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Background Sony Corporation is one of the best-known names in consumer electronics andranks plump for worldwide in electronics behind Matsushita Electric Corporation. Since itwasestablishedshortlyafterWorldWarII,Sonyhasintroducedastreamofrevolutionaryproducts,includingthetransistorradio,theTrinitrontelevision,theBetamaxVCR,theCDplayer,theWalkmanportablecassetteplayer,andthePlayStation game console. The companys electronics segmentwhich includes audioand video products, televisions, personal computing devices, monitors, estimator peripherals,telecommunications devices, and electronic components (such as semiconductors).When Dr. Toshi T. Doi took charge of the project to develop a new computer in 1984, herecruited11top-flightengineerstoformtheteam. Doiestablished terzettobasicguidelines for the development (1) the computer should be 32 bit (2) it should be multipurpose and (3) the project should be completed as soon as possible. The engineers, however, determined that they wante d to shape a machine (an engineeringworkstation)thatwouldhelpthemintheirownengineeringwork sort ofthanamultipurpose machine. Doi approved their plan, only ifhe required that it befinished in sixmonths.SAPADAPA ANALYSISI. Situational analysis Dr. Toshi T. Doi was the general manager of Sonys workstation division(WD) and was non keen on changing Sonys product development process,which was in force(p) and successful. The WDs workstation NEWS launchedin October 1986 at the Tokyo Data Show had generated over 1000 inquiriestheyrecoveredinvestmentsinfewmonthsandsawadoubleinsalesannually. Its new product development (NPD) process for the 1550 series workstationhad three stages basic architecture specification product anatomy first lot productionOne side effect of Sonys preoccupation with the video business was that itscomputer business. Although Sony hadsome success in thecomputer gamemarket, its first entrants in the computer market were 8-bit machines. TheSMC-70 and SMC-777 are 8-b it machines were introduced in 1982 and 1984,respectively, which failed quickly in competition with 16-bit MS-DOS systems(e. g. , the IBMPC). Sony considered developing a16-bit microcomputer but itsoon abandoned the idea. II. Problem Analysis The development required too much effort from hardware bearing engineers.Engineers in small teams were required to handle all issues from logic stick out tomanufacturability, requiring a breadth of knowledge, which some(prenominal) did not have. These engineers had to put-in 60 to 70 hours a week and much more during acrisis, rendering them overworked. Withall these unornamentedefforts put in,the intentionswere still not optimized to be manufactured Man/Engineers ? Toomuchwasrequiredfromthehardware design engineers. Small teams were more efficient but they requiredthat each engineer be able to handle the completerange ofdesigntasks, fromhigh-level architecturedown to minor details.Thus the engineers skills andknowledge had to be both bro ad anddeep. Method ? With the current procedure, the designswere notoptimized formanufacturability. Because hardware design engineers were unfamiliarwithallofthemanufacturingconcerns,theyoftenmissedsimpleredesignsthatcouldmakemanufacturing far more efficient. Inthe current process, it is very difficult to separatetechnologyintoneatstepsandforthis earthittakes timetotransfer technology. The workstationmarket is so competitive that there is no time to dothis transfer. SpecializationDesign engineering does ot have comme il faut expertiseto support manufacturing properly, especially as theproduct line and the number of development projectscontinue to growWorkingTimeHardwareengineerstypicallywork60-70hoursaweek And even more during acrises. SWOT ANALYSIS A. Strengths Recovered Investments and doubled theannual sales since thelaunch ofNEWS communicate Manager often a Senior EngineerB. Weaknesses Small project teams Very limited design engineers Lack of traditional management tasks Marketing power is insufficientC. Opportunities Reorganization of engineers Hiring of Highly expertise/skilled design engineersD.Threats Marketing power of competitors during this time IV. Potential Problem Analysis Additional cost in hiring exceedingly expertise or skilled design engineers. Possible loss of market ifother competitors will boost the competition duringthat time when the marketing power is still insufficient. Small project teams that may require them to confer manpower and its costs. Engineers will continue to work too much time that could result to burn-out. Possible accrue in the annual sales of the Sony Company. Loss of precisions in the product lines if the needed expertise will not

