Thursday, December 26, 2019

Life and Art of Cindy Sherman, Feminist Photographer

Cindy Sherman (born January 19, 1954) is an American photographer and filmmaker whose â€Å"Untitled Film Stills,† a series of photographs meant to evoke a still shot from a fictional movie, launched her to fame. Fast Facts: Cindy Sherman Occupation: Artist and photographerBorn: January 19, 1954 in Glen Ridge, New JerseyEducation: Buffalo State CollegeKnown For: Photographs exploring themes of feminism, image, subjugation, and superficialityKey Works:  Untitled Film Stills  series (1977-1980),  Centerfolds  series (1981) Sherman is well known for the insertion of her own image into her photographs, donning prosthetics, costume, and makeup to transform herself into the subject of her gaze. Often engaging themes of feminism, image, subjugation, and superficiality, Sherman continues to be sought after as a voice of critique in a media-based world. She is considered a member of the â€Å"Pictures Generation† of American artists, who came to prominence in the 1970s and 80s. Early Life and Family Cindy Sherman was born Cynthia Morris Sherman on January 19, 1954 in New Jersey. She grew up on Long Island and was the youngest of five children. Because the sibling closest to her age was nine years her senior, Sherman felt like an only child, sometimes forgotten in the midst of so many others in her family. Sherman has said that, as a result of her family dynamic, she sought attention in any way possible. From a very young age, Sherman donned alternate personas with the assistance of her extensive costume wardrome. She describes her mother as kind-hearted and â€Å"good,† though primarily concerned that her children make the right impression (something which tempted the young Sherman to rebel). She has described her father as mean-spirited and closed minded. Shermans family life was not happy, and when Sherman was 15 years old, her elder brother committed suicide. This trauma had repercussions for Sherman’s personal life, and she cites it as the reason she ended up in several long-term relationships she did not want to be in, believing she could help other men where she could not help her brother. She was married to the video artist Michel Auder for 17 years in the 1980s and 90s, a marriage which ended in divorce. Beginnings as an Artist Sherman studied art at Buffalo State College. After graduating, she moved to New York City with artist Robert Longo, who was a fellow art student and Buffalo State graduate. In the 1970s, New Yorks streets were gritty and sometimes unsafe. In response, Sherman developed attitudes and attires that acted as coping mechanisms for the discomforts she would meet on her way home—an extension of her childhood habit of dress-up. Though she found it upsetting and uncomfortable, Sherman ultimately saw New York as a place of reinvention. She began to show up to social occasions in costume, and eventually Longo convinced Sherman to begin photographing her characters. These were the beginnings from which the Untitled Stills were born, most of which were photographed in or around the apartment the two shared. In many ways, the rebellious spirit instilled in Sherman as a child never left her. For example, as her work was gaining popularity in the 1980s, the artist took a turn towards the grotesque, creating work that featured various bodily fluids spilled and smeared within the frame, as a way to challenge the art world’s perception of her as salable and appropriate to â€Å"hang above a dining room table.† In the 1990s, the National Endowment for the Arts withdrew its funding from â€Å"controversial† projects. As an act of protest against what she perceived to be a form of censorship, Sherman began to photograph outrageous portraits of genitals, using plastic hospital dummies and mannequins common to medical school classrooms. This type of subversion continues to define Sherman’s career. Untitled Film Stills Sherman works in series of photographs in which she builds off a theme that addresses a social issue. Her subjects have been wide-ranging as what it means to age as a woman, the subjugating effect of the male gaze on the female form, and the contorting effects of social media on self-image. Within each series, Sherman acts as the model, costumer, make-up artist, and set designer. The â€Å"Untitled Film Stills† (1977-1980) are arguably Sherman’s most famous works. These images, all in black and white, evoke key moments in Hollywood cinema. Though the â€Å"films† from which these photographs were taken do not exist, their appeal lies in the fact that they evoke moods played out ceaselessly in popular movies, thus causing the viewer to sense that he or she has seen the film before. Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still #17 (1978).   tate.org The tropes portrayed by Sherman include the young ingenue, dominated by the city, who gazes off in fear at an unknown person or object out of frame, and the outcast, standing among detritus and ruins, waiting for someone to arrive. Often, these images contain within them a threat and a feeling that nothing good can come of these situations. By inserting discomfort into images of women, Sherman asks the viewer to consider the subject and understand her vulnerability. Centerfolds and Later Work In the early 80s came the â€Å"Centerfolds,† a series of double-width images intended to mimic the typically seductive and alluring poses of models placed at the center of adult magazines. Sherman turned the concept of a centerfold on its head by using the format to depict women who had endured physical abuse. The images hold the viewer accountable for approaching the works as if they were designed to please— in Shermans words, they are a â€Å"thwarted expectation. Cindy Sherman, Untitled #92 (1981). Centerfolds series.   christies.org In 2017, Sherman made public her personal Instagram account, which serves as an extension of her practice. Sherman employs the tools of digital airbrushing—intended to falsely alter images of the human face to achieve the tool of flawlessness—and instead pushes these contortions to an extreme. Using applications intended to improve images, Sherman exaggerates features, thus drawing attention to the fine line between inhuman perfection (the type that only social media is capable of showing) and inhuman, almost alien-like alteration. In line with her popularity in the more traditional art world, Shermans account (cindysherman) has garnered hundreds of thousands of followers. Awards and Accolades Cindy Sherman is a widely honored artist. She has received both a MacArthur Genius Grant and a Guggenheim Fellowship. She is an honorary member of the Royal Academy, and has been represented in numerous biennials across the world. Sherman continues to be an important voice not only in contemporary art, but also in the media age. Her biting critique gets at the core of an issue and hyper-focuses on it through the poignant and intimate medium of portraiture. She lives in New York with her parrot, Frida, and is represented by Metro Pictures Gallery. Sources BBC (1994).  Nobodys Here But Me. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?vUXKNuWtXZ_U. (2012).Adams, T. (2016). Cindy Sherman: Why am I in these photos?.  The Guardian. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/jul/03/cindy-sherman-interview-retrospective-motivation.Russeth, A. (2017). Facetime with Cindy Sherman.  W. [online] Available at: https://www.wmagazine.com/story/cindy-sherman-instagram-selfie.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Taking a Look at Climate Change - 1400 Words

Climate change is a very real and prevalent issue in today’s society. So what can we do to stop it? Can we reverse the effects that have already taken place? This essay will address the issues of climate change, answer questions and talk about prevention. It is said that the Earth’s climate has been changing for the past century (State Government of Victoria, 2014). There is new found, stronger evidence that there have been increases in the average temperature across the globe and that the believed to be main cause of this change is due to human activities (University Corperation for Atmospheric Research, 2013). Greenhouse gases are what are most commonly referred to in conversation on climate change. Although greenhouse gases are generally referred to on the negative side, they are also essential to life (Mapstone, 2011). The greenhouse gases which consist of carbon dioxide, water vapor and methane retain heat in the earth’s atmosphere, gently warming our planet to sustain life, just as a greenhouse would in a cold climate, which is evidently where it receives its name. The sun warms the surface of the earth, which then radiates energy back towards space through the atmosphere. The greenhouse gases then absorb some of t he radiation and radiate heat in different directions, including towards earth. This is now adding to the heat the surface of the earth is already receiving from the sun. Without the aid of this greenhouse affect it is said that the surface of the earthShow MoreRelatedTaking a Look at Climate Change1769 Words   |  7 PagesIf we are going to look at the consensus on climate change we should start by defining which group of people is supposed to be reaching that consensus. All scientists are supposed to know all there is to know about every field of science; 17,000 scientists signed a petition saying theres no convincing evidence that greenhouse gases will disrupt the earths climate; 31,000 scientists are saying that global warming is beneficial. A lot a meteorologist become weather forecasters or pilots or teachersRead MoreTaking a Look at Climate Change1619 Words   |  6 Pagesaccelerated development , the climate is changing because of human activity affects the installation o f the components of the Earths atmosphere through the buildup of gases , especially carbon dioxide , methane and nitrous oxide , a greenhouse gas known greenhouse gases and has the property of attracting heat and thus the accumulation causes global warming, despite the fact that the interaction of the Earth with the changes in the atmosphere and try this planet to modify climate , however, global warmingRead MoreTaking a Look at Climate Change964 Words   |  4 Pagesdriving fuel-efficient cars, that can be dangerous, due to their size, and can take hours to charge. But fortunately, there are effective and cost efficient ways to reduce global warming and live a cleaner, healthier life. One thing is for sure, the climate is changing and if we dont do something soon, the Earth my face harmful, and even deadly consequences. Global warming is caused by emissions of greenhouse gases such as Nitrous Oxide (N2O), Methane (CH4), which is the strongest of the greenhouseRead MoreClimate Change in Earth1381 Words   |  6 Pagesmy view, climate change is the most severe problem that we are facing today-more serious even than the threat of terrorism. (King, 2004) were the wise words of Chief Scientific Advisor to the United Kingdom Government. For decades two major topics have been discussed from scholars to mere regular individuals. Rich people, the less fortunate, people from Canada or people from the Middle East, these two topics affect everyone. Those two topics are: climate change and tourism. Climate change can be definedRead MoreClimate Change And Its Effects On Society1223 Words   |  5 PagesThesis Climate change has been a highly controversial topic for the last couple of decades, in the last decade it has come more ever so pronounced under the public highlight. It is a very highly debatable topic in which many sides both scientific along with general public try to search for answers on if it’s a human caused one or one that just what mother earth herself continually goes though. I will be covering both the scientific reasoning on what might be causing climate change and how virtueRead MoreClimate Change On The Oceans1581 Words   |  7 PagesClimate change has become a large topic of interest especially in the last few years. While climate change will have many wide reaching effects the focus of this paper will be on oceans. One of the more obvious effect of climate change on the oceans will be warming of the water. From 1971 to 2010 the upper ocean defined as 700 meters and above warmed, it may have also warmed prior to that time but data was not very well kept or consistent during those times. While the water close to the surface couldRead MoreHow Can An Injustice Be Changed?1186 Words   |  5 Pagesinjustice be changed? First, one must have the knowledge of the injustice. Global climate change is an injustice because it brings damage and harm to animal, human, and environmental habitats. â€Å"Global climate change affects Earth’s capacity to sustain life†. Global climate change refers to the alteration of the Earth’s atmosphere temperature (Glossary). Utilitarianism is a theory to find alternatives to combat global climate change. Utilitarianism focuses on the positives influences that come to the greatestRead MoreClimate Awareness Website Paper1076 Words   |  5 Pagescurrently helping the environment; that website is, The Climate Reality Project. Here is a link for you to browse this website to become for familiar with it, https://www.climaterealityproject.org/. The main topic of this website is that we must d o better things to create a better future for our world. We must also spread the word around, so that more people are becoming aware of it, for the benefit. People who want more information about Climate Awareness should visit the website. It will impact yourRead MoreThe Myths About Climate Change Essay790 Words   |  4 Pageshttp://skepticalscience.com/argument.php 1. This link covers many of the myths about climate change. †¢ List two of the myths that you found most interesting. †¢ Outline what each myth is, and what the right answer to that question or item is. Reviewing the website above, I must say some people are extremely foolish and a vast majority of the claims they make are extremely ridiculous! Global Warming and Climate change are ever present and the effects are seen worldwide. The fact that there are so manyRead MoreClimate Change Has Affected Water Resources1425 Words   |  6 PagesClimate change is one of the major environmental concerns in society today. It has involved scientists from all fields, politicians from all aspects and even the ‘common’ citizen. As much as it is a major talk among people, some individuals however are not convinced that climate change is actually taking place. So scientists have gone on to do studies and provide empirical evidence that indeed climate change is taking place. Some of the areas that climate change has affected include; an increase

