Operations Management Of Coca Cola - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2456 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Best Score Essay Type Research paper Level High school Tags: Coca-Cola Essay Did you like this example? Essay for Operations Management CONTENTS ChapterPage 1. Summary3 2. Introduction4 3. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Operations management of Coca Cola: Applying the model" essay for you Create order First main section5 4. Second main section8 5. Conclusions10 6. References11 7. Appendices12 1 SUMMARY 1.1 Coca Cola is one of the most valuable and well known retailers in the world. The secret to its success comes from its focus on its supply chain, which is made as efficient as possible through the use of ERP systems and integration up and down the chain. This boosts its financial efficiency and improves its customer service. Fizzup can potentially experience similar benefits to Coca Cola, but will need to use change management techniques, cost benefit analyses and significant training in order to realise said benefits. 2 INTRODUCTION 2.1 This report was prompted by the belief that Coca Cola is one of the most efficient and valuable companies and brands in the world, and hence Fizzup, as a small manufacturer and distributor of soft drinks, could benefit from Coca Cola’s expertise. The main reason for Coca Cola’s success appears to be its efficient distribution system , which allows the company to sell over 1.4 billion servings of its product every day. As such, this paper aims to examine the extent to which the factors which have caused Coca Cola’s distribution system to be so successful can be applied to Fizzup. In order to achieve this it is, of course, necessary to determine the factors that actually differentiate Coca Cola from its competitors. 3 THE COCA COLA SUPPLY CHAIN 3.1. OPERATIONS WHICH DIFFERENTIATE COCA COLA The main part of Coca Cola’s operations which act to differentiate the company is its focus on logistical efficiency throughout the distribution section of its supply chain (Foley and Kontzer, 2004). With 1.4 billion servings of Coca Cola purchased every day around the world, including Diet Coke and other varieties, it is clear that this supply chain is extremely large and complex (Parker, 2007). As such, Foley and Kontzer (2004) claim that Coca Cola is unparalleled in its ability to efficiently manage the deliver y of Coke to stores and retail outlets around the world. A key part of this is Coke’s drive to provide new capabilities to tis account managers, merchandisers and delivery drivers, through the use of a coherent SAP suite across the entire business. This not only provides Coca Cola with more information at an individual store level, but also helps eliminate inefficiencies and automate the distribution process from Coca Cola right through to the end retailer. Indeed, Coca Cola uses a single form of SAP throughout its entire manufacturing supply chain in all forty five countries, providing massive consistency benefits. However, all the company’s beverages are distributed through franchise agreements with 53 bottlers around the world, whom Coca Cola only supplies with post mix syrup and other ingredients (Thomas, 2004). Parker (2007) claims that as a result Coca Cola’s distribution network includes over 1,000 production plants and a delivery fleet which is five time s larger than that of UPS. Whilst many of these bottlers also use SAP, their systems were previously not compatible with Coca Cola’s. As such, Coca Cola is now working on increasing the degree of integration and process commonality across all its distributors. Parker (2007) claims that a key aspect of this is that Coca Cola spent six months studying the various processes across all bottlers, finding that over 90 percent of the business processes of all bottlers are common across the entire distribution chain. As such, Coca Cola has begun upgrading to the latest version of SAP ERP in order to develop a services oriented architecture and hence boost the compatibility between the various systems across the distribution network. The main goal of this endeavour is to produce common processes across all bottlers, allowing information on purchasing, manufacturing, sales and distribution to pass quickly up and down the supply chain, thus maintaining Coca Cola’s logistical edge (Parker, 2007). In addition to this, Kant et al (2008) report that Coca Cola has implemented a specific vehicle routing software in order to maximise the efficiencies in the supply chain. As a result, over 10,000 trucks in the Coca Cola distribution fleet now have their routes automatically planned, saving the company $45 million each year and massively improving customer service. 