Refrigeration Laboratory Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Refrigeration Laboratory - Lab Report Example Additionally, high water inlet temperatures substantially affect R134a temperature. Consequently, high water inlet temperatures led to rise in intermediate temperatures. In addition to that, optimal temperature is directly proportional to ambient temperature (Neese and Oravetz, 2003). This temperature in turn affects evaporation temperature of cycles that occur at low stages hence inducing the increase of optimal temperature. Result also indicated that there was a correlation between coefficient of performance, water inlet and ambient temperatures. As a result, coefficient of performance deteriorates at high water inlet temperatures and low ambient temperatures and vice versa and it is a common phenomenon in air water heat pump systems (Radermacher and Hwang, 2005). The apparatus had numerous sharp bends with narrow bores that substantially increased pressure of the refrigerant due to viscous friction. Refrigerant usually leave the evaporator chamber below ambient temperatures. This makes it gain temperature from the surrounding to increase superheat. Inadequately insulation at the suction line prevented this from happening (Venkatarathnam, 2008). The motor used to compress refrigerant, from suction pressure to discharge pressure, is not 100% efficient. This experiment opened up so many possibilities of recommendation that can be done to improve the plant and study techniques used. The entire valve at the joint should be fitted to prevent gas from escaping. The inefficient motor should also be replaced with an efficient one so as to save energy. Friction reduction measures are very important. Lubricant and oil should be smeared on the Inner lining of the walls of the suction pipes to reduce friction between the fluids and the walls. Man-made chlorine, especially Chlorofluorocarbons depletes the ozone layer making it permeable to dangerous ultra violet rays reach the earth. It was due this concern that the Montreal Protocol, an

Understanding Prejudice Essay Example for Free

Understanding Prejudice Essay What exactly is the meaning of prejudice, and what does being prejudiced mean? Prejudice is a big word with a very deep meaning. Indeed, a lot of people may not know the true sense of it and how it affects people in the society. People live in a world that is full of prejudice. It is considered as one of the negative social phenomenons and one of the main sources of problems in the world. Prejudice denotes making or predisposition to make a decision or judgment before one becomes aware of the relevant truth of a certain case or scenario. For instance, people may have heard others saying things about a certain group of individuals such as â€Å"all black people are†¦. ,† â€Å"all white people are†¦. ,† â€Å"people in third world countries are†¦,† etc. (Breen, 2006). People may think that prejudice only refers to racial prejudice that is usually directed towards people with light or dark skin. However, I have learned that prejudice has a deeper meaning than discrimination against people of a certain race or color. Rather, prejudice can also be a result of one’s gender and geographical, religious, and cultural backgrounds. Every person also has his or her own way of being prejudiced. For example, one can judge somebody by the way he or she dresses and talks or even by his or her appearance. Thus, prejudice can come from different sources such as peers, parents, school, and public organization. At the same time, it can also be directed to various types of people. There are also many different kinds of prejudice that exist in our society today. Some of them may be observed in school, at home, or even in the television. For this reason, discrimination, racism, sexism, and other forms of social problems exist in the world we live in. Hence, it is not fair and also very sad that prejudice is a widely pervasive phenomenon in the world. (Breen, 2006). It is always inevitable to become prejudiced. There are a lot of reasons why people become prejudiced. It is a fact that one can learn it from home; parents often do not recognize that they are being an example to their children. If parents are prejudiced, then it is most likely that the child will also become one because that is what he or she observes from his or her parents. Children may also become prejudiced if parents directly teach or tell the former to perceive somebody or some things in the society in a certain way. That is why at a very young age, many children start to become prejudiced already and start to judge people and things by what they believe and think of them. They also become prejudiced due to the environment that they grow up in, the school and the neighborhood that they get involved in or witnesses. The media also plays a role in influencing people to become prejudiced. The effect on prejudice of television shows and films is very substantial. There are just so many ways on how people can become prejudiced, and it is very alarming that it has become one common source of misunderstandings, fights, and disputes all over the world (Breen, 2006). It is very hard to stop prejudice; however, it can be lessened if people would try not to be judgmental on simple things that they see and observe in their environment. Proper or right education must be imposed to children especially at home and in school in order to stop prejudice and so that people will eventually look at one another without making negative judgments. On the other hand, it would be very difficult to stop this social phenomenon as prejudice has become already part of the society. In conclusion, prejudice is an attitude that is based on generalizations and stereotypes. It is very astounding how easy it is for an individual to become prejudiced on somebody or something. Nevertheless, prejudice is merely a kind of thinking or a feeling in an individual’s mind. While people will never abolish the existence of prejudice in the society, it can be lessened and prevented if everyone will just start to cooperate and make an effort in reducing it. I believe that working hand in hand toward a common objective or goal can bring different groups of people all together, regardless of their age, race and sex. Reference Breen, R. (2006). Real Life Issues: Prejudice. Great Britain: Trotman Company Limited.

Characterization of Lady Macbeth :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many have tried to define the character of Lady Macbeth, perhaps the most memorable character of Shakespeare’s legendary tale of murderous ambition, Macbeth. As the play opens and Lady Macbeth is introduced, her motives are not fully visible until her second appearance in Act II Scene 2. As her motivation is realized, it seems very detestable. As the play unfolds, it seems that Lady Macbeth is actually quite insane. In this essay I will attempt to delve into the character of Lady Macbeth and attempt to shed some light on her actions and role in Macbeth’s climax, and downfall.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Lady Macbeth first appears in Act I Scene V, she is reading a letter sent to her by Macbeth. When Lady Macbeth learns about the witches’ prophecy, she begins doubting that Macbeth has what is necessary to take advantage of this. This is best exemplified by theses lines â€Å"What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature; / It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness† (Pg. 318, 15-16) in this passage she is suggesting that Macbeth is full of the natural human feelings of compassion and loyalty. She then takes the responsibility of Macbeth’s prophecy coming true. She claims that she will reprimand all that impedes Macbeth from the â€Å"golden round† or the crown. In another soliloquy she claims to give up her femininity in order to be better suited for the murderous deeds ahead. So Lady Macbeth has already begun a transformation into a person who is overcome by greed and desire.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Her motivation is now clear, she desires that Macbeth become King, undoubtedly for the power, wealth, and social domination that would accompany this position. Whenever Macbeth began to falter, she began to question his manhood, in an effort to manipulate him, which caused him to put away any qualms and do the dirty deed. Towards Act III an IV Macbeth begins to take charge, but Lady Macbeth is still in the background, making sure that Macbeth’s position of King is secured.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion I feel that Lady Macbeth is by far the most compelling character in the play.

Related literature on food carts Essay

Getting a food cart franchise package: what are the advantages? Why food cart Franchise? Potential franchisees sometimes wonder if franchising is a necessary process, and may ask why they couldn’t simply start a business on their own. The findings of the government suggest that franchisees enjoy a significant competitive advantage over the stand-alone or single business operators. They showed a study that 88% of franchise companies which opened in the previous five years were still in business under the same owner and only 4% of these businesses failed. Also, a survey in that same article showed 60% percent of all new businesses that started over a 10 year period dissolved within their first six years. The percentages of success may vary with the study and that there maybe other studies out there but still reach same conclusion most suggest that a franchised business have a higher chance of success than independent, start-alone businesses. Here are some of the advantages of having a Food cart franchise: Food cart franchise are cheaper and have less lease or rent cost. Food cart franchise are transferable, since they can be moved easily or if the location is not profitable. Food cart franchise are easy to operate and manage. Food cart franchise requires one to two personnel only. Food cart franchise needs a small space/location so it is easier to find one. Food cart franchise are easy to maintain, lowering overhead costs. Food cart franchise are ideal for businesses offering limited products or services. Food cart franchise can capture a wider market because location is along the walkways of malls and commercial centers. Expansion is easy since it needs less capital. Reasons contributing to this include: A food cart franchise is a â€Å"copy† or â€Å"duplicate†, if you may, of an already successful business. The true value of a food cart franchise is the experience, know-how, and the operation procedures that comes with it. In franchising, there is the value added advantage of brand name recognition. There are also support structure from the franchise company that the franchisee can take advantage of. A franchise avoids the costly trial-and-error periods that causes so many start-up businesses to fail and close up. http://franchisebusinessphilippines.com/why-food-cart-franchise-business/ The Effect of the Marketing Practices on small shops in South African townships i.) A complete â€Å"paradigm shift† in managerial thinking, in terms of service quality deliverance through the continual education and training of staff in fields such as customer care, customer satisfaction and customer service. ii.) The product offering needs to be more consistent and reliable, ensuring that an overall perception is created within the minds of consumers. Attention needs to be given to details (such as checking expiry dates) in delivering services and products. iii.) owners/managers need to spend more time building â€Å"relationships† with their customers. This will assist in receiving regular feedback from customers in terms of customer satisfaction. It helps to develop customer loyalty as customers enjoy personalized attention. Shops in Mdantsane should, therefore, be more sensitive to the unique needs of their customers. iv.) The pricing policy of the shops in Mdantsane should also be based on accepted accounting procedures and not only on intuition. Owners/managers of shops in Mdantsane indicated low levels of adoption of the marketing strategy concept. This suggests that an opportunity exists for these owners or managers to be educated on how to adopt marketing strategies that enhance profitability. Furthermore, grocery shop owners/managers also regarded price as the most important aspect when applying the marketing strategy mix. This implies that grocery shops in Mdantsane compete primarily based on price. According to the study findings, these grocery shops also need to adopt the other 3 Ps of the marketing strategy, namely product, place and packaging in order to be more profitable. The owners/managers of grocery shops did, however, indicate that they lack the necessary funds to embark on extensive marketing practices.

