Critically discuss with reference to the car industry e.g (Toyota), Essay

Critically discuss with reference to the car industry e.g (Toyota), the Japanese Lean production revolution - Essay Example The meiji restoration transformed the Japanese empire into an industrial world power. With new found pride in their country, and their culture, the Japanese flexed their muscles overseas. After the first Sino-Japanese War (1894-95), and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05), Japan conquered a part of China, some parts of Russia, Taiwan and Korea. These territorial conquests provided Japan with valuable raw material and cheap labor for industries back home. In turn , these occupied territories were fertile markets for Japanese products. The relentless hunger for territorial expansion found expression in Japan's annexing of Manchuria in 1931. In 1937, Japan occupied more territories in China by waging a war on that country for the second time ( Second Sino-Japanese War, 1937-45). All these aggressive expansionist plans brought Japan in direct conflict with the U.S and its allies. Japan joined the Axis powers- Germany and Italy, in 1941.The same year, Japan declared war on the U.S. The war with Japan ended after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Between 1945 and 1952, post-war Japan was administered by the U.S government .To help Japan stand on its own feet, American financial and technical aid were provided to Japanese business and industry. As part of the technical assistance , the U.S government brought in industrial and managerial experts from the U.S, to train Japanese companies on modern management and production methods. One of the most definitive techniques that influenced Japanese manufacturing, and made Japan the powerhouse that it is today , was the 'Training Within Industry', concept. Training within industry (TWI) service, was a creation of the U.S Department of War, to meet wartime needs. During war, manpower was required by the armed forces to fight the enemy. At the same time, industry which provided key material and equipment to the defense forces, faced a shortage of hands to finish production. Therefore, to optimize the productivity of U.S workforce, a program for training supervisors and workers in indus trial establishments was devised. The training was to be done by experts drawn from universities and businesses. The aim of this program was to improve productivity and quality. The basic concept of the training consisted of the following sequences: a. study and understand the process b. break up the process into its sub-components. c. Educate the supervisor and the worker on the process and its sub-components. d. Train the supervisor and the worker to work efficiently and without wastage. e. Train the worker to evaluate the end result and suggest corrective steps. f. Training the supervisor to deal with workers effectively and fairly. g. Training managements to develop newer and better training programs. The essential elements of the TWI program were similar to the principles laid down by Frederick w.Taylor (1856-1915), father of scientific management. In his book, 'The principles of scientific management (1911), Taylor proposed the following: a. replace rule of thumb work methods with methods based on scientific study of the task. b. Scientifically select , train, and develop each employee rather than passively leaving them to train themselves. c. Divide work equally between managers and workers so that

Potential Computer Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Potential Computer Application - Essay Example Amazon.com, e-bay are few of the notable sites that deal in such businesses and are world renowned (Dave, 2008). Many a times, it is being said that the threats arise at the end nodes; however the threats are still equally potent even if they do not penetrate the system across the medium. The e-commerce setup largely consists of three components, the server, the I.P section and the client section. Clients are usually the soft targets for the hackers. Security breaches have taken place in history of e-commerce in case of Yahoo and E-bay.com trading and have resulted in large amount of financial damages as well as loss of trust of customers. Code Red Warm, The NIMDA, are few of the threats and experienced by Microsoft in recent past where private data was at direct threat (Whitman & Mattord, 2007). Various other threats include viruses and Trojan horses. Denial of service (D.O.S) is a common term in the world of e commerce and is another menace towards the smooth and reliable operation s in the world of online businesses. The need is to install vendor patches in order to minimize the impact of denial of service intrusions. This along with providing the customers more security n form of protecting their SSN numbers, and most importantly enable encryption mechanism on the transactions performed by the customers (Marchany & Tront, 2002). Installation of firewalls can minimize the entry of undesired elements, and would limit the interaction to only authenticated customers and the parent companies. Encryption in shape of digital signatures and secret keys are small efforts that can make a large difference. Privacy issues about RFID have received extensive attention. Discuss how to protect privacy in electronic society. RFID, acronym for radio frequency identification technique, is largely in use nearly all business centers and malls as well as industries. Their use is not just limited to the commercial applications; rather it is being used in military equipments as wel l. It has reduced the manual work and through the computerized data storing, has added large value to various components of the system. However, of late numbers of issues have popped up during its use. The issues come in various forms and they are believed to be able to trace the customer even after they have left the premises of the mall just because of the tag that is embalmed on the product (Dempsey, 2010) .Other issues concerning this technology include the compatibility in terms of universal handling and the factor of various proprietary bodies that have created further obstacles by restricting its use. With efforts in place for globalization of RFID based on unique numbers, it could further hamper the security factor since the standardization may lead to tracing of other important numbers like credit card and social security numbers. In terms of the supply chain and various industries, it is being believed that the RFID tags can enable getting the information about the interna l components of the supply chain which is otherwise strongly held from other organizations and competitors. On the application front, the possibility of jamming of the particular frequency at which RFID operates, can result in halting of entire system which can be least afforded in the field of medical and military

