Summary for case study ( an engineering logistic (software) solution ) Essay

Summary for case study ( an engineering logistic (software) solution ) - Essay Example Customer service being vital ingredient of logistics, the quality, time, speed, punctuality and reliability of delivery become crucial components. The company utilizes ECOSELL using Extended Enterprises for enhanced logistic planning outcome. Firm’s physical distribution and logistics management relies on capillary network of points of sale throughout the country where inventory is mostly brought by fleet of trucks but sometimes also using couriers or collected by point of sale. The kitchens are delivered to point of sale in three ways: 17 dedicated trucks are used for Italy and 13 trucks delivery kitchen abroad, on a once in a week basis; urgent deliveries are made through third party carrier firms; and sometimes, customers collect it directly from the production plant. To ensure smooth flow of logistics, the company uses percentage of cumulative volumes against total deliveries by dividing regions into three groups: group 1 absorbs 60% of total volume of products and 57% of deliveries; group 2 absorbs 30% of products’ volume and 33% of total deliveries; and third group absorbs lowest volume and least number of deliveries. Orders sent by point of sales are segregated by regions and arranged by delivery dates to be delivered by trucks such that trucks are optimally used. Assemble to Order or ATO, using forecasts for parts and sub-assemblies to fill the truck which are later assembled to meet the demands. While ATO has many advantages, disadvantages like higher lead times, non-flexible manufacturing system and limited productive capacity of plants become major drawbacks. Consequently, firm uses its other brands to fill the trucks and save cost. Thus the redesigned system using EE are introduced which become highly effective mechanism to exploit the logistics and supply system in the meta value chain through dynamic assignment of orders. ECOSELL using EE applies superimposition of geographical

If parents can save for only one thing, should they save for their Essay

If parents can save for only one thing, should they save for their children's college fund or for their own retirement - Essay Example That is why there are now two schools of thought when it comes to a child's college education. Either a parent pays for the child's education or they don't. Not paying for a child's education may sound unreasonable to most parents but because of economic uncertainties relating to the advancing ages of the parents, there are actually solid arguments to support the latter school of thought. Susan Adams, columnist for Forbes magazine explains that; .... it turns out that students whose educational costs are paid for entirely by their parents, engage in more leisure activities. In other words, they party instead of study. Most students don’t party so hard that they flunk out of college, but they do damage to their academic performance(Adams, Susan â€Å"Want Your Kids to Succeed? Don't Pay for Their Education†). The hard earned and saved money that the parents pour into their child's education goes unappreciated and ill spent because the children choose to take it easy in c ollege since their parents pick up the tab even for a change in college majors. It is perhaps because of the ease of life that the students have in college due to their parents shouldering the bill that has led to the current generation of lackluster college graduates. In fact, Elizabeth Armstrong, a sociology professor at the University of Michigan observed that parents had a tendency to cut back on their personal savings in order to make room for their college bound or resident children. She claimed that ; â€Å"I noticed there were a lot of parents who had to scrimp and save and pull money from all sorts of sources, and they were not getting the results they expected â€Å" (qtd. in Adams). As future retirees, parents must remember that no retiree will get a retirement loan. It is up to you as a parent to find the right balance between the educational needs of your children and your own retirement needs. Consider the following: â€Å" The choice to pay for a child’s edu cation is certainly a personal one, but most financial experts agree on one point: parents should not sacrifice their retirement funding in order to pay for their kids’ educations. â€Å" (Mayfield, Julie & Mayfield, Lindsey â€Å"Should Parents Pay for College?†). Future retirees have a tendency to save in bulk for both their retirement and the college fund of their kids. Some parents argue that because the IRA and 401 (k) allow for advance withdrawals for their children's college needs, then there is no reason that they cannot help out with tuition and other college expenses. It is after all, a penalty free withdrawal against their investments But, will still be subject to tax agreements. As a parent and future retiree it is important to keep in mind that; You are using up your retirement savings. Once the money has been withdrawn from the IRA, you can't put it back. The only way to increase your IRA balance is through the normal contributions, which are subject to the annual limits. (â€Å"Retirement Plans and Saving for College†). One of the basic reasons that parents find themselves wanting to remain involved in their children's tertiary education, even though there are methods by which a student can actually pay for his own school fees independently, is that a ... parents’ sense of efficacy for helping their children succeed in school focuses on the extent to which parents believe that through their involvement they can exert positive influence on their

