Operational Management Contexts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Operational Management Contexts - Essay Example The first phase was to shift to assemble to order planning (ATO), the second was de-integrating the manufacturing facility, and finally, rationalization- that is reducing the range of family of products to two that are most profitable for the company. These are innovations to be implemented depending on the market conditions. There were factors and aspects of innovation to consider. Firstly, what type of innovation is needed to proper address the main objective of the "phase changes", secondly, when is the right time the innovation should be implemented in the market life cycle, thirdly, an analysis on the implication of change in the supply chain, and finally, what are the trade-offs to take into consideration and how to address them to optimize the effect of phase changes. The planned "phase changes" of AB Machine Tool is meant to basically address profitability and the ever challenging market. The need for this is inevitable considering the fact that the market share of the company is getting smaller because of fierce competitions. The need to attract more investment is one of the options in order to maintain the economic viability. But to attract more investments means showing the potential investor the strength and capabilities of the company through changing times and turbulent market conditions. ... It is for this reason, AB Machine Tool ought to consider the need to introduce changes tactically and strategically but how it will affect the entire organization positively remains to be seen. Timing, type of innovations, trade-offs are some of the things that we should be looking into and this is our objective. "Mundane Taxonomy" of Innovation Types Moore (2004) enumerated the different types of innovations and gave description to each one of them but more importantly gave emphasis when it is to be applied during the market life cycle of the organization. He also emphasized its importance as it determines the economic viability and existence of an organization. Figure 1, Aligning Innovation with the Life Cycle, shows the eight types of innovations and when each one is supposed to be implemented in the market life cycle.Figure 1. The Market Development Cycle The Innovations as defined by Moore (2004) are as follows: Disruptive Innovation. Characterized by a great deal of attention particularly in the media, product appears as if from nowhere, creating a massive new sources of wealth. Application Innovation. Takes existing technologies into new markets to serve new purposes. Product Innovation. Takes established offers in established markets to the next level.The focus can be on performance increase, cost reduction, usability improvement, or any product enhancement. Process Innovation. Makes processes for established offers in established markets more effective or efficient. Experiential Innovation. Makes surface modifications that improves customers' experience of established products or processes. Marketing Innovation. Improves customers touching processes, be they marketing communication or

How Supply and Demand Affects the British Economy Essay

How Supply and Demand Affects the British Economy - Essay Example The aim of this paper is to do this, as well as look into all related elements and issues enveloped in this subject matter. This is what will be dissertated in the following. The British economy is considered as being "a parasite on the rest of productive capitalism" (Roberts, n.d.). However, in the European Commission's latest assessment of EU finances, it was predicted that the UK economy would grow by 2.2% this year and by at least 2.6% in the year of 2004. "The labor market has remained strong despite the global slowdown with the unemployment rate being at around 27-year lows," said the European Commission. (Osborn, 2003). As well, inflation in Britain is much lower than that of most other EU countries. Economic shocks can cause unpredictable damage and changes in aggregate demand and short run aggregate supply which lie outside our normal macroeconomic models. As a result, a new equilibrium level of national output is achieved. However, "The unpredictable nature of these shocks creates a fluctuating rate of economic growth and may require some sort of macroeconomic policy response." (Tutor, 2005). To the UK economy, which is an open economy, an example of a demand shock would be that of a recession in a major trading partner such as the United States. Meaning that, if the United States were experiencing a recession, real disposable incomes of US consumers would fall and hence demand for imports would fall as well. Although some people argue that because the UK has not entered recession international events have therefore not had a great effect on economic growth; however, this is not true the UK has suffered due to the global downturn but this has, to some extent at least, been offset by continued levels of consumer confidence the reflationary effects of the decision by the Monetary Policy Committee to reduce nominal interest rates still further to their current level of just 4.0%. "Cheaper money has been a key factor sustaining both confidence and consumer spending. The continued strength of house prices and low unemployment also helped to limit the impact of the demand shock that hit the British economy." (Tutor, 2005). Inflation is the process in which prices rise in the domestic economy, of which are reflected in the reduced purchasing power of a national sum of money over time. General price inflation is a fall in the purchasing power of money within an economy, as compared to currency devaluation which is the fall of the market value of a currency between economies. The particular extent to which these two phenomena are related is open to economic debate, though the comparison of a currency to foreign currencies is based on investor demand for currencies, and therefore must at least partially be a matter of perception. The issue of inflation is incredibly important in British politics on account of its effect on the purchasing power of both the consumer and business, and the corresponding linkage that the declining value of wealth and income has to the general economic health of the country. The law in Britain of supply and demand results in the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Once a region or country is ahead of the economic pack, it then

