Discussion 12 nur 703 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion 12 nur 703 - Assignment Example Reduced activities and change in work location due to closure are other possible role conflicts. APRN might gain support for the evaluation by seeking advocacy roles of special interest groups and incorporating evidence based information on its evaluation for authenticity. The county government, the community whose members seek care services, nurse advocacy groups, human rights associations, the facility’s personnel, and civil rights activists are some of the stakeholders and their involvement will be through seeking and incorporating their opinions on significance of the facility and possibility of closure (Milstead, 2013). Five hundred dollars is a potential budget for the evaluation that will rely on local stakeholders for data. Communication and travelling allowances for members of the evaluation team will be the main expenses. A survey design, with interviews and focus group discussion as the data collection techniques and random sampling, will be the research methodology. Possible conflict of interest, need for anonymity, beneficence, and non-malfeasance are some of the potential ethical consideration (Schneider, Whitehead, LoBiondo-Wood, & Haber, 2012). A written report will be delivered to the county government that may publish it to the public at discretion. I have been faced with a similar advocacy issue regarding workers’ rights in a facility. The issue was about possible change in management theory and incorporating stakeholders, including the management, in evaluation led to positive outcome. The facility changed its management approach and empowered its

Imperfections of modern society Essay Example for Free

Imperfections of modern society Essay Fashion may be described as the predominant style at any given time due to ones mode of expression or presentation. Ones personality may be defined by the clothes they have selected to wear. Celebrities and fashion ads seem to demonstrate that it is acceptable to wear extremely revealing clothes and promote their outfits. Sexually provocative people with strong personalities may choose to wear clothes with inappropriate innuendos or phrases written on them. Modern fashion illustrates the social acceptance of provocative clothing, which reflects upon our cultures bold behavior. see more:why fashion is important It is thought that the clothes society chooses to wear defines ones intentions, character and gives others a basis on how to interpret personality. People have bold behaviours because of what they wear. Many are too open with what they wear making it seem as if modern fashion is mainly about sex appeal. Modern culture is mainly concerned with how others will interpret them and their appearance. Therefore society uses this to make oneself more appealing. If someone were to dress in revealing clothing, others will construe this as they are trying make themselves as sexually appealing as possible. However if someone were to dress in less revealing clothes they would not be in to the hype of sex appeal. This shows how modern culture reflects on the clothes being worn. These people who are only worried about revealing themselves through outfits clearly have bold behaviours because they care what society thinks of them. People tend to act more outgoing when they are dress in clothes that they are comfortable wearing. No matter what type of clothing a person wears it can be an influence that alters others perception of the character of a person. Revealing clothing that is exposed by media can be dangerous to people’s thoughts on modern fashion. Celebrities feel that it acceptable to wear whatever they please. Miley Cyrus is an excellent example of this. She has recently had a tendency of wearing inappropriate clothing on stage and in her music videos. Her personality reflects how she dresses by showing how much she does not care about what people think of her. Miley is very revealing in her videos and her lyrics show her personality of being so careless of what other people think. â€Å"Its our party we can do what we want to†¦ Its my mouth I can say what I want to†(Cyrus). In her lyrics, she is inferring that she is above the law. This is the unstated conclusion throughout her song. She shows her careless attitude in her lyrics but also in her music videos. Miley is a role model to many but she rolls around on the floor wearing nothing but underwear and a tank top making it seem like this is acceptable as she has a young, naive audience that does not know between right and wrong. She also does dance moves that are so inappropriate that young children should not watch this. Miley used to dress normally and she was an idol for many young girls growing up starring as Hannah Montana. Now she has changed personality by exemplifying it through her fashion. Clothing with sexual or inappropriate phrases written on them has become more popular in modern culture because of the popular idols. People with forward personalities tend to buy clothes that reflect on the way that one would want to be judged. Select societies with careless attitudes wear clothing that can be offensive to other people. Shirts with phrases such as â€Å"Orgasm Donor† and â€Å"Drink Up Bitches† are some of many examples of the offensiveness that people display through their clothing. People who wear clothing like this are often sexually provocative people who try to resemble the looks of their idols. Society feels the need encourage to others that it is socially acceptable to look sexually appealing. In reality this type of clothing is obnoxious and reflects poorly on modern culture by giving it a bad label. The popularity of wearing offensive clothing has increased due to people trying to â€Å"fit in†. People who are unsure of what type of personality they have are often the ones who go with the latest and most popular fashion. Our cultures outgoing behaviour is based on the social acceptance that modern fashion portrays. It is believed that the clothes that a person may wear can reflect on their personality. Celebrities who wear excessively revealing clothing tend to set an image that modern culture wants to follow. Miley Cyrus is one of the many celebrities who contribute to this. People who have audacious personalities are usually ones to try to keep up with modern fashion. These people have clothing with sexually provocative expressions written on them. Fashion can be defined as the prevailing style or etiquette. Society may dress to support feelings, actions or how others should interpret their character. Works Cited Cyrus, Miley. MILEY CYRUS WE CANT STOP LYRICS. Directlyrics. N. p. , n. d. Web. 26 Sept. 2013.

