Monday, August 19, 2019

Role of Religion in Victorian Life Essay -- Victorian Era

Role of Religion in Victorian Life Religion throughout history has been a dominating social factor, and in Britain during the nineteenth century, this same religious domination can be seen. The Victorian era was marked by the Church of England which developed such an influence in politics as well as religion that it became difficult to separate the two (Yi 1). The tyrannical power of the church fostered many problems (lack of space, not relating to its people, hypocrisy, etc.) and created an air where a variety of dissenting groups could form and develop (1). The atmosphere of the high church compared to that of the dissenting groups explains why the shift of religion occurred with such a large response. Wealthy (High Church) vs. Middle Class (Dissenters) In the high church, funding came from the wealthy which in turn gave them a piece of the church as property--pews. These pews were branded with a family name and would pass from generation to generation. If the family moved, the pew would remain vacant not open for others to sit in! This left the lower classes to standing r...

Sunday, August 18, 2019

An Analysis of Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre :: Jane Eyre Essays

An Analysis of Jane Eyre  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The novel is rich in poetry, symbolism and metaphor. It does not fit easily into a definite pattern, being neither a novel of "manners" in the tradition of Austen, or a straightforward Gothic Romance in the style of Mrs Radcliffe. What Charlotte Bronte did was to create a work which cleverly blends elements of the two styles, and which remains uniquely independent of them at the same time, since it addresses issues which were at the time rather controversial. The novel is written in the first person, and thus magnifies the central character - the reader enters the world of Jane Eyre and is transported through her experiences at first hand. This at once makes the work subjective, especially since we know that Charlottes Brontes own life and experiences were so closely interwoven with the heroine's. As well as this we learn only at the end of the novel that the events are being related to us ten years after the reconciliation with Rochester - thus the narrative is RETROSPECTIVE (looking back). CB is clever in blending the narrative so that at times Jane seems to be speaking as an adult with adult hindsight , while at others she she is "in the middle" of them, as a child or young woman. The indecision which is a central issue in the book, is heightened by this device. We never know, as readers, whether to be entirely trustful of Janes actions and thoughts, because we are never sure wheher she is speaking impulsively or maturely. This intensifies the readers dilemma as to what is "right" and "wrong" in the dramatic relationships which are part of JE's life. Can we believe what the heroine says, or is she deceiving herself? The novel is primarily a love story and a "romance" where wishes come true but only after trials and suffering. The supernatural has its place, as do dreams, portents and prophesies. The heroine begins poor and lonely and ends up rich and loved; the orphan finds a good family to replace the wicked one; all the basic ingredients of classic romantic fairytale are present. The romantic element is present in two forms in Jane Eyre; the "family" aspect is dealt with in the Gateshead, Lowood and Moor House episodes, which involve the exchanging of the wicked Reed family for the benevolent Rivers one; and the Love romance is dealt with in the Thornfield and Ferndean episodes.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Oxalate ION Essay

The dissociation of protons from oxalic acid proceeds in a stepwise manner as for other polyprotic acids. Loss of a single proton results in the monovalent hydrogenoxalate anion HC2O4−. A salt with this anion is sometimes called an acid oxalate, monobasic oxalate, or hydrogen oxalate. The equilibrium constant (Ka) for loss of the first proton is 5.37Ãâ€"10−2 (pKa = 1.27). The loss of the second proton, which yields the oxalate ion has an equilibrium constant of 5.25Ãâ€"10−5 (pKa = 4.28). These values imply that, in solutions with neutral pH, there is no oxalic acid, and only trace amounts of hydrogen oxalate.[1] The literature is often unclear on the distinction between H2C2O4, HC2O4-, and C2O42-, and the collection of species is referred to oxalic acid. otany patnawomenscollege.in/journal Explore, 2010, Page No. 63–67 Vol. II No. 2 Analysis of oxalate of fresh and stored tomato juice Devshikha*, Nitya Priyadarshi*, Sukriti Rani Prasad** *B.Sc. –II year (2008-2011), Department of Botany, Patna Women’s College, Patna University **Lecturer (Gue Premium663 Words3 Pages Study of Oxalate Ion St. John’s Senior Secondary School and Junior College Mandaveli Chennai – 600028 A CHEMISTRY PROJECT â€Å"STUDY OF THE OXALATE ION CONTENT IN GUAVA FRUIT† Submitted in the partial Fulfilment of the requirement for AISSCE 2010-2011 By Abdud Dayan Adeeb Of Class XII C St. John’s Senior Premium1368 Words6 Pages Oxalate Oxalate From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search The structure of the oxalate anion A ball-and stick model of oxalate Oxalate (IUPAC: ethanedioate) is the dianion with the formula C2O42−, also written (COO)22−. Either name is often used for derivatives, such as

Friday, August 16, 2019

Deutsche Allgemeinversicherung(Dav)

FORM B (specific course information) |Course Name/Title |Process Management in Manufacturing/ OPIM 656 | |Program |MBA | |(e. g. MBA or Ph. D. | | |Required or elective |Elective | |Instructor(s) Name and email address |Anita Tucker [email  protected] upenn. du | | | | |Number of Class sessions in course |26 | |Duration of each class (minutes) |80 | |Typical number of students enrolled in recent |37 | |course offerings. | |Textbook Used |No | |Misc. Instructor comments about course | | OPIM 656 /SYS 522 Process Management in Manufacturing Fall 2004 Monday-Wednesday, 3:00-4:30 p. m. (JMHH 255) Revision date: 9/7/04 Professor Anita L. Tucker [email  protected] upenn. edu JMHH 551 (215) 573-8742 Office Hours: M 9:30-12:00; W 10:30-12:00 (or by appointment) Brief Course DescriptionThis 26-session course builds on the concepts introduced in OPIM 631 and OPIM 632 to examine how organizations can develop and leverage excellence in process management. This course uses a diverse set of ca se studies from manufacturing and service organizations in the United States, Australia, Japan, and Europe. Two modules comprise this course. The first 13 sessions focus on operations strategy. In these classes, we examine what constitutes an operations strategy and how organizations can