The Real Sinbad the Sailor

Sinbad the Sailor is one of the most famous heroes of Middle Eastern literature. In the tales of his seven voyages, Sinbad battled incredible monsters, visited amazing lands and met with supernatural forces as he sailed the Indian Oceans fabled trade routes.   In western translations, Sinbads stories are included among those that Scheherazade told during the One Thousand and One Nights, which is set in Baghdad during the reign of the Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid from CE 786 to 809. In Arabic translations of the Arabian nights, however, Sinbad is absent. The interesting question for historians, then, is this: Was Sinbad the Sailor based upon a single historical figure, or is he a composite character derived from various bold seafarers who plied the monsoon winds?  If he once existed, who was he? Whats in a Name? The name Sinbad seems to come from the Persian Sindbad, meaning Lord of the Sindh River.  Sindhu is the Persian variant of the Indus River, indicating that he was a sailor from the coast of what is now Pakistan. This linguistic analysis also points to the stories being Persian in origin, even though existing versions are all in Arabic.   On the other hand, there are many striking parallels between many of Sinbads adventures and those of Odysseus in Homers great classic, The Odyssey,  and other stories from classical Greek literature. For example, the cannibalistic monster in the Third Voyage of Sinbad is very similar to Polyphemus from The Odyssey, and he meets the same fate — being blinded with the hot iron spits he was using to eat the ships crew. Also, during his Fourth Voyage, Sinbad was buried alive but follows an animal to escape the underground cavern, much like the story of Aristomenes the Messenian. These and other similarities point to Sinbad being a figure of folklore, rather than an actual person. It is possible, however, that Sinbad was a real historical figure with an insatiable urge to travel and a gift for telling tall tales, though it may be that after his death other traditional travel tales were grafted on to his adventures to produce the Seven Voyages we now know him by. More Than One Sinbad the Sailor Sinbad may be based in part on a Persian adventurer and trader named Soleiman al-Tajir — Arabic for Soloman the Merchant — who traveled from Persia all the way to southern China around the year 775 BCE. Generally, throughout the centuries that the Indian Ocean trade network existed, merchants and sailors traveled just one of the three great monsoonal circuits, meeting up and trading with one another at the nodes where those circuits met.   Siraf is credited with being the first person from western Asia to complete the entire voyage himself. Siraf likely gained great renown in his own time, particularly if he made it home with a hold full of silk, spices, jewels, and porcelain. Perhaps he was the factual foundation upon which the Sinbad stories were built. Likewise in Oman, many people believe that Sinbad is based on a sailor from the city of Sohar, who sailed out of the port of Basra in what is now Iraq. How he came to have a Persianized Indian name is not clear.   Recent Developments In 1980, a joint Irish-Omani team sailed a replica of a ninth-century dhow from Oman to southern China, using period navigational instruments only, in order to prove that such a voyage was possible. They successfully reached southern China, proving that sailors even many centuries ago could have done so, but that brings us no closer to proving who Sinbad was or which western port he sailed from. In all likelihood, bold and footloose adventurers much like Sinbad set out from any number of port cities around the rim of the Indian Ocean in search of novelty and treasure. We will probably never know if any particular one of them inspired the Tales of Sinbad the Sailor. It is fun, however, to imagine Sinbad himself leaning back in his chair in Basra or Sohar or Karachi, spinning another fabulous story to his spellbound audience of land-lubbers.

