Products And Processes The WritePass Journal

Products And Processes Introduction Products And Processes IntroductionChoice of facility locationInventory managementTransportation Information infrastructureReferencesRelated Introduction Q1. Seven-Eleven’s supply chain strategy in Japan can be described as attempting to micro-match supply and demand using rapid replenishment? Are there any risks associated with this choice? What are these risks? Seven-Eleven Japan sought to simplify of its operations through use of advanced information technology, a factor to which its success is significantly attributed. This technology consists of a total information system installed in each outlet and linking their headquarters, their suppliers and their distribution centers. The system also includes an online network link; Point-of-sales (POS) system consisting of cash registers and terminal control equipment; personal computers linked to the POS cash registers and to the online network; and, an integrated services digital network (ISDN), an online communication system which enables quick collection, processing and feedback of data (Dai 2004). The hardware components of this system include: hand-held graphic display devices with access to the POS data in relation to each item which aid order placements; scanner terminals that read bar codes and reconcile inventory; store computers that interlink all these other components and track all t he data; and the POS registers which record sales and customer details such as age (Dai 2004). The POS data comprises of; sales analyses, waste analyses, and analyses of trends including daily sales, number of customers in relation to sales, slow product movement, and growth of sales per category. With this information system, the stores have better capacity to match their supply with demand. Through such data analyses, staff in the store can make adjustments through the day depending on consumption patterns, adjusting merchandise mix on store shelves, best described as rapid replenishment (Kumar 2001). This strategy of rapid replenishment though quite useful in maintaining efficiency and responsiveness, however, has risks associated. Among the risks, is an over-reliance on information technology systems which could be disastrous in case of system failures. A de-link of the several operations could disrupt the supply chain (Kumar 2001). Also a challenge is finding the right balance in the number of transport units due to the wide range of product quantities that are in demand. This could most likely result in increased costs of ordering and transport due to the high frequency of orders that earn this system the term â€Å"rapid replenishment†. This system also makes production and manufacturing quite an expense as the producers are limited by demand data flowing back to them, as they seek to match need. It would otherwise be cheaper if products were mass produced as the economies of scale would be favorable to such an arrangement (Chopra 2004). With an increase in product var iety and availability, there is also an attendant risk of higher inventory costs and culpability towards capacity fluctuations. Q2. Discuss how Seven-Eleven’s choice of facility location, inventory management, transportation and information infrastructure support its supply chain strategy in Japan? Choice of facility location `Seven-Eleven places its stores in clusters of over 50 stores supported by a distribution center. This choice of facility location is influenced by its market-dominance strategy in which Seven-Eleven Japan sought to open its new stores in areas already having clusters of stores (Li 2003). This arrangement of its facilities helps the company in its rapid replenishment strategy as the high density and geographical concentration boosts its efficient distribution system and enhances its system efficiency. This enables it to consolidate its warehousing and transport functions. The main advantage of this arrangement of clusters of stores around a delivery center is enhanced responsiveness core to the enhancement of efficiency in the supply chain. The centralized delivery center is essentially a cross-docking center, an essential node that enables consolidation and combination of product categories. Items supplied by different manufacturers are combined at the delivery center into distribution trucks which then service the stores depending on their individual orders (Li 2003). This use of distribution centers helps the company in its supply strategy by reducing lead time as well as the inventory and logistical costs throughout the chain. It enables faster replenishment through frequent supply by its distribution trucks several times a day. Inventory management Seven-Eleven’s inventory management system is composed of three levels; the manufacturers or suppliers, the delivery centers and the stores. The manufacturers or suppliers receive orders for goods from the stores and supply them through the distribution centers. The Seven-Eleven distribution centers do not carry any inventory as they only serve in cross-docking, transferring inventory from supplier trucks to distribution trucks that then serve the stores. At the store level, inventory management entails the use of bar code scanners to record inventory received from the distribution center which is reconciled against orders placed, the store computer, point-of-sale terminal and graphic display terminal which are useful in tracking all items in the inventory and guiding subsequent orders to replace sold items (Li 2003). All these levels are useful in the chain’s replenishment strategy through the tracking of inventory from supplier to the store and the provision of useful data to all parties in the chain through the communication interlink. This is quite significant in strengthening efficiency as parties seamlessly work together to enable rapid supply of products to meet demand from the stores. Transportation