mg) per deciliter of blood (dL), and any levels above 200mg/dL or below 40mg/dL require that a lipoprotein profile be conducted (National Cholesterol Education Program, 2005). The levels of HDL should be preferably higher (at least 60 mg/dL) because of the positive role of protecting against CHD. However, levels below 40 mg/dL should be worrying because this level is below minimum and could be a risk because it increases chances of CHD (National Cholesterol Education Program, 2005). The risk of getting CHD is determined by multiple factors including cholesterol levels, lifestyle and pre-existent conditions such as diabetes (National Cholesterol Education Program, 2005). The risk of developing CHD is determined by considering the risk factors, which are scored against the scale established in the Framingham Risk Score (FRS). The FRS is made up of a number of scoring systems for determining the probability of an individual to get CHD. The first step entails assessing the number of risk factors that an individual possesses. Each

Unethical behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Unethical behavior - Essay Example Above all, the Golden Rule and Ethical Education are suggested to solve these ethical fallacies. In order to preserve the ethical standard of the world at large, the discussion of the misconceptions and rationalizations is crucial to preserving the standard of ethics and social norms. Using Jack Marshall’s list of ethical fallacies, let’s discuss five common reasons as handpicked. First, if there is a Golden Rule, there is a Golden Rationalization, as well. Apparently, it is the opposite of the former. This rationalization is not new. It began as early as the beginning of the civilization. It was believed that when the majority of the people performed a certain action – the judgment whether the action is right or wrong is determined through it. In other words, if everybody does it – you can therefore do it, as well. If the majority of the society had committed adultery, then it is implicitly all right for you to commit the same. However, a person who used this reasoning is aware of his misconduct. Since everybody does it, he would argue that he should not be singled for condemnation, although he is conscious that adultery is illegal. Secondly, another common rationalization is called The Compliance Dodge. If a person had complied with the rules, it is obviously driven by the punishments enumerated therein. Put it another way, ethics is about the individual’s decision to do what is right. If a person has the genuine intention to do the right thing without any given sanction – it is therefore ethical. That is to say that compliance with the rules is not the same with ethics. Individuals who were using this rationalization had been finding loopholes in a set of rules to justify unethical behaviors as right. Thirdly, The Slippery Slope is an insidious fallacy. Several people believed that if a misconduct or unethical behavior had brought no harm to anybody – it could not be considered a wrongdoing. Another key thing to

Applications of seven habits by Steven Covey Essay Example for Free

Applications of seven habits by Steven Covey Essay This classic best seller for management, organisations and personal development encapsulates Steven Coveys research on 200 years of success literature since his doctoral program. It is perhaps the most influential book for managers and organizations to learn the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, as the title suggest. It begins with the concept that people perceive the world differently, and we form our own paradigm how we view the world with our own unique lens. Covey explains that paradigms are the source of our attitudes and behaviours. Part of achieving insight involves making a paradigm shift which causes us to perceive things differently. Our paradigms will affect how we interact with others, which in turn will affect how they interact with us. Covey argues that any effective self-help program must begin with an inside-out approach, rather than looking at our problems as being out there (an inside-out approach). We must start by examining our own character, paradigms, and motives. Hence, character and principles are keys to success, effectiveness, and happiness in life. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People points out: Principles are guidelines for human conduct that are proven to have enduring, permanent value. The seven habits divided into two main groups: private victory (independence) and public victory (interdependence). Habits of Independence: Habit 1: Be Proactive We must use our resourcefulness to work toward our personal goals. Everyone has both a circle of influence and a circle of concern. Worrying endlessly about things outside of our circle of influence isnt particularly productive. Working within our circle of influence is productive. Further, the more effective we become, the more our circle of influence will expand. Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind What do we want people to say about us at our funerals? How will we be remembered? To succeed, Covey suggests visualizat ion. Every successful outcome is created twice; first one plan and second on implementation. Habit 3: Put First Things First The key to putting first things first is to understand that we have many things we can do which will have a significant, positive impact on our lives. Covey stresses that we must balance Production (P) with Productive Capability (PC). We must keep the golden eggs, but also maintain goose. Prioritization is the essence of time management. Interdependence The remaining habits in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People are habits of interdependence. Rather than being dependent upon other people, or trying to be totally independent, we learn how to be more effective by effectively working with others. Habit 4: Think Win/Win Thinking Win/Win means seeking mutual benefit in our human interactions. To be successful in the long run, we should learn to consider others win factors besides our own. Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood Most people talk more than they listen. Until we listen actively and seek to understand others, we would n ot be understood. Active listening is about sensing the three modes of communications, i.e. visual, vocal and verbal. Habit 6: Synergize It means that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Combining the strengths of each individual yields multiple outcome beyond expectations, simply 1+12. Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw Just as a machine will wear out quickly if not properly maintained, the same is true for our own personal productivity. We must take care of ourselves. The four dimensions are physical, mental, social/emotional and spiritual renewals. To me, the first concept on paradigm is profound. I agree that when we change our perspectives, our attitudes and behaviours will change. To achieve enrichment in life, we need to understand our own paradigm, crystalize and anchor our principles. I have adopted these principles and find peace in self-awareness, social relationship and professional communications. Covey has successfully synthesised the successful habits of leaders, crystallised and organized them into two progressive segments. In line with child development from birth through death, one indeed grows from dependence to independence in early childhood to adolescence . We then mature to adults, where we progress from independence to interdependence. The seven habits are indeed proven to be critical for any individual to attain private and public victories. Hence it is no surprise that whenever I business leaders within my network on which are some books they would read to enrich their management knowledge, this book is voted as the most influential book that changed their lives. I have personally adopted these habits in my personal and professional communications and testify their effectiveness. I have sharpened my strengths in strategic thinking and leadership by adopting the habits of Begin with the end in mind and Synergize. For instance at the Polytechnic, I mooted the idea of Young GEMS(Go-the-Extra-Miles-for-Service) camp for upper secondary school students to build our prospects for future enrolment. Upon approval from management for the Young GEMS camp, I formed a program team and successfully lead it to implement the camp through skilful synergy of the individuals competence. This book has provided comprehensive coverage on the why and how of each habit. The only gap I see is that the context are US-based. It would be better if there is an Asian version with case studies of local enterprises and leaders, for the benefit of Asian readers. For instance, unlike Americans, Asians are generally weak in questioning skills to seek to understand others. It would be helpful if there are some recommended strategies in questioning to gain insights of others perspectives. Also, Asians tends to individual and less apt to working in teams, particularly in appreciating individual strengths, expressing diversified opinions openly. Asian case studies on Win-win and Synergize would certainly be helpful. There is no doubt that all seven habits are pivotal in todays managers and organisations. I personally have benefited as an account manager in Hewlett-Packard Singapore Sales when I was sponsored to attend the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People one-week course. It has significantly increased my self-awareness, strategic thinking skills, time-management skills and revolutionizes my perspectives in life. I can testify that the Habits are practical prescriptions for building trustworthy and lasting relationships, hence empowering managers to be effective leaders who could develop the most conducive working environment that attracts and retains like-minded talents for the good of society.

Ethical And Legal Aspects On Organ Transplantation Essay -- Organ Dona

Ethical And Legal Aspects On Organ Transplantation Recent reports of public figures receiving life-saving transplants have brought renewed attention to the scarcity of organs and the importance of organ transplants. Although more transplants are being performed in the United States each year the transplant waiting list continues to grow. It has been considered that the decrease in organ donors is due to the unsuccessful measures taken by health care professionals. This is a limited view of the matter because health care professionals are not directly responsible for the policies and other guidelines for procuring organs. The general population does not have the interest of suffering individuals at heart when it comes to donation. Instead, the interest lies with respecting individual autonomy and dead bodies. I strongly believe that the attention needs to focus on the next-of-kin or health care proxies communication with an individual who wants to be a donor. Health care proxies are designated individuals who speak on one's behalf, an d agree to put forward the type of medical intervention one wishes to have when one is no longer able to speak for oneself. The focus of public policy related to organ donation has been solely on the individual donor and recipient. However, there is a dire need to analyze and recommend changes to some of the current guidelines. For example, one of major reasons for the decrease in organ donation is the next-of-kin's ability to override the decision to donate. Secondly, current policies for distributing organs favor a pattern least likely to save lives: The allocation guidelines give top priority to the sickest patients regardless of their prognosis. I interpret the allocation guidelines as som... ...iteria for Evaluating Potentail Transplant Recipient Vary Among Centers." JAMA 269 (1993): 3091-3094. "Organ Donation: Social and Cultural Issues." Nursing Standards 41 (1995): 25-29. "Legal Framework for Organ Donation and Transplantation." Nursing Clinic of North America 24 (1989): 837-849. The Partnership for Organ Donation. "Hospitals Can Do More to Increase Donation." http://www.transweb.org/partnership/press.html ubc. (March 1996). The Public Health and Welfare, Chp. 7, subchapter 11, part A of 1986, 42 U.S.C.A. Section 1320b-9. University of Chicago Hospital's Policy. "UCH Organ and Tissue Donation Policy." http://www.hooked.net/users/chartsf/txp/txphome. htm # chrono. (27 Feb. 1996) Yale Biomedical Text. "Organ Trafficking Perspective from UNOS." http://www.info.med.yale.edu:70/11/disciplines/disciplines/transplant.htm (5 Aug. 1995).