Exploring The Resources And Capabilities Of Dell

Exploring The Resources And Capabilities Of Dell This essay will be based on Dell Inc and how the topic resources and capabilities are used as a strategy throughout the company. The topic will be explored to identify how it applies to Dells strategy and how they use it within the company. The essay will identify the different types of strategys which are used to help them sustain competitive advantage. During the essay theoretical concepts will be used and applied to Dell in order to analyse the organisation. The theoretical concepts which will be used will be concepts from the module, these concepts will help draw conclusions from the essay and help identify why Dell continually sustain a competitive advantage. Dell was founded in 1984 by Michael Dell in his university dorm in Texas using his last $1000. With this money he created a company called PCs Limited. Within a year Michael Dell had turned his $1000 into $6 million in sales. He managed to do this by borrowing $300,000 from his family and upgrading computers for local firm from their existing software to IBM. By 1986 the company was producing sales of $60 million; this was due to dell starting their own assembly lines. 4 years later Dells sales had increased vastly to $500 million, because they had now created a wide line of products. By 1996 Dell launched their products online, this gave them $1 million in sales a day boosting their annual sales to an astonishing $5.3 billion, increasing to $7.8 billion the following year. The sales had risen 50% and tripled to making sales of $3 million a day in sales. By 2005 Dells sales had risen to $49.2 billion, showing how the company has become one of the most successful companies within rece nt times by being a fortune company while only being around for 14 years. Also during 2005 Dell was ranked 28th biggest company in America by revenue. In 2006 Dell was looked at as one of the most admired companies in America. Their sales for 2009 were $61.1 billion, simply showing why they were nominated a top 200 fortune. They are the highest earning company within the computer industry. Dell employs over 75,000 employees across the world, due to having to serve customers in over 170 countries. Dell took over as leaders in their market from their biggest and most successful competitors Hewlett Packard, whilst also staying ahead of rivals such as IBM and Apple computers who are the only other alternative substitute for a PC. Dell now offer a range of products and services, including computing software, computing systems, computing peripherals, consulting and IT services. Dell have gone a long way from upgrading computers for local businesses to offering products such as televisions , printers, peripherals, netbooks, notebooks, servers, scanners and their main product computers. In 2007 Michael Dell returned to the company as a CEO to help improve its financial performance by bringing new plans in for the company. Key Success Factors In the ever maturing PC industry it is very important for any company wishing to be competitive to meet the industries key success factors (KSF). In order to succeed, certain KSFs must be incorporated into their business model. Specific KSF include: Competitive prices Excellent relationships with suppliers Product customisation Excellent customer services Superior cost structure Dell has continued to perform well, through incorporating many of these factors into their business model. Dells customer centric approach with a closely managed supply chain and cash flow process has seen them succeed in the mature PC industry. Key Competencies Customer focus- Dell has a thorough understanding of their consumers needs and wants and it serves them very effectively. The custom build business model that Dell adopts accommodates the ever changing needs and wants of consumers. This model is very effective as it allows Dell to offer the latest technologies at competitive prices in a timely manner. This is exactly what customers demand in a hyper competitive market. Manufacturing Processes- Dell benefited greatly from the first mover advantage, through adopting the direct selling business model which was unique to the industry, aided by the boom of the internet. Supply Chain Management- The direct selling business model employed by Dell is run by an i2 technology supply chain management (SCM) system. Every 20 sec the software aggregates orders, analyzes material requirements, compares Dells on-hand inventory with its suppliers inventory and then creates a supplier bill of material to meet its order needs. SCM is particularly important as improving it by 0.1% has greater impact than