Meeting demand from the stores in rapid sequence requires a robust transport system backing the supply side. Seven-Eleven’s transport system consists of two segments; supplier trucks that transport goods from the manufacturers to the distribution center; and the company’s distribution trucks transporting products from the distribution centers to the stores. This segmentation enables the reduction of vehicular traffic to stores as the combination process at the distribution center makes it tenable for fewer distribution trucks serving the stores (Chopra 2004). To further ease transport, inventory is classified into four categories of temperature-controlled trucks including; frozen foods, chilled foods, processed foods at room-temperature, and warm foods. Goods in a similar category are combined in a single truck for delivery to multiple stores with the number of stores served by a truck depending on sales volumes (Li 2003). This arrangement gives Seven-Eleven the capacity to reduce number of vehicles that would be required for daily delivery to each store, even though the frequency of delivery is high. It consequently, also, reduces delivery costs and enables the rapid delivery of a variety of fresh foods thus enhancing efficiency and reducing costs in inventory management and transportation. This enhanced efficiency and reduced costs favors the rapid replenishment strategy as goods at stores are replaced faster and more efficiently. Information infrastructure This infrastructure is what gives Seven-Eleven much of its capacity and efficiency in its entire system, the backbone of its rapid replenishment strategy through the micro-match of demand and supply. This infrastructure consists of a total information system installed in each outlet and linking them to headquarters, their suppliers and to distribution centers through an online network link, the integrated services digital network (ISDN). This enables the sharing of actionable information in real time which serves to enhance responsiveness throughout the system. At the store, there is the Point-of-sales (POS) system consisting of cash registers and terminal control equipment and personal computers linked to the POS cash registers and to the online network (Kumar 2001). These components are useful aids in the analysis of a variety of data necessary for the realization of the supply chain strategy, through the tracking of inventory and a simplified process of placing orders. Data accrued from the various analyses is essential for the generation of projections enhancing the capacity to micro-match demand and supply. This infrastructure is key in bringing together all the information necessary to manage facilities, transport, manufacturing and general distribution, thereby enabling the smooth conduct of operations and management of the entire system at greater levels of efficiency. Q3. Seven-Eleven does not allow direct store delivery in Japan but has all products flow through its distribution centre. What benefit does Seven-Eleven derive from this policy? When is direct store delivery more appropriate? The decision to move all product deliveries through distribution centers came about as a result of Seven-Eleven’s endeavor towards efficiency in the supply chain. In its early life, up to 70 supplier trucks visited each store daily but with the distribution center arrangement, it has drastically reduced to 11 distribution trucks. Manufacturers supply the ordered products to Seven-Eleven’s distribution centers which then combines several items of similar category into a single distribution truck (Li 2003). This enables the supply of multiple stores by a single distribution truck for a particular category of products. The benefits of this supply mechanism include the reduction of vehicular traffic whereby only 11 distribution trucks with combined product categories are sufficient for daily supplies to stores. This enhances efficiency and responsiveness enabling a reduction in transport and inventory handling costs. Also beneficial is the resultant flexibility of the supply system as the distribution trucks are Seven-Eleven’s own (Chopra 2004). Delivery schedules can, through coordination, be altered easily and efficiently to enable the micro-matching of demand and supply, offering shorter replenishments cycles as per requirement and thus, enhancing responsiveness. The managing of fewer relationships is also a benefit of this indirect system as stores do not deal directly with vendors but leaves that to the distribution center. A store’s relationship in the chain is only with the distribution center and trucks (Li 2003). This partitioning enhances efficiency in the supply chain throug h the separation of scope of work for each player in the supply chain. Direct store delivery would, however, be more appropriate in instances when there is need for supply of unique one-time items that are heavy or bulky that would be inconvenient to pass through the distribution center (Chopra 2004). Direct delivery by supplier trucks would be appropriate in this case. It would also be appropriate when one among the stores is selling items with high demand uncertainties that are not sold in other stores as would be in cases when there is a difference in local preferences in the store locations. Another instance would be in cases in which emergency shipment of products is required necessitating straightforward supply path to the store (Dai 2004). References Chopra, S., and P. Meindl., 2004. Supply Chain Management, 2d ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Prentice-Hall. Dai, S., 2004. â€Å"Knowledge Creation System in Seven-Eleven Japan†. In: Journal of Electronic Science and Technology. Vol 2 , 92-97. Kumar, K., (ed), 2001. â€Å"Technology for Supply Chain Management†. In: Communications of the ACM( June, special issue). Li, L., 2003. Seven-Eleven Japan. Centre for Business Education, St. Andrews University.