create value by managing complexity, uncertainty, and product development.We also examine issues related to scaling up a company’s operations and challenges to capturing the value created through operations. In the second half of the course, we discuss recent developments in both manufacturing and service industries, with an emphasis on the importance of process excellence in achieving and maintaining competitive advantage. Specifically, we examine initiatives in quality (i. e. 6-sigma) and Time-Based Competition/JIT. As applications, the course considers important recent advances in enterprise-wide planning (ERP) systems, supply chain contracting and B2B interfaces.These may be viewed as att empts to align enterprise processes with customer needs and market structures and to assure continuous improvement of these processes once designed. In manufacturing, these developments have led to restructuring of the manufacturing and logistics system to provide adaptive and time-responsive supply chains, new product development processes and support functions. The results of this on-going restructuring have important implications for globalization of operations.The course is recommended for those interested in consulting or operations careers, as well as students with an engineering background who wish to develop a better understanding of managing the manufacturing process. Prerequisites and Follow-on Courses The course builds on OPIM 631 and 632, which are prerequisites. Other students must have permission of the instructor to enroll. The course is a useful precursor for OP1M 657, OPIM 658 and OPIM 762. Permission of the instructor is required to enroll under SYS 522.For either of these, basic courses in probability and statistics must have been completed prior to enrollment. Grading Your grade for this course will be based on written exercises (10%), two case write-ups (20%), class participation (30%), and a final exam (40%). Written exercises: You may work in groups to prepare the exercises, but each person must turn in his or her own hard copy (not electronically, please) set of answers. Late exercises will NOT be accepted. Date 1: Nov 24thTopic: Attribute Control charts Date 2: Dec 1st Topic: 6-sigma Case Write-ups:In groups of 3 or 4 people (or individually if you prefer), please prepare a case write up (maximum of 4 pages, including exhibits) for two cases that interest you and turn in a hard copy to me at the start of the class in which we cover that case. Please indicate the contribution made by each individual. Late write-ups will NOT be accepted. Final Exam: The final exam will be a take home case. Details TBA. Text and Materials for the Course T here is no required text for the course. Most of the readings will be found in the Course Bulkpack, which will be distributed through Wharton Reprographics.The course assignments, lecture notes and various supporting materials can be obtained from the WebCafe. Detailed Course Outline Part I: The Concept of Operations Strategy Class 1. Wednesday: September 8 (Introduction to Operations Strategy) This course introduces a common framework for the bases for operations strategy—four competitive priorities of cost, quality, flexibility, and delivery. In the first class, we consider the fundamental questions: What is operations strategy? Can an organization create a competitive advantage through its production processes?For class, please read the following articles and be prepared to discuss in class †¢ Skinner, W. 1974. â€Å"The focused factory. † Harvard Business Review May – June: 52(3):113. †¢ Hayes, R. H. and D. M. Upton. 1998. â€Å"Operations-based s trategy. † California Management Review 40(4):8-25. Class 2. Monday: September 13 (A more detailed look at two companies’ different operations strategies within the same industry) †¢ Read American Connector (A), HBS case 9-693-035. Case Synopsis: American Connector Company and DJC Corporation are two companies in the electrical connector market which have chosen different competitive and operating strategies.The case focuses on how American Connector should respond to the potential threat by DJC’s entry into the U. S. market. Assignment: Please come to class prepared to discuss the following questions: 1. How serious is the threat of DJC to American Connector Company? 2. How big are the cost differences between DJC’s plant and ACC’s Sunnyvale plant? Consider both DJC’s performance in Kawasaki and its potential in the United States. 3. What accounts for these differences? a. How much is due to the slumping demand in the U. S. (Hint: Look at depreciation) b.How much of the difference is inherent in the way the two companies compete? (Hint: Can you roughly graph their two competitive positions (x-axis flexibility, y-axis price charged) c. How much is strictly due to differences in the efficiency of the operations? (Hint: consider materials, labor, and fixed costs) 4. What should American Connector’s management at the Sunnyvale plant do? Class 3. Wednesday: September 15 (Three views of operations strategy: Tradeoffs, Cumulative capability, Integrative) Read the following articles: †¢ Porter, M. E. 1996. â€Å"What is Strategy? † Harvard Business Review (Nov-Dec 1996):61-78. Hayes, R. and G. Pisano. 1996. â€Å"Manufacturing Strategy: At the Intersection of Two Paradigm Shifts. † Production and Operations Management 5(1):25-41. Assignment: Please come to class prepared to discuss the following questions: 1. What is the main point made by Porter, 1996? Do you agree with him? Is there anything in his article you disagree with? 2. Can you reconcile the conflicting views expressed in Porter’s 1996 article with those expressed in Hayes and Pisano, 1996? Class 4. Monday: September 20 (Tradeoffs: The value of focus) †¢ Read: Rapid Rewards at Southwest Airlines. HBS Case # 9-602-065Case Synopsis: Southwest Airlines had been consistently profitable every year for 28 years, but with firms cutting back on travel and airlines increasingly trying to cut costs and lure customers away from competitors, it might rethink its egalitarian strategy. For example, frequent fliers wanted rules changed so they could receive preferential treatment, such as being guaranteed first boarding regardless of the time they arrived at the airport, and being able to change tickets without paying upgrade fees. The case considers the implications that changing these rules might have on Southwest Airlines operating strategy.Assignment: Please prepare the following questions for case discussion. 1. What is Southwest Airline’s value proposition? What are Southwest’s sources of competitive advantage? 2. Consider the economics of the airline industry. From Exhibit 2 and Exhibits 9-15, what do you see as driving the difference in financial performance across airlines? How important are frequent fliers to airline performance? 