Mercedes Benzs E-Biz Solution Essay Example

Mercedes Benzs E-Biz Solution Essay Free Case Study | Mercedes Benzs E-Biz Solution: The Factory Delivery Reservation System | Free | Case Studies | Case Study in Business, Management Case Details Themes: e-Supply Chain Management Case Length: 06 Pages Period: 1990-2001 Organization : SciQuest. com Pub Date : 2002 Teaching Note : Available Countries : USA Industry : Information Technology (Electronic Commerce) Mercedes Benzs E-Biz Solution: The Factory Delivery Reservation System One of our most fundamental goals in developing the system was to strengthen and market the Mercedes-Benz brand in the United States. The fact that we would be one of the first car manufacturers in the United States to have a factory delivery program would be seen as a very positive thing in this regard. William Engelke, Assistant Manager, IT Systems, Mercedes Benz US International, commenting on the FDRS. Linking Customers By 2000, Mercedes Benz United States International (MBUSI), builder of the high-quality MClass sports utility vehicle (SUV), established itself as a company that also delivered superior customer services. One such service was the delivery option where by the customer could take delivery of the vehicle at the factory in Alabama, US. We will write a custom essay sample on Mercedes Benzs E-Biz Solution specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Mercedes Benzs E-Biz Solution specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Mercedes Benzs E-Biz Solution specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The program called the Factory Delivery Reservation System (FDRS), enabled MBUSI to create and validate 1800 orders per hour. FDRS also automatically generated material requirements and Bills of Material1 for 35,000 vehicles per hour. The Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution that made FDRS possible was based on Lotus Domino2 and IBM Netfinity3 server4. Analysts felt that with its innovative use of the new program, MBUSI not only managed to improve its customer relations by providing the best service, but also demonstrated its commitment to customers by making them an integral part of the process. Customers were, in a way linked directly to the factory floor – which was a powerful sales tool. Background: Mbusi and its Business Challenges MBUSI was a wholly-owned subsidiary of DaimlerChrylser AG. 5 In 1993, Daimler Benz realized that the Benz brand could be extended to wider market segments. Traditionally, Mercedes Benz6 appealed to older and sophisticated customers only. Daimler Benz wanted to attract customers below 40 years of age, who wanted a rugged vehicle with all the safety and luxury features of a Mercedes. Daimler Benz decided to develop a SUV known as the M-Class. It expected strong demand for the new vehicle and therefore planned to build its first car-manufacturing facility – MBUSI – in the (Tuscaloosa, Alabama) US. The MBUSI facility had many advantages. First, labor costs in the US were almost half that of in Germany. Second, the US was the leading geographic market for SUVs. Third, as the vehicles were assembled in the US, they could be distributed to Canada and Mexico more efficiently. In January 1997, the factory started production at partial capacity and by the end of the year, it was producing at full capacity. By 2000, the factory was rolling out around 380 vehicles per day. The new M-Class „allactivityvehicle represented a new concept for the company. Also, mass customization required that each vehicle be treated as a separate project, with its own Bill of Material. To deal with these challenges, Daimler Benz decided to implement an enterprise wide Information Technology (IT) system, with the help of IBM Global Services7. To further strengthen the image of Mercedes Benz in the US, MBUSI planned to deliver vehicles at the factory, becoming the first international automobile manufacturer in the US to do so. MBUSI also wanted to enrich the customersexperience. Commented William Engelke, â€Å"The factory delivery option gives Mercedes-Benz customers something that they do not get from other automobile manufacturers which is why we think the program will resonate with our customers. We think that having the factory delivery program available to Mercedes customers adds to the overall experience of the customer. † The Design of FDRS The FDRS program was proposed in the first quarter of 1998. In the third quarter of 1998, MBUSI entered into a contract with IBM. A development team was constituted with IBM Global Solutions specialists and IBM e-commerce developers, who worked closely with MBUSI. The program became operational by the first quarter of 1999. The IT team at MBUSI had a clear set of functional specifications for FDRS. However, they relied on IBM to transform the concept into an e-business solution. The FDRS was designed in such a way that customers buying the M-Class SUV could specify that will take delivery of their new vehicle at the factory. They could place the order at any of the 355 Mercedes Benz dealers in the US. An authorized employee at the dealership entered the factory delivery order the web interface. Timing was the most important aspect of the FDRSfunctionality, as it was closely linked with MBUSIs vehicle production schedule. Mercedes Benz United States of America (MBUSA)8, based in Montvale, NJ, was the first link in the FDRS program. It was the point where the dealer actually placed the order. MBUSAs role was to coordinate the distribution of vehicles to dealers across the country. Later, it had to add the order to the companys Baan Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)9system, which scheduled the order for production. About three months before the production date, the dealer could