Lean Manufacturing In Automobile Industry Of Pakistan Commerce Essay

Lean Manufacturing In Automobile Industry Of Pakistan Commerce Essay The objective of the lean manufacturing is to reduce the lead time and cost of production. In competitive markets, the issue of lead-time is of great importance, it is the main driving factor for business profitability but people are less aware of the lean manufacturing its importance that can bring drastic improvement in Automobile industry of Pakistan. Lean manufacturing is the production of goods using less of everything compared to mass production. It focuses on less human effort, less manufacturing space, less investment in tools, and less engineering time to develop a new product. Lean manufacturing is a generic process management philosophy derived mostly from the (Toyota Production, 1991) Toyota Production System (TPS) Womack, James P., Jones, Daniel T., and Roos, Daniel (1991). In the simplest form, lean manufacturing means producing goods with less; it applies fewer resources without affecting the quantity or quality of the goods produced. Toyotas purpose in developing the system was the elimination of waste, and TPS is focused on seven sources of it: over-production caused by emphasis on supply rather than demand; wasted motion due to poor processes; waiting time generated by tuning the production system to the fastest rather than the slowest process; conveyance waste caused by poorly designed supply systems that delay the transit of goods; processing waste from badly designed systems; raw material waste from inefficient design or ineffective supply strategies; correction waste caused by reworking badly made products. (Toyota Production, 1991) Toyota Production System (TPS) Womack, James P., Jones, Daniel T., and Roos, Daniel (1991). The results of TPS have included enormous advances in robotic manufacturing systems and factory design, just-in-time inventory management, the kanban system of visual inventory replacement cues, demand-pull management of manufacturing planning and others. But lean manufacturing also has evolved into a business philosophy based on a unique set of practices, and the resulting business culture demonstrates how to use these to create a lean approach to other aspects of business; one area ripe for this lesson is supply chain management. Lean manufacturing is the systematic elimination of waste from all aspects of an organizations operations, where waste is viewed as any use or loss of resources that does not lead directly to creating the product or service a customer wants when they want it. In many industrial processes, such non-value added activity can comprise more than 90 percent of a factorys total activity (Simon Caulkin, 2002). The supply chain permeates every face of the enterprise, and if a lean approach to managing it is to succeed, the entire organization has to focus on removing waste and adding value. As a part of this change it requires everyone to involve for looking beyond the boundaries of the company to relationships with customers and suppliers at all levels. The change in focus is essential, but implementing it can be difficult in todays international supply chain environment. Nevertheless, the principles of lean business are straightforward and can form the foundation for an organizations new approach to its supply chain. (Ventana Research , Europe). First, product value has to be defined from the customers point of view, not the companys. This seemingly simple principle is the key to eliminating waste caused by such things as making the wrong product (one that nobody wants), making the product at an unsuitable quality level, making too much or too little of it, or delivering it too slowly or through the wrong channel. A second principle is that the supply chain should flow continuously, and so should the information that supports it. Delays and discontinuities in the supply chain process are often caused by starting and ending processes or information streams that could smooth things out if they were operated continuously. Product should be pulled by the customer, not pushed by the company. That is, no part of any supply chain process should be started without a complete understanding of the demand destination of the final product that will complete the cycle. Finally, the entire organization needs to continue to manage toward perfection, concentrating on the elimination of waste and the addition of value in all of its supply chain processes. This is a continuous process that starts with the launch of a lean supply chain management strategy and it continues. Purpose:- The main purpose of this thesis is to determine the importance of lean manufacturing and create its awareness amongst the automobile industry of Pakistan, which then can be applied by the whole manufacturing sector of Pakistan to make them more competitive in terms of price as well as in speeding the delivery time. The thesis is to draw together the evidence about the benefits of lean manufacturing in automobile industry of Pakistan. It has been noticed that automobile industry is concerned about the cost delivery time, which are the key success factors for this industry. At present, the whole automobile sector is suffering from losses, which has led many businesses to shutdown. Problem discussion: Pakistans automobile industry is losing its competitiveness in the market due to the intense competition faced from world markets in terms of cost delivery time. Buyers get low quality products which reduces their confidence in Pakistani products. Up till now Pakistan automobile industry has been unable to meet the lead time demanded by highly profitable automobiles and is also unable to fulfill the low price expectations of western markets. Until and unless any initiative to reduce the cost and delivery time of product will not be taken, any improvement in the industry would not take place. In order to bring improvements in this industry, it is important to direct this industrys attention towards lean manufacturing. This thesis has been done to focus in this area to check that why lean manufacturing has not yet been implemented in the automobile industry of Pakistan. De limitation of the study:- There are some limitations of this thesis. The work focuses on Manufacturers and assemblers of Automobiles industry located in Pakistan and which has the sales volume more than 10 million. Due to the limited time only top few Manufacturers are included in the research work, which are Indus Motor Company -Toyota Motor Co Pak Suzuki Motors. Al-Ghazi Tractors Further the work doesnt include interview with supplier customer which requires detail research so it is limited to the organizations internal boundary only. Research Question:- This thesis is an attempt to answer the following question:- Q: What is the knowledge level of production people about the lean manufacturing? Q: Are the production manager of automobile industry aware of lean tools? Q: Are the production manager of automobile industry aware of lean manufacturing benefits? Q: To understand the issues of adoption of lean manufacturing in automobile industry in Pakistan? Implication of the study: The purpose of this thesis is to find how much the management of this industry in Pakistan is aware of lean manufacturing and then highlight the obstacles that exist in its implementation. This thesis also provides the benefits of lean manufacturing to the automobile industry of Pakistan, which is facing troubles in these days due to higher cost of production delay in delivery dates. Hence, this thesis is beneficial for the automobile manufacturers so that they can realize the importance of lean manufacturing and then implement it to gain the competitive advantage in terms of lower costs and on time deliveries. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW Lean manufacturing is a technique that allows companies to be more responsive to quickly changing markets and more sophisticated demanding customers. (Dohse, JurgensMalsh,1985,p.118). History of Lean Manufacturing Toyota is often considered one of the most efficient manufacturing companies in the world and the company that sets the standard for best practices in Lean Manufacturing. (James Womack Daniel Roos, 1992). Lean Manufacturing has increasingly been applied by leading manufacturing companies throughout the world, lead by the major automobile manufactures and their equipment suppliers. Lean Manufacturing is becoming an increasingly important topic for manufacturing companies in developed countries as they try to find ways to compete more effectively against competition from developing countrie. Starting about 1910, Ford and his right-hand-man, Charles E. Sorensen, fashioned the first comprehensive Manufacturing Strategy. They took all the elements of a manufacturing system people, machines, tooling, and products and arranged them in a continuous system for manufacturing the Model T automobile. Ford was so incredibly successful he quickly became one of the worlds richest men and put the world on wheels. Ford is considered by many to be the first practitioner of Just in Time and Lean Manufacturing. Beyond large scale production 7 categories of muda or waste:- Overproduction producing more unit than customers are demanding or producing them earlier than customer order them. (Taiichi Ohno, 1988) Waiting people waiting for machine or process; product waiting for people, machines or processes. Transportation moving product from one place to another. Inventory Raw material, work in process (WIP), finished goods in excess of direct customer requirement. Motion: Any movement people or machines that does not actually transform product from one state to another. Over processing Performing operation that are unnecessary. Defect creating or passing along product which contains error in material or processing. Definition of lean manufacturing Lean manufacturing is the systematic elimination of waste from all aspects of an organizations operations, where waste is viewed as any use or loss of resources that does not lead directly to creating the product or service a customer wants when they want it. In many industrial processes, such non-value added activity can comprise more than 90 percent of a factorys total activity. (Simon Caulkin. Waste Not, Want Not, The Observer (September 2002). Many of the concepts in Lean Manufacturing originate from the Toyota Production System (TPS) and have been implemented gradually throughout Toyotas operations beginning in the 1950s. By the 1980s Toyota had increasingly become known for the effectiveness with which it had implemented Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturing systems. The brainpower that businesses bring to bear to eliminate wasted assets, materials, and time in production should  equally be deployed to improve the processes of consumption that customers follow. Like their earlier work, this is both a landmark synthesis of ideas whose implications havent been fully understood and a breakthrough to new territory. (Thomas A.Stewart, 2000) Main Kinds of Waste Originally 7- 9 main types of waste were identified as part of the Toyota Production System. However, this list has been modified and expanded by various practitioners of lean manufacturing and generally includes the following: 1. Over-production Over-production is unnecessarily producing more than demanded or producing it too early before it is needed. This increases the risk of obsolescence, increases the risk of producing the wrong thing and increases the possibility of having to sell those items at a discount or discard them as scrap. However, there are some cases when an extra supply of semi-finished or finished products is intentionally maintained, even by lean manufacturers. 2. Defects In addition to physical defects which directly add to the costs of goods sold, this may include errors in paperwork, provision of incorrect information about the product, late delivery, production to incorrect specifications, use of too much raw materials or generation of unnecessary scrap. 3. Inventory Inventory waste means having unnecessarily high levels of raw materials, works-in-progress and finished products. Extra inventory leads to higher inventory financing costs, higher storage costs and higher defect rates. For more on this, please see section 2.5 below. 4. Transportation Transportation includes any movement of materials that does not add any value to the product, such as moving materials between workstations. The idea is that transportation of materials between production stages should aim for the ideal, that the output of one process is immediately used as the input for the next process. Transportation between processing stages results in prolonging production cycle times, the inefficient use of labor and space and can also be a source of minor production stoppages. 5. Waiting Waiting is idle time for workers or machines due to bottlenecks or inefficient production flow on the factory floor. Waiting also includes small delays between processing of units. Waiting results in a significant cost insofar as it increases labor costs and depreciation costs per unit of output. 6. Motion Motion includes any unnecessary physical motions or walking by workers which diverts them from actual processing work. For example, this might include walking around the factory floor to look for a tool, or even unnecessary or difficult physical movements, due to poorly designed ergonomics, which slow down the workers. 7. Correction Correction, or reprocessing, is when something has to be re-done because it wasnt done correctly the first time. This not only results in inefficient use of labor and equipment but the act of re-processing often causes disruptions to the smooth flow of production and therefore generates bottlenecks and stoppages. Also, issues associated with reworking typically consume a significant amount of management time and therefore add to factory overhead costs. 8. Over-processing Over-processing is unintentionally doing more processing work than the customer requires in terms of product quality or features such as polishing or applying finishing on some areas of a product that wont be seen by the customer. 9. Knowledge Disconnection This is when information or knowledge isnt available where or when it is needed. This might include information on correct procedures, specifications, ways to solve problems, etc. Lack of correct information often leads to defects and bottlenecks. For example, unavailability of a mixing formula may potentially suspend the entire process or create defective items due to time-consuming trial-and-error tests. What kinds of companies benefit most from lean? Lean is most widely used in industries that are assembly-oriented or have a high amount of repetitive human processes. These are typically industries for which productivity is highly influenced by the efficiency and attention to detail of the people who are working manually with tools or operating equipment. For these kinds of companies, improved systems can eliminate significant levels of waste or inefficiency. Examples of these companies include wood-processing, garment manufacturing, automobile assembly, electronic assembly and equipment manufacturing. Lean Manufacturing is also appropriate in industries for which it is a strategic priority to shorten the production cycle time to the absolute minimum as a source of competitive advantage for the company. Recently, some companies in Vietnam have actively conducted training and implemented lean methods to eliminate process inefficiencies. This resulted in an improvement to their production and service lead times. For example, Toyota Ben Thanh, a service center of Toyota in Vietnam, has implemented lean methods to significantly reduce the process time for its automobile maintenance service from 240 minutes to 45-50 minutes per car, and as a result, increased the total number of cars processed at each service center from 4-6 cars up to 16 cars per day. Toyota Ben Thanh achieved significant reductions in the process lead time by successfully eliminating unnecessary waiting time, inefficiencies of physical motions and process flow. (Thoi Bao Kinh Te Saigon, 2004) Objectives of Lean Manufacturing Lean Manufacturing, also called Lean Production, is a set of tools and methodologies that aims for the continuous elimination of all waste in the production process. The main benefits of this are lower production costs, increased output and shorter production lead times. More specifically, some of the goals include: 1. Defects and wastage Reduce defects and unnecessary physical wastage, including excess use of raw material inputs, preventable defects, costs associated with reprocessing defective items, and unnecessary product characteristics which are not required by customers. 