Oman And The Middle East Stratum - 1183 Words

Over the past thousand years, Oman has occupied a key strategic space in the Middle East stratum. With its vast mountain ranges, desert terrain, and steep cliffs along the coast, Oman over the years has proven to be very difficult to invade. This has allowed Oman to repel the majority of attacks from foreign militaries and maintain their sovereignty. The Southern and Eastern coastline of the country represents the key that makes Oman so important to the strength of the Middle East. Oman is a major piece to the peace in the Middle East. Oman lies in the southeast corner of the Arabian Peninsula right on the Tropic of Cancer latitude line (International, 2011). Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates border Oman from the southeast, west, and the north. Oman also claims many islands in the Arabian Sea and in the Strait of Hormuz off Oman’s northern tip. Similar to its surrounding nations, Oman has a mountain range that spans the country. The Hajar mountain range begins at the north-west tip and extends down its western border to the southwest, near Yemen (International, 2011). The Omanis compare The Hajar to a human backbone, for it forms a great arc much like the human skeleton. The Interior of Oman is mostly sand dunes, rocks, and gravel, which is very similar to the entire Middle East region (International, 2011). Oman’s coastline stretches 1,700 km from North to South. Low hills and wastelands with little vegetation is what fill these coastlinesShow MoreRelatedStrategic Piece Of Middle East Peace1189 Words   |  5 PagesStrategic Piece to Middle East Peace Over the past thousand years, Oman has occupied a key strategic space in the Middle East stratum. With its vast mountain ranges, desert terrain, and steep cliffs along the coast, Oman over the years has proven to be very difficult to invade. This has allowed Oman to repel the majority of attacks from foreign militaries and maintain their sovereignty. The Southern and Eastern coastline of the country represents the key that makes Oman so important to the strengthRead MoreMarket Analysis of Jeans Industry in Surat17928 Words   |  72 Pagesthe organized Retail sector in India. The growth pattern in organized retailing and in the consumption made by the Indian population will follow a rising graph helping the newer businessmen to enter the India Retail Industry. In India the vast middle class and its almost untapped retail industry are the key attractive forces for global retail giants wanting to enter into newer markets, which in turn will help the India Retail Industry to grow faster. Indian retail is expected to grow 25 per cent

Computing Goes Green Free Essays

Gregorio, Marie Grace M. INFOMAN Midterm Exam KTD, Prof. Raymond L. We will write a custom essay sample on Computing Goes Green or any similar topic only for you Order Now Ganotice PART 1: CHAPTER 5- Computing Goes Green 1. What business and social problems does data center power consumption cause? Problems caused by Data Center Power Consumption: BUSINESS PROBLEMSSOCIAL PROBLEMS 1. Electricity consumption doubled1. More servers, more emission of carbon footprints 2. Very high cost for cooling data centers 2. Some materials used are environmentally 3. Heat generated from the servers causes hazardous when not properly disposed equipment failure . What solutions are available for these problems? Which are the most environment-friendly? Solutions that are available for data center problem are: a. Use of Hydroelectric power as a source of electricity b. Replacement of copper wiring to light pulses on microprocessors c. Use of thin computers which are very basic terminal machine that consumes significantly less power than normal computers d. Server Virtualization e. Muticore Processor The most environmental-friendly solutions stated above are virtualizati on and the use of thin computers because both reduce power consumption. Virtualization which creates higher utilization of computer results to fewer data centers therefore electricity consumption is reduced. It is the most efficient means for a cost effective greener computing. On the other hand, the use of thin computers which are directly connected to servers consume significantly less power than normal computers. 3. What are the business benefits and cost of these solutions? Majority of these solutions reduces the consumption of electricity because data servers are utilized to its full capacity therefore operating cost on ata servers are reduced also. As stated in the book, cost reduction ranges from 10% to 25% with the use of new solutions. 4. Should all firms move toward green computing? Why or why not? Yes, all firms should embrace computing green because our mother earth is now very much destroyed with so many pollutants produced daily. Awareness on how we can lessen this is very important and one of this is computing green which in a way can min imize environmental impact and improve power efficiency. How to cite Computing Goes Green, Essay examples

Role of Technology in Service Delivery Australian Firms