schedule in a window, the date and time of arrival of the customer at the factory for delivery. The window was then automatically computed by the FDRS to give the dealer, the possible delivery dates. Apart from the delivery date, the customer could also specify the accessories for the car and also request a factory tour. FDRS was based on Lotus Domino (Refer Exhibit I), Lotus Enterprise Integrator10 and IBM Netfinity servers. It also interfaced with IBM S/390 Parallel Enterprise Server, Model 9672-R45 located in Montvale, NJ (Refer Figure I). There were two Domino servers – an IBM Netfinity 5500 and an IBM Netfinity 3000. FIGURE I SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE OF FDRS Source: MBUSI The former that acted as the „internal Domino serverwas placed behind a firewall 11. It replicated databases through the firewall to the external server. The replication, which was encrypted, represented the primary means by which the FDRS system achieved security. Netfinity 3000 acted as an „external Domino server. It had public information and was also the primary communication linkage for dealers. The ack-end of the FDRS was equipped with an Oracle database that updated the internal Domino server database with order information. The updation was done using Lotus Enterprise Integrator. The data which was replicated to the internal Domino server included lists of valid dealers and lists of order numbers. When an order was placed by the dealer on the FDRS system, the data was first stored on the external Domino server, after which it w as replicated to the internal Domino server. Then it was replicated to the back-end database via the Lotus Enterprise Integrator. Data replication between the Lotus Notes servers happened every 15 minutes and data exchange with the back-end database three times per day. There was also a link between the back end database and an IBM S/39012 mainframe based system located at MBUSA via a T113 line. MBUSA managed the flow of vehicles to Mercedes dealers across the United States. This mainframe based system, received new vehicle orders (as opposed to factory delivery reservation requests) from individual dealers. The orders were then sent to MBUSIs Baan system and also to the back-end database. The vehicle ordering and factory reservation data were coordinated with each other when the back-end database uploaded the data to the internal Domino server. This coordinated the production and delivery information. FDRS Implementation One of the most challenging aspects of the implementation seemed to be the complexity of the Lotus and Domino scripts. The development team had to group all the information from diverse systems. Commented William Engelke, â€Å"There was a substantial amount of very complex coding involved in the FDRS solution. This application involves a lot more than having our dealers fill out a form and submitting it. There are many things the servers have to do for the system to function properly, such as looking at calendars and production schedules. We built a solution with some very advanced communication linkages. † IBM faced many technical challenges during the implementation of the program. One of them was the different timing schemes of the Lotus Notes databases and backend databases (ERP). This led to discrepancies in the data. Domino server was a Near Real Time (NRT) Server14, and MBUSIs backend activities were both real time15and batch processing16. Also, to get the best results, the Domino server was an optimised subset of the ERP table set17. However, the development team achieved a balance between the two „sidesof the solution by focusing on issues of timing, error detection schemes, and alerts. Customer Satisfaction: FDRS Primary Benefit MBUSI seemed to measure FDRSsuccess in terms of increased satisfaction of its customers. The company also believed that the marketing and customer satisfaction aspects outweighed the significance of more traditional cost-based benefits. Apart from the factory delivery experience, the program also offered the customer a factory tour and ride on the off-road course at a low cost. The company also seemed to gain strategic marketing benefits from the FDRS program, as it was able to establish Mercedes-Benz as a premium brand. (Refer Table I for advantages of FDRS in different areas). Customers could also visit the various tourist spots in Alabama after picking up their M-class vehicles. TABLE I ADVANTAGES OF THE FDRS PROGRAM AREA Strategic Marketing Benefits Cost Savings ADVANTAGES FDRS was expected to improve customer satisfaction and brand loyalty, as it enriched Mercedes customers experience. The program also strengthened the brand image of Mercedes in the US. Development of a web-based solution enabled MBUSI to offer the factory delivery program at substantially lower costs, due to less reliance on administrative personnel. â€Å"Package Marketing† the FDRS program with a ride to tourist sites, enhanced the image of Alabama as a tourist destination. The creation of a similar – albeit smaller – factory delivery system to the European Customer Delivery Center in Sindelfingen, Germany, reflected favorably on the MBUSI business unit. Source: MBUSI Regional Economic Development DaimlerChrysler AG Future of FDRS In 2000, MBUSI planned to leverage FDRSplatform by adding a range of other services. MBUSI built an advanced platform to create communication links to its suppliers. Through the link, MBUSI provided them feedback on the quality of supplies it received. The dealers and suppliers had a user-ID and password, which the system recognized. It then routed them into the appropriate stage of the FDRS. The company also planned to extend the innovative system to include transactional applications such as ordering materials and checking order status on the Web. The company expected that the new system based on FDRS, would be more cost-effective than the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)18 system. ] Bill of Material keeps track of all raw materials, parts, and subassemblies used to create a finished product. 