A piece of wire Essay Example for Free

A piece of wire Essay Using this graph, we can predict the resistance of any length up to 100cm. To test if these results are accurate, we can compare the experiment we have performed, with those of previous resistance experiments. The book value, in ohms, for the resistance of a 100cm length of 28swg wire is 4. 4?. This convinces me that these results are accurate as our result of 4? is very similar. It may seem a way off the mark but considering the difference in resistance a couple of swg makes (e. g. the resistance of a 30swg wire is around 7. 5? ) the similarity ensures success. The slight deviation may have been caused by a number of factors, like the variations of the power packs used and variations in the actual wire. I have recorded these results in a graph. From this graph, we can immediately see a few things. The line of best fit is a straight line through the origin with a positive correlation. This means that the resistance and voltage are directly proportional to one another, and that length of wire and resistance are directly proportional. This ties into ohms law. We can also measure the gradient of the graph. This is done by taking a y value under the line of best fit, and dividing it by the corresponding x value. On my graph, the y value I have chosen is 0. 9? , and the x value 23cm. The formula for this is: G = ? y ?x So G = ? y ?x = 0. 2 5 = 0. 04 So the gradient is 0. 04. We can examine the results further by referring to the resistivity formula: Resistance, R = Resistivity, p (? m) x length, l (m) or R = p l (? ) Cross-sectional area, A (m2) A The diameter of a 28swg wire is 0. 367mm, so, using the formula: A = ? r2 We can figure out the cross sectional area. Therefore, the cross sectional area is 0. 105784493mm2. Converting this to metres squared, this is 0. 000105784493m2 And, since we know that the resistance is 4. 0? , we can rearrange the formula to find the resistivity of the wire: We rearrange from this: R = p l to this: p = R A A l Now we can find out the resistivity (p) of the wire, in ohm meters (? m). Resistivity is a useful figure to have (much like resistance) but can also be used to check our work. To check the gradient of the graph, we can divide the resistivity of the wire, by the cross-sectional area. So Gradient   04 is the same value I got for the gradient directly off the graph, I can rest assured that it is the correct value. As this is the correct value, I can work backwards to see that the previous calculations were correct. In order to obtain this gradient value, I used resistivity, cross-sectional area, and resistance. So we can be sure that the calculations for these is correct as the outcome is the same as the separate calculation for gradient, using the graph. So, from these results we can see that:   Resistivity = 0. 00000423137972 ? m.   Gradient = 0. 04.   Cross-sectional area = 0. 000105784493m2.   Voltage is directly proportional to the length of the wire.   Resistance is directly proportional to the length of the wire.   As the length of the wire doubles, so does the voltage and so does the resistance. Conclusion From the consistency of the results I have gained, and the fact that proving the results using the gradient was successful, I can conclude that these results are reliable. The values that I noted were also very similar to the catalogued book values, which further supports the reliability of the experiment. The drawn line of best fit is accurate as the gradient drawn from it is identical to the one I figured out using the formula. If I were to repeat this experiment, I would change it only slightly. I would allow more class time for the analysis and possibly allow a shorter time for the practical as it is very quickly finished (in fact, to do all the results in one lesson minimises the chances of getting irregular results, because you know that the conditions are the same). The whole thing worked very well. The experiment went smoothly, and the inclusion of a preliminary experiment helped a great deal. The actual physics of this assignment were challenging, but understandable. It was a very well rounded task. Extension work that could be included may be to test the resistance of other wires and compare them, or to go up to 200cm and see if theres any difference. Also, by using another wire, other than constantan, we could see how temperature affects resistance, although, one would need to have done a constantan experiment in order to understand the dynamics of the other factors, otherwise the experiment would be to complicated. Daniel Moffat H11NF 1 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Electricity and Magnetism section.