Technology Helps Starbucks Find New Ways to Compete Essay

1. Analyze Starbucks using the militant forces and look upon ambit models. The environment in which the potency coffee tree industry had to postulate during the 2008 was made up of cheaper debauched food chain and global economic downturn. Compare with McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks offers a unique experience high up-end specialty coffees and beverages, friendly and k at one timeledgeable servers, and node-friendly coffee shops. However more and more customers complain that the Starbucks lost their hip and local feel. Under this circumstance, the new entrants are much more easy to enter the specialty coffee area, because Starbucks would in general lost their specialty in coffee industry, and coffee industry does non put a high premium on economies of scale. The primary substitute outputs posing a potential threat to specialty coffee were the caffeinated soft drinks produced by Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Competitors like Pepsi and Coca-Cola offered beverages, which had t he caffeine inherent in specialty coffee, at significantly start out prices. (Quelch, 2006) Since the taste of the customers never discount, Starbuck need to refine their product and service quality. Moreover, with the development of the engineering, Starbuck customers would require intelligent IT conduct during their consumption. Thus the suppliers of Starbucks has branched out to app suppliers and IT industry suppliers. In lay to deal with the profits plunge in 2008, Starbucks decide to overhaul its job concern using in store technology, aggressive product differentiation dodge and tap their management and working processions.By using the in store technology, Starbucks district managers can do most of their work sitting at a table in one of the stores they oversee. To enhance homo resource, Starbucks created a 10-person lean team whose job is to travel the country visiting franchises and coaching them in lean techniques made famous by automaker Toyotas production system. T o save the time the employee to make a drink, Starbuck set out to streamline the line of work processes used in each of its stores so that baristas do not need to bend down to scoop coffee, cutting down on idle time objet dart waiting for coffee to drain, and finding ways to reduce the amount of time each employee spends making a drink. Thanks to the amelioratement of technology, human resource, procurement and firm infrastructure, Starbucks elevated their hold activities and expend their margin.2. What isStarbucks business dodge? Assess the role played by technology in this business strategy. First, the participation has revamped its in-store technology and want to integrate its business processes with wireless technology and the mobile digital platform. Also, rather than copy the practices of competitors, Starbucks pursued a more aggressive product differentiation strategy, intended to emphasize the high quality of its beverages and efficient and right-hand customer service . At the corresponding time, however, Starbucks also focused on becoming lean, like numerous of its competitors, eliminating inefficiency wherever possible. 3. How much has technology helped Starbucks compete? Explain your answer. The technology helped Starbucks increase the in-store presence of district managers by25 pct without adding any extra managers. And the use of digital mobile platform and Wi-Fi make Starbucks welcome among customers.In doing1. What functions are provided by the Web site?The weavesite of Starbucks provides their company cultures, coffee profiles, coffee house, responsibility, card and deals, online shops and on-line customer service. 2. How does the Web site support Starbucks business strategy? The web site provide on-line coffee house to give their customers more than their expected, the music WI-FI community provide the entertainment, on-line community and IT support all together. At the same time, the coffee profile and menu show the diversity of th eir products and service.Burton Snowboards Speeds Ahead with straightaway BusinessProcesses 1. Analyze Burton using the value chain and competitive forces models. From the competitive forces point, Burton controlled almost half of the commercialise at its peak, that is to say the barrier for the new entrants to this industry is quiet high, because Burton has occupied most market, and the way to compete with Burton means large economic scale investment. And the core techniques of Burton had been refined for years. If the new entrants want to break the predominance of Burton, they should have much more edgy management and skills. Same rules, the threat of substitute production is low. mend its market power of suppliers is stable, because material of snowboard is simpleand the component of snowboard is relative exclusive and the manufacture technique allow not face fluctuant revolution. On the other hand, customers require more and more diversified and delicate service, specially for the young customers who would ask for more personal designs. To enhance the value chain, Burton snowboard need to add technology support, improve its systems for inventory, supply chain, purchasing, and customer service. In the past, Burtons information systems were a hodgepodge of inconsistently implemented and underutilized software program. The company had to manually allocate product to customers and orders.But now, Burton applied SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software to resolve problems this way without adding new layers of complexity to its IT infra-structure, and the company gained proficiency with SAP enterprise software in the process. For the primary activities, since Burton revamped their data and order system, Burtons in bounce logistics and outbound logistics become much more scientific and effective. Therefore, the dealers reorder with Burton to replenish their stock or to buy new products.2. Why the business processes are set forth in this case such a n important source of competitive advantage for Burton? Because Burton wanted to speed up this process so that its dealers and retail customers would have more precise information about the availability of products not shortly in stock. 