The Tale of Quetzalcoatl and Mel Gibson’s Film “Apocalypto” Essay Example

The Tale of Quetzalcoatl and Mel Gibson’s Film â€Å"Apocalypto† Essay Example The Tale of Quetzalcoatl and Mel Gibson’s Film â€Å"Apocalypto† Paper The Tale of Quetzalcoatl and Mel Gibson’s Film â€Å"Apocalypto† Paper During the period of Spanish conquest in the1500s, Meso-American civilizations were ignorant to the Europeans existing on the other side of the world. Due to their ignorance, the Meso-American civilizations created In regards to the tale of Quetzalcoatl and Mel Gibson’s Film â€Å"Apocalypto, the two stories taken place during the 1500s are bounded together through various mythic elements such as a clash of cultures and a connection to the sea.In the tale of Quetzalcoatl, Quetzalcoatl’s is greeted unpleasantly by the presence of Tezcatlipoca, the antagonist. During the story, Quetzalcoatl promoted the skill of crafts and the sacrifice of breads, flowers, and perfumes in opposition to the skill of war crafts and the sacrifice of tearing the hearts out of men and women. However, Tezcatlipoca upheld those practices of hostility that Quetzalcoatl disapproved of. Through this, there is a clash of cultures. During the ball court segment of the story, Tezcatlipoca transformed himself into a jaguar whereas Quetzalcoatl had fled. The cultures of Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca are in total opposition. Similarly in the film, Apocalypto, the cultures of Jaguar Paw and Zero Wolf were in heavy confliction. The tribe of Jaguar Paw and his father Flint Sky were of a peaceful people, while the culture of Zero Wolf believed in the conquering of less civilized tribes. The Aztecs also participated in the practice of human sacrifice.In addition, the two stories are connected to each other through the correlation of the sea. During both of the stories, Quetzalcoatl and Jaguar Paw each visited the sea during the end of their journeys. For Quetzalcoatl’s connection with the sea, it represented the next phase of life. As for Jaguar Paw, the connection to the sea brought the story back to the beginning but a deconstructive moment occurred when the Europeans arrived on the shores of the beach. Instead of a new beginning like Jaguar Paw hoped for, it was instead the b eginning of their end.Furthermore, Jaguar Paw and Zero Wolf depict the typical protagonist and antagonist story line. In Quetzalcoatl’s tale, Quetzalcoatl was the avatar of good and Tezcatlipoca was the avatar of bad. The same reference goes for Jaguar Paw being good and Zero Wolf being bad. In both stories there were constant rivalries between the two characters. In addition, to their rivalry was also a sense of commitment in both stories. Jaguar Paw was committed to his promise of coming back to his son and pregnant wife and Quetzalcoatl was committed to sticking to the ideals of non-violence. Moreover, two mythologens that occurred in the story were the promise to come back and the act of a quest. In the film, Jaguar Paw made a promise to his wife that he would come back which was followed by a divine reunion at the end of the movie. Jaguar Paw was constantly on a quest to survive for the sake of his tribe and forest during the film. Quetzalcoatl was also on a pursuit to c ome back to his people. During difficult times, people hope for a God to come back as their savior. Queztalcoatl came back through his resurrection.Will Durant’s observation, â€Å"A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within,† refers to the Aztec culture as depicted in the film as disproportionate in wealth as well as the hierarchy of their class system. I believe the observation also denotes the massive pollution and the images of natural resources being used up during the film. Though the film was set in the 1500s, the problems occurring in the Apocalypto are close parallels with what is happening in today’s world with third world countries and the abuse brought on by first world countries such as the United States.