2. Cycle Times Reduce manufacturing lead times and production cycle times by reducing waiting times between processing stages, as well as process preparation times and product/model conversion times. 3. Inventory levels Minimize inventory levels at all stages of production, particularly works-in-progress between production stages. Lower inventories also mean lower working capital requirements. 4. Labor productivity Improve labor productivity, both by reducing the idle time of workers and ensuring that when workers are working, they are using their effort as productively as possible (including not doing unnecessary tasks or unnecessary motions). 5. Utilization of equipment and space Use equipment and manufacturing space more efficiently by eliminating bottlenecks and maximizing the rate of production though existing equipment, while minimizing machine downtime. 6. Flexibility Have the ability to produce a more flexible range of products with minimum changeover costs and changeover time. 7. Output Insofar as reduced cycle times, increased labor productivity and elimination of bottlenecks and machine downtime can be achieved, companies can generally significantly increased output from their existing facilities. In a 2004 survey by Industry Week Magazine, U.S. companies implementing lean manufacturing reported a median savings of 7% of Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) as a result of implementing lean (George Taninecz, 2004). We believe that the savings actually are higher for companies in Vietnam considering the higher levels of waste which they typically have compared to U.S. based manufacturers. Another way of looking at Lean Manufacturing is that it aims to achieve the same output with less input less time, less space, less human effort, less machinery, less material, less cost. When a U.S. equipment manufacturing company, Lantech, completed the implementation of lean in 1995, they reported the following improvements compared to their batch-based system in 1991: (James P. Womack; Daniel T. Jones, 1996) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Manufacturing space per machine was reduced by 45%; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Defects were reduced by 90% à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Production cycle time was reduced from 16 weeks to 14 hours 5 days; and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Product delivery lead time was reduced from 4-20 weeks to 1-4 weeks. Why Lean Consumption Now? While lean consumption would be a sensible idea in any era, we see several convergent trends that we think make it inevitable and indeed, a competitive necessity now. With the regulated economy steadily contracting, consumers have a broader range of decisions to make, from how to invest retirement funds, to what telecommunications provider to use, to what airline to fly at what price. The mass-producer uses narrowly skilled professionals to design products make by unskilled or semiskilled workers tending expensive, single-purpose machines. These churn out standardized products at high volume. Because the machinery costs so much and is so intolerant of disruption, the mass-producer adds many buffers extra supplies, extra workers, and extra space to assure smooth productionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. The result: The customer gets lower costs but at the expense of variety and by means of work methods that most employees find boring and dispiriting. (Womack, 1990 p 13). While on a tour of a large customer, Michael Dell saw technicians customizing new Dell computers with their companys standard hardware and software. Do you think you guys could do this for me? his host asked. Without missing a beat, Dell replied, Absolutely, wed love to do that.4 Within a couple of weeks, Dell was shipping computers with factory-installed, customer specific hardware and software. What took the customer an hour could be done in the factory in minutes, and furthermore, computers could be shipped directly to end-users rather than making a stop in the corporate IT department. This shortening of the value chain is the essence of lean thinking. Direct from Dell, (Catherine Fredman, 1999) Basic Principles of Lean Add Nothing But Value (Eliminate Waste) The first step in lean thinking is to understand what value is and what activities and resources are absolutely necessary to create that value. Once this is understood, everything else is waste. Since no one wants to consider what they do as waste, the job of determining what value is and what adds value is something that needs to be done at a fairly high level. Lets say you are developing order tracking software. It seems like it would be very important for a customer to know the status of their order, so this would certainly add customer value. But actually, if the order is in house for less than 24 hours, the only order status that is necessary is to inform the customer that the order was received, and then that it has shipped, and let them know the shipping tracking number. Better yet, if the order can be fulfilled by downloading it on the Web, there really isnt any order status necessary at all. To develop breakthroughs with lean thinking, the first step is learning to see waste . If something does not directly add value, it is waste. If there is a way to do without it, it is waste. Taiichi Ohno, the mastermind of the Toyota Production System, identified seven types of manufacturing waste, (2002 Poppendieck.LLC) Do It Right The First Time It is instructive to explore the origins of the slogan Do It Right the First Time. In the 1980s it was very difficult to change a mass-production plant to lean production, because in mass production, workers were not expected to take responsibility for the quality of the product. To change this, the management structure of the plant had to change. Workers respond only when there exists some sense of reciprocal obligation, a sense that management actually values skilled workers, and is willing to delegate responsibility to [them]. The slogan Do It Right the First Time encouraged workers to feel responsible for the products moving down the line, and encourage them to stop the line and troubleshoot problems when and where they occurred. ( Womack ,1990 p 99). A more appropriate translation of such slogans as Zero Defects and Do It Right the First Time would be Test First. In other words, dont code unless you understand what the code is supposed to do and have a way to determine whether the code works. A good knowledge of the domain coupled with short build cycles and automated testing constitute the proper way for software developers to Do It Right the First Time. (2002 Poppendieck.LLC) Center On The People Who Add Value Almost every organization claims its people are important, but if they truly center on those who add value, they would be able to say: The people doing the work are the center of:- Resources Information Process Design Authority Decision Making Authority Organizational Energy In mass-production, tasks are structured so that low skilled or unskilled workers can easily do the repetitive work, but engineers and managers are responsible for production. Workers are not allowed to modify or stop the line, because the focus is to maintain volume. One of the results of mass-production is that unskilled workers have no incentive to volunteer information about problems with the manufacturing line or ways to improve the process. Maladjusted parts get fixed at the end of the line; a poor die or improperly maintained tool is managements problem. Workers are neither trained nor encouraged to worry about such things. The truly lean plant has two key organizational features: It transfers the maximum number of tasks and responsibilities to those workers actually adding value to the car on the line, and it has in place a system for detecting defects that quickly traces every problem, once discovered, to its ultimate cause.9 Similarly in any lean enterprise, the focus is on the people who add value. In lean enterprises, traditional organizational structures give way to new team-oriented organizations which are centered on the flow of value, not on functional expertise. The first experiment Taiichi Ohno undertook in developing lean production was to figure out a way to allow massive, single-purpose stamping machines to stamp out multiple parts. Formerly, it took skilled machinists hours, if not days, to change dies from one part to another. Therefore, mass production plants had many single purpose stamping machines in which the dies were almost never changed. Volume, space, and financing were not available in Japan to support such massive machines, so Ohno set about devising simple methods to change the stamping dies in minutes instead of hours. This would allow many parts of a car to be made on the same line with the same equipment. Since the workers had nothing else to do while the die was being changed, they also did the die changing, and in fact, the stamping room workers were involved in developing the methods of rapid die changeover. Ohno transferred most of the work being done by engineers and managers in mass-production plants to the production workers. He grouped workers in small teams and trained the teams to do their own industrial engineering. Workers were encouraged to stop the line if anything went wrong, (a management job in mass production).Before the line was re-started, the workers were expected to search for the root cause of the problem and resolve it. At first the line was stopped often, which would have been a disaster at a mass production plant. But eventually the line ran with very few problems, because the assembly workers felt responsible to find, expose, and resolve problems as they occurred. Flow Value from Demand The idea of flow is fundamental to lean production. If you do nothing but add value, then you should add the value in as rapid a flow as possible. If this is not the case, then waste builds up in the form of inventory or transportation or extra steps or wasted motion. The idea that flow should be pulled from demand is also fundamental to lean production. Pull means that nothing is done unless and until a downstream process requires it. The effect of pull is that production is not based on forecast; commitment is delayed until demand is present to indicate what the customer really wants. Pulling from demand can be one of the easiest ways to implement lean principles, as LL Bean and Lens Crafters and Dell found out. The idea is to fill each customer order immediately. In mass-production days, filling orders immediately meant building up lots of inventory in anticipation of customer orders. Lean production changes that. The idea is to be able to make the product so fast that it can be m ade to order. True, Dell and Lens Crafters and LL Bean and Toyota have to have some inventory of sub-assemblies waiting to be turned into a finished product at a moments notice. But its amazing how little inventory is necessary, if the process to replenish the inventory is also lean. A truly lean distribution channel only works with a really lean supply chain coupled to very lean manufacturing. In addition to rapid, Just-in-Time information flow, Lean Software Development means rapid, Just-in-Time delivery of value. In manufacturing, the key to achieving rapid delivery is to manufacture in small batches pulled by a customer order. Similarly in software development, the key to rapid delivery is to divide the problem into small batches (increments) pulled by a customer story and customer test. The single most effective mechanism for implementing lean production is adopting Just-in-Time, pull-from-demand flow. Similarly, the single most effective mechanism for implementing Lean Development is delivering increments of real business value in short time-boxes. 2002 Poppendieck.LLC Optimize across Organizations Quite often, the biggest barrier to adopting lean practices is organizational. As products move from one department to another, a big gap often develops, especially if each department has its own set of performance measurements that are unrelated to the performance measurements of neighboring departments. For example, lets say that the performance measurement of a stamping room is machine productivity. This measurement motivates the stamping room to build up mounds of inventory to keep the machines running at top productivity. It does not matter that the inventory has been shown to degrade the overall performance of the organization. As long as the stamping room is measured primarily on machine productivity, it will build inventory. This is what is known as a sub-optimizing measurement, because it creates behavior which creates local optimization at the expense of overall optimization. (2002 Poppendieck.LLC) Lean manufacturing Automobile Industry Lean manufacturing is applicable to almost every industry and it is known that the initiators of this technique is TOYOTA by the name Toyota Production System, than this techniques became generalize and open for all with some modifications and named as Lean. We fully expect that lean manufacturing will give a competitive advantage to this industry. Automobile Industry of Pakistan Pakistan is a rising market for automobiles offers massive business and investment opportunities. The total involvement of Auto industry to GDP in 2007 was 2.8% which was expected to increase up to 5.6% in 5 years. Total gross sales of automobiles in Pakistan were Rs.214 billion in 2006-07 or $2.67 billion. The industry tax accumulated to Rs.63 billion in 2007-08 that the government has imposed on automobiles. There are 500 auto-parts producers in the country that supply parts to original equipment manufacturers. Auto sector presently, contributes 16% to the manufacturing sector which also is projected to increase 25% in the next 7 years, compared to 6.7% during 2001-02. Vehicles manufacturers directly employ over 192,000 people with a entire investment of more than $ 1.5 billion. At present, there are about 82 vehicles assemblers in the industry producing passengers cars, light commercial vehicles, trucks, buses, tractors and 2/3 wheelers. The auto policy is geared up to make an inv estment of $ 4.09 billion in the next five years thus, making a target of half a million cars per annum achievable. Pakistan has the highest number of CNG-powered vehicles in the world with more than 1.55 million cars and passenger buses, constituting 24% of total vehicles in Pakistan with improved fuel efficiency and conforming to the l