Critically discuss with reference to the car industry e.g (Toyota), Essay

Critically discuss with reference to the car industry e.g (Toyota), the Japanese Lean production revolution - Essay Example The meiji restoration transformed the Japanese empire into an industrial world power. With new found pride in their country, and their culture, the Japanese flexed their muscles overseas. After the first Sino-Japanese War (1894-95), and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05), Japan conquered a part of China, some parts of Russia, Taiwan and Korea. These territorial conquests provided Japan with valuable raw material and cheap labor for industries back home. In turn , these occupied territories were fertile markets for Japanese products. The relentless hunger for territorial expansion found expression in Japan's annexing of Manchuria in 1931. In 1937, Japan occupied more territories in China by waging a war on that country for the second time ( Second Sino-Japanese War, 1937-45). All these aggressive expansionist plans brought Japan in direct conflict with the U.S and its allies. Japan joined the Axis powers- Germany and Italy, in 1941.The same year, Japan declared war on the U.S. The war with Japan ended after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Between 1945 and 1952, post-war Japan was administered by the U.S government .To help Japan stand on its own feet, American financial and technical aid were provided to Japanese business and industry. As part of the technical assistance , the U.S government brought in industrial and managerial experts from the U.S, to train Japanese companies on modern management and production methods. One of the most definitive techniques that influenced Japanese manufacturing, and made Japan the powerhouse that it is today , was the 'Training Within Industry', concept. Training within industry (TWI) service, was a creation of the U.S Department of War, to meet wartime needs. During war, manpower was required by the armed forces to fight the enemy. At the same time, industry which provided key material and equipment to the defense forces, faced a shortage of hands to finish production. Therefore, to optimize the productivity of U.S workforce, a program for training supervisors and workers in indus trial establishments was devised. The training was to be done by experts drawn from universities and businesses. The aim of this program was to improve productivity and quality. The basic concept of the training consisted of the following sequences: a. study and understand the process b. break up the process into its sub-components. c. Educate the supervisor and the worker on the process and its sub-components. d. Train the supervisor and the worker to work efficiently and without wastage. e. Train the worker to evaluate the end result and suggest corrective steps. f. Training the supervisor to deal with workers effectively and fairly. g. Training managements to develop newer and better training programs. The essential elements of the TWI program were similar to the principles laid down by Frederick w.Taylor (1856-1915), father of scientific management. In his book, 'The principles of scientific management (1911), Taylor proposed the following: a. replace rule of thumb work methods with methods based on scientific study of the task. b. Scientifically select , train, and develop each employee rather than passively leaving them to train themselves. c. Divide work equally between managers and workers so that