Roller Coaster Physics

Individuals love to go to the amusement parks and try out the rides that are available. The most common and thrilling ride is the roller coaster. An amusement park is not an amusement park if it does not contain a roller coaster. What makes these roller coasters so fun that every amuse parks has one. A lot of people would say it is their extreme high speeds that makes it very exciting. That is a valid answer, but it is the wrong answer. The speed has nothing to do with the excitement. It is more than likely that most people travel faster on their ride along the highway on the way to the amusement park than they would in a roller coaster. Basically the thrill all comes from the acceleration and the feeling of weightlessness that they produce. Roller coasters thrill people because of their ability to accelerate them downward one moment and upwards the next; leftwards one moment and rightwards the next. How does this thrill machine work? There are two ways that this question will be answered. First, through the basic principles and then through a more advanced explanation. Roller coaster rides involve a great deal of physics. The ride often begins with a chain and motor which exerts a force on the train of cars to lift the train to the top of a tall hill. Once the cars are lifted to the top of the hill, gravity takes over and the rest of the ride works on energy transformation. There is no motor or engine that takes a train around the track. The law of physics is basically the engine of the train. At the top of the hill, the cars possess a large amount of potential energy because they are elevated very high above the ground. The potential energy depends on the mass and the height of the object. As the cars are released they lose a lot of their potential energy but they gain kinetic energy because all of the potential energy is transferred into kinetic energy. The kinetic energy depends on the mass of the object and the speed of the object. As the cars lose speed, they also lose kinetic energy, but that does not stop the whole thing, inertia is what keeps the cars moving. While the cars might slow down when they approach a new hill, it is inertia which moves it forward. Once cars go through loops, turns and smaller hills, the only forces that act upon the cars are the force of gravity, the normal force and dissipative forces such as air resistance. The force of gravity is an internal force and any work done by it does not change the total mechanical energy of the train of cars. The normal force of the track pushing up on the cars is an external force and it always times acts perpendicular to the motion of the cars and it is unable of doing any work to the train of cars. Air resistance if a force capable of doing work on the cars and taking away a bit of energy from the total mechanical energy which the cars possess. Due to the complexity of this force and the small role that it plays on the large quantity of energy possessed by the cars, it is often neglected. By neglecting air resistance, it can be said that the total mechanical energy of the train of cars is conserved during the ride. That is to say, the total amount of mechanical energy possessed by the cars is the same throughout the ride. Energy is not gained or lost, only transformed from kinetic energy to potential energy and vice versa. Now that the basics are understood, we can get into more complex things, such as the physics of making a roller coaster amusing. We have said that it is the acceleration that makes it exciting. The most exciting part of a roller coaster is when it approaches the loops, and centripetal acceleration occurs within those loops. The most common loop of a roller coaster ride is the loop that looks like a tear drop, it is not a perfect circle. These loops are called clothoid loops. A clothoid is a section of a spiral in which the radius is constantly changing, unlike a circle where the radius is constant. The radius at the bottom of a clothoid loop is much larger than the radius at the top of the clothoid loop. As a roller coaster rider travels through a clothoid loop, he/she will experiences an acceleration due to both a change in speed and a change in direction. A rightward moving rider gradually becomes an upward moving rider, then a leftward moving rider, then a downward moving rider, before finally becoming a rightward-moving rider once again. There is a continuing change in the direction of the rider as he/she will moves through the clothoid loop. A change in direction is one thing of an accelerating object. The rider also changes speed. As the rider begins to climb upward the loop, he/she begins to slow down. What we talked about suggests that an increase in height results in a decrease in kinetic energy and speed and a decrease in height results in an increase in kinetic energy and speed. So the rider experiences the greatest speeds at the bottom of the loop. The change in speed as the rider moves through the loop is the second part of acceleration which the riders experiences. A rider who moves through a circular loop with a constant speed, the acceleration is centripetal and towards the center of he circle. In this case of a rider moving through a noncircular loop at non-constant speed, the acceleration of the rider has two components. There is a component which is directed towards the center of the circle (ac) and relates itself to the direction change and the other component is directed tangent (at) to the track and relates itself to the car's change in speed. This tangential compo nent would be directed opposite the direction of the car's motion as its speed decreases and in the same direction as the car's motion as its speed. At the very top and the very bottom of the loop, the acceleration is primarily directed towards the center of the circle. At the top, this would be in the downward direction and at the bottom of the loop it would be in the upward direction. Inward acceleration of an object is caused by an inward net force. Circular motion or curved path such as a clothiod requires an inwards component of net force. If all the forces which act upon the object are added together as vectors, then the net force would be directed inwards. Neglecting friction and air resistance, a roller coaster car will experience two forces which I have mentioned earlier. The normal force is always acting in a direction perpendicular to the track and the gravitational force is always acts downwards. We will discuss the relative magnitude and direction of these two forces for the top and the bottom of the loop. At the bottom of the loop, the track pushes upwards upon the car with a normal force. However, at the top of the loop the normal force is directed downwards because the track is above the car, it pushes downwards upon the car. The magnitude of the force of gravity acting upon the passenger (or car) can easily be found using the equation Fgrav = m*g where g = acceleration of gravity (approx. 10 m/s2). The magnitude of the normal force depends on two factors which are the speed of the car, the radius of the loop and the mass of the rider. The normal force is always greater at the bottom of the loop than it is at the top. The normal force must always be of the appropriate size to combine with the force of gravity in a way to make the required inward or centripetal net force. At the bottom of the loop, the force of gravity points outwards away from the center of the loop. The normal force must be sufficiently large to overcome this force of gravity and supply some excess force to result in a net inward force. Basically the force of gravity and the force of normal are playing a tug of war and force of normal must win by an amount equal to the net force. At the top of the loop, both forces are directed inwards. The force of gravity is found in the usual way using the equation Fgrav = m*g. Once more the normal force must provide sufficient force to produce the required inward or centripetal net force.

3 Ways to Impress Everyone at Your First Job

3 Ways to Impress Everyone at Your First Job You’re fresh out of college, talented, high-achieving, and raring to prove yourself in the big bad world of work. But the classes you’ve taken and the internships you’ve had cannot quite prepare you for the ins and outs of building a career. If you’re just starting out, these three tips can be invaluable to catapulting yourself to job success.Tell them who you areYour personal story is as much a part of your career as it is your online presence. Who are you? What do you do? Where are you heading? Start defining your fantasy career arc and slowly start to make it happen. Remember no one else will tell your story for you. It’s your job to get it out there. And once you do, managers will take notice. The clearer you are, the better your chances of being considered for exciting opportunities down the line.Lead from day oneDon’t dress for the entry-level position you just landed, dress for the job you ultimately want. Show up as a leader first, an d an employee second. Don’t get too big for your britches, but make a good impression at every possible opportunity. Take care with how you dress and speak and network. Own your rung of the ladder until you outgrow it!Take charge of your careerNo one will do it for you. You’re not a victim. If you didn’t get assigned a project you wanted, or you didn’t get the big promotion, ask yourself what you could do differently next time- not why your boss was so unfair. Part of being a leader is proving you can react well to difficult situations and find a constructive way to grow. Take risks, keep learning, and keep your eye on the prize.

Rotary Rock Tumbler Instructions

Rotary Rock Tumbler Instructions The most common type of rock tumbler is a rotary drum tumbler. It polishes rocks by simulating the action of the ocean waves. Rotary tumblers polish rocks much more quickly than the ocean, but it still takes some time to go from rough rocks to polished stones! Expect the process to take at least a month from start to finish. Use these instructions as a starting point for your tumbling. Keep records of the type and quantity of rock and grit/polish, and duration of each step. Use this information to refine your technique for the best results. Rock Tumbler Materials List Rotary tumblerRocks (all the same approximate hardness in a load)Plastic PelletsSilicon Carbide Grits (You may add a 400 mesh SiC step, if desired, before polishing)Polishing Compounds (e.g. alumina, cerium oxide)Lots of Water How To Use a Rock Tumbler Fill the barrel 2/3 to 3/4 full of rocks. If you dont have enough rocks, you can add plastic pellets to make up the difference. Just make sure to use those pellets only for coarse polishing and use new pellets for the polishing stages. Keep in mind that some plastic pellets float, so make sure you add them to the proper volume before  adding water.Add water so that you can see it between the stones but do not completely cover the stones.Add grit (see chart below).Make sure your charged barrel falls within the weight allowance for the rotor to be used.Each step runs for at least a week. For the first step, remove the barrel after 12-24 hours and open it to release any gas buildup. Resume tumbling. Dont be afraid to open the barrel periodically to make sure a slurry is forming and to check the progress of the process. The tumbler should have a uniform tumbling sound, not sound like tennis shoes in a dryer. If the tumbling is not uniform, check the level of the load, formation of slur ry, or mixture of rock sizes, to make sure these things are optimal. Keep notes and have fun! Let the rough grind (60/90 mesh for hard stones, start with the 120/220 for soft stones) run until all of the sharp edges have been knocked off the stones and they are pretty smooth. You can expect to lose about 30% of each stone during the tumbling process, with almost all of the loss during this first step. If the stones are not smoothed after 10 days, you will need to repeat the step with fresh grit.After a step has been completed, rinse the stones and the barrel thoroughly to remove all traces of the grit. I use an old toothbrush to get into the hard-to-reach areas. Set aside any stones that are broken or have pits or cracks. You can add them to the first step of the next batch of stones, but they will diminish the quality of all of your stones if you leave them in for the next step.For the next step, you again want the rocks to fill the barrel 2/3 to 3/4 full. Add plastic pellets to make up the difference. Add water and grit/polish and proceed. The keys to success are making cer tain there is no contamination of steps with grit from the previous step and avoiding the temptation to move on to the next step too early. Barrel Grit Mesh 60/90 120/220 Prepolish Polish 1.5# 4 T 4 T 6 T 6 T 3# 4 T 4 T 6 T 6 T 4.5# 8 T 8 T 10 T 10 T 6# 10 T 12 T 12 T 12 T 12# 20 T 20 T 25 T 25 T Helpful Tips for Perfectly Polished Rocks Do not overload your tumbler! This is a leading cause of belt breakage and motor burn-out. When in doubt, weigh your barrel. A barrel for a 3-lb motor should not exceed a weight of 3 pounds when charged with rocks, grit, and water.Oil the tumbler bushings with a single drop of oil, but do not overdo it! You do not want oil on the belt, as this will cause it to slip and break.Resist the temptation to tumble rocks with cracks or pits. Grit will get into these pits and contaminate subsequent steps, ruining the polish of the entire load. No amount of scrubbing with a toothbrush will remove all of the grit inside a pit!Use a balanced load that includes both large and small rocks. This will improve the tumbling action.Make sure all rocks in a load are of the same approximate hardness. Otherwise, the softer stones will be worn away during the polishing process. An exception to this is when you are purposely using softer stones to fill/cushion a load.Dont wash grit down the drain! It will cr eate a clog that is impervious to drain cleaner. I rinse the grit steps outside using a garden hose. Another option is to rinse the grit into a bucket, for later disposal somewhere other than your plumbing. Dont reuse grit. Silicon carbide loses its sharp edges after about a weeks tumbling time and becomes useless for grinding.You can reuse plastic pellets, but take care to avoid contaminating the polishing stages with grit. Use separate plastic pellets for these stages!You can add baking soda, Alka-Seltzer, or a Tums to a load to prevent gas build-up.For smooth river rocks or for any softer stones (e.g. sodalite, fluorite, apatite), you may omit the first coarse grit step.For softer stones (especially obsidian or apache tears), you want to slow the tumbling action and prevent the stones from impacting each other during polishing. Some people have success adding corn syrup or sugar (twice as much as the amount of prepolish and polishing agent) to thicken the slurry. Another option is to polish the stones dry (as in no water) with cerium oxide and oatmeal. Are you interested in using a vibratory tumbler to polish rocks? Then try these instructions instead.

COLLEGE PAPER WRITING SERVICE

COLLEGE PAPER WRITING SERVICE A perfect application essay requires many requirements for the applicant to be aware of. On the other hand professional college paper writing service is able to help the clients who are willing to enter the educational establishments like college or universities by writing custom application essays for them. While it may seem to be hard to write a perfect application essay there are several simple rules that should be followed. As the personal statement must be made strong, the entire purpose of this type of writing is to show the personality uniqueness. The personal talents must simply shine and the whole application essay must have profound and well-written structure. The best college application essay format also does imply showing how the person will benefit from the educational process. Your essay must be all about how different you are from another people. Showing your unique goals in life and career will definitely make your application essay stand out. If you require help from professional writer, simply order the essay from us and we will do the best writing job for you.