3.2. COCA COLA SYSTEMS MAP ManufacturingDistributionRetail Bulk TransportFranchisesVansSupermarkets InputsSyrup BottlingSports Events Manufacture and canning Restaurants Bulk transport of post mix Kiosks I have elected to include the manufacturing, distribution and retail aspects of Coca Cola’s operations in my systems map. This is because the distribution chain can only truly be understood by also considering the systems which sit around it, and dictate its processes. Firstly, the raw ingredients arrive at the Coca Cola manufacturing facility where they go into the syrup manufacturing process. There is little additional detail here, as Coca Cola closely guards its recipe and the way in which it manufactures Coca Cola. From here, the syrup is packed and proceeds in one of two directions. Firstly it can be transported in bulk to kiosks and restaurants, where it is mixed with carbonated water to produce the final product and served to customers. Alternatively it can be transported in bulk to the bottlers, who will mix it with carbonated water and bottle or can it. From the bottlers, it is then distributed to supermarkets, other shops, and sports events, where it is sold in its bottled or canned form. In general, the physical flows within the system will almost all compromise the syrup and its diluted and carbonated form. Indeed, given that all the Coca Cola bottlers are franchised, Coca Cola only ever deals with the post mix syrup and the various ingredients which go to make it up. The bottlers then add in the bottles or cans as appropriate, and the carbonated water can be s upplied by simply adding compressed carbon dioxide to water. As such, the production processes for these parts of the distribution chain have not been included, as they do not represent a core part of Coca Cola’s supply chain, rather they are up to individual bottlers and retailers to address. The informational flows generally comprise customer data moving back up the chain from the retailers. The retailers will inform the bottlers of their expected sales in the future, and the bottlers will inform Coca Cola of how much post mix syrup to produce. In addition, Coca Cola will inform the bottlers and retailers around any potential issues such as shortages or new varieties being launched. 3.3 INPUT-TRANSFORMATION-OUTPUT DIAGRAM PrimaryPost Mix -gt; gt; Served Coca Cola SecondaryCarbonated Water -gt; Transformation -gt; Bottled or canned Coca Cola TertiaryBottles / cans -gt; gt; None As has been discussed above, the primary input into the whole production process is the post mix syrup produced by Coca Cola. This is the only input that in fundamental to it actually being Coca Cola, as it is the input which carries the Coca Cola recipe and brand. The secondary input is the carbonated water, which is required to turn the post mix syrup from its concentrated and easy to transport form into diluted, drinkable Coca Cola. The tertiary input is the bottles and cans which are needed to served Coca Cola in its bottled or canned form, but which are not needed if it is served directly to customers from a siphon, as would happen in a restaurant or at a kiosk. Coca Cola’s distribution chain only provides two distinct outputs. The first of these is Coca Cola served directly in its diluted form in a glass or paper cup at a restaurant or from a kiosk. The second is bottled or canned Coca Cola, which is how Coca Cola would be sold in a supermarket or at a sports event. 4 POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS TO FIZZUP 4.1 PROPOSAL FOR IMPLEMENTING COCA COLA PROCESSES If Fizzup was t o implement the Coca Cola processes in its distribution chain, the main concept it would need to consider would be change management. This is because the move from a disparate supply chain where all companies tend to look after their own concerns to one where all members communicate and cooperate is likely to require significant cultural and process changes. Therefore, it is important to consider the various aspects and tenets of change management, including the fact that everyone will react differently to change, and the fact that expectations will need to be managed and fears will need to be addressed (Kotter, 1990). As such, one of the best frameworks for managing this change would be Kotter’s (1990) change phase framework. This involves companies going through eight phases in order to drive change, right the way from establishing a sense of urgency and creating a clear vision, to anchoring the change in the hearts and minds of employees and managers throughout the distrib ution chain. In addition, Fizzup would need to analyse the decision using the cost benefit analysis concept to ensure that the costs of integrating systems and processes up and down the supply chain would be worthwhile (Boardman et al, 2000). This is reflected in the fact that Coca Cola spent six months analysing the processes in its distribution chain. Whilst Fizzup’s operation is much smaller than Coca Cola’s, the same principles should still apply, and the company should be careful to address and control the potential costs of implementation. Fortunately, Boardman et al (2000) claim that the cost benefit analysis concept itself provides an excellent framework through which the costs can be controlled and the benefits assessed, thus helping Fizzup to carry out this analysis and ensure the implementation is successful. With regards to the potential benefits, the Coca Cola example gives an idea of the scale of potential cost savings. Even by applying a simple system fo r route planning to 10,000 of its vehicles, the company was able to save $45 million each year, a saving of around $4,500 per vehicle. Whilst Fizzup’s fleet is considerably smaller than Coca Cola’s, a saving on this