September free essay sample

Referring to the German invasion in Poland in 1939, Auden writes while sitting in a bar in New York City, noting the actions of those around him: people continue to carry on their normal lives in spite of the horrors of war going on abroad. The message of September 1, 1939 is timeless. Although referring to an event more than seventy years ago, the poem gained popularity following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The poem is a criticism of multiple things in society at the time. Auden appeals to man to reflect on themes such how German history led to the outbreak of WWII, the democratic industrialized man, and human sins concluding with a message of hope: people need to overlook their boundaries and differences and recognize that we must love each other. The first two stanzas refer to the German invasion of Poland and other historical accounts of war that may have brought glory to countries, but many people suffered. We will write a custom essay sample on September or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In the first stanza the speaker has a obvious tone of sadness, which is very noticeable due to the use of words as â€Å"Uncertain, afraid, anger and fear†.In the second stanza the speaker makes a reference to Linz, which is the city where Hitler was born. Auden chooses the words â€Å"psychopathic god† to refer to Hitler, giving that it was his the decision to invade Poland. The last two sentences of the second stanza are: â€Å"The unmentionable odor of death Offends the September night. † Those two lines are a clear reference to the invasion. He uses the word â€Å"unmentionable† to express that the death and destruction was ignored by many, or at least a blind eye was turned to it.The lines also are easily applied to the recent September 11, 2001 attacks, in that many people were killed on a September night as well. The speaker doesn’t only criticize Hitler, but also the democratic industrialized man and the â€Å"American Imperialism†. The speaker claims that the air is neutral, meaning that it doesn’t belong to anybody. However, modern men built skyscrapers in order to show off their power. Auden states, â€Å"Out of the mirror they state. Imperialism’s face. †This suggests that industrialized countries, such as America, are imperialist and cloud people’s views of reality, also making them think they are better than those in other countries. This makes it easier for them to ignore what is going on in the world. Auden also makes a reference to Thucydides, who wrote that history should be remember by what actually happened instead by the glory of a country, meaning that a war does not have a winner, and we should remember the people that we lost instead of glorifying whoever wins.Over time, we forget about all the innocent lives lost and we remember the past in a patriotic way. As the poem continuous the speaker touches the aspects of sin. Talking about selfishness, the speaker claims that one of the problem of society is that men cannot share different values, and again, considers himself to be the most important. Auden writes, â€Å"Not universal love But to be loved alone. † Clearly the author is implying that people are selfish, giving up a universal love in order to fight for being loved alone.Because the poem is referring to the World War II, we can imagine that Auden feels the world has not responded well to Hitler’s takeover of Poland. He looks around at â€Å"face along the bar/Cling to their average day† and laments that people continue their lives as normal despite what has happened. It refers to the values of each country individually, meaning that no country wants universal love, which would be achieve if every country would respect each other values and beliefs.This is all a part of the attitude of imperialism which is an â€Å"international wrong. † The sin of humans is to think they are more important than others, allowing these events to happen. Surprisingly the poem ends with a positive message. The speaker talks about Eros, he Greek god of love, claiming that every man has a little of love inside themselves. While war and death are occurring and â€Å"our world in stupor lies† there are some people, â€Å"the Just† who recognize the evil and speak out against.What all these people have in common is that they realize they are all the time, that all over the world we suffer from the same problems. Auden states that all the people are, â€Å"Beleaguered by the same Negation and despair, Show an affirming flame. † The speaker is trying to express that regardless of what is happening, there are lights in the darkness, people who are willing to speak out and pass along the message of hope. Although there is war, there are people who speak out against it and voice reason, and have faith in humanity. eo

Christopher Columbus essays

Christopher Columbus essays Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer, was from Genoa. He sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492. His main goal was to find a route to the Indies to be able to trade goods and to carry the message of Jesus Christ to faraway lands. Between 1492 and 1504 he took a total of four trips to the Caribbean and South America. Christopher Columbus was the oldest son of Domenico Colombo and Susanna Fontanarossa. He was born in 1451 in the Republic of Genoa, which was known as the trading center for goods from the Far East. His parents named him Cristoforo, which is the Italian name for Christopher. He had four brothers and one sister. His father was a weaver and a cloth merchant. Everyone in his family helped work in the shop. As a small child he went to a school set up by the weavers guild. The children were needed to work, therefore, school was only held for a few hours each day. They were taught math and Latin. As a teenager, his father sent him to the University of Pavia. While there, he studied geometry, astronomy, grammar, geography, the Latin language, and navigation. When he was about twenty years old he worked on a cargo ship that sailed on the Mediterranean Sea. On the first time passing the Portugal Coast, his ship was sunk by an enemy ship. He swam for six miles holding on to an oar until he reached Lagos. After spending a few months there, he went to live with his brother, Bartholomew, in Lisbon. He taught himself how to read and write in the language that the people of Lisbon used, Castilian. To earn a living, Columbus became a chart maker. The knowledge Columbus gained while collecting evidence for his charts convinced him that there were lands across the great ocean and he had to find them. Around 1480 Columbus married Felipa Perestrello e Moniz. She was the daughter of a Portuguese nobleman. After being married for about one year they moved to Porto Santa. While there, he started working on his plans to sa...