Aircraft Drawings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Aircraft Drawings - Essay Example The drawing of Fokker IIV aircraft also has an installation drawing section. Installation section is the last in the working drawing of the aircraft. It provides all the necessary information for a part in its final position in the aircraft. It reveals dimensions for the location of specific parts with reference to useful dimensions in the workshop. In explaining the principle of operation, a schematic diagram is the most suitable. The mechanic installing the aircraft must have a comprehensive understanding and interpretation of the symbols and follow the schematic diagram flow. Mechanics should also understand the concept of wiring diagrams in the aircraft drawings. Wiring diagrams show electrical wiring and circuit operations. They have identification codes that applies to all electrical appliances and devices used in an aircraft (Faa, 2001, p. 15). The knowledge of wiring diagrams and schematics is very crucial to technicians mandated to repair and install electricity. Wire charts also the technicians to understand the flow sequence of events. Troubleshooting flow charts and logic flow charts are the categories of charts with distinguished functions. It is imperative for technicians installing and repairing the aircrafts and electrical appliances to learn and understand its

Philosophy in business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Philosophy in business Ethics - Essay Example Some employees are sent away while others are hired at the expense of the existing ones. As per the FCC regulations, these mergers will allow a greater share in the overall print and media industry while at the same time increasing the geographic control within the market. This would further exacerbate the issues that would be a cause of concern for the employees and the BSSl. These mergers and acquisitions allow the companies to gain large shares of the market and become tiny monopolies in their right effectively reducing the competitors’ value in the market to almost non-existent. There are already media giants operating within the media market who are supporting these recommended changes as these mergers have allowed them the position that they have secured in the market today. They effectively control the media and television industry. The ethical and legal implications that can arise from the above situation is the existence of unfair competition, pressure on smaller sized companies to merge with larger ones in order to survive, the monopolization of geographical region which in itself goes against the practice of fair trade and practice and the smaller companies are hence not able to get the important stories due to the lack of resource availability in contrast to the larger companies. For BSSL, the legal ramifications would be huge as it would mean trying to compete with companies which have access to more resources, greater networking and better connections in order to secure important stories, interviews etc. these mergers and acquisitions have made it virtually difficult for BSSL to compete on the same grounds and though the media industry has never been about â€Å"perfect competition†, yet granting 45 percent of the market control to a few giants effectively makes things quite difficult for BSSL. The employees of

Do You Support the Allowance of Women Into Combat Positions Essay Example for Free