Question: Discuss about the Role of Technology in Service Delivery for Australian Firms. Answer: Introduction Supply chain management is the coordination supply of activities and operations of a company with the aim of maximizing customer value for the purpose of maintaining a competitive edge (Handfield Nichols 2002). The concept has evolved with time. It has benefited from a number of innovations aimed at maximizing the customer value across the supply chain. It is no doubt that technology has increased profitability and efficiency in the entire supply chain. Even with the advancement in technology, there are still companies that lag behind; they have not adopted these technologies due to reasons that are hard to understand. Is it lack of awareness? Is it ignorance? If its none of these, then why have some of the companies not adopted the most efficient technologies available? When we talk of advanced technologies, which are they specifically? This article will explore some of the advanced technologies that can be used in supply chain management and their impact. Before dwelling on the to pic, it is imperative to explore the areas where Australian firms are facing challenges within their organizations to manage supply chains. Areas where Australian Businesses face Challenges in Supply Chain Management Businesses are currently facing several challenges due to the ever-changing technologies which make it vital for them to ensure they have the most recent and correct technology to cope with the ever-changing business world. Australian retail firms, for instance, have been facing a number of problems which can easily be solved with the adoption of the appropriate technologies. Maintaining consumer confidence, loyalty and coping with new technologies are some of the issues that Australian retailers face. After recovering from the global economic crisis, Australia's businesses are still confronted with a number of challenges to their operations. One of the key challenges facing retailers in Australia is the rising trend in online shopping, and especially gaining a competitive edge against foreign firms that are offering the same products at a lower price (Oakton 2017). According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2017), international retailers have 20% more advantage than domestic stores and enjoy an exemption of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) for items that are less than $1,000. Some domestic retailers have been in talks with the government to amend the legislation in order to reduce the disparity, but the outcome is uncertain. The solution is that businesses should adopt the new technologies and streamline their supply chain management operations. Another challenge is the adoption of a lean supply chain. Australia still lags behind in the implementation of just-in-time practices (World Economic Forum 2011). The just-in-time concept is a growing trend in the supply chain management operations. Firms have sought to enhance efficiency in their operations by implementing just-in-time techniques. The approach has not been fully implemented in Australia. Among other challenges that are related to technology, Australia's firms need to overcome them if they want to remain competitive in the global arena. So what are some of the technologies that apply to supply chain management? The next topic will explore some of the trending technologies in a bid to make business managers aware and how they can implement them. Examples of Advanced Technologies Blockchain Technology Blockchain technology is considered as a game changer in supply chain management. According to Popper and Lohr of the New York Times (2017, March 4), they described block chain as a key enabler of the efficient integration between parties in the global arena. IBM and WalMart have partnered to implement this technology which has been applied to track pork chops, shipping containers and footwear at an incredibly high speed and security that the current technologies do not offer (Handfield 2017). So what exactly is Blockchain technology? Blockchain technology simply means a method of bookkeeping that connects entries in such a way that one cannot easily modify them later (Blockchain Technologies 2016). It helps large groups of companies that are not related whatsoever, to keep their records of transactions in a more secure and reliable manner (Iansiti Lakhani 2017). So what are the implications of blockchain technology in the supply chain? According to Mitchell (2016), the implementation of blockchain technology will add value to the supply chain and eliminate redundant data maintenance activities in the supply chain. The technology enables users to access a wider and more universal sale or network that is accessible to any participant free of charge without membership fees (Mitchell 2016). In the shipping industry, for instance, it can reduce shipping delays due to the absence of paperwork which consumes a lot of time during container approvals. Blockchain technology helps in tracking all transactions in a secure and transparent manner. Imagine the opportunities it presents in the supply chain? The technology has the capability to document every single transaction and create a permanent history from the supplier to the manufacturer and all the way to the consumer. Loop (2017) notes that the technology enables easy recovery of stolen merchandise. Blockchain