Describe only four (4) factors that create a current account deficit Essay

Describe only four (4) factors that create a current account deficit. Leave a space between each factor - Essay Example Deficit therefore implies that the value of the payment for the imports is greater than the receipt from the exports. The factors responsible for a current account deficit are:- Decline in domestic savings The domestic savings of a country is the path of increasing investments as in economics savings is considered to be identical to investments. If there is a continuous decline in the savings of a particular country then the scope of investment will causes an increase in the real interest rate of the country. Increase in the domestic interest rate (real) in turn attracts more foreign investment in the country as the scope of return is expected to be high. With increasing foreign investment the demand of the home currency in the foreign exchange market also increases because of the need of  Ã‚   currency conversion. This creates an upward pressure on the value of the domestic currency in comparison to the foreign currencies. Moreover, with the decrease in savings as a percentage of the total Gross Domestic Product of the country, consumption increases. Thus the demand for goods and services in the economy increases and if the domestic producers fail to meet up the increasing domestic demand of the country the import of the country increases resulting in a deficit in the current account. (Arnold).

Ethics in Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Ethics in Nursing - Essay Example This essay â€Å"Ethics in Nursing† discusses the role of nurses in dealing with elderly people and ethical issues of this profession. A nurse in the first place is accountable to people who really need nursing care. While doing her or his job, the nurse promotes an atmosphere in which the human rights, values, customs and sacred beliefs of the person, family and community are high valued. And it is a nurse who together with the whole society is held liable for beginning and promoting activity to satisfy the requirements of people actually that of vulnerable persons in the area of health and social necessities of the public. Among main standards in nursing care are the hard-edged ability to provide this care that supports standards of personal health and the unprecedented ability to increase confidence of public that keeps up standards of personal conduct. Thus, apparently these are both rules and laws that are commonly supposed to stand for the minimal written standards for n ursing practice. For instance, there are also some laws that protect a patient from harm, though they certainly do not keep nurses responsible for the level of ethics that contributes to high quality nursing care. However, nursing cannot count only on external means such as laws and diplomas as well as just on self-reflection to give the profound guarantee of the ethical competence in care. Nursing competency from the ethical point of view represents a complicated system that demands a great number of means. In order to practice nursing competently it is necessary both to obey external means of nursing competence and to reflect ethically about competence. A nurse must always bring up questions regarding the nature of ethical competence in their profession, for example, questions about general ethical standards in nursing care and ways to satisfy them (Thompson,

Thrasymachus and Justice in Plato's Political Philosophy Research Paper

Thrasymachus and Justice in Plato's Political Philosophy - Research Paper Example Distinguished sophist of ancient Greece Thrasymachus has elucidated the term justice while entering into discussion on the same topic with great philosopher Socrates, which has been elaborated by Socrates’ renowned disciple Plato in his Republic. Book I of the Republic encompasses the debate between Thrasymachus and Socrates, where the former makes two assertions about justice. At first, he declares the notion as mere the ‘advantage of the strong over the weak’; and secondly he views justice as ‘submitting to the prevailing statutes of the state law.’ (Hourani, 111) The powerful governments, according to Thrasymachus, strive to implement their policies by dint of the force they enjoy in comparison with the weaker states; consequently, the policy is expected to be observed and followed by all the weak nations. As a result, it becomes the law, which is unconditionally and unanimously imitated by all. Consequently, it is equally beneficial for the weaker due to the very reality that it would be obeyed by all the weak without discrimination, and hence will become a law for all individuals. The sophist also argues that justice imposes unnecessary restrains on the human desires, and thus it does not turn out to be advantageous for the majority of the people in general. Hence, on the one side, Thrasymachus defines justice as the exploitation of the weak individual(s) or stratum at the hands of the powerful; and on the other side, he declares it as the abiding of the uniform law, which looks at everyone on the foundations of equality and impartiality. Thus, stronger group signifies the elite or ruling stratum of society, while the weak can be compared to the masses at large. Since the stronger stratum not only articulates the rules and laws, but also abides the same rules it has devised for all, these statutes of law are supportive for the protection of the rights of the weaker too. Somehow, Socrates points out contradiction in the very definition of justice Thrasymachus has developed. Consequently, it invites criticism from Socrates because of the contradiction it contains in its very scope. Socrates, during his cross examination of the very arguments made by Thrasymachus, vehemently refutes the validity of his viewpoint. He is of the opinion that since the individuals, even from the strong and ruling classes, are humans, and hence can make mistakes, they cannot be expected to devise error free laws, policies and strategies. On the other hand, even their most sincere efforts can maintain flaws and mistakes while devising the laws; so these statutes, in the form of advantages and privileges for the stronger, are unable to present the real picture of justice in their nature and scope. Somehow, Thrasymachus counters Socrates’ objection by stating that the rulers are free from making errors or committing mistakes till they are at the helm of the power. And even if they commit they same, there is no one to chal lenge or point out their mistakes till they are enjoying the position of rulers. In other words, the weaker strata do not have the power to put even the incorrect rules into jeopardy. Consequently, they remain as the laws of the country till the individuals, introducing the same, are in the power. (Bloom, 25) Being one of the greatest logicians the world has ever produced, Socrates could not submit to the Thrasymachus’ claim that rules and laws are devised for the benefit of the rulers only. On the other hand, he clarifies his objection with the example that the artwork is created for the consumers and public, and not for the use of the artisan. Similarly, the shopkeeper involves into trade and merchandise by bringing commodities for the people. It is therefore, justice carries advantages for the common man at first, and hence cannot be attributed to the dominant political group only. Socrates also cites the professional abilities and proficiencies of the

Reading response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 34

Reading response - Essay Example The 913 people who died in the town were all members of the religious movement. However, two of those who died were killed by poison known as cyanide. The massacre event was named the revolutionary suicide event by Jones and several members of the religious group (Moore & Rebecca 314). The death of this members extended to appoint the act was seen as mass suicide even by the government of the United States. This story is fascinating because of the event that happened in Jonestown. The story talks about murder and suicide of many people who are the members of the religious group. The most interesting part in the story is the fact that the deaths of this people could not be justified and also the causes of their deaths were not valid. The death of many people at a time and from the same place could also attract attention to the story. Interestingly, the diseased die without knowing the reasons of their deaths. Another interesting part of the story is the way people died from cyanide, there are several symptoms that are observed when a person is poisoned using cyanide. Those who were said to have died from cyanide, should have displayed the signs and the symptoms appropriately. On religious tradition, the article talks about the religious movement and the visit of its members to the divine. According to the article, the members of the religious group often went to the divine for the religious activities. Jones’ speech attracted more members to the group, he delivered sermons that relieved the members and gave many people the feeling of freedom. From the religion activities explored in the article, it is clear that the traditions of religion depends on the belief of the individual. However, the sermon and the speech given by the religious leaders appear to attract and influence most of the non-believers into joining a certain religion movement (Moore & Rebecca 317). For

The financial crisis and credit crunch that occurred world-wide Essay

The financial crisis and credit crunch that occurred world-wide between 2007-09 - Essay Example Impact of Recession on Economy of United States The main reason behind the occurrence of any recession is decrease in the total expenditure of a country. Real GDP is considered as the most appropriate indicator which gauges an economy’s movement. If the real GDP of any economy speeds up its growth rate, the chances for the economy to grow in the broader respects increases sharply and a â€Å"boom† stage of business cycle can be observed. On the other hand, once people start sensing that their income would no longer be enough to manage their expenditures, they start cutting their expenditures. As a result, the overall confidence level of the people shakes up which in turn leads to a massive decrease in the overall expenditures of the people. The demand side gets shrink thus putting a stoppage to the overall production of the country. In this way, the production process suffers and experiences severe thus inviting a recession. It takes years for the people to believe that their expenditures would be met easily and they would be able to incur expenditure on luxury items (2008 Financial Crisis & Global Recession, n.d.). 1. Residential Investments In United States, the collapse of the housing market and sub prime mortgage was the major reason behind this whole debacle which pushed the US economy into dark valleys of recession. US economy experienced such a massive decline in its real GDP after post Word War II era, but at this time tight monetary policy was the main reason behind the recession. The tumbling situation of the housing market of US stated off showing its deeper effects in the last quarter of 2005 where the growth rate in terms of housing investment remained at breakeven level and did not find any increase. That was the first sign of the recession of the US economy (2008 Financial Crisis & Global Recession, n.d.). First quarter of 2006 reflected a decline of around -3.6% in the residential housing which was the first real shock to the econo mists. But with a massive and sharp decline of -16.6% in the growth rate of US economy buzzed the voice of a major financial crisis which eroded almost everything in later 2008. The same declining phase kept going along till the first quarter of 2009 when they reported a negative growth of around -32%. So overall it is basically the extreme underperformance of the US housing market that lead to a major debacle which turned into a global financial crisis and took every country into its effects (2008 Financial Crisis & Global Recession, n.d.). 2. Labor Market The effect of recession that started off in 2006 due to steep declines in growth faced by the housing market, hit labor market in late 2007. Since the inception of the housing market down fall in late 2006, the unemployment rate remained constant at 4.4%. That unemployment rate of 4.4% lasted till December 2007 and after that it just began to climb up so rapidly that in mid 2009 it reached to more than double of what used to be i n December 2007 such that it amounted to around 9.4% in the mid 2009 which has been the highest unemployment rate since 1983. 3. Business Investments The recession also created mess on different other investment areas such that the all other kinds of investments followed the same track the one followed by residential investment sector. Business investment especially investments in respect of equipments and software started their declining pattern in the beginning of 2008 and the whole

Reading response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 34

Reading response - Essay Example The 913 people who died in the town were all members of the religious movement. However, two of those who died were killed by poison known as cyanide. The massacre event was named the revolutionary suicide event by Jones and several members of the religious group (Moore & Rebecca 314). The death of this members extended to appoint the act was seen as mass suicide even by the government of the United States. This story is fascinating because of the event that happened in Jonestown. The story talks about murder and suicide of many people who are the members of the religious group. The most interesting part in the story is the fact that the deaths of this people could not be justified and also the causes of their deaths were not valid. The death of many people at a time and from the same place could also attract attention to the story. Interestingly, the diseased die without knowing the reasons of their deaths. Another interesting part of the story is the way people died from cyanide, there are several symptoms that are observed when a person is poisoned using cyanide. Those who were said to have died from cyanide, should have displayed the signs and the symptoms appropriately. On religious tradition, the article talks about the religious movement and the visit of its members to the divine. According to the article, the members of the religious group often went to the divine for the religious activities. Jones’ speech attracted more members to the group, he delivered sermons that relieved the members and gave many people the feeling of freedom. From the religion activities explored in the article, it is clear that the traditions of religion depends on the belief of the individual. However, the sermon and the speech given by the religious leaders appear to attract and influence most of the non-believers into joining a certain religion movement (Moore & Rebecca 317). For

