Critical Disagreement Essay

Few modern writers reveal a more consistent intellectual development than Ernest Hemingway. In both his themes and the meaning he has found in them he has moved steadily and even logically from the earliest work of In Our Time to the significant orientation of The Fifth Column. The logic of this development has for the most part remained unnoticed by critics who have failed to realize that Hemingway, far from being a child of nature, is in fact an intellectual. They have presented him, consequently, as a sort of savage endowed with style, gifted but brainless. A Farewell to Arms ( 1929) takes us to the Italian front and includes a vivid account of the terrible retreat from Caporetto. An American lieutenant in the Italian Red Cross falls in love with an English nurse and she with him. Both have previously suffered more attrition than human nerves can stand, and in their passionate attachment they find a psychological refuge from the incessant horror of war. They escape to brief happiness in Switzerland, but in giving birth to a child the girl dies. The ending is far from inevitable. It is a comment on the looseness of Hemingway’s artistry that the moving picture version of this novel was equipped with alternative sad and happy conclusions. In A Farewell to Arms it is society as a whole that is rejected, social responsibility, social concern. Lieutenant Henry is in the War, but his attitude toward it is purely that of a spectator, refusing to be involved. He is leading a private life as an isolated individual. Even personal relations, of any depth or intimacy, he avoids; he drinks with the officers and talks with the priest and visits the officers’ brothel, but all contacts he keeps, deliberately, on a superficial level. He has rejected the world. Such an attitude is possible only to a sensitive and reflective person. Henry is no naive barbarian. He was studying architecture in Italy when the War began; he makes ironical remarks about sculptures and bronzes; his reflections and conversation contain allusions to Samuel Johnson, Saint Paul, Andrew Marvell, and Sir Thomas Wyatt. His flight from responsibility is the ultimate of the flight that Jake and Brett and Mike were trying to effect with drink and bullfights and sex. He is evading responsibility and emotion, taking refuge in simple primary sensations. Successfully, so far as the War is concerned: â€Å"I was always embarrassed by the words sacred, glorious and sacrifice and the expression in vain . . . Abstract words, such as glory, honor, courage, or hallow were obscene beside the concrete names of villages, the number of roads, the names of rivers, the numbers of regiments and the dates. † Characterization Hemingway’s greatness lies not in the range of his characterization or the suppleness of his style but in the astonishing perfection of these limited objectives. As Wilhelm points out, â€Å"the oppressive weight of death and anxiety in this object composition, subtly framed for the reader’s perusal, undercuts the scene’s â€Å"mask of well-being†Ã¢â‚¬â€œtwo wartime colleagues bonding rather sophomorically in their desire for women. Henry imbues the elements of this expansive still life with symbolic import, foreshadowing events to come. Because objects are frequently used for characterization, Henry’s possessions provide visual clues to the reader, but only as fragments in the larger narrative that withhold their essential meaning until the text’s conclusion†. (Wilhelm) The very intensity of Hemingway’s â€Å"nihilism† in his first stories and novels proved, however, that his need for an ideal expression in art was the mark of a passionate romanticist who had been profoundly disappointed. The anguish of his characters was too dramatic, too flawless; it was too transparent an inversion. The symbols Hemingway employed to convey his sense of the world’s futility and horror were always more significant than the characters who personified emotions, and the characters were so often felt as personified emotions that the emotions became sentimental. The gallery of expatriates in The Sun Also Rises were always subsidiary to the theme that the period itself was lost; the lovers in A Farewell to Arms were, as Edmund Wilson has said, the abstractions of a lyric emotion. Hemingway had created a world of his own socially more brilliant than life, but he was not writing about people living in a world; he was dealing in stock values again, driving his characters between the two poles of a tremulous inner exaltation and an absolute frustration. What he liked best was to invoke the specter of damnation. But A Farewell to Arms is a tragedy, and the lovers are shown as innocent victims with no relation to the forces that torment them. They themselves are not tormented within by that dissonance between personal satisfaction and the suffering one shares with others which it has been Hemingway’s triumph to handle. A Farewell to Arms, as the author once said, is a Romeo and Juliet. And when Catherine and her lover emerge from the stream of action–the account of the Caporetto retreat is Hemingway’s best sustained piece of narrative–when they escape from the alien necessities of which their romance has been merely an accident, which have been writing their story for them, then we see that they are not in themselves convincing as human personalities. And we are confronted with the paradox that Hemingway, who possesses so remarkable a mimetic gift in catching the tone of social and national types and in making his people talk appropriately, has not shown any very solid sense of character, or indeed, any real interest in it. The people in his short stories are satisfactory because he has only to hit them off: the point of the story does not lie in personalities, but in the emotion to which a situation gives rise. This is true even in The Sun Also Rises, where the characters are sketched with wonderful cleverness. But in A Farewell to Arms, as soon as we are brought into real intimacy with the lovers, as soon as the author is obliged to see them through a searching personal experience, we find merely an idealized relationship, the abstractions of a lyric emotion. Against the gaiety, the warmth of ‘A Farewell to Arms,’ Hemingway portrays, of course, the cumulative degeneration of the human temperament under the conditions of war. The novel is a series of human defeats within one continuous and terrible sequence: the rains, the cholera, the soldiers who mutilate themselves rather than go on fighting, the growing weariness of the Italian army which led up to Caporetto, the degeneration of Rinaldi himself who is symptomatic of the novel’s pattern, and at its start is so quick and alive. Contrasted against this in turn, in the love of Lieutenant Henry and Catherine Barkley we have another antithesis of increasing joy. The love and the despair are constantly related, intensely intertwined, and in the end almost gain the feeling of life and death themselves: the death preying upon the living organism of the lovers’ hope, eating into the flesh and destroying the form from page to page. Yet each change of form, each advance of destruction makes the life of the novel more vital, the life we know must yield, but in the manner of its yielding asserting itself beyond its destruction. A Farewell to Arms in this sense lies quite outside of the pattern of Hemingway’s development which we have been showing. For the feeling of tragedy in the novel comes precisely from the struggle to participate in life despite all the odds, from the efforts of the lovers to fulfill themselves in a sterile world, from the exact impact of the human will which Hemingway has negated. Yet even here we must notice that Lieutenant Henry turns his back upon our society after Caporetto. Following his personal objectives he abandons his friends, his responsibilities as an officer, the entire complex of organized social life represented by the army and the war. This farewell to arms is accomplished without request or permission. Lieutenant Henry, in fact, deserts, and his action is prophetic of his author’s own future movement. ‘You and me,’ says Nick to the Rinaldi of ‘In Our Time,’ ‘we’ve made a separate peace. ‘ And Hemingway’s separate peace was to embrace the woods of Michigan as well as Caporetto, the activities of normal times as well as war, and even at last the ordinary purposes of the individual’s life within his society, as well as the collective purposes of society as a whole. Conclusion A Farewell to Arms is even more strictly the story of one man; here, even more than in The Sun Also Rises, the reader feels the cleft between the primary and secondary figures. Both books have the foreshortening of time which is more properly the privilege of the drama than of the traditional novel a technique toward which, since Hemingway demonstrated its immense value, American fiction has been striving with remarkable persistence. Back in the nineteenth century, when people like Henry James and Paul Bourget were taking such distinctions seriously, books like these would have been classified as novelas. I have some difficulty in feeling any wide gap between books in which Hemingway is reporting upon young men who are in character-tastes, occupations, age very much like himself, and books in which he drops the pretense of fiction in order to discuss the same materials in definite reference to himself. And why, to come directly to the main question, do we have to consider Death in the Afternoon and Green Hills of Africa such failures, anyway? One may not be particularly interested in bullfighting and still find that the considered statement, by an accomplished artist, regarding the effect on his own personality of the study of the world’s most stylized form of violence is a document of extraordinary interest, particularly if the artist is making a special effort to see himself clearly at the time. We can also agree with Edmund Wilson that as a book about animals Green Hills of Africa is dull, as we can agree with Max Eastman that as a manual of tauromachy Death in the Afternoon is silly, and still be passionately interested in Hemingway’s report on himself as a killer. I imagine the answer is that we were concerned by the apparent disappearance of a novelist who seemed to be losing his grip. Hemingway himself was aware of the danger and discoursed upon it for the benefit of the German traveler in the beginning of Green Hills of Africa. He also seemed to feel the danger of losing his memory for sharply characterized sensations, so essential to his kind of writing. In the books after 1930 he seems disproportionately intent on catching things before he forgets them. Works Cited Balbert, Peter. â€Å"Courage at the Border-Line: Balder, Hemingway, and Lawrence’s the Captain’s Doll. † Papers on Language & Literature 42. 