scale would still be extremely valuable in improving the efficiency of the company and the supply chain. In addition, as discussed in the Coca Cola example, integrating systems up and down the supply chain not only provides significant financial benefits, in terms of cost savings, but it also provides significant customer service benefits, as the distribution chain can be more responsive to the demands of retailers and their changing customer preferences. Whilst this benefit can be hard to quantify, given that the competition for sales space in the drinks industry is very large, particularly when many pubs and restaurants will only take drinks from one manufacturer, the customer service benefits could be invaluable. In addition, greater integration up and d own the chain will facilitate information flows. 4.2 EVALUATION AND CONTROL OF NEW SYSTEM Evaluation and control should be fairly straightforward, as the majority of modern ERP systems come with built in evaluation procedures, including the ability to view how the system is being used and by whom (O’Leary, 2000). As such, the main issue will not be implementing procedures to evaluate the use of the system; rather it will be attempting to control the use of the system, to ensure that it is being used in the most effective manner and that it is providing benefits to the entire supply chain. One of the most productive methods of controlling the performance of the system could be to hold regular meetings amongst the various stakeholder groups operating in the supply chain. This would allow the various participants in the supply chain to voice their concerns and suggestions for improvement. In addition, it is also important to train the users and managers who will be responsible f or the system around how best to use the system. This is because without sufficient training managers will be unable to exert control over their users, and the users will not be able to operate the system to its full capacity. Therefore, initial training sessions on how the use the system, and any new functionality introduced from previous ERP systems which may have existed beforehand, should be provided to ensure that everyone is familiar with the system and there will be no issues in operation. 5 CONCLUSIONS 5.1.1 OPERATIONS WHICH DIFFERENTIATE COCA COLA The main operations which differentiate Coca Cola from its competitors are its use of ERP systems to help it focus on efficiency and communication throughout its supply chain. This enables the company to provide as much of its product as is needed to customers on a timely basis, with minimum cost. 5.1.2 COCA COLA SYSTEMS MAP Coca Cola’s distribution system proceeds through two main channels: post mix syrup is either distrib uted directly to retailers, or it is sent to bottlers who process and bottle or can it and then distributed it on to retailers in a different form. 5.1.3 INPUT-TRANSFORMATION-OUTPUT DIAGRAM Coca Cola has a very simple distribution system, with the only inputs being the post mix syrup, carbonated water and bottles / cans and the only outputs being Coca Cola in bottles / cans or Coca Cola ready to serve 5.2.1 PROPOSAL FOR IMPLEMENTING COCA COLA PROCESSES Implementing Coca Cola’s processes would be a major change affecting the entire distribution chain. As such, change management techniques should be used and cost benefit analyses should be run. However, the potential financial and customer service benefits could be massive and very significant. 5.2.2 EVALUATION AND CONTROL OF NEW SYSTEM Evaluation of the new ERP system should be fairly straightforward, due to the ability to produce reports on usage and other statistics. However, controlling the new system will require significa nt training, as well as regular communication between the various parties in the distribution chain. REFERENCES Boardman, A. E. Greenberg, D. H. Vining, A. R. and Weimer, D. L. (2000) Cost-Benefit Analysis: Concepts and Practice: 2nd Edition. Prentice Hall. Datamonitor (2008) Coca-Cola Company, The. Datamonitor Company Profiles. 15th September 2008. Foley, J. and Kontzer, T. (2004) Coca-Cola Plans To Refresh Supply Chain. InformationWeek; Issue 976, p. 22. Kant, G. Jacks, M. and Aantjes, C. (2008) Coca-Cola Enterprises Optimizes Vehicle Routes for Efficient Product Delivery. Interfaces; Vol. 38, Issue 1, p. 40-50. Kotter, J. P. (1995) Force For Change: How Leadership Differs from Management. Free Press. OLeary, D. E. (2000) Enterprise Resource Planning Systems: Systems, Life Cycle, Electronic Commerce, and Risk. Cambridge University Press. Parker, K. (2007) ERP and SOA at The Coca Cola Company. Manufacturing Business Technology; Vol. 25, Issue 5, p. 2. Slack, N. Chambers, S. and Johnson, R. (2006) Operations Management: 5th Edition. Financial Times / Prentice Hall. Thomas, D. (2004) Coca-Cola and SAP collaborate on managing supply chain networks. Computer Weekly; p. 27. APPENDIX ONE: COCA COLA Coca Cola is one of the largest manufacturers of non-alcoholic beverage syrups in the world. The company now owns or licenses over 450 brands, however its primary brand is still Coca Cola. The company employs over 90,500 people, and in its last financial year it increased its revenues by almost 20%, to reach $28.8 billion (Datamonitor, 2008).