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

SpanishAmerican War Essay Research Paper In the free essay sample

Spanish-American War Essay, Research Paper In the late 1890s, the US was merely get downing to set up themselves as a universe power. In April of 1898 the Congress had begun to demand for Cuban independency from Spain. The Americans had begun to go disquieted with Spain after the Battleship Maine was sunk in the Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898. Although ill-defined whether or non the Spaniards really sunk the ship, the xanthous journalists of the clip used propaganda to do it look as if the Spanish sunk the ship, and caused the general American populace to desire a war. The Spaniards had murdered and anguished 1000s of Cubans in order to keep power and control on the island. On April 11, President William McKinley asked Congress if they could utilize force to step in in Cuba with their desire for independency and Spain s reluctance in the issue.1 On April 19, Congress declared Cuba free and independent, and insisted on Spain s removing of their forces from Cuba. We will write a custom essay sample on SpanishAmerican War Essay Research Paper In the or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Two yearss subsequently, Spain ended all diplomatic dealingss with the United States, which resulted in Congress declaring a province of war four yearss following that event on April 25. The Spanish-American War had started, which would do the United States to emerge as a universe power. The first portion of the war took topographic point in the Pacific Ocean near the Philippines, in America s run to annex Philippines. The Americans utilized their powerful naval forcess of four 1st category battlewagons and one 2nd category battlewagon, along with many patrol cars and other war vessels which amassed to go three times every bit big as the Spanish Navy.2 The Spanish on the other manus, merely had one 1st category battlewagon, which was neer even active in the war due to necessary fixs, go forthing seven flagships to support against the American Navy, all the piece being less equipped than their American enemies. This state of affairs was non really good for the Spanish and allowed for the Americans to accomplish a instead easy triumph in obtaining Philippines. Admiral Commodore George Dewey led the American navy, and the Spanish Navy was led by Rear Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasaron in Manila Bay.3 Although the Spanish put up a battle, they were no lucifer for the Ame ricans, and were wholly destroyed with the US Navy enduring merely a few hurt and none dead, and no harm to any ships.4 The American citizens were enraptured over the triumph in the Pacific, and many people went to volunteer in the ground forces. The manner in which the authorities handled these extra voluntaries about cost the state in the war overall. They grouped the new military personnels into regiments of their ain, without the leading of established soldiers to take them, and so there were about 223,000 voluntaries believing that they were already veterans. These military personnels were non good plenty trained to contend against the 155,000 extremely trained Spanish soldiers in Cuba. The Americans besides did a hapless occupation of eating, sheltering, and maintaining the soldiers healthy during the war, as 2,565 work forces died of disease.5 Even though the American ground forces appeared disorganized, the leaders had a program to win the war with. Their aim was to capture Havana, which was the centre of all Spanish authorization in Cuba. The Americans stationed the habitues ( soldiers who we re in the ground forces before the declaration of war ) in New Orleans, Mobile, and Tampa during the clip period when new voluntaries were developing. A group of these habitues were placed under the bid of Major General William Shafter and their end was to travel from Tampa to Cuba and convey supplies to Cuban Rebels. The Americans besides were be aftering on using their Navy in the Atlantic to obstruct Cuba and forestall the Spanish from having supplies from Spain. This program would later alter though as state of affairss occurred during the war, as all war programs will be modified during a war do to minor reverses or progresss as a consequence of motions by the enemy. Even though the Americans destroyed the Spanish fleet in the Pacific Ocean, they had a much stronger Navy in the Atlantic, with the bulk located in the Cape Verde Islands. This fleet set canvas for Cuba one time the Americans set up their encirclement, and the Spanish wanted to interrupt up this encirclement by directing Admiral Cervera with an armada of four patrol cars and three gunman boats. Rear Admiral William Sampson was the American Naval Blockade commanding officer with three battlewagons, two patrol cars, and many smaller ships. A 4th battlewagon would get subsequently on in the war.6 While the Spanish were on their manner to Cuba, a rumour broke out that the Spanish were traveling to assail the East seashore, which caused Sampson to direct a powerful fleet to Virginia as a safeguard. While Sampson was trailing Cervera s fleet, the Spanish ships were in hunt of fuel, and so Cervera led them to Santiago de Cuba, where the American Navy in bend trapped them. The United States could non direct in the Navy into the port of Santiago for fright of the land guns operated by Spanish, which could make heavy harm to the American fleet. The Americans than decided to assail Santiago from the land, as they determined that it was imperative to capture Santiago and destruct the Spanish fleet without losing a individual Naval ship because of their labored dealingss with other foreign powers in the world.7 On May 30, 1898, General Shafter was stationed in Tampa with some habitues, and he received a missive from Washington DC teaching him to travel towards the country of Santiago with a group of soldiers and destruct the fort of soldiers located at that place along with the Spanish fleet. Shafter headed over at first with 18,000 military personnels, but at that place was a rumour of some Spanish ships policing the country, and the troop conveyances had small defence and had to wait at sea until the country was inspected, and by the clip the military personnels eventually arrived in Cuba there were 17,000 military personnels remaining.8 Theodore Roosevelt and his group of Rough Riders did last, and they would be really of import in the Battle of San Juan Hill. The Cuban Rebel leader General Calixto Garc a agreed to assist clear 300 Spanish soldiers out of the town of Daiquir. The end was for the US military personnels to capture the Morro Castle and garrisons at Socapa, but this required a trek up a 230 pes drop to a garrison, which had already resulted a slaughter of the British back in the eighteenth century, and General Shafter was loath in leting this mission, so the Americans decided to set down 15 stat mis east of Daiquir. By June 22, 1898 the landings on the island had begun. The Spanish officer in charge in the Santiago state was Lieutenant General Arsenio Linares who had 36,000 military personnels at his disposal in his country but possibly made a hapless determination in retreating his military personnels from Daiquir, in expectancy of a major conflict defence around Santiago. This allowed the Americans to set down around 20,000 work forces in Cuba without a shooting being fired to drive them off. The lone loss was five Equus caballuss that drowned. The Americans set up a base at Siboney, and the first land conflict of the short war was fought at Las Guasimas where 2,000 Spanish soldiers had been stationed to detain the Americans. The conflict was lead by Brigadier General Joseph Wheeler for the Americans, a Confederate ground forces veteran, who led the Yankees to a slightly triumph, in which the Americans had more casualties, but the Spanish were the 1s who retreated, leting the Americans to now keep Siboney as their base and Las Guasimas as a good apparatus place on the route to Santiago. The Americans had a slow-down of motion at the Siboney base, partially due to General Shafter s developing of a illness, forestalling him from even siting a Equus caballus. During this clip, General Linares besides began to do a formidable defence construction at El Caney and San Juan, both of which would go major conflict points. Shafter s program had been to capture El Caney, leave some military personnels at that place and so travel on to capture San Juan while General Garc a took the Cubans to obstruct the route West from Santiago, which would forestall Spanish supports from geting at the conflict. At El Caney, the Spaniards put up and improbably strong battle, led by Spanish General Joaquin del Rey, firing against the Americans with more advanced rifles, and doing the Americans to take much longer to capture the small town, which stalled the assault on San Juan Hill. The town of El Caney was non captured until late in the twenty-four hours, when the blockhouse was eventually captured, and subsequently on General del Rey was shot down.9 The town s gaining control now allowed the Americans to began the assault on San Juan. The Americans wanted to assail San Juan in order to be able to easier obtain Santiago, which was an of import port. The hills of El Caney and San Juan were of import hills outside the metropolis, which were necessary to hold to take over the metropolis. Once San Juan Hill was taken, the American Navy could get down their assault on Santiago through their naval forcess, in what was traveling to be a joint naval and ground forces attempt. The conflict at San Juan started off easy, with the voluntaries going panicked as the Spanish fired many fusillades into the way of the Americans. The group became disorganized until Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders arrived at the battleground, and at that place led the Americans on a dramatic charge into San Juan Heights and Kettle Hill, which was an easy triumph, unlike San Juan Hill which lied to the Americans side. Roosevelt was an inspirational figure to the voluntaries, as he was good known throughout America and was a leader of the Rough Riders. Although an easy triumph at San Juan Heights and Kettle Hill, San Juan Hill and its immense drop was a different conflict. There was an unfastened field which led to San Juan Hill, which was guarded good by the Spanish, and there was small attempt to ramp the garrison until Lieutenant John Parker led a hitter of three Gatling machine guns which easy began to drive the Spaniards off their musca volitanss in the trenches of San Juan Hill. Finally the Americans climbed the drop, and were it non for the Spaniards misfiring at that place may hold been many American casualties, but however the Americans reached the top and the Spaniards fled. The United States army now controlled all of San Juan Hill, which signified an unfastened route to Santiago. The ground forces did non cognize that the Spanish had a great defence force built up around Santiago, which would about do General Shafter to withdraw five stat mis back. San Juan Hill was a major turning point in the war, in that the habitues helped to take the voluntaries into better soldiers, as when the Rough Riders regrouped the voluntaries and allowed the military personnels to capture San Juan Heights. All told, about 1,071 Americans were wounded or killed, 375 among horse in the San Juan battle.10 The conflict was besides of import in increasing morale when John Parker took up the bravery to traverse an unfastened plane under Spanish fire in order to capture the San Juan Hill. The Americans had been holding problem traversing the field, and John Parker utilized his bravery to get down the concluding charge up the drop. Without his attempts, the conflict at San Juan Hill may hold last many more yearss, which could ve resulted in legion sums of American lives lost in the conflict. Following the acquisition of San Juan Hill on July 1, the Americans went on to fight a small before winning the war. Due to the loss of over 1,000 military personnels who were injured in the conflict of San Juan, the Americans were left with a instead thin line of military personnels. The Navy so got involved, which was another major event in the war. The Spanish Armada tried to get away from the Bay, even with the American Navy waiting. On July 3, 1898, the American Navy destroyed the remainder of the Spanish fleet in the Cuban country, which allowed for an easy coup detat of Santiago. Once the Spanish fleet was destroyed, the American Navy directed their attending to the metropolis of Santiago, and began to pelt them. With this barrage, the American ground forces started to bomb Santiago as good with their heavy weapon. The barrage started on July 10, and by July 17 the Spanish fort at Santiago had surrendered to the Americans.11 This resignation ended the Cuban run, and began the Spanish supplication for peace. The Americans did perpetrate one last war attempt, as they invaded Puerto Rico on July 25 and there were a few minor conflicts at that place, but nil major, as the Treaty of Paris was signed on December 10, which officially ended the war. In between the sign language of the pact and the invasion of Puerto Rico, non much combat occurred, as it was largely dialogues. The concluding battled occurred on August 9 in Puerto Rico, and three yearss subsequently a armistice was signed. The armistice officially ended the war. The war with Spain allowed the United States to go a universe power and set up new districts such as Guam, Philippines, and Cuba. Equally early as December of 1897 President McKinley had been be aftering on assailing the Philippines if war was declared with Spain.12 The full war was completed in a 10-week clip span, and the United States suffered merely 345 casualties through battles.13 Although the war was chiefly dominated by the Americans, without the coup detat of San Juan Hill, Santiago would hold been much harder to suppress. Without the leading of the Rough Riders, San Juan Hill may non hold been conquered, and a different consequence may hold come out of the war. Even people such as J.P. Morgan had supported the war, stating that it would assist American Capital. Many other large corporation work forces such as Rockefeller, John Gates, and John Jacob Astor besides supported the war, and told President McKinley how they felt.14 The Spanish-American War is a major point in Amer ican history, which showed how powerful the state is and led to a great twentieth century.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte and ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne Du Maurier Essay Example

Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte and ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne Du Maurier Paper The two books I am studying are Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. I will be comparing and contrasting the way Daphne Du Maurier and Charlotte Bronte both create a sense of tension and mystery in Rebecca chapter 7, and Jane Eyre chapter 20. They were written in different times, Jane Eyre in the 1840s of the 19th century and Rebecca in the 1930s of the 20th century. Both books draw many similarities and a story line focusing on one central character throughout, the young female heroine who is unsupported by family or wealth and hold no social position. They are in search of identity and encounter many difficulties as both their characters develop. In Jane Eyre, she becomes a much stronger person towards the end of the book, whereas in Rebecca, the bride seems to lose her identity completely and is continuously haunted by another. They both contain great romantic, but mystic genres, and Jane Eyre in particular an unusual gothic theme. Rebecca focuses on the story of a young shy female who has been taken in by a woman as her companion. She is used to the idea of not having any power or position important to those around her, a role that is submissive and humble. As the book progresses, the romantic theme of the novel arises with an arrival of a widowed man Maxim De Winter, the owner of Manderley. Their relationship begins to develop, and they are soon to be married. After the marriage the unnamed bride is taken to Manderley where Maxim had spent his days with Rebecca, his previous wife. The new bride is expected to fill the role of a strong minded and charming woman that Rebecca was, intelligent and popular. We will write a custom essay sample on Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte and ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne Du Maurier specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte and ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne Du Maurier specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte and ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne Du Maurier specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer However she found this difficult especially with the reaction of those around her, in particular Mrs Danvers. Tension is dawning and Rebeccas influence became mysterious and haunting for those in the mansion. Slowly driving her into a neurotic, nervous state, her search for identity seems to be a failure and the thoughts and shadow of Rebecca still remains. Jane Eyre has quite a different story, but also shares the same status as an orphaned child with no real family or support. She is brought up in the cold charity of her aunt and cousins, who reject her and excludes her from the family. She then decides to go to boarding school where she can get away from her aunt, but there is an unfortunate epidemic that occurs in the school, and causes the death of her only friend. She stays on at the school and becomes a teacher, but later she decides that she wants to leave and proceeds to make an escape and becomes a governess in Thornfield hall for Mr Rochester. Gradually, a relationship develops between them, and she falls into a love affair that is filled with secrets and mystery from Mr Rochester, as in Rebecca with Maxim De Winter. When Jane is living there as Mr Rochesters humble servant, she hears a continual scream that comes from the attic of the house, and becomes curious about the noises. Finally she discovers his secret and she leaves Thornfield Hall, but soon returns to wed Mr Rochester after a disastrous incident that occurs at the hall. There are many themes that are used in both novels, and other themes appear which are effective for each novel in its own. Both contain gothic themes and supernatural elements that develop throughout the book, which adds to the mystery and sense of tension that arises leading up to the two chapters I am studying. This gothic theme produces images that are dark or hidden and effectively draws your attention to the mystery. Rebecca In Rebecca the setting of the novel is first based in Monte-Carlo a vibrant and lively place, and there is a dramatic contrast that is formed from when she had spent her days there with her companion and the time when she reaches Manderley in chapter 7 of the book. From the time where they are driving towards Manderley, Maxim is being suspiciously positive about his return with his new bride and does not seem to be nervous about what to be expecting and how she will cope. She however dreaded the thought at arriving in Manderley, but did not consult him about this. She had thoughts about being unsuitably dressed and was nervous about going to Manderley. Maxim made the place sound so wonderfully amazing and beautiful, but the description the azaleas would be prodigal of scent, and the blood red rhododendrons in bloom and the use of blood red rather than another word starts to create an image that is not so bright and possibly menacing. When he locates Manderley to be in the valley with the scrap of sea beyond, the sea has a strange effect as it seems as though it is never ending, dangerous part of Manderley, as well as it being in the woods a dark and idle area. The way she gripped the seat as they pulled up on the drive and the use of words is effective in gradually building up tension. The two high iron gates creates an image of those you see in a horror film, with the tall gates leading to a large abandoned house, the gates daunting and overpowering you. Another example of this is when there are a great colonnade of trees that made an archway for them above their heads, and there would only be little flickering patches of light that would come through the thickness of the leaves. Her heart was beating quickly and she shrank back in her seat as the children stared at her through the dark windows of the lodge, she is afraid and she had felt tension from the moment they arrived at Manderley. When they had reached the building, the gates shut with a crash behind them and the dusty high road was out of sight. This suggests feelings of entrapment, and the how the road is not to be seen, as if there is no other place to escape now that the gates shut upon them. Manderley was very silent and very still and there was no wind. The sudden stillness of the place as they reach Manderley seems a bit superstitious and fallacious in its atmosphere. The phrase blood red which is used to describe these rhododendrons is repeated many times after this and it is now described as a wall of colour, reaching far above their heads. This wall also gives an idea of being trapped, and a sense that something is overpowering in blood red that is bewildering and even shocking. They were monsters as she described them. All the way towards Manderley, she feels that everything is large and overpowering, possibly making her feel claustrophobic and small. Daphne Du Maurier is very precise in her description and extremely vivid using similes and metaphors to create these images. She writes very precisely with a lot of detail, using words and phrases which evoke the sense of mystery, creating tension. The first time that Mrs Danvers is mentioned, Mrs Danvers orders her name is used with authority. Mrs De Winters first encounter with Mrs Danvers is the point in which you began to feel as scared as her by Mrs Danvers and her striking and hostile character. Her appearance, dark as she advanced from the sea of faces, someone tall and gaunt, dressed in deep black. She had hollow eyes and her face is parchment white, set on a skeletons frame. This is a very detailed description of Mrs Danvers and has a prominent effect on the reader, as she comes across as a very strong and almost sinister character. The way she is described is unpleasant and creates an image of a cold and evil woman, almost resembling a witch like figure. She is deathly cold and she creates a sense of tension towards Mrs De Winter when she first meets her. She forms a sense of discomfort when she is present, and the descriptions of her hollow eyes another repeated phrase, adds to the mystery of this strange character. The author tends to repeat phrases, possibly to place emphasis on these descriptions and they are usually quite dark, for example repeating the words cold and lifeless when referring to Mrs Danvers. More phrases that are used to describe her character that also emphasise her darkness, and mystery, dark and sombre, dull and toneless and harsh. The reader is continually being reminded of these points that focus on the darkness and gothic themes of the novel, this all adds to the mystery of this chapter in particular, where there are many descriptions similar to these. The new bride did not want to go alone, with Mrs Danvers and you sense that she fears her. There is tension arising in the atmosphere due to this continual reference of being alone with her and not knowing where she is being taken. At this point we are made to feel sorry for Mrs De Winter and we also fear for her. Mrs Danvers knows that the new bride is shy and uncomfortable with her, but she persists in making her feel uneasy and insecure. When she tells her that this wing is never used, she makes it seem as though there is a reason why, but doesnt tell her this making her feel uneasy about why she has been put in a room that is often unused. When she asks her about getting a maid, its usual, you know, for ladies in your position to have a personal maid she seems patronising and makes the shy new bride feel insecure as she is expected to be more powerful and not afraid of Mrs Danvers. However when she is talking to Mrs De Winter she is being quite polite and respectful towards her, which contrasts the image that she feels towards Mrs Danvers. This is another aspect that makes their relationship strange as you feel that Mrs Danvers is putting on a facade, when she speaks to her. She is this shadow that watches her, which is also the same word used to describe Rebecca later in the book. She was a character set aside from the rest, and adds a strong sense of mystery and tension later in the book aswell as making such a powerful impact from the moment she in introduced in this chapter. The atmosphere throughout this chapter is usually silent or still, and when she uses these words it emphasises the tension, as though you are building up to an expected climax that is loud and menacing. The room that she is led into when she reaches Manderley has an old and quiet smell and she never describes the house or the rooms to be vibrant, fresh or beautiful. There was always an uncertainty about everything in Manderley. The rooms and the walls were dark or heavy and she compared the room to a silent church where services were seldom held, somewhere that is abandoned or uncared for, where rusty lichens grow and ivy tendrils creep. Already, Manderley is given this deep and mysterious image and atmosphere. Whereas visitors of this mansion conceive it to be beautiful and are amazed by the grandness of Manderley, this draws up a heavy contrast between the way she feels being at Manderley and how it looks to others. The residents of the household are quiet and mysterious, including her husband who did not give clear answers or thoughts and there is always an awkward communication between them, which seemed impersonal and unaffectionate. There is a sense of something that is being hidden, something unspoken. He casually sits in the comfort of his own home, and he did not look at her. There is a difference in their characters, while Maxim was to be described as contented and comfortable, while his new wife is becoming more and more paranoid and insecure about being at Manderley. Rebecca is a constant reminder of her being unwelcome at Manderley, especially by Mrs Danvers and is always being shadowed by her. The pace of the novel speeds up towards the end of chapter 7 when her thoughts are quick and random, she cant seem to control her feelings towards Rebecca and you begin to see her insecurity. She is sitting in Rebeccas chair, leaning against Rebeccas cushion and by now Rebecca had had quite a quick affect on her. We do not know much about Rebecca at all as she remains unspoken by the rest of the household, and no one speaks of her death. There is a strong sense of tension and mystery that evolves around Rebeccas character in the book. Rebecca and Mrs Danvers has made such a strange impact on her, and yet the other members do not see that there is an issue, causing you to think that there must be a deeper meaning to explain this strange behaviour and to explain the way the new Mrs De Winter is feeling. The author concentrates on these two characters and in her writing, uses repeated words and phrases as a constant referral to them. Daphne Du Maurier has managed to create a sinister and mysterious feeling around them and made Mrs De Winter feel insecure and vulnerable, to emphasise their power over her, but does not disclose as much information about their roles in the household and character so that they remain a mystery. Jane Eyre In Jane Eyre, the novel is set in many different places, but mainly in Thornfield Hall which is where she resides in chapter 20. The atmosphere here is quite different from that in Rebecca, as she had been in Thornfield Hall for a long time now, and it was not a matter of coming somewhere new and the uncomforting process of it. The story line in this chapter is focused on the strange events that occur in the house and what Janes feelings are when the situation is confronted. The setting at the beginning of the chapter is during the night and the moon, which was full and bright shone through her window. It was awakening in the dead of the night. This is very visual description and has a particular gothic quality, when she describes it to be silver white and crystal clear in the darkness that is very ghostly, and it was too solemn. The atmosphere from the start is calm and quiet, causing a strange feeling. After the first paragraph, the pace of the chapter seems to suddenly speed up with Good God, what a cry! and this disrupts the stillness instantly. The tension begins to develop from this point. The cry is described to be sharp, a shrilly sound that ran end to end of Thornfield Hall, this suggests something that is loud and menacing. There is a description about Janes feelings as her pulse stopped, her heart stood still, she is paralysed. There are concentrated thoughts here that are quick and sudden. There are the uses of short and sharp sentences that speed up the pace. She continually mentions the cry and describes it as a fearful shriek something that was unpleasant. The origin of the scream is still unknown and it remains unspoken throughout the chapter. This adds to the tension and mystery of not knowing what this thing is. The cries of Help! Help! Help! such suggests that there is panic and there are many exclamation marks used in the beginning. This is the first example of triptych used when the words help are being repeated three times. There are a lot of quick and short exchanges between the people talking, but we still do not know what is happening and there is continual tension building because of this. Someone ran, another step stamped on the floor this shows that we dont know who is running around and who may be involved in what is going on and following on from this is What is it? Who is hurt? What has happened? there are a lot of use of questions and there is uncertainty in the household. The tension is building up as well as the mystery of the unknown. Bronte has tried to release tension in the narrative sense aswell as in the speech. Another reference is made to the moon as she describes the atmosphere to be dark and still, while there is a contrast with the loud voices outside and the screaming. When the question is repeated about what is going on, Colonel Dent replies with its a mere rehearsal of much ado about nothing and is mocking the event so that it distracts you from the mystery surrounding, even though this evokes it further. Later he adds a servant has had the nightmare; that is all which seems curious and causes more questions to be asked. It seems as though he is trying to conceal the truth by saying something so casual as a desperate excuse. He also tries to dissipate the tension by restoring conventionality with gentleman, have the goodness to set the ladies the example. It is very mysterious once it reaches this point and there is a lot of confusion in what is going on. There has been no certain reply to the questions being asked and we are unsure of what has happened. The pace here is very fast and we almost lose our sense of surrounding, the tension in Jane Eyre is built up very quickly from the start rather than gradually. Everything occurs abruptly and we are left with mystery. In Rebecca the tension is slow, but there is less mystery in the chapter. After these series of events, there is more description about the atmosphere now, where no stillness returned and everything had now been disrupted. However, there were still silent grounds and silvered fields and the moon declined. Here Bronte continues using these gothic qualities to create a sense of mystery. Thornfield Hall was again as hushed as a desert it seemed strange that there is this sudden stillness which contrasts the screaming and hysteria previously. There is anticipation as Jane realises that some event must follow the strange cry, struggle and call. This is another example of triptych, and she uses this to emphasise the strange sound heard before. She repeats the words darkness many times throughout the chapter and this is the same technique that Daphne Du Maurier used in Rebecca, repeated phrases and words. The paragraph is calm and mysterious, but soon after there are another series of short exchanges between Jane and Mr Rochester. After a quiet atmosphere has been achieved, Bronte suddenly changes and there is panic and tension again with lots of questions and short sentences. The pace speeds up again and more questions are asked. There is a continuous pattern throughout the chapter where it is quiet in the atmosphere and is reflected to all the events elsewhere. The mystery of everything that is going on, is also being mirrored by the strange night and ghostly images that have been created in the grounds, pathetic fallacy is used. This technique is used to emphasise what is happening in the novel, adding extra effects with the atmosphere. When she comes to help Mr Mason, she describes him to be a a pale, bloody spectacle before her, and she is uncomfortable with the fact that she has to dip here hand again and again in the basin of blood and water. Lots of references to blood, suggesting an attack or horrific accident has been made on Mr Mason and we are still unknown to what it is. This holds the mystery in the chapter creating the tension. Conclusion Both books use various techniques to provoke images and feelings of tension and mystery. Similar techniques that are used in both books are questions and repetition to emphasise the choice of words used which are usually dark or still. They both use a similar choice of words and describe the setting in an overpowering and dangerous way. However Jane Eyre has a gothic theme to it, which the blood, the dark, the strange noises that come from the attic, threatening presence of this creature, which all combine together to create this mystery. The tension in the books are evoked by the mystery, as it continues, more tension about what is going to happen arises. The pace of the chapters in each are not constant, in Rebecca it is the same from the beginning and reaches a climax at the end. In Jane Eyre it is very still and then suddenly the pace speeds up dramatically before slowing down again. There is a constant switching between what is going on, and then back to the description of the surrounding grounds and here feelings in contrast to the confusion. This effectively adds to the mystery, as we are not certain what is going on. I found that in Jane Eyre and Rebecca, they do successfully create both mystery and tension all throughout the book and I have found many ways in which they have done this. However I feel that Daphne Du Maurier created a better sense of this mystery and tension rather than in Jane Eyre which I thought seemed to be more of a drama or horror. In Rebecca there are constant references to certain characters and things are said which are unknown to the reader at the end of the chapter, but in Jane Eyre you are able to work out what is happening even though not a lot has been explained.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