Vectren Corporation Audit Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Vectren Corporation Audit - Assignment Example Based on reported results, the dividend payout ratio and the return on average shareholders’ equity for 2013 were 86% and 8.9%, respectively. Under the Vectren At-Risk compensation plan, the company may prefer to acquire more shares on the open market during the fiscal periods when there are no limitations on the internal transactions to fulfill these obligations. The effective January 1, in the year 2015, the Compensation and Benefits Committee of the solemn Board of Directors issued approximately 169030 performance-based units to the management. Moreover, the Vectren Company is expecting to grant an absolute additional 172,069 performance awards measured at the time of the three-year performance period that will end as at December 31, the year 2014, which do not vest with the inadequate exceptions up to December 31, 2015. Unfortunately, these facts are not included in the table structured with the issues on the fiscal year. The footnote generally plays various fundamental roles in documents that will be analyzed further to acquire some information or rather to guide in a particular research. A footnote is always a tool that is used for referencing in documents (Pierce, Sarah, and Julie, 88). Some of the major purposes of the footnote include the following: Provision of additional information on an element or subject that has been mentioned in the main text or document but the elaboration of the element or subject is a little bit shallow in the main text. The footnote will, therefore, create a broad explanation on the subject in order to facilitate proper understanding thus accurate interpretation for anyone who will access the document. Footnotes also provide references used in the text or document in order to enable the readers to acquire more information from the journals or books quoted in the document in order to avoid cases of plagiarism.