allows automatic verification of products authenticity after w hich it is activated in the system. Any stolen product along the supply chain can easily be traced through any particular transaction. The adoption of this technology will indeed revolutionize the supply chain operations. Internet of Things (IoT) Have you ever imagined all objects on earth communicating with each other? This may sound weird to you; if that is so then, you have never heard about Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT concept has different purposes in various industries. Sensing Enterprise (SE) is a concept that allows IoT to react to business stimuli that originate from the Internet. The fields have recently been subjects focus in businesses and evidence that such technologies can be used in the supply chain management exists. By definition, Internet of Things refers to a network of objects which is well equipped with RFID chips and such like technologies to allow objects to communicate and interact with one another (Corts, Boza, Prez, Cuenca 2015). It is a technology that is aimed at enhancing the forms of communication that currently exist. Currently, when we talk of Internet, we refer to a network tool that human beings access through devices. Communication is currently from human to human. Here comes IoT which would allow not only human to communicate through the Internet but also objects. The objects will be able to exchange information by themselves without human aid through the Internet. New forms of communications will, therefore, be created to include human-things and things-things (Tan, Koo 2014). Internet of Things is an evolution of the current Internet with the capability of collecting, analyzing, and distributing data that can be transformed into information and knowledge. One area in the supply chain management that will benefit from IoT is in-transit visibility (Shankar 2017). Since the logistics ecosystem comprises of many products and parts that are always in motion, an informed supply network is essential to track the whereabouts and specifications of a product. With the aid of GPS and RFID, IoT allows businesses to track the location and information about the product and sends the information all the way from the manufacturer to the consumer (Pettey 2015). The data obtai ned from the GPS and RFID technologies enables supply chain personnel to automate shipping and delivery by being able to determine the exact time a particular product may arrive. In addition to this, supply chain professionals can easily monitor vital parameters such as temperature control, which has a significant impact on the product quality in-transit. Additive manufacturing (3D Printing Technology) Additive manufacturing technologies, popularly known as 3D printing is whereby, materials are joined to make devices from 3D model data, by adding a layer on top of another layer (OPTOMEC 2017). Additive manufacturing is a technology that will revolutionize the 21st century and the centuries to come. It has applications in various industries. Imagine you are in a remote place, then a particular component of your vehicle breaks down; you probably end up wondering where you can get a replacement. With Additive Manufacturing, this can be possible by just printing the component using the 3D technology. The technology is already being used around the world and has changed the way companies design and manufacture their products. When correctly used, additive manufacturing can significantly save money and time. The question is how this technology applies to supply chain. Additive manufacturing will revolutionize the traditional way of manufacturing various products which involved cutting of objects and modelling the raw materials and forming the final product through a mold or die. 3D printing technology eliminates the necessity of having to manually assemble the expensive components to form a product. It provides freedom to change a product anytime anywhere and fast. It does not need highly skilled personnel to operate the machine since what you need to do is just pressing a machine and, voila, you get your product. As a result, supply chain operations will see a significant impact. Consider, for instance, where one would stock materials if production is to happen anywhere in the world, or how processes will be simplified if a component assembly is no longer necessary for manufacturing a product but the available raw materials can be changed into desired finished products. Birtchnell et al. (2013) note that additive manufacturing enables product customization which has a direct impact on downstream supply chains management sections like production and distribution. The customization offers unique specifications to customers, and their high involvement in the manufacturing of the product from the design and production operations will further provide flexibility to react to changes in the end user market. Janssen et al. (2014) state that the implementation of 3D printing by setting up local 3D printing hubs will significantly reduce the need for global transportation which will be made possible by replacing the physical flow of objects with a simple transfer of digital files. Additive manufacturing or 3D printing will have a significant impact on inventory by changing inventory mix which would, in turn, have long-term effects on supply chains. A closer look at additive manufacturing will show that the technology will significantly reduce manufacturing wa ste and improve environment advantage. The traditional manufacturing practices involve replacement of parts physically which involves scrapping away of some excess products components. This is not the case with 3D printing. The technology provides an environmental advantage in that; it reduces material usage across the supply chains. 