effects of short term memory essays

effects of short term memory essays People have always wondered why they were able to remember certain things but forget others. After cramming for a test, why do you usually forget all the information over the next few days? When people cram for tests they have a tendency to use Type I rehearsal, which is repetition. Repetition is when you say the same thing over and over again until you memorize it. Type II rehearsal is elaboration. Elaboration is trying to connect what you are learning to something you already know. Elaboration is very effective. An example of Type II rehearsal would be the acronym of HOMES. HOMES could help a person remember the names of the Great Lakes - Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior, by using the first letter of each of the great lakes name. Given the overall importance of Short Term Memory, there could be factors that cause certain people to have a better short term memory than others. An experiment was done by Ronald B. Gillam to see if specific Language Impairment Children had the same memory capacity of average 16 year olds. Gilliam asserted: each participant was tested at a level that was consistent with his or her auditory short term memory span. The study concluded that the specific Language Impairment Children have difficulty either retaining or using phonological codes and tests that require multiple mental operations (Gilliam et al, 1998, p.913). Proper information such as that given by Gillam could suggest that there are many complications concerning memory. Even after studies and experiments have been done, there are too many questions dealing with Short Term Memory; however these experiments and studies help us learn more about Short Term Memory. Short Term Memory is greatly complicated, but there are things to help improve memory. As stated before, you could use mnemonic devices like Homes. Another good way to ensure remembering pieces of information which is to study it long after you think ...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