3. From your experience, how does Southwest’s service philosophy compare to the rest of the major players in the airline industry? What are the obstacles to its successful execution?POLL QUESTIONS: Please answer the following questions on the WebCafe poll. 1. Should Southwest save a few low-numbered boarding cards for its most frequent fliers? Thought questions for class discussion: What is the key motivation for your opinion? What are the tradeoffs that Southwest must consider in making this decision? 2. Should Southwest allow its most frequent fliers who have missed their flights to take the next available flight with an empty seat or s hould these customers have to wait for the next available flight with an empty seat within the same fare class? Thought question for class discussion:What drives your decision? Class 5. Wednesday: September 22 (Cumulative view of developing operating capabilities) †¢ Read: Micom Caribe (A) HBS Case 9-692-002 Case Synopsis: Micom Caribe examines both quality improvement and the development of flexibility in a satellite manufacturing unit based in Puerto Rico. This change has been brought about through commitment of the workforce and the adoption of simple, yet effective production technologies. The aim of the case is to explore the sources of Caribe’s improvement. Assignment: Prepare the following questions for class discussion of the Micom Caribe Case: 1.What accounted for the quality crash in 1987? To what extent was the geographical location of manufacturing relevant, and what would you have done differently, as MCC, to avoid the crisis? Why were people at MCC unable t o see your solution? 2. What were the most important steps taken to reconfigure MCC’s Puerto Rican manufacturing operation and what capabilities did each build? 3. What specific capabilities does Caribe now have, and, as Moshetti, how would you develop MCC’s manufacturing strategy? Class 6. Monday: September 27 (Using capabilities to enable entry into new markets) Case: Australian Paper Manufacturers (A) HBS 9-691-041Case Synopsis: Australian Paper Manufacturers (APM) dominated the domestic paper packaging market in a long-standing industry relationship that divided the Australian paper market neatly and cordially among the country's three main paper companies. In 1987, APM invaded the fine papers market, once the sole domain of the Paper Company of Australia (PCA). Haunted by its environmental record, PCA initially found itself paralyzed, unable to modernize and expand capacity to repel its new rival. By December 1991, Ken McRae, APM's group general manager, was consi dering his options, now that APM had established a reputation for quality and nvironmental sensitivity in the fine papers market. Assignment: Please come to class prepared to discuss the following questions: 1. What opportunities and risks did Ken McRae face as he contemplated taking APM into the fine papers market? Be specific with respect to technological, operations, and capital investment (as well as other considerations). 2. As Ken McRae, what technology and operations strategy options `are available? Which do you think he ought to pursue? Why? Class 7. Wednesday: September 29 (Summary discussion) Read the following articles in preparation for class discussion †¢ Wheelwright, S. C. and K. B.Clark. 2003. â€Å"Creating Project Plans to focus product development. † Harvard Business Review September: 2-15. †¢ Thomke, S. and D. Reinertsen. 1998. â€Å"Agile product development: Managing development flexibility in uncertain environments. † California Manageme nt Review 41(1): 8-30. Part II: Creating and Capturing Value Class 8. Monday: October 4 (Managing New Product Development) Case: We’ve got rhythm! Medtronics Corporation’s cardiac pacemaker business. HBS Case 9-698-004 Case Synopsis: Medtronics manufactures implantable cardiac pacemakers. The company’s market share has eroded from about 70% in the early 1970s to below 30% in 1986.The decline stems from the way the company’s executives managed the process of defining and developing new products. The case outlines the steps the company took to try to rebuild its product development capabilities and market share. Assignment: Please come to class prepared to discuss the following questions: 1. What are the reasons behind why Medtronic nearly lost its position as market leader in the 1970s and 1980s? 2. Which of the improvements in the new product development process that the Medtronic management team implemented strike you as having been particularly crucial to turning the company around? . What do the concepts product line architecture and train schedule mean in the pacemaker business? What are the costs and benefits of having implemented these concepts as the Medtronic management team has done? What elements of Medtronic’s approach could be applied in very different business settings? 4. Evaluate the nature of senior management involvement in Medtronic’s implementation of its product development system. Which elements of the system does senior management need to be intimately involved in, and which can it delegate or pay less attention to? Class 9. Wednesday: October 6 (Managing Uncertainty)Case: Delamere Vineyard HBS 9-698-051 Case Synopsis: Delamere Vineyard is a small, integrated winemaking business in Tasmania. Richard Richardson, Delamere’s winemaker and owner, confronts a choice among three potential quality improvement projects, the merits about which customers and industry experts offer conflicting advice. Assignment: Please come to class prepared to discuss the following questions: 1. What are Delamere’s strengths and weaknesses? What does it deliver to customers that other vineyards do not? What does it take to be outstanding in the wine business? 2. What types of uncertainty does Richardson face? . What does quality mean in winemaking? 4. What principle and concepts should one apply to improving a production system such as winemaking? 5. What should Richardson do? How will his experience and personality shape his decision? Class 10. Monday: October 11 (Managing Complexity) Case: Ellis Manufacturing. HBS Case # 9-682-103 Case Synopsis: Ellis, a leading producer of small kitchen appliances has seen its market share steadily eroding over the last few years, and internally has experienced increasing conflict among sales and production groups over control of production for local markets.James Cassals, the top operations executive at Ellis has been asked to rationalize the multip lant network. Assignment: Please come to class prepared to discuss the following questions: 1. What problems does EMC face? What are the causes of these problems? 