Wisconsin Fast Plants Brassica Rapa

Wisconsin Fast Plants Brassica Rapa In Module 1, we used plant genetics of the Wisconsin Fast Plants, Brassica rapa to study transmission genetics. Brassica rapa was used since it is a model organism. A model organism possesses life cycles and characteristics that make them exceptionally suitable for transmission genetic study, including a short generation time, manageable numbers of progeny, adaptability to a laboratory environment, and the ability to be housed and propagated inexpensively (Pierce, 6). Brassica rapa possesses all of the necessary qualities to be a particularly good candidate for our experiment. Brassica rapa yields seeds from the moment it is a seed in about 34 days (Lauffer, 18). The relatively short life cycle and other model organism traits make Brassica rapa relatively easy to manage in a classroom setting. However, there are setbacks in using Brassica rapa, including parthenogenesis where there is a production of viable seeds without a male parent to contribute pollen. This serves as a possible p roblem in analyzing the offspring because the progeny will have characteristics identical to the female parent. However, with a short life cycle, manageable progeny, and adaptability to laboratory conditions, Brassica rapa serves as a good model organism to study transmission genetics. By examining the phenotypes of Brassica rapa to determine the possible genotypes of the plants, Gregor Mendels basic principles of heredity of transmission of genetics from parent to offspring are being studied. Mendels observations in his experiments involving pea plants revealed that the phenotypes of the plants may be used to predict the geneotypes of the plants. Mendel only used absolute characteristics in examining the plants of interest such as color, size and shape instead of quantitative characteristics. This makes the determination of the genotype straightforward, consistent and objective. However, the genotype does not solely determine the phenotype of the plant. A given phenotype arises from a genotype that develops within particular environment (Pierce, 46). The genotype determines the boundaries for development but how the phenotype develops is also determined by other genes and environmental factors. Several genotypes with the known phenotypes of interest of Brassica rapa are known. The stems of Brassica rapa may be purple or non-purple. The purple color results from the pigment anthocyanin and is a controlled by the dominant allele, ANL. Anthocyaninless mutants of Brassica rapa fail to produce anthocyanin pigments (Burdzinski, 1). The anthocyaninless plants therefore have non-purple stems and are controlled by the recessive allele, anl. The anthocynanin pigment is extremely important in plants because the presence of anthocyanins that provide the colour palette for the breeder (Delpech, 207). The colors produced by the pigment guides the pollinator to the source of the pollen to ensure the process of pollination. In addition to the color of the stem, the trichomes on the plants are another characteristic controlled by genes. The presence of hair is most notably present on the upper portion of the stem and on the leaves. The characteristic for hair is controlled by the dominant a llele, HIR while the characteristic for being hairless is controlled by the recessive allele, hir. Another characteristic used to study the genetics of fast plants is the color of the leaves. When the leaves appear dark green, it is a result of the plant producing a significant amount of chlorophyll. The plants with dark green leaves are controlled by the dominant allele, YGR. On the other hand, plants with yellow-green leaves produce less chlorophyll and are controlled by a recessive allele, ygr. The final trait used to determine the possible genotypes of the fast plant is stem height. When a plant produces four to ten times less of gibberellic acid than a standard plant, the stems of the plant does not elongate as much and the plant appears dwarf. The plants with gibberellic acid deficiency are thus short and are called Rosette-Dwarf. The dwarf characteristic is controlled by the recessive allele, ros. On the other hand, plants that produce up to twelve times more gibberellic acid than the standard plants have stems that elongate more than usual. The tall stems are controlled by a recessive allele, ein. When a plant produces the average mount of gibberelic acid, it is average in height. With these known phenotypes and genotypes, it is possible to predict the genotypes of plants by examining their observed characteristics. Since the phenotype of plants are affected by both genetic and environmental factors, it is important to house the plants with sufficient light and water. The timing of seed germination is highly sensitive to several aspects of the seed maturation environment, including water availability, soil nutrients, photoperiod, temperature and light quality (Dechaine, 1297). Therefore, it is important to keep the plants hydrated during flowering, fertilization and seed development so that the plants can yield high levels of seeds. It is also important to provide sufficient water and light to the seeds for successful germination. Effective fertilization and germination of the plants are necessary in determining the genotypes of the parents. Without the observable phenotypes of the progeny, the genotypes of the parents would remain unknown. By analyzing the phenotypes of the parent Brassica rapa plants along with their given corresponding genotypes, cross-breeding the plants would yield progeny with observable characteristics that will determine the genotype of the parents. If the cross-breeding is carried out successfully with negligible parthenogenesis, the unknown genotypes of the parent plants can be known after the crosses. Materials and Methods Materials A group of seven Wisconsin Fast plants were assigned to the group for identifying phenotypes and possible genotypes. A set of four pots, each pot with two plants, labeled as red were assigned to the group for the cross. Stakes and metal wires were used to secure plants in place. Pollination bags and chenille rods were used in the pollination process. Filter papers and petri dishes were used to germinate the seeds. Throughout the entire process, white light and water was used. Methods We obtained a group of seven Wisconsin Fast plants. The plant labeled as #1 was told to be the wild type stock or Standard that was used to which the other plants were compared. The height of the Standard plant was measured and the shape and color of the leaves and stems were observed and noted. In addition, the trichomes, or hairs on the leaves and stems were also observed and recorded. We then observed and recorded the observable traits seen in the remaining six plants relative to the Standard. After recording the observations of the phenotypes of all seven plants, we referenced the genetic stock description list in the manual of Module 1 to assign a name to each Wisconsin Fast Plant. The genetic stock description list includes a description of whether the observed phenotype is the result dominant or recessive alleles. Based on the given information, we were able to determine to possible genotypes of the Wisconsin Fast plants. A set of four pots color coded as red was assigned to the group. Each pot had two plants: one with either recessive or dominant genotype and one with unknown genotype. We placed a stake next to each plant and gently looped the attached metal wire around each plant to secure it in place. A pollination bag was then gently placed over each pot. The pots were placed into a large tray and placed under white light. The trays were filled with 1-2 inches of water twice a week. After several class periods, the plants had flowers. We pollinated the plants using a chenille rod by gently touching the anthers of one flower on Plant 1 with the tip of the rod to collect the pollen grain and delivered the pollen grain to the stigma of a flower on Plant 2 in the same pot. Similarly, we gently touched the anthers of one flower on Plant 2 with the tip of the rod to collect the pollen grain and delivered the pollen grain to the stigma of a flower on Plant 1 in the same pot. We repeated the process for the other three plant pots. The pots were returned to the large tray and were continued to be watered twice a week. Approximately twenty days after pollination, we stopped watering the plants and they were allowed to try for about five days under white light. Then, the seeds were collected by rolling the dry pods between the hands. The collected seeds were placed in a petri dish with a moist piece of filter paper. The petri dish was constantly kept under white light for one week and watered twice a day so that the filter paper remained moist. After one week, the seeds had germinated and the seedlings phenotypes were observed and recorded.