How to Read and Understand a Difficult Book or Chapter

How to Read and Understand a Difficult Book or Chapter Weve all encountered chapters or books that we just cant get into or we dont understand. There are lots of reasons for this: sometimes were required to read about a topic that is just plain boring, sometimes we try to read material that is written way above our current reading level, and sometimes we find that the writer is just plain bad at explaining things. It happens. If you find yourself reading an entire chapter or book several times without understanding it, try taking the following steps. Be sure to do steps 1 to 3 before you jump in to read the text. Difficulty: Hard Time Required: Differs by length of written material What You Need: A difficult book or passageNote paperPencilSticky note flagsQuiet room How to Do It 1. Read the introduction and reflect.  Any nonfiction article or book will have an introductory section that gives an overview of the main points. Read this first, then stop, think, and soak it in.Reason: All textbooks on a certain topic are not created equal! Every writer has a certain theme or point of view, and that will be introduced in your introduction. Its important to understand this theme or focus  because it will help you to recognize why certain examples or comments appear in your reading. 2. Look at the sub-headings. Most books or chapters will progress in some manner, whether they show a progression of time or an evolution of ideas. Look over the topics and try to find the pattern.Reason: Writers begin the writing process with an outline. The subheadings or subtitles you see in your text show you how the author started when organizing his/her thoughts. Subtitles show the overall subject broken down into smaller segments which are arranged in the most logical progression.   3. Read the summary and reflect.  Right after you read the introduction and subheadings, flip to the back of the chapter and read the summary.Reason: The summary  should re-state the points that were mentioned in the introduction. (If they dont, then this really is a difficult book to understand!) This reiteration of the main points may offer the material in more depth or from a different viewpoint. Read this section, then stop and soak it in. 4. Read the material. Now that youve had time to understand the points the author is trying to convey, youre more apt to recognize them when they come along. When you see a major point, flag it with a sticky note.   5. Take notes. Take notes and, if possible, make a brief outline as you read. Some people like to underline words or points in pencil. Only do this if you own the book. 6. Watch for lists. Always look for code words that tell you a list is coming. If you see a passage that says There were three major effects of this event, and they all impacted the political climate, or something similar, you can be sure there is a list following. The effects will be listed, but they may be separated by many paragraphs, pages, or chapters. Always find them and make note of them. 7. Look up words you dont understand. Dont be in a rush! Stop whenever you see a word that you cant immediately define in your own words.Reason: One word can indicate the entire tone or view of the piece. Dont try to guess the meaning. That can be dangerous! Make sure to look up the definition. 8. Keep on plugging through. If youre following the steps but you still dont seem to be soaking in the material, just keep reading. Youll surprise yourself. 9. Go back and hit the highlighted points. Once you get to the end of the piece, go back and review the notes youve made. Look over the important words, points, and lists.Reason: Repetition is the key to retaining information. 10. Review the introduction and summary. When you do, you may find that youve absorbed more than you realized. Tips Dont be hard on yourself. If this is hard for you, its probably just as hard for other students in your class.Dont try to read in a noisy environment. That might be ok under other circumstances, but its not a good idea when attempting difficult reading.Talk to others who are reading the same material.You can always join the homework forum and ask advice from others.Dont give up!

Thursday, November 21, 2019

HIV Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

HIV - Research Paper Example HIV has not had a cure yet. However, antiretroviral drugs are use to slow down the immune system cells’ destruction. The discussion in this paper focuses on HIV phylogenetic classification and morphology, transmission and replication in the host, virulence and pathogeniciy factors, treatment, epidemiology and public control methods. Phylogenetic classification and morphology According to Fauci and Lane (n.d), HIV virion has a structure that is icosahedra. This virion contains external spikes. The spikes form from two main protein envelopes namely external gp120 and the transmembrane gp 41. On the surface of the infected cell, the viron buds form. These buds comprises of numerous host proteins. The main host proteins are Major Histocompartibility complex (MHC) class I and II antigens, which are incorporate into the host’s lipid bilayer. The strains classified as HIV-1 fall into three distinct groups. These categories are M or Major, Outlier or O and N or New or non M/non O. Group M nearly responsible for global pandemic. Group M forms properly defined clusters on phylogenetic trees. M group subtypes are labeled A-D, F-H, J-K. Other relevant clusters are circulating recombinant forms or CRFs. These recombination events form because of divergent HIV strains within host individuals. Transmission and replication For all persons infected with HIV, there is a variable degree of viruses in genital secretions and blood. This is the case regardless of whether or not the patient has visible symptoms. The transmission of HIV virus occurs when infected blood or secretions are exposed to tissues of the eye, vigina, anal area, and mouth, broken skin such as cuts or needle punctures. The most common transmission modes are sexual contact, needles sharing and infected mothers to newborns during labor pregnancy or breastfeeding. HIV is an RNA virus. The main process associated with HIV RNA is reverse transcription of genomic RNA to DNA. This process is facilitated b y enzyme reverse transcriptase. Replication cycle starts when gp 120 protein binds with high affinity. Once gp120 binds to CD4, it undergoes a conformational change that facilitates binding to one of the co-receptor groups. After the envelope, protein binds to CD4 molecule fusion occurs with the host cell membrane through the exposed gp41 molecule. The virus then penetrates plasma membrane of target cell then coiling upon to combine both the virion and immune system cells (Lama and Planelles, 2007). Virulence and pathogenicity factors HIV buds through the cell membrane. The virus is characterized by a capacity to cause disease. One attribute of HIV is replication and transmission, toxic, adherence and attachment and aggressiveness. For the virus, attachment to host immune system cell membrane is essential for virulence. This provides the opportunity to combine with the cells and cause reduction in protecting the body from diseases. In order to persist in the host, HIV virus has to r eplicate making it contagious. As a result, the virus is infectious. In order to survive, it has to remain aggressive. Aggressiveness comes with the ability to invade, multiply and survive in the tissues of the host. This makes HIV resistance to host defense mechanism. This virus also has high toxicity, which makes it possible to invade as many cells as possible. As a result, host immune

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

The Role of Promotion In Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Role of Promotion In Marketing - Essay Example Sales were up 22% last year, twice as much more than the growth in the automobile industry overall. The strong image of reliability, coupled with national brand identity, Ford has made consumers trust them and thus choose their products over others. Lexus is a higher priced brand and appeals to a more affluent customer. Famous for their luxury sedans they have also introduced SUVs, sports coupes and hybrids into their product line. The Lexus LS was ranked highest in the industry by the Initial Quality Standard study. Beginning with the first introductory year of 1990 until 2011, it has ranked highest in 13 of the last 22 years. Advertising Ford advertises on network TV, in print publications and online. Since 2009, under the direction of Marketing Director, Jim Farley, they have increased advertising spending considerably. The gains were phenomenal. Farley, at first apprehensive because he aspires to bottom-up methods, wasn’t sure how his tactics would fit in with the company. You can see Ford cars advertised on the major networks like CBS, NBC and ABC and in the most popular consumer and news magazines such as Time magazine, Harper’s and Newsweek. Their online advertising efforts are focused on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Flickr with a heavy concentration on mobile marketing. They attribute the success of using these platforms to their popularity and achieve an immeasurable amount of exposure themselves. One consumer expressed his favorable opinion of Ford’s advertising by applauding their focused message, appealing to not only interested buyers but also to current customers and the many ads on television and direct-mail campaigns. The public opinion of Ford Motor Co. has grown so high in recent years as others automobile companies were faced with needing government funds to survive. Lexus’s advertising is as sleek and modern as their cars. They are so beautifully designed they have a tremendous appeal to consumers and inspire pu rchases by those who want to attain the level of sophistication the car implies. As with Ford their ads can be seen on all of the major networks and in the most widely read magazines. They are more apt to place ads in magazines like Town & Country and Vanity Fair because of their brand identity as a luxury car. Alongside Ford, Lexus is seen as having a high public profile in social media outlets. They can be seen in commercials on YouTube, have a strong Twitter following and Facebook fan base. The Promotional Mix A Detroit firm, Team Detroit, manages Ford’s advertising campaigns. There with Chief Creative Director Toby Barlow, Tom Farley and he explore their creativity. For each campaign they come up with a new idea and pick a new creative team. The unexpected ideas and fresh perspectives always add up to great campaigns. On the Internet, Ford has launched new campaigns with across the board exposure and signed an unprecedented 12-month media commitment with a company called Specific Media. They attribute the success of their advertising to their superior demographic and behavioral targeting that more effectively reaches current owners and prospective buyers. In 2010, Advertising Age ranked Ford Motor Co. as the number 1 marketer in the country. Lexus’s advertising is revolutionary in its high tech appeal and positions itself as the leader in innovation. This works well for a glamorous identity but their customer’

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Key Success Factors Essay Example for Free