2. What is the cost of producing an average mixer at the Barnstable plant? At Georgetown? At Flower Springs? What insights do these calculations provide as to how product lines should be assigned to plants? 3. How should EMC’s multiplant network be organized? Class 11. Wednesday: October 13 (Capturing Value: Scalability) †¢ Read Fresh Connections HBS Case 5-600-108Case Synopsis: Fresh Connections is a start-up food manufacturer that hopes to exploit the growing enthusiasm of Americans for â€Å"home meal replacements†, prepared food purchased in supermarkets and eaten in the home. A startup Fresh Connections could manage operations on an order-by-order basis, as it grows the company finds it needs more formalized systems. But which system should they adopt? Assignment: Please come to class prepared to di scuss the following questions: 1. What are the most important operating and strategic issues facing Fresh Connections? (Hint: Try to estimate how many new products are developed each month. 2. Which segment(s) of the prepared foods business do you think is most attractive for Fresh Connections? 3. What choices must Fresh Connections make in developing an operations strategy? What is the effect of complexity on Fresh Connections’ operations? (Hint: Try to estimate the cost of having to change over between every batch as opposed to being able to make long runs of the same product, which wouldn’t require complete clean-outs between batches. ) 4. How will growth impact Fresh Connections’ operations? 5. What capabilities should Fresh Connections emphasize in its strategy? Class 12.Monday: October 18 (Value Capture versus Value creation) Case: McDonald’s Corporation (Abridged) HBS Case 9-603-401 Case Synopsis: McDonald’s is rightly seen as one of the gre at growth stories in American business history. The company offered outstanding consistency, service speed, and price to its customers. For almost half a century, the formula seemed unbeatable. But in the 1990s growth had stalled. New competitors entered the fast-food industry, and were apparently better able than McDonald’s to react to shifting customer preference. Can McDonald’s meet this challenge while keeping its operating system intact?Assignment: Please come to class prepared to discuss the following questions: 1. What characteristics of McDonald’s production system have been most important in building its record of success and growth in the industry? 2. What are the downsides of their operating strategy? (i. e. what things does McDonald’s NOT do well) 3. What are the primary new challenges McDonald’s faces at the start of the 21st century? 4. How would you adapt the system to accommodate these changes in the U. S.? 5. How can McDonaldâ€⠄¢s lay the basis for future growth? Class 13. Wednesday: October 20 (Summary discussion)Read the following papers: †¢ Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), HBS Technical Note 9-699-020. †¢ T. H. Davenport, â€Å"Putting the Enterprise into the Enterprise System,† Harvard Business Review, July-August 1998 Assignment: For a company of your choice, think through the costs, benefits and risks of implementing an ERP-based solution to providing the transactions-based infrastructure for materials management, manufacturing and distribution in the company. Monday: October 25: Break Part III: Managing the operations supply chain Class 14. Wednesday: October 27: (Implementing Enterprise Resource Planning, ERP) Read Cisco Systems: Implementing ERP. HBS Case 9-699-022 Case Synopsis: Upon arriving at Cisco in 1993, the Chief Information Officer, Pete Solvik, recognized that the manufacturing systems that were unstable and needed replacement Although initially hoped to replace the suite of legacy systems at a slower, more deliberate rate, the instability of the company’s systems were an obstacle to sustaining the rapid growth of the company. Thus, Pete and his fellow managers aggressively attacked the problem with an ERP approach. Assignment: Please come to class prepared to discuss the following questions: 1.At the start of the case, Cisco’s information systems are failing, yet no one steps forward to lead the effort to replace them. Why is this? Why were no managers eager to take on this project? 2. Cisco was highly successful with its enterprise resource planning (ERP) effort. What accounts for this success? What were the most important things that Cisco did correctly? 3. Did Cisco do anything wrong on this project? If so, what? 4. We often hear that senior management commitment is important for projects like Cisco’s ERP implementation, but senior management commitment to do what?What can top managers do to maximize chances for success here? 5. Cisco went live with ERP in a big bang fashion, which is inherently risky. How did Cisco mitigate this risk? 6. Was Cisco smart or lucky with its ERP implementation? Class 15. Monday: November 1: (Supply Chain Management and Design) The next two sessions provide a general introduction to and review of the following strategies employed in designing supply chains for flexibility, time and cost performance: Read: †¢ H. Lee, V. Padmanabhan, S. Whang, â€Å"The Bullwhip Effect in Supply Chains†. Sloan Management Review, Spring 1997, pp. 93 – 102. David Simchi-Levi, Philip Kaminsky and Edith Simchi-Levi, â€Å"Supply Chain Integration†, Chapter 5 in Designing & Managing the Supply Chain, 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill Irwin, New York, 2003, pp. pp. 119-142. Assignment: Please come to class prepared to discuss the following questions: 1. What is the â€Å"Bullwhip or Whiplash Effect† in industries, can you give some additional examples other than those cited in the Lee et al. paper? According to Lee et al. , what are the causes of the Bullwhip Effect? Do you agree or disagree? Can you think of additional causes other than those discussed in the paper? . Why information distortion brings inefficiencies in Supply Chains? What do you think of the value of information sharing? What are the benefits of supply chain coordination? Can you give us some fresh examples from reality? How can we mitigate the Bullwhip Effect? What are additional mechanisms you think can be used for Supply Chain Coordination? 3. Based on the previous question (2), how can ERP and Business Intelligence Technology be used to develop an electronic supply chain? 4. What are the emerging business opportunities for B2B marketplaces (see Lee 2001, Simchi-Levi et al. 2003)? Class 16. Wednesday: November 3: (Business-to-business supply chains) †¢ Read Quantum Corporation: supply Chain Group. HBS Case 9-601-099 Assignment: Please come to class prepared to discuss th e following questions: 1. What are the biggest challenges facing HDDO? How can Information Technology help with these? 2. Why is time so critical in this business? What efforts should the eSupplyChain group advocate to allow Quantum to reduce the lead-time for its products? 