The Sense of Casualness marking the 17th Century English Slave Trade Essay

The Sense of Casualness marking the 17th Century English Slave Trade - Essay Example The narrator comes out as a shrewd European trader, who on the one side is perturbed by the competitive tactics evinced by the traders from other European nations, and on the other side is harrowed by the long negotiations he had to manage with the African intermediaries, war-lords, and feudal headmen. The prime concern of the narrator is to secure young and strong African slaves at the right price and at the right time and one scarcely finds this account being marked by any emotional interjections or moral pangs on the part of the writer. The entire process presented in the narrative is astutely mattered of fact and business like. Thereby, the account presents a realistic picture of the systematic and extensive nature of the African slave trade, which comes out as being a well engrained economic activity in the coastal communities in Africa. The European slave traders certainly preferred to maintain amicable and cordial relations with the African feudal lords and the intermediaries appointed by them so as to assure the success and safety of their business operations. If one studies the given account in the light of the intellectual and moral progress registered by the 17th century Europe, one stands simply amazed and nonplussed at the fact that a civilization that tended to be the cradle of the best of thought and progress, happened to be so callous about trading in human beings, preferring to keeping the African slave trade bereft of any human or ethical considerations. ... The European traders traded in African slaves without giving in to any moral or ethical pangs, being more concerned about the fortunes to be accrued from the transatlantic demand for cheap manpower. The narrator comes out as a shrewd European trader, who on the one side is perturbed by the competitive tactics evinced by the traders from other European nations, and on the other side is harrowed by the long negotiations he had to manage with the African intermediaries, war lords and feudal headmen. The prime concern of the narrator is to secure young and strong African slaves at the right price and at the right time and one scarcely finds this account being marked by any emotional interjections or moral pangs on the part of the writer. The entire process presented in the narrative is astutely matter of fact and business like. Thereby, the account presents a realistic picture of the systematic and extensive nature of the African slave trade, which comes out as being a well engrained eco nomic activity in the coastal communities in Africa. The European slave traders certainly preferred to maintain amicable and cordial relations with the African feudal lords and the intermediaries appointed by them so as to assure the success and safety of their business operations. If one studies the given account in the light of the intellectual and moral progress registered by the 17th century Europe, one stands simply amazed and nonplussed at the fact that a civilization that tended to be the cradle of the best of thought and progress, happened to be so callous about trading in human beings, preferring to keeping the African slave trade bereft of any human or ethical considerations. In that sense one certainly finds a

Traditional Art vs Digital Art Essay Example for Free

Traditional Art vs Digital Art Essay Traditional art VS Digital art Fri, May 15, 2009 News Because we live in a century dominated by technology innovation, art itself has been offered new creative horizons. But these new advantages have not been considered so beneficial for the art by some conservative art lovers, who believe that if the art is not created using traditional tools (pen, oils, watercolor, etc. ) that art cannot be considered true art (true in the meaning of recognizing it’s real values). Even if the painting, the design or the sketch is created using   traditional tools, just a pencil and paper, or a drawing tablet, both reflect in the same way the artist’s creative effort and talent. ? What is really offending nowadays, due to this technology, is that many people pretend to have â€Å"become artists† just because he/she can easily combine some Photoshop brushes. The main question that stands is: how much of that person’s talent is reflected in that resulting piece of art? That depends very much on the person behind the technology. If the person who wants to create ART using the computer is an ARTIST, the resulting piece of digital stuff is ART, without the artist, drawing and manipulating programs can’t do a thing.? Sometimes it’ very hard to discern between the real artists and the ones who are just playing with the tools provided by digital programs. There are also some artists, who pretend their art is totally innovative, abstract or exceeds the limits of imagination by disposing mixtures of abstract elements and finally call it ART. The limits of deciding are actually fragile, because everything that is considered to be ART is decided to be valuable, innovative or absolutely worthless, by   subjective points of view, and a design that is considered to be total crap for one might look absolutely amazing in some others’ opinion. That’s true concerning all kinds of tastes. ?To that, many artists are still attached to those sensitive feelings that traditional art gives, that intimacy between yourself and the blank paper, that process of transforming the paper in front of your eyes, touching it, etting dirty or wrapping it when everything goes wrong. These are feelings that cannot be experienced in front of a monitor.? But although modern art is made of true and false artists, talented and crooks, innovative or copy cats, we cannot ignore the BENEFITS that digital technology has brought.? Digital art is also considered the art of the future, because it provides infinite opportunities for the artist to expand his imagination and show us the   crazy and amazing things he can do just by using a mouse, a drawing tablet and his skills. These things can be considered wrong and â€Å"evil† only by those artists who have been painting all their life in the traditional old style and cannot accept or cannot adapt to new techniques.? Digital art can be considered innovating also for the classical process approach:   programs like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effect, not to speak about the 3d ones, 3D Studio Max and Maya offers the artist many electronic brushes, pen tools, endless colors and combination, which make their life and the process of creation much easier and pleasant. Amazing   illustrations   and images that seemed impossible to create in the past, are possible with the help of new technologies. The progress that digital artist are achieving nowadays   in the fantasy/sci-fi field is mind blowing. Even though, there are also charcoal nudes or portraits who carry along profound aesthetic emotions for the viewer.? People may say that when an artist creates a   digital piece of art, that piece of art can be printed or sold in various forms in an infinite number of identical copies, and in the same time, that element which is so important for visual art lovers is lost: the uniqueness. But let’s keep in mind that copies of many famous traditional paintings have been manually created by the painters themselves, in order to satisfy as many collectors as possible.? Probably in the future, digital art will be considered traditional as well. But today, it’s the artists’ decision to choose the ways of expression f or their talent. http://blog. tshirt-factory. com/? p=678