Key Success Factors Essay Number of Rivals Wal-Mart’s primary competitors were Kmart and Target. Wal-Mart also competed against category retailers like Best Buy and Circuit City in electronics, Toy â€Å"R† Us in toys, Kohl’s and Goody’s in apparel; and Bed, Bath, and Beyond in household goods. It also competed against warehouse club segment like Costco Wholesale, Sam’s Clubs and BJ’s Wholesale Club. Internationally, Wal-Mart‘s biggest competitor was Carrefour. Scope of RivalryWal-Mart operates nationally, but its principal interests are in the urban centers of United States. Internationally, its interests are mainly in Mexico, Japan, United Kingdom, Brazil, Canada and China. Number of BuyersAs a discounted retailer, Wal-Mart’s customer base is the consumer making individual purchases, and is therefore fragmented and with no appreciable power. Degree of Product DifferentiationThe product is wide product selection and a mix of both name-brand and private-label merchandise, and therefore, a commodity with some minor differentiation available on price, selection and quality. However, Wal-Mart had successfully pursued a low-cost leadership strategy which could provide everyday low prices for their customers Product InnovationWal-Mart provides multiple store formats to attract and satisfy customers’ needs: Wal-Mart discount stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam’s Clubs. Wal-Mart should expect it to become a common feature as rivals attempt to copy their success. Supply/Demand ConditionsWal-Mart was the biggest customer of virtually all of its 66,000 suppliers. It allowed it to bargain power with suppliers and get their bottom prices. In 1992 Wal-Mart began establishing standards for its suppliers. Pace of Technological ChangeMore sophisticated means of managing the supply chain, to include EPC/RFID systems mentioned in the case, suggest that new means of reducing costs are presenting opportunities for retailers to obtain an advantage over one another. Vertical IntegrationThe presence of suppliers indicates that the industry is not perfectly integrated. However, Wal-Mart and its competitor each maintain extensive warehousing and transportation assets, suggesting that there is a considerable degree of integration in the industry. Economies of ScaleGiven that the product is a commodity provided by suppliers, economies of scale would be essential in this industry.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Public Policy Reporting Class :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pending approval from the General Assembly, the funding for older Illinoisans will receive nearly an eight percent increase in the fiscal year 2001 budget for the Illinois Department on Aging.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The state’s portion of the overall spending is $234.9 million and funds the Department’s Community Care program at $205 million. The program provides senior citizens with home care services, adult day services and custodial care.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The eight percent increase is drastically needed according to Carol Aronson, spokesperson for the Shawnee Alliance for seniors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Senior programs are underpaid compared to the services of Department of Children and Family Services with a much lower rate of funds for seniors, even with an eight percent increase,† Aronson said.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An additional $7 million has been allocated to the Elder Abuse and Neglect Program, an increase of 11 percent. Community based agencies will be able to respond to over 8,600 reports of abuse and neglect, which account for a projected increase. The Elder abuse reports have been on the rise every year, prompting Gov. Ryan to also respond to the problem by forming a new Elder Abuse Task Force.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Illinois Department on Aging’s Elder Abuse and Neglect Program responds to all reports of abuse of people age 60 and older. The program provides investigation, intervention and follow-up services to victims. Reports are increasing about 10 percent a year, as the older population grows and awareness of the problem increases.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jones 2 â€Å"The spring session was certainly fruitful for all Illinois seniors,† said Illinois Department on Aging Director Margo E. Schreiber.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The budget will help the Illinois Department on Aging fulfill its mission, and we are grateful to the Governor and legislators for their diligent work in addressing the needs and quality of life for the seniors in our state.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While the bill awaits approval, a similar proposal for seniors, the 100 percent campaign, has been passed and is a working success according to Susan Patterson, field coordinator for the Egyptian Area Agency on Aging, Inc. Specifically, Senate Bill 677, increased access to the state’s Medicaid program for those whose income is less than 100 percent of the federal poverty level, or $687 a month. Currently, the eligibility is set at $308 a month, or 47 percent of the federal poverty level. Through the 100 percent plan, in July 2000 the 47 percent income threshold will jump to 70 percent of the federal poverty level, which will change their income by an additional $184.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Writing Application Letters

Application Letter There are some mistakes and ambiguous expressions in the following application letter for a job as a salesperson. Rewrite it after making the corrections or amendment to it. |Human Resources Department | |Avon Products (Guangzhou) Ltd. | |3? f 420, E. Huanshi Road | |Guangzhou 510075 | | | |July 3, 2009-9-26 | |Dear Sir or Madam: | | | |Noticing the enclosed advertisement in today’s Yangcheng Evening Newspaper, I wish to apply a part-time job as a salesgirl for| |the direct selling of your beauty products. | | | |I am a junior student at Guangdong College of Commerce. My major is Marketing. I studied Marketing, Marketing Techniques, | |Psychology of Consumption, Psychology of Women, Business Law, Labor Law, Business Ethics, Communications, Public Relations, | |etc. | | |I have some experience in marketing in the last two years. During the summer vacation and winter vacation of 2008, I once | |stayed at the Beauty Products Counter in the Taibai Department Store as a salesgirl. Last year I worked as a part-time | |salesgirl on Sundays for Procter and Gamble (Guangzhou) Ltd. I come from house to house to sell Rejoice 2-in-1, and Head and | |Shoulders shampoos. | | | |I think my education and some experience in marketing w ill let me to offer services for your sales promotion. If you give me a| |trial, I would do my best to give you every satisfaction. I will await for your answer. | | |Sincerely yours, | | | |Kay Jin | Writing task Option #1: You have seen the following recruiting advertisement in the local press and would like to apply for the position. Read the advertisement carefully and write a letter of application within 100-120 words, giving details of previous experiences, salary, etc. |Welcome to Our Team – Top Salary | | | |ASSISTANT SALES MANAGER wanted by an international company manufacturing textile piece goods. The applicant must have had | |adequate experience in the sales division of a large company and be willing to accept responsibility. | Option #2: You write an application letter to apply for a position that you may be interested in doing after graduation. Use your own educational background and work experience. What is an application letter? It is normal to send a cover letter (letter of application) with your resume even if you are also sending a complete application form. There may be occasions when you want to send a letter of application, with which you enclose a resume. Tips for writing winning application letters ? Write the letter to a specific person – the person you think is the one who would hire you. Take the trouble to find out the name of the person who is in the likeliest position to hire you. You can always call the receptionist and ask for the company’s mailing address and then ask the name of the specific person you’re looking for. Asking for an address makes it more likely that you’ll get the information you want rather than asking only for the name of a person with a specific title. ? Do your research. The more â€Å"general† your cover letter, the less successful it is likely to be. You want to demonstrate that you know something about the reader’s company, something that you had to do some research to find out. Customizing your letter to a particular company is impressive and makes you stand out from the pack of the job seekers. Tell the reader what you can do for the company, not what you want the company to do for you. Begin by stating some specific way in which you can help the company or department accomplish a particular goal, pre ferably giving an outstanding example of a related accomplishment. E. g. â€Å"Having had direct responsibility for three successful mergers in the energy industry, I am an ideal candidate to assist you with making a smooth transition I your recent merger with Company X†. ? Be specific about the job you are seeking. Hirers do not want to serve as your employment counselor, they want you to have already done your homework and figured out exactly what job you want. The â€Å"I can fulfill so many roles, just put me where I’m needed most† approach will get your letter filed in the wastebasket. ? Quantify your accomplishments. After your initial attention-grabbing statement of how you can help the company and stating your greatest related accomplishment, list four or five additional accomplishments – bulleted and quantified. ? Mention only accomplishments that directly relate to the job you want to get. ? Keep it brief, succinct and simple. Your cover letter should be short and to the point. Rarely should it be longer than one page. Remember, you are trying to capture the reader’s interest in knowing more about you. Telling your life story is boring. ? Make it easy on the eyes. When you’ve finished writing your letter, print it up and take a â€Å"big picture† look at it. Is it visually appealing? Is there plenty of white space (using bullets increases the white space)? Is it filled with complicated sentences and jammed to the margins? Does it look like a letter you would want to read? ? Close with an invitation for the reader to act. Tell the reader you would like to talk or meet and include these words: â€Å"Please give me a call at such-and-such a phone number. † Don’t say â€Å"I’ll give you a call in a few days to follow up and see if you’re interested in meeting†.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Assignment requirment Essay

Colonial Tap Company (CTC) is a manufacturer of taps and fittings for the plumbing trade, located in Brisbane. The Company was established by Ken Hall in 1951, with a workforce of 10, to meet the needs of the post-war housing boom. Its product range was fairly limited but the company had an excellent reputation for quality. Nowadays, CTC manufacturers an extensive range of high quality brass and chrome taps. The company is managed by Ken’s son, Michael, and employs 20 people. It has annual sales averaging approximately $1million. Although it has been consistently profitable, CTC has experienced increasing pressure from competitors since the early 1990s. The company uses a cost-plus approach to pricing but is having to reduce its markup constantly in order to maintain market share. Both Ken and Michael qualified as engineers. The business is small and has never been able to employ an accountant. Instead, a bookkeeper calculates monthly profit as sales revenue minus expenses. Prices are based on rough estimates of cost of direct material and direct labour inputs plus a 50% markup. With the decline in profit and constant pressure on prices, Michael began to feel uneasy about the way costs and profits were calculated. The results for the month just ended were: Additional Information: There was virtually no beginning inventory of raw material, work in process and finished goods. At the end of the month, 10% of the materials purchased remained on hand, work in process amounted to 20% of the manufacturing costs incurred during the month, and finished goods inventories were negligible. The factory occupies 80% of the premises, the sales area 15% and administration 5%. Most of the equipment is used for manufacturing, with only 5% of the book value being used for sales and administrative functions. Almost all of the electricity is consumed in the factory. The truck is used to deliver finished goods to customers. Michael Hall spends about one-half of his time on factory management, one-third in the sales area and the rest on administration. Required: Michael Hall asks you to review the results for the month and evaluate the company’s approach to estimating product cost. In doing so, you should: 1. Comment on the cost classifications used in CTC’s income statement. 2. Estimate the cost of goods manufactured and sold. 3. Prepare a revised income statement for the month. 4. Explain the differences between your income statement and the one above. 5. If possible, suggest a more useful format for analysing costs than that used in your revised income statement. 6. Evaluate the usefulness of product costs based on direct materials and direct labour. 7. Make recommendations for changes.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Sunwind Ab Case Essays