3. How should the eSupplyChain group best accomplish its mission within Quantum’s organizational structure? 4.How should Quantum and HDDO use the new eHITEX consortium? If we think of the adoption of eHitex by high-tech companies as a kind of implementation process, what kinds of pitfalls with this implementation face? 5. The new IT-enabled product allocation process, which is described on p. 12 of the case, has the potential to be an improvement over the current one. What difficulties, if any, do you think there will be in moving to the new process? What organizational groups might not be enthusiastic about moving to the new process? 6. How much financial benefit will a 1-day TOO reduction realize for HDD G?Class 17. Monday: November 8: (Management of process technology in a global plant network) †¢ Read ITT Automotive. HBS Case 9-601-099 Assignment: Please come to class prepared to discuss the following questions: 1. What are the implications for both cost and flexibility of automation? Do you agree with the assertion made by one of the managers in the case: â€Å"If you automate, you stagnate†? 2. What are your recommendations regarding the issue of standardizing process technology across all plants? Are there motives behind this proposal, other than those stated in the case? 3.As Juergen Geissinger, how would you go about implementing your recommendation? How would you overcome resistence from the plants? As Steve Dickerson, the plant manager at Asheville, North Carolina, what line of reasoning would you use to convince senior management that full automation is the less desirable alternative? 4. As Klaus Lederer, what option would you like to see pursued? How do variou s options fit into the broader corporate strategy of ITT Automotive? Class 18. Wednesday: November 10: (Vertical integration) †¢ Read Nucleon, Inc. HBS Case 9-692-041 Case Synopsis: Nucleon is a five-year old biotechnology company whose first harmaceutical product, CRP-1, is almost ready to be tested in human beings. The company has focused entirely on R&D since its founding and thus has no manufacturing capabilities of its own. It must decide whether or not to build a small-scale pilot plant to manufacture CRP-1 for early phases of clinical trials. Assignment: Please come to class prepared to discuss the following questions: 1. What are your recommendations regarding the manufacturing of CRP-1 for Phase I and Phase II clinical trials? What are your recommendations regarding manufacturing for Phase III clinical trials and commercialization? . How would you justify your recommendation to would-be investors in the company? 3. What is your recommendation regarding Nucleon’s long-term manufacturing strategy? What should this company look like in 10 years (e. g. an R&D boutique, an R&D boutique with pilot scale manufacturing capabilities, or an integrated manufacturing enterprise)? Class 19. Monday: November 15: (Outsourcing strategies) Read †¢ David Simchi-Levi, Philip Kaminsky and Edith Simchi-Levi, â€Å"Procurement and Outsourcing Strategies†, Chapter 7 in Designing & Managing the Supply Chain, 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill Irwin, New York, 2003, pp. p. 119-142. †¢ Solectron. Stanford Case GS-24 Assignment: Please come to class prepared to discuss the following questions: 1. Why did IBM decide to use a contract manufacturer? Do you think there were any risks associated with their decision? 2. What strengths did Solectron have that made it an appropriate contract manufacturer for IBM? 3. What made Solectron a successful contract manufacturer in general? Note: Contract manufacturing and outsourcing have become vital ingredients of both hig h-tech sectors (e. g. aircraft manufacturing and electronics) as well as medium- and low-tech manufacturing, including that in emerging economies. Use the reading and the Case discussion to think through the basic ingredients (internal and external) for a company to survive and prosper using outsourcing and off-shoring. Class 20. Wednesday: November 17 (Managing a global network of suppliers) Case: Li & Fung (Trading) Ltd. HBS 5-396-386 Case Synopsis: Li & Fung is one of the largest trading companies specializing in low-cost, labor-intensive consumer goods from suppliers throughout east Asia.Its main work is to connect Asian factories with U. S. and European retailers and manufacturers who have their own designs for merchandise and need them turned into physical product. The case poses two decisions for students: a Li & Fung division manager must decide which supplier can best handle a particular customer order; and the Managing Director must determine whether or not to restructure all of the soft goods (textile products) divisions in a way that might dramatically change its service to its customers. Assignment: Please come to class prepared to discuss the following questions: 1.How does Li & Fung create value for its customers and suppliers? How do international differences in labor costs play into this value? 2. Should Charles Ho (Li & Fung’s division manager) send Classique’s order to Qingdao, China, or the Philippines? If he sends the order to China, should he ask the HV division to supervise it? If he sends it to China and has his own staff supervise it, how many visits should they make to the factory—two, three, or four? Consider the division manager’s personal interests, as well as those of the customer and of Li & Fung. 3.Assess Li & Fung’s internal structure, including its organizational structure and the ways in which it motivates its employees. How does it align employees’ interests with both customer satisf action and Li & Fung’s financial performance? 4. Should William Fung follow Danny Lau’s recommendation to extend the restructuring experiment to all soft goods divisions? 5. How do business-to-business services differ from business-to-individual consumer services? Part IV: Managing Internal Processes Class 21. Monday: November 22 (Introduction to Time Based Manufacturing) Read Hopp, W. J. and M. L. Spearman. 2004. â€Å"To pull or not to pull: What is the question? † Manufacturing and Service Operations Management 6(2):133-48. †¢ Spear, S. and H. K. Bowen. 1999. â€Å"Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System. † Harvard Business Review 77(5):96-106. Class 22. Wednesday: November 24 (Attribute Control Charts) Read the following pages out of Gitlow et al, Quality Management, 2005. †¢ Skim Chapter 6, pages 169, 170 †¢ Chapter 7, pages 184-223. †¢ Skim Chapter 8, pages 254-260; page 293. Assignment: Prepare and turn in answers to th e problems 7. and 7. 25. Prepare the following questions for class discussion: 1. What is the difference between attribute and variable control charts? When would one use one versus the other? 