2] A product of IBM Corp. , Lotus Notes and Domino R5 are the industrys leading client/server combination for collaborative messaging and e-business solutions. 3] The IBM Netfinity server offers solutions for file-and-print and application computing needs. 4] A computer or de vice on a network that manages network resources. For example, a file server is a computer and storage device dedicated to storing files. Any user on the network can store files on the server. A print server is a computer that manages one or more printers, and a network server is a computer that manages network traffic. A database server is a computer system that processes database queries. 5] DaimlerChrysler AG was the result of a merger between two leading car manufacturers – Daimler Benz of Germany and Chrysler Corp. of the US in 1998. 6] A luxury brand of passenger cars, Sports Utility Vehicles from DaimlerChrysler. 7] IBM Global Services is the services and consultancy division of IBM Corp. that offers extensive ebusiness solutions. 8] MBUSA is the wholly owned US subsidiary of DaimlerChrylser. ] ERP attempts to integrate all departments and functions across a company onto a single computer system that can serve all those different departments particular needs. 10] A server-based data distribution product that enables data exchange between Lotus Domino and a number of host and relational applications. 11] A system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or f rom a private network. Firewalls can be implemented in both hardware and software. Firewalls are frequently used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks connected to the Internet, especially intranets. All messages entering or leaving the intranet pass through the firewall, which examines each message and blocks those that do not meet the specified security criteria. 12] The IBM S/390 servers offer direct high speed access to the e-business application and are used for Enterprise Computing. 13] A dedicated phone connection supporting data rates of 1. 544 Mbits per second. A T1 Line actually consists of 24 individual channels, each of which supports 64 Kbits per second. Each 64 Kbit per second channel can be configured to voice or data traffic. 14] The NRT Server System supports real time distribution of near-real time data. 5] Real time refers to events simulated by a computer at the same speed that they would occur in real life. 16] Executing a series of noninteractive jobs all at one time. The term dates back to the days when users entered programs on punch cards. They gave a batch of these programmed cards to the system operator, who fed them into the computer. Usually, batch jo bs are stored up during working hours and then executed whenever the computer is idle. Batch processing is particularly useful for operations that require the computer or a peripheral device for an extended period of time. Once a batch job begins, it continues until it is done or until an error occurs. Note that batch processing implies that there is no interaction with the user while the program is being executed. 17] The ERP tables are the database tables, (thousands of them), on which the package is built. The programmers and end users must set these tables to match their business processes. Each table has a decision „switchthat leads the software down one decision path or another. 18] EDI connects all the suppliers in and out of the US. www. icmrindia. org/free resources/casestudies/Mercedes Benz-ITSystems-Case Studies. htm

Global Flooding essays

Global Flooding essays With greenhouse gas emissions and unsustainable human lifestyles raging out of control, there poses the major problem of global warming. Although some people believe this theory to be false, new research may change some minds as to the validity of this phenomenon. Research on Antarcticas glacial movement is raising some eyebrows to whether a warming trend is upon us. If global warming is an actuality, then the human race may face its biggest quandary ever. Global warming would pose many important problems, but the most eminent is not of increased air temperatures, but rather increased oceanic temperatures. Global warming affecting the state of our polar ice caps is a huge concern. Global warming is caused by the emission of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gasses are gasses that increase the ability of our atmosphere to hold in heat. Detailed records of greenhouse gas levels have been analyzed through ice core samples. Inside these core samples, tiny bubbles contain the mixture of gasses that the atmosphere had millions of years ago. Phillip Pan, contributor to The Washington Post, explains that scientists have been able to determine that the levels of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, have increased by 31 percent from 250 years ago. This data is alarming when you consider the other greenhouse gasses, such as methane and nitrous oxide, which are also accumulating in the atmosphere (Pan). Now that the average global temperature is increasing, this jeopardizes the glaciers that make up the earths polar ice caps. There is a fixed amount of water on the earth. The sea level of the earth is then determined by how much of the water is in a liquid form. This is a delicate balance that must remain somewhat static to keep a persistent sea level. If temperature increases, then this would yield more liquid water and less frozen water. A threat in the polar ice cap in Antarctica has drawn quite a lot o...