The Marquis De Sades Attitude Towards Women Essay -- essays research p

The Marquis de Sade's Attitude Towards Women The Marquis de Sade was an author in France in the late 1700s. His works were infamous in their time, giving Sade a reputation as an adulterer, a debaucher, and a sodomite. One of the more common misrepresentations concerning Sade was his attitude toward women. His attitude was shown in his way of life and in two of his literary characters, Justine and Julliette. The Marquis de Sade was said to be the first and only philosopher of vice because of his atheistic and sadistic activities. He held the common woman in low regard. He believed that women dressed provocatively because they feared men would take no notice of them if they were naked. He cared little for forced sex. Rape is not a crime, he explained, and is in fact less than robbery, for you get what is used back after the deed is done (Bloch 108). Opinions about the Marquis de Sade's attitude towards sexual freedom for women varies from author to author. A prevalent one, the one held by Carter, suggests Sade's work concerns sexual freedom and the nature of such, significant because of his "refusal to see female sexuality in relation to a reproductive function." Sade justified his beliefs through graffiti, playing psychologist on vandals: In the stylization of graffiti, the prick is always presented erect, as an alert attitude. It points upward, asserts. The hole is open, as an inert space, as a mouth, waiting to be filled. This iconography could be derived from the metaphysical sexual differences: man aspires, woman serves no function but existence, waiting. Between her thighs is zero, the symbol of nothingness, that only attains somethingness when male principle fills it with meaning (Carter 4). The Marquis de Sade's way of thought is probably best symbolized in the missionary position. The missionary position represents the mythic relationship between partners. The woman represents the passive receptiveness, the fertility, and the richness of soil. This relationship mythicizes and elevates intercourse to an unrealistic proportion. In a more realistic view, Sade compares married women with prostitutes, saying that prostitutes were better paid and that they had fewer delusions (Carter 9). Most of Sade's opinions of women were geared towards the present, in what they were in his time. He held different opinions, however, for how he envisioned w... ...ries felt. By punishing Justine in his novels, he isn't punishing woman, simply the innocence that woman represents. While Sade believed that the woman with which he was copulating was simply there to serve his needs, he also felt it could (and should) work the other way around. It is as if he is saying, "Just because I use you, it doesn't mean you can't use me." Sade couldn't be a sexist in the modern sense, simply because he advocated free sexuality so much. He saw the women of his time and was troubled by it. In turn, he wrote about these women, represented in Justine. The woman he saw in the future were a bolder, free-spirited kind, represented in Juliette. It was the promise of this new genre of women he looked forward to and was enlightened by. In short, Sade disliked subjugated women and liked empowered women. He liked women closer to his own persona. Sade was probably the first pornographer, and as such, caused quite an uproar. Most of the judgements made about Sade by critics were reflexes, made without taking in the full spectrum of what he was, what he wrote, and what he did. The judgement of Sade by the populus, therefore is one more severe than it should be.

Introduction to Research Methods and Blended Learning

This is the 2nd out of three studies the writer aims to compose approximately blended acquisition. The first paper introduced readers to intermix acquisition. He discussed what blended truly was and the grounds why pedagogues prefer to incorporate blended larning into their instruction. He besides outlined the range, restrictions and targeted user of the research. Two articles were besides analyzed by the writer. The first article was written by Norm Vaughan, of the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education ( AACE ) Chesapeake, VA, for the International Journal on E-Learning on the Positions on Blended Learning in Higher Education. In the article he discussed the benefits and restrictions of blended acquisition in establishments of higher instruction from the position of those who had experience with this method of acquisition. The 2nd article was written by the Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development at Oxford Brookes University for the Higher Education Academy. The purpose of the survey was to reexamine bing research and pattern on blended acquisition, place cardinal surveies and issues, and do recommendations to steer future policies, patterns and research. The writer concluded the paper by bespeaking that he felt blended acquisition is the natural development of e-learning. In this study, the writer aims to carry on a literature reappraisal on blended acquisition. The writer would farther explicate what blended acquisition is. He would sketch the assorted degrees of blended learning.The advantages and disadvantages of blended acquisition would besides be discussed in this paper. The writer would so seek to reply the chief research inquiry, which is, how does Blended Learning aid in current instruction system? The writer besides aims to happen out if blended acquisition is really better than the traditional face to confront signifier of acquisition. The writer would stop by giving his ain positions on blended acquisition.2.0 Blended LearningBlended Learning involves the integrating or blending of larning plans in assorted formats to accomplish a common end. Blended larning plans normally consists of a combination of talk suites and on-line plans. Blended acquisition could besides be defined as the merger of traditional face to face and on-line larning st rategies to maximise the effectivity of preparation plans. In blended acquisition, the preparation plan is broken down into faculties and the most suited bringing methods are selected for each and tailored to single demands. The chief purpose is to take advantage of the best characteristics of each method. An array of media may be used, runing from traditional workshops, classroom-based instruction, books and other support stuffs, computer-based preparation and CD-ROMs.2.1 Brief history of Blended acquisitionAlthough the term blended larning merely gained popularity in the past few old ages, it has been utilized for decennaries by pedagogues and organisations at every degree. In the pure sense of the term, blended larning fundamentally means using more than one larning attack to educate pupils. Recently blended acquisition has been viewed as the mixture of traditional face to confront larning and engineering, utilizing whatever was popular at the clip. This could include everything from reckoners to telecastings sets to personal computing machines and the Internet with both it advantages or disadvantages. During the class of the last 15 old ages blended acquisition has evolved significantly. Both the figure of pedagogues learning blended course of studies and the many different sorts of blends being used are a testament to the feasibleness of these types of plans.2.2 Degrees of Blended LearningBlended acquisition occurs at a assortment of different degrees. All of the signifiers Blended Learning occur at one of the undermentioned four different degrees ; aˆ? Activity degree aˆ? Course degree aˆ? Program degree. aˆ? Institutional degree.Activity Level Blending.Blending at the this degree occurs when a acquisition activity contains both face-to-face ( F2F ) and computing machine mediated ( CM ) elements.Course Level Blending.Course degree blending is one of the most popular ways to intermix. It consists of a combination of the traditional face to face ( F2F ) and computing machine mediated ( CM ) activities used as portion of a class.Program Level Blending.Blending at a plan degree frequently involves a theoretical account in which the participants choose a mix between face to face ( F2F ) classs and on-line classs or one in which the combination between the two is prescribed by the plan.Institutional Level Blending.Some educational establishments and organisations have made a committedness to intermixing face-to-face ( F2F ) and computing machine mediated ( CM ) direction. The University of Phoenix has an institutional theoretical account for intermixing where pupils have F2F categories at the beginning and terminal of the class with on-line activities in between. ( C. Graham and B. Young, 2004 ) .2.3 Advantages of Blended LearningBlended acquisition has several advantages over other signifiers of larning. Past surveies and articles on blended acquisition has revealed that pacing and attending is an advantage of blended acquisition. In most blended acquisition schoolrooms, there is the ability to larn whenever the pupil decides to make so. If a pupil is absent from a lesson, he or she may see some of the lost talk stuffs at the same clip that the remainder of the category does, despite the fact that the pupil ‘s non physically present in the category room. This ensures that pupils who might hold one ground or the other that prevents them from attended talks on a regular basis can still be on the same page as all the other pupils in the category. This larning attack besides ensures that pupils can see learning stuffs at any clip they decide to, in instance they want to revisit what they have been taught or merely travel on to future subjects, for those who learn at a faster gait. ( Alvarez, 2005 ) Another advantage of blended acquisition is the fact that it maximizes the effectivity of larning. Most pupils indicate that the schoolroom can be a dull and deadening topographic point to larn sometimes, the integrating of blended acquisition into the system adds a originative dimension to the uninteresting acquisition environment. Past surveies have besides reveled that this learning attack encourages and improves teacher-learner interaction. Furthermore, online acquisition enables pupils from different geographical locations to acquire choice instruction they usually would non hold entree to. . ( Elearning2day.com ) . it ‘s ability to back up and heighten meaningful educational experiences every bit good as to supply a cost and resource effectual methodological analysis has besides made it peculiarly appealing to a assortment of organisations and educational establishments. ( Garrison and Kanuka, 2004 )2.4 Disadvantages of Blended LearningSurveies at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee ( Garnham & A ; Kaleta, 2002 ) and University of Central Florida ( Dziuban & A ; Moskal, 2001 ) indicated that pupils encountered a figure of issues with blended classs. Duty for acquisition was one of the major jobs pupils encountered with blended classs. Freshmen undergraduate, who are still used still used to the traditional face to confront larning attack find it hard to accommodate their perusal and larning wonts to accommodate on-line learning.Although, with clip they become used to the thought of being responsible for their ain acquisition, it is still a job they face in the initial phases. Time committedness was another challenge identified by most module. They claimed that the planning and development of a big registration blended class take much more clip to develop, when compared with clip taken to develop a similar class in the traditional format.Faculty, at the University of Central Florida, indicated that a class with on-line constituents requires a batch more clip in both the development and hebdomadal administrative undertakings than a similar class delivered in the traditional face to confront format. ( Dziuban & A ; Moskal,2001 )3.0 How does Blended Learning aid in current instruction system?Before get downing the research, the writer had a few inquiries which he wanted answered by the terminal of the research. The chief inquiry was how does Blended Learning aid in current instruction system? The writer aimed to calculate out how blended acquisition fitted into today ‘s higher instruction system and understand the positions and perceptual experiences of persons towards the integrating of blended larning into higher instruction. A research was conducted by Curtis J. Bonk, Kyong-Jee Kim from Indiana University, USA and Tingting Zeng from Warwick University, UK.The purpose of their survey was to research the current position and future waies of on-line instruction in higher instruction scenes. The study participants included university teachers who were members of MERLOT, a higher instruction assosciation, dwelling of university professors, instructional applied scientists and decision makers who portion and peer measure their web stuff s and resources. The survey-questionnaire consisted of 42 inquiries chiefly related to the hereafter of blended acquisition in higher instruction. Merely 562 study were completed out of the 12,000 study petitions sent.65 % of the participants in the higher instruction study were talks or professors,28 % were university decision makers or proficient support forces, while the staying participants were educational advisers. Consequences from the study indicated that a majority,93 % to be specific, of the participants indicated that they presently incorporating intermixing into their instruction approach.The writers claimed that the results of the this consequence came as no surprise to them. The consequence besides shows that the respondents expected a rise in their usage of blended acquisition attacks in the coming old ages. 40 % of the participants predicted that 21-40 % of their classs would be blended by the twelvemonth 2006 and another 37 per centum expected this to be higher than 40 per centum. And surprisingly 7 in 10 participants claimed that they will offer more than 40 % of their classs in a blended format, by the twelvemonth 2013 An article titled the Positions on Blended Learning in Higher Education by Norm Vaughan of the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education ( AACE ) Chesapeake, VA, which the writer discussed about in his last paper outlined that most module in establishments of higher instruction suggest that blended classs stimulate teacher-student interaction, increased battle in acquisition and that it added an component of creativeness to the sometimes uninteresting traditional acquisition environment. In the writer ‘s sentiment, blended acquisition has had and is holding a positive impact in today ‘s educational system. The consequences gathered from the study discussed above, indicates that 93 per centum of the persons that responded, are already utilizing blended acquisition in their instruction. This means that most persons and higher establishments have already noticed the effectivity of blended acquisition and see it as the best manner to educate people. The writer feels satisfied with these findings and can reason that blended acquisition has contributed positively to the manner persons are being educated today, he besides feels that similarities in the consequences between the different articles read indicates that blended acquisition is proliferating across establishments of higher instruction and this tendency will go on to increase.4.0 Is blended larning better than face to confront acquisition?Another inquiry which the writer wanted answered before the terminal of his research was if blended acquisition was more effectual than the traditional face to confront manner of acquisition. An article titled â€Å" Blended Learning † More Effective than Face-to-Face was written by Katie Ash for Education Week Digital Directions, she stated that a study was released on June 26, 2009 by the United States of America ‘s Department of Education. She claimed the study examined several studies,46 to be precise, comparing the traditional face to confront signifier of larning with on-line acquisition and concluded that blended acquisition, or larning methods that implement elements of both the traditional face to face and online acquisition, is reasonably more effectual than either attack by itself. The writers besides discovered that blended acquisition was more effectual at increasing pupil accomplishment degree than the traditional face to confront larning attack. The writer steadfastly disagrees with the decision reached by the US section of instruction. He feels that although blended acquisition has many advantages, there is non adequate grounds to reason that blended acquisition is better than the traditional face to confront acquisition. The writer searched and was unable to happen any other article, book or diary that came to the same decision as the US section of instruction. In add-on, the study from the US section of instruction stated that although the types of research designs used by the surveies in the analysis were strong, many of the surveies suffered from assorted failings such as failure to describe keeping rates for pupils in the conditions being contrasted, little sample sizes, and possible unfairness due to the fact that the writers served as both teachers and experimenters.5.0 DecisionIt is apparent that blended larning holds great promise for pedagogues. Quality and effectual preparation will no longer be confined to the w alls of a category room While intermixing can be extremely effectual and efficient manner of preparation, it is of import to retrieve that a successful acquisition experience requires high quality in all facets of the instructional system schoolroom interaction. At the terminal of this study, the writer can reason that although blended acquisition has legion advantages over other signifiers of acquisition, it still is non superior to the traditional face to confront acquisition. Besides, the writer has been able to understand how blended acquisition helps in the current educational system and can reason that blended acquisition has revolutionized the manner people are educated today.