2. What is the difference between n, np, c, and u charts? When would one use one versus the others? 3. What, if anything, are the downsides of using control charts? What are their limitations? Can you think of alternative methods for controlling systems and improving processes? Class 23. Monday: November 29 (Application of p-charts ) †¢ Read Deutsche Allgemeinversicherung.HBS Case 9-696-084 Case Synopsis: Deutsche (DAV) is one of Europe’s largest insurance companies. To defend itself and to regain its traditional leadership position, DAV has begun a new quality initiative, focused primarily on some key processes it believed could be dramatically improved. Assignment: Please come to class prepared to discuss the following questions: 1. Why is DAV using SPC? What are the primary chal lenges in applying Statistical Process Control to a service industry compared with manufacturing? 2.If you were to explain the concept of a p-chart to a group of bank tellers without a background in SPC, in about 30 minutes, how would you do it? 3. How large should each sample be for the experiment Schoss and Kluck describe on page 7? 4. The first 12 weeks of the data in Exhibit 4 represent the diagnostic period for the Policy Extension Group. What are the 3-sigma control limits for the process? In which of the subsequent weeks is the process out of control (if any)? 5. Develop specific implementation plans for solving the problems facing Annette Kluck that are described on page 9 of the case. . How would you now begin improving the performance of the operation? Class 24. Wednesday: December 1 (6-sigma improvement programs ) Please read †¢ Chapter 10 in Evans, James R. and William M. Lindsay. 2005. The management and control of quality. 6th edition. Thomson South-western, Mason , Ohio. Pages 479-513. †¢ Dow, D. , D. Samson, and S. Ford. â€Å"Exploding the myth: do all quality management practices contribute to superior quality performance? † Production and Operations Management, 8(1), p 1-27. Please prepare the following questions to hand in at the start of class 1.What is a defect? Explain how to compute defects per million opportunities (dpmo). 2. Explain the theoretical basis for Six Sigma quality. 3. Problem # 1 on page 505. 4. Problem # 3 on page 505. Please be prepared to discuss discussion question #1 on page 504. †¢ Six-sigma has been criticized because a) The results often don’t have any noticeable impact on company financial statements. (90% of the companies that implement six-sigma don’t end up with higher stock values. ) b) Only early adopters can benefit c) Six Sigma focuses on defects, which are hard to objectively determine or service businesses d) Six Sigma can’t guarantee that your product will have a market. Class 25. Monday: December 6 (Transfer of learning) Read †¢ Pisano, G. P. , R. Bohmer, and A. C. Edmondson. 2001. â€Å"Organizational Differences in Rates of Learning: Evidence from the Adoption of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery. † Management Science 47(6):752. †¢ M. A. Lapre and Luk N. Van Wassenhove, â€Å"Learning Across Lines: The Secret to More Efficient Factories†, Harvard Business Review, October, 2002, pp. 107-113. Class 26. Wednesday: December 8 (Course Summary) Final Examination: Take Home Case Date TBA

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Defining ‘Multicultural Education’ and the Need for It in Singapore

Increasingly insensitive, crude and discriminatory racial remarks about ethnic groups other than their own have been heard to escape the lips of our young preschoolers at an alarming frequency and with a degree of nonchalance that is disconcerting. A good number of young children in the local childcare scene reveal a warped impression of other races, especially those of darker skin tones, as they pass comments such as, â€Å"Eee†¦ Indians are so smelly,† or create verses to juvenile games like, â€Å"A, E, I, O, U; ‘Mangkali’ (referring to Indians) love you! Dr. Darlene Powell Hopson, co-author of Different and Wonderful: Raising Black Children in a Race-Conscious Society explains that because of their advancing perceptual skills, children are increasingly able to recognize the apparent outward differences in people- varying skin tones, facial and bodily features, hair textures, and eye colors. With this enhancing perceptual ability follows the development o f children’s individual character.As each child’s sense of identity and interpersonal skills begin to mature, his individual preferences, likes and dislikes, as well as his own opinions begin to form and become established in him. A sense of autonomy naturally unfolds along with the urge to exercise and assert this newfound personal right to make one’s own views heard and known. This implies that the child will begin to form opinions and judgments of a person based firstly on the most obvious aspect of the other party- the outward appearance.The child will decide if what he sees appears pleasing to his eyes. Because preschoolers also develop a desire for social acceptance, peer pressure will majorly influence his final decision of whether he will open his arms in approval, acceptance and favor of that individual. Retaining a discriminatory attitude toward someone because of his/her race causes serious obstacles to young children’s healthy development. â⠂¬Å"[T]hey end up with a warped perception of the realities and demands of everyday life. (Veel, E. Singapore’s Child: Celebrating Diversity (July 2008), pg. 29. ) If Feng Kai, a child with a bias against other races, is given the opportunity to make a choice between partnering with Govindasamy and Mei Ling, thinks to himself, ‘I don’t want to hold hands with Govinda. I don’t want my hands to become dirty,’ and ends up choosing Mei Ling instead, Feng Kai deprives himself of the chance to become better acquainted with Govindasamy and to benefit from his association.In judging Govindasamy by a baseless biasness, Feng Kai chooses to stop himself from making a friend. If this misconception is not corrected, Feng Kai will learn to allow the superficial aspects of things to influence his daily decision-making significantly. In teaching Feng Kai to look beyond the obvious outward differences of skin color, and into Govindasamy’s values and personali ty instead, we help Feng Kai to develop the ability to recognize and appreciate actuality beyond superficiality – an ability that will help him function effectively as a person.Dr. Roy Kaplan, executive director of the Tampa Bay chapter of the National Conference for Communities and Justice, comments, â€Å"Nobody’s born a bigot. † Evidence shows that prejudices which exist within the young are nurtured primarily by the influences that children are exposed to