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 ...

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!

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

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’

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.

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.

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†.

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.

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.

The Eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815

The Eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815 The tremendous eruption of Mount Tambora in April 1815 was the most powerful volcanic eruption of the 19th century. The eruption and the tsunamis it triggered killed tens of thousands of people. The magnitude of the explosion itself is difficult to fathom. It has been estimated that Mount Tambora stood approximately 12,000 feet tall before the 1815 eruption when the top third of the mountain was completely obliterated. Adding to the disasters massive scale, the huge amount of dust blasted into the upper atmosphere by the Tambora eruption contributed to a bizarre and highly destructive weather event the following year. The year 1816 became known as ​the year without a summer. The disaster on the remote island of Sumbawa in the Indian Ocean has been overshadowed by the eruption of the volcano at Krakatoa decades later, partly because the news of Krakatoa traveled quickly via telegraph. Accounts of the Tambora eruption were considerably rarer, yet some vivid ones do exist. An administrator of the East India Company, Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, who was serving as governor of Java at the time, published a striking account of the disaster based on written reports he had collected from English traders and military personnel. Beginnings of the Mount Tambora Disaster The island of Sumbawa, home to Mount Tambora, is located in present-day Indonesia. When the island was first discovered by Europeans, the mountain was thought to be an extinct volcano. However, about three years before the 1815 eruption, the mountain seemed to come to life. Rumblings were felt, and a dark smoky cloud appeared atop the summit. On April 5, 1815, the volcano began to erupt. British traders and explorers heard the sound and at first thought it to be the firing of cannon. There was a fear that a sea battle was being fought nearby. The Massive Eruption of Mount Tambora On the evening of April 10, 1815, the eruptions intensified, and a massive major eruption began to blow the volcano apart. Viewed from a settlement about 15 miles to the east, it seemed that three columns of flames shot into the sky. According to a witness on an island about 10 miles to the south, the entire mountain appeared to turn into liquid fire. Stones of pumice more than six inches in diameter began to rain down on neighboring islands. Violent winds propelled by the eruptions struck settlements like ​hurricanes, and some reports claimed that the wind and sound-triggered small earthquakes. Tsunamis emanating from the island of Tambora destroyed settlements on other islands, killing tens of thousands of people. Investigations by modern-day archaeologists have determined that an island culture on Sumbawa was completely wiped out by the Mount Tambora eruption. Written Reports of Mount Tamboras Eruption As the eruption of Mount Tambora occurred before communication by telegraph, accounts of the cataclysm were slow to reach Europe and North America. The British governor of Java, Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, who was learning an enormous amount about the native inhabitants of the local islands while writing his 1817 book History of Java, collected accounts of the eruption. Raffles began his account of the Mount Tambora eruption by noting the confusion about the source of the initial sounds: The first explosions were heard on this Island in the evening of the 5th of April, they were noticed in every quarter, and continued at intervals until the following day. The noise was in the first instance almost universally attributed to distant cannon; so much so, that a detachment of troops were marched from Djocjocarta [a nearby province] in the expectation that a neighboring post was attacked. And along the coast boats were in two instances dispatched in quest of a supposed ship in distress. After the initial explosion was heard, Raffles said it was supposed that the eruption was no greater than other volcanic eruptions in that region. But he noted that on the evening of April 10 extremely loud explosions were heard and large amounts of dust began to fall from the sky. Other employees of the East India Company in the region were directed by Raffles to submit reports about the aftermath of the eruption. The accounts are chilling. One letter submitted to Raffles describes how, on the morning of April 12, 1815, no sunlight was visible at 9 a.m. on a nearby island. The sun had been entirely obscured by volcanic dust in the atmosphere. A letter from an Englishman on the island of Sumanap described how, on the afternoon of April 11, 1815, by four oclock it was necessary to light candles. It remained dark until the next afternoon. About two weeks after the eruption, a British officer sent to deliver rice to the island of Sumbawa made an inspection of the island. He reported seeing numerous corpses and widespread destruction. Local inhabitants were becoming ill, and many had already died of hunger. A local ruler, the Rajah of Saugar, gave his account of the cataclysm to British officer Lieutenant Owen Phillips. He described three columns of flames arising from the mountain when it erupted on April 10, 1815. Apparently describing the lava flow, the Rajah said the mountain started to appear like a body of liquid fire, extending itself in every direction. The Rajah also described the effect of the wind unleashed by the eruption: Between nine and ten p.m. ashes began to fall, and soon after a violent whirlwind ensued, which blew down nearly every house in the village of Saugar, carrying the tops and light parts along with it. I n the part of Saugar adjoining [Mount Tambora] its effects were much more violent, tearing up by the roots the largest trees and carrying them into the air together with men, houses, cattle, and whatever else came within its influence. This will account for the immense number of floating trees seen at sea. The sea rose nearly twelve feet higher than it had ever been known to be before, and completely spoiled the only small spots of rice lands in Saugar, sweeping away houses and every thing within its reach. Worldwide Effects of the Mount Tambora Eruption Though it would not be apparent for more than a century, the eruption of Mount Tambora contributed to one of the worst weather-related disasters of the 19th century. The following year, 1816, became known as the Year Without a Summer. The dust particles blasted into the upper atmosphere from Mount Tambora were carried by air currents and spread across the world. By the fall of 1815, eerily colored sunsets were being observed in London. And the following year the weather patterns in Europe and North America changed drastically. While the winter of 1815 and 1816 was fairly ordinary, the spring of 1816 turned odd. Temperatures did not rise as expected, and very cold temperatures persisted in some places well into the summer months. Widespread crop failures caused hunger and even famine in some places. The eruption of Mount Tambora thus may have caused widespread casualties on the opposite side of the world.

Group Counseling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Group Counseling - Essay Example The frequent mistakes that may occur while running a group are, choosing a wrong member as per his physical appearance, wrong time allocation, selecting a wrong member for a particular task, harsh and unforgiving behavior, overlooking some or any of the members’ performance and discrimination among the members. These mistakes may cause damage to the group and further to the aim of the group.To run a successful group the leader must acquire certain qualities. The leader must be a good listener and interpreter in order to get comments, responses and ideas from the members of the group. Reflection is the process of monitoring members’ success and progress during activities and after completion of activities it acts as a tool of checking performance of the members and setting another goal accordingly. Reflection enables the members to know what they have acquired so far.The leader must give instructions to the members in a summarized speech. Not all members have the capabil ity to understand extensive and tricky arguments. While giving a speech or instructions the leader must be well-prepared and must have complete knowledge about the subject. He must not be harsh in words and his tone should be influential and controlling. The proper use of voice is of great importance for the group members. A leader must not ignore any of the members and must keep a watch on each of the members while giving instructions. A group consists of different people related to different cultures and races. A leader must have knowledge about their cultures to aid them in facing things which are against their cultures. He must know and value their cultural and moral values. The leader must provide the members with a final decision after taking members’ suggestions in view. It means that although he is responsible to take

There are 3 parts in this assessment and i decided to write about Essay

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