Relationship Between Political Socialization And Political Culture Sociology Essay

Relationship Between Political Socialization And Political Culture Sociology Essay This paper has sought to identify the relationship between political socialization and political culture. We have succeeded in establishing that the way a child is socialized, and the environment definitely impacts on his political culture. It is a widely known and accepted fact that man is a social creature and his identity and culture are formed in the society from which he develops and almost all of his activities and functions are directed through the society; there are few human activities which are not affected by community. Topic: Define the concepts political culture and political socialization. How would political scientists describe the connection between political socialization and political culture? The term Political Culture means the attitudes, feelings, ideas, and values that people have about politics, government, and their own role, and more generally about authority in all its various forms (Munroe, 1985). Political culture has further been referred to as the beliefs, habits, behavioural patterns, values and overall distinguishing attributes that make up and characterize a political community. A political culture is the way in which the individuals within the social setting view their political system, the way in which they perceive it to function and the level of acceptance that pervades as a result. The political culture of a people is more than just their collective opinions, it is the way in which they choose to live as a result of their political beliefs, and it is the measure of what they are willing to accept, it guides they general thinking of a people (politically) and is somewhat steady in nature; i.e. the beliefs of the parents would more than likely be passed on to their offspring. Though the culture may be the same within in a society this does not in any way mean that the people would agree on the same issues or that what may be important to one individual would be important to another, it simply means that the way in which they choose to approach and deal with these issues would be in essence quite similar. Political culture usually means that they people have basically the same level of awareness of their rights, obligations and expectations as citizens. One must bear in mind also that Political culture varies from one country to another simply because the beliefs, feelings, attitudes and values of people vary. For example; the political culture of Grenada would be different from that of America or Japan for instance, just as it would vary between those two. One cannot understand the politics of a country without first looking at its political culture (Munroe, 1985). Political Socialization on the other hand is termed as the process whereby society develops attitudes and feelings towards politics in each of its members (Munroe, 1985). This basically means that political socialization is the process by which political culture is developed and maintained. It is what is taught to the people through their interactions with one another, through the media and through observation. Whereas Political culture deals with the collective, political socialization deals with the individual, it focusses on the upbringing of and interactions of the individual that result in the adherence to and acceptance of the political culture. Those groups and institutions which contribute to the process of political socialization are known as the agents of socialization. These sources affect the development of political values and attitudes differently, but they all contribute to the individuals understanding of and orientations toward politics. The primary agents of socialization are those that directly develop specific political orientations such as the family. Whereas, the secondary agents of socialization tend to be less personal and involved in the process of socialization in a more indirect manner such as the media (Wake Forest University, 2006). Political socialization has two distinguishing levels; these are primary and secondary. Primary socialization takes place through relationships with others, this is usually mostly informal relationships like peer groups, family members, social groups, etc. This form of influence is most often subliminal; the persons are usually unaware that they are being conditioned to think a certain way about their political system, situation and or standing. Individuals develop a basic attitude toward authority and power through this form of socialization and as a result this is what is emanated further in their political views and attitude towards politics. The secondary level of political socialization is more formal in nature and is found mostly in the wider social network. These range from schools, churches, media, political parties, social groups, etc. The way in which a person reacts to and interacts with their political system is heavily influences by what they hear and observe from others within their society. For example, depending on the religious beliefs of an individual their political views will be affected as such, depending on the influence of their instructors in school they will be affected, the influence of the media is a major factor in the ways an individual views the social system he operates in and so is the case for social groups and the policies and views pushed forth by political parties. Another major factor in political socialization is social status/standing; this has a major influence on the way in which a person would choose to deal with social issues, and the way in which they would try to influence policy. Demographics also play an important part in the way people respond to politics as their different situations are affects differently by their political system. A personà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s race, gender, age, economic standing, country and education would have a significant effect on what they view as important to them and what they would like to be done for them through their political system. By looking at both these concepts we can see how they are directly intertwined and co-dependent on each other. Without political culture there would be no political socialization and without political socialization there would be no political culture. They work hand-in-hand to develop a political system in which everyone accepts the basic underworking of the way in which the political machine runs. Political Socialization forms political culture and political culture influences political socialization. Political socialization is part of the continuous process of social order which is responsible for teaching certain political behaviours to the new members of a society in order to make them think in keeping with the changing political system they are living in (Almond Verba, 1963). It appears that every society may succeed in maintaining its political culture through the process of political socialization; because by accessing cultural transfer channels of the society, the means to improving those set of values that contribute to the political stability and solidity of a society may be obtained (Verba, Schlozman, Brady, 1995). Through political socialization, an individual will take on a particular political personality which leads the individual to accepting a certain role in the framework of the political system. Accordingly, people knowingly adopt a certain status and position in the political structure of the society; a process which is completed by the family, school, mass media, government, political societies, parties, state organizations, local agencies, occupations, etc. (Ulzurrun, 2002).As Almond and Verba view it, political socialization is the process of maintaining or changing political cultures. Through political socialization people enter political culture and their orientations toward political objectives are formed (Almond Verba, 1963). This paper has sought to identify the relationship between political socialization and political culture. We have succeeded in establishing that the way a child is socialized, and the environment definitely impacts on his political culture. It is a widely known and accepted fact that man is a social creature and his identity and culture are formed in the society from which he develops and almost all of his activities and functions are directed through the society; there are few human activities which are not affected by community. Therefore, society is crucial for human beings because it is associated with their survival. In this regard, family plays the most important role in spreading socialization. The type relationship formed in family influences the early stages of childrenà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s life and formation of their personality and thereby prepares them to abide by social norms and rules and to have a successful and effective presence in society. Parents are the first models for a child whose manner of treating others, conduct, culture, politics, norms and values are all formed in family environment. If a family fails to play its role in this respect, socialization will be impaired right from the start. To sum, one of the most important and effective factors influencing political culture is socializing different political subjects in families.