Alcohol Addiction and the Addiction Process

Despite the general tendency to assume that we can recognize addiction when we encounter it, the idea of addiction is not well defined.   No matter what the addiction, all addiction begins as a habit and progresses from there.   Even if there is a genetic component, the initial expression of the addiction is expressed as a habit. Some habitual addictions end up as chemical imbalances in the body, others as changes at one or more receptor sites and so on. The concept of addiction as it is often portrayed and used is unclear.   Finagarette (1988) and Davies (1992) proposed that the concept of addiction as it is generally viewed is a myth.   Other researchers have presented similar ideas. (Szasz, 1974; Peele, 1985)   Since the 1970s, some have suggested that the concept of addiction requires revision in that it combines social discourse, moral dilemmas, psychological states and pharmacology in an awkward manner. (Hammersley and Reid)   The typical view of addiction is generally viewed as a myth. (Szasz, 1974; Peele, 1985; Finagarette, 1988; Davies, 1992)   The general view of the concept of addiction may be of little value and require major revision. (Akers, 1991)   Today, terms such as â€Å"substance abuse† and â€Å"drug dependence† are subtly replacing the idea of addiction. (Edwards and Gross, 1976) Theoretically, there are at least two general classes of addiction:   1) physical dependence and 2) psychological dependence.   The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV TR) defines substance dependence as a cluster of symptoms that indicate that the individual has a pattern of impaired control over substance use. The seven DSM-IV TR criteria for Dependence can be separated into physiological dependence and compulsive use.   Addiction is considered to be the uncontrolled, compulsive use of a substance.   Physical and psychological addictions are not always easy to distinguish, especially as there is certainly some degree of overlap between the two. Each type of addiction has its own cause.   This report will focus on alcohol addiction.   We will look at the addiction process from beginning to end.   We will ask, What causes addiction or Why does addiction begin, Why does addiction persist and finally, Why does it end?   Our approach will be to take a general look at addictions so we will know and understand what we are dealing with and then to focus on one type of addiction, alcohol addiction, for an in-depth consideration and review. We will begin by looking at the concept of addiction and defining what the means and we will proceed from there.   Overall, we will discuss the general aspects of alcohol addiction and then apply what has been discussed to a hypothetical case. In what follows, we will create a hypothetical case that will exemplify the addiction process from the initial stages to addiction to treatment.   If we are to follow the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) model, the process cannot go beyond treatment because the AA model does not allow for a cure.   Addicts are always recovering and never recover, so we will follow the AA model and its treatment throughout the life of the addict.   We will create our hypothetical addict after defining what is generally meant by the term addiction. Addiction Defined Substance abuse is widely viewed as addiction, but Hammersley and Reid (2002) point out that addiction is a dramatic, dangerous and chronic condition caused by the biological effects of drugs.   Hammersley and Reid suggest that substance use is a normal behavior with social causes and should be viewed as such without perpetuating any unhelpful moral issues and the unsuccessful solutions suggested by the myth. Hammersley and Reid suggest that the myth of addiction continues and prevails because it is functional in western cultures and can be used to deal with issues of ‘control’.   According to the generally accepted myth, addictive drugs are supposed to meet six criteria.   They are 1) supposed to lead to addiction quickly and easily, 2) force addicts to resort to crime to finance their drug habit, 3) have psychoactive effects, 4) cause serious health damage or death, 5) supplied by ruthless criminals and 6) addiction is long lasting if not permanent.   For the most part, these ideas appear to be mainly fiction. These ideas are essentially a myth based on exaggeration and distortion regarding the effects of certain drugs.   Such myths are common.   They arise, in part, because evidence counter to these ideas is ignored and individual cases of â€Å"mythical figures and events† that support the myth are commonly projected before the public. As a result of these myths, the public is led to believe that drug users started out as naà ¯ve you people who were persuaded to use drugs, then become addicted and then turn to a life of depravity and crime because they are unable to control their habit and they need to finance their drug use.   (McAdams, 1993) Although a number of drugs have been used to perpetuate this myth, cannabis is perhaps the most common and widespread example of the myth.   In the late 1960s and 1970s, many believed that cannabis use would lead to serious psychological harm.   Research failed to confirm this belief. (Johnson, 1973)   Other drugs that have been involved in this myth include heroin, cocaine and ecstasy. Research to understanding drug abuse often focuses on changes at a specific receptor site.   The studies will investigate those changes and seek to determine how to control them with medications.   