Comparative Analysis of Amazon and Webvan

Webvan was founded by Louis Borders in 1999 after he saw the opportunity in the growing number of people making online purchases. Borders created Webvan as an enterprise that would offer greater variety than conventional stores and at the same time provide the necessary convenience to online shoppers. Webvan started by offering groceries that were frequently bought by online shoppers to ensure economies of scale in their orders.After establishing a critical customer base, it planned to use its distribution system to expand its sale to product lines that were not being frequently offered but with high profit margins such as books and consumer electronics. The company developed the web store and constructed its distribution and fulfillment center in the San Francisco Bay area from 1997 to 1999. After implementing its trial delivery system in May 1999 to 1,100 customers, Webvan was launched in June of the same year as a venture whose primordial mission is to deliver to its customers eve rything from groceries to palm pilots in a cheap and efficient manner.After raising $1. 2 billion as start-up capital from its stock offering, it began to execute grandiose plans of establishing strings of futuristic warehouses with motorized carousels and robotic product-pulling machines which costed $35 million, hoping it would minimize the cost of operations. With profit-margins so thin, Webvan failed to cover its growing cost of operations. Demand was so weak to sustain the income that Webvan needed to raise. Finally, after suffering a net loss of $217 million and accumulating tremendous deficits amounting to $830 million, Webvan found itself in a loosing situation.By July 2001, Webvan Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries, Webvan-Bay Area, Inc. , Webvan Operations, Inc. , and HomeGrocer. com, Inc. filed voluntary petitions for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United Stated Bankruptcy Court in July 2001 and ceased operations. Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994, after he noticed the promising growth of Web sites and internet access. Bezos was said to be particularly â€Å"optimistic about online retail opportunities and set out to develop a business model that will leverage growth of internet access in the United States†.Bezos decided to start with bookselling as its initial retail category, with the belief that online business model possessed superior economics to established competitors. Amazon was so successful in its initial public offering that it was able to sell 3 million shares at $18 per share, thereby raising $54 million as part of its start-up capital. And so they say the rest is history. Amazon evolved from a tiny warehouse to a leading internet retailer in the world. Bogler and Johnson (2000) wrote:â€Å"The company’s growth was phenomenal: it expanded from books to offering 28 million items across numerous categories and acquired 29 million global customers along the way. By 2000 according to Interbrand, Amazon. com beca me the forty-eighth most valuable brand in the world, embodying the principle of electronic commerce for people worldwide. † However by late 2001, Amazon experienced a tremendous loss of $2. 3 billion. Its share price which ascended rapidly in 1999 went down significantly. Fortunately, it was able to borrow $2.1 billion to sustain its international investments. With innovations such as the one-click system and creative strategies to raise revenues from publishers and increase in sales from wider product selection, Amazon was able to survive the slump in the subsequent period at the NASDAQ. (Burgelman, 2001) By 2008, Amazon emerged as a global brand with 76 million active customer accounts and order fulfillment to more than 200 countries. With this volume of sales, on December 31, 2007 Amazon employed approximately 17,000 full-time and part-time employees. COMPARE & CONTRASTIt would be interesting to note that the founder of Webvan actually started in the business of booksellin g. In terms of experience in the dot-com business, Amazon started earlier in 1994 while Webvan started in 1999. Webvan started operations in 1999 and was publicly-listed on November of the same year, with its share price zooming to $34 from the offering price of $15 on its opening day. This allowed Webvan to raise a whopping $1. 