An Influential Psychologists Of All Times - 906 Words

One of the most influential psychologists of all times is Burrhus Frederic Skinner, also known as B. F. Skinner, who was born on March 20, 1904 in a small town called Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. B. F. Skinner was raised in a warm and wealthy home. His father was a lawyer and his mother was a stay at home mom. In Skinner’s early childhood, it was noted that he and his younger brother, Edward James, liked to build things such as arrows and shack in the woods, to name a few ( ). These construction skills would enable an older Skinner to build the equipment invented for his psychology research. As he grew up, he went through all twelve grades at the same school, graduating with less than eight students. Within these years, he developed an interest in art and literature through drawing and later reading Shakespeare (Dews, 1970). In Skinner’s higher education, he attended Hamilton College in New York, where he majored in English Literature to become a writer ( ). Soon after college, Skinner tried to write his first psychological novel but failed to do so because of family trouble and lack of success. After becoming discontent with his literary skills, and inspired by John B. Watson and Ivan Pavlov’s Behaviorism, he obtained a degree in psychology from Harvard University in 1928. Soon after, Skinner graduated with his PhD from Harvard in 1931, which led him to the development of his influential operant behaviorism ( ). B. F. Skinners had many contributions within in hisShow MoreRelatedHow Psychology Has Remain A Progressive Science1541 Words   |  7 Pages Psychology has remain a progressive science due to the many contributions of influential leaders. In this paper I will mention three historical figures who I believe were important in the development of the field of psychology in the past and till this day. Paul Ekman is an American psychologist who became a pioneer in the study of emotions and their relation to facial expressions. 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The worn path Free Essays

Where was the old woman traveling to and why? She’s traveling the worn path to go and get her grandson some medicine. She’s been doing this for 3 years since he swallowed lye and burnt his throat. 2. We will write a custom essay sample on The worn path or any similar topic only for you Order Now What were some of the obstacles encountered by the old woman? She struggles intense fatigue and poor eyesight, as well as such obstacles as thorn bushes and barbed wire. She runs into a white hunter who drops a nickel and she picks it up and he points his gun t her but since she appeared not afraid he lowered it. 3. Why did the hunter point his gun at Phoenix? Was she in danger? Because she picked up the nickel he dropped but it’s still really unclear of his motive as to why he pointed his gun at her. She’s in danger because she’s an elderly woman a who has bad eyesight and has a gun pointed at her. 4. Phoenix says that she is an old woman without education, does she meme to have any knowledge that the other characters lack? Although she did not go to school and isn’t book smart at all, I do believe she knows a lot about life and hard it can become sometimes. She seems to be like an old person you know very wise, has a lot of wisdom. 5. What happens to Phoenix when she gets home? Well then story doesn’t tell you what happens when she gets home. But I assume she started her long walk back to her grandson and gave him his medicine. How to cite The worn path, Papers

Aztec Success Essay Research Paper Aztec SuccessThe free essay sample

Aztec Success Essay, Research Paper Aztec Success The Triple Alliance was a bond formed in 1482 between the metropoliss of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tacuba. We know the imperium they created as the Aztec Empire. Their reign included the conquest of many adjacent communities. The huge sum of land and people they reigned over caused many jobs because of the tremendous distances and fundamental agencies of communicating. This led to a particular sort of regulation where the distant metropoliss received discriminatory intervention to vouch their trueness. The testimonial system the Ternary Alliance set up was the anchor of their Empire, and it financed the of import spiritual festivals and the luxuries of the opinion category. The testimonial was collected from conquered lands and consisted of everything Mexico could bring forth and devour. The system was rather flexible and adaptable to the jobs of conveyance and the deficiency of an alphabetical authorship system which made rapid communicating troublesome. The ever-expanding conquerings created # 8220 ; a bureaucratic and economic machine of tremendous complexness that fed on a diet of testimonial, trade, and a changeless supply of sacrificial victims from near and distant lands # 8221 ; ( Fagan, 95 ) . The success of the Triple Alliance, in such a short period, came from the alone authorities it created, which incorporated a testimonial system capable of uniting the spiritual, political, and societal values of the clip. The development of the Aztec Empire occurred in an surprisingly short period. The Mexica were the last group to migrate to the vale of Mexico toward the beginning of the 13th century ( van Zantwijk, 40 ) . Their late migration left them moo on the societal graduated table coercing the Mexica to roll for many old ages seeking to happen a lasting colony ( Duran, 13 ) . They lived off the western shore of Lake Texcoco, at Chapultepec for a short clip, but this land belonged to the Tepanec people. In 1299 the Tepanec forced the Mexica to take safety to the South of the lake, on the outskirts of Culhuacan ( Leon-Portilla, 88 ) . The Tepanec sent them there trusting the toxicant serpents of the country would kill them. Alternatively, the Mexica ate the serpents. The Tepanec once more chased the Mexica out in 1323 and so the Mexica founded the site of Tenochtitlan, which was to go a great capital. Meanwhile, the Tepanec were constructing a great imperium in nearby Azcapotzalco. The Mexica s trived to go privileged members of the Tepanec imperium. Although Tepanec confined them to secondary functions, they managed to take advantage of this clip to develop themselves ( Gruzinski, 26 ) . In 1426, Tezozmoc the leader of the Tepanec imperium was succeeded by his boy Maxtla, who hated the Mexica. Soon war broke out between the two groups ( Duran, 61 ) . Texcoco, a adjacent metropolis, besides was at odds with the Tepanec, and so the Mexica, the Tecocan and Tlacopan formed the Ternary Alliance against the Tepanec. The Ternary Alliance formed what is today known as the Aztec imperium. The power of these three metropoliss defeated the Tepanec and took control of their land after a besieging enduring 114 yearss. Tenochtitlan, the Mexica capital, controlled the armed forces and tribute payments while Texcoco held authorization over juridical and cultural personal businesss. Tlacopan became a subordinate to Tenochtitlan and cover largely with external dealingss, like showing offic ial declarations of war for the imperium ( Van Zantwijk, 111 ) . After merely a little more than one hundred old ages in the Valley of Mexico, the Mexica became great leaders. In 1440 the emperor Moctezuma I came in to power. He was to be known as the male parent of the Aztec Empire ( Gruzinski, 31 ) . Moctezuma knew the importance of suppressing neighbouring lands to spread out the power of the Aztecs. The ageless conflicts that Moctezuma I began puting the basis for the success of the imperium. The conquest of neighbours # 8217 ; land was really of import to the endurance of both the Aztec Empire and the universe ( Davies, 42 ) . The testimonial payments gained by suppressing supported the authorities economically and provided the victims for the forfeits which the Aztecs # 8217 ; believed fueled the universe. The conquering of new lands was of import to Aztec faith and society because of the turning demand for worlds to give. The Aztecs believed that someday this universe or Sun would hold to stop. The lone manner to avoid the decease of the Sun was by giving it critical energy enclosed in the chalchiuhatl or # 8220 ; the cherished liquid # 8221 ; which keeps humanity alive, blood. This called for a uninterrupted supply of sacrificial victims, whose Black Marias and blood would be offered up to the Sun, giving the Sun the nutriment necessary to protract its life indefinitely ( Leon-Portilla, 101 ) . To do this possible, the Aztecs started a pattern known as the # 8220 ; flower wars, # 8221 ; periodic conflicts whose intent was to capture possible sacrificial victims. The Aztecs fought these pseudo wars with the people of Texcoco, Tlacopan, Tlaxcala, and Huexotzinco. Soldiers did their best non to kill oppositions but instead to take them alive for forfeit ( Duran, 348 ) . The Aztecs believed the continued being of the existence depended on them, if they did non feed the Sun the dark forces of the dark would destruct it. This gave the Aztecs a justification for all their conquerings. By repressing other people and cut downing them to feeders, they were recognizing a supreme mission ( Leon-Portilla, 102 ) . The Aztec province was therefore devoted to the impression of ageless war ( Davies, 51 ) . Due to the importance of war the Aztec Empire finally expanded to great lengths, stretching from the seashore of the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico and from Northern Mexico to Guat emala ( Fagan, 95 ) . The spiritual, political and societal demands of the community led to this enlargement. The Aztecs # 8217 ; conquerings were besides honoring because the testimonial system required the payment of goods in add-on to prisoners. The Aztecs required any