Pea (Pisum sativum L.) Domestication - The History of Peas and Humans

Pea (Pisum sativum L.) Domestication - The History of Peas and Humans Pea (Pisum sativum L.) is a cool season legume, a diploid species belonging to the Leguminosae family (aka Fabaceae). Domesticated about 11,000 years ago or so, peas are an important human and animal food crop cultivated throughout the world. Key Takeaways: Domesticated Peas Peas are one of several legumes, and a founder crop domesticated in the Fertile Crescent about 11,000 years ago.  The earliest human consumption of wild peas was at least 23,000 years ago, and perhaps by our Neanderthal cousins as long ago as 46,000 years ago.  There are three modern species of peas, and they are very complex genetically and their precise domestication process has yet to be figured out.  Ã‚   Description Since 2003, global cultivation has ranged between 1.6 to 2.2 million planted hectares (4–5.4 million acres) producing 12–17.4 million tons per year. Peas are a rich source of protein (23–25%), essential amino acids, complex carbohydrates, and mineral content like iron, calcium, and potassium. They are naturally low in sodium and fat. Today peas are used in soups, breakfast cereals, processed meat, health foods, pasta, and purees; they are processed into pea flour, starch, and protein. They are one of the eight so-called founder crops and among the earliest domesticated crops on our planet. Peas and Pea Species Three species of peas are known today: Pisum sativum L. extends from Iran and Turkmenistan through anterior Asia, northern Africa, and southern EuropeP. fulvum is found in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and IsraelP. abyssinicum is found from Yemen and Ethiopia Research suggests that both P. sativum and P. fulvum were domesticated in the Near East about 11,000 years ago, likely from P humile (also known as Pisum sativum subsp. elatius), and P. abyssinian was developed from P. sativum independently in the Old Kingdom or Middle Kingdom Egypt about 4,000–5,000 years ago. Subsequent breeding and improvements have resulted in the production of thousands of pea varieties today. The oldest possible evidence for people eating peas is that of starch grains founded embedded in the calculus (plaque) on Neanderthal teeth at Shanidar Cave and dated about 46,000 years ago. Those are tentative identifications to date: the starch grains are not necessarily those of P. sativum. Undomesticated pea remains were found at Ohalo II in Israel, in layers dated about 23,000 years ago. The earliest evidence for the purposeful cultivation of peas is from the Near East at the site of Jerf el Ahmar, Syria about 9,300 calendar years BCE [cal BCE] (11,300 years ago). Ahihud, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic site in Israel, had domestic peas in a storage pit with other legumes (fava beans, lentils, and bitter vetch), suggesting they had been cultivated and/or used for the same purpose. Pea Domestication Pisum sativa (Sugar Snap peas). Jenny Dettrick / Moment / Getty Images Archaeological and genetic research indicates that the pea was domesticated by people purposefully selecting for peas that had a softer shell and ripened during the wet season. Unlike grains, which ripen all at once and stand up straight with their grains on predictably sized spikes, wild peas put out seeds all over their flexible plant stems, and they have a hard, water-impermeable shell that allows them to ripen over a very long period of time. While long producing seasons may sound like a great idea, harvesting such a plant at any one time is not terrifically productive: you have to return time and time again to collect enough to make a garden worthwhile. And because peas grow low to the ground and seeds arise all over the plant, harvesting them isnt particularly easy either. What a softer shell on the seeds does is allow the seeds to germinate in the wet season, thereby allowing more peas to ripen at the same, predictable time. Other traits developed in domesticated peas include pods that dont shatter on maturity- wild peapods shatter, scattering their seeds out to reproduce; we would prefer that they wait until we get there. Wild peas have smaller seeds, too: wild pea seed weights range between .09 to .11 (about 3/100ths of an ounce) grams and domesticated ones are larger, ranging between .12 to .3 grams, or 4/100th to a tenth of an ounce. Studying Peas Peas were one of the first plants studied by geneticists, starting with Thomas Andrew Knight in the 1790s, not to mention the famous studies by Gregor Mendel in the 1860s. But, interestingly enough, mapping the pea genome has lagged behind other crops because it has such a large and complex genome. There are important collections of pea germplasm with 1,000 or more pea varieties located in 15 different countries. Several different research teams have begun the process of studying pea genetics based on those collections, but the variability in Pisum has continued to be problematic. Israeli botanist Shahal Abbo and his colleagues built wild pea nurseries in several gardens in Israel and compared the grain yield patterns to those of domesticated pea. Selected Sources Abbo, S., A. Gopher, and S. Lev-Yadun. The Domestication of Crop Plants. Encyclopedia of Applied Plant Sciences (Second Edition). Eds. Murray, Brian G., and Denis J. Murphy. Oxford: Academic Press, 2017. 50–54. Print.Bogdanova, Vera S., et al. Cryptic Divergences in the Genus Pisum L. (Peas), as Revealed by Phylogenetic Analysis of Plastid Genomes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 129 (2018): 280–90. Print.Caracuta, Valentina, et al. Farming Legumes in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic: New Discoveries from the Site of Ahihud (Israel). PLOS ONE 12.5 (2017): e0177859. Print.Hagenblad, Jenny, et al. Genetic Diversity in Local Cultivars of Garden Pea (Pisum Sativum L.) Conserved ‘on Farm’ and in Historical Collections. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 61.2 (2014): 413–22. Print.Jain, Shalu, et al. Genetic Diversity and Population Structure among Pea (Pisum Sativum L.) Cultivars as Revealed by Simple Sequence Repeat and Novel Genic Markers. Molecular Bi otechnology 56.10 (2014): 925–38. Print. Linstdter, J., M. Broich, and B. Weninger. Defining the Early Neolithic of the Eastern Rif, Morocco – Spatial Distribution, Chronological Framework and Impact of Environmental Changes. Quaternary International 472 (2018): 272–82. Print.Martin, Lucie. Plant Economy and Territory Exploitation in the Alps During the Neolithic (5000–4200 cal BC): First Results of Archaeobotanical Studies in the Valais (Switzerland). Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 24.1 (2015): 63–73. Print.Sharma, Shagun, et al. Quality Traits Analysis and Protein Profiling of Field Pea (Pisum Sativum) Germplasm from Himalayan Region. Food Chemistry 172.0 (2015): 528–36. Print.Weeden, Norman F. Domestication of Pea (Pisum Sativum L.): The Case of the Abyssinian Pea. Frontiers in Plant Science 9.515 (2018). Print.