improving manufacturing process by 10%. This system allowed Dell to go beyond a simple value chain model, into a more complex value web model. Customer Selection, Acquisition and Retention- Dell also employ a state of the art IT and customer relationship management (CRM) system. Through efficiently targeting customers they are able to keep costs to a minimum which suit consumers budgets. Consumers are very price sensitive in the PC industry as there are many substitutes. Customer Service- Dell offers a complete range of services, including, technical support through internet and global call centres. For additional fees Dell offers extended service and support plans. Dells customer service was considered to be the best in the industry. However after recently outsourcing this, their reputation is beginning to fall, after repeated poor treatment of cases. Porters value chain By identifying Dells value chain and network it will allow us to identify how Dell value their customers and how it is created. FIRM INFRASTRUCTURE Dell has a very strong and organised stock management. Dell sells straight thought their website cutting out intermediaries. They sell thought a direct model. Dell receives payments normally immediately as customers generally use credit cards online. Once the orders have been placed and paid the customers products are order from the suppliers, this is so dell only have stock in which is being used to build products from orders they have received reducing excess stock. OPERATIONS Dell deal with a few operations, they deal with the most important one in their opinion, being the final configuration of customer products. Dell outsources operations such as the assemblies of motherboards and most of the production chain for all of their notebook computers. INBOUND LOGISTICS As dell allows customers to build their own products and order the products when needed using just in time, it allows deal not to buy an overload of stock they just pay for what they need from the order made. Dells direct model in which they sell their products to their consumers they depend on time management, so that all the components they need arrive at the time they are need to produce the product for their customers. MARKETING SALES Dell using the direct selling model it has taken out all intermediaries. Normally the intermediaries would want to take about 20 to 30%. Dell managed to cut out intermediaries as they align their value chain and supply chain very closely, and also their assembly factories and order taking systems. Dell has incorporated their direct selling model with their supply chain. Dell put together 80,000 PCs daily, but they do not own their own warehouse as they only order components they need to assemble products within a few days as they only hold stock for a maximum of two days. TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT Dell spend a tiny amount on technology research compared to their biggest rivals HP. Dell spend around $400 million which is a small margin of HPs $4 billion. Yet Dell has near perfect assembly chain along with very efficient assembly operations. Dell have a unique way to identify if an employee is a fault for a product as a single product is made by a single employee making them accountable if it faulty. Value Web Model Dell moved beyond the simple value chain into a more effective value web organism. This positively impacted Dells just-in-time manufacturing and the inventory management systems. Dell relies on big players to provide their high-tech components. E.g. Microprocessors-Intel, Software- Microsoft. Dell rely on smaller multiple players to provide low-tech components. These low-tech, low- differentiation component manufacturers compete fiercely on price and availability. Dell Has one of the latest SCM systems, which is unmatched by competitors. This system enables Dells factories to have only 7 hours worth of inventory, whereas most of the industry holds a 10 day inventory. It also helps that 85% of all their supplies are provided by 15 suppliers. This value web organism has been achieved through careful knowledge management and 15 years of learning. It is a very complex system, and due to this it is inimitable. Dells Direct Business Model Unlike their competitors, Dell has adopted a direct selling approach to customers compared to all of their competitors. Dell have cut out all intermediaries meaning customers order straight thought their website, this allows Dell to sell directly to them. Due to customer buying straight from Dell it has given them a great understanding of customer needs. Dells main focus is on their customers which their strategy is based around. The Direct business model also allows customers to customize their products letting them have what they desire rather than a standard product. As customer order a want they want product, it allowed Dell to minimize their stock, as they will order only what they need adopting JIT strategy. This also allows Dell to deliver the newest technology to their customers sustain an edge on their competitors. Dells Direct Model Customers SUPPLIERS Competitors Model Dells competitors model has 2 extra sections, outsourcing and channels. This