conquered community to pay testimonial or revenue enhancements to the chief imperium in Tenochtitlan. The metropolis of Texcoco received an equal portion of this testimonial, but the control was in the custodies of Tenochtitlan ( Davies, 45 ) . The beginnings province that they distributed the testimonial in a 2:2:1 ratio. Tenochtitlan and Texcoco got two-fifths each and Tlacopan one fifth ( Coe, 171 ) . Tribute could dwell of many things, such as cherished rocks, plumes, chocolate tree, cotton, apparels, unrecorded animate beings, shells, corn, beans, fruit and much more. Gruzinski notes that # 8220 ; Several 10s of 1000s of dozenss of nutrient, more than 100,000 cotton garments, and an impressive 30,000 packages of plumes, and an impressive measure of cherished objects and rare animate beings constituted the testimonial paid in a twelvemonth # 8221 ; ( 44 ) . States that lacked groceries and apparels used people as testimonial, and their services were used for military or public work undertakings ( Fagan, 148 ) . Imperial governments supported local dynasties if they delivered their testimonial payments on clip ( Smith, 76 ) . The local dynasties included land granted to Lords and land controlled by calpullis, a group of households that controlled a territorial unit moving as a channel of goods and services to the province ( Fagan, 146 ) . The authorities imposed and linked societal position to the testimonial gross ( Brumfiel, 679 ) . At the underside were the common mans whose tribute payments supported all the Lords and calpulli ( Smith, 76 ) . Those who worked to supply testimonial received small benefit other so obscure promises of aid in times of dearth and war. Merely a few extremely privileged swayers and Lords enjoyed the full fruits of the trade and testimonial system ( Fagan, 125 ) . The construction of the testimonial system besides allowed the imperium to enroll big nu mbers of people in a short sum of clip. These recruits came from the calpulli and the people controlled by the Lords. This was a major factor in the success of the Aztec Empire. In most of the runs capable neighbours furnished big contingents to organize forces that a individual city state could non conceivably muster ( Davies, 42 ) . The Aztecs could penalize any community that did non pay testimonial about instantly because of the empire’s ability to mobilise military personnels from other feeders in a short clip. The Aztec Empire presided over a assortment of vassal provinces and tense political confederations which kept their ground forcess in the field every twelvemonth ( Fagan, 113 ) . The societal construction of the Aztec community complemented the authorities # 8217 ; s aims. Aztec life existed non for the person but for the group ; each member conformed to societal norms and contributed to the saving of the community and province through revenue enhancement, labour and, in war times, through military service ( Fagan, 138 ) . The authorities imposed the definition of an single # 8217 ; s societal position ( Brumfiel, 679 ) . Authority and testimonial flowed up and down a societal pyramid built on a solid base of close household ties, ancient line of descent connexions and communal ownership of land among the common mans ( Davies, 120 ) . The Aztec Lords consisted of two degrees: the secular bureaucratism of Judgess, functionaries and soldiers and the organisation of priests ( Fagan, 95 ) . Another of import factor that led to the success of the Aztec imperium was their alone construction of the authorities. The communities that they conquered merely felt the repression of the authorities through testimonial payments ( Davies, 41 ) . After suppressing lands the Aztecs left no fort behind, merely a revenue enhancement aggregator. Apart from the revenue enhancement aggregator the Aztecs respected local governments, establishments and traditions ( Gruzinski, 40 ) . The autochthonal swayers and Lords were left in topographic point, but were demoted to the position of center and lower rank functionaries ( Coe, 167 ) . The thought of transition was foreign to the peoples of Mexico. Sometimes the Mexica stressed the cult of their Sun God Huitizilopochtli, but they did non necessitate the conquered people to idolize him. The Aztecs maintained a comparatively peaceable relationship with the conquered by allowing them spiritual freedom. The Aztecs did non hold a regular ground fo rces to function as an busying force ( Gruzinski, 40 ) . Their lone communicating from the conquered towns came through the testimonial payments and merchandisers. The merchandisers sometimes acted as undercover agents for the Aztec authorities, and were compensated for any information refering rebellions in the conquered lands. The Aztecs were more interested in testimonial so appropriation ( Fagan, 130-131 ) . The construction of the authorities caused the different societal groups to experience of import