3 (2006) Bloom, Harold, ed. Ernest Hemingway†s a Farewell to Arms. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Giles, Todd. â€Å"Simon and Schuster’s Hemingway Audio Collection. † The Hemingway Review 26. 1 (2006) Onderdonk, Todd. â€Å"†Bitched†: Feminization, Identity, and the Hemingwayesque in the Sun Also Rises. † Twentieth Century Literature 52. 1 (2006) Trodd, Zoe. â€Å"Hemingway’s Camera Eye: The Problem of Language and an Interwar Politics of Form. † The Hemingway Review 26. 2 (2007) Wagner-Martin, Linda, ed. Seven Decades of Criticism Seven Decades of Criticism. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press, 1998. Whitlow, Roger. Cassandra’s Daughters: The Women in Hemingway. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1984. Wilhelm, Randall S. â€Å"Objects on the Table: Anxiety and Still Life in Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms. † The Hemingway Review 26. 1 (2006)

History based on the life of the original Macbeth Essay

Eleventh century Scotland was a violent and troubled country. Family and supposedly loyal friends rebelled against one another for trading and territory purposes. The threats of an enemy invasion or an attack on fortresses were extremely common. Rampant Vikings and local Scottish men raided constantly to weaken and more importantly drive out the stubborn opposing forces that lay in their way. Macbeth was born into this dangerous environment in 1005, son of the victorious family that stamped its authority on ‘Moray’ and ‘Ross’ [significant areas in Scotland]. The family itself betrayed themselves as being loving and caring to one another, however, internally they were scarred mentally, as a consequence of their father’s death who was evidently murdered by his cousins. Macbeth obviously emotionally distracted by his father’s death, concentrated his thoughts on leading a comparatively normal life, supported by ‘Brauch’ his new partner [granddaughter to a ‘High King of Scotland’]. Subsequently they had no children of their own. The present ruler of Scotland was Duncan, an ineffectual and seemingly unpopular person amidst the civil problems. Not surprisingly someone assassinated him at the age of thirty-eight. Historians believe that it may have actually been Macbeth, but there is no conclusive evidence to confirm their theories. Macbeth seized this unique opportunity, and was elected ‘High King of Scotland’ in 1040; he ruled for seventeen years. As predecessor of the reviled Duncan, his first priority during his initial ten years in power, was to bring peace and relative stability to his problematic kingdom, notably he was fairly successful at doing-so; he became a reforming King accordingly. He managed to balance out and annihilate the majority of the negative feelings amongst the population. Unfortunately for him, his greatest and most fatal hurdle materialized in the form Duncan’s son Malcolm, who was absolutely determined to take control of Scotland. He ingeniously invaded the region in 1054, aided by the English King ‘Edward the Confessor’. Macbeth himself was brutally exterminated on the 15th of August 1057 at ‘Peel Ring Lumphanan’ in ‘Mar’. He was buried at Iona, respectively; the sacred burial place of the Kings of Scotland. Was this epic period of Scottish History the basis for Shakespeare ‘Macbeth’? Shakespeare was a talented playwright, not a historian. However, the past provides an excellent source for basing a flourishing play. It is exciting factual material with which [if one is intellectually sound], can modify and adapt to conjure up maximum dramatic effect and a truly brilliant and entertaining ‘stage production’. Historical evidence bestows writers with a fruitful background; an imaginative base on which one can construct a sophisticated plot that entices the audience’s mind, body and soul. For Shakespeare this would have been incredibly difficult to originate, hence the gathering below the rostrum; that were either damn right rude or absolutely sloshed. Indeed, it is true to say that some of his dramas were not as appreciated or dominant, fortunately Macbeth proved different, and would be a prevailing theatrical production for hundreds of years. Shakespeare was an independent character, one who thrived on his own personal achievement, and one who was not afraid to alter and develop certain features regarding a story to accomplish ultimate dramatic effect. The epicentre of Macbeth pivoted around the eleventh century ancestors; he obviously acknowledged the great potential in these characters. He evidently thought it necessary to convert, invent and abolish particular characteristics surrounding the events of eleventh century Scotland. He established ‘Lady Macbeth’s’ sleepwalking and death, the banquet scene and Banquo’s ghost, and most of the cauldron scene. With a little imagination and adaptation he reversed King Duncan’s nasty personality into a loved and greatly appreciated ‘role model’. He also eliminated Macbeth’s ten years of good rule to make the scenario and atmosphere more effective; everything he purposely altered was in the interest of the play. Interestingly, King James I was in power, when Shakespeare first presented Macbeth in 1603. I personally find this rather intriguing, because the actual storyline consists of many of King James’s personal comforts and interests. It is obvious that King James was a superior influence on the outcome of the play; he helps to conjure up some fruitful inspiration for Shakespeare; this, and the colourful Scottish pass times, provides a feast of information and ideas for Shakespeare to weave his magic upon. He gratefully accepted this priceless gift, and transformed it into one of the greatest tragedies this world has literally ever experienced. What message is Shakespeare trying to get across? I feel it important for one and me to understand that the play is meaningfully founded on the ‘corruption of power’. Although the supernatural, fascinating individuals and mysterious undertakings create a unique atmosphere to the play, the nucleus consists off events that revolve around the abuse of power. It is true to say that this is present and happening in our modern society, take ‘Hitler’ for example. He was a dictator who possessed a lethal amount of power, he used it to brainwash people, so that he could do what he wanted. He started by wiping out an entire race, known as the ‘Jews’; he and his fixation to be in control was a major factor in triggering the Second World War. A comparison can be made between him and Macbeth, both of which abused their authority. Shakespeare is trying to get this eminent message across to his viewers. Witchcraft and Murderous Schemes. If one is familiar with the tragedy, one will know that Shakespeare wrote and directed it, at a time in which murders and witchcraft were everyday issues. In fact, the majority of the general public seriously believed and feared the paranormal universe, so much so, individuals who were thought to be actual witches were tried, tested and eventually killed. During this time, ‘witch mania’ reached terrifying proportions; hundreds of innocent people [usually women] were condemned to immediate execution, without an adequate assessment. As anticipated, a small minority were against this mass persecution, but they and their justifiable opinions were suffocated without due consideration by the bulk of the general public. Essay Targets. Macbeth has complicated plots that comprise of numerous acts and scenes. I am attempting to devise an essay focusing on three specific scenes. The essay is to be written in a ‘director’s point of view’ – as if I was to direct these three selected scenes: Act I, Scene 3. Act I, Scene 5. Act 5, Scene 5. I feel that these three scenes collectively describe the basic tale and downfall of Macbeth himself. Act I, Scene 3 – meets the witches, which influences his decision to kill the king. Act I, Scene 5 – Lady Macbeth plots to kill Duncan herself and confides her thoughts in Macbeth. Act 5, Scene 5 – As a consequence of his murders, everything has come back to haunt him. He is about to be attacked by the English army, and inevitably faces the decisive punishment for his sins†¦ Death!!! I deem each scene to be off substantial importance, all independently help to develop and illustrate the overall narrative too. Unquestionably, each one has to be directed appropriately, to attain the audiences’ concentration, and to merely get them philosophizing about the story. An enthralling location is also absolutely necessary, the audience needs to be encapsulated by the setting and circumstances. The following essay denotes each scene autonomously, and expresses my feelings and points of view on how I should direct and conduct all three scenes to achieve a stunning atmosphere to mesmerize and amaze the spectators. My main objective is to manipulate selected characters and transform their personality and temperament to improve the play and exaggerate the horror theme. The fact that Shakespeare himself, left no stage directions leaves the doorway open for any willing direct to interpret the actual play, as he/she wants. Over the centuries, several producers have devised their own technique and developed the plot to create their own translation of the enigmatic ventures of the Scottish hierarchy. I have committed my play and essay to a ‘film production’. I have chosen to adopt this particular