Do You Support the Allowance of Women Into Combat Positions Essay Outgoing Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta announced Thursday a lifting of the ban on female service members in combat roles, a watershed policy change that was informed by women’s valor in Iraq and Afghanistan and that removes the remaining barrier to a fully inclusive military, defense officials said. Panetta made the decision â€Å"upon the recommendation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,† a senior defense official said Wednesday, an assertion that stunned female veteran activists who said they assumed that the brass was still uneasy about opening the most physically arduous positions to women. The Army and the Marines, which make up the bulk of the military’s ground combat force, will present plans to open most jobs to women by May 15. The Army, by far the largest fighting force, currently excludes women from nearly 25 percent of active-duty roles. A senior defense official said the Pentagon expects to open â€Å"many positions† to women this year; senior commanders will have until January 2016 to ask for exceptions. â€Å"The onus is going to be on them to justify why a woman can’t serve in a particular role,† said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the plan before the official announcement. The decision comes after a decade of counterinsurgency missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, where women demonstrated hero ­ism on battlefields with no front lines. It dovetails with another seismic policy change in the military that has been implemented relatively smoothly: the repeal of the ban on openly gay service members. Lawmakers and female veterans applauded Wednesday’s news, saying the ban on women in combat roles is obsolete. â€Å"This is monumental,† said Anu Bhagwati, a former Marine captain and executive director of the Service Women’s Action Network, which has advocated for the full inclusion of women. â€Å"Every time equality is recognized and meritocracy is enforced, it helps everyone, and it will help professionalize the force.† Critics of opening combat positions to women have argued for years that integration during deployments could create a distracting, sexually charged atmosphere in the force and that women are unable to perform some of the more physically demanding jobs. Advocates and experts say women are unlikely to flock to those positions, such as roles in light infantry and tank units and Special Forces — although some may. More substantively, they say, lifting the ban will go a long way toward changing the culture of a male-dominated institution in which women have long complained about discrimination and a high incidence of sexual assault. Changes long sought Lawmakers and advocates have long pressed the Pentagon to create a more inclusive force, yielding incremental changes. The American Civil Liberties Union recently sued the Pentagon over its policy, calling it discriminatory. Last year, military officials opened numerous job categories to women after a study concluded that the Defense Department was ready for greater inclusion in combat units. That made it easier for women to be assigned, for example, to combat brigades as radio operators. It also gave commanders a sense of how a broader integration process could work, said an Army general who played a key role in last year’s effort to open new positions for women. â€Å"The average professional will say, ‘I’ve served with women at all levels, and based on my experience, women have done a phenomenal job,’ † said the officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the change had not been formally announced. Ads by Google AMU Military UniversityChoose from 87 online degrees at American Military University. www.AMU.APUS.edu/AirForce The debate over the supposed pitfalls of women and men sharing close quarters has been rendered moot by the recent wars, he said, adding: â€Å"If you were having this debate in peacetime, it might be more emotional.† The fact that women have excelled in de facto front-line roles in Iraq and Afghanistan has proved such concerns unwarranted, Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), the head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in an interview Wednesday afternoon. â€Å"The reality is that so many women have been, in effect, in combat or quasi-combat,† he said. â€Å"This is catching up with reality.† In a statement, Sen. James M. Inhofe (Okla.), the leading Republican on the Armed Services Committee, voiced a measure of concern, saying last year’s study raised â€Å"serious practical barriers† that, if ignored, could jeopardize the â€Å"safety and privacy† of service members. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), another member of the panel, said he supports the decision, but he alluded to some of the thorny implementation issues that have yet to be addressed. â€Å"It is critical that we maintain the same high standards that have made the American military the most feared and admired fighting force in the world — particularly the rigorous physical standards for our elite special forces units,† he said in a statement.