The concept of leadership in US and japan

The concept of leadership in US and japan Introduction United States and Japan are two giant economic powers in the pacific region. Each country has developed their own management and leadership practice that is suitable for their culture. Gupta, Hanges Dorfman (2002) found that United States is clustered in the same group as Australia, New Zealand and England in the Anglo Culture while Japan is in the same group as Korea, China and Taiwan in the Confucian Asia. The argument is that the nations in the same cluster have more closely related culture than the other cluster. Despite the cultural differences there is one significant aspect where United States and Japan are similar; both countries embrace the capitalism ideology. However Ralson, Holt, Terpstra Cheng (2008) suggest that the Japanese interpretation of capitalist idea is not identical to their US counterpart. That is one reason why Japan can still preserve their culture regardless the westernization enforced by globalization. Leadership is one of the areas where the Japanese is still different compared to United States. Due to long economic and political relation between Japan and United States, it can be argued that there are some exchanges of values and belief. Which raise the question whether the leadership across the different culture is different in its entirety or have similarities? This essay is aimed to compare and contrast the western approach to leadership represented by United States and the eastern approach to leadership represented by Japan by using Hofstedes five dimension of culture as the factor of comparison. The essay will first explain the culture and its dimensions and then followed by the detailed description of each dimension by comparing both United States and Japan in each section. After that the suggested leadership style based on path-goal theory and rewarding system will be provided for each country on the framework of five culture dimension. Also the issue where leadership transcends the cultural boundaries which is possessed by transformational leaders will be discussed and to be concluded in the end. However it is important to note that the culture dimension of Hofstede is only a general perspective of a countrys culture. Cultural dimension Luthans and Doh (2009) define culture as a system that is integrated into the society where the accumulated experience of behavior and characteristics of the members is the foundation. Therefore the culture affects legal system, education, economic system, management practice and leadership style and perception. Some culture requires a leader to be democratic, where in other culture an autocratic leadership style is more appropriate (Hartog, House, Hanges Ruiz-Quintanilla, 1999). That is why it is important to understand the similarities and differences across culture, especially the Japanese and United States to compare and contrast both nation approaches to leadership. To compare the leadership of United States and Japanese culture the model that will be used is Hofstedes (1980, 2001) cultural dimension which consist of power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism collectivism, masculinity femininity, and future orientation. Even though there has been much criticism for the generalization of a nations culture and its inability to represent the cultural differences within each country (Siyakumar Nakata, 2001), this model still can be used to compare the differences of leadership in United States and Japanese culture because the behavior and characteristics of leaders in one country is relatively the same compared to the other regardless. Power distance The concept of leadership is closely related to the power distance between the leaders and their followers. This is because the role of a leader is related to power, influence and status in the society or in organization (Lord Maher, 1991 as cited in Hartog et al., 1999). Power distance itself is the degree of acceptance from the society of the power and authority distribution in organizations and institutions, defined by Hofstede (1980, 2001). Power distance and decision making process and authority are related together in inversely manner (Schuler Rogoysky, 1998). United States is regarded as a country with low power distance in the culture dimension. Therefore the decision making and responsibility is more likely to be more directed from the leaders. On the counterpart the Japanese decision making process is unique where the process has to go through peer consultation before it is approved. This is also related to the responsibility of leaders in each country. Glinow, Huo and Lowe (1999) assert that pursuing goals and degree of responsibility varies depends on the degree of leaders authoritarianism. Individualist Collectivist This dimension is defined as a degree of framework where society is closely related to their group or not (Hofstede, 1980, 2001). In individualist countries where people are more concerned about their own interest and needs, leaders tend to take credit of their success. Compared to the countries where collectivism is more valued the credit of success goes to the group. This is similar to the argument of Yan and Hunts (2005) argument where: â€Å"Individualistic cultures, such as the U.S., where leaders often take credit for their organizations success, inference-based perceptions dominate. However, in collective cultures, such as Japan, where self-effacement is valued, leaders often keep a low profile when their organizations succeed, and recognition-based perceptions dominate†. Lack of insensitivity towards the culture which ignores the expected behavior, value and assumptions can put leaders at stake, especially leaders that expatriate to another country where the cultural dimension is different. This dimension is well affected by the socioeconomic development of a country and also its democratization which increase the independent thought and action, concern of others, acceptance to change, self indulgence and pleasure and decrease the conformity, tradition and security (Schwarz Sagie, 2000). Masculinity Femininity The values that is dominant in masculine societies are the materialistic objectives, not caring for others and assertiveness while feminine society have different values such as quality of life, social relationship and caring for others (Hofstede, 2001). Again the U.S and Japan is in the opposite side of this dimension. Leadership in U.S does not tolerate poor performance in the organization while its counterpart the Japanese allow poor performance if the subordinate is to learn from the mistakes. This dimension is also linked explicitly with the gender differences. In the research conducted by Wu Minor (1997) comparing female managers in United States Japan and Taiwan they found out those female managers in United States tend to be more practical and aggressive compared to their counterpart in Japan and Taiwan. Even though there are significant differences in leadership of female managers in United States and Japan, it seems that in both countries leadership role is dominated by male compared to female, despite both nation acceptance of equality in gender. Uncertainty avoidance Uncertainty avoidance is defined as the degree to which certain culture willing to take or reject the risk associated with the decision (Hofstede, 1980, 2001). In relation to leadership this dimension does not explain directly how a leader in certain culture, rather it explain on one of the aspect of leaders criteria based on their loyalty to the organization. Glinow et al. (1999) suggest that in a country where the uncertainty avoidance is high loyalty is significant factor and leaders is perceived as giving a behavioral model for their subordinate, however in the countries where uncertainty avoidance is low this is not a factor. For instance Japanese workers which is categorized in culture with high uncertainty avoidance values their job highly and most likely to be the important part of their personal life, especially if they work in large corporation (Ouchi Jaeger, 1978). This phenomenon will not be found in United States where the uncertainty avoidance is low. The system in most western countries is based on a person achievement. One can be a leader as long as they have sufficient ability and capability to regardless the period of working in the company. Future orientation The final culture dimension added by Hofstede (2001) and it is simply state that certain countrys cultural orientation is on the long term while other is short term. Japan is one of the countries that are categorized in the long term. As pointed out by Alston (1989) that the Japanese leaders evaluate the activities in term on the long term development of organization. This is in congruence with their high loyalty to organization. On the other hand the United States is mostly oriented to the short term because of their achievement based value. United States Leadership United States has been the subject in this essay as the country that highly represents the low context culture. The culture has the characteristics of low power distance, high individualistic, masculine, low uncertainty avoidance and short term oriented in the cultural dimension. Therefore it is more suitable for United States leaders to use participative, supportive leadership and implement the reward and punishment (Dorfman, Hibino, Lee, Tate Bautista, 1997). Participative leadership can be used because the fact that United States is a country with high individualistic and also strongly hold to democratic system. However it is not the case for directive leadership because most workers in United States are highly educated with skills and experience (Kerr Jermier, 1978). Supportive leadership is also acceptable due to moderate to strong relationship of leaders and followers (Indvik, 1986 cited in Dorfman, et al., 1997).Due to the materialistic nature of United States culture the reward and punishment system is effective. According McClelland Boyatzis (1982) high individualism and high achievement is also factors leveraging the effectiveness of reward and punishment in United States. Thus leaders in this country should use these different leadership styles depending on the demand of situations to effectively lead the people in the organization. Japanese Leadership Japanese is regarded as a country with high power distance, moderately collectivist, more feminine, low uncertainty avoidance and long term orientated. Arguably, external pressure arising from the expansion of globalization will eventually force Japanese to converge towards the western values and norms that are deemed to be global and standardized (Frenkel, 1994 as cited in Dalton Benson, 2002). Ornatowski (1998) also concurred to the notion of forces of globalization of creating one world market will lead to standardization of management practice across the globe including ending Japanese-style Leadership. However, Dalton Benson (2002) observed although Japanese firms are undergoing transformational phase of â€Å"westernize† management practices, the effort fall short as constraints exist by strong employment security enforced and supported by legal framework, traditional management values, government policy and advocating position from enterprise union prevail. Therefore Japanese leaders, directive, supportive, rewarding system is more appropriate (Dorfman, et al., 1997). Directive and supportive leadership style is acceptable because of the Japanese has their own mentor relationship system â€Å"sempai-kohai† which can not be found in United States. This relationship system can increase the personal bond between leaders and followers (Chen, 1995 as cited in Dorfman, et al., 1997). The participative leadership style is not acceptable because the power distance of leaders and followers in Japan is relatively high. And because of the cultural value and the loyalty to the company, rewarding can have more influence rather than punishing system. Transformational Leadership Transformational leaders have several attributes that are universally seen as contributing to outstanding leadership (Hartog et al., 1999). Luthans Doh (2009) suggest that those attributes can be characterized into four interrelated factors: idealized influence, Inspirational Motivation, Intellectual stimulation and Individualized consideration. Transformational leaders are the source of charisma and they increase the confidence, loyalty or followers by providing vision that the later accept. The effectiveness of leaders charisma is follower dependent especially if there was a significant change or crisis preceding (Northouse, 2001 as cited in Reave, 2005). Moreover Yukl (1998) as cited in Hartog et al. (1999) stressed that there is a negative consequences for followers to follow the leader if they have low self esteem. Nevertheless this factor of transformational leadership is accepted across culture. Transformational leaders are also extremely effective in articulating their vision and providing sense of purpose to the followers to idealize their influence. There are certain ways to communicate a vision leaders vision the followers such as soft spoken manner of Ghandi and bold manner of J.F. Kennedy (Hartog et al., 1999). These leaders have the capacity to stimulate their followers mind in challenging the old paradigm and accept new one in order to bring change and fulfill the vision. This can also mean that followers in organization are empowered by leaders to be more creative and by doing so bring more value to organization itself and being closer to the desired vision (Fry, 2003). Lastly the leaders that are categorized as transformational leaders are able to recognize the needs of their followers and fulfill those needs by their individualized consideration. This will enhance the trust and loyalty of their followers. High loyalty of followers can realize the achievement or vision and mission in more effective manner which is build by trust between leaders and their followers. This trust is one of the most important variables in leadership (Yukl, 2006 as cited in Jung, Yammarino Lee, 2009). Conclusions Firstly it can be concluded that despite Japan and United States have the same ideology of capitalism, the cultural value of each country have a very significant impact on the Japanese and United States Leadership style. Though the cultural dimension is treated one by one in contrasting Japan and United states, it is also true that those five dimensions can simultaneously affect the value and belief that is important for both leaders and followers (Offermann Hellmann, 1997). And congruence in value and belief with the culture increase the effectiveness and acceptance of the contingency theory (House Aditya, 1997).Secondly there are some aspects of leadership that is acceptable across the cultural differences. For instance the Transformational leadership mentioned earlier. That is affected not only by leaders but also the followers are important factor to consider. These findings can be used by leaders and managers in organization, especially when they are faced with situation to lead people from different cultural background. It is also not limited only in organizational level but also for personal understanding to better learn and develop their leadership quality. References Alston, J. P. (1989). Wa, Guanxi, and Inhwa: managerial principles in Japan, China and Korea. Business Horizons, 32(2), 26-31. Dalton, N. Benson, J. (2002). Innovation and change in Japanese Human Resource Management. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 40, 345-362. Dorfman, P. W., Hibino, S., Lee, J. K., Tate, U. Bautista, A. (1997). Leadership in Western and Asian countries: Commonalities and differences in effective leadership process across cultures. Leadership Quarterly, 8(3), 233-274. Fry, L. W. (2003). Toward a theory of spiritual leadership. Leadership Quarterly, 14, 693-727. Glinow, M. A. V., Huo, Y. P. Lowe, K. (1999). Leadership across the Pacific Ocean: a trinational comparison. International Business Review, 8, 1-15. Gupta, V., Hanges, P. J. Dorfman, P. (2002). Cultural clusters: methodology and findings. Journal of World Business, 37, 11-15. Hartog, D. N. D., House, R. J., Hanges, P. J., Ruiz-Quintanilla S. A. (1999). Culture specific and crossculturally generalizable implicit leadership theories: are attributes of charismatic/transformational leadership universally endorsed?. Leadership Quarterly. 10(2), 219-256. Hofstede, G. (1980). Cultures consequences: International differences in work-related alues (Abridged ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Hofstede, G. (2001). Cultures consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations (2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage. House, R. J., Aditya, R. N. (1997). The social scientific study of leadership: Quo Vadis? Journal of Management, 23, 409-474. Jung, D., Yammarino, F. J. Lee, J. K. (2009). Moderating role of subordinates attitudes on transformational leadership and effectiveness: A multi-cultural and multi-level perspective. Leadership Quarterly, 20, 586-603. Kerr, S., Jermier, J. (1978). Substitutes for leadership: Their meaning and measurement. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 22, 374-403. Luthans, F. Doh, J. (2009) International Management: Culture, Strategy and Behavior (7th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin. McClelland, D., Boyatzis, R.E. (1982). Leadership motive pattern and long term success in management. Journal of Applied Psychology, 67(6), 737-743. Offermann, L. R., Hellmann, P. S. (1997). Cultures consequences for leadership behavior: National values in action. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 28(3), 342-351. Ornatowski, G. (1998). The end of Japanese-style human resource management. Sloan Management Review. 39(3). 73-84. Ouchi, W. G., Jaeger, A. M. (1978). Type Z organization: stability in the midst of mobility. Academy of Management Review, 3, 308-311. Ralston, D. A., Holt, D. H., Terpstra, R. H. Cheng, Y. K. (2008). The impact of national culture and economic ideology on managerial work values: a study of the United States, Russia, Japan and China. Journal of International Business Studies. 39, 8-26. Reave, L. (2005). Spiritual values and practices related to leadership effectiveness. Leadership Quarterly, 16, 655-687. Schuler, R. S., Rogovsky, N. (1998). Understanding compensation practice variations across firms: The impact of national culture. Journal of International Business Studies, 29, 159-177. Schwartz, S. H., Sagie, G. (2000). Value consensus and importance: A cross-national study. Journal of International Business Studies, 14(2), 61-74. Sivakumar, K., Nakata, C. (2001). The stampede toward Hofstedes framework: Avoiding the sample design pit in cross-cultural research. Journal of International Business Studies, 32, 555-574. Wu, W. Minor, M. S. (1997). Role Perceptions, Personal Traits, Lifestyles and Leadership: an Empirical Study of American, Japanese, and Taiwanese Female Managers. International Business Review. 6 (1). 19-34.

Cyberpunk Through Shadowrun :: Literature Science Fiction Writing Essays Papers

Cyberpunk Through Shadowrun Works Cited Missing Cyberpunk has suffered through many definitions during its growth, from author Bruce Sterling's original assessment in the preface to Mirrorshades to his latest appraisal of the movement in his article, "Cyberpunk in the Nineties." Throughout its evolution, some consistent points have been made that one can mold together to form a definition of cyberpunk: a sense of bleakness, technology's dominant effect on the world, and a tendency to showcase the illegal points within the culture. If these three traits truly define the cyberpunk genre, then the Shadowrun Role Playing System, created by FASA Corporation in 1989, exemplifies these elements of cyberpunk. Shadowrun and cyberpunk fiction are very similar in their view of the future world they present. As Sterling points out in "Cyberpunk in the Nineties," "There is much bleakness in cyberpunk, but it is an honest bleakness. There is ecstasy, but there is also dread"(Browning 6). An interesting point, but not one without merit. For indeed, cyberpunk does tend to forward the sentiment that the world spirals ever downward, to an end that no one can foresee. Tom Maddox's "Snake Eyes" embodies this point, with George's slow and continuous fall toward insanity as the machinery in his head attempts to control him. Shadowrun's chronology is very similar in this respect, from the physical plagues that rip through the world, thereby destroying over a third of the world population, to intense computer viruses that have the ability to kill people who access the data they protect. Many of the governments of the world have disbanded, including the United States -- who joins with Canada -- and Russia . Cities have become known as "sprawls" where only the strong survive, and even then it's a rough outing anytime you step out the door. The bleakness of the world plays into the hands of the shadowrunners, who live in the world of the `sinless,' those who are not registered in the world database. They find the world desolate and anarchistic, but still manage to find profit in it while keeping their skin in one piece. One quote from the Shadowrun sourcebook says, "If you did it and lived, then you probably did it right"(Shadowrun 54). One way that shadowrunners find profit through their activities and survive is through the use of technologically superior tools. Technology, according to Sterling, is also a powerful part of the cyberpunk genre. As he states in Mirrorshades, ". Cyberpunk Through Shadowrun :: Literature Science Fiction Writing Essays Papers Cyberpunk Through Shadowrun Works Cited Missing Cyberpunk has suffered through many definitions during its growth, from author Bruce Sterling's original assessment in the preface to Mirrorshades to his latest appraisal of the movement in his article, "Cyberpunk in the Nineties." Throughout its evolution, some consistent points have been made that one can mold together to form a definition of cyberpunk: a sense of bleakness, technology's dominant effect on the world, and a tendency to showcase the illegal points within the culture. If these three traits truly define the cyberpunk genre, then the Shadowrun Role Playing System, created by FASA Corporation in 1989, exemplifies these elements of cyberpunk. Shadowrun and cyberpunk fiction are very similar in their view of the future world they present. As Sterling points out in "Cyberpunk in the Nineties," "There is much bleakness in cyberpunk, but it is an honest bleakness. There is ecstasy, but there is also dread"(Browning 6). An interesting point, but not one without merit. For indeed, cyberpunk does tend to forward the sentiment that the world spirals ever downward, to an end that no one can foresee. Tom Maddox's "Snake Eyes" embodies this point, with George's slow and continuous fall toward insanity as the machinery in his head attempts to control him. Shadowrun's chronology is very similar in this respect, from the physical plagues that rip through the world, thereby destroying over a third of the world population, to intense computer viruses that have the ability to kill people who access the data they protect. Many of the governments of the world have disbanded, including the United States -- who joins with Canada -- and Russia . Cities have become known as "sprawls" where only the strong survive, and even then it's a rough outing anytime you step out the door. The bleakness of the world plays into the hands of the shadowrunners, who live in the world of the `sinless,' those who are not registered in the world database. They find the world desolate and anarchistic, but still manage to find profit in it while keeping their skin in one piece. One quote from the Shadowrun sourcebook says, "If you did it and lived, then you probably did it right"(Shadowrun 54). One way that shadowrunners find profit through their activities and survive is through the use of technologically superior tools. Technology, according to Sterling, is also a powerful part of the cyberpunk genre. As he states in Mirrorshades, ".