A View of the Woods :: View of the Woods Essays

A View of the Woods Flannery O'Connor is a very complex writer in terms of her use of symbolism in addition to the elements of the grotesque and blackly humorous. O'Connor’s story, "A View of the Woods," is symbolically complicated. The story focuses on the relationship of Mary Fortune Pitts, a little girl, and her grandfather, Mr Fortune. The story is one of conflict that mounts to tragedy in the end. The conflict is basically between Mary Fortune and her grandfather over the sale of some ground that Mary Fortune finds important for her father's grazing of his cattle and for the view of the woods. You might look carefully at the woods in this story because they assume a symbolic significance similar to the woods in "Greenleaf." In many ways I think the woods can be seen as the Garden of Eden. When they are sold, they are sold to a man called Tilman, and he is represented as a serpent: Tilman was a man of quick action and few words. He sat habitually with his arms folded on the counter and his insignificant head weaving snake-fashion above them. He had a triangular-shaped face with the point at the bottom and the top of his skull was covered with a cap of freckles. His eyes were green and very narrow and his tongue was always exposed in his partly opened mouth. He had his chequebook handy and they got down to business at once. It did not take him long to look at the deed and sign the bill of sale and Mr Fortune signed it and they grasped hands over the counter. (76) The idea here would appear to be that in selling the land to Tilman, Mr Fortune is actually handing the Garden of Eden over to the control of the serpent. There is a lot made of their respective surnames earlier in the story, when the little girl and the grandfather are actually arguing over the land, and this supports this particular reading: She turned and looked him straight in the face and said with a slow concentrated ferocity, "It's the lawn. My Daddy grazes his calves there. We won't be able to see the woods any more." The old man held his fury as long as he could. "He beats you!" he shouted. "And you worry about where he's going to graze his calves!"

Emotionally Disturbed Students Essay -- essays research papers fc

Emotionally Disturbed Students Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD) frequently exhibit academic deficits alongside their behavioral deficits, particularly in the area of reading; however, there are very few studies examining ways to address the reading problems of this population of students at the middle and high school level. The academic deficits exhibited by students with emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD) are well documented in research literature. As outlined in the federal definition of emotional disturbance, students with this disorder demonstrate an inability to learn and, as a result, pose instructional challenges alongside the behavioral problems that they exhibit in the school environment. Many of these students require intensive instruction to maintain the academic skills they have been taught and to improve their academic deficits. For many students with E/BD, achievement problems are particularly troublesome in the area of reading (Maughan, Pickles, Hagell, Rutter, & Yule, 1996). Unfortunately, there has been very little published research in the area of reading instruction with this population of students. In their review of reading interventions in the area of E/BD, Coleman and Vaughn (2000) identified only eight published studies that reported the results of reading interventions for students with E/BD. The majority of these studies were conducted with students younger than 12 years of age. The need for additional research in the area of reading instruction is particularly true for adolescents with E/BD. The reading failure of secondary students with behavioral problems has been consistently documented and, as reported in the findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study (Malmgren, Edgar, & Neel, 1998), these reading deficits likely contribute to the dismal outcomes for these students such as high dropout rates, grade retention, and overall poor achievement. In addition, the absence of empirically derived reading practices for older students with E/BD is particularly problematic given the current emphasis on achieving state curriculum standards and participating in content-area learning (Deshler et al., 2001). As noted earlier, students identified with E/BD typically show significant deficits in the area of reading. This is particularly true for secondary-age students with this condition. In a... ...eiman (Eds.), Reading acquisition (pp. 145-174). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. Popkin, J., & Skinner, C. H. (2003). Enhancing academic performance in a classroom serving students with serious emotional disturbance: Interdependent group contingencies with randomly selected components. School Psychology Review, 32, 282-295. Scott, T. M., & Shearer-Lingo, A. (2002). The effects of reading fluency instruction on the academic and behavioral success of middle school students in a self-contained E/BD classroom. Preventing School Failure, 46, 167-173. Skinner, C. H., Smith, E. S., & McLean, J. E. (1994). The effects of intertrial interval duration on sight-word learning rates in children with behavioral disorders. Behavioral Disorders, 19, 98-107. Wehby, J. H. (2003, February). Promoting academic success as an incompatible behavior. Paper presented at the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders International Forum, Las Vegas, NV. Wehby, J. H., Lunsford, L. B., & Phy, E. (2004). Comparing the reading profiles of students with concomitant behavior and reading problems to a normally achieving, reading-matched sample. Manuscript in preparation.