Sunwind Ab Case Essays Sunwind Ab Case Paper Sunwind Ab Case Paper 2) Draw the schematic flow diagram for Sunwind and all Volvo plants. (Draw at abstract level not detailed level). Provides detail of distances and demand (quantity based on 1987 forecast) flow. Ans) Demand of Sunwind is 1250/week = 1250*45 = 56250 units The following table gives us the demand of each plant yearly for the year 1985 Plant|   | Torslando | Kalmar| Ghent| Total| Year| 1985| 17050| 4525| 12090| 33665| | %| 50. 65%| 13. 44%| 35. 1%| 100%| Year| 1987| 32919. 947| 8736. 819| 23343. 23| 65000| Depending on the percentage of share of each plant of the total in 1985, the same percentage is used to calculate the demand of each plant in 1987, as we know the total production of Volvo from all the plants put together in 1987. 3) What are the challenges facing Sunwind? Do they need a change in strategy by Sunwind? Why? Ans The challenges faced by SUNWIND are as follows : The main problem is to meet the increase in the demand from Volvo which is around 650 p er week in 1985 to 1200 per week in 1986 * There is also a problem of meeting the quality of the finished products supplied by them, some of the machines like gluing machine had proved particularly troublesome and has increased rejects. * Some other bothering issues would be the off-spec plywood blanks received from Finnish supplier. * The rejection of the batches by Volvo as they haven’t met the quality constraints imposed by them. The demand for the finished goods is around 1400 units/week while the ideal capacity of plant excluding wastages is only 1250 units/week; this mismatch is of a greatest concern for the Sunwind in the present scenario. * The trend of the major manufacturers like Toyota who are working on â€Å"Less† suppliers’ model to increase the efficiency is of a big threat as Volvo might even persuade it. * The system of JIT which is being implemented recently by the Volvo group, the Belgian manufacturer is turning out to be major competitor to S unwood on this perspective. The batch size if we see for different operations varies from 2500 to 500, such a huge amount of batch size might lead to having no control over the quality issues i. e. in case of any damage done its hard to find out and the who batch has to be set off which is of a huge loss for the plant. * This large batch size might also increases the MLT hence leads to a lot of inventory which has a lot of adverse effects. For the other part of the question whether they need to change the strategy of the Sunwind or not, yes they have to change indeed to so as to protect themselves from Volvo by meeting their demand needs. At the same time the technological aspects of Sunwind are at a ground level, they need to compete with the competitors and have to go for new machinery. Right now they are not following the JIT method while Volvo has gone for it, In that case to meet the Volvo demands it might have to put a huge pile of raw materials instead if it makes itself a JIT system it could save itself from one of the competitors. Their batch size as mentioned before is also very large, hence they need to change this strategy too. There is a quality issue also being faced hence they a need a new strategy which can address all these issues in a very efficient way. ) What are the benefits to implement JIT for Sunwind? How Volvo will get benefited if Sunwind goes for JIT production and delivery? Ans) The benefits to implement JIT for Sunwind are 1. The main advantage would be saving on inventory i. e. there is no need to spend a lot of money in storing the inventory for huge number of days until it is used inste ad JIT takes care of inventory only when needed hence there is no idle inventory. 2. The JIT system will take care of the batch size this will help increasing the frequency and also easy transportation and on time as the batch size is small 3. In case of any defects the wastage would be in a small scale 4. The quality issue can be addressed, if we have the batch size to be small there is an every chance to make strict quality checks and reject the rest. 5. This helps in cutting the waste by cutting the excess capacity or inventory and removing the non value-added activities. 6. This will develop a close relationship with their suppliers, in a way they will get suppliers as a partner in the venture. 7. This will also encourage the suppliers to get themselves placed in and around the Sunwood plant so as to deliver the raw materials on time. 8. This system gets an in-plant representative who will be onsite in Sunwind on behalf of the suppliers whose main purpose is to plan and schedule the replenishment of the materials from the supplier hence even the forecasting is also taken care by him. 9. He also helps in designing ideas to help reducing cost and improve manufacturing processes and managing production schedules for suppliers, materials contractors and other subcontractors. 10. It also provides the best organizational structure needed to improve the supplier coordination by integrating the logistics, production and purchasing processes together. The advantages of the Volvo if Sunwind go for JIT is same as the ones enjoyed by Sunwind on behalf of their supplies * This will develop a close relationship with Sunwind. * This system gets an in-plant representative who will be onsite in Volvo on behalf of the Sunwind whose main purpose is to plan and schedule the replenishment of the materials from the supplier hence even the forecasting is also taken care by him. * He also helps in designing ideas to help reducing cost and improve manufacturing processes and managing production schedules for suppliers, materials contractors and other subcontractors. It also provides the best organizational structure needed to improve the supplier coordination by integrating the logistics, production and purchasing processes together. 6) How many varieties of products does the Sunwind manufacture for Volvo? How does this information help to design production and delivery? Ans) Sunwind was the only supplier for the floorlid for the 5-door 700 serie s station wagon. These were offered in several carpet/ colour combinations. The lid comprised of 4 separate items front panel, rear panel, left panel and the right panel. The carpeting could be any of four different colour choices – beige, blue, black and burgundy. The carpeting could be either needle felt or tufted. Thus 32 part numbers were needed to specify a particular part/ colour/ carpet combination 4 parts x 4 colours x 2 carpets = 32 This data of the variety of products being manufacture will give us an advantage of designing the production through JIT. One of the process considerations in lean systems â€Å"Uniform workstation loads â€Å" comes into the picture. This in turn would decrease the big lots there by decreasing the average inventory level. We can follow the production model of â€Å"heijunka† which is the levelling of production load by both volume and product mix. Using this what we can do is to form batches in a way so that each batch gives us 32 varieties of different materials instead of having the same variety in a batch. This would help workers to get acquaintance of all the products and also though there is any wastage in a batch the other batch can cover up for it, if a batch has all the products of same kind it would be a problem if there is any defect or quality issues. Thus this data of the variety of products gives us the division of batches in an efficient way which reduces the extra non value added costs. 8) Provides details of some critical characteristics of one of the Volvo operations (Customer interface point) between Volvo and Sunwind. How does may this information be helpful to get advance intimation to prepare the next JIT delivery? Ans) Sunwind’s interface with Volvo parts at the order placement. Every 4 weeks Volvo send an order form indication the requirement over a 60 week planning horizon. This was broken into seven 4 week periods and one 32 week period. The next interface was at the loading stage of the shipping process. Volvo mandated that it suppliers use Volvo’s wholly owned transport company, use standard containers and ship one part per container. Sunwind ordered transportation and empty containers as required. Post shipping, the next interface would be at the inspection upon receipt of parts by Volvo. If the randomly chosen container did not pass the stringent quality control criteria, the entire shipment would be rejected and the supplier would be called. Sunwind could then either replace the entire shipment ot come to Torslanda to check the rejected shipments and replace the defective parts. Rejected parts were either scrapped or sent back to the supplier at the supplier’s expense. The fault would be officially notified and the next shipment would be subjected to 100% inspection. The interface points are at various stages in the part procurement process. Continuous communication between supplier and vendor enables updation of records on both ends and real time flow of information. The 4 week periodical order placement can help Sunwind plan its production such that they complete production just in time for shipment and the shipment occurs just in time for assembly at Volvo. Shipping is done through Volvo’s own transport system. Knowledge of the production schedules of Volvo in advance will enable Sunwind to request transport and containers in advance so that they arrive just in time for loading. This makes for efficient operations as the production can then be planned to meet the shipment schedule. Inspection procedure is well defined and knowledge of this can help Sunwind optimize its production to avoidrejection upon shipment. Rejection of shipments can be costly and they run the risk of not being able to meet the just in time production schedule. 9) How KANBAN, facilitator of JIT inventory Design be used for Sunwind operations? Show few sample calculations. Ans) In order to avoid the stock outs or overproduction Kanban can be used as a facilitator of JIT system. According to Kanban system, there is a card which contains the requirement or the supply of units written on it. Once if the card reaches the supplier depending on the requirements the desired date the supplier manufactures or prepare the goods and then they will be put in the same box with the card in place. The same process is done when the units reach the ordered company it will crosscheck the number of units in the box with the required in the card, once it matches it will then proceed to the operations. The best use of this comes when the manufacturing process has lots of operations involved in it with different batch sizes and cycle time and lead time. For example if we take Sunwind it has 8 operations with different batch sizes hence by using this it can send the Kanban cards at will according to the lead time to the respective suppliers and they can receive the desired goods right on time and can verify it also accordingly. The basic formulae to calculate the number of Kanban cards is Kanban quantity = Daily Demand x Lead time (in days) x Safety factor Container quantity Here the daily demand can be calculated as we know that the demand per week is 1250 and there are 5 working days per week thus the daily demand is 250 units The lead time here as it is not mentioned clearly anywhere in the case we have taken the sentence† the production is planned two weeks before†. Using that we can get the lead time as 2 weeks i. e. 14 days (including working and non-working days) Safety factor: we are taking a standard 10%(assumption) hence the whole quantity is multiplied by 1. 