method, because I feel that it would fit perfectly into a modern day movie, which has the funds and technology to support graphic and suitable special effects. I have observed a modern day interpretation of the play; it was staged on a rough Birmingham estate. For some bizarre reason though, the actors referred to the direct text, but conveyed them in a ‘Brummie’ accent; this was literally diabolical. It simply did not complement Shakespeare’s’ erratic language, the pronunciation was awful- quite positively negative. I on the other hand deem it more appropriate to compose the epic tale of Macbeth’s downfall in its indigenous and traditional generation. Director’s point of view for Act I, Scene 3. Summary of scene: Macbeth and Banquo meet the witches, Macbeth is returning from the battle with his gallant companion and hearty Scottish nobleman, Banquo. Their journey back to the King’s camp takes them over a deserted heath. Here, the witches lie in wait for them, talking as they generally do about an evil spell they have cast upon one unfortunate person. The mist clears Macbeth and Banquo unexpectedly see the witches. They demand that these creatures: ‘so wither’d and so wild in their attire’, explain who they are. When the witches speak, they greet Macbeth as ‘Thane of Cawdor’ and predict that he’ll become king. To Banquo they foretell ‘Your heirs will be kings, although you will not’, they then disappear, before a bewildered and perplexed Macbeth can inquire about their prophecies. I feel it compulsory to point out that this scene is the penultimate in the opening trio, therefore a lot of planning and thought has gone into directing it, hence the fact it’s considerably longer than the other two scenes. Uncharacteristically, I have chosen to direct the third scene instead of the first. Respectively both are of great significance to the outcome of the play, but the third introduces the witches, their first apparition, Macbeth and Banquo. Like the opening scene, this one needs to be just as effective to conquer the audiences’ awareness. In this scene the witches encourage Macbeth to believe that he is invulnerable and indestructible. The intereference of the witches influence Macbeth’s actions; he immediately considers to commit ‘regicide’ against King Duncan ‘ If good, why do I yield to that suggestion/ Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair/ And make my seated heart knock at my ribs/ Against the use of nature’? These four sentences help to describe Macbeth’s feelings, he is basically thinking about the proposed murder, he does this by making references to certain features on his body. For example, your heart pounds when you’re excited or nervous. Macbeth having possession of all the confidence in the world as a consequence of the witches’ predictions and the recent victory in the exasperating battle fears no one. I find it hard to appreciate the reliance and dependence confined in the witches and their prophecies by Macbeth; after all they are absolute strangers. This is why I’ve chosen to portray the witches as attractive housewives, hopefully this will make the scene more believable, because men are easily dominated and controlled by beautiful, seductive mistresses. This needs to apprehend the audience’s interest, so that they can acknowledge the circumstances and understand what’s actually happening. I will set the play on a desolate, open stretch of countryside. It will be nighttime with a low and eerie fog making visibility poor. This will intensify the atmosphere, because the audience will instinctively be weary of the surroundings and the mysterious environment. The witches, Macbeth and Banquo are all dominant and important characters, thus meaning they need to be familiarized and introduced, so the audience recognizes who they are later on in the film. The scene will get underway with Macbeth and Banquo strolling over the motionless fields, discussing the eventful battle, although you will not be able to hear them, because only a sinister genre of music will be heard. They are going to be dressed in war-like clothes; therefore the audience will directly associate them with a battle of some description. In the near distance a lonely farm building will stand [the audience obviously noticing this, should already be imagining what’s in it and are Macbeth and Banquo going to go there]? The interior of the barn will be exceptionally gloomy, but in the far corner three ugly hags are going to be highlighted by specifically positioned lightning. The witches are severely deformed, to leave the audience feeling astonished and expectantly physically sick! The witches will speak in macabre tone of voice, whilst speaking to one another. Their wicked conversations will consist off evil material e.g. ‘Killing swine/ and like a rat without a tail/ Here I have a pilot’s thumb, wrecked as homeward he did come’. The presence of the witches and their repulsive words is a created stimulus that makes the play a great deal more engaging, therefore the overall production benefits and improves considerably. Their physical appearance and cursed lines keep the audience hooked, simultaneously the supernatural element increases the suspense with every scary sound and disgusting illustration produced or described by the witches. Macbeth and Banquo feeling exhausted from their tiresome day will seek deserved refuge beneath the suspicious looking dwelling. The tension and suspense will certainly be enhanced amongst the audience obviously fearing the couplets safety as they cautiously enter. However, they will be treated to a pleasant surprise, this is due to the sexy figures gathered in the corner of the room. Using contemporary technology and realistic special effects, the hideous threesome will magically be converted into gorgeous bitches! The transformed witches disguised as randy and bored housewives will [without doubt], outstand and arouse the audience together with Macbeth and Banquo. This is known as ‘dramatic irony’, when the watchers know something that the characters don’t. The witches dressed in a low, red cut top [showing an outrageous amount of cleavage] will immediately greet the dazed Macbeth and Banquo with verses of factual information and weird prophecies. The amorous ladies will speak in a confident, persuasive, but somewhat devious tone of voice, thus causing the men in the room to absorb these queer predictions. The audience would accept the witches’ original nature and accept the fact that beautiful seductive women are able to force gullible/intelligent men to believe in them and their words. Obviously, Macbeth and Banquo will be confused and amazed, but in some sense enthusiastic about the apparition. As they attempt to verbally challenge the witches, the room will suddenly become silenced, with them both pondering their recent experience, the atmosphere again changes though, as Ross and Angus storm into the equation. Ross and Angus stunned to find their chums under these certain circumstances try to regurgitate the report sent by the king. Gradually, as Ross explains the situation to Macbeth and Banquo [regarding the former ‘Thane of Cawdor’ and him being sentenced to death for treason against the king], the witches’ prophecy is beginning to unfold. Therefore Macbeth needs to act in an astounded manner, altering his body language and facial expressions accordingly best shows this. Macbeth has chosen to renovate his character, and so he keeps his feelings and thoughts to himself. This is aptly shown as he speaks to the audience alone [aside]. His soliloquy refers to and describes his ambition. The prophecy that was revealed by the witches brings a broad temptation to Macbeth that had been his secret all along for being a king, for example: ‘ My thought, whose murder yet is but fanastical’. This purely indicates Macbeth’s great ambition, he is already thinking about killing Duncan. If the audience is reasonably clever, they will detect this too. Another distinctive line is ‘Nothing is, but what is not’. He is referring to the recent events, commenting on the sensational proceedings. During this scene the plot is potentially discovered, it helps to entangle and trigger off the storyline. Although the words are enormously imperative, the characters and their actions are equally significant, in conjunction with one another, the audience understand what’s going on. The scene will end with Macbeth and Banquo standing side by side, contemplating their prosperous future. The camera will zoom in on Macbeth and his cunning visions of murdering Duncan. Unlike Banquo, who is triumphantly imaging his sons being crowned, with him in the background looking on proudly, crying sweet tears of joy? Director’s point of view for Act I, Scene 5. Brief summary of scene: In this scene Lady Macbeth plans a murder. She lives at home in there castle at Inverness. Lady Macbeth has received a letter from her husband; in it he tells her about the witches prophecies. She is interrupted as a messenger arrives telling her of the king’s visit. She realises that this is the golden opportunity to kill Duncan, the king. Her treacherous thoughts are kept to herself, unlike Macbeth who suppresses them. She makes her mind up that the murder must be committed that night. When Macbeth arrives at the castle ahead of the king, she exclaims convincingly that she has arranged everything. Lady Macbeth is the second most dominant influence on Macbeth. As soon as Lady Macbeth learns of the words spoken by the weird sisters, she instantaneously analyses Macbeth’s future i.e. if Duncan were killed, Macbeth and her could acquire Scotland. She vigorously studies the letter and assesses the situation, considering the best and most suitable option to chose, in order to bring her eagerly awaited success. If I were to direct this scene, I would set it in Lady Macbeth’s chamber; this is because bedrooms tend to be a solemn place of privacy and security. The bedroom is to be very grand and ornate, with elaborate walls, preferably in a blood-red colour, this is to emphasis the theme of blood that runs throughout the play. Lady Macbeth