produces extra cost and it doesnt allow them to have complete customer focus as they dont deal directly with their customers. Their customer buy from channels which are shops taking away customer relation with the company. They also dont get supplies directly from their suppliers as they outsource 1st to other companies. Dells model is a far better strategy and it allows them to have a great focus on their customers. They use their resources and capabilities such as their great product lines to achieve the efficiencies they want to produce. Activity Mapping Through conducting detailed research into Dell, a number of conclusions can be drawn. At the core of Dells business strategy and its direct selling model is customer focus. Dells core competencies were developed around their customer centric approach, and its resources and capabilities were placed in a way to best serve their customers. This customer centric approach has enabled them to develop more competencies, including, manufacturing processes, supply chain management, customer selection and service. Within the hyper competitive PC industry it is imperative that companies provide the latest technology in a timely manner. Dell achieved this through adopting the kaizan approach to its supply chain. To compliment the increased efficiencies of the supply chain Dell also improved their manufacturing processes. A key advantage for Dell is that they have one of the best SCM systems in the world. This is complimented by the fact that 95% of their suppliers are located near to their assem bly plants making coordination easier. Holding only a 7 hour inventory, instead of the industries norm of around 10 days is another advantage. Holding such a short inventory means they do not have socks of slow selling products leading to poor cash flow. Dell aim to deliver the custom product within 36 hours of an order being placed, which competitors just cant match. Dell constantly operates with a negative cash flow conversion cycle as they only pay their suppliers once the customer has paid them. Building these strong relationships with suppliers has taken years and combined with Dells complex supply chain is inimitable and leads to a sustainable competitive advantage. Through the careful selection, training and retention of its workforce that could develop and evolve as Dell grows, they were able to manage knowledge, encourage honesty, loyalty and learning over time. Through employing the best Dell become more effective in recognising, acquiring and retaining customers through providing them with their needs and wants at competitive prices and in a timely manner. Through aligning their core competencies with the industry KSFs, Dell were able to perform favourable in an ever maturing market. Dells differentiation comes from process innovation. Through capturing the value of its suppliers and partners Dell has capitalised on their technology innovation. This enabled Dell to minimise their research and development spend and improve their cost structure. This strategy has yet to match by any of their major competitors in the industry, leading to a sustainable competitive advantage. Ultimately in order to sustain competitive advantage Dell need to continue to outdo their competitors. By adopting the direct business model and adopting their customer centric approach they have achieved competitive advantage. In order to ensure the sustainability of this they need to evolve as consumer demands change. Through their direct business model and their superior relationships with suppliers they have developed core competencies which align with the industry KSFs and are also difficult for the competition to imitate. Factors which will provide sustained competitive advantage include: Online custom build of each computer. Minimisation of working capital in the production process High manufacture and distribution quality- latest technology, timely manner, competitively priced, reliable products The careful management of their resources and capabilities make all this possible.

Graduation Speech: The Important Things in Life -- Graduation Speech,

Well, I am supposed to give a speech, so sit back and enjoy the ride, hopefully it will not be too bumpy. I am sure all of us are really excited by now. You're probably thinking, "Yeah, we are finally out of here. We've survived all four years. It's time to party and move on in life." Yet, we are losing a great deal. We'll lose a lot of great teachers, we are giving up this small caring community, and in return we are moving to larger schools -- where we will be known by number rather than name. And we are splitting up. We are all going our own ways, and many of us will never see each other again. Yeah, we are losing a great deal, but we can't say we haven't gained anything because it just isn't true. We've gained knowledge, experience, responsibility, maturity, integrity and a diploma. These are all very important, but we have gained something much more important than all of these. We have gained a class ... friendship ... a sense of community. Throughout these last four years we have grown so tightly together that we have become one single identity -- the graduating class ...