most often and most extensively. Principally, these include their home environment, the behavior of family members and close friends (including the peer pressure they are subject to in school), as well as the childcare setting.While the moral education children receive from home and the examples that family members and friends set that influence children most profoundly are factors beyond our power to control, the childcare setting is the only aspect in this, our cause to foster racial awareness, which lies within our ability to manage and steer in the direction of our objectives. It is essential for children to learn that they must overcome racism and all forms of bigotry; for if not, our society’s rising generation will grow up o sow racial discord which could reap very adverse repercussions for Singapore: a breakdown of societal unity and a rise of internal contention and dissensions could very possibly ensue. But in order to achieve this democracy in the childcare sector, children must first understand why they ought to overcome racial biasness and look beyond the differences that exist within them. This is where our action research entitled ‘Multicultural Education through Creative Drama’ comes into play in the picture, to facilitate the conversion of racial disharmony to racial unity among young children in Singapore.

Why Secondary Kids Act in a Laddish Behaviour

Context and concepts Paul Willis conducted a study called â€Å"Learning to labour† in 1977 in which he studied 12 working class students in their last 18 months at a school in the West-Midlands, the methods he used were observation and participant observation. The boys he studied were known as the â€Å"lads†. These boys knew what they needed to do in order to achieve and get qualifications but instead they chose to reject school and developed laddish behaviour, because they believed that education was unmasculine and uncool and that they would get a job even if they didn’t have any qualifications. They thought that manual labour was more worthy than work at a desk or an office. This is where my first concept â€Å"laddism† stems from. This is a male script of toughness which is characterised by negative feelings towards school. Willis found that there were two types of pupils in the class, the â€Å"earoles† who commit themselves to their education and the lads who took little notice of school rules, teachers and work, instead they thought school was all about having a â€Å"laff†. These are all coping strategies the boys had developed in order to cope and minimize the boredom of school and the future routine based jobs they would ultimately end up in. The boys thought that manual labour was more worthy than work at a desk or office. Mitsos and Brown also looked at why boys underachieve in education and thought it was mainly due to what teachers expected of them, which leads me to my second concept â€Å"teacher expectations†. They found that teachers tend to be less strict with boys, expecting low standards of work from them, leading them to underachieve as they failed to push them to achieve their full potential. This also means that the boys started to become overconfident and also started to overestimate their abilities to do something and so making themselves believe that they don’t need to work as hard in order to gain qualifications. Boys were also more likely to be sent out of the classroom or get expelled (80% are boys) from school than girls, which means they lose valuable school time. Another reason for their underachieve could be due to the decline in manual labour, which has resulted in them losing their motivation as they see little point ion education as it wont lead them to the type of job they seek. The lack of opportunities for these young men has given them a low self-esteem. It is these problems which have lead to an â€Å"identity crisis for menâ€Å". As there is a rise in the more â€Å"female† jobs and a decline in the more traditional â€Å"male† jobs, the future of some males look bleak as they lack a clear purpose. On the other hand according to Hargreaves et al the underachievement of boys in education may be due to the way the pupils are perceived by the teachers. Hargreaves at al analysed the processes that led to pupils being classified, and they put forward three stages which are: ? Speculation- this is where the teachers make presumptions about the type of pupils they are dealing with, this leads to the formation of a hypothesis. ? Elaboration- It is here that the established hypothesis is either gradually confirmed or rejected. ? Stabilisation- when this stage is reached the teacher will feel like that they are familiar with the type of pupil they are dealing with. It is this third stage of stabilisation, where the behaviour of the pupil is compared against the type of pupil they are thought to be. If some pupils are regarded as being badly behaved, then it will be hard for their good behaviour to be seen, which is the â€Å"labelling theory†. Nevertheless it is the predictions made by the teacher that has lead to the â€Å"self-fulfilling prophecy†, where the pupils start to live up to the predictions that the teacher have made about them, which is my fourth concept. So if a teacher labels pupils as being bright and expects a higher standard of work from them then these pupils will start to believe they are indeed bright and as a result work hard and obtain good examination results. Thus the actions of pupils are partly a refection of what teacher expect from them. Sociologists Rosenthal and Jacobson decided to carry out an experiment which lasted over a year, which was designed to test the â€Å"labelling† and â€Å"self-fulfilling prophecy† theories and how they affected educational achievement . They conducted their study in an elementary school were they selected 20% of the students, whom they expected to show rapid academic growth. In order to prove this they tested the IQ of the pupils before and one year after the experiment started and the selected pupils had gained IQ. Rosenthal and Jacobson explained that this was due to the teacher conveying the message that the selected sample had more potential than the rest. This led to the sample believing that they were capable of achieving highly and live up to the label they were given and subsequently led to the self-fulfilling prophecy. Main research methods and reasons The main method of research that would be most suited to my topic is non-participant observation in a classroom. Paul Willis also used non-participant observation when he was conducting his research in order to see boys behave in a â€Å"laddish† way. I will take up an iinterpretivist approach like Willis, where I will collect my qualitative data rather than quantitive data. This type of research method