Doctor Faustus Essays: Applying the Psychoanalytical Approach :: Doctor Faustus Essays

Applying the Psychoanalytical Approach to Dr. Faustus Within the text of Christopher Marlowe's "Doctor Faustus," a reader notices the struggle between the superego and the id. Throughout the play, Faustus struggles with himself while Lucifer and Mephistopheles struggle with him. Though these huge conflicts take place in the text they aren't the greatest of situations when one tries to apply the psychoanalytical approach. The most obvious situation arrives with the introduction of the Seven Deadly Sins. They represent the constant struggle between the id and the superego. They add to the seduction of Dr. Faustus and the constant struggle in a chaotic Hell. The id possesses most of the sins: Pride, Covetousness, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony and Lechery. All six of these sins show characteristics that are strong and powerful. Though these sound as if they were good characteristics, they are actually extremely over-bearing. When the sins explain who they are, they don't leave any room for argument. They just say who they are, and they take what they want. For example, Pride explains what he can do with a woman: "I can creep into every corner of a wench: sometimes, like periwig I sit upon her brow; next, like a necklace I hang about her neck; then, like a fan of feathers I kiss her..." (Marlowe, II.ii.120) Obviously, Pride feels powerful enough to take any woman he wants and perform with her any way he wants. With a sly and mischievous voice Pride states what he can do and no one can change it. Another great representation of the id is Lechery or lust. Lechery just walks out and struts her stuff in front of Faustus. The reader realizes that her power is not in her words but in her presence. Even Lucifer notices her strength because he sends her away almost as fast as she comes in. "Away, to hell, away! On, piper!" (Marlowe, II.ii.177) Lechery closes the deal on Faustus. Her presence is so powerful that Faustus returns to the hands of Lucifer. All six of these Seven Deadly Sins show their strength and power, for they don't back down, except to Lucifer. They do what they want and say what they please, because they are the angels of Lucifer, the most evil angel of them all. In achieving their goals they are very aggressive and Lucifer provides them all the freedom they need in order capture new souls like Faustus.