3. Explain exactly how these process improvements enhance Burtons operational performance and end making? SAP analysts helped Burton identify the top five transactions that were the most critical to busi-ness operations and that needed optimization from a systems standpoint. Other processes in need of improvement included the order-to-cash process (receiving and processing customer sales, including order entry, fulfillment, distribution, and payment) the handling of overdue purchase orders in the procure-to-pay process, which consists of all the steps from purchasing goods from a supplier to paying the supplier and the electronic data interchange (EDI) inventory feed extract transactionIn Action1. What is the purpose of this Web site? How does it s upport the companys goals? The web site is aimed to contact product advertisement, Prospect generation, Direct sales, Business-to-business sales, Customer support and Education. Burton set a concise and attractive web site to attract customersto drill down into the culture of the product and the company so that to show their product confidence as well as their humanistic service.2. What functions at this Web site are associate to the business processes discussed in this case? How did improving those processes impact the Web site? The website displays all Burton stores on it to tie customers for a better shopping. Also, the website provide Help column to deal with techniques problems and service reflection. Since the website opens on-line shopping channel, the order information can processed directly in their ERP system .Will Technology Save the publish Industry?1. Evaluate the impact of the Internet on newspaper and hold back publishers using the value chain and competitive for ces models. When the information dynasty comes, create industry, the torch bear of civilization, has to facing the big revolution. As a come on way to deliver knowledge and news, publishing industrys competitors are television, radio, and theaters and so on. But now the powerful new entrant internet, is driving publishing industry to a digital division. Instead of traditional paper based book and newspaper, the e-book is a much more popular substitute products. At the same time, suppliers are pursuing a higher margin between high address printed publications and low cost e-publications. And more and more your readers prefer to use electric devices to read books and newspapers.2. How are newspapers and book publishers changing their business models to deal with the Internet and e-book technology? One option is to share revenue with Internet partners such as Google and Yahoo. Another is to charge fees for newspaper content delivered to new reading devices, including smartphones, e- readers, iPads, and tablets, which enable online newspapers to be read everywhere. A third option is to charge fees for premium news and opinion. But because advertising remains a study source of revenue, the newspapers must clearly figure out how to grow their online revenue fast enough to set out their losses from print advertising.3. How can newspaper and book publishers take better advantage of the Internet? What provide it take for them to benefit from e-books? Explain your answer. Publishing companies have begun investing more resources in the Kindle and iPad as delivery platforms for their books and less money in traditional delivery platforms, like print news and bound books. Through this digital platform, publishers can win thenew channel to sale publications as well as win back their ad sponsors.4. Will technology be able to save the newspaper and book publishing industries? Explain your answer. Yes, technology will provide a new way to publishers which is publishing t hrough digital information system such as e-readers, ipad, mobile devices and on the internet. The essential meaning of publishing industry is still brisk, only the outer form changed.DEFINITIONBPR This radical rethinking and redesign of business processes is called business process reengineering (BPR).BPM Business process management (BPM) is an approach to business which aims to continuously improve business processes. Disruptive technologies disruptive technologies are substitute products that perform as well or better than anything currently produced.Value Chain ModelThe value chain model highlights specific activities in the business where competitive strategies can best be applied (Porter, 1985) and where information systems are most likely to have a strategic impact. This model identifies specific, critical leverage points where a firm can use information technology most effectively to enhance its competitive position.