Pom Study Guide

Service Processes – Session 1 The Lean Enterprise Clear focus in operating decisions leads to superior performance But, limits to flexibility, risk of (market or technical) obsolescence, or the routine Operations Strategy is about deciding what solution to offer (product or service), to who, and how to deliver it. [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] Manufacturing Process – Session 2 Distinct business processes are appropriate to create distinct value propositions Jumbled flow (job shop) for low volume and highly customized solutions †¢ Disconnected line flow (batch) for multiple products in moderate volumes †¢ Connected line flow (Assembly line) for high volume of major products †¢ Continuous flow for commodity products Important sources of cost differentials †¢ Operations strategy †¢ Operational efficiency The dynamics of the product-process matrix †¢ Positioning in the P-P matrix is not only driven by operations strategy but also by the product lifeline †¢ Moving in the P-P matrix requires changing the entire mindset/culture of the organization [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] pic] Part II – Business Process Analysis and Improvement Customer Response Performance in Services – Session 3 From parameters to performance If s = 1 server [pic]or use lookup table if s > 1 Parameters sNumber of Servers ?Frequency of arrivals -> x/day / x/hr / x/minute ?Average service time -> days / hrs / minutes ?=1/ ? Service rate ?Utilization; ? = /s CVCoefficient of variation; CV = ? /? (stddev/mean) CVSVariation of service time = / , = 1 if Exponential, 0 if constant. CVAVariation of arrival rate = / , = 1 if Poisson. Average performance measures WqWaiting time WTotal throughput timeLqNumber of customers in the queue LNumber of customers in the system Wq + ? Customer response time Single Server What are the parameters? ?,? , CVA, CVS 1. Find ? = 2. Find Wq from the formula above 3. Lq = ? Wq W = Wq + ? L = ? W Multiple Server 1 . What are the parameters? ?,? , s 2. Find ? = /s 3. Find Lq from table using s and ? ; Assumes CVA = 1 and CVS = 1. 4. Wq = Lq/? W = Wq + ? L = ? W Assembly lineJob Shop CVS0> 1 CVA^v Utilization (target)~90%~60% If multiple production machines, equalize Lq across the production lines Waiting is â€Å"inevitable†, even with less than 100% utilization Scale effects, ? †¢ Utilization effects, ? /(1- ? ) †¢ Variability effects, (CVA2 + CVS2)/2 Little’s Law: Inventory = rate x wait (on average) In general, for stable systems (? < 1), the average inventory in system = average arrival rate x average time in system. Can also be used to calculate the average time in system. L = ? W Managing waits/customer response time †¢ Remove non-value added steps to reduce processing time (? v, ? v) †¢ Reduce variability in demand (CVAv) and process (CVSv) †¢ Pool resources to more effectively use existing capacity (s^) Lessons for Life: Keep slackWhat is the Goa l of the Enterprise? – Session 4 Definitions ThroughputThe rate at which the system generates revenues Production is not revenue Capacity utilization is not the goal, only a possible means to achieve it InventoryThe level of capital invested in the system â€Å"It takes money to make money† †¦ just don’t take too much Money costs money; Opportunity cost of equity, interest charged on debt. Managing with bottlenecks 1. Find the bottleneck 2. Maximize throughput by exploiting the bottleneck o Avoid starving the bottleneck (create buffer for some inventory in front of it). Lost capacity at bottleneck is lost forever o Schedule to keep it busy. Reduce number of setups at the bottleneck (big batches) 3. Elevate: Increase capacity at bottleneck o Reduce length of setup time at the bottleneck o Quality check: Don’t let bad parts be processed on the bottleneck o Offload work to any other resource that can handle it (e. g. cross training, task offloading; res ources in-house or contracted out) o More capacity at bottleneck means more throughput 4. As one bottleneck is resolved, a new bottleneck appears elsewhere. Repeat! 5.Minimize inventory at non-bottlenecks o ‘Drum’ and ‘rope’ scheduling to let the bottleneck set the pace for input materials, to ‘balance flow’. o Reduce batch sizes at non bottle-neck o Efficiency & capacity improvements at non-bottleneck may reduce inventory, but won’t improve throughput 6. Bottleneck early in process simplifies flow management 7. The bottleneck may also be o Accounting systems or focus on operational targets (are not goals, should enable achievement of goals) o Mindsets o Suppliers o Market The â€Å"Goal† approach to management 1. Identify your goal . Identify your bottleneck 3. Exploit your bottleneck a. Don’t starve the bottleneck b. Lost capacity at the bottleneck is lost forever 4. Subordinate all other decisions to step 3 a. The bottle neck is the â€Å"drum† for loading the system 5. Elevate your bottleneck a. Find ways to increase the capacity at the bottleneck 6. Identify your next bottleneck a. Don’t let inertia set in Process of Continuous Improvement †¢ WHAT is it that I should seek to achieve? What is the fundamental challenge? †¢ WHERE is the bottleneck? What prohibits me/us from doing better? †¢ HOW to change?How can I alleviate or even remove this bottleneck? It is the task of the manager to create a process for continuous improvement, not just ad hoc solutions. Key Lessons from Industrial Excellence Award (IEA) Changing Strategies3 months Changing Product Design6 months – 2 years Changing Plant Process2 – 4 years Excellence of Plant Managers †¢ Forecast needed changes in company’s manufacturing strategy †¦ before anyone tells them †¢ Prepare plant’s processes for future changes in product mix †¦ before anyone tells them Busines s Process Economics – Session 5 Process Model Effective capacity of process as a whole is determined by the bottleneck step (step with the smallest effective capacity, expressed in units of final output) †¢ Expressed in units of final output, the effective capacity of a process step depends on downstream losses †¢ Effective capacity of a step also depends on the net availability of that step (including working hours, equipment breakdowns, preventive maintenance, †¦) †¢ In a continuous process, no inventory between steps is allowed. If one step becomes unavailable all upstream steps are immediately blocked and all downstream steps are immediately starved.Levers for Process Improvement †¢ Yield improvements/quality control o Before bottleneck ? Reduce input cost per unit output (lower variable costs! ) ? Capacity doesn’t change (bottleneck still limiting factor) o After bottleneck ? More output per unit input (lower variable costs! ) ? Capacity i ncreases (effect on fixed cost allocation per unit) ? Might change the bottleneck †¢ Bottleneck speed improvement (infrastructure/availability similar) o Increases capacity – more productive hours o Unit variable costs don’t change (same output per unit input) o Bottleneck might shift Ask to see throughput model †¢ Volatility: Can be in demand and price more than in production process Key Lessons †¢ Process flow analysis is needed to understand economics of production and value of improvement, which is essential for good business decisions †¢ The impact of levers for improvement depend on where (in the system) they are used: o Improvement at bottleneck ? Improves the whole system ? May shift the bottleneck o Yield (and quality) improvement before bottleneck ? Use less input per unit output o Yield (and quality) improvement after bottleneck ? Produce more outputs per unit inputYou can always improve by implementing continuous improvement/learning eff orts. Part III – Inventory: Operations and Tactics Customer Response Performance in Manufacturing Operations – Session 6 The Toyota Production System is the benchmark. Definitions BlockingCaused when downstream is slower than upstream StarvationCaused when downstream is faster than upstream BTFBuild-To-Forecast BTOBuild-To-Order Response Times – CRT ? TPT = OQT + PCT CRTCustomer Response Time TPTThroughput Time OQTOrder Queue Time PCTProcess Cycle Times The role of inventory Blocking goes down with inventory, use idle time to produce buffers.If we have a buffer, then starvation will also go down. Push 1. No WIP control 2. If buffer before has units, you produce at next machine Pull 1. WIP control 2. If inventory buffer after needs units, you produce at previous machine If no variability, PUSH = PULL! As variability increases for each machine, what happens to system capacity and why? †¢ As CV2 increases, we are already losing capacity and further increase ha s less effect. †¢ Asymptotic behaviour – capacity approaches 0. As serial length of facility increases, what happens to system capacity and why? As length increases, we are already losing capacity to variability and further increase has less effect. †¢ Asymptotic behaviour – capacity approaches 0. †¢ Once again, kanban length increases capacity. WIP Strategy | |Push |Pull | |BTO | |Target | |BTF |Compaq Now |>^ | Producing to Forecast – Session 7 Supply Chain Management – How Much To order |Demand |5 |6 |7 | |Probability |1/3 |1/3 |1/3 | Cost: $5 |Price |$5. 05 |$10 |$100 | Order Quantity |5 |6 |7 | Reasoning: Margin vs Cost. If margin < Cost, = Cost or > Cost, order quantity will vary accordingly. |Qty |5 |6 |7 | |E[Sales] |5 |5*1/3 + 6*2/3 |5*1/3 + 6*1/3 + 7 * 1/3| |E[Lost Sales] |1 |1/3 |0 | |E[Salvage] |0 |1/3 |1 | E[Demand] = 6 E[Sales] = E[Demand] – E[Lost Sales] E[Salvages] = i – E[Sales] i = ordered quantity -C + VProb (D ? i) = 0 VProb(D ? i) = C Prob(D ? i) = C/V i = ? + z?E[Profits] = Revenue – Cost = Price * E[Sales] + Salvage*E[Salvage] – i * C E[Sales] = E[Demand] – E[Lost Sales] E[Lost Sales] = E[D – i] = NormalLoss(z)* ? Supply Decisions – Alternative Manufacturing / Processing 1. Calculate â€Å"Profit† function for alternative 1 (piV1 – C1) 2. Calculate â€Å"Profit† function for alternative 2 (piV2 – C2) 3. Solve for pi by setting piV1 – C1 = piV2 – C2 4. pi defines the breakpoint. a. Alternative 1 is better when P(D? i) ? pi b. Alternative 2 is better when P(D? i) > pi 5. Use the z-lookup table to find z for pi a. Use this to calculate the order quantity for Alternative 1 (i1) 6.Calculate the full chance tree for option 2 to find total order quantity (i*) 7. Calculate i2 = i* – i1 Note: If multiple options, repeat process successively. Business Process Competition: M&S and Zara – Session 8 |[pic] |[pic] | Inventory Management depends upon the clock speed of the process †¢ Long lead times -> Forecast -> FGI Process (in contrast to product) innovation is an enormous weapon that can disupt the basis of competition †¢ Drive to mass customization, postponement, †¦ †¢ Shifts the diagonal of the product-process matrix downContinuous improvement is a key competitive weapon too, but can lead to rigidity †¢ Market segments, product needs, and technologies shift o Can you adapt your process and market approach fast enough? †¢ Business process reengineering is a difficult alternative to execute †¢ Business process portfolio management may be a good alternative Part IV – Total Quality Management Quality Management in Services – Session 9 Deming †¢ Prevention rather than cure o Process Improvement o Plan, Do, Check, Act †¢ Variations in Manufacturing and Service performance comes from o Process Design – 99% Process Operati ons – 1% †¢ How to divide process variations across design and operations? †¢ Process variation occurs due to many factors o Normal Distribution! ? Central tendency = mean (? ) ? Variability = standard deviation (? ) Historical Performance †¢ Process is in control – process works well according to historical performance †¢ Process is out of control – process has changed 1. Historical mean [pic] 2. Two points consecutively close to UCL or