You have chosen to return to college to finish your degree. Describe Essay

You have chosen to return to college to finish your degree. Describe reasons why you made this decision and persuade a friend to do the same - Essay Example In the first decade of the 21st century the United States lost 5.8 million manufacturing jobs (Americanmanufacturing, 2011). The jobs available in the US marketplace have shifted into the knowledge and service economy. In order to compete in the new job marketplace it is imperative to obtain a formal education at an accredited college or university. Without a college degree the only jobs that are available are minimum wage jobs and even those are becoming scarcer and companies are diluting those jobs by offering part-time instead of full-time employment. The unemployment rate in the United States has gone up during the last few years. The unemployment in the United States in July 2011 was 9.1% (Bls, 2011). Due to the fact that more people are unemployed the level of competition was gone up and people that have better credentials are getting the jobs in the marketplace. The most important educational credential employers seek in new recruits is a college education. I have realized that the only way for me to get a good job is to go back to school to earn a degree. A college education increases a person’s chances to get a job and the job obtained will have higher wages. A person with a bachelor’s degree will earn an extra $0.9 million over their lifetime in comparison to a high school graduate; while people with a master’s degree will earn $1.3 more than a high school diploma and $0.4 million more than a bachelor’s degree (Longley, 2011). The past constraints that sometimes hurt the ability of adults to obtain a college education no longer apply. For instance a working adult sometimes had the excuse that he could not go back to college because of employment obligations. Time used to be a variable that hurt a lot of working adults. Due to advances in technology there are solutions available for working adults. Online universities such as the

Information Sharing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Information Sharing - Essay Example As such, it is critical to create a suitable platform for information sharing from people outside the agency, within the agency and among various federal agencies. Federal Government ought to invest in more institutions involved in the capture and sharing of criminal information across the globe. Currently, the US government has invested heavily in such institutions (Jackson, 2009). Such institutions include National Crime Information Center, Regional Information Sharing Systems and the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Service that works together with over 18000 such organizations among others. Sharing of criminal information among citizens is a delicate issue, and some individuals fear to provide such useful information, basing their argument on the need to safeguard their welfare. Reports of various retribution acts from criminal gangs evidently justify their concern. As such, concerned federal agencies ought to ensure these security and anonymity of such individuals, in their efforts to motivate them to share their information (Jackson, 2009). The rewarding of information providers should also be secretive. Creating awareness on the need to share criminal information and other critical information among communities is also significant in combating numerous atrocious crimes currently experienced. This may be through organizing awareness seminars and advertisement through diverse media forms. Online provision of useful information by individuals should also be rewarded. Such rewards should be remote and confidential. Establishment of local information centers throughout v arious societal settings will significantly boost information sharing (Jackson, 2009). Proper implementation of technology within an agency and across agency will significantly aid in law enforcement and information sharing (Jackson, 2009).