However, in contrast to many other commonly abused drugs, alcohol   does not bind to specific receptors (Kranzler and Ciraulo, 2005), but it appears to modify neuronal membranes and neurotransmitter receptors embedded in those membranes in a variety of neurotransmitter systems, including virtually all the major system found to be associated with psychiatric symptoms (Kranzler, 1995) If we were to apply this information to the hypothetical case of a male alcoholic since, even though both males and females become alcoholic, males are two or three times more likely than females to become alcoholic, we would arrive at the situation of a male in his mid to late twenties who began drinking socially and quickly became an alcoholic.   Subsequently, he turned to crime to support his drinking habit. His habit is now long lasting and permanent.   This would be the hypothetical example of an alcoholic that supports the myth of addictive drugs discussed by Hammersley and Reid.   Viewed from the perspective of an alcoholic, we can see that this model would not apply well to alcoholics. Although his habit may have begun socially, and other aspects of the generally accepted myth might sometimes hold true, becoming addicted was a gradual process, the drug was legally sold at liquor stores and perhaps even in grocery stores and may even have been provided in small amounts in the community church.   No ruthless criminals were involved and the alcoholic had no need to resort to crime to finance their drug habit.   Therefore, the myth, although consistent with some aspects of reality, is misleading and inaccurate. We can see that the characteristics of alcohol addiction are sufficiently consistent with the generally accepted myth as to allow individuals to assume that it supports the myth.   However, none of the components of the myth need to occur in order for an individual to become alcoholic. Perhaps the one characteristic that may always apply is that alcohol is psychoactive, but in small amounts, not even that characteristic need apply.   Alcohol addiction is a gradual process, it   is relatively inexpensive, it is psychoactive, it has beneficial effects as well as harmful ones, is legally sold in liquor stores and in supermarkets and may even be found in the neighborhood church during communion and finally, alcohol addicted individuals are not always doomed to a permanent or long lasting addiction. Yes, each of these things can occur although the idea of a drug pusher selling alcohol is far-fetched.   Our alcohol addict is merely an individual, in this case a male but it could have been either sexual gender, who began drinking for whatever reason and then, somehow went overboard.  Ã‚   We have already touched upon causes and treatment and will now move on to those considerations below.

Forensic Facial Reconstruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Forensic Facial Reconstruction - Essay Example forensic facial reconstruction has proved successful in certain cases and with further advancement, might be able to rule out controversies. It also touches media, arts, and imaging. This combination of art, visuals, and science have an immense future. It can also be one of the last resorts where all other evidence is missing in criminal cases. Mass graves, crime investigation, especially in the USA are being helped by this innovative method. Sculptors have to find the depth of skin and will be able to work on aspects that render most character to the face followed by muscle structure. Undoubtedly there will be some marginal structural flaws and accuracy limitations that are unavoidable considering the existing difficulties. Applying muscle and skin to the bone needs computer tomography. An old system consists of an image processing unit for skull morphometry and the imaging unit for compositing facial components on skull images. Interlaying of soft and hard tissues, an accuracy of r econstruction etc. still remains difficult. It is argued that the skull provides a detailed map of the face and it has led to Forensic Anthropology. "Physical anthropologists have long been called upon to apply their knowledge of human skeletal biology to practical problems of concern to the medicolegal system. The discipline of forensic anthropology arose out of this need to determine and assess the characteristics of an individual" writes Mehemt Yasar Iscan. Â  It has been difficult to achieve authenticity and standardization in face of acute opposition about inconsistency. "Despite varied attempts to achieve standardization in traditional techniques and the promotion of some newly developed ones, facial reconstruction remains on the threshold between art and science. It is the point at which science ends and the medical illustrator takes over that has led to most reservations over this branch of forensic anthropology" said Tyrell. Even though computer graphics had been able to r ender multidimensional help, the original clay modeling is still considered to be the most authentic and useful. "The former look of a face can be approximated by predicting and modeling the layers of tissue on the skull. This work is as of today carried out solely by physical sculpting with clay, where experienced artists invest up to hundreds of hours to craft a reconstructed face model. Remarkably, one of the most popular tissue reconstruction methods bears many resemblances with surface fitting techniques used in computer graphics, thus suggesting the possibility of a transfer of the manual approach to the computer." Laser technology and more and more information about the skull and facial intricacies have been helping the reconstruction by incessantly improving it. According to Venezis, "Skull and facial data from living subjects are acquired using an optical laser scanning systemhe computer image may then be exported to enable the production of a solid model, employing, for ex ample, stereolithography. The image can also be modified within an identikit system which allows the addition of facial features as appropriate".