Marketing Strategy of Levis Essays

Marketing Strategy of Levis Essays Marketing Strategy of Levis Paper Marketing Strategy of Levis Paper The Marketing Strategy Employed by Levis Missing In order for a new brand to establish itself in its market and for its products to sell successfully, thus achieving company goals and shareholder profitability, a number of key principles concerning consumer behaviour have to be fully grasped and addressed. As well as producing a range of new, exciting and quality garments, the firm will need to ensure that its products are cleverly and thoughtfully marketed to the appropriate consumer groups. In this report I will look at the marketing strategy employed by Levis on their new Anti-Fit style jeans, and at the importance of consumer behaviour in deriving this strategy. I will also look at the importance of a clear and up to date comprehension of the factors that affect consumer behaviour, paying particular attention to the key role that perception will play in forming consumers attitudes towards the new range of designer jeans. I will continue on to show how favourable perceptions about Levis brand identity will have a positive effect in raising consumer motivation to purchase a product from their range. The fashion industry at this time; a time of increasing disposable incomes and incidence of recreational shopping, is intensely competitive. We can draw on many examples to highlight the point that; companies who have established a strong and clear brand image, have tended to command a larger market share than those companies whos image is either unfavourable, for example old fashioned, or unattached to specific and clear values. Establishing a strong and istinguishable brand image for the Anti-Fit range of jeans is the central idea behind Levis marketing strategy for breaking into the competitive market and ultimately gaining a favourable share of the market for designer jeans. Creating the right brand image is largely dependent upon being in tune with the mindsets, beliefs, values and aspirations of the modern, well-informed consumer. Moreover ensuring that the consumer perceives the firm to be in tune with their way of thinking and holding similar values centrally to the Levis bra nd identity will be the key to ensuring marketing success. When advertising the Anti-Fit product Levis must ensure that its messages are clear and perceived by the desired audience in the intended manner. Evans, Moutinho and Van Raaij (1996) believe that aâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦the more we understand about the perceptual process both generally and of the target market concerned, the more we can ensure that the intended receivers of the message will interpret it in the intended manneraâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦ (pp. 55). The notion of branding can have significant effects on consumers perceptions of product characteristics and attributes. Studies have shown customers can often not tell the differences between the various brands but labels and their associations definitely influenced their evaluations. (Consumer Behaviour G R Foxall) This shows that customers perceptions of products can derive from marketing effort alone; brand images and brand differentiation can be the consumers only guide to want satisfaction. This is particularly evident in a highly branded stylised market such as the jeans market. Therefore pursuing the correct marketing campaign is essential to appeal to the target audience, in an already highly differentiated market. When shopping for designer jeans consumers are more likely to consider purchasing a brand product from his or her awareness set than from a company whos brand image he or she has not been exposed to. Brand awareness is an obvious precondition to purchase. (Jobber 2004) The purchase of a pair of designer jeans may be considered neither a high involvement nor low involvement purchase, where involvement may be thought of as aâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦the degree of perceived relevance and personal importance accompanying brand choice (Blackwell, Miniard and Engel 2001: quoted in Jobber 2004). The following model is an amalgamation of Fisbein and Ajzens model for high involvement purchases and Enrenberg and Goodharts model for low involvement situation. [IMAGE] The influences at work when shopping for designer jeans. The purchase of a pair of designer jeans is seldom undertaken with the same abandon and low risk as, for example, the purchase of a pair of socks. Jeans may be worn and enjoyed for many months, even years. Therefore the consumer would want to ensure that the jeans will remain comfortable, fashionable and flattering for more than a few outings. Creating a brand that is seen to be fashionable, desirable and having a degree of exclusivity, is vital for attacking the designer end of the jeans market. Referring to the model above and what has been written up to this point, suppose two comparably priced jeans were tested, both equally well fitting and both well styled. A consumer may be swayed by brand snobbery, wishing to attach herself to the brand he or she believes matches his or her beliefs and attitudes and will result in greater approval from his or her significant references. The more aware a consumer is of a brand, the more likely he or she may be to purchase its product. Perception of products and brand identity has a big impact on consumer purchasing behaviour, within a dynamic fast moving market, such as the jeans market; where style and originality is the key. Perception is defined as the entire process by which an individual becomes aware of his environment and interprets it so that it will fit into his own frame or reference (Walters in Consumer Behaviour G R Foxall 1977). People become aware of their environment through the five senses, therefore sensation is the process by which perception begins. Also important is the process of interpretation, which depends on the socio-psychological meanings the individual attaches to the object perceived. Everybody perceives things differently and this is important when thinking about grouping people into a particular market segment or marketing a brand in a particular way, as potential consumers may not interpret such things with the same meaning as intended. 0% of stimuli are received through sight, therefore when marketing a new range of designer jeans visual stimuli are a key method of attracting potential consumers. Potential customers within such a competitive market have a number of factors influencing their purchasing behaviour. Consumer buying is motivated by something more than awareness; it depends on the consumers needs and drives, tastes and aspirations, attitudes, personality and social environment. Products are not only purchased for their functional values but also, for the social and psychological meanings they convey. The purchase of a pair of jeans is linked, to what extent is dependent on the individual, to the formulation and shaping of a consumers self-image. Purchasing a pair of jeans will to some degree shape a persons self-image and the way others may perceive them. As marketers, a company must align the consumers self-perception and the image they intend to project to others, with the attributes and values they perceive to be attached to the company and its associated products. Grubb and Grothwohl (1967) suggest image research within marketing seeks to link the psychological construct of an individuals self-concept with the symbolic value of the goods purchased (p 23). A consumer will purchase goods that they believe will either enhance their self-image, or those which help the consumer to feel closer to their self image. Therefore we may think of goods, in this case designer jeans, as symbols that communicate something about the individual to his significant references (p 24). The selective nature of perception and attention act as a way of coping with the constant bombardment of stimuli, the precise manner in which the person allows some messages to penetrate while rejecting others depends on values, motives and attitudes as well as social situation. With a prior knowledge of this aspect of consumer purchasing behaviour, it is clear that when selecting and targeting potential consumers marketing strategies must incorporate a wide range of factors to appeal to a market segment which may encompass people with wide ranging beliefs, attitudes and values. For example marketing for young, trendy professionals looking for up to the minute style may represent a particular market segment but within this segment individuals may have varying beliefs or values. Therefore, by simply targeting a segment of the market we cannot assume homogenous perceptions of a new product. Differing attitudes to a particular strategy may be widely evident, therefore understanding consumers purchasing behaviour in relation to differing perceptions will give a wider insight into possible effective strategies.

Functions of the Apostrophe

Functions of the Apostrophe Functions of the Apostrophe Functions of the Apostrophe By Mark Nichol This post discusses the three primary functions of the apostrophe in the English language: the marking of the possessive case in nouns, the marking of the omission of one or more letters, and the marking of plurals of individual characters. (The obsolescence of apostrophes with abbreviations is also discussed.) Marking Possessives Apostrophes are employed in conjunction with the possessive s, as shown in the following examples: singular common nouns: â€Å"the farmer’s daughter† singular proper nouns that end in s: â€Å"Chris’ job† or â€Å"Chris’s job† (depending on which style one employs) plural common nouns: â€Å"the farmers’ daughters† plural common nouns that end in s: â€Å"the dogs’ bowls† plural proper nouns ending in s: â€Å"the Thompsons’ party† (no s at the end of the name); â€Å"the Simmonses’ car† (s at the end of the name) compound words: â€Å"mother-in-law’s tongue† separate possession: â€Å"John’s and Jane’s houses† joint possession: â€Å"John and Jane’s house† Note, in the case of proper nouns ending in s, the distinction between the first example, which refers to a party hosted by the Thompsons, and the usage Thompson’s, which refers to something belonging to Thompson. Lack of attention to this distinction is the cause of frequent errors in signage, as when a sign referring to the inhabitants of a residence reads, â€Å"The Thompson’s.† This truncation of â€Å"the Thompson’s house† literally indicates that it is the house of the Thompson and therefore is incorrect; it should read, â€Å"The Thompsons’.† Irregular plural nouns such as mice are treated according to the pertinent rule above, as in â€Å"The mice’s whiskers twitched with curiosity.† Also, nouns that are plural in form but singular in meaning technically take an apostrophe with no s (â€Å"the scissors’ handle,† though â€Å"the handle of the scissors† is easier to read and say). This rule applies to similar proper nouns (â€Å"Highland Estates’ bylaws†). Another exception is in the phrase â€Å"for goodness’ sake.† Attributive forms, as opposed to possessive forms, do not take an apostrophe (â€Å"veterans affairs†). The distinction is subtle, but test for the correct form by determining whether the phrase refers to an entity that exists for a given group (â€Å"veterans affairs†) or belongs to it or is organized by it (â€Å"farmers’ market†). Names of holidays should be styled according to who or what they honor: â€Å"Mother’s Day† is treated as such, for example, because although the day is for all mothers, one traditionally honored only one’s own mother, while Presidents’ Day commemorates all presidents. (â€Å"Veterans Day† is an anomaly.) Insertion or omission of apostrophes is also inconsistent in proper names in general, especially in geographical locations (â€Å"Pikes Peak,† but â€Å"Martha’s Vineyard’) or names of entities such as companies and organizations (Barclays, but McDonald’s). When an italicized term takes the possessive form, the apostrophe and the s are not italicized (as in â€Å"The Wizard of Oz’s enduring charm†). Contraction Apostrophes mark elision of one or more letters or numbers, as shown in the following examples: don’t (â€Å"do not†) o’clock (â€Å"of the clock†) c’mon (â€Å"come on†) let’s (â€Å"let us†) l’il (little) OK’d (in place of OKed) ’tis (â€Å"it is†) will-o’-the-wisp (will-of-the-wisp) â€Å"rock ’n’ roll† (â€Å"rock and roll†) f’c’stle (forecastle) O’Hara (â€Å"of the Hara,† from Gaelic Eaghra) ’60s (1960s) Many writers are confused about this function in some usage, erroneously apostrophizing possessive pronouns such as its (resulting in the erroneous it’s) and plural nouns such as apples (confusing them for possessive forms, as in a sign reading â€Å"Apple’s on sale†). Also, plural possessives pertaining to time frames are often mistakenly rendered as singular possessives (â€Å"two week’s notice†) or as plurals (â€Å"two weeks notice†); the proper form is â€Å"two weeks’ notice,† because the notice â€Å"belongs† to two weeks. (Note, however, the absence of an apostrophe in the phrase â€Å"two weeks late† because weeks is plural but not possessive.) Another frequent error is confusion of use of the apostrophe as the first character in a term. When contracting a word by beginning with an apostrophe, as in ’tis and â€Å"rock ’n’ roll,† or when contracting a number representing a four-digit year to the last two digits, as in the last example in the list above, precede it with an apostrophe- not an open single quotation mark (‘)- but indicate a range of years with a plural s alone (1960s), not with an apostrophe and an s; reserve that form for possessives (â€Å"1960’s most significant event,† in which a year, not a decade, is under discussion). Also, an apostrophe should follow a number, whether spelled out or in numeral form, only in a possessive sense or as a contraction, as in â€Å"The 4’s diagonal line is sometimes formed vertically† or â€Å"This hundred’s a counterfeit bill.† Plurals of Individual Characters An exception is made for using possessives to indicate plurals of lowercase letters, as in â€Å"Mind your p’s and q’s,† â€Å"Label the x’s and y’s,† and â€Å"There are two m’s in accommodate.† Also, the first of these examples shows an additional exception, one to the style rule that letters are italicized when employed to refer to themselves, as in â€Å"Write an s in the square and an r in the rectangle.† (Normally, plurals of uppercase letters do not feature an apostrophe- and are not italicized- as in â€Å"the three Rs† and â€Å"I got three As, two Bs, and a C on my report card.†) Apostrophes with Abbreviations Apostrophes at one time were employed with a following s to indicate plurals of nouns styled as initials followed by periods, as in M.D.’s to indicate more than doctor or R.S.V.P.’s to refer to multiple responses to an invitation, because although those forms look awkward, M.D.s and R.S.V.P.s appear even more so. However, use of periods with initials is becoming obsolete, and an apostrophe in MDs and RSVPs is unnecessary. (Many newer coinages such as CDs and DVDs generally postdate widespread usage of periods in initialisms.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Incorrect Pronunciations That You Should AvoidIs There a Reason â€Å"the Reason Why† Is Considered Wrong?10 Writing Exercises to Tighten Your Writing