Evolution of Environmental Policies and Agreements 1971-2011

Evolution of Environmental Policies and Agreements 1971-2011 The energy use (EN) and its integration property vary under the influence of different factors. Among various elements such as abundance of energy resources and energy intensity, the environmental policy is the factor that has had increasing effects on the EN. The energy sector and environmental concerns are inherently interdependent and policies in one sector have direct impact on the other. This appendix very briefly reviews the evolution of world environmental agreements and policies during the period of our study.[1] The world environmental system has undergone a significant development in the course of past four decades. It has especially improved by the public recognition of the environment as a vital concern of humankind and adoption of numerous Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). The seminal step was the first United Nation conference on the environment, which was held in Stockholm in 1972. It created a momentum in drawing the public attention to the environmental issues and commitment for taking action. During the last forty years, the MEAs and policies on the environmental issues have evolved in several dimensions while there has almost been continuity in terms of principles. First, there has been a gradual development of the MEAs on environmental protection, with adoption of a large number of conventions and treaties. Nevertheless, after the 1992 Rio Earth Summit the attention shifted more from institution building to implementation, consolidation, and compliance. Yet, majority of conventions, especially at the early stage, have theme, sector, or territory approach, which resulting in treaties overlap or clash. Besides the treaty congestion caused by separate negotiation fora, secretariats and funding mechanism, most of conventions fail to effectively integrate environment standards into other policy areas. It remains one of the most pressing challenges of policy makers’ to design policies that may reconcile interdependencies of pursuing competitive economic growth, social concerns, sustainability, and environmental protection. The second dimension is characterized by recognition of the environment as public global goods. As it is manifested in the Stockholm Declaration, protection of the environment is beyond the interest of the individual countries or specific reciprocal relations and should be respected as part of the public interest of world community. However, there are important differences in understanding of countries on some fundamental concepts like sustainable use of natural resources and sustainable development. The industrialized countries in one hand and the developing countries on the other hand have different views on the policies and measures to adopt, type of commitments to take, and how to share responsibilities. More interestingly, even approaches and policies of industrialized countries, e.g. US and EU members, are significantly different. While the US is traditionally inclined to rely on market mechanism and private sector, the EU, as a leading global player that has some of the worldà ¢â‚¬â„¢s highest environmental standards, tends to act more actively and initiate progressive policy responds. The third trend that can be distinguished is the increasing role of civil society and private sector in MEAs and environmental policy making at national and international levels. In the recent decades there have been significant moves in the societies to call for more transparency, more social conscience and more compliance with the environmental agreements. The Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), as the representatives of civil society, have been increasingly active at national and international levels. Their participation has influenced negotiating, implementing, monitoring and enforcing MEAs. At the same time, there have been pressures from governments, NGOs, and business community leaders to ensure that private sector takes greater accountability and responsibility for its actions. Therefore, in the recent decades, the public policy process has been moving toward more interactive models, where public entities seek to develop partnership with the private sector to manage comple x policy challenges. A famous example of this partnership is the â€Å"green economy†, which is deemed as one of important tools available for achieving sustainable development. Forth, it is generally accepted that science is the best way to evaluate the environmental risks and examine the adverse impacts of human activities. Thus, science and scientific evidence have been increasingly becoming more important in the process of environmental policy making. However, there is no consensus on how to apply the scientific evidence into environmental standards. The integration of science into environmental policies and governance even become more controversial when countries choose contradictory approaches in interpreting the scientific evidence according to their own interest. The different approaches in interpretation of scientific evidence shows science cannot be a good substitute for a liable policy response. Science is only expected to present unbiased and transparent evidence and ensure that policy makers are fully aware of all potential risks. Although MEAs has been significantly developed with adoption of a large number of conventions and treaties, the current international governance system cannot guarantee that all states at the global level will be willing and able to comply and respect the agreed international environmental standards. It urges to improve the quality and effectiveness of global environmental governance. Undoubtedly, it is a challenging and contentious task since there are areas that directly touch the sovereignty of states in managing their natural resources and pursuing their development strategies. To circumvent these concerns, there should be a new move to devise and develop the concept of â€Å"responsible sovereignty†. The concept of â€Å"environmentally responsible sovereignty† can urge states to use their powers in a way that are more aligned with the general interest of the international community and help to protect the global environment. References Hey, C. (2006). EU Environmental Policies: A short history of the policy strategies. In European Union Environmental Policy Handbook: A Critical Analysis of EU Environmental Legislation; Scheuer, S., Ed.; European Environmental Bureau: Utrecht. Bakker, C. and Francioni, F (2014). The Evolution of the Global Environmental System: Trends and Prospects. in The EU, the US and Global Climate Governance; Bakker, C. and Francioni, Eds; Ashgate Publishing. Orlando, E. (2014). The Evolution of EU Policy and Law in the Environmental Field: Achievements and Current Challenges; in The EU, the US and Global Climate Governance; Bakker, C. and Francioni, Eds; Ashgate Publishing. Baker, Susan (2002). The Evolution of European Union Environmental Policy. From Growth to Sustainable Development?, in Susan Baker et al. (eds.), The Politics of Sustainable Development. Theory, policy and practice within the European Union, London, Rutledge, p. 91-106. Von Homeyer, Igmar, (2009), â€Å"The Evolution of EU Environmental Governance†, in Joanne Scott, ed., Environmental Protection. European Law and Governance, Oxford, Oxford University Press, p. 1-26. [1] This part is heavily adapted from Bakker and Francioni ( 2014).