so that there was small opportunity for rebellion. The dominant groups kept subservient groups under control by doing them responsible for some portion of the authorities. Each group had a defined topographic point and got satisfaction by overstating the importance of their function in the system ( van Zantwijk, 26 ) . The Aztecs divided the authorities operations among different cultural groups so that the province could work merely through their cooperation. The societal hierarchy relied on a web of societal and economic dependance that bound Lords and common mans to one another through duty of service ( Fagan, 179 ) . The supreme power ballad in Tenochtitlan and the emperor, nevertheless. The emperor # 8217 ; s place was based on familial sequence by election ( van Zantwijk, 25 ) . Rule depended non merely on force and panic but on personal qualities and model life styles. The maps of the hierarchies and their common relationships changed overtime harmonizing to the administrative, societal, economic and spiritual development of the society ( 74 ) . At first the people acquired rank through accomplishments but finally birth became the overruling factor ( Fagan, 137 ) . This progressively stratified society needed to keep the high degrees of testimonial to feed of all time more non-farmers ( 179 ) . The Aztec imperium faced two major jobs that blocked complete control: tremendous distances and fundamental signifiers of communicating. The imperium at its tallness consisted of Northern Mexico to Guatemala and from the seashore of the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico. Not merely was this a huge sum of land, but it besides contained a assortment of clime and topography. To add to this problem, the Aztecs had no animals of load, so everything had to be carried on the human back. Messages could take hebdomads to make their finishs, doing communicating really hard. Besides, the Aztecs did non hold an alphabetized authorship system but relied on glyphs, ideographic representations ( Leon Portilla, 44 ) . These failings frequently led to revolts in conquered lands. However, these rebellions were few and easy put down. Since the Aztecs could bring forth a force from any of their tributary communities in a short clip, they could maintain their imperium in line ( Fagan, 148 ) . After such rebe llions the Rebels were crushed and so forced to pay even higher testimonials, non so much of measure, but value and trouble of supply ( 114 ) . The Aztec success at authorities can be attributed to their ability to command such a big district and population through testimonial and fright. The Ternary Alliance knew how to take attention of the populations of the Valley of Mexico. In exchange for warriors the Aztecs, granted the feeders portions of the war loot. Distant metropoliss received discriminatory intervention to vouch their trueness. The Aztecs entrusted others with guarding the frontiers, which exempted them from testimonial payments. The imperium # 8220 ; resembled an huge spider web, with the Ternary Alliance at its centre and a thousand webs linked through matrimony confederations, exchange of services, mutuality and extortion # 8221 ; ( Gruzinski, 42 ) . The whole construction was flexible and adaptable to the imperium # 8217 ; s altering demands. The Aztecs could non trust on efficient agencies of conveyance or an alphabetical authorship system, but they found ways around these troubles. The Aztec Empire was nil like a extremely centralized and totalitarian power, and this is what made it so successful. We can outdo depict it as a # 8220 ; sophisticated tribute-gathering machine # 8221 ; ( Fagan, 113 ) . Every facet of the Aztec imperial authorities was focused on two ultimate terminals: the eating of t-he Sun with the blood of sacrificial victims and the care of the power and prestigiousness of the emperor and the Lords ( 113 ) . Both terminals rested on the complex testimonial system of the Aztec authorities. Lynn Opulski Bibliography Brumfiel, Elizabeth M. # 8220 ; Consumption and Politicss at Aztec Huexotla. # 8221 ; American Anthropologist Sept. 1987 v89 n3: 676-679. Coe, Michael D. Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc. , 1994. Davies, Nigel. The Aztec imperium: the Toltec revival. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1987. Duran, Diego. Aztecs: the history of the Indies of New Spain. New York: Orion Press, 1964. Fagan, Brian M. The Aztecs. New York: W.H. Freeman and Co. , 1984. Gruzinski, Serge. The Aztecs ; Rise and Fall of an Empire. New York ; Discoveries harry N. Abrams, Inc, Publishers, 1992. Leon- Portilla, Miguel. The Aztec image of ego and society: an debut to Nahua civilization. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1992. Smith, Michal E. # 8220 ; Life in the States of the Aztec Empire. # 8221 ; Scientific American Sept. 1997 v277 n3: 76-78. Van Zantwijk, Rudolf. The Aztec Arrangement.