Japanese healthcare system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Japanese healthcare system - Essay Example The delivery of healthcare services in Japan is largely controlled by the government despite the fact that the private sector is involved in the provision of health services. Despite covering the citizens of Japan, the healthcare system also offers medical services to foreigners who might visit the country. The cover provided to the citizens of Japan also depends on employment and the income earned by each individual citizen (Haffner et al, 2009) In every healthcare system, there are expenses incurred in providing services such as treatment, as well as drugs. In Japan, healthcare is paid for by the government, as well as medical insurance cover. Healthcare costs incurred are also paid for by the insurance cover; the social security system of Japan is divided into several pillars, which include public health, social welfare, social insurance, as well as public assistance. Social insurance is mandatory for all citizens and insures them against medical expenses that might be incurred as a result of health conditions. The National Health Insurance Act in Japan has set up an insurance system that is universal to ensure that all citizens can manage to pay for the healthcare costs they incur (Johnson & Stoskopf, 2010). Employed citizens have an employee’s insurance system whereby they pay a premium on a monthly basis based on their income. There is also national health insurance that caters for self-employed individuals. Hea lth insurance in Japan also caters for the elderly persons aged above 75 years. The decision of what care is covered is left to the health insurance agencies, as well as the contribution of the insured persons. Those who contribute a huge amount receive expensive insurance cover compared to those whose contributions are low. In addition, the health policies that the Japanese government has set up also determine the care provided to the citizens. The private sector also determines the care covered by the healthcare system of

Military strength in the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Military strength in the US - Essay Example This is because of this continued increase in defense expenditure endangers the funding of an adequate level of domestic activity. Origins of the U.S. Military Strength and the Global-Power Image. The U.S. Military is the largest in terms of military personnel. The personnel are drawn from a wide pool of paid volunteers although conscription can be occasionally applied during certain periods of both war and peace. The military strength is enhanced by the government’s generous funding that enables efficient training of manpower and sophisticated intelligence operations. The U.S. military also possesses sophisticated and efficient military equipments alongside widespread and balanced global orientation. This gives the U.S a global power image. Funding Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. According to Belasco (1), the accumulated total funding for Afghanistan and Iraq war as appropriated from 9/11 for the war operations, medical care for the war veterans and diplomatic operations is $1.283 trillion. This includes $806 billion for the Iraq war, $444 billion for the Afghanistan invasion, $27 billion for the tightened security and a total of $6 billion that is still unallocated but waits spending in military related activities. Defense Department Base Budget of 2009-2013. The federal government has budgeted approximately $851 billion for security spending during the fiscal year 2013, compared to $ 523 billion for Medicare and $820 requested for Social security. The security funding includes the overseas contingencies, department of Defense and other internal security departments. The President requested $525.4 billion for the Department of Defense’s Base Budget. According to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, FY 2013 Budget Summary Table S-12 (230), this was $5 billion less than the amount approved in the 2012 fiscal year budget. The defense budget 2009-2013 develops a strategy that offers a smooth transition from

Nuclear Energy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nuclear Energy - Research Paper Example The most alarming factor concerning the rapid population growth around the world is their need to access to the resources which they use to make a living out of (Sovacool). Despite the growth and the increased demand on the natural resources by the increasing human population, these natural resources have not been appreciating in value but have been depreciating instead as the pressure is exerted on them due to increased human demands. Besides industrialization has been on the increase as well as many countries try to fight out for their survival within their niches with regard to the diminishing natural resources. The main driving force for economic development and the running of various industries around the globe is energy. This actually means that as the world’s industrial growth continues to expand, a lot of energy is required to run the industries as well as other sectors of economic productivity. It is however an amazing discovery made by the scientists concerning the p rovision of energy requirements for the increasing world populations with the diminishing trend in the natural resource endowments which is in contrary with the world population growth. This paper will look at the process of nuclear energy development around the globe and its implications for the global population. The aspect of increasing energy requirements and the need to plan adequately for the future generations with the diminishing natural resource base lead to the coining of the term sustainable development which cropped up during the earth summit in Rio De Jenairo in 1992 which aimed at striking a balance between the increasing human populations and the energy demands and call for the use of these natural resources in a sustainable manner (Wiberg). The summit, commonly known as the Rio Summit/the Rio declaration defined sustainable development as the type of development which caters for the needs of the present generations without compromising the ability of the future gener ations to meet their own needs. This therefore meant that the present generation had to use her energy and other natural resources in such a way that they wouldn’t compromise the ability of the future generations to use the same resources to meet their own needs. The declaration made several countries to decide otherwise with regard to their protection of the natural resources hence the development of the nuclear energy as an alternative form to supplement and help sustain the non- renewable forms of energy such as hydro- electric energy, wood energy as well as the petroleum energy which is currently in high demand and widely used in the industrial sector but which is diminishing at a very high rate since it is non- renewable. Nuclear energy as Wiberg notes is that type of energy which is obtained by splitting the nucleus of certain radioactive atoms such as uranium, a process referred to as nuclear fission or nuclear tracking (Wiberg). The increasing demands on the requireme nts in the world has led to the overuse of the carbon related energy such as petroleum and coal energy which have only increased the extent of carbon gas emission in the atmosphere. Carbonic gas, which is known as a common and the most dangerous greenhouse gas resulting from emissions emanating from the extensive use of fossil fuels such as petroleum and coal, has immensely contributed to extensive global warming

Ethics Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics Case Study - Essay Example In general, the LPN has less training and less education requirements than the RN. In any office, it is the RN who is able to sign prescriptions and administer medication to patients. The LPN is under the supervision of an RN and therefore cannot dispense medication or prescriptions without the okay from the RN. In this situation, Jerry McCall does not know this patient and therefore does not know the dosage that the doctor has given him in the past. Also, the patient could be lying so McCall should look at the individuals chart before doing anything. What Jerry should do in this situation is tell the patient that he will talk to the doctor about it and see what he can do. He cannot take the word of the patient that the doctor has given him Valium in the past. Jerry can tell the patient that the doctor is currently out, but he will page him and ask him about the prescription. It does not matter whether the patient needs medication for high blood pressure because the point is that the LPN must always have a doctor or an RN sign off on their work. If Jerry were to call in the refill and something happens to the patient, he is not protected from a lawsuit because he went beyond his scope of practice if he calls in the medication. The doctor that he works for would be in the most trouble under the doctrine of respondent superior. In terms of ethical and legal issues, Jerry must first think about the oath of "do no harm." If he were to prescribe the Valium, and something should happen to the patient or the medication should have an adverse affect, his boss would be the most liable in the situation. However, Jerry has acted under his own will if he gives the medication and legally, he was not able to dispense this medication on his own, which means he could lose his license to practice. Depending on the state that the individual is practicing in, they may have more legal responsibilities in this case. Ethically, Jerry is bound by whatever training he had and the