Reparations to Descendants of Slaves Should Have Ceased Long Ago Essay

Reparations to Descendants of Slaves Should Have Ceased Long Ago In this day and time the world is heavily concerned with political and social corrective ness, thus everyone is catered too and no money changes hands. The idea and arguments of paying reparations to the descendants of slaves has been in the American media and courthouses since the English barrister James Grahame published a groundbreaking book in 1850 setting the first claim for reparations in the United States. It is no surprise that these allegations arose so soon after the abolishing of slavery at the culmination of the Civil War. Free blacks and enslaved blacks are accredited with building a nation on their backs, that is not so; America was built on the backs of the heroic men who served in the American Revolution and the victorious soldiers who reconciled a broken country after the Civil War. Reparations cannot be paid to those whom it is not owed. America has been heavily criticized for quietly supporting slavery in the North and celebrating the institution of slavery in the South. It seems quite puzzling as to why reparations are so sought after by African Americans in the country, when none of them are direct descendants of those who were enslaved. African Americans have been so bold to even bring forth allegations against nations in Europe for starting and profiting from the slave trade as well as the colonization of Africa, it we as a civilized people did our homework we would find that it was capitalistic tribes of Africa who staged the capturing of the slaves thus setting the wheels of slavery in motion. This is the main reason why America can not and will not be charged with the heinous act of paying billions of tax dollars to non-existent sl... ...just settlement of emotional, physical, mental, or financial debt. As John Carroll fervently proclaims â€Å"I didn’t do it! My ancestors didn’t do it! The people who did it are dead now.† Slavery is a worldwide epidemic, it has been passed down through time, so Judge Halbert I declare that you vehemently clear America, the West, the nations of Eastern Europe, and Christians clear of any wrongdoing in saving the slaves from a life of darkness and sin. WE HAVE PAID OUT DEBT’S IN FULL! Works Cited Page Brooks, Raymond L. â€Å"Paying for Past Sins†: Taking Sides. 16 June 2002.