Credit Card Fraud in the USA Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Credit Card Fraud in the USA - Research Paper Example The onus falls on the merchants to pay for the credit card fraud and if it lacks in proper insurance, they have to incur the chargeback fee as well. The US is moving towards a cashless society but credit card theft has become a major concern of retailers, consumers, credit card issuers and the law enforcement agencies (Hearn, 1986). Credit cards were introduced in the 1950s and since then fraudsters have been finding ways to attack the system (Byrne, 2010). According to The Survey of Consumer Payment Choice, there were 176.8 million credit card holders in 2008 and the average cardholder has 3.5 credit cards (Woolsey & Schulz, 2011). Credit cards represent the majority of the total $315 billion US financial fraud loss in 2005 while according to a European study more than 22 million adults were victims to credit card fraud in 2006 (Conlin, 2007). According to the 2009 LexisNexis True Cost of Fraud Study, retailers lose $100bn a year to consumer-facing fraud. Twenty-four percent of all retailers, 43% of whom have a strong online presence, reported increase in losses through credit card fraud. Most card fraud payment losses were borne by the card issuers (59%) followed by the merchants (41%), says Sullivan (2010). In 2006 the total fraud losses were estimated at $3.718bn as per table provided below: Source: Sullivan (2010). The process for approving card payments depends to a large extent on information. The criminals have an incentive to steal this information and this leads to attacks on computers, data breaches and ultimately payment fraud. Card fraud is the highest in the United States than countries such as UK, Spain and Netherlands. Better technology in the payment approval system can help combat fraud to some extent. Online payment approval permits automated checks against wider sets of information such as the cardholder’s zip code or transaction history (Sullivan, 2010). Criminals gather such information and use it to commit fraud. Criminals steal wa llets, intercept mail and get access to account statements, or even spy and gather information when the card is in use. Video cameras secretly placed can capture valuable information. Phishing and hacking are other modes through which criminals gather information to conduct fraud. Credit and charge card fraud cost cardholders and issuers millions of dollars each year. Earlier the fraud used to occur over the telephone when the fraudster posed as an organization representative and offered incentives in exchange for credit card information. Theft is the most common form of fraud but people can also use the card number without the knowledge of the owner of the card (FTC, 2009). The thief eyes the trash to collect discarded receipts or carbons through which it is possible to obtain the credit card number. Others ways in which fraud can occur is when dishonest clerks make an extra imprint and use the card details to make personal charges. Now the criminals use packet-sniffing programs on the Internet and steal credit card information electronically. The largest case in the US credit card fraud history took place in 2008 when Albert Gonzalez and his team attacked TJX and other companies (Byrne, 2010). They acquired more than 130 million debit and credit card numbers and stole tens of millions of dollars. These were basically of customers of 7-eleven and other retail giants.  

Talking about the poem Let America be America Again, The New Colossus, Essay

Talking about the poem Let America be America Again, The New Colossus, and the novel Enrique's Journey - Essay Example According toHughes, the author, he is not just representing the plight of most of the African Americans, but also the minority groups the economically disadvantaged folks I am the young man, full of strength and hope, Tangled in that ancient endless chain Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land † (6). Besides showing open criticism to the unfair American life, the poem illustrates a ray of hope that is yet to come in the yet to be achieved American dream, â€Å"†¦America never was America to me, and yet I swear this oath-America will be† (Hughes 8). This poem has been an important agenda in most of America’s discussion about the American dream and how it can be redrafted so that all American people enjoy the treasures of their land. According to the poem, in as much as there have not been successful strategies in the achievement of this dream, a great hope hangs in the air over the probability that at one point in time, this dream will be achieved. The author of the poem makes a declaration that America has to be left to itself; here, he emphasizes that the dream that once was a promise by the country should be left to come by, especially for the pioneer of the land, who decided to seek a home in a place that he could be free. The author notes that, â€Å"America was never America to me† (Hughes8).In his perspective, America is expected to go back and become the great dream according to the way the dreamers put it, â€Å"great string land of love† (Hughes 6). In achieving its dream the way the dreamers wanted the land to be, the author wishes that America can be a home for all people. He notes that the country should not have people that are tyrants and kings or those that have to crush other people in their journey to greatness. The author emphasizes in the repetition that, â€Å"It never was America to me† (Hughes 4). In his assertion, the author of this poem wishes that America embodied

University's Tools for Achieving Lifelong Learning Essay

University's Tools for Achieving Lifelong Learning - Essay Example There is little question that I have had a fortunate upbringing. In my life, I have a number of positive influences from my family, the faculty at my International Baccalaureate diploma program but also my fellow students. The classroom environment in my IB Program has a lot of students from diverse backgrounds and we often collaborate on projects. Frequently this presents a number of challenges insofar as on many occasions different parties believe projects should go in different directions. However, I believe that it is through working together that we can achieve the best results. Moreover, by working with people from diverse backgrounds not only can I learn more about what it takes to succeed in the real world but I gain a better representation of the diverse society that we live in. When we achieve a good grade on an assignment that we completed together I feel as though I have learned a lot more than just the curriculum. I have always wanted to attend University because I belie ve that being in the academic environment would help push me to perform at my highest level. In addition to building my ability to work in groups, I believe that the programs offered at your University will provide me with the tools to achieve lifelong learning. I always thrived in environments in which the learning curve is steep and I recognize that University requires a great deal of work but I believe the experience will be the very cornerstone of my future. I believe I have what it takes to exceed your expectations and should you need anything else from me I will be more than happy to accommodate your needs.