Herodotus and the Scythians

The accounts of Scythia in Herodotus The Histories are organized in concurrence with the timeline of the Persian invasion of Scythia, led by King Darius, where as the invasion progresses Herodotus repeatedly digresses to the highest degree the history of Scythia until the Persians and Scythians meet, at which point the apparent essence of the accounts of Scythia in The Histories, the Persian invasion, is concluded. Although Herodotus description of Scythia seems to be a byproduct of the accounts of King Darius, it is n mavintheless thorough.Along with detailed descriptions of the line of descents of Scythia, as wellspring as its diverse populace, Herodotus seems determined to write extensively on the geography of Scythia. Concerning the veracity of Herodotus accounts on Scythia, in that respect is no effort to provide one point of view as fact, scarcely instead he provides many possibilities and then gives input on which he believes to be most accurate. Because of this, there i s little say supporting Herodotus having a Hellenic anti-barbarian bias. In fact, as Herodotus is considered by many to be the proto-historian, his deed is not easily weighed against the efforts of those that followed.Rather, the stories Herodotus relates weaves a fuller more comprehensive picture of the time than later histories. This untutored effort should not be construed to suggest a bias, but a rich and new composing style undiluted by the socratic method to follow in later years. Herodotus describes trine possibilities for the reference of the Scythian nation. The first possibility described is the position of Scythian people who state that, theirs is the youngest of all nations. ? As claimed by the Scythians, the first man born on Scythian soil was descendant from the daughter of the Borysthenes River and Zeus.This man, Targitaos, had three sons whose posterity were that of the first three tribes of Scythia. Herodotus clearly states he does not see much merit in this claim, but acknowledges that this is what the Scythians believe, though that does not sound credible to me. Nevertheless, that is their claim. ? Because Herodotus acknowledges the position of the Scythians and does so politely, the idea that he has an anti- shaver bias is further diminished. His commentary disregarding the Scythian claims should not be construed as a bias, because it is not forced upon the reader.It is simply an his opinion that is completely up for discussion. This same idea applies to the next possibility of the origin of Scythia, because, although Herodotus does not necessarily believe it, he leaves open for discussion. The second possibility for the origin of Scythia described by Herodotus is according to the Hellenes. The Hellenes believed that Herakles, or Hercules, came to the land of Scythia before the Scythians and as he was heading through the land he came upon a woman who was half woman and half serpent.This woman and Herakles had three sons together an d, at the pick up of Herakles, when they became men any of the three who could draw Herakles bow and wear his belt would stay in the afterlife land of Scythia, whereas any of the three who could not do these things must leave.? The youngest of the sons, Scythes, was the only one who achieved this task and, the descendants of Scythes son of Herakles have succeeded ever since to the kingship of the Scythians. ? The third possibility of the origin of the Scythian nation discussed in The Histories is the one preferred by Herodotus.It says that the Scythians were originally from Asia, but because of conflict with other Asian inhabitants they left Asia and settled in was what to become Scythia. At that time Scythia is said to have been inhabited by Cimmerians, but when the Cimmerians learned of the attack of the large Scythian army they either fled or killed themselves. Herodotus believes this to be the most viable possibility of Scythian origin because there is remnants of Cimmerian ruins within Scythia.?After discussing the origin of the Scythian nation, Herodotus goes on to discuss the differences in the people who inhabit Scythia, based on there region. According to Herodotus the easternmost Scythians, know as the Grecian Scythians, practice the same basic tenants of Scythian culture besides the fact that they grow grain, onion, garlic, lentils, and millet for sustenance. To the northeast of the Greek Scythians are the Scythian plowmen who, grow grain not for their own consumption, but for sale. ? East of the plowmen are the Scythian farmers and southeast of the farmers are the Scythian nomads. The nomads do not farm, but instead live a wandering lifestyle of hunting. Further east, across the Gerros River are the Royal Scythians. The Royal Scythians are considered to be the most grand of the Scythians and, consider the rest of the Scythians their slaves. ? To the north of the Scythians, from west to east, are Neurians, the Maneaters, and the Black Cloaks.? Although Herodotus spends a lot of time discussing the disparate peoples of Scythia, most of the information given is in the form of stories or very detailed arbitrary aspects of Scythian culture, which does not have a central etymon. One aspect of Herodotus accounts of Scythia that does have a central theme and is extensively discussed is the geography of Scythia and more specifically, the rivers of Scythia. It is clear that Herodotus was impressed by the rivers of Scythia and was eager to convey information about these rivers to his readers.He discusses each river that flows through Scythia territory, from west to east and credits the rivers for being the most important vivid resources of the Scythians.? It is hard to say what information Herodotus deemed most important to know about the Scythians. Discussion on the custom of the Scythians is vast, but largely arbitrary, while remarkable emphasis is placed on the geographical tenants of the area of Scythia. Though, throughout H erodotus accounts of Scythia one aspect is largely consistent and that is his determination to provide multiple points of view regardless of the source. at that place is no real attempt to provide evidence on the veracity of what is being said, besides his commentary, but there is also no bias. Notes 1. Herodotus, The Histories, in Landmark Herodotus, ed. Robert B. Strassler ( new-made York Pantheon Books, 2007), 282. 2. Herodotus, 282. 3. Herodotus, 284-285. 4. Herodotus, 285. 5. Herodotus, 286-287. 6. Herodotus, 289. 7. Herodotus, 291. 8. Herodotus, 298. 9. Herodotus, 301-306. Bibliography Herodotus. The Histories. In Landmark Herodotus, edited by Robert B. Strassler, 282-306. New York Pantheon Books, 2007.