LCL 3. Five consecutive points above/below mean 4. Increasing or decreasing trends (mean is shifting) Tracking Mechanics Discrete variables (Yes/No or OK/defect measure) †¢ P-chart (or s-chart) track proportion defectives (or cumulative number of defectives) †¢ Identify when process goes outside of lower control limit (LCL) or upper control limit (UCL) †¢ Continuous variables (width, time, temp, †¦) †¢ X-bar identifies changes in central position (process mean) through tracking sample mean †¢ R-bar identifies changes in variability (process variation) through tracking sample range (hi-low) Capability analysis †¢ What is the currently â€Å"inherent† capability of my process when it is â€Å"in control†? Conformance analysis SPC charts identify when control has likely been lost and assignable cause variation has occurred Investigate for assignable cause †¢ Find â€Å"Root Cause(s)† of Potential Loss of Statistical Control Eliminate or replicate assignable cause †¢ Need Corrective Action To Move Forward Process Capability & Total Quality Management – Session 10 Definitions CpProcess Capability ratio CpkProcess Reliability Index LCLLower Control Limit LSLLower Specification Limit LTLLower Tolerance Limit (See LSL) UCLUpper Control Limit USLUpper Specification Limit UTLUpper Tolerance Limit (See USL) Potential [pic] gt; 1implies that potential is good, i. e. that the specification limits are greater than the potential performance of the system < 1implies that the potential is bad Performance [pic] > 1implies that performance is good, i. e. that the upper and lower specification limits are more than 3 standard deviations away from the mean performance of the system Why Quality? †¢ Revenue Impact – Customer Satisfaction o Value o Fitness of Use †¢ Cost Impact – Cost of poor quality o Prevention costs o Appraisal costs o Internal failure costs o External failure costs Costs of Quality : Juran model Prevention Costs |Appraisal Costs |Internal Failure|External Failure | | | |Costs |Costs | |Very good machines |Inspection costs |Cost of rework |Costs of warranty | |Very well-trained |Review costs |Scrap costs |Customers go to | |workers | | |competitors | |Excellent, |Workers stopping |Lost time on |Legal costs | |well-defined process |the line |machines | | |Standard operating |Process improvement| |Brand image | |procedures defined |costs | |affected | |clearly | | | | At each stage, costs multiply by a factor of 10!!! The Process Improvement Cycle – PDCA †¢ PLAN a quality improvement o Select theme, grasp situation, preliminary analysis, training programmes, introduce tracking measures and controls, etc†¦ †¢ DO the investigations for improvements Investigate the deviations from â€Å"normal† behaviour – these are opportunities for improvement – and find improvement actions †¢ CHECK the effectiveness of improvement actions o Confirm the effect of countermeasures †¢ ACT by implementing the improvement measures throughout the company [pic] PART V – Course in Review Inventory Between Buyers and Suppliers – Session 11 JIT – Just in Time †¢ Produce what the customer wants, when it is wanted, in the amount it is wanted, where it is wanted †¢ High Volume †¢ Low Inventory (raw materials, WIP, FGI) †¢ Demand pull (produce when needed) †¢ Little JIT: scheduling, inve ntory †¢ Bit JIT (â€Å"lean†): eliminate waste in all activities (scheduling, inventory, human resources, vendors, technology) Seven Forms of Waste (â€Å"MUDA†) |Seven Methods to Eliminate Waste | |Overproduction |Focused factory networks | |Waiting time |Group technology | |Transportation waste |Quality at the source | |Inventory waste |JIT production | |Processing waste |Uniform plant loading | |Waste of motion |Kanban production | |Product defects |Minimize setup times | JIT vs JIT II |JIT |JIT I |Ideal view: piece for piece; lot for lot | | | |Eliminate excess (RMI, WIP and FGI) inventory | | | |Pull supply chain view | | | |Supplier timely and efficient source (RMI) | |JIT II |Administration and management | | | |Eliminate administrative waste | | | |Supplier pulls production from his own plant | | | |Supplier is an effective source of ideas too | Potential gains †¢ Reduced lead times of delivery †¢ Reduced costs of procurement †¢ Avoid exces s inventory stock †¢ Better monitoring of incoming quality †¢ Greater role in new product development for supplier Potential hazards †¢ Supplier gains inside information on cost, process & design †¢ Loss of bargaining power with supplier †¢ Cannot change suppliers easily Requirements for JIT II to create opportunities for win-win †¢ Fair prices †¢ Commitment Communication †¢ Transparency Increasing competition leads to greater focus on core competencies and process efficiencies †¢ JIT is about having lean manufacturing processes to reduce waste †¢ JIT II is about reducing waste with suppliers and distributors Benefits of JIT II include †¢ Improve communication across firm boundaries †¢ Reducing rework †¢ Reducing duplication †¢ Offload work to any other resource that can handle it (e. g. cross training, task Real Just-In-Time delivery (less inventory in the supply chain) †¢ Increased involvement in the buyer- supplier relationship results in better products/services for the customer Conditions for JIT II to work Sufficient volume and transactions to generate cost savings †¢ Supplier has good engineering capabilities to improve overall product/service †¢ Supplier does not provide core technologies for the buyer †¢ TRUST†¦. How to build trust? o Common goal, open communication, and commitment ———————– Prob(D< i) -c C = c – s ith unit demanded Prob(D ? i) Salvage Value ith unit not demanded Revenue Value = revenue – salvage Work in Progress PUSH PULL No Inventory Control Inventory Control Finished Goods Inventory Build-To-Forecast Build-To-Order FGI >> 0 FGI ~0 Capability Analysis Conformance Analysis Eliminate Assignable Cause Investigate for Assignable Cause Pom Study Guide Service Processes – Session 1 The Lean Enterprise Clear focus in operating decisions leads to superior performance But, limits to flexibility, risk of (market or technical) obsolescence, or the routine Operations Strategy is about deciding what solution to offer (product or service), to who, and how to deliver it. [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] Manufacturing Process – Session 2 Distinct business processes are appropriate to create distinct value propositions Jumbled flow (job shop) for low volume and highly customized solutions †¢ Disconnected line flow (batch) for multiple products in moderate volumes †¢ Connected line flow (Assembly line) for high volume of major products †¢ Continuous flow for commodity products Important sources of cost differentials †¢ Operations strategy †¢ Operational efficiency The dynamics of the product-process matrix †¢ Positioning in the P-P matrix is not only driven by operations strategy but also by the product lifeline †¢ Moving in the P-P matrix requires changing the entire mindset/culture of the organization [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] pic] Part II – Business Process Analysis and Improvement Customer Response Performance in Services – Session 3 From parameters to performance If s = 1 server [pic]or use lookup table if s > 1 Parameters sNumber of Servers ?Frequency of arrivals -> x/day / x/hr / x/minute ?Average service time -> days / hrs / minutes ?=1/ ? Service rate ?Utilization; ? = /s CVCoefficient of variation; CV = ? /? (stddev/mean) CVSVariation of service time = / , = 1 if Exponential, 0 if constant. CVAVariation of arrival rate = / , = 1 if Poisson. Average performance measures WqWaiting time WTotal throughput timeLqNumber of customers in the queue LNumber of customers in the system Wq + ? Customer response time Single Server What are the parameters? ?,? , CVA, CVS 1. Find ? = 2. Find Wq from the formula above 3. Lq = ? Wq W = Wq + ? L = ? W Multiple Server 1 . What are the parameters? ?,? , s 2. Find ? = /s 3. Find Lq from table using s and ? ; Assumes CVA = 1 and CVS = 1. 4. Wq = Lq/? W = Wq + ? L = ? W Assembly lineJob Shop CVS0> 1 CVA^v Utilization (target)~90%~60% If multiple production machines, equalize Lq across the production lines Waiting is â€Å"inevitable†, even with less than 100% utilization Scale effects, ? †¢ Utilization effects, ? /(1- ? ) †¢ Variability effects, (CVA2 + CVS2)/2 Little’s Law: Inventory = rate x wait (on average) In general, for stable systems (? < 1), the average inventory in system = average arrival rate x average time in system. Can also be used to calculate the average time in system. L = ? W Managing waits/customer response time †¢ Remove non-value added steps to reduce processing time (? v, ? v) †¢ Reduce variability in demand (CVAv) and process (CVSv) †¢ Pool resources to more effectively use existing capacity (s^) Lessons for Life: Keep slackWhat is the Goa l of the Enterprise? – Session 4 Definitions ThroughputThe rate at which the system generates revenues Production is not revenue Capacity utilization is not the goal, only a possible means to achieve it InventoryThe level of capital invested in the system â€Å"It takes money to make money† †¦ just don’t take too much Money costs money; Opportunity cost of equity, interest charged on debt. Managing with bottlenecks 1. Find the bottleneck 2. Maximize throughput by exploiting the bottleneck o Avoid starving the bottleneck (create buffer for some inventory in front of it). Lost capacity at bottleneck is lost forever o Schedule to keep it busy. Reduce number of setups at the bottleneck (big batches) 3. Elevate: Increase capacity at bottleneck o Reduce length of setup time at the bottleneck o Quality check: Don’t let bad parts be processed on the bottleneck o Offload work to any other resource that can handle it (e. g. cross training, task offloading; res ources in-house or contracted out) o More capacity at bottleneck means more throughput 4. As one bottleneck is resolved, a new bottleneck appears elsewhere. Repeat! 5.Minimize inventory at non-bottlenecks o ‘Drum’ and ‘rope’ scheduling to let the bottleneck set the pace for input materials, to ‘balance flow’. o Reduce batch sizes at non bottle-neck o Efficiency & capacity improvements at non-bottleneck may reduce inventory, but won’t improve throughput 6. Bottleneck early in process simplifies flow management 7. The bottleneck may also be o Accounting systems or focus on operational targets (are not goals, should enable achievement of goals) o Mindsets o Suppliers o Market The â€Å"Goal† approach to management 1. Identify your goal . Identify your bottleneck 3. Exploit your bottleneck a. Don’t starve the bottleneck b. Lost capacity at the bottleneck is lost forever 4. Subordinate all other decisions to step 3 a. The bottle neck is the â€Å"drum† for loading the system 5. Elevate your bottleneck a. Find ways to increase the capacity at the bottleneck 6. Identify your next bottleneck a. Don’t let inertia set in Process of Continuous Improvement †¢ WHAT is it that I should seek to achieve? What is the fundamental challenge? †¢ WHERE is the bottleneck? What prohibits me/us from doing better? †¢ HOW to change?How can I alleviate or even remove this bottleneck? It is the task of the manager to create a process for continuous improvement, not just ad hoc solutions. Key Lessons from Industrial Excellence Award (IEA) Changing Strategies3 months Changing Product Design6 months – 2 years Changing Plant Process2 – 4 years Excellence of Plant Managers †¢ Forecast needed changes in company’s manufacturing strategy †¦ before anyone tells them †¢ Prepare plant’s processes for future changes in product mix †¦ before anyone tells them Busines s Process Economics – Session 5 Process Model Effective capacity of process as a whole is determined by the bottleneck step (step with the smallest effective