Flexible Manufacturing System Analysis

Flexible Manufacturing System Analysis Historyof Flexible Manufacturing Systems Introduction AFlexible Manufacturing System(FMS) is a manufacturing system in which there is a certain degree offlexibilitythat allows the system to react in the case of changes, whether predicted or unpredicted. According toMaleki[1], flexibility is the speed at which a system can react to and accommodate change. To be considered flexible, the flexibility must exist during the entire life cycle of a product, from design to manufacturing to distribution. Flexible Manufacturing System is a computer-controlled system that can produce a variety of parts or products in any order, without the time-consuming task of changing machine setups. The flexibility being talked about is generally considered to fall into two categories, which both contain numerous subcategories[2]. The first category, Machine Flexibility, covers the systems ability to be changed to produce new product types, and ability to change the order of operations executed on a part. The second category is called Routing Flexibility, which consists of the ability to use multiple machinesto perform the same operation on a part, as well as the systems ability to absorb large-scale changes, such as in volume, capacity, or capability. The main advantage of an FMS is its high flexibility in managing manufacturing resources like time and effort in order to manufacture a new product. The best application of an FMS is found in the production of small sets of products like those from amass production. FM systems are supposed to provide the manufacturer with efficient flexible machines that increase productivity and produce quality parts. However, FM systems are not the answer to all manufacturers problems. The level of flexibility is limited to the technological abilities of the FM systems. FM systems are being used all over the manufacturing world and though out industries. A basic knowledge of this kind of technology is very important because FM systems are involved in almost everything that you come in contact with in todays world. From the coffee maker to your remote control FM systems are used all over. History of Flexible Manufacturing Systems At the turn of the twentieth century, FMS did not exist. There was no pressing need for efficiency because the markets were national and there was no foreign competition.Manufacturers could tell the consumers what to buy. During that period, Henry Ford had been quoted as saying â€Å"People can order any colour of car as long as it is black.† All the power remained in the hands of the manufacturer and the consumers hardly had any choices. However, after the Second World War a new era in manufacturing was to come. The discovery of new materials and production techniques increased quality and productivity. The war led to the emergence of open foreign markets and new competition.The focus of the market shifted from manufacturer to consumer. According to Maleki, the first FM system was patented in 1965 by Theo Williamson who made numerically controlled equipment. Examples of numerically controlled equipment are like CNC lathes or mills whichKusiaksays are varying types of FM systems. During the 1970s, with the ever-growing developments in the field of technology, manufacturers started facing difficulties and hence, FM systems became main-stream in manufacturing to accommodate new changes whenever required. During the 1980s for the first time manufacturers had to take in consideration efficiency, quality, and flexibility to stay in business. According to Hoeffer, the change in manufacturing over time was due to several factors. (Hoeffer, 1986) Increased international competition, The need to reduce manufacturing cycle time, and Pressure to cut the production cost. Everyday new technologies are being developed and even FM systems are evolving. However, overtime FM systems have worked for many manufacturers and hence will be around for the time to come. The Process of Flexible Manufacturing Systems As has been discussed above the flexible manufacturing system can be broadly classified into two types, depending on the nature of flexibility present in the process, Machine Flexibility and Routing Flexibility FMS systems essentially comprise of three main systems.[3] The processing stations: These are essentially automated CNC machines. The automated material handling and storage system: These connect the work machines to optimize the flow of parts. Central control computer: This controls the movement of materials and machine flow. The FMS as a system stands out because it does not follow a fixed set of process steps. The process sequence changes according to requirement to allow maximum efficiency. Sequence of material flow from one tool to another is not fixed nor is the sequence of operations at each tool fixed. Key Features of the Process[4] Some characteristics that differentiate FMS from conventional manufacturing systems are their technical flexibility, i.e., the ability to quickly change mix, routing, and sequence of operations within the parts envelope and also complexity resulting from the integration, mechanization, and reprogrammable control of operations i.e., parts machining, material handling, and tool change. Some key features of the process are discussed below. Cell: It consists of several groupings of two or more automated machines within a company. Each grouping is called a cell. All the machines present are controlled by a computer. They are programmed to change quickly from one production run to another. A key feature is the automated flow of materials to the cell and the automated removal of the finish item. Several cells are linked together by means of an automated materials-handling system, and the flow of goods is controlled by a computer. In this manner a computer-integrated manufacturing process is initiated. Random bypass capability: The material handling system has a random bypass capability, i.e. a part can be moved from any tool in the interconnected system to another because the transport system can bypass any tool along the path, on demand. This implies: Each part can traverse a variable route through the system. Again, this flexibility in material handling, in combination with multipurpose tools, makes it possible for a flexible manufacturing system to process a great diversity of parts. Automation: Computers are the heart of automation. They provide the framework for the information systems which direct action and monitor feedback from machine activities. As FMS involve a wide variety of components, each with their own type of computer control, many of these computer components are installed as islands of automation, each with a computer control capable of monitoring and directing the action. Each of the computer controls has its own communication protocol based on the amount of data needed to control the component. Thus, the task of computer integration is to establish interfaces and information flow between a wide range of computer types and models. Computer software provides the ability to transmit timely and accurate status information and to utilize information which has been communicated from other computers in FMS. Component redundancy: In FMS as the equipment is highly integrated, the interruptions of one component affect other components. This results in a greater time to trace the problem when compared with isolated components. In some cases, the interruption might be due to some other integration effect, and greater downtime may result before the actual cause of the problem is found. In this situation, component redundancy provides flexibility with the opportunity for choice, which exists when there are at