Stress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

focusing - Essay ExampleAs such, it was important for me to ensure that my performance did not experience a downward trend as I intended to work there as I continued with my studies so as to support my parents in paying school fees. My parents quarreling and fighting usually bevy me to the edge especially ascrib open to the fact that I envied my friends parents who showed deep concern and fancy for each other even in the public. I used to ask my self so legion(predicate) questions which went unanswered and which distracted me from my work.On one occasion, I woke up to find my parents in a het argument over something that completely embarrassed me especially due to the fact that almost all of my neighbors had sleep together to witness the fight. To make matters worse, most of them were enjoying the show instead of separating them though they cannot be totally blamed due to the barbaric cultural restrictions which mutually makes it a taboo to interfere with family matters espec ially if you are not a member of the family. There was less I could do but eventually, they stopped fighting after realizing that they were creating an needless attention.This occurrence almost squeezed out tears from my eyes but I managed to suppress them and be able to prepare myself for work. Never before in my life had I experienced such a hurt event and as such, I arrived for work in a bad mood which was first spy by the receptionist, who in most times enjoyed chatting with me in the morning as he was the only soul who was closer to me in terms of age and education. Furthermore, we had known each other before as we shared out the same hostel during my first year in college. Unlike other days, that day I was placidity and I did not feel like talking to anyone irrespective of whether he or she was my superior or a friend.Stress management is a major challenge in my life though I have not yet had the courage to accept it and acquire professional help. However, there is a re solve

Sweden and German gender inequalities in employment Essay

Sweden and German gender inequalities in employment - Essay ExampleThe EU notes that, across Europe women earn on norm 17.8% little than men, meaning that Sweden is slightly above the median and Germany is almost 4.5% below it. The inclusion of a EU-wide average facilitates comparability. In large measure the gender behave gap directly expresses that women do not arrest equal hold for work of equal value. However, it still does not adequately explain the nuances of the gender pay gap and inequation in employment. (EC, 2010) The existence of a glass ceiling barriers and limits to promotions is also a factor. If women are denied access to the highest gainful (and most influential) management positions this will manifest itself in an aggregate gender pay gap. Similarly, if a countrys gestation and parental leave programs are inadequate and family causes women to interrupt their career path this will be reflected in the gender pay gap. Simply put, inequality in employment influenc es more than only equal pay for work of equal value. This paper will examine key laws and policies aimed at promoting gender equality in employment in Sweden and Germany. It will identify and account for similarities and differences in the development and implementation of gender equality policies in these ii countries. History and type of welfare regime in Sweden and Germany Throughout the 1990s in Sweden the gender pay gap remained relatively static at approximately 17.5%. According to the European industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO) Comparative study on gender pay equity The case of Sweden, the gallery is that lately, over the last ten years, with some smaller fluctuations, the wage differences between men and women are just about the same. There is a decrease of the gap shown in some years, next year there is a small increase. Throughout this period, females earned an average of 83% of male wages. (EIRO, Sweden, 2002) The statistics for Germany were much more dynamic in t his period. However, they are also incomplete and difficult to work with as the period included the reunification of the deuce Germanies. However, they parallel Sweden with little change and a slightly higher level of the gender pay gap. (EIRO, Germany, 2002) philosophically there are more profound and apparent differences between the loving welfare systems in the two countries. Mandel and Shale have developed a typology for social welfare regimes that is useful in this situation. They characterise European social welfare systems as conservative, liberal or social democratic. The differences between the iii are predicated on the three roles the social welfare system can play. According to Mandel and Shalev (2009), Scandinavian social democracy is associated with patterns of intervention that lay out all three roles the state substitutes for Source Mandel and Shalev, 2009. functions otherwise performed by markets or families and it does so with a clean-cut emphasis on service pro vision (as opposed to income maintenance), which turns it into a massive employer. It decommodifies and defamilializes social welfare. This is the model that Sweden exemplifies. The succor country under consideration, Germany, is characterised as conservative by Mandel and Shalev. Germany, France and Spain form a second cluster which is made up of conservative countries that are less