Book Review – a Matter of Principle

A Review of Conrad Black’s A Matter of Principle Conrad Moffat Black, former newspaper tycoon, historian and celebrity is an interesting man, to say the least. The topic of his fall from professional, financial and social grace is legendary and is one that still elicits numerous newspaper columns and debates. The latest matter of interest in his lengthy protracted battle is his extraordinary memoir, A Matter of Principle. Written largely from his prison cell in Coleman Federal Correction Complex in Florida, the book is a compelling narrative of his tribulations.With his command of the English language, Lord Black is at once strikingly eloquent, acidly cynical, ferociously angry, and surprisingly funny. However, the book teeters at the edge of being nothing more than a self-glorified memoir, laced with attacks on detractors. In the first three chapters of the book, Black charts his illustrious newspaper career, beginning from U. K. ’s Telegraph to his crowning achievemen t – National Post. And in between his tales of rubbing shoulders with the powerful, he offers his take on world affairs, yet almost ironically maintains that he has never exercised his power to sway public policy.He also spares a page-and-half to rant on Jean Chretien for opposing his proposed dual citizenship (Black was to be inducted into the British House of Lords). Near the end of Chapter three, the readers are also introduced to some of Black’s questionable activities – the sale of Hollinger Inc. ’s newspaper properties to CanWest, and the resultant non-compete payments. Chapter four marks the beginning of Black’s misfortune as he describes the investigation by Hollinger’s audit committee into the company’s funds.The Hollinger board, summarized by Black in painfully boring detail, ultimately dismisses him as CEO and charges him of accepting unauthorized non-compete payments from companies buying newspapers from Hollinger. The nex t three chapters explore Black’s tarnished public image and dwindling personal wealth as he is relieved of all directorships and is permanently ousted from Hollinger International. In Chapter 7, Black is charged with new S. E. C. civil infractions following the release of â€Å"A Corporate Kleptocracy†, a report (by Richard Breeeden) on Hollinger’s practices. The momentum picks up again at the conclusion of chapter 9, asBlack recounts being secretly videotaped while clearing out his Toronto offices; his actions land him with charges of obstruction of justice. Over the next four chapters, Black recounts his trial process and ends his story with the final hearing in Chicago that found him guilty. One of the first weaknesses a keen reader will spot is that Black struggles to find an appropriate voice in the two hundred pages of the book. He attempts at a conversational tone, but comes off as oddly detached. The lack of a definitive theme is also due to Blackâ€℠¢s breezy narrative that dashes from one key life event to the next.He jumps from his university days, to advising the Prime Minister of Britain, to the 1996 London bombings. Though enjoyable, these are only longing reminiscences of an imprisoned man, rather than key elements of his harrowing journey that forms the remainder of the book. In fact, it is only in page 269 that readers see Black defending the principles he alludes to in the book’s title. That being said, these sundry recollections offer readers a respite from detailed corporate machinations, which are also present in the first two hundred pages of the book.Black risks losing his readers when he delves into corporate debt reorganizations and share buy-backs that are both boring and confusing to the non-business mind. Hence, the narrative remains almost disjointed in the first third of the book, until Black is stripped of his title at Hollinger International, setting in motion the events that form the bulk of the b ook. The biggest flaw in the book is Black’s unmistakable bias, as he categorizes individuals based on their stance on his guilt or innocence; those who believe in his innocence are virtuous, while those convinced of his guild are either wrong or misguided.In his own words â€Å"no one except me was telling the truth, but it wasn’t clear who was lying and who was merely mistaken. † Similarly, when court decisions go against him they are hopelessly wrong and indicative of the flaws of the judicial system, but when a decision is made in his favour, it is absolutely correct and undisputed. While it is obvious that the prosecution and conviction of Black is the prism through which the story is told, it becomes tiresome when the readers are incessantly conditioned to view Black as the lone voice of truth in the midst of the deceit and lies.Moreover, the means and the extent to which Black denounces his opponents, perceived or real can be quite off-putting. In Blackâ €™s