3D printing allows the consolidation of parts into single components which enable the manufacturers to produce complex tooling sets, and thus; enabling firms to reduce supply chain complexity. This would transform the supply chain by making it more resilient against disruptions along the chains. AM or 3D printing will indeed change the global logistics since it replaces physical goods with digital files sharing. To make this more interesting, consider a customer who needs a particular low-demand service part who is in a hurry and cannot wait that long for all the processes of designing and fabrication to take place. If the dealer could just print what the customer needs in just a matter of seconds on the spot, how much do you think the customer would have saved? Cloud Computing IBM (n.d.) defines cloud computing as the process of delivering on-demand computing resources through the Internet on the basis of pay-for-use. This concept is rather old, and just in case you did not know, you are probably using cloud computing if you use the internet to send or receive emails, to stream videos online, or watch TV as well as storing and sharing files such as pictures and documents. Cloud computing is what makes all this possible. It is imperative to have a look at the activities in supply chain management that cloud computing can transform. Forecasting and Planning: Cloud computing helps organizations to improve their service delivery by effectively coordinating the supply chains across their networks or partners who play a crucial role in demand-forecasting. The cloud-based platforms can collect relevant information through the internet, and analyze the data that would enable accurate statistical demand forecasts for all the affected parties (Toka et al. 2013). This will eliminate the distortion of information across the supply chain. It will allow stakeholders to have accurate information about the actual demand volatility that they are supposed to meet. In a cloud computing platform, a customer can generate demand and send it to the distributor who would then send the same to the public cloud, enabling all the relevant parties in the supply chain to see it. Sourcing and Procurement: Sourcing involves acquiring, receiving and inspecting of materials and products coming from suppliers with the procurement processes in a bid to select the right vendor (Holger Klaus 2011). Cloud-based platforms provide a database that contains a variety of data about various suppliers, thus helping companies that deal with several suppliers. As a result, cloud computing enables organizations to select vendors based on how they beat deadlines and satisfaction of all the specifications provided. The tools of cloud computing technology help organizations and suppliers to easily manage their contracts. Other areas that cloud computing can be applied are logistics and service and spare parts management. It can be used in tracking operations and the management of parts in stores. The benefits of this technology are flexibility, visibility, cost-efficiency, scalability, and sustainability. Looking at all the technologies discussed, it is apparent that their applications economic, social and environmental impact. Impact of Adopting Advanced Technologies on Current Supply Chains On the economic aspect, the application of these advanced technologies will lead to more profits and fast growth. It can be seen that all the technologies help in minimizing time and material wastes. This would, in turn, translate to more profits and growth of GDP across the globe. Information sharing in companies is likely to become easy and more efficient. This will lead to more productivity by employees. A happy employee means more productivity. Partners and all stakeholders in a business need connectivity in order to realize better performance. Computers will soon take most of the jobs that are done by humans. For instance, an attendant at the shipment areas will be irrelevant to count the number of containers or vehicles approaching; this would be replaced by the Internet of Things.' Everything that touches our daily lives, including clothes, vehicles, foods, among others, will be connected to the IoT web and thus, physical contact will not be necessary. Everything will be fast and efficient. Imagine the world where you do not even have to go to appear to a doctor for diagnosis, all you need to do is just switch your computer on and, voila, your virtual doctor tells you everything you need to know; that is the world we are heading to. Environmental wastes and pollution will significantly be minimized because most of the operations will be virtual, no need for papers. How