least two available options. Flexible manufacturing contains functionally equivalent machinery. So in case of failure of one machine the process flow is directed towards a functionally equivalent machine. Multiple Paths: A path in flexible manufacturing represents a part sequence and requisite fixtures to complete its required operations. In a conventional machine environment, only one path exists for a part because a single fixture remains at a single machine. However, this is not the case within flexible manufacturing systems, where there are multiple paths. The number of paths which are present within flexible manufacturing is a measure of the degree of flexibility. Obviously, the higher the number of paths, higher is the degree of flexibility. Flexibility ranks high in Japan†²s manufacturing strategy but not in America†²s. A true flexible factory will not only build different versions of the same car, like a coupà © or a station wagon, on the same production line, but also a completely different car. This is what the Japanese factories are setting out to do. The cost of one factory can be spread across five or ten cars. Apart from lower fixed cost, it is also less painful to stop making one of those cars if it fails to sell. FMS as a system of manufacturing process can be compared to other processes in terms of the product volume it generates and its capacity for creating part variations. The above depicts the position of FMS vis-à  -vis that of stand-alone machine and transfer lines. The horizontal axis represents production volume level and the vertical axis shows the variability of parts. Transfer lines are very efficient when producing parts at a large volume at high output rate, whereas stand-alone machines are ideally suited for variation in workplace configuration and low production rate. In terms of manufacturing efficiency and productivity, a gap exists between the high production rate transfer machines and the highly flexible machines. FMS, has been regarded as a viable solution to bridge the gap and as a gateway to the automated factory of the future. The Process: With Reference to particular companies[5] Though the features of this manufacturing innovation process are similar across all types of firms, the manner in which they are adopted and implemented depends on product type, manufacturing, maintenance, process planning and quality control processes. It is also contingent upon the people carrying out these processes; the productive resources being used and the organizational arrangements used to divide and coordinate the processes distinguished. The description of the layout of a company that has adopted the flexible manufacturing system gives a clear idea of how the system works in practical life. It has all the features as mentioned before of a typical FMS. Flexible Manufacturing System at The Hattersley Newman Hender (H.N.H.) This company, located in U.K. manufactures high and low pressure bodies and caps for water, gas and oil valves. These components require a total of 2750 parts for their manufacture. That is why they decided to go for the system of F.M.S. to fulfill their machining requirements in a single system. The process described below shows how FMS is used for efficient production for this company. Their FMS consists of primary and secondary facilities. The primary facilities include 5 universal machining centres and 2 special machining centres. The secondary facilities consist of tool settings and manual workstations. System layout and facilities: Flexible Manufacturing Systems [F.M.S] Primary facilities: Machining centres: The FMS contains two 5-axis horizontal ‘out-facing machines and five 4-axis machining centres under the host control. All the machines have a rotating pallet changer each with two pallet buffer stations. These stations transfer pallets to and from the transport system which consist of 8 automated guided vehicles. The 5 universal machining centres have 2 magazines with capacity of 40 tools in each magazine. The special purpose out-facing machines (OFM) each have one magazine having a capacity of 40 tools. The tool magazines can be loaded by sending instructions to the tool setting room either from the host computer or the machines numerical controller. Processing centres: The system contains two processing centres a wash machine and two manual workstations. Ø Wash machines: It contains two conveyor belts where one is for input and one for output of pallets, each with a capacity of three pallets to transfer the pallets. The wash booth has a capacity of three pallets. The pallets are washed in the booth and turned upside-down to drain out the water. Then they are dried with blown air. Ø Manual workstations (ring fitting area): The operator fits metal sealing rings into the valve bodies at the manual workstations. He receives work instructions via computer interface with the host. Secondary facilities: Auxiliary stations: Ø Load/unload stations: The FMS has four-piece-part load and unload stations. Loading and unloading is performed at these stations with the instructions again received via computer interface with the host. Ø Fixture-setting station: At these stations the fixtures are readjusted to accommodate different piece parts. Ø Administration of tools: Tools are assembled manually. The tool-setting machine checks the dimensional offsets of the tools and generates a bar code for further identification of the tool that has been set. Auxiliary facilities: Ø Transport system: The transport system consists of a controller and 8 automated guided vehicles (AGV). The system also contains an A.G.V. battery charging area. Ø Buffer stores: The FMS has 20 buffer stores in order to store the empty and loaded pallets while they are waiting to be taken to another transfer station (i.e. a load/unload station or a machine tool etc.). Ø Maintenance Area: This facility caters to pallets that may be damaged or need servicing or for storing scrapped piece-parts. Ø Raw Material Stores: These stores are located in front of the load / unload stations and are used to store the raw materials (like forged valve bodies etc). The store is served by two fork-lift-stacker cranes and motor roller conveyors. It has a capacity of 80 containers. Ø Fixture store: The fixtures that are not stored in FMS are stored here. It has a capacity of storing 120 fixtures. The store is served by a stacker crane and motor roller conveyors. Flexible Manufacturing System at TAMCAM Computer Aided Manufacturing (TAMCAM) Lab. This is an example of flexible manufacturing system that is used to describe the TAMCAM Simulation-Based Control System (TSCS)[6]. This system is located within the TAMCAM Computer Aided Manufacturing (TAMCAM) lab. The system consists of three CNC milling machines, one CNC turning centre, two industrial robots, and an automated cart based conveyor system. In addition to the automated equipment, human operators are used to load and unload some machines and perform assembly and inspection tasks. Advantages of Flexible Manufacturing System Why would firms embrace flexible manufacturing systems? What benefits does FMS provide? Answers to these two questions are important to the success of flexible manufacturing systems. It is important to understand the impacts on product life cycle, direct labour input and market characteristics. Various advantages arise from using flexible manufacturing systems.