story, his greatest villains are Richard Breeden and David Radler. Breeden was the former chair of the S. E. C and the man behind the â€Å"Corporate Kleptocracy† report that resulted in Black’s criminal charges. Black’s attack on Breeden is quite spiteful; Black describes him as â€Å"Round, flabby face; dull, lifeless eyes behind thick spectacles†¦with the bloodless, piscine coldness of someone whose power vastly exceeded his intelligence. Radler was a long-time associate of Black’s who made a plea bargain with American prosecutors in exchange for providing evidence against Black. On Radler, he says â€Å"It was naturally a very strange experience listening to his false incrimination of me but also seeing his squinty, evasive eyes†¦he looked like a man bound for the gallows, worn down as much by a knowledge of his own wretchedness as by the impending punishment† Expectably, Black’s acid remarks are not just for Breeden a nd Radler; he slams all those involved in his downfall. On Paul Healy, Hollinger’s V.P. of investor relations, Black says â€Å"he had a little porcine face so puffy it made his spectacles seem smaller†¦ a maladjusted, scheming courtier, alternately fawning and snarling at the hand that fed him for so long. † Black specifically saves a lot of firepower on Eddie Greenspan, his lead defence attorney who fizzled in American courts; he says â€Å"The deterioration of such a man is objectively sad, and is made more so by the inelegance of his acts of denial and displacement of responsibility for his own shortcomings and aggressive paranoia. On the jury that convicted him, he says, â€Å"I was unprepared for such a procession of mainly monosyllabic and listless people. † Such vilifying attacks are a few of many examples of Black’s verbal war on his critics. While his anger towards his critics is understandable, what is frustrating is his tendency to engag e in baseless reporting. For instance, he declares that twenty percent of his fellow inmates were entirely innocent, a number seemingly plucked solely based on his conversations with his fellow inmates.Also according to him, the U. S. government fills its prison system with unemployed visible minorities in order to keep unemployment rate down. Black risks losing his already damaged credibility with such uncorroborated statements. For all of the book’s weaknesses, Black redeems himself, at least partially, with his superb prose and infectious ardour. The book is a delectable read simply based on its literary merits. Some paragraphs are worth rereading just to be admired as works of art.The paragraphs in which he expresses his love and loyalty for his wife, his late brother or even deceased friends are quite moving and stand out as great examples of his powerful prose. Indeed, in the hands of a less assured writer, the story of Black’s clash with his opponents would have been a bombastic mess, but after his initial struggles Black offers a gripping tale of his  ordeal. When Black’s passion for defending his honour is coupled with his mastery of the language, what you get is a riveting experience.The broad ethical issues raised in A Matter of Principle revolve around the integrity of senior executives and ethical corruption. Black’s case is as much about breaking the law as it is getting entangled in ethical gray areas. Tweedy Browne, a U. S investment firm that owned 18% of Hollinger International accused Black and other directors of awarding themselves with unauthorized management payments and millions of dollars of non-competition fees through Ravelston, Black’s personal equity company.Black was ultimately found guilty of a slew of charges including fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice. Given that Black has penned the book himself, he defends his actions vehemently. He maintains that the Audit Committee explic itly approved the non-competition payments (totalling $80 million). On the management fees, he states that â€Å"the total of what we received had been sharply reduced when we shrank the company. † Overall, the ethical issues in the book highlight the importance of fiduciary duty – the duty of a senior executive to the shareholders of the company.The book also highlights the power of intelligent shareholder activism, as practiced by Tweedy Browne, which ultimately resulted in Black’s downfall. Ultimately, A Matter of Principle is a powerful read. While the book is bogged down with bilious attacks against Black’s critics, it packs a powerful punch. Black’s eloquence in describing the viciousness of the prosecutorial efforts and the harshness of his punishment is breathtaking. His continued insistence on his honesty and innocence is also admirable.His intention with this book does not seem to be to sway readers’ opinions, but rather to settle accounts. Whether he has achieved this or not, one this is for sure, Conrad Black’s story will not fade from memory for many years to come. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. (pg. 46-90), A Matter of Principle [ 2 ]. (pg. 182-198) [ 3 ]. (pg. 142) [ 4 ]. (pg. 135) [ 5 ]. (pg. 392) [ 6 ]. (pg. 401) [ 7 ]. (pg. 418) [ 8 ]. (pg. 277) [ 9 ]. (pg. 465) [ 10 ]. (pg. 514) [ 11 ]. (pg. 146) [ 12 ]. (pg. 96) [ 13 ]. (pg. 97)