dressed in her sexy, soft; silky nighttime gown will try to interpret the epistle relaxing on her mahogany ‘four poster bed’. Under a quiet, pleasant piece of music, Lady Macbeth’s voice is to be sounded above the music, reading out the letter to herself, she will also over exaggerate particular words and phrases, which depict Macbeth’s thoughts. Whilst peacefully examining the letter, succeeding in comprehending it, she will act in a attentive fashion. As the production is a film, I have decided to include visual images of Lady Macbeth’s perceptions of the letter. When reading it, there will be metaphors of Lady Macbeth conjuring up pictures of her and Macbeth sitting gloriously on the throne, with hundreds of spectators gathered below, robustly singing their praises. To accompany this ceremony, a victorious composition will engulf it, however, these false celebrations will be disrupted as she resumes normality awoken by an attendant. Things could just not get any better for Lady Macbeth; the attendant brings delightful news concerning Macbeth’s and Duncan’s arrival. The supernatural is again underlined and called upon, this time by Lady Macbeth. She forms an imaginary conversation with the evil spirits, asking them to assist her murderous plans: ‘Come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here’. When the conversation commences, Lady Macbeth is going to gaze up at the ceiling and perform actions with her hands where appropriate e.g. ‘Come to my woman’s breasts’ she will be clenching her bosoms as she speaks. Again, faded scenes of wicked witches will corrupt her mind, these will then turn into vivid images of her viciously stabbing Duncan to death with a decorative candlestick, as he sleeps. You will then he totally horrified by her face speckled with distinctive spots of blood. Another will then immediately follow this bloodcurdling incident; her menacing eyes will stare at you, threatening you, frightening you!!! With an ounce of luck, the audience will be completely petrified, thus achieving maximum dramatic effect. Over pictures of gruesome violence, a terrorizing sample of music will be heard. During Lady Macbeth’s deceitful outburst, many references to blood, light and dark and hell are made e.g. ‘Come thick night, and pull these in the durnest smoke of HELL’. All of these factors exaggerate the horror theme and atmosphere. Macbeth then enters the bedroom, instantly Lady Macbeth [being the scheming bovine she is], craftily asks her partner [when he claims that Duncan is coming] ‘and when goes hence?’ In other words when is he going, so I know when to conduct his brutal surcease? Being a woman in all, she is able to change nature and personality whenever she feels it obligatory to fool or persuade Macbeth. Subsequently, she goes on, to subtly describe about disguise: ‘To beguile the time, look like the time/ look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t’. She is relating these lines to the killing of Duncan, in such away that the audience and Macbeth cannot really appreciate or indeed realize. I would instruct Lady Macbeth to deliver these disloyal words in a convincing way, almost as if she’s reassuring Macbeth about the murder. Macbeth does actually distinguish Lady Macbeth’s words, but he fails to comment on them, instead he ignores her, and demands to talk at a later date. By this time, the murder is already almost complete. Directors point of view for Act 5, Scene 5. Brief summary of scene: Macbeth prepares for battle, is busy setting up defenses all around Dunsinane Castle. Most of his noblemen and soldiers have rebelled and joined the other side, but he is certain he cannot be beaten or not until ‘Birnam Forest’ comes to ‘Dunsinane’ [as a consequence of the witches new appairitions]. What he does not know is that his enemies have agreed to meet at ‘Birnam Wood’. When the soldiers gather there, each one is given the branch of a tree to camouflage them as they move forward to launch an attack. As he is organizing for the battle, he thinks how meaningless life is. Just then, a messenger announces that Birnam wood appears to move. After the initial murder of Duncan, Macbeth persists in his violent actions and continues to kill more, in an attempt to become ruler of everyone and everything north of the border. Once the first the killing took place, the ball started rolling and unfortunately did not stop, that is up till now. Macbeth is facing unavoidable death, the ultimate punishment for his many sins; his castle at Dunsinane is surrounded with him at the epicentre amongst the entire calamity, but yet he still have faith in the witches predictions, and why not? The witches prophecies and apparitions have so far proved correct, significantly, the prediction concerning Macbeth’s mortality: ‘No man on earth shall harm him’, is about to prove incorrect. However, the arrogant Macbeth seriously supposes himself imperishable, consequently fearing no one. He is undisputedly emotionless this is shown in line 9: ‘I have almost forgot the taste of fears’, clearly his mental state is severely befuddled, his aspiration has got him where he is and under these particular state of affairs, he cannot turn back the clock, he simply has to face the penalty of his slaughterous actions. Remarkably, he does not sense any guilt either; instead he concentrates his efforts on the seemingly impossible encounter ahead. Even when is once loved wife dies, he fails to physically react, he simply gathers his thoughts and feelings and distributes them into a touching paragraph; yes, even the audience cannot help to feel for the desolate Macbeth. He once walked upon lifeless stretches of open countryside accompanied by his dearest friend Banquo, now he is the dirt on which his predecessors and countless enemies tread. This scene resembles Macbeth’s uncomfortable position, and his feelings; it needs to be incredibly effective to achieve the right atmosphere and tension. A more suitable location could not have been selected; the castle at Dunsinane is the perfect setting under such awkward circumstances. With the castle encircled and the defeated, lonesome, loathed figure stranded at the centre, the scene is an awesome opportunity for a willing director like myself to challenge. The scene will commence with an aerial view of the castle and the environment engulfing it, the audience will now understand Macbeth’s situation. Thousands of infantry will be advancing towards the castle under the natural camouflage off tree branches, a strong drum beat intentionally heard by the audience, will encourage the soldiers to move forwards. Meanwhile, Macbeth seeking what he considers to be relative safety in the castle will burst onto the scene in an aggressive manner. A room sited at the top of the castle [overlooking their boundaries], will suddenly be animated as the door flies open with a terrific thud, followed by a apprehensive Macbeth, Seyton and three rather nervously looking soldiers. A window foreseeing the countryside ahead and the moving woodland will be an important feature in the room, this is because Macbeth will stand in front of it [with his back against the opening], facing the anxious congregation organized below. Macbeth dressed in his gleaming armour tries to rally his troops by expressing valiant words of defiance: ‘Our castle’s strength will laugh a siege to scorn; here let them lie till famine and the ague eat them up.’ This successfully illustrates his current state of mind, he is positive and thinks that he and their stronghold will hold out against the enemy, the audience should sense this by listening to the tone in which he conveys his words; he will do so in a self-assured and powerful manner. During his defiant speech, a high-pitched squeal will be heard, immediately the audience and Macbeth will demand to know what it actually was. Seyton acknowledges that it was a cry of women. Macbeth reflects in a ‘sorry’ tone, his emotions; the way in which he delivers these might effect the audiences opinion of him. The audience realizes that he was once a good fellow, who fought bravely and cared for ones close, they should almost feel a bit of sympathy towards him, but then they compare him to the coward he has become, one who deserves everything coming his way [that is in the form of an entire army, seeking revenge for the futile murders he has committed]. Seyton informs Macbeth that it was his wife ‘Lady Macbeth’. Once more Macbeth expresses his thoughts on the matter, almost as if he is looking back and regretting his actions. The audience will be able to identify the real Macbeth again, as he comments upon ones’ life, comparing it to ‘Lady Macbeth’s’ and his. The atmosphere at this point will be depressive, due to Macbeth’s sorrowful words. However, the mood will revolutionize on the arrival of a messenger bringing shocking, but inevitable news. I will instruct the messenger to act in a stunned manner; he will also find it increasingly more difficult to tell Macbeth of the moving forest, approaching them at a rapid pace. Macbeth purposely rejects this news: ‘Liar and slave!’ even though he knows full well that there true, because the witches told him so. At this meticulous moment, a flashback will occur, this will consist of haunted reminiscences of the raunchy women retelling the third apparition stating: ‘Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane hill shall come against him.’ In other words, you will never be hurt or even destroyed until Birnam Wood moves towards Dunsinane [this will help to remind the audience about the apparition]. When Macbeth resumes regularity, he will again, persist in not believing the messengers words of truth, perhaps he does not want to believe them, because he knows that the end is near. Regardless of this, he has come too far, and so he will fight to the very last second. At the conclusion of his final dialogue in the scene, he will turn to observe the view outside, noticing an entire wood gradually moving closer, this signifying that his death is exceptionally near, a vacant expression on his countenance will demonstrate this completely.