2 billion in start-up capital from the offering and other sources such as venture capitalists, thereby putting it within the league of Amazon.com. ([email  protected], 2001) In other words, both companies were of equal footing in 1999 when Webvan caught up with Amazon in terms of dot-com stature and financial backing. Both companies also established strategic alliances in the course of their operations. In the case of Webvan, it established partnership with Eve. com, an online prestige beauty products retailing company. It also established strategic alliances with Coca-Cola Company, Kraft Foods, and Chlorox Company. This was done by Webvan to reduce its pr ocurement costs.Amazon partnered with Drugstore. com (pharmacy), Living. com (furniture), Pets. com (pet supplies), Wineshopper. com (wines), Sothebys. com (auctions) and Kozmo. com (urban home delivery). In most cases, Amazon purchased an equity stake in these partners, so that it would share in their prosperity. Such partnerships helped Amazon extend its reach into the customer-base of other suppliers, and of course, customers who buy in one category such as books can be encouraged to purchase into other areas such as clothing or electronics.Webvan carried mostly perishable grocery goods in its retail categories while Amazon had the policy of selling only non-perishable and conveyable items. Since profit margins were so thin for perishable goods compared to non-perishable goods, it would be easy to undertsand why Amazon had greater chances of success than Webvan. Furthermore, perishable items have greater risk and cost in inventory handling. This is the reason why Webvan had to in vest too much money in its warehousing infrastructure. This spelled the difference in the success and failure of the Amazon and Webvan.Webvan had to invest too much money on a system that must ensure the freshness of its perishable goods. It had to establish a highly technological and robotic warehousing infrastructure that was very expensive to begin with in contrast to Amazons system which required its employees to â€Å"touch† its products. In the case of Amazon, since most of its items sold online were non-perishable, it had lesser inventory risks. In addition to that, its business model allowed it to shift it cost of carrying most of its inventory to its suppliers.Thus, Amazon had better grip in its infrastructure costs. The savings it obtained from its leaner operations allowed it to invest its money in developing its software systems that facilitated greater efficiency in its distribution. Finally, the viability of both business differed mainly from its customer-base a nd funding support during hard times. Webvan had a weak local customer-base that was often dissatisfied by its delivery service while Amazon had a strong customer-base that was not only confined to the US but also overseas.More so, NASDAQ just gave up on Webvan when it continously experienced financial setbacks while Amazon was able to secure additional investments to sustain its global operations. CAUSES FOR FAILURE OR SUCCESS One of the main reasons why Webvan failed is because it made the wrong decision of investing the money it successfully raised in a very expensive infrastructure and rapid expansion of operations. According to Strom (2001): â€Å"Webvan spent huge sums on high-tech warehouses that were designed to revolutionize distribution, but they turned out to be mostly a waste of money.The problem is that all the technology was meant to reduce labor costs, and labor is relatively cheap. Worse, Webvan designed the warehouses so they could scale to 8,000 orders per day, bu t that's a lot of unnecessary expense when you're receiving less than half that many orders. † Another factor that led to the failure of Webvan is the decline in the quality of its service delivery. When Webvan took over HomeGrocer, an internet grocery shopping store which was absorbed into Webvan’s grandiose expansion plan, customers noticed the deteriorating effectivity of customer service.Before the takeover, there were no complaints with HomeGrocer specially interms of customer service. Emails from customers were being promptly addressed by customer service such as providing refunds in cases of occasional mistake or damaged food. This quality of service worsened when customers started to receive rotten fruits from the delivery. Webvan was buying inferior produce in order to save on cost. Such decline in customer service resulted in customers going back to the conventional way of picking up their groceries and patronizing the local groceries once again.