state nullification Essay -- essays research papers

Impact of a State’s Right to Nullification   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Impact of a State’s Right to Nullification   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The impact of a state’s right to nullification can ultimately cause a great deal of damage to the country that it resides in. To describe the impacts one would need to take a look back into history when the Nullification Crisis took place. South Carolina had economic hard times after the war of 1812. Cotton prices started to drop and South Carolina was in a state of depression. Southerners however tend to blame their economic woes on the policies of the national government. (Goode 87). The Tariff of Abominations was a series of high taxes that was placed on incoming foreign goods. The South disagreed with this proposal because they thought that the federal government was trying to tax one part of the country to benefit the wealth of another which is the North. Thomas Cooper, the president of the South Carolina College said â€Å"Is it worth while to continue in this union of states, where the north demands to be our masters and we are required to be their tributaries.†(Goode 89) John C. Calhoun being Vice President and was from South Carolina strongly disagreed with this Tariff of Abominations. He even wrote â€Å"South Carolina Exposition† which used the constitution as an argument against the tariff. Then, there was the Haynes and Webster Debate. They both defended and attacked on the Nullification topic in congress. In 1832 Congress released another tariff that replaced the Tariff of Abominations, but the South Carolinians weren’t still happy. The climax of this nullification swirl happened at Jackson’s birthday dinner where everyone gathered to give speeches. Andrew told everybody in that room what he thought of State Nullification with one simple line: â€Å"Our Union, It must be preserved† (Goode 88). The Congress continued with passing a Force Bill that would allow President Jackson to use force to regulate the tariff laws. To clean this mess up and to avoid civil war, both sides decided to co mpromise due to a plan drawn up by Henry Clay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hard times in South Carolina   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  South Carolina was a state that was hit hard by the ... ...t got turned into a civil war because one state did not agree with the government. If it wasn’t for Clay to draw up the bill, South Carolina would have seceded from the Union and Civil World would have come earlier. All these events will eventually lead to bloodshed and that’s the last thing we want. Work Cited Bassett, Joseph M. â€Å"Encyclopedia of American Government† Pasadena, California 1975: 671 Benton, William â€Å"The Annuls of America† New York 1968: 232 Goode, Stephen â€Å"The New Federalism† New York 1983: 87 - 92 MacDonald, William â€Å"The American Nation a History, the Jacksonian Democracy† New York 1909: 67 – 88 National Urban League – Quasi Judicial Agencies â€Å"Dictionary of American History† New York 1976: 125 Shaw, Ronald E. Bremer, Howard F. â€Å"Andrew Jackson 1767 – 1845 â€Å" Dobbs Ferry, New York 1969: 59 Schlesinger, Arthur M. â€Å"The Age of Jackson† Boston 1945: 15 Schlesinger, Arthur M. â€Å"The Age of Jackson† New York 1945: 34, 403, 95-96 Stamp, Kenneth M. â€Å"The Causes of the Civil War† New York 1959: 68 http://web9.epnet.com/DeliveryPrintSave.asp?tb=1&_ug==5970ADF3-526D-4D75-ADE http://www.fofweb.com/History/HisRefMain.asp?SID=3&DataType=AmericanHistory&R