A Survey of Information Technologies in Logistics Management

3528 Email: gurung@uta. edu ABSTRACT This paper analyzes the impact of information technologies (IT) on logistics by conducting a survey of literatures on academic logistics journals and practitioner journals. The literature survey and practice find that third party logistic providers have better opportunity to leverage IT since they need to have interoperable IT systems with their customers. The business philosophy of Just-In-Time (JIT) has also contributed to the impact of IT in logistics. Further, information technologies are identified that has benefited the logistics. Future directions of logistics are discussed. INTRODUCTION The proliferation of information technologies (IT) and the internet technologies have provided impetus and challenges to the logistics. New technologies present new means to manage the flow of information. IT as a productivity tool can be utilized to both increase the capability and decrease the cost at the same time (Closs et al. , 1997). It has been widely accepted that firms can achieve competitive advantage by cost reduction or differentiation with the proper implementation of IT (Porter Millar, 1985). Enabled by IT the logistics has become a source of competitive advantage for many firms. Two streams of research are identified that highlights the role of IT in logistics. First stream relates to just-in-time logistics information system (Anderson Quinn, 1986; Bookbinder Dilts, 1989; Das Handfield, 1997; Gomes Mentzer, 1988; Perry, 1988; Schwarz Weng, 2000; Spencer, M. S. et al. , 1994; Spencer, M. S. et al. , 1996; Takahashi Nakamura, 2000; Titone, 1996; Wafa Yasin, 1996). The other stream is the third party logistics (Lewis Talalayevsky, 2000; Peters et al. , 1998; Sauvage, 2003; Sink Langley, 1997; Vaidyanathan, 2005). Importance of IT in logistics has grown to some extent by business philosophy of Just-InTime (JIT) by firms. With the emphasis of firms on JIT, the impact of logistics has grown as it is increasingly recognized as a source of consistent, low lead time, damage free deliveries (Bardi et al. , 1994). In pursuit of competitive advantages, firms outsource their functions which are noncore competencies so that they can focus on their core competencies. A recent survey found that 83 percent of the surveyed Fortune 500 companies reported having at least one contract with a third-party logistics provider (Lieb Bentz, 2004). Over the years, the use of third-party logistics has been increasing. Similar survey of Fortune 500 companies taken in 1991 had only 38 percent of the respondents reporting the use of third-party logistics provider (Lieb, 1992). The 618 third party logistic operators attempt to harness the capability of information technology to provide superior services to their customers. The objective of this paper is to study how IT has impacted logistics. To this end, literature review of both leading academic and practitioner logistic journals is conducted. The next section will report the framework of logistics. The following section will analyze the IT enablers in logistics. Then, the implications of ecommerce are discussed followed by a section on future directions for logistics. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE A classification scheme logistics functions provides a meaningful way to study how IT has impacted the various functions of logistics. Previous research in logistics have categorized the use of information systems in logistics in different ways. A system of logistics functions can be divided into following five broad areas (Bowersox, 1974): facility location, transportation, inventory, communication and material movement. Based on the problem areas that application addresses, seven areas of logistics has been identified as facility location, inventory control, order entry, vehicle scheduling, warehouse layout planning, freight rate retrieval, and product and shipment tracing (Ballou, 1976). Another survey identified five categories as facility location, inventory control, transportation, production scheduling, and total physical distribution (House, 1978). These categories treated each category as individual entities rather than a whole system. Noting this shortcoming, Stenger (1986) proposed another classification consisting of transaction systems, short-term scheduling and inventory replenishment systems, flow planning systems, and network planning and design systems. Expanding on the framework developed by Bowersox, Novack et al (1992) divided logistics function into two categories. The first category refers to physical activities that are required various utilities of customer need. These will include inventory, transportation and customer service operations. The second category refers to flow of information or transaction activities that follow or initiate the physical activities. The physical and information flows in logistics function is well-depicted in Figure 1 that shows the categorization of logistics functions as described by Vaidyanathan (2005). As shown in the figure, information flows between logistics function are managed, coordinated and supported by various logistics technologies. 619 Inventory and Logistics Management: – Freight Consolidation – Freight Distribution – Shipment Planning – Traffic Management – Inventory Management – Carrier Selection – Order Entry/ Management Information Flow Customer Service: – Freight Payments – Auditing – Order Management – Fulfillment – Help Desk – Carrier Selection – Rate Negotiation Information Flow Warehousing: – Packaging – Product Making – Labeling – Warehousing Material Flow Transportation: – Fleet Management – Cross Docking – Product Return Figure 1: Categorization of Logistics Functions (adapted from Vaidyanathan 2005) IT enablers in Logistics The literature in logistics is full of instances where information technology has been touted as a means to enhance logistics competitiveness (Bowersox, 1974; Closs et al. , 1997; Rabinovich et al. , 1999; Stenger, 1986). Yet there has been few empirical studies that relates logistics information capabilities to logistics competence (Closs et al. , 1997). A popular framework in information systems discipline put forward by Gorry Morton (1989) place logistics decisions as structured and varying from operational to strategic. The role of logistics information systems as operational and strategic enablers in different areas of the firm’s supply chain has been stated in the literature (Langley et al. , 1988). There has been a shift of IT from being an enabler of operational and material handling functions to being an enabler of decision-making and activityplanning functions within the supply chain (La Londe Auker, 1973). Logistics Information System Logistics Information System (LIS) is the application component of logistics information technology. An effective LIS facilitates the proper information flow between inventory, 20 Information Flow warehousing and transportation to realize the high level of customer service. The ability to optimize the logistics cost and service levels is affected by the LIS of the firm and its partners. Firms that provide better logistics services at a lower cost can have competitive advantage over its competitors (Bardi et al. , 1994). Two classes of LIS has been recogn ized in the literature (Closs et al. , 1997). Logistics operating systems (LOS) refer to transactional applications such as order entry, order processing, warehousing, and transportation. Logistics planning systems (LPS) refer to coordinating applications such as forecasting, inventory management, and distribution requirements planning. EDI Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) has successfully enhanced the communication between firms which is essential for logistics. This technology requires firms to have common data formatting and transmission standards or protocols. Such technologies have been employed by companies to coordinate their value chain activities including logistics. Early applications of EDI has been on transmitting vehicle location information by railways to their customers. Other types of logistics information carried by EDI are purchase orders/releases and changes, advanced shipping notices, bills of lading, and invoices. Timely and accurate information is crucial in decision making about complex logistics problems. Japan Airlines (JAL) adopted EDI to manage their complex value chain logistics required for their operations, including procurement and just-in-time delivery of aircraft fuel, repair and maintenance aircraft parts, food catering and other customer requirements (Chatfield Bjorn-Andersen, 1997). The competitive advantage gained by companies employing EDI is cited in the literature. Firms utilizing EDI were better able to fulfill greater number of services to their customers (Rogers et al. , 1992). Bar coding Bar coding is one of the most IT enablers to date and has made significant impact in the practice. Starting in 1960’s some of the earliest implementation of bar codes were in rail road cars. Nowadays it is rampant in anything that needs to be identified and tracked. The different type of bar codes are available, known as symbologies, for different purposes. In practice, most firms prefer to use industry standards rather than proprietary standards for most of their bar codes on their products. By following industry standards, bar codes reduce the complications inherent in the use of multiple standards and thus provides a strong foundation for integrating the corporate logistics and the supply chain (Closs Kefeng, 2000). Real-time communications capability The logistics IT capability of real-time communications is essential for maintaining the flow of information. As noted by Dudley Lasserre (1989), one of the important roles of logistics IT is to substitute information for inventory. To make real-time tracking of goods, logistic information systems of business partners should have real-time communications capability. The business partners require an integrated messaging architecture which exchanges business data while customizing business flows and format transformation. Real-time communications also allows for schedule plans to change in dynamic routing and scheduling system when the vehicles are 621 already out on the road. Any last minute changes in routing and scheduling system or constant tracking has been possible only with real-time communications ability of the respective systems. RFID RFID helps to identify, track and locate items automatically. The use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is expected to increase rapidly in coming years. Often referred to as the next step in the evolution of bar-coding, RFID is