[7] Users of these systems enlist many benefits: * Less scrap * Fewer workstations * Quicker changes of tools, dies, and stamping machinery * Reduced downtime * Improved quality through better control over it * Reduced labour costs due to increase in labour productivity * Increase in machine efficiency * Reduced work-in-process inventories * Increased capacity * Increased production flexibility * Faster production * Lower- cost/unit * Increased system reliability * Adaptability to CAD/CAM operations Since savings from these benefits are sizeable, a plethora of examples from the manufacturing industry are available to illustrate these benefits. â€Å"A major Japanese manufacturer, by installing a flexible manufacturing system, has reduced the number of machines in one facility from 68 to 18, the number of employees from 215 to 12, space requirements from 103000 square feet to 30000 and processing time from 35 days to a 1.5 days† â€Å"Ford has poured $4,400,000 into overhauling its Torrence Avenue plant in Chicago, giving it flexible manufacturing capability. This will allow the factory to add new models in as little as two weeks instead of two months or longer. The flexible manufacturing systems used in five of Ford Motor Companys plants will yield a $2.5 billion savings. By the year 2010, Ford will have converted 80 percent of its plants to flexible manufacturing.† The benefits enlisted above are the operational benefits.[8] Flexible Manufacturing Systems also give rise to benefits in terms of strategy for the firm. Operational Benefits Strategic Benefits Lower Costs per unit A source of competitive advantage in present and future. Lesser workstations Less space in plant required. Reduced Inventories Less of Storage Space. Plant Layout gets simplified. The space is freed up for other activities. Increase in labour productivity Lesser workforce required. Operational Flexibility Ability to meet varying customer demands in terms of numbers (seasonality) and choices. Improved Quality Increased customer satisfaction Less inspection costs Lesser lead time Increased Machine Efficiency Less technical workforce for handling maintenance and repair Less Scrap and Rework Consistent Production Process On a macro level, these advantages reduce the risk of investing in the flexible manufacturing system as well as in ongoing projects in such a firm. Let us look at how flexibility helps firms. To maximize production for a given amount of gross capacity, one should minimize the interruptions due to machine breakdowns and the resource should be fully utilized. FMS permits the minimization of stations†² unavailability, and shorter repair times when stations fail. Preventive maintenance is done to reduce number of breakdowns. Maintenance is done during off hours. This helps to maximize production time. Cost of maintaining spare part inventories is also reduced due to the fact that similar equipment can share components. Hence we can see that higher the degree of flexibility of the workstation, the lower the potential cost of production capacity due to station unavailability. To make a product every day, the trade off between inventory cost and setup cost becomes important. However, each time the workstation changes its function, it incurs a set-up delay. Through flexibility one can reduce this set-up cost. [9] CAD/CAM aids in computerized tracking of work flow which is helpful in positioning inspection throughout the process. This helps to minimize the number of parts which require rework or which must be scrapped. FMS changes the outlook of inspection from a post-position to an in-process position. Hence, feedback is available in real time which improves quality and helps product to be within the tolerance level.[10] Flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) are virtually always used in conjunction with just-in-time (JIT) order systems. This combination increases the throughput and reduces throughput time and the length of time required to turn materials into products. Flexible Manufacturing Systems have a made a huge impact on activity-based costing.[11] Using these systems helps firms to switch to process costing instead of job costing. This switching is made possible because of the reduced setup delays. With set-up time only a small fraction of previous levels, companies are able to move between products and jobs with about the same speed as if they were working in continuous, process type environment. To look at another aspect of strategic benefits, enterprise integration can be facilitated by FMS. An agile manufacturer is one who is the fastest to the market, operates with the lowest total cost and has the greatest ability to delight its customers. FMS is simply one way that manufacturers are able to achieve this agility.[12] This has also been reported in many studies that FMS makes the transition to agility faster and easier. Over time, FMS use creates a positive attitude towards quality. The quality management practices in organizations using FMS differs from those not using it. The adoption of flexible manufacturing confers advantages that are primarily based upon economies of scope. As a result of aiming simultaneously at flexibility, quality and efficiency, the future manufacturing industry will strive towards: producing to order, virtually no stock, very high quality levels, and high productivity. [13] Disadvantages of Flexible Manufacturing System[14] Now that we have looked at the multiple advantages flexible manufacturing systems offer, the next obvious question is, if they are so good and so useful then why are they not ubiquitous by now? It is essential to look at the other side, especially the impact these systems have on costing, product mixes decided by the company and the inevitable trade- off between production rates and flexibility. Following are the major disadvantages that have been observed Complexity These sophisticated manufacturing systems are extremely complex and involve a lot of substantial pre planning activity before the jobs are actually processed. A lot of detail has to go into the processing. Often users face technological problems of exact component positioning. Moreover, precise timing is necessary to process a component. Cost of equipment[15] Equipment for aflexiblemanufacturingsystem will usually initially be more expensive than traditional equipment and the prices normally run into millions of dollars. This cost is popularly known as the Risk of Installation. Maintenance costs are usually higher than traditional manufacturing systems because FMS employs intensive use of preventive maintenance, which by itself is very expensive to implement. Energy costs are likely to be higher despite more efficient use of energy. Increased machine utilization can result in faster deterioration of equipment, providing a shorter than average economic life. Also, personnel training costs may prove to be relatively high. Moreover there is the additional problem of selecting system size, hardware and software tailor made for the FMS. Cost of automation in the form of computer integration is the most significant cost in a flexible manufacturing system. The components require extensive computer control. Also, the costs of operation are high since a machine of this complexity requires equally skilled employees to work or run it. Adaptation Issues There is limited ability to adapt to changes in product or product mix. For example, machines are of limited capacity and the tooling necessary for products, even of the same family, is not always feasible in a given FMS. Moreover, one should keep in mind that these systems do not reduce variability, just enable more effective handling of the variability. Equipment Utilization Equipment utilization for flexible manufacturing systems is sometimes not as high as expected. Example, in USA, the average is ten types of parts per machine. Other latent problems may arise due to lack of technical literacy, management incompetence, and poor implementation of the FMS process. It is very important to differentiate between scenarios where