1 Container quantity is given in the case as 20 units Hence Kanban quantity = 250*14*1. 1 = 192. 5 20 Thus using this estimate this will give us a forecast of how many Kanban cards are in place for the JIT beforehand and would make the process efficient enough. 1) Repeat Q10 for Volvo’s Kalmar and Ghent plants. Write only short discussion and detailed calculation and diagram is not expected as in Q10. Ans) The distance plays a major role when it comes to Kalmar and Ghent plants as for us to make a JIT delivery of 4 times a day, the transportation including all logistics plays the deciding factor. Similarly if we look into th is case the distances are shown below Save to Kalmar 179. 82 Miles or 289. 39 KM (Source : mapcrow. info) Save to Ghent 1284 KM (source : Google Maps) For both the plants if we see there is no feasibility to do the JIT supply 4 times a day as the distance is so large that the transportation becomes a problem and even though if pains are taken and the things are meeting the deadline, the efficiency decreases as this will in no way an add on for the current existing process in terms of the ROI ( Return on Investment ). Q 5 ) Draw the process flow diagram of Sunwind operations. Perform capacity analysis Sunwind’s operations. Is the capacity at plant sufficient to meet the requirement (Demand and any other) of all VOLVO plants? How would you interpret the capacity calculations? (Consider a batch size and process time information in Exhibit 8). What is the Manufacturing Lead time? Do you think it is right or a long MLT in line with JIT requirement? If it is short or long, what is cause of such short/Long MLT? Ans. Operation 2- Painting Cycle time: 1. 15 min Operation 34-batterns, riveting inserting studs Cycle time: 6. 85 min mins Operation 1-Shaping plywood panel Cycle time-2. 8 min Raw material (plywood) Operation 7- Attaching metal and carpet fixtures Cycle Time: 2. 2 min Operation 6-Gluing Carpet Cycle Time: 4. 25 min Operation 5-Mounting hinges Cycle Time: 0. 95 min Operation 8-Assembly of left and right units Operation 3 is the bottleneck with maximum cycle time of 6. 85 mins. So it becomes the cycle time for the entire process. The working time for a personnel/week = 40. 7 hours. So, effective working hours/day= 8. 14 hours. Therefore, total no. of units produced/ day=8. 14*60/6. 85= 71 units. ( considering 100 % capacity utilisation) So at 100 % utilization,output/week= 71*5= 355 units/ week Monthly production= 1420 units. Starting from January 1985 Volvo’s maximum demand per month till July was 1115 units. So Sunwind was able to meet the demand . In August 1985 when demand of Volvo’s three plants surmounted to 4000 units / month Sunwind was unable to supply the required quantity. In 1986 when the forecasted demand of Volve stands 1387 units/ week present capacity of Sunwind ( 355 units/ week) is not sufficient to meet the demand . Direct labor content ( parts fabrication + operations 1-9 ) =18. 8+25. 2+5. 15= 49. 15 mins/ shirt (excluding set up time) If we consider batch sizes of 500 (operation 6 has the minimum batch size of 500) the changed cycle time for each operation are as follows: Operation 4 with zero set up time still remains the bottle neck time and hence the cycle time. So the batch size does not influence the process cycle time. To meet the average forecasted demand of 1400 units/week in 1986 the cycle time of the entire process should be 1. 4 min assuming the plant operates at 80 % efficiency level. Since different operations have different WIPs( according to batches as shown below): Manufacturing lead time is given by MLT= WIP * Cycle time At current plant capacity, considering lids are produced in batches of 500 MLT= (2500+1500+1000+1500+500+500)* 6. 85 = 51375 mins =856. 25 hrs= 21 weeks (considering working hours of 40. 7 /week as bottleneck operation is run in 1 shift only) The lead time is very high and the primary cause for this is large lot size used for production. A high MLT cannot go hand in hand with JIT production. The JIT philosophy is timely delivery of customer order . To meet the delivery deadline for a JIT e need to start the production as soon as the order is booked. For this we need to maintain a minimum Manufacturing Lead Time as products are produced in batches. Q 7) Should Lars Olav were to design a JIT programme at Sunwind, what should be its elements? Give details about the current status and future requirement of few essential ingredients of JIT/Lean elements requiring improvement/change in Sunwind. Please suggest/show your improved/chan ged version of the Sunwind operations process to meet the requirement (Demand and any other) to all Volvo plants. Hint: You may like to meet the new demand (1987 forecast) by balancing the capacity of Sunwind operations. Ans. The elements of a JIT programme would be as follows: 1) Make to order strategy and not make to stock. This will reduce over production which not only creates excessive lead times and inventory but also makes it difficult to detect defects. 2) Reduction of inventory level so as to identify quality issues more promptly and effectively thereby correcting at source instead of creating rejections at end. ) Setting a plant layout such that the distance between adjacent workstation is minimum. This will reduce material handling cost and time. Excessive movement of products can at times cause damage and deterioration of product quality. 4) Manufacturing lead time to be minimum so as to reduce waiting time for starting production when an order is booked. 5) Close ties with supplier making sure they are located in close geographic proximity in order to promote strong partnerships and better synchronise product flows. Current status and requirements for adopting JIT in Sunwind: 1) High raw material and WIP inventory level. High batch sizes don’t allow problems to surface immediately. This hinders quality check at source. Few of the quality control procedures were followed in practice. Processes were not monitored formally. Defects were inspected by customers after delivery instead of identification in-house. Defective materials were rejected by eliminating the problem but no summary statements were available in Sunwind concerning the rejects. Sun Wind needs to reduce its inventory level and present MLT so as to identify defects at source thereby reducing cost as rejection rate comes down. 2) Presently in Sun wind due to extended delivery lead time of some items (eg. Carpeting) the purchasing department uses a 3-6 months planning horizon. On the contrary the production planning department focuses on first four weeks of delivery schedule which unnecessarily increases the inventory level. As a result raw material inventory unnecessarily goes up. Sun Wind should ask it supplier to reduce this lead time as it is planning to go for JIT. The benefits of a successful JIT can only be realized if your inventory levels are low. Considering suppliers as partners in venture can build long term profitable relationship wherein there is a win-win situation for everyone. 3) Sun Wind is presently operating in moderate batches which is giving a very high Manufacturing lead time which is not acceptable for a JIT . To meet the increased demand for Volvo Sunwind needs to improve its cycle time as well as reduce its MLT by reducing batch size. Only operation 6 has a significant set up time which has to be reduced for going to JIT by enacting machine controls or preparing for changeovers while a job currently in production is still being processed. 4) In Sunwind the workstation load at different operations is not uniform. The cycle time at different processes vary considerably. As a result there is inventory pile up at workstations with high cycle time. Capacity planning and line balancing are to be used to meet the changed requirement of Volvo plant in 1987. In 1987, Volvo needs 65000 units of 700 series 5-door station wagons. To meet this demand Sunwind needs to produce =65000/52= 1250 units/week. At current capacity Sunwind can only produce 350 units/week. To meet the demand Sunwind needs to produce=1250/5=250 units/day. We propose change in number of workers and number of shifts to meet the required demand(considering Save plant of Sunwind alone will be producing for all Volvo plants) as shown below. Present Situation Proposed Capacity Planning and line balancing to meet new requirement In this changed line balancing the bottleneck operation is Operation 6 with a cycle time of 2. 83 mins. Since operation 6 has got maximum set up time and Sunwind is producing 32 combinations of part/color/carpet, we assume Japanese concept of heijunka for a JIT, a batch of 32 each wherein all the varieties will be there per batch. Assuming a reduced set up time of 15 mins /batch for JIT achieved by machine control , we get a cycle time of 2. 83+0. 47= 3. 3 mins. Since this operation is run for two shifts the daily production will be = 2*8*60/3. 3= 290 units/day. Operation 7 which has a lower cycle time becomes the bottle neck as the process is run for 1 shift only. No of units produced /day = 8*60/1. 3=262 units. Hence we can say the actual bottleneck is operation 7 with a cycle time of 1. 83 mins which run for single shift. Hence this becomes the cycle time for the entire batch process. To meet this requirement 3 additional workers at Sun wind’s Save factory are needed as per changed capacity planning. In this scenario of JIT an operational efficiency of above 95 % will be need ed to meet the demand requirement of 250 units/day or 1250 units/week (assuming 5 days week) If each batch of JIT is 32 units, in that case per day no of batches produced will be =250/32=7. Hence a JIT will shorten the Manufacturing lead time thereby reducing the inventory level and lumpy requirements on different workstations. This will help identify defects immediately and strengthen quality control measures and help achieve higher efficiency. MLT for JIT= WIP* Cycle time = 32*6*1. 83=351. 4 mins=5. 86 hours. Q 10 Assuming that Sunwind is now ready for JIT delivery (hope so, based on your Q1 to 9 analysis and suggested improvement), how to synchronize the delivery of product 4 times a day to Volvo’s Torslanda Plant? For this you may require the one day demand of Torsdland plant) Ans. The actual demand of 5 door model 700 for Volvo’s Torslanda Plant is 1985 is 17050. The total demand for Volvo isn 1985 is 33665. So Torslanda plant produced around 51 % of total Volvoâ €™s production. Considering the same percentage production of total Volvo’s requirement, by using the overall forecasted demand of Volvo plant in 1986, Torslanda plant will require to produce =51% of 62400= 31824 units annually. Hence per week demand is calculated to be=31824/52= 612 units. Since Sunwind runs 5 days a week, daily production requirement will be=612/5= 122 units. Considering new Capacity planning and line balancing for Sunwind as in Q7, our cycle time is 1. 83 mins ( bottleneck process 7 running for single shift). As the bottleneck operation is for single shift, in order to synchronise the delivery of products 4 times a day to Volvo’s Torslanda plant we need to have an MLT which will be atleast= 8*60/4= 120 mins. Considering the previously arrived cycle time of 1. 83 mins in Q7 There will be WIP of equal size at 6 different work stations (Operation 1 to 7) where processing will be done in batches. Hence maximum batch size that can be allowed so as to make a just in time delivery of new order booked 4 times a day =120/(6*1. 83)=11 Lot sizes of 11 units if produced in JIT system can enable us to deliver products 4 times a day, if the product criteria and combination is known beforehand.