growing rapidly in the automatic data capture and identification market (Srivastava, 2004). RFID is not a new technology, in fact, its use dates back to 1940’s but only now it is starting to make a significant impact within the supply chain. The growth in use of RFID will be enhanced to some extent by mandates from large retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target, and the US Department of Defense, who require their suppliers to adopt this technology within the next few years (Asif Mandviwalla, 2005). Among the companies that are piloting RFID in their supply chain management prominent ones are WalMart, Procter Gamble, Coca-cola and Gillette. Although the biggest driver in the popularity of RFID has been supply chain, companies are experimenting in other applications as well. Other applications are theft detection, asset tracking, mobile payments, in-process inventory tracking and luggage tracking. Dell, Seagate, Boeing and Ford are among other companies that are using RFID to track their in-process inventory in manufacturing. An RFID system includes transponders or tags that can identify items ; antennas that allows tags to be interrogated and to respond; and software that controls the RFID equipment, manages the data and interfaces with enterprise applications. RFID has lots of potential to improve the efficiency in the supply chain and reduce waste. For example, efficiency would result from automatic update of inventory system when products with RFID tags are unloaded from trucks into stores. The advantages of RFID over bar coding are as follows: RFID tags can provide longer read distances; store more data; require no direct line of sight between tag and reader; and can collect data from multiple sources simultaneously (Asif Mandviwalla, 2005). There are some technical and business challenges to overcome before RFID can be ubiquitous. Technical issues include problems of interference, security and accuracy while business issues relate to costs and lack of standards. Another significant business challenge in adopting RFID faced by managers is to work out a business case for the executive board. Early adopters of these technologies are marred by problems such as possible adverse consumer outbursts to perceived invasion of privacy, reliability of the RFID system, and issues related to health, safety and IT integration. IMPLICATION OF ECOMMERCE ON LOGISTICS The growth of ecommerce pose opportunities and challenges for logistics. As internet retailing increases the companies are accepting orders from their clientele across the borders. In many instances the location of clients are not covered by any existing distribution system of the companies. On such occasions the companies have no resort but to turn towards third party logistics operators for physical flow of goods. As for the information flow, the companies need to have capabilities for ecommerce applications. The group of technologies and processes for coordinating logistics information flow has been named e-logistics. An important web 622 technology that facilitates the exchange of business data among logistics business partners across different platforms is extra markup language (XML). For example, UPS is exploiting the power of the web services to streamline its information flows for logistics activities such as RFQ, shipping and tracking. Changing Trends in Logistics Consultants are beginning to take an active part in helping out the shippers select third party logistics operators. Shippers hire consultants to help them align business processes with supply chain strategies. The newly coined term â€Å"4PL† for consultants stands for dominant role that consultants will be taking in managing the resources, the technology and the processes in the supply chain. It is yet to be seen whether the shippers will let the consultants manage all the logistics processes. Instead of handing over the authority to manage the logistics processes to the consulting firms, shippers may choose to develop alliance with the third party logistics operators and maintain the supply chain themselves. The key thing that will allow coordination between shipper firms and the third party logistics will be information technology and management skills to run the supply chain effectively. This implies that firms should also have proper logistic technologies in place to enjoy the full benefits of use of third party logistics. FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS The research directions that are available for researchers in logistics are numerous. Before companies implement new logistic information technologies such as RFID it is important to assess the viability of adopting the technology. What would be the expected benefits? What is the ROI? Researchers can come up with various econometric models to predict the outcomes of adopting logistics technologies. Modeling techniques can be used to assess the scenarios that would be beneficial for adopting new technologies. As companies are entering into ecommerce, better coordinating techniques are required to streamline logistics activities for transactions taking place on the internet. Collaborative technologies for supporting e-logistics would greatly enhance the future logistics. Multi-agent systems (MAS) provide an interesting avenue of research that is applicable for supporting logistics technologies on the internet. Intelligent software agents can be used to assess the bids offered by multiple third-party logistics operators. To support global ecommerce the companies need to have different options for global logistics. The best way to traverse the geographical distribution is through technology. What are the communication channels and technologies that would benefit the company in terms of monitoring and coordination logistics functions? More empirical evidence will be preferred to establish the direct link between organizational performance and logistics information systems. Researchers can seek to examine the complex relationships between logistics technologies and performance from different paradigms and theories. The perspective of organizational learning can be used to evaluate the performance gained by employing logistics information systems. 23 CONCLUSION The objective of this paper was to observe the impact of information technology on the logistics functions. A literature review of the academic and practitioners journals was conducted. The information technologies that have been used to support logistics functions were discussed. It is evident that academic researchers are aware of new tec hnologies in practice such as RFID. Development in technologies offer sources of competitive advantage for companies. Adoption of new technologies provide challenge and opportunities for the companies. Proper business case and calculation of ROI needs to be done to assess the expected benefits from new technologies. Changing trends in business in terms of ecommerce open new markets for firms for all sizes to expand their market share. Strategic use of information resource would bear results of competitive advantage and thus leading to success stories. The best practices in logistic information technologies need to be adopted by firms in alignment of their strategic goals. Future trends in logistics may prompt companies to rethink their logistics strategies. Firms may choose to use third party logistics in order to focus on their core competencies. However, firms need to have logistics information systems in place that is compatible with the third party operators in order to fully benefit from their services. REFERENCES Anderson, D. L. Quinn, R. J. 1986, â€Å"The Role of Transportation in Long Supply Line Just-InTime Logistics Channels â€Å", Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 68-88. Asif, Z. Mandviwalla, M. 2005, â€Å"Integrating the Supply Chain with RFID: a Technical and Business Analysis†, Communications of the AIS, vol. 15, pp. 393-427. Ballou, R. H. 976, â€Å"Computer Methods in Transportation-Distribution†, Transportation Journal, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 72-85. Bardi, E. J. , Raghunathan, T. S. Bagchi, P. K. 1994, â€Å"Logistics information systems: The strategic role of top management†, Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 7185. Bookbinder, J. H. Dilts, D. M. 1989, â€Å"L ogistics Information Systems in a Just-In-Time Environment â€Å", Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 50-67. Bowersox, D. J. 1974, Logistics Management: A Systems Integration of Physical Distribution Management and Materials Management, Macmillan Publishing, New York, NY. Chatfield, A. T. Bjorn-Andersen, N. 1997, â€Å"The impact of IOS-enabled business process change on business outcomes: Transformation of the Value Chain of Japan Airlines†, Journal of Management Information Systems, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 13-40. Closs, D. J. Kefeng, X. 2000, â€Å"Logistics information technology practice in manufacturing and merchandising firms† An international benchmarking study versus world class logistics firms†, International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, vol. 30, no. 10, pp. 869-86. 