FMS would be beneficial (ex, where fast adaptation is the key) and those where it wouldnt (ex where a firms competency is based on minimizing cost). Product/Job Costing[16] Arguably the biggest disadvantage of flexible manufacturing systems is the difficulty faced by the company in allocating overhead costs to jobs. Usually, several products share the same resources with different consumption characteristics. Ideally, the overhead allocation should be directly proportional to the resource consumption. But this becomes complicated in the case of flexible manufacturing systems since it is very difficult to estimate which product used which machine for which purpose and for how long. Often this leads to under costing of some products and consequently over costing of others. In systems that use FMS, usually the fixed costs are quite high due to the following reasons: * The machines are costly, material handling is more expensive and the computer controls are state of the art, thereby leading to a higher depreciation than seen in traditional manufacturing systems. * A lot of items which are otherwise usually treated as direct costs are counted under indirect costs in case of flexible manufacturing systems. For example, labour is normally attributed to the job directly done, but in FMS, the same workers work on machines that usually run two jobs simultaneously. Hence even labour costs are to be treated as overhead or indirect costs. * In order to ensure smooth running of the flexible manufacturing systems, a lot of support activities carried out by engineers and technicians. Keeping the above points in mind, we can infer that in order to cater to these scenarios, Activity Based Costing techniques are used with FMS to reduce distortion of product costs. FMS Adoption in Automobile Industry The Flexible manufacturing system has been adopted extensively in the manufacturing industry in this day and age. It addresses the issue of automation and process technology which is a key area for concern of manufacturing management along with inventory production planning and scheduling and quality. One industry which has extensively adopted this system is the Automobile Industry. Almost all global giants now follow the Flexible Manufacturing system and many have developed their own manufacturing system keeping FMS as an integral part of it. The Big Three of the American Automotive Industry namely General Motors, Ford Motors and Chrysler Motors enjoyed a monopolistic environment for a very long time. This in some way inhibited their innovation capabilities as there was no competition in the market which could drive them to innovate. These companies, therefore, maintained production facilities that were suitable for mass production of any single model, which ensured economies of scale and plant profitability. But gradually as Asian car makers gained prominence in the automotive market, the Big Three of the United States faced huge challenges across all product lines. The main Asian competitors that came into picture were Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi from Japan and Hyundai from South Korea. With these Asian countries exporting vehicles to the United States of America, competition heightened and the profitability of the Big Three decreased. To improve its profitability and maintain its market share Chrysler Corporat ion, General Motors and Ford Motor Company employed Flexible Manufacturing System in their production lines following what had been started in Japan. The essential driving force for adoption of FMS in Automobile industry is 1. The emphasis on increasing product variety and individualization has created a strong need to develop a flexible manufacturing system to respond to small batches of customer demand. 2. Cost savings were required to be more competitive. Newer varieties needed to be introduced in lesser time and at lesser cost. Given below are examples of some companies and their motive for adopting FMS as well as the benefits that they have achieved through it Japanese Companies and Latest FMS Toyota Toyota has been at the forefront of adopting flexible manufacturing system which has been in place since 1985. In 2002, Toyota unveiled its Global Body Line (GBL), a radical, company-wide overhaul of its already much-envied FMS.[17] The GBL process was developed so Toyota could implement a common vehicle-assembly â€Å"platform† at any and all of its worldwide assembly locations — regardless of volume or method of assembly. GBL helps Toyota to meet its goal â€Å"To seamlessly manufacture our products in any country, at any volume† The advantages that GBL delivers over the older FBL system of Toyota are * 30% reduction of the time a vehicle spends in the body shop. * 70% reduction in time required to complete a major model change. * 50% cut in the cost to add or switch models. * 50% reduction in initial investment. * 50% reduction in assembly line footprint. * 50% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions due to lower energy usage. * 50% cut in maintenance costs. More than 20 of Toyotas 24 worldwide body lines already have been converted, and the rest either are in the process of conversion or will be refitted for GBL in conjunction with upcoming model changes. Operations in Toyota Older Flexible Body Line (FBL) System : Each vehicle would require three pallets — each tightly gripping either a major bodyside assembly or the roof assembly and assuring its adherence to dimensional hard points — as the body panels travelled through the various stages of welding to the floorpan and to one another. Three pallets limited the number of vehicles that could be in the build sequence at any given time in some plants the number was 50. Also, the design of the pallets — which held the bodysides and roof panels from the outside — limited the access of welding robots and required a lot of floor space. Planners had to â€Å"guess† about how many pallets to build and work that guess into the plants vehicle mix (FBL-equipped plants could handle as many as five different models). Bad guesses about pallet allocation were very costly. Also, quick reaction to a change of production mix was discouraged by the 3-pallet system. Newer Global Body Line (GBL) System : GBL design solves those problems by replacing FBLs three pallets with a single pallet, one that now holds all three major body panels from the inside. This â€Å"master pallet,† layout eliminates the need for predicting initial pallet demand. Since each model or variant requires only the lone pallet, switching new models in or out of the production mix is a breeze. Thus the 70% reduction in time required to facilitate a model change[18]. GBL doubles the amount of floor space that can be occupied by robots, and, on a GBL tour here, every inch appears to be used. In the Georgetown plant of Toyota, the floor space freed by GBL allows a second GBL line — helping the plant achieve a recently announced capacity increase to 500,000 units. Highly advanced robots are central to leveraging the advantages of the GBL layout the system was designed to make the most of new-generation body shop robots that are smaller, more precise and more energy efficient. The number of robots has increased from about 250 to nearly 350. GBL system is enhanced by initial vehicle designs that ensure commonality for various hardpoints. This makes it easier to accommodate a variety of models: GBL-ready plants now can build as many as eight, rather than five with the FBL system. However even with the ability to produce eight different models, there is a limit to GBLs flexibility. Once pressed, engineers admit that not everything Toyota makes, from Vitz to Land Cruiser, can be produced on a single GBL line. There are two siz