Damage That Has Been Done to Children of Divorce Essay

When a marriage is not working, there is a breakdown of communication, common goals, or trust, and often this ends in divorce. A divorce is a very painful process with detrimental effects on children that are involved (Wienstock 5). The general trauma of a divorce and the level of severity it has on a child are mainly due to the child’s age when a divorce takes place. The psychological effects are normally considered long term and the hardest to deal with for children involved (Persons 1). The easiest of all effects of a divorce is a child is behavior outburst normally displaying aggression and a feeling of not caring about anything or anyone anymore. The general effects of a divorce can affect everyone involved, but often the children will show the stress and emotions of a divorce more openly that an adult would. The fear of abandonment and losing one of the parents is devastating on a child (Wienstock 3). How a children perceives their homes normally sets the level of damage children are going to have to cope with through out the divorce and thereafter. If a child perceives the home as stable, they may handle a divorce well, but if a child perceives a home as freighting and scary place, they may try to avoid dealing with it at all. The trauma that a child endures will probably be worse than a child in a stable household environment. The most important issue that affects the level of perception and a level of damage is the age of a child when the parents divorce (Wienstock 3). Younger children will normally take a divorce of their parents more personally and handle it worse than an older child would. The psychological effects are more categorized as long-term effect that leave the children feeling responsible and blaming themselves for the guilt of a divorce everyone going through. Most children exercise a sense of loss during a divorce that can only be compared to as lost of a loved one (Children of Divorce 4). Feeling of rejections and loneliness normally confuses a child to the point of depression and some times suicide. The struggle as a child try’s to keep in contact with the absent parent without  offending the parent that they are still are with becomes stressful and some times damaging to a young child (Wienstock 4). The deepest of all emotions is anger, and it is the easiest to recognize in older children that are coping with a divorce (Persons). The anger is normally turned toward both parents and sibling in the household (Wienstock 4 & 5). The behavior change in a child is almost immediate after the announcement of a divorce. The behavior outburst and disruption in a child’s life are signs that a child is having a hard time dealing with the idea of parents splitting up. Academic problems with school activities and grades and physical displays of anger are the first of behavior effects to be seen in a family that is falling apart (Wienstock 5). Older children and even younger children are turning to drugs and alcohol to cope with the emotional stress of losing one of the parents in the household . Girls tend to become sexual active with older partners, as they long to find a father like figure to replace the parent that is no longer a direct part of their lives (Wienstock 5). Boys tend to have shorter relationships refusing to get close for fear of being rejected again as they might have felt when their mother left them with his father as a child during a divorce. These children are just trying to find someone th at they feel will not abandoned them as they feel their parents have done to them. The painful process that is broken into stages is navigated by a child and adults alike that have been subject to a divorce. The loss of the other parent is compared by most specialists to a death of a loved one. In therapy, the psychological effects in children are normally over looked as a child grows up and into adults themselves. These children typically are found to have poor relationships and an unbalanced social life as they struggle to find where they belong in this world. The physical effects that affect everyone are the choices that children make while thinking that they will never survive the divorce. Drugs, alcohol, and the sexual behaviors of the older children are just a few effects that a divorce can have on the children. The poor decisions of the current generation to enter in to marriage lightly at such a young age, leaves our society open for a generation of emotion basket cases of parents to raise the our future  generations..