624 Closs, D. J. , Goldsby, T. J. Clinton, S. R. 1997, â€Å"Information technology influences on world class logistics capability†, International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 4-17. Das, A. Handfield, R. B. 1997, â€Å"Just-in-time and logistics in global sourcing: An empirical study†, International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, vol. 27, no. 3/4, pp. 244-59. Dudley, L. Lasserre, P. 1989, â€Å"Information as a Substitute for Inventories â€Å", European Economic Review, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 67-88. Gomes, R. Mentzer, J. T. 988, â€Å"A Systems Approach to the Investigation of Just-In-Time â€Å", Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 71-88. Gorry, G. A. Morton, M. S. S. 1989, â€Å"A Framework for Management Information Systems†, Sloan Management Review, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 49-61. House, R. G. 1978, â€Å"Computer Models in Distribution Management†, Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 1, no. 1, p p. 129-52. La Londe, B. J. Auker, K. 1973, â€Å"A Survey of Computer Applications and Practices in Transportation and Distribution†, International Journal of Physical Distribution, vol. 3, no. 5, pp. 92-301. Langley, C. J. , Carlisle, D. P. , Probst, S. B. , Biggs, D. F. Cail, R. E. 1988, â€Å"Microcomputers as a Logistics Information Strategy†, International Journal of Physical Distribution and Materials Management, vol. 18, no. 6, pp. 11-7. Lewis, I. Talalayevsky, A. 2000, â€Å"Third-Party Logistics: Leveraging Information Technology â€Å", Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 173-85. Lieb, R. C. 1992, â€Å"The use of third-party logistics services by large American manufacturers†, Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 29-42. Lieb, R. C. Bentz, B. A. 004, â€Å"The Use of Third-Party Logistics Services by Large American Manufacturers: The 2003 Survey†, Transportation Journal, vol. 43, no. 3, pp. 24-33. Novack, R. A. , Rinehart, L. M. Wells, M. V. 1992, â€Å"Rethinking concept foundations in logistics management†, Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 233-67. Perry, J. H. 1988, â€Å"Firm Behavior and Operating Performance in Just-In-Time Logistics Channels â€Å", Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 19-33. Peters, M. J. , Lieb, R. C. Randall, H. L. 1998, â€Å"The use of third-party logistics services by European industry†, Transport Logistics, vol. , no. 3, pp. 167-79. Porter, M. E. Millar, V. E. 1985, â€Å"How information gives you competitive advantage†, Harvard Business Review, vol. 63, no. 4, pp. 149-60. Rabinovich, E. , Windle, R. , Dresner, M. Corsi, T. 1999, â€Å"Outsourcing of integrated logistics functions†, International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, vol. 29, no. 6, pp. 353-73. Rogers, D. S. , Daugherty, P. J. Stank, T. P. 1992, â€Å"Enhancing service responsiveness: the strategic potential of EDI†, International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, vol. 22, no. 8, pp. 15-20. Sauvage, T. 2003, â€Å"The relationship between technology and logistics third-party providers†, International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 236-53. Schwarz, L. B. Weng, Z. K. 2000, â€Å"The Design of a JIT Supply Chain: The Effect of Leadtime Uncertainty on Safety Stock â€Å", Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 231-52. 625 Sink, H. L. Langley, J. C. J. 1997, â€Å"A managerial framework for the acquisition of third-party logistics services†, Journal of Business Logistics, vol. 18, p. 163. Spencer, M. S. , Dale, S. R. Patricia, J. D. 1994, â€Å"JIT Systems and External Logistics Suppliers†, International Journal of Operations Production Management, vol. 14, no. 6, pp. 6074. Spencer, M. S. , Daugherty, P. J. Rogers, D. S. 1996, â€Å"Logistics support for JIF implementation†, International Journal of Production Research, vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 701-14. Srivastava, B. 2004, â€Å"Radio frequency ID technology: The next revolution in SCM†, Business Horizons, vol. 47, no. 6, pp. 60-8. Stenger, A. J. 1986, â€Å"Information Systems in Logistics Management: Past, Present, and Future†, Transportation Journal, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 5-82. Takahashi, K. Nakamura, N. 2000, â€Å"Reactive logistics in a JIT environment†, Production Planning Control, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 20-31. Titone, R. 1996, â€Å"Moving Beyond JIT to Logistics Planning†, IIE Solutions, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 22-4. Vaidyanathan, G. 2005, â€Å"A Framework for Evaluating Third-Party Logistics†, Communications o f the ACM, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 89-94. Wafa, M. A. Yasin, M. M. 1996, â€Å"The impact of supplier proximity on JIT success: an informational perspective†, International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 23-34. 626 A Survey of Information Technologies in Logistics Management 3528 Email: gurung@uta. edu ABSTRACT This paper analyzes the impact of information technologies (IT) on logistics by conducting a survey of literatures on academic logistics journals and practitioner journals. The literature survey and practice find that third party logistic providers have better opportunity to leverage IT since they need to have interoperable IT systems with their customers. The business philosophy of Just-In-Time (JIT) has also contributed to the impact of IT in logistics. Further, information technologies are identified that has benefited the logistics. Future directions of logistics are discussed. INTRODUCTION The proliferation of information technologies (IT) and the internet technologies have provided impetus and challenges to the logistics. New technologies present new means to manage the flow of information. IT as a productivity tool can be utilized to both increase the capability and decrease the cost at the same time (Closs et al. , 1997). It has been widely accepted that firms can achieve competitive advantage by cost reduction or differentiation with the proper implementation of IT (Porter Millar, 1985). Enabled by IT the logistics has become a source of competitive advantage for many firms. Two streams of research are identified that highlights the role of IT in logistics. First stream relates to just-in-time logistics information system (Anderson Quinn, 1986; Bookbinder Dilts, 1989; Das Handfield, 1997; Gomes Mentzer, 1988; Perry, 1988; Schwarz Weng, 2000; Spencer, M. S. et al. , 1994; Spencer, M. S. et al. , 1996; Takahashi Nakamura, 2000; Titone, 1996; Wafa Yasin, 1996). The other stream is the third party logistics (Lewis Talalayevsky, 2000; Peters et al. , 1998; Sauvage, 2003; Sink Langley, 1997; Vaidyanathan, 2005). Importance of IT in logistics has grown to some extent by business philosophy of Just-InTime (JIT) by firms. With the emphasis of firms on JIT, the impact of logistics has grown as it is increasingly recognized as a source of consistent, low lead time, damage free deliveries (Bardi et al. , 1994). In pursuit of competitive advantages, firms outsource their functions which are noncore competencies so that they can focus on their core competencies. A recent survey found that 83 percent of the surveyed Fortune 500 companies reported having at least one contract with a third-party logistics provider (Lieb Bentz, 2004). Over the years, the use of third-party logistics has been increasing. Similar survey of Fortune 500 companies taken in 1991 had only 38 percent of the respondents reporting the use of third-party logistics provider (Lieb, 1992). The 618 third party logistic operators attempt to harness the capability of information technology to provide superior services to their customers. The objective of this paper is to study how IT has impacted logistics. To this end, literature review of both leading academic and practitioner logistic journals is conducted. The next section will report the framework of logistics. The following section will analyze the IT enablers in logistics. Then, the implications of ecommerce are discussed followed by a section on future directions for logistics. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE A classification scheme logistics functions provides a meaningful way to study how IT has impacted the various functions of logistics. Previous research in logistics have categorized the use of information systems in logistics in different ways. A system of logistics functions can be divided into following five broad areas (Bowersox, 1974): facility location, transportation, inventory, communication and material movement. Based on the problem areas that application addresses, seven areas of logistics has been identified as facility location, inventory control, order entry, vehicle scheduling, warehouse layout planning, freight rate retrieval, and product and shipment tracing (Ballou, 1976). Another survey identified five categories as facility location, inventory control, transportation, production scheduling, and total physical distribution (House, 1978). These categories treated each category as individual entities rather than a whole system. Noting this shortcoming, Stenger (1986) proposed another classification consisting of transaction systems, short-term scheduling and inventory replenishment systems, flow planning systems, and network planning and design systems. Expanding on the framework developed by Bowersox, Novack et al (1992) divided logistics function into two categories. The first category refers to physical activities that are required various utilities of customer need. These will include inventory, transportation and customer service operations. The second category refers to flow of information or transaction activities that follow or initiate the physical activities. The physical and information flows in logistics function is well-depicted in Figure 1 that shows the categorization of logistics functions as described by Vaidyanathan (2005). As shown in the figure, information flows between logistics function are managed, coordinated and supported by various logistics technologies. 619 Inventory and Logistics Management: – Freight Consolidation – Freight Distribution – Shipment Planning – Traffic Management – Inventory Management – Carrier Selection – Order Entry/ Management Information Flow Customer Service: – Freight Payments – Auditing – Order Management – Fulfillment – Help Desk – Carrier Selection – Rate Negotiation Information Flow Warehousing: – Packaging – Product Making – Labeling – Warehousing Material Flow Transportation: – Fleet Management – Cross Docking – Product Return Figure 1: Categorization of Logistics Functions (adapted from Vaidyanathan 2005) IT enablers in Logistics The literature in logistics is full of instances where information technology has been touted as a means to enhance logistics competitiveness (Bowersox, 1974; Closs et al. , 1997; Rabinovich et al. , 1999; Stenger, 1986). Yet there has been few empirical studies that relates logistics information capabilities to logistics competence (Closs et al. , 1997). A popular framework in information systems discipline put forward by Gorry Morton (1989) place logistics decisions as structured and varying from operational to strategic. The role of logistics information systems as operational and strategic enablers in different areas of the firm’s supply chain has been stated in the literature (Langley et al. , 1988). There has been a shift of IT from being an enabler of operational and material handling functions to being an enabler of decision-making and activityplanning functions within the supply chain (La Londe Auker, 1973). Logistics Information System Logistics Information System (LIS) is the application component of logistics information technology. An effective LIS facilitates the proper information flow between inventory, 20 Information Flow warehousing and transportation to realize the high level of customer service. The ability to optimize the logistics cost and service levels is affected by the LIS of the firm and its partners. Firms that provide better logistics services at a lower cost can have competitive advantage over its competitors (Bardi et al. , 1994). Two classes of LIS has been recogn ized in the literature (Closs et al. , 1997). Logistics operating systems (LOS) refer to transactional applications such as order entry, order processing, warehousing, and transportation. Logistics planning systems (LPS) refer to coordinating applications such as forecasting, inventory management, and distribution requirements planning. EDI Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) has successfully enhanced the communication between firms which is essential for logistics. This technology requires firms to have common data formatting and transmission standards or protocols. Such technologies have been employed by companies to coordinate their value chain activities including logistics. Early applications of EDI has been on transmitting vehicle location information by railways to their customers. Other types of logistics information carried by EDI are purchase orders/releases and changes, advanced shipping notices, bills of lading, and invoices. Timely and accurate information is crucial in decision making about complex logistics problems. Japan Airlines (JAL) adopted EDI to manage their complex value chain logistics required for their operations, including procurement and just-in-time delivery of aircraft fuel, repair and maintenance aircraft parts, food catering and other customer requirements (Chatfield Bjorn-Andersen, 1997). The competitive advantage gained by companies employing EDI is cited in the literature. Firms utilizing EDI were better able to fulfill greater number of services to their customers (Rogers et al. , 1992). Bar coding Bar coding is one of the most IT enablers to date and has made significant impact in the practice. Starting in 1960’s some of the earliest implementation of bar codes were in rail road cars. Nowadays it is rampant in anything that needs to be identified and tracked. The different type of bar codes are available, known as symbologies, for different purposes. In practice, most firms prefer to use industry standards rather than proprietary standards for most of their bar codes on their products. By following industry standards, bar codes reduce the complications inherent in the use of multiple standards and thus provides a strong foundation for integrating the corporate logistics and the supply chain (Closs Kefeng, 2000). Real-time communications capability The logistics IT capability of real-time communications is essential for maintaining the flow of information. As noted by Dudley Lasserre (1989), one of the important roles of logistics IT is to substitute information for inventory. To make real-time tracking of goods, logistic information systems of business partners should have real-time communications capability. The business partners require an integrated messaging architecture which exchanges business data while customizing business flows and format transformation. Real-time communications also allows for schedule plans to change in dynamic routing and scheduling system when the vehicles are 621 already out on the road. Any last minute changes in routing and scheduling system or constant tracking has been possible only with real-time communications ability of the respective systems. RFID RFID helps to identify, track and locate items automatically. The use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is expected to increase rapidly in coming years. Often referred to as the next step in the evolution of bar-coding, RFID is growing rapidly in the automatic data capture and identification market (Srivastava, 2004). RFID is not a new technology, in fact, its use dates back to 1940’s but only now it is starting to make a significant impact within the supply chain. The growth in use of RFID will be enhanced to some extent by mandates from large retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target, and the US Department of Defense, who require their suppliers to adopt this technology within the next few years (Asif Mandviwalla, 2005). Among the companies that are piloting RFID in their supply chain management prominent ones are WalMart, Procter Gamble, Coca-cola and Gillette. Although the biggest driver in the popularity of RFID has been supply chain, companies are experimenting in other applications as well. Other applications are theft detection, asset tracking, mobile payments, in-process inventory tracking and luggage tracking. Dell, Seagate, Boeing and Ford are among other companies that are using RFID to track their in-process inventory in manufacturing. An RFID system includes transponders or tags that can identify items ; antennas that allows tags to be interrogated and to respond; and software that controls the RFID equipment, manages the data and interfaces with enterprise applications. RFID has lots of potential to improve the efficiency in the supply chain and reduce waste. For example, efficiency would result from automatic update of inventory system when products with RFID tags are unloaded from trucks into stores. The advantages of RFID over bar coding are as follows: RFID tags can provide longer read distances; store more data; require no direct line of sight between tag and reader; and can collect data from multiple sources simultaneously (Asif Mandviwalla, 2005). There are some technical and business challenges to overcome before RFID can be ubiquitous. Technical issues include problems of interference, security and accuracy while business issues relate to costs and lack of standards. Another significant business challenge in adopting RFID faced by managers is to work out a business case for the executive board. Early adopters of these technologies are marred by problems such as possible adverse consumer outbursts to perceived invasion of privacy, reliability of the RFID system, and issues related to health, safety and IT integration. IMPLICATION OF ECOMMERCE ON LOGISTICS The growth of ecommerce pose opportunities and challenges for logistics. As internet retailing increases the companies are accepting orders from their clientele across the borders. In many instances the location of clients are not covered by any existing distribution system of the companies. On such occasions the companies have no resort but to turn towards third party logistics operators for physical flow of goods. As for the information flow, the companies need to have capabilities for ecommerce applications. The group of technologies and processes for coordinating logistics information flow has been named e-logistics. An important web 622 technology that facilitates the exchange of business data among logistics business partners across different platforms is extra markup language (XML). For example, UPS is exploiting the power of the web services to streamline its information flows for logistics activities such as RFQ, shipping and tracking. Changing Trends in Logistics Consultants are beginning to take an active part in helping out the shippers select third party logistics operators. Shippers hire consultants to help them align business processes with supply chain strategies. The newly coined term â€Å"4PL† for consultants stands for dominant role that consultants will be taking in managing the resources, the technology and the processes in the supply chain. It is yet to be seen whether the shippers will let the consultants manage all the logistics processes. Instead of handing over the authority to manage the logistics processes to the consulting firms, shippers may choose to develop alliance with the third party logistics operators and maintain the supply chain themselves. The key thing that will allow coordination between shipper firms and the third party logistics will be information technology and management skills to run the supply chain effectively. This implies that firms should also have proper logistic technologies in place to enjoy the full benefits of use of third party logistics. FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS The research directions that are available for researchers in logistics are numerous. Before companies implement new logistic information technologies such as RFID it is important to assess the viability of adopting the technology. What would be the expected benefits? What is the ROI? Researchers can come up with various econometric models to predict the outcomes of adopting logistics technologies. Modeling techniques can be used to assess the scenarios that would be beneficial for adopting new technologies. As companies are entering into ecommerce, better coordinating techniques are required to streamline logistics activities for transactions taking place on the internet. Collaborative technologies for supporting e-logistics would greatly enhance the future logistics. Multi-agent systems (MAS) provide an interesting avenue of research that is applicable for supporting logistics technologies on the internet. Intelligent software agents can be used to assess the bids offered by multiple third-party logistics operators. To support global ecommerce the companies need to have different options for global logistics. The best way to traverse the geographical distribution is through technology. What are the communication channels and technologies that would benefit the company in terms of monitoring and coordination logistics functions? More empirical evidence will be preferred to establish the direct link between organizational performance and logistics information systems. Researchers can seek to examine the complex relationships between logistics technologies and performance from different paradigms and theories. The perspective of organizational learning can be used to evaluate the performance gained by employing logistics information systems. 23 CONCLUSION The objective of this paper was to observe the impact of information technology on the logistics functions. A literature review of the academic and practitioners journals was conducted. The information technologies that have been used to support logistics functions were discussed. It is evident that academic researchers are aware of new tec hnologies in practice such as RFID. Development in technologies offer sources of competitive advantage for companies. Adoption of new technologies provide challenge and opportunities for the companies. Proper business case and calculation of ROI needs to be done to assess the expected benefits from new technologies. Changing trends in business in terms of ecommerce open new markets for firms for all sizes to expand their market share. Strategic use of information resource would bear results of competitive advantage and thus leading to success stories. The best practices in logistic information technologies need to be adopted by firms in alignment of their strategic goals. Future trends in logistics may prompt companies to rethink their logistics strategies. 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