A Qualitative Study on Technology and Its Effects

There are several reasons behind the reference made by educational experts upon the effects of technology upon the learning progress of the students based upon the implication of the said modern innovation based upon the quality of education fostered by the said element of educational advancement.For this particular reason, I aim to examine the actual results that technology actually leaves the students with as they try to push through with their studies in American schools. Constant assessment of the effects that the technological innovations place upon the systems of learning among students in the United States is believed to be among the procedures by which the quality of education could be increased in the said country.Handling students who are from different countries and races are normally one of the challenges that the said country particularly faces. Through this, the studies made to prove the impact of technology upon learning have made this challenge much easier to deal wit h since technology is indeed becoming the common language of students around the world.To be able to get through with the study, I aim to present the ideas supporting technology’s effectiveness in education through addressing the question â€Å"How is technology able to improve the learning procedures and progress of students of the present modern generation?†The qualitative approach has been proposed for the completion of the paper for the aim of actually assessing the current educational situation among schools in the United States based on the quality of teaching that the students receive from their educators and the quality of learning that they are able to imply within themselves through technology.Literature ReviewTo be able to meet the discussions needed for this study, I aims to use three major books namely Nicola Yelland’s Shift to the Future: Rethinking Learning with New Technologies in Education; Oliver Van DeMille’s A Thomas Jefferson Educatio n: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-first Century; and Ann E. Barron’s New Technologies for Education: A Beginner's Guide from which the major issues and theories of the merging of technology and education that would be presented in the study shall come from.Along with these, two major internet websites pertaining to the topic being discussed would also be added as a source for this paper.The said sites are entitled â€Å"An Evaluative Study of Modern Technology in Education† by Seymour   Pappert which talks about the evaluative results on the effects of technology upon learning and teaching; and the article on the â€Å"Incorporation of Technology into Modern Education† which primarily discusses the ways by which technology is implemented in education in the American region. These sources shall be treated by I as the primary source of information as support to the ideas that are to be presented within the study.Proposed MethodologyThe method by which I aim to utilize to be able to come up with the necessary actual proofs that would support the claims I would be suspending shall be the assessment of the impact of technology upon learning through interviews and survey made on a particular Californian Public School in comparison with the results of a survey made on an online learning institution.The survey should be more of like a written interview-survey material that shall be passed on to other students through the internet, while actual interviews shall be done among the young students of a Californian school. The fact that I would be interviewing both the children and the educators shall help me see and actually be affected by the result of the supposed to be performed interview within the research.Significance of the StudyI see the impact of this study as a major way by which educators would be able to understand the essentiality of the implications of technology upon the learning strategies that the institutions serve to their students particularly in the United States. Observing the evaluations made upon the effects of technology in the modern day learning shall indeed add up to the knowledge of the institutions making it easier for them to accept the fact that technology is now a necessity in teaching and learning as well.As for my own part, I see the importance of this study to have an impact on the ways by which I particularly view the importance of technology in teaching my students with regards several issues in the society especially with regards the modern innovations of the communication systems within the human society. As I have taught basic computer application to college students for two years and now currently work as a Computer Resource Assistant in a High School, I know that this study shall give me the knowledge that I need to apply in my career.And since when I finish my masters, I also intend to teach college or adult education, be a school district instructional technology sup ervisor or technology trainer in corporate settings, I know that this study shall affect my motivation in my aspirations in the future. I am also thinking about opening a training center that would offer crash courses for computer applications, learning the impacts of the technology upon learning shall indeed help me understand the needed applications for the training in a better perspective.BIBLIOGRAPHY:First 1100 characters of Incorporation of Technology into Modern Education. (2005). Incorporation of Technology into Modern Education. http://www.123helpme.com/preview.asp?id=27239. (June 11, 2007).Seymour Papert. (2001). An Evaluative Study of Modern Technology in Education. http://www.papert.org/articles/AnEvaluativeStudyofModernTechnology.html. (June 11, 2007).Oliver Van DeMille. (2006). A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-first Century. George Wythe College Press; 2nd edition.Nicola Yelland. (2006). Shift to the Future: Rethinking Learni ng with New Technologies in Education. Routledge; 1 edition.Ann E. Barron. (1997). New Technologies for Education: A Beginner's Guide. Libraries Unlimited; 3 Sub edition.

`` The Beat Goes On, I Am Your Host, By Caleb Argent, And...

Good morning and welcome to the number 1 radio show, The Beat Goes On, I am your host, Caleb Argent, and today we will be going on a journey of reflection as we analysis the power words have in evoking human emotion through poems and modern songs alike. Poetry has been motivating, inspiring and inviting people to reflect on themselves for centuries. It has made people look back on the errors of their ways and come to terms with their mistakes. Poetry has the power to do all this because of the way the words within are written. Poets in the Romantic age (1800-1850) were very avant-garde minded and due to this, most of the utmost controversial and well known poets come from this age. As a result of this we here at The Beat Goes on have decided that our journey of reflection will began at the peak of poems in the romantic era with a famous poet named William Wordsworth and his poem â€Å"The World Is To Much With Us† and end in the 21st century with a famous song called Gone by J ack Johnson. In William Wordsworth’s poem â€Å"The World Is To Much With Us† the theme shows us that humanity has lost its way or is losing its way. Over time this idea of â€Å"Humanity losing its way† has brought about many controversial opinions and arguments between people who agree with the statement and people who disagree. This theme has changed a lot over the ages due to the different levels of technical advances at the time. In William Wordsworth’s poem he mainly focuses on the way society no longer