Essay on Song of Solomon: The Names of a Society -- Song Solomon essay

Song of Solomon: The Names of a Society    Think of a time when the black society was still getting used to the word freedom and the white society hated the thought of it. The book Song of Solomon, written by Toni Morrison in 1977, takes place in Michigan on the shores of Lake Superior. The book emphasizes the racial and social tensions between blacks and whites between the 1930s and the 1960s. The Dead family goes through many phases of self-discovery throughout the story. In an effort to hide his southern, working class roots, Macon Dead, an upper-class northern black businessman tries to insulate his family from the danger and despair of the rank and file blacks with whom he shares the neighborhood. Macon can not keep this from influencing his family when he learns that his son has different plans. The book introduces many characters that have received their names from yearnings, events, mistakes, and weaknesses. Some of these names are out of respect and others are given by certain occurrences. Mostly the names are used i n defiance to the "cracker society". The black society used this term to relate to the "white society".    The Dead family lives on a street officially named "Mains Avenue". The only black doctor in town lived on this street and it soon became known as "Doctor Street". Soon it became the unofficial name of the street known not only to the doctor's patients, but also to the rest of the black citizens of the town. White legislators soon put a stop to the incorrect naming of the street and posted notices forbidding incorrect references to it in the black neighborhood. The notices stated that the avenue "would always be known as Mains Avenue and not Doctor Street"(p. 4). In a subtle retaliation, the ci... ...ack society in those days. They kept and used names that the cracker society would forget about in a few days. By keeping such names the black community quietly defied conformation to the white society.    This novel illustrates how the human spirit can not be dominated. The black community is able to fill in the empty spaces, which the "other society" is not able to enter into or relate to. When Milkman thinks back of all of the people that he had met on his journey it reflects the essence of the novel, " Names they got from yearnings, gestures, flaws, events, mistakes, weaknesses. Names that bore witness"(p. 330). The African American population found a way to allow for life and spirit in a world controlled by "crackers". Their defiance shows that the human spirit is unstoppable.    Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: First Plume Printing, 1987.

Endangered Species Speech Essay

â€Å"DOOMED† was the headline on the front page of the United Kingdom newspaper, the Daily Mirror, in 1961. The article explained how rhinos were doomed to disappear from the face of the earth due to man’s folly, greed, and neglect. Rhinos once roamed many places throughout Eurasia and Africa and were known to early Europeans who depicted them in cave paintings. Long ago they were widespread across Africa’s savannas and Asia’s tropical forests, but today very few rhinos survive outside national parks and reserves. 52 years after the article we find that the diceros bicornis or the black rhino is indeed doomed. This rhino has been named critically endangered with a population today of only 4,848. These rhinos are found throughout southern and eastern Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Angola. My knowledge of the black rhino has increased dramatically due to my interest in endangered species. I became interested in endangered species when an advocate from the World Wildlife Foundation came to my school in 8th grade. Ever since, I have kept up with their website and read articles on what this incredible organization is doing for the advancement of endangered species. The St. Louis zoo is home to three black rhinos named Ruka, Kati Rain, and Ajabu. Ruka was born on January 14th, 2011 and was the first black rhino born in the St. Louis zoo in twenty years. In 38 zoos across the nation there are a total of 60 black rhinos. Although humans pose numerous threats to this critically endangered species of rhino, there are many conservation efforts being started to help increase the number of rhinos in the future. Why do rhinos matter? In almost all rhino conservation areas, there are other valuable plants and animals. The protection of rhinos helps protect other species including elephants, buffalo, and small game. Rhinos contribute to economic growth and sustainable development through the tourism industry, whic h creates job opportunities and provides tangible benefits to local communities living alongside rhinos. Rhinos are one of the â€Å"Big 5† animals popular on African safaris and they are a popular tourism draw in places like the Eastern Himalayas. The black rhino weighs around 1 to 1  ½ tons and the height of this rhino is relative to a 6 foot tall man. The rhino has two horns made of a substance similar to that of human fingernails. Sometimes the horns will fall off but they will eventually regenerate. The anterior horn near the front of the head is the larger of the two ranging in size from 3 inches to 5 feet. The shape of the horn also differs between sexes: with males tending to have thicker horns, and the females often longer and