about our social life? Yes, people will be more connected; it will be like, you have the entire population of the world just next to you. Is that a good thing? The answer can be either yes or no depending on individuals perspective. I can say that people will be less social, physical meetings will be very minimal; people will spend more time with their electronic gadgets than with their peers, right from the workplace up to their homes. With that said, do you think its a good thing? Conclusion Advanced technology will help organizations improve supply chain management processes. Efficiency, reliability, flexibility, visibility, cost-efficiency, scalability and sustainability are what the advanced technology can offer in all the operations in supply chain management. Application of advanced technology in supply chain helps companies outperform their competitors by enabling an effective and efficient flow of products and services to customers. Blockchain and IoT technologies enable businesses to access more precise and accurate information about transactions and products which help in preventing the supply of unwanted materials, helps in tracking of goods to prevent fraud, and timely delivery of goods and services. To successfully apply a new advanced technology, supply chain professionals should understand what kind of technology system best fits their needs. List of References Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2017. 8501.0 - Retail Trade, Australia, Feb 2017 [Online]. Available at: https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/8501.0 Birtchnell, T., Urry, J., Cook, C., and Curry, A., 2013. Freight miles: the impact of 3D printing on transport and society Blockchain Technologies. 2016. Blockchain Technology Explained [Online]. Available at: https://www.blockchaintechnologies.com/blockchain-definition Corts, B., Boza, A., Prez, D. and Cuenca, L., 2015. Internet of Things Applications on Supply Chain Management. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Computer, Electrical, Automation, Control and Information Engineering, 9(12), pp.2449-2454. Handfield, R.B., Nichols, E.L. Jr. 2002. Supply chain redesign -transforming supply chains into integrated value systems. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Handfield. 2017. Can Blockchain become the solution for anti-counterfeiting and chain of custody? [Online]. Available at: https://scm.ncsu.edu/blog/2017/03/10/can-blockchain-become-the-solution-for-anti-counterfeiting-and-chain-of-custody/ Holger, S. and Klaus, T., 2011. SCOR in the cloudpotential of cloud computing for the optimization of supply chain management systems. Iansiti, M., and Lakhani, K., 2017. The Truth about Blockchain [Online]. Available at: https://hbr.org/2017/01/the-truth-about-blockchain IBM. N.d. What is Cloud Computing? [Online]. Available at: https://www.ibm.com/cloud-computing/learn-more/what-is-cloud-computing/ Janssen, G.R., Blankers, I.J., Moolenburgh, E.A. and Posthumus, A.L., 2014. TNO: The impact of 3-D printing on supply chain management [Online]. Available at: https://3din.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/TNO-Whitepaper-3-D-Printing-and-Supply-Chain-Management-April-2014-web.pdf Loop, P., 2017. Blockchain: The Next Evolution of Supply Chains [Online]. Available at: https://www.industryweek.com/supply-chain/blockchain-next-evolution-supply-chains Mitchell, P., 2016. A TRULY Open Supplier Discovery Network: Spend Matters Crowdsource #1[Online]. Available at: https://spendmatters.com/2016/10/19/truly-open-supplier-discovery-network-crowdsource/ Oakton. 2017. An insight into the challenges and rising complexity facing the retail and wholesale sector [Online]. Available at: https://www.oakton.com.au/.../insight-into-challenges/oakton_retailindustryinsightinte... OPTOMEC. 2017. What is additive manufacturing? [Online]. Available at: https://www.optomec.com/additive-manufacturing/ Pettey, C., 2015. Five Ways the Internet of Things Will Benefit the Supply Chain[Online]. Available at: https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/five-ways-the-internet-of-things-will-benefit-the-supply-chain-2/ POPPER, N., and LOHR, S., 2017, March 4. Blockchain: A Better Way to Track Pork Chops, Bonds, Bad Peanut Butter? NewYork Times. [Online]. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/04/business/dealbook/blockchain-ibm-bitcoin.html?_r=0register=google Shankar, U., 2017. How the Internet of Things Impacts Supply Chains. Available at: https://www.inboundlogistics.com/cms/article/how-the-internet-of-things-impacts-supply-chains/ Tan, J. and Koo, S.G., 2014, May. A survey of technologies in internet of things. In Distributed Computing in Sensor Systems (DCOSS), 2014 IEEE International Conference on (pp. 269-274). IEEE. Toka, A., Aivazidou, E., Arvanitopoulos-Darginis, K., and Anoniou, A., 2013. Cloud Computing in Supply Chain Management: An Overview [Online]. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260510400_Cloud_Computing_in_Supply_Chain_Management_An_Overview World Economic Forum. 2011. LOGISTICS SUPPLY CHAIN INDUSTRY AGENDA COUNCIL FINAL REPORT 2010-2011 [Online]. Available at: https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GAC_LogisticsSupplyChain_Report_2010-11.pdf