Lies and More Lies in Conrads Heart of Darkness :: Heart of Darkness Marlow

Lies in Heart of Darkness After declaring his passionate hate of lying it is odd to see the complete reversal of character in Marlow by the end of the book.   Then perhaps it is not a change but merely an unexpected extension of his character that gives a different dimension to his personality.  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      His statement "You know I hate, detest, and can't bear a lie...it appalls me.   It makes me miserable and sick, like biting something rotten would do" (Longman 2210) gives what one may rightly consider a very straightforward clean cut description of the man's moral view and character traits.   Yet by the end of the book one may feel he has not only betrayed their trust but himself and all the values he seemed to embody during the course of the story.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Marlow's interview with Kurtz's Intended was less than the honesty one might have expected given his vehement stand on the issue of lying.   When he went to speak to her I fully expected him to be completely honest and tell her the truth.   My logic was that if she knew what Kurtz was like in reality her suffering would be eased and she would be able to gain an honest semi-objective view of the man she loved.   That shows my modern thinking!   It soon became clear that she was not going to accept any version of the truth and I found myself hoping that Marlow would lie to her to spare he the torture of knowing the truth.   Her constant interrupting of Marlow's dialogue in order to fill in wonderful, glowing details about the man was a complete revelation as to what she could hear and survive.   Marlow says, "It was impossible not to" "Love him" she finished eagerly..."How true! How true!" (Longman 2244) .   Once Marlow has dec ided to sugar coat the truth he begins to utter non-committal phrases in regards to Kurtz which the Intended finishes; "His words will remain," I said.   "And his example," she whispered to herself.   "Men look up to him, -- his goodness shone in every act.   His example"   (Longman 2245).   I think Marlow begins to see that he cannot be honest with her when they begin to speak of Kurtz's death.   He says, "My anger subsided before a feeling of infinite pity" (Longman 2245).   She was a woman, she was weak, she was alone, and every male tendency within Marlow rose up and prevented him from crushing what was left of her fragile spirit.

Brett Ashley and the novel The Sun Also Rises

I must admit that my views of Brett Ashley have now changed upon reading the article by Lorie Watkins Fulton.   I think that it is very easy to blame her and her manipulative and destructive tendencies for the evil that works itself into the novel The Sun Also Rises.   That is the overriding conclusion not only of the narrator Jake Barnes, but also of nearly all of the critics of the work to date.   That creates a rather compelling point of view for us.   However, I now find it hard to place all of the blame on her character and am beginning to wonder if she is, in fact, maligned. Fulton makes a great case right away by reminding us of the completely paradoxical nature of Hemingway’s narrative.   If we are to believe that is true of the whole story, then it becomes hard to see Ashley only in one light.   How are we to believe that everyone else in the book is multi-layered but poor Ashley?   Why should we trust Barnes about this one aspect and observation of his when he proves not trustworthy about the others?   Finally, and most convincingly, it is hard to blame Ashley when we read of Jake Barnes’ obviously flawed personal observations and biases that he brings to the table: his words about the flower girl down on the street own up to the fact that he sees her as a manipulator just like all of her sex are.This outlandish assignment of character flaw with gender should have provided a useful lens through which we could begin to see Ashley in a much more favorable light.   It shows the power of literary critics in influencing us to one point of view, just as effectively as Jake Barnes did.Langston Hughes’ main theme and main concern is the loneliness and struggle of the black man, the Negro.   This poem is crafted well to show us this theme in a different and unexpected light.   Rather than explaining the struggles the Negro faces, and cataloging all of the well known facts of race in America, Hughes compares it to othe r elements that tell the same story metaphorically.   It is as if Hughes has decided that anyone reading The Weary Blues is already familiar with the issues and basic facts and is ready for a new way of seeing the history through one person but for all people.   His poem takes on color to demonstrate his concern.The title seems obvious: it must be about the type of song the old man is singing.   Surely it is, but it’s more than that.   The poem puts the color blue right up there at the top for us to see the sadness and tiredness that Negros feel.   Hughes then goes on to tell us the plight of the black man through use of the artist’s palette.   We see ‘pale’ on line 5, ebony on line 9, ivory on line 9, black on line 15, and of course ‘blues’ 7 different times.   Why all the color?   Hughes’ theme is the tired condition of the black’s struggle, the overwhelming and consuming aspect of it.   His use of colors spea ks loudly.   Blues, of course, represents the all present sadness of the people.   That is clear.   That is easy.   But look at the other things going on, too.   Pale light is a diminished opportunity.   The black man is not allowed the full brightness of spectrum, the American dream.It is in sharp contrast to that enjoyed by the white race.   Hughes says this by not just saying that the black man is playing a piano down there on the avenue.   That wouldn’t be enough.   What he says is that he had his â€Å"ebony hands on each ivory key† (9).   That contrast of ebony and ivory, black and white, says it all.   Everything we hear from the black man, the mourning of the blues, is a discussion and revelation of his everlasting struggle as a black man in a white world.The story of Mrs. Turpin in Revelation is one of those stories that really gets into me and make me want to take part.   I want to get right in and grab Mrs. Turpin by the shoulders wit h my reactions!   She may be the biggest hypocrite I have ever read about.   What makes her that way the most to me is that she is constantly referring to her position as given by Jesus himself.   O’Connor writes that Mrs. Turpin was made a better class by Jesus’ decision, and that Jesus is perfectly aware that there are many worse classes of people.She refers to this blessing over and over while reminding herself what a good type of woman she is, what a god fearing woman she is, when the reader wants to just grab her and wake her up from this delusion.   I see the opportunities for grace everywhere for Mrs. Turpin.   Where she sees so many faults in other people, she could have talked with them instead of to them.   She could have offered to really help them and not in a self-serving manner like when she helped Claude to a chair by announcing just how much they deserved one over the others who had been there first.   I really thought that she might reall y experience the grace instead of just an opportunity for it when she got home and started thinking about the wart hogs.   It seemed like she really got it for once.But then she sees those black folk and gets right back on her horse, and she has them make her feel better about the way she is! She knew that if she raised doubts about herself they would make her feel superior again, by lifting her up, and by making themselves look stupid to her!   Sadly this is one of the ways that I see this work as Southern, too.   It keeps returning to basic themes of race and religion over and over.   It is a story of defining class and making sure everyone knows their place accordingly.   This is a hallmark of Southern type stories.