(Mcafee, 2006) Finally, it can be seen that Webvan’s botched acquisition of HomeGrocer led to its failure as it did’nt handle the merger of resources and assets wisely. HomeGrocer’s competency and strength in terms of operations and marketing were not totally assimilated into Webvan’s system. Amazon’s e-commerce technology platform, brand power and fulfillment infrastructure was a key to its success. It had technological innovations that efficiently facilitated online order such as the â€Å"one-click check out process†.Amazon provided its customers with an online system that allowed shoppers to purchase products online without filling lengthy registration and shipping forms that would usually turn-away buyers. Amazon was able to create an online system that also helped repeat purchases by buyers to be executed by just one click of a button – a system whose patent was eventually awarded to Amazon. One important factor why Amazon succeeded is becaus e of certain inherent strengths in its business model.Its negative operating cycle allowed Amazon to get credit card payments from its customers in a few days while enjoying a time lag of thirty to sixty days to pay its vendors after the sale. This gave Amazon a financial advantage that allowed it to generate interest in the full price of its goods for over a month. Another inherent strength in Amazon’s business model is its less dependence on physical infrastructure such warehouses. Amazon was able to sell it products with out actually carrying in most of its inventory thus shifting the risk of its inventory to its vendors.Amazon’s suppliers carried the burden of storage, thereby lessening its cost due to minimal inventory handling. Amazon also instituted free shipping offers to encourage increase in basket size since customers have to spend over a certain amount to receive free shipping. The level at which free-shipping is set is critical to profitability. Because of this, Amazon got a competitive edge as promotional battles evolved with its competitors. LESSONS LEARNED AND CONCLUSION Growing Too Fast Too Soon The lesson that can be learned from the experience of Webvan is that of timing.Some would think it’s a business that is way ahead of its time; others would say it grew too fast too soon. In his review of the â€Å"Top ten dot-com flops†, German (2009) wrote that: â€Å"A core lesson from the dot-com boom is that even if you have a good idea, it is best not to grow too fast too soon. But online grocer Webvan was the poster child for doing just that, making the celebrated company our number one dot-com flop. In a mere 18 months, it raised $375 million in an IPO, expanded from the San Francisco Bay Area to eight U. S.cities, and built a gigantic infrastructure from the ground up (including a $1 billion order for a group of high-tech warehouses). Webvan came to be worth $1. 2 billion (or $30 per share at its peak), and it toute d a 26-city expansion plan. But considering that the grocery business has razor-thin margins to begin with, it was never able to attract enough customers to justify its spending spree. The company closed in July 2001, putting 2,000 out of work and leaving San Francisco's new ballpark with a Webvan cup holder at every seat.† Getting Big Fast Ironically, in the case of Amazon, the same business principle of getting big fast was said to be the most important decision that lead to its success. In an interview with Jeff Bezos by Fortune Magazine, he said that the initial strategy was very focused and very uni-dimensional†¦It was GBF: Get Big Fast†¦What once looked foolish can seem smart now. When we started the company on July 15, 1995 we offered one million titles. We were advised by very knowledgeable people to offer only three hundred thousand titles.That was twice the size of the inventory carried by the largest physical bookstores. The catalogue was hard for us but d oable. Obtaining the books was really hard. But the success generated word of mouth. (Brooker, 2000) Supply-chain management was also a crucial lesson in the experience of Webvan and Amazon. The company that was able to efficiently and effectively manage its online retail business with minimal inventory cost and risk was the company that turned out to be successful.The difference in the supply chain management of both companies ultimately distinguished between the company that was financially viable and which one was not. References Bogler, Daniel and Edgecliffe-Johnson, Andrew (2000). Jeff Bezos: The Man of Last Year Revisited. Brooker, Katrina (2000). Beautiful Dreamer. Fortune Magazine. Burgelman, Robert and Meza, Philip (2001). Amazon. com: Evolution of an e-tailer. Graduate School of Business. Stanford University. [email  protected] (2001).Webvan Finds that Shopping for Food Online Hasn’t Clicked with Consumers. [Online]. Available: http://knowledge. wharton. upenn. ed u/article. cfm? articleid=321 German Kent (2009). Top 10 dot-com flops. CNET Networks Incorporated. [Online]. Available: http://www. cnet. com/1990-11136_1-6278387-1. html Mcaffee, Andrew and Ashiya, Mona (2006). Webvan. Harvard Business School. President and Fellows of Harvard College. Strom, David (2001). Where Webvan Went Wrong. TidBits #588. [Online]. Available: http://www. strom. com/awards/255. html