Counseling African Americans Essay

Sue and Sue’s Chapter 14 Counseling African Americans spends a great deal of effort exploring cultural particulars and corresponding clinical implications while working with African Americans; factors such as family dynamics, educational orientation, spirituality, and the pressures and stress of racism and marginalization. This offered me perspective through a lens much broader than my own somewhat narrow, predominantly white, and fairly privileged way of relating to the world. Before understanding culturally appropriate interventions, one must have an understanding of the cultural context or the cultural word of an individual. For me, this first means that differences must be noted, either literally in relationship with the African American client or simply as a clinical observation I make on my own. Of course the difference in the two will depend on the client, context, and general relevancy in the moment. In my own experience, noting racial difference aloud with a client has been most helpful in that it gives permission for the potentially â€Å"taboo† topic of race and differences to be considered, brought into the space at a later time, and even into the forefront of consciousness. Apart from the explicit therapeutic relationship, noting difference is a personal reminder that I am no expert on anyone’s experience but my own, I may make mistakes (and probably will), I should steer clear of assumptions, it’s ok to be curious, and to do my homework. Once a general understanding of differences is established, then one can begin to consider appropriate therapeutic interventions. Let’s take the issue of racism and discrimination; the byproduct of these atrocities oftentimes manifests as defense and survival mechanisms in Black Americans. Which can lead to a general mistrust or as it’s stated (by Sue and Sue) a â€Å"healthy cultural paranoia†, as a way of coping. This mistrust can be of individuals, entire races of people, the government, social service providers†¦ With this in mind, it’s important to determine what the client’s feelings and understandings about therapy are. To touch base and explain what kind of therapy I engage in, how it can be helpful to them, and what can be expected of our time together. Hopefully this will help to assuage uneasy feelings of fear of the unknown or mistrust, as well as set up a foundation for a healthy therapeutic alliance. Although Sue and Sue’s Afrocentric perspective can be helpful it can also simultaneously be viewed as reductive. It’s important not to discount individual differences by universalizing traits of African Americans. Self cannot be defined as a unitary concept evolving from a single defining variable, such as race or gender (Williams, 1999). For instance, not all women are nurturing, caring, and relational. Similarly, not all African Americans possess an African ethos of communalism or spirituality. Race, class, sexual orientation, and gender are all complex interactive components that make up the self. To approach a client through the lens of only one of these variables, means potentially silencing a central component of their identity. Additionally, it is also necessary to consider an internal state without regard to the social demands of each variable. Collectively, these considerations can aide to a more holistic view when working with African American clients. Part Two After spending a year in practicum at the SF county jail, I feel as though I’ve had a fairly decent introduction to working with African American females. When I began practicum I had had very little training in diversity or cross-cultural counseling. Turns out that a year in the jail was one large training in diversity and cross-cultural counseling! Now I’m able to pin my personal experience against the readings and gauge my success as a culturally competent therapist. When assessing my strengths, I find that I possess a keen and tremendously empathic understanding of how the stress of racism, sexism, and oppression can manifest in African American women. Oftentimes the byproduct of this stress is what brings the individual to jail. As a clinician, I can confidently say that I am able to enter the therapeutic relationship with a greater capacity for empathy because of this understanding and build a strong alliance as an ally as well as a therapist. I’m not afraid to make mistakes and have no attachment to being â€Å"right†; these qualities will only support me as a clinician. In addition, my upfront demeanor and willingness to self-disclose have had a remarkable impact on the therapeutic relationship. My empathy is strongly with women and their plight of identifying and addressing all the â€Å"isms† that stand between them and equality, wholeness, and health. Frequently, those â€Å"isms† are at the hands of men and I certainly have a bias towards this, and towards men in general. It’s no accident that I spent an entire year of practicum working solely with women; although it wasn’t a conscious choice, I believe on some level I chose not to work with men. I have incredible biases towards men as perpetrators and oppressors and men and their privilege, African American men as well as Caucasian. These biases keep me terrified at the thought of working with male clients. I imagine heaps and heaps of countertransference between male clients and myself; countertransference that is full of pain and rage. I’m not sure that I have much to offer men inside the therapeutic space. I don’t believe this to be my â€Å"final answer†, I just know that I have some work to do around my relationship with men before I make the leap of working with them in such sacred space. Essentially, it all comes down to two core qualities- and they are humility and flexibility; humility in all that I think I know and the flexibility to shift or discard that knowledge. My experience of working with, knowing, and reading about African American culture, difference, and oppression may or may not serve me as a therapist at any given moment. What works for and makes sense in the context of Client A, may not be so for Client B, and vise versa. Although it is crucial to have fundamental knowledge of the legacy of oppression against African American people and to consider factors such as interdependence, collectivism, and emotional vitality as presumed long- standing black personality traits, I must also be able to draw connections between those factors and the individual experience- much like the womanist techniques mentioned in Carmen Braun Williams’ article African American Women, Afrocentrism and Feminism: Implications for Therapy. As a therapist, I am responsible for guiding and supporting the client in making the shift from object to subject; transferring ownership of self from one whose self is externally determined to one who is self- determining (Freire, 1990). And practice practice practice, with an open heart, ears, and mind. References Braun Williams, C. (1999). African American women, afrocentrism and feminism: Implications for therapy. Women & Therapy, Vol. 22(4) 1999. Freire, P. (1990). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Continuum. Sue, D. & Sue, D. (2008). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice, Chapter 14.