thinner ones. The female black rhino uses her horn to protect her young from predators such as lions, crocodiles, and hyenas. The men black rhino uses his horn to battle attackers. Humans are the only real threat to adult black rhinos. No other animal is a match for a full-grown rhino and its heavily armored body of very thick skin and lethal horns. Even though no animal is a match for a black rhino, humans are a major threat their population. Humans jeopardize the survival of the black rhino in many ways. Habitat changes have contributed to population declines. In southern Zimbabwe, privately owned rhino conservancies have been invaded by landless people. This reduces the amount of safe habitat for black rhinos and increases the risk of poaching. Poaching is the illegal practice of trespassing on another’s property to hunt or steal game without the land owner’s permission. Poaching is the leading threat against the critically endangered black rhinos. Poaching statistics released by the South African government reveal 668 rhinos were slaughtered—a 50% increase over 2011 and a staggering 5000% increase since 2007. Already, an additional five rhinos have been killed since the beginning of this year. Matthew Lewis, an African species expert, believes â€Å"poaching is a scourge that could wipe out decades of conservation gains made for black rhinos. A recent demand for the rhino horn has driven poaching to a record high level. In South Africa in 2010, a total of 333 rhinos were killed- almost one a day. In several Asian cultures, people believe that a rhino horn provides powerful medicine for a variety of ailments. Others, mainly those in northern Africa, use the rhino horns to make handles for special daggers. Since these rhino horns are usually very high in price, many poachers are willing to break the law and kill the se endangered animals. Poaching increases during times of political and economic instability. The social and economic conditions prevalent across much of the African continent include human population growth, poverty, instability, corruption and greed. During times of political instability and war outbreak it makes it hard to work on rhino conservation. The natives are worried more about the country as a whole than on helping conserve the rhino population. Despite the many threats against the black rhino, recent efforts have been made to increase the population. The World Wildlife Foundation has been involved in rhino conservation for nearly 50 years. The conservation efforts will expand existing protected areas and improve their management as well as establishing new protected areas, improve security monitoring to protect rhinos from poaching, and improve local and international law enforcement to stop the flow of rhino horn and other illegal wildlife trade items from Africa to other regions of the world. In October 2011, The World Wildlife Foundation successfully established a spacious and safe environment for black rhinos in an effort called â€Å"The Flying Rhinos†. Nineteen critically endangered black rhinos were transported via helicopter to a land vehicle. They spent less than 10 minutes in the air and the sedated animals woke up in a new home. This provided new territory where the rhinos have a greater opportunity to increase in number and live safe from poachers. Tracking the illegal wildlife trade and poaching will help the rhinos live safely in the wild. The World WildLife Foundation is setting up a rhino horn DNA analysis (RHODIS) that helps contribute to forensic investigations at the scene of poaching crimes and also serves as evidence to strengthen prosecution cases. TRAFFIC, the world’s largest wildlife trade monitoring network has played a vital role in helping develop innovative new transmitters to track rhino movements and protect them from poaching. They also helped set up an anonymous hotline that allows people to inform the authorities about poaching. To monitor and protect black rhinos the focus is on anti poaching patrols and more equipped law enforcement officers. Hopefully these valiant and strategic efforts will benefit the black rhino population in the future. Dr. Barney Long, an Asian species expert, expressed that â€Å"Rhinos have been an integral part of the natural world for tens of millions of years, and humankind is causing dramatic declines in just a few decades. We ca n change the outcome.† The black rhino is an incredible animal with many benefits to the world around us. Humans have been causing harm to species through poaching to use the rhino’s horn, political instability and war, and habitat loss. Although humans over the years have caused a decline in the rhino population, there are many conservation efforts in place to help increase the number of rhinos in the future. Tracking illegal wildlife trade and poaching, monitoring and protecting the areas where rhinos live, and creating new and innovative endeavors such as the Flying Rhinos are helping the rhinos tremendously already. The World Wildlife Foundation along with other organizations are putting in time and effort to save this amazing species of rhino, but they need your help! Push governments to protect threatened animal populations by increasing law enforcement, imposing strict deterrents, and reducing the demand for endangered species products. Hopefully, one day we will see the black rhino roam freely across the savanna once again.