Behavioural Finance final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Behavioural Finance final - Essay Example Different ways of reforms of financial crisis have been developed. Therefore, role of public policy will be discussed through some relevant economic theories developed by the eminent economists. These are Modern Momentary Theory, Moslers’s Law and Reverse Recardian Equivalence. These theories will be applied to identify the best possible ways in light of public sector to address financial crisis. Recommendations from these theories will be analysed in the light of endogenous money theory. Relation of economic crisis with public sector Economic crisis is worst case scenario of an economy which has subsequent effect on the world economy. Worldwide globalization has linked up the economies of all the countries with open economy. Different financial activities of people across the world have substantial or major contribution in economic crisis. Financial institutions especially banks are the major participants in economic crisis which represents financial stability of an economy t hrough the participation of public in various financial instruments. There are many different types of root causes behind the recessions or financial crisis took place mainly in the developed countries in USA and United Kingdom and spread in the world economy. ... General tendency of people is to invest their savings into some sectors that shows future potential and growth to provide more than expected return and i.e. much higher government bond return. But, future growth of a private sector in terms of growth in revenue is depends on the increase in income level as well purchasing power of public in the economy. Therefore, if both are not in a equilibrium position in future, a dramatic bubble occurs in the expected potential sectors and major decline in revenue starts which affect both the equity return as well businesses not able to pay the major creditors like banks (Callan, Nolan & Walsh, 2010, p.15). Effective theories of public policy There are numbers of economic theories developed by the eminent economists who have provided recommendation through their theories. These recommendations are highly related with the financial activities of public sector to address economic crisis. Following three economic theories are most relevant with the ways of reforming financial crisis. Modern Monetary Theory It is a descriptive economic theory that deals with consequences and procedures of using monetary tokens issued by government and it is acts as a unit of money i.e. fiat money. This theory can be applied to analyse modern economies where it acts as national currency of an economy which is issued and regulated by the government. According to this theory of economics, money enters into the market for circulation through the government spending. Taxation is employed in the economy to value the fiat money as currency. It controls the demand and supply of money in the market. Modern Monetary theory maintains a standard equilibrium level of

Socrates Wisdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Socrates Wisdom - Essay Example starts his main argument in the trial by saying that his wisdom is only â€Å"human wisdom† and that he is willing to admit that there is â€Å"a good chance† he has that kind of wisdom (p.3 [20e]). He compares this to the kind of wisdom that is â€Å"more than human,† by which he means that of the god of Delphi (p.3 [20e]). This is because the oracle told Chairephon that â€Å"there was no man wiser† than Socrates (p.3 [21a]). Socrates talks about his distress at hearing this, and explains that he went to ask a bunch of different people about their knowledge, â€Å"hoping to refute the oracle there if anywhere, and reply to† it with proof (p.4 [21c]). He then runs through some of the encounters he had with people he talked to. He starts with a politician who was supposedly wise but â€Å"it seemed to me that while this man was considered to be wise both by many other people and especially by himself, he was not.† (p.4 [21e]). When Socrates tries to explain this, he becomes hated. After he had gone through all the politicians with similar results, he tries the poets. The poets come off a little better, for although they are not wise enough to explain their own poetry, but that they â€Å"are possessed, like the seers and fortune-tellers, who also say many fine things but know nothing about what theyre saying.† (p.4 [22c]). On the other hand, they think themselves wise just like the politicians do. The last set of people he talks to are the artisans. He finds that although they do know many things, they have the same problem as poets, and â€Å"Because each of them performed his craft well, he considered himself to b e most wise about the greatest things† (p.5 [22d]). Socrates is quick to point out that his disproving of these other people’s wisdom does not make him think he is wise himself. He still maintains that knowing he does know nothing makes him both wise and unwise. Because he is self-aware, he knows â€Å"that he is actually worthless with respect to

Ethics Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics Case Study - Essay Example In general, the LPN has less training and less education requirements than the RN. In any office, it is the RN who is able to sign prescriptions and administer medication to patients. The LPN is under the supervision of an RN and therefore cannot dispense medication or prescriptions without the okay from the RN. In this situation, Jerry McCall does not know this patient and therefore does not know the dosage that the doctor has given him in the past. Also, the patient could be lying so McCall should look at the individuals chart before doing anything. What Jerry should do in this situation is tell the patient that he will talk to the doctor about it and see what he can do. He cannot take the word of the patient that the doctor has given him Valium in the past. Jerry can tell the patient that the doctor is currently out, but he will page him and ask him about the prescription. It does not matter whether the patient needs medication for high blood pressure because the point is that the LPN must always have a doctor or an RN sign off on their work. If Jerry were to call in the refill and something happens to the patient, he is not protected from a lawsuit because he went beyond his scope of practice if he calls in the medication. The doctor that he works for would be in the most trouble under the doctrine of respondent superior. In terms of ethical and legal issues, Jerry must first think about the oath of "do no harm." If he were to prescribe the Valium, and something should happen to the patient or the medication should have an adverse affect, his boss would be the most liable in the situation. However, Jerry has acted under his own will if he gives the medication and legally, he was not able to dispense this medication on his own, which means he could lose his license to practice. Depending on the state that the individual is practicing in, they may have more legal responsibilities in this case. Ethically, Jerry is bound by whatever training he had and the

Socrates Wisdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Socrates Wisdom - Essay Example starts his main argument in the trial by saying that his wisdom is only â€Å"human wisdom† and that he is willing to admit that there is â€Å"a good chance† he has that kind of wisdom (p.3 [20e]). He compares this to the kind of wisdom that is â€Å"more than human,† by which he means that of the god of Delphi (p.3 [20e]). This is because the oracle told Chairephon that â€Å"there was no man wiser† than Socrates (p.3 [21a]). Socrates talks about his distress at hearing this, and explains that he went to ask a bunch of different people about their knowledge, â€Å"hoping to refute the oracle there if anywhere, and reply to† it with proof (p.4 [21c]). He then runs through some of the encounters he had with people he talked to. He starts with a politician who was supposedly wise but â€Å"it seemed to me that while this man was considered to be wise both by many other people and especially by himself, he was not.† (p.4 [21e]). When Socrates tries to explain this, he becomes hated. After he had gone through all the politicians with similar results, he tries the poets. The poets come off a little better, for although they are not wise enough to explain their own poetry, but that they â€Å"are possessed, like the seers and fortune-tellers, who also say many fine things but know nothing about what theyre saying.† (p.4 [22c]). On the other hand, they think themselves wise just like the politicians do. The last set of people he talks to are the artisans. He finds that although they do know many things, they have the same problem as poets, and â€Å"Because each of them performed his craft well, he considered himself to b e most wise about the greatest things† (p.5 [22d]). Socrates is quick to point out that his disproving of these other people’s wisdom does not make him think he is wise himself. He still maintains that knowing he does know nothing makes him both wise and unwise. Because he is self-aware, he knows â€Å"that he is actually worthless with respect to

Systems Documentation Techniques Essay Example for Free

Systems Documentation Techniques Essay Question 1 1.Prepare flowcharting segments for each of the following operations: a)processing transactions stored on magnetic tape to update a master file stored on magnetic tape b)processing transactions stored on magnetic tape to update a database stored on a magnetic disk c)converting source documents to magnetic tape using a computer-based optical character reader (OCR) d)processing OCR documents online to update a database on magnetic disk e)reading data from a magnetic disk into the computer to be printed on a report f)using a computer or terminal to key data from source documents to a file stored on a magnetic disk g)manually sorting and filing invoices numerically h)using a terminal to enter source document data and send it to a remote location where an online processing system records it in a database stored on magnetic disk i)a scheduled automatic backup of an internal hard drive to an external hard drive j)using a terminal to query customer sales data maintained on a magnetic disk k)enter employee hours recorded on time cards in the payroll transaction  file maintained on disk and update wage data maintained on the payroll master file l)use a terminal to access a price list maintained on disk to complete a purchase order. An electronic copy of the purchase order is sent to the vendor and a backup copy is printed and filed by vendor name m)update an airline reservation on a Web-based airline reservation system from a home computer Question 2 The Happy Valley Utility Company uses turnaround documents in its computerized customer accounting system. Meter readers are provided with preprinted computer forms, each containing the account number, name, address and previous meter readings. Each form also contains a formatted area in which the customer’s current meter reading can be marked in pencil. After making their rounds, meter readers turn in batches of these documents to the computer data preparation department, where they are processed by a mark-sense document reader that transfers their contents to magnetic tape. This magnetic tape file is used as input for two computer runs. The first run sorts the transaction records on the tape into sequential order by customer account number. On the second run, the sorted transaction tape is processed against the customer master file, which is sorted on a magnetic disk. Second-run outputs are (1) a printed report listing summary information and any erroneous transactions detected by the computer and (2) customer bills printed in a special OCR-readable font. Bills are mailed and customers are requested to return the stub portion along with payment. Customer payments are received in the mailroom and checked for consistency against the returned remittance stubs. Checks are then sent to the cashier’s office. The mailroom provides the computer data preparation department with three sets of records: (1) stubs with compatible amounts, (2) stubs with differing amounts, and (3) a list of amounts received from customers,  without stubs. For the latter two types of records, data preparation personnel use a special off-line keying device to prepare corrected stubs. An OCR document reader reads all the stubs and sends the data to the company’s computer. The computer updates the customer master file to post the payment amounts. Two printed outputs from this second process are (1) reports listing erroneous transactions and summary information and (2) past-due customer balances. Required: a)Draw a system flowchart of the billing operations, commencing with the computer preparation of the meter reading forms and ending with the mailing of customer bills. b)Draw a system flowchart depicting customer payments processing, starting with the mailroom operations and ending with the two printed reports. a)Draw a system flowchart of the billing operations, commencing with the computer preparation of the meter reading forms and ending with the mailing of customer bills. b)Draw a system flowchart depicting customer payments processing, starting with the mailroom operations and ending with the two printed reports.