could help me explore the concepts of â€Å"teacher’s expectations†, as teachers can show different attitudes to the two opposite sexes which could lead to underachievement and form â€Å"laddish† behaviour. While observing I will be looking out for signs of â€Å"laddish† behaviour and levels of standards that are set by the teacher and if this affects the amount of work that is produced by the pupils. For example teachers tend to be less strict with boys and they tolerate low standards of work from them, which leads to them overestimating their abilities and they become overconfident and not work hard enough in order to achieve highly, which links to my second concept of â€Å"teacher’s expectations† Before I operationalise my research method I will need to design an observational framework that meets the needs of my research and that corresponds to my contextual studies. It will also help me to be consistent in what I observe. The things that I will need to look out for are: they way that the pupils are seated, the amount of times that the lesson has been stopped due to disturbance and if this was mostly from boys, and how the badly behaved pupils react to the good kids, do they bully them? Also I will be looking at the way that the boys contribute to the lessons, are they keen to learn? This will show that the boys are behaving in a â€Å"laddish† way, which operationalises my first concept. However before I officially observe the classes I will conduct a pilot study in which I will test the efficiency of my observational framework. In this research I will be observing four English classes all in year 11. all four classes will be observed in the second period of the morning through the week, as pupils tend to be more focused in the morning on a Monday compare to a morning on a Friday. Before I can observe a class I will need to gain permission from the subject teacher. Then I will enter the classroom before the pupils get there and sit somewhere unobtrusive where hopefully students will not pay too much attention to me, which would also improve my data. Whilst observing the class I might also come across situations where issues of confidentiality are raised. Potential problems Potential problems that could be met while conducting my research are that the behaviour of some pupils and teachers might change as the sense the presence of a stranger in the classroom. This could mean that I will not be obtaining accurate or valid data to show why boys are underachieving in education. The data obtained will be qualitative which means that I will not be able generalise the findings to the wider society, which means that my study will lack ecological validity. Another problem could be getting the permission to observe these classes, the teacher might not be comfortable with the fact that I will be observing their class while they are teaching and so refuse me access, leaving me with no data. Also there might be timetabling issues, which means that I may not be able to observe the class I intended to, because my timetable might not let me, as I can also have lessons at that particular period of the day. While observing the class I will record my findings on an observational framework and as I am doing this I might miss some crucial events that have taken place while I was recording my data. Due to this I might also end up being biased and focus only on certain events or even add my own interpretations to actions, which means that I will be selective as I am trying to prove a point. During the time I am in the classroom observing I may come across an event that has taken place in my presence which is serious and so automatically I am put in a position where I have to take a certain action which can be: do I report what has happened, or do I keep it to myself as the teacher has allowed into their classroom, do they expect me to be trustworthy? So issues of confidentiality may arise.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Charater of Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities Essay

Charater of Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities Essay Tale Two Cities EssaysCharater of Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities Sydney Carton, one of the main characters of the book, A Tale of Two Cities, is a drunken lawyer who works with Stryver on the trial of Charles Darnay.he doesnt care about anything. At first this man seems as if he is a lazy, good for nothing, alcoholic. he tells Lucie Manette he doesnt believe that his life is worth anything and feels as if it is pointless to even live anymore. When you first meet him during the court scene it looks as if he just rolled out of bed and was dragged to the courtroom. This one man sat leaning back, with his torn gown half off him, his untidy wig put on just sat it had happened to light on his head after its removal, his hands in his pockets, and his eyes on the ceiling as they had been all day. Something especially reckless in his demeanor not only gave him a disreputable look, but so diminished the strong resemblance he undoubtedly bore to the prisoner. However after he meets Luci e he falls madly in love for her. This marks a period of change for Sydney Carton. But he then knows that Charles Darnay is going to be married to her. He sill believes that his life is worthless but it seems as if hes a bit more willing to work and to do things for other people. Towards the middle of the book, A Tale of Two Cities, Carton professes his love for Lucie and he says For you, and for any dear to you, I would do anything. I would embrace any sacrifice for you and for those dear to you. And when you see your own bright beauty springing up anew at your feet, think now and then that there is a man who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you.' He means that he would do anything for her, because he loves her so very much. He tells Josh Barsad that he is going to marry miss Manette, but then he backs out of it. At the very end of the novel you find out that Carton is about to go to the guillotine, but not for him. Charles Darnay was found guilty of treason an d was about to be executed. However, Darnay and Lucie are madly in love. Another thing, is that Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay look very similar to each other or doubles. This means that they could easily take each others place if they wanted to. Earlier in the novel Carton told Lucie that he would do anything for the man she loved. Well, Carton then dies in Darnays place. He wanted to do something that was important for other people, so he took his life instead of another. Lucie had succeeded in transforming him into a man of profound merit. It seems that Carton doesnt care about anything, but obviously he does. He cares for Lucie.