capacity, expressed in units of final output) †¢ Expressed in units of final output, the effective capacity of a process step depends on downstream losses †¢ Effective capacity of a step also depends on the net availability of that step (including working hours, equipment breakdowns, preventive maintenance, †¦) †¢ In a continuous process, no inventory between steps is allowed. If one step becomes unavailable all upstream steps are immediately blocked and all downstream steps are immediately starved.Levers for Process Improvement †¢ Yield improvements/quality control o Before bottleneck ? Reduce input cost per unit output (lower variable costs! ) ? Capacity doesn’t change (bottleneck still limiting factor) o After bottleneck ? More output per unit input (lower variable costs! ) ? Capacity i ncreases (effect on fixed cost allocation per unit) ? Might change the bottleneck †¢ Bottleneck speed improvement (infrastructure/availability similar) o Increases capacity – more productive hours o Unit variable costs don’t change (same output per unit input) o Bottleneck might shift Ask to see throughput model †¢ Volatility: Can be in demand and price more than in production process Key Lessons †¢ Process flow analysis is needed to understand economics of production and value of improvement, which is essential for good business decisions †¢ The impact of levers for improvement depend on where (in the system) they are used: o Improvement at bottleneck ? Improves the whole system ? May shift the bottleneck o Yield (and quality) improvement before bottleneck ? Use less input per unit output o Yield (and quality) improvement after bottleneck ? Produce more outputs per unit inputYou can always improve by implementing continuous improvement/learning eff orts. Part III – Inventory: Operations and Tactics Customer Response Performance in Manufacturing Operations – Session 6 The Toyota Production System is the benchmark. Definitions BlockingCaused when downstream is slower than upstream StarvationCaused when downstream is faster than upstream BTFBuild-To-Forecast BTOBuild-To-Order Response Times – CRT ? TPT = OQT + PCT CRTCustomer Response Time TPTThroughput Time OQTOrder Queue Time PCTProcess Cycle Times The role of inventory Blocking goes down with inventory, use idle time to produce buffers.If we have a buffer, then starvation will also go down. Push 1. No WIP control 2. If buffer before has units, you produce at next machine Pull 1. WIP control 2. If inventory buffer after needs units, you produce at previous machine If no variability, PUSH = PULL! As variability increases for each machine, what happens to system capacity and why? †¢ As CV2 increases, we are already losing capacity and further increase ha s less effect. †¢ Asymptotic behaviour – capacity approaches 0. As serial length of facility increases, what happens to system capacity and why? As length increases, we are already losing capacity to variability and further increase has less effect. †¢ Asymptotic behaviour – capacity approaches 0. †¢ Once again, kanban length increases capacity. WIP Strategy | |Push |Pull | |BTO | |Target | |BTF |Compaq Now |>^ | Producing to Forecast – Session 7 Supply Chain Management – How Much To order |Demand |5 |6 |7 | |Probability |1/3 |1/3 |1/3 | Cost: $5 |Price |$5. 05 |$10 |$100 | Order Quantity |5 |6 |7 | Reasoning: Margin vs Cost. If margin < Cost, = Cost or > Cost, order quantity will vary accordingly. |Qty |5 |6 |7 | |E[Sales] |5 |5*1/3 + 6*2/3 |5*1/3 + 6*1/3 + 7 * 1/3| |E[Lost Sales] |1 |1/3 |0 | |E[Salvage] |0 |1/3 |1 | E[Demand] = 6 E[Sales] = E[Demand] – E[Lost Sales] E[Salvages] = i – E[Sales] i = ordered quantity -C + VProb (D ? i) = 0 VProb(D ? i) = C Prob(D ? i) = C/V i = ? + z?E[Profits] = Revenue – Cost = Price * E[Sales] + Salvage*E[Salvage] – i * C E[Sales] = E[Demand] – E[Lost Sales] E[Lost Sales] = E[D – i] = NormalLoss(z)* ? Supply Decisions – Alternative Manufacturing / Processing 1. Calculate â€Å"Profit† function for alternative 1 (piV1 – C1) 2. Calculate â€Å"Profit† function for alternative 2 (piV2 – C2) 3. Solve for pi by setting piV1 – C1 = piV2 – C2 4. pi defines the breakpoint. a. Alternative 1 is better when P(D? i) ? pi b. Alternative 2 is better when P(D? i) > pi 5. Use the z-lookup table to find z for pi a. Use this to calculate the order quantity for Alternative 1 (i1) 6.Calculate the full chance tree for option 2 to find total order quantity (i*) 7. Calculate i2 = i* – i1 Note: If multiple options, repeat process successively. Business Process Competition: M&S and Zara – Session 8 |[pic] |[pic] | Inventory Management depends upon the clock speed of the process †¢ Long lead times -> Forecast -> FGI Process (in contrast to product) innovation is an enormous weapon that can disupt the basis of competition †¢ Drive to mass customization, postponement, †¦ †¢ Shifts the diagonal of the product-process matrix downContinuous improvement is a key competitive weapon too, but can lead to rigidity †¢ Market segments, product needs, and technologies shift o Can you adapt your process and market approach fast enough? †¢ Business process reengineering is a difficult alternative to execute †¢ Business process portfolio management may be a good alternative Part IV – Total Quality Management Quality Management in Services – Session 9 Deming †¢ Prevention rather than cure o Process Improvement o Plan, Do, Check, Act †¢ Variations in Manufacturing and Service performance comes from o Process Design – 99% Process Operati ons – 1% †¢ How to divide process variations across design and operations? †¢ Process variation occurs due to many factors o Normal Distribution! ? Central tendency = mean (? ) ? Variability = standard deviation (? ) Historical Performance †¢ Process is in control – process works well according to historical performance †¢ Process is out of control – process has changed 1. Historical mean [pic] 2. Two points consecutively close to UCL or LCL 3. Five consecutive points above/below mean 4. Increasing or decreasing trends (mean is shifting) Tracking Mechanics Discrete variables (Yes/No or OK/defect measure) †¢ P-chart (or s-chart) track proportion defectives (or cumulative number of defectives) †¢ Identify when process goes outside of lower control limit (LCL) or upper control limit (UCL) †¢ Continuous variables (width, time, temp, †¦) †¢ X-bar identifies changes in central position (process mean) through tracking sample mean †¢ R-bar identifies changes in variability (process variation) through tracking sample range (hi-low) Capability analysis †¢ What is the currently â€Å"inherent† capability of my process when it is â€Å"in control†? Conformance analysis SPC charts identify when control has likely been lost and assignable cause variation has occurred Investigate for assignable cause †¢ Find â€Å"Root Cause(s)† of Potential Loss of Statistical Control Eliminate or replicate assignable cause †¢ Need Corrective Action To Move Forward Process Capability & Total Quality Management – Session 10 Definitions CpProcess Capability ratio CpkProcess Reliability Index LCLLower Control Limit LSLLower Specification Limit LTLLower Tolerance Limit (See LSL) UCLUpper Control Limit USLUpper Specification Limit UTLUpper Tolerance Limit (See USL) Potential [pic] gt; 1implies that potential is good, i. e. that the specification limits are greater than the potential performance of the system < 1implies that the potential is bad Performance [pic] > 1implies that performance is good, i. e. that the upper and lower specification limits are more than 3 standard deviations away from the mean performance of the system Why Quality? †¢ Revenue Impact – Customer Satisfaction o Value o Fitness of Use †¢ Cost Impact – Cost of poor quality o Prevention costs o Appraisal costs o Internal failure costs o External failure costs Costs of Quality : Juran model Prevention Costs |Appraisal Costs |Internal Failure|External Failure | | | |Costs |Costs | |Very good machines |Inspection costs |Cost of rework |Costs of warranty | |Very well-trained |Review costs |Scrap costs |Customers go to | |workers | | |competitors | |Excellent, |Workers stopping |Lost time on |Legal costs | |well-defined process |the line |machines | | |Standard operating |Process improvement| |Brand image | |procedures defined |costs | |affected | |clearly | | | | At each stage, costs multiply by a factor of 10!!! The Process Improvement Cycle – PDCA †¢ PLAN a quality improvement o Select theme, grasp situation, preliminary analysis, training programmes, introduce tracking measures and controls, etc†¦ †¢ DO the investigations for improvements Investigate the deviations from â€Å"normal† behaviour – these are opportunities for improvement – and find improvement actions †¢ CHECK the effectiveness of improvement actions o Confirm the effect of countermeasures †¢ ACT by implementing the improvement measures throughout the company [pic] PART V – Course in Review Inventory Between Buyers and Suppliers – Session 11 JIT – Just in Time †¢ Produce what the customer wants, when it is wanted, in the amount it is wanted, where it is wanted †¢ High Volume †¢ Low Inventory (raw materials, WIP, FGI) †¢ Demand pull (produce when needed) †¢ Little JIT: scheduling, inve ntory †¢ Bit JIT (â€Å"lean†): eliminate waste in all activities (scheduling, inventory, human resources, vendors, technology) Seven Forms of Waste (â€Å"MUDA†) |Seven Methods to Eliminate Waste | |Overproduction |Focused factory networks | |Waiting time |Group technology | |Transportation waste |Quality at the source | |Inventory waste |JIT production | |Processing waste |Uniform plant loading | |Waste of motion |Kanban production | |Product defects |Minimize setup times | JIT vs JIT II |JIT |JIT I |Ideal view: piece for piece; lot for lot | | | |Eliminate excess (RMI, WIP and FGI) inventory | | | |Pull supply chain view | | | |Supplier timely and efficient source (RMI) | |JIT II |Administration and management | | | |Eliminate administrative waste | | | |Supplier pulls production from his own plant | | | |Supplier is an effective source of ideas too | Potential gains †¢ Reduced lead times of delivery †¢ Reduced costs of procurement †¢ Avoid exces s inventory stock †¢ Better monitoring of incoming quality †¢ Greater role in new product development for supplier Potential hazards †¢ Supplier gains inside information on cost, process & design †¢ Loss of bargaining power with supplier †¢ Cannot change suppliers easily Requirements for JIT II to create opportunities for win-win †¢ Fair prices †¢ Commitment Communication †¢ Transparency Increasing competition leads to greater focus on core competencies and process efficiencies †¢ JIT is about having lean manufacturing processes to reduce waste †¢ JIT II is about reducing waste with suppliers and distributors Benefits of JIT II include †¢ Improve communication across firm boundaries †¢ Reducing rework †¢ Reducing duplication †¢ Offload work to any other resource that can handle it (e. g. cross training, task Real Just-In-Time delivery (less inventory in the supply chain) †¢ Increased involvement in the buyer- supplier relationship results in better products/services for the customer Conditions for JIT II to work Sufficient volume and transactions to generate cost savings †¢ Supplier has good engineering capabilities to improve overall product/service †¢ Supplier does not provide core technologies for the buyer †¢ TRUST†¦. How to build trust? o Common goal, open communication, and commitment ———————– Prob(D< i) -c C = c – s ith unit demanded Prob(D ? i) Salvage Value ith unit not demanded Revenue Value = revenue – salvage Work in Progress PUSH PULL No Inventory Control Inventory Control Finished Goods Inventory Build-To-Forecast Build-To-Order FGI >> 0 FGI ~0 Capability Analysis Conformance Analysis Eliminate Assignable Cause Investigate for Assignable Cause