Coley's toxins and alternative medicine in cancer treatment Article

Coleys toxins and secondary medicine in cancer treatment - Article ExampleColeys toxins are also referred to as Coleys vaccine and mixed bacterial vaccine.William Coleys contribution toward bacterial immunotherapy of tumors and cancers can never be overlooked however, the myths associated with use of Coleys toxins have hindered the path towards reason the exact phenomenon that Coley claimed to have observed (Nauts et al., 1953). angiotensin-converting enzyme of the supporting claims for using the Coleys toxins is that they activate the defense mode of macrophages (Starnes, 1992). Naturally the tumor cells in the automobile trunk are not considered as antigen, and therefore, macrophages predominantly exist in repair mode (Coley and Higinbotham, 1936). Thus the pellet of foreign particles or foreign agents into the body instigates an immune response, due to which macrophages target the tumor (Bickels et al., 2002).One moldiness not overlook the success rate of Coleys treatment per haps his method was more streamlined than the modern day immunotherapy trials. Coley injected 104 cancer patients with his toxins, out of which 50% survived was for more than 5 years, while 20% of the patients survived monthlong than 20 years(Tsung and Norton, 2006). The question to ponder is what are the causes that lead to the variation in outcomes of immunotherapy? Why some patients dress better with immunotherapies, and why some struggle to cope with it? Therefore, there is a dire need for understanding the mechanism of action of Coleys toxins. Another component of the Coleys toxins is lipopolysaccharide, which is a component of a bacterial cell initially it was considered that the presence of these molecules activated the tumor necrosis factor or TNF(Wiemann and Starnes, 1994). TNF is a molecule that is naturally present in the body of an organism, and it is reported to play a crucial employment in initiating necrotic activity

Critical Analysis of the Trends in Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) in the Term Paper

Critical Analysis of the Trends in Vehicle naut mis runed (VMT) in the United States - Term Paper ExampleThe context factors act as Vehicle Mile Travelled (VTM) growth drivers. They include legal/political climate, family construction, social/cultural conditions and technological, economical and institutional structure of the American society. The discussion provided for the pertain of the outlined factors is one-sided. Most of factors such as decentralization of companies can take either effect. Travel requirements decreases as a psyche ages due to the decrease in the activity take aim and decrease in work related give outs. Contrary to the earlier arguments, the aging factor does not augment or trim down the VMT. This is because the decreased levels caused by the aging population argon countered by the increasing travel levels caused by the maturing young adults. However, the improved health, wealth and higher licensing rates for the elder women have curtailed the reduc tion in the rates of mobility for the older generation. The argument on the aging factor overlooked the impact of the economic growth on the VMT. This reduces the rate of VMT. Changes in the nature of work will reduce VMT because most of the employment agencies and individuals are applying the use of computer technology to enhance production. Most of the workers can work from home and avoid traveling to their work places. Most institutions of higher learning are also leaning towards introducing online lessons. This will reduce the travel requirements for most students. Decentralization of companies to rural areas can also contribute into the reduction in the VMT because companies may be located near the manpower thus, negating the travel necessity. Finished goods will be brought near retailers and consumers negating the necessity of travel over long distance to acquire them. The impact of the aging population is reasonable because the travelling magnetic dip of a person is depen dent on the activity level. The travel frequency maturations as a person matures to middle age. Children may not directly produce VMT but they increase the travel demands for their parents. The middle old adults would directly increase the VMT as they are in the peak levels of the work related travel. It is notable that the preponderance of dispersed suburban environments and more working parents have made many teenagers rely on auto-travel to and from school. The full in the fuel prices will generally spark advance to the reduction in the VMT. However, changes will be unnoticeable because most people are forced to drive to and from work regardless of the oil prices. Stabilization of workforce participation rates may have either impacts i.e. it can reduce or increase VMT. The increase of women workforce may lead to the increase in the need for travel. However, the rate may still reduce because the involvement of women does not signify an addition in the work force. They just fi ll the vacancies that would have been make full by anyone, meaning that the number of the workforce is preserved as well as their travel needs. The impact of most of the outlined factors is dependent on the changes in other factors. For instance, changes in the increase in the toll of driving may increase VMT in case of the future growth in the economy and income levels (Ewing 2007). Changes in manufacturing and distribution and trends in the cost of real property are the two opposing factors that can lead to increase in VMT. The decentralization of industries due to the enhancement of new