Ideologies during the Nineteenth Century essays

Ideologies during the Nineteenth Century essays Liberalism is the political philosophy emphasizing the value of individual liberty and the role of the state in protecting the rights of its citizens. The idea of liberalism meant specific individual freedoms such as: freedom of press, freedom on speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom from arbitrary arrest. By the early 19th century France with it's Constitutional Charter and Britain with it's Parliament and historic rights of English men and women were the only two nations that had implemented liberal programs. Yet even in those two countries liberalism and not been implemented to its fullest capacity. Although still impacting the mind set of many, liberalism had lost some of its luster during the early 19th century because of new ideologies that had sprung up which supplement for some of liberalism shortfalls. Many revolutionaries criticized the idea of a complete laissez faire economy with no governmental restrictions. Also in the early nineteenth century liberal political ideal s became closely associated with narrow class interest and increasingly with the middle class. Many intellectuals and foes of liberalism thought that liberalism did not go far enough. Nationalism is the ideology based on the premise that the individual's loyalty and devotion to the nation-state surpasses other individual or group interests. Nationalism was the second radical idea in the years after 1815. Nationalism has usually evolved from real or imagined cultural unity, mostly manifesting itself through the commonality of language, religion, history, or territory. Nationalists have tired to use these common bonds to unit together peoples to fight for or support a common goal. And because of the cultural mixing pot in central Europe, nationalism became a powerful ideology. The early nationalist believed that every nation, like every citizen had the right to exist in freedom. However these overlapping beliefs created ambiguity because its main thrust was...

world essays

world essays Chapter One: Were moving I come home from school, put my torn, ready to be thrown out blue school bag down on our round island in the kitchen and storm outside to enjoy the very first day of summer vacation. The air is warm and the sun is shinning brighter than ever. My spirits are so high and Im ready to begin the most exciting two and half months of the year. I put on my pink diva flip- flops and run as fast as I can to my best friend Rachaels house. I feel the warm air tickle my face as my adrenalin reaches sky high. Dancing and singing as I run, I dont care who sees. I want the whole world to know of my excitement. I get to Rachaels and plop right down on her soft, comfy couch. I sink right into the butt-grove I created on it after many years of hanging out with her and our friends. Next to me is her fat cat named George which I call cow cat due to his massive size and white dots over his black body. She brings me a glass of Pepsi (my favorite drink) and plops down right next to George. He meows, stretches, runs away and jumps onto the dusty windowsill. This is the life I say to Rachael as I pull my legs out onto the foot stool and take a sip of my refreshing ice cold drink, the bubbles tickling my nose. Were free for a whole two and a half months she says as she looks at me with that twinkle of excitement in her eyes. Theres nothing better than soaking up the sweet summer with your very best friend. Hours go by and my mom calls for me to come home for dinner because she has something important to say. I can tell by the sound of her voice that its something big, something that could change my life. Possibly more important than anything shes ever had to say. Her voice doesnt sound angry; I am relieved because at least I know I havent done something wrong....

Famous Spech From History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Famous Spech From History - Essay Example Instead of the formal ‘Ladies and Gentlemen,’ the way he addressed the audience itself was highly stimulating. ‘Sisters and Brothers of America,’ he exposed the broad Vedantic concept of human brotherhood to the audience of seven thousand people and received a standing ovation that lasted for three minutes. Swami Vivekananda, one of the greatest religious reformers of India was born in Calcutta in 1863. His family name was Narendranath Datta. He was the son of a distinguished lawyer and his mother was a religious lady. Since his childhood he displayed extraordinary intelligence in his studies and other activities. At the age of 15 he experienced a spiritual elation and began to seek the Divine truth. Yet he was always unconvinced of traditional religious practices and longed for acquiring more spiritual insights. In 1881 he met the well known Hindu saint Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and that was in fact the turning point in his life. Ramakrishna identified the unusual personality and invited him to join his mission. Later in 1885, when Ramakrishna died he became the leader of the Ramakrishna Order. He proclaimed peace and human brotherhood not only in India but also in many of the European countries and in the United States. He worked hard for the spiritual uniqueness of Indian culture. Besides his spiritual mission he worked as a social reformer who stood against the caste discrimination, and for the eradication of poverty and illiteracy from India. Many of the political leaders, thinkers and philosophers were highly influenced by his doctrines. His fame brought him the opportunity to represent India in the World Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893. It was indeed a major breakthrough for the acceptance of his doctrines in America and in many other countries all over the world. As mentioned earlier, he addressed the Americans as his ‘brothers and

How you have experienced social change in Qatar over the last 5 years Essay

How you have experienced social change in Qatar over the last 5 years or so - Essay Example The above changes are largely because Qatar has been hosting numerous sporting events. Mubarak Al Mana, who is the head of the country’s women’s sport committee, has played an important role in supporting women’s involvement in sports. Apart from the increase in the number of women participating in the country’s labor force, most of them tend to focus in certain occupations, particularly teaching and clerical jobs. As the Qatar society started the complex process of implementing social change decade ago, the imbalanced status of women became prominent. It also became a difficult obstacle. Nevertheless, the country has taken vital recognizable steps in the past five years to ensure that women have similar privileges as men. For instance, women have the privilege to vote and contend for any political position during their parliamentary elections (Great Britain, 2004). In 2010, Sheikha Maha Mansour was appointed as the first woman judge in the country. This greatly indicated how Qatar was experiencing a speedy social change. The situation also created an important example to other women who are currently studying different courses previously meant for men. Another recognizable social change is the organization of the family laws. Formerly, resolutions of family problems were dependent on the judge’s understanding of Islamic law. However, this has changed since 2003 when women were given th e privilege to participate in public life and business. In addition, they also have the privilege to travel alone because laws requiring a guardian’s authority for a woman to be given a passport were withdrawn during this