Employment law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Employment law - Essay Example Case study 1 shows a common instance of what could be termed to as a misunderstanding or misinterpretation of a situation within the business premises. In this situation, a seemingly stolen item that is a hard disk is found in the locker belonging to two employees of the same firm, namely Janice and Kelsey. Both are employees with a good reputation in the firm; however the case of a hard disk found in their locker tends to jeopardize their good resume. Following a different approach to confront the issue should show that neither Janice nor Kelsey could be held reliable; however this is not the case. Upon realization by the manager that the piece of hard disk has no entry in the stock records, both Janice and Kelsey are summoned by the manager in an attempt to discover the truth behind the recovery of such an item in their locker. Following basic human instinct, both culprits result to justification of their own cases against the allegations of theft. In a more detailed view of either employee, Janice has been an employee to the firm for a period not less than two years, within when, she has been able to maintain a clean resume without any implications proving otherwise. On the other hand, Kelsey has been working in the firm for a period just over a year, but similar to her co-worker Janice, has kept a clear record, throughout this time. Despite all this, both are considered guilty of the allegations of concealing the hard drive and face disciplinary measures that involve their immediate dismissal from their positions in the firm. Further information shows that the prior owner of the locker made claims of miss-placing his key to the locker some time back, this only making the decision to dismiss the two Janice and Kelsey somewhat inappropriate. Such cases are very common in the business world, and with their increase, the managerial departments of firms such as the one in question should come up with the appropriate procedures to solve such cases. With the incre ased lack of jobs, coming to a conclusion of dismissal like in this case should be the last option, and viable only, when the culprit is proven beyond any reasonable doubt to be guilty of the allegations. Janice to her defense had stated that she had used the locker as usual and upon noticing the bag that was later revealed to be containing the hard drive, had thought to hers self that it was Kelsey’s’ and had no business with it so just ignored it. Kelsey on the other hand had earlier on come to her defense stating that she had not used the locker lately, and thus had little information regarding the hard drive. It is evident that the procedure followed that resulted to the dismissal of the two was neither very clear nor convincing that either would have actually been considered guilty of the offence. Employment law governs that every employee in any organization of firm is subject to fair trial upon occurrence of such incidences. In this case, their cases of appeal a gainst the dismissal came to a sudden crash, as the appeals were refused and both were dismissed. A working environment that has such personal property as lockers should have 24 hour surveillance, even making use of the latest technology in terms of CCTV cameras, which would have saved the situation

Managing Internationally Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Managing Internationally - Essay Example Tomboy can be analyzed as a company that operates internationally due to its system of production, subcontracting and distribution where the entities involved are situation in different locations typical of international companies. Production of a simple mechanical pencil may be simple, but in the case of Tombow, the process seems to be complicated. Tombow was founded by Harunosuke Ogawa in 1913 and operating its main headquarters in Tokyo (Mishina 1993). It has pursued modifications and innovations to make its product line-up competitive and the company profitable. Communication is one of the essential elements in the effective management of an organization. There seems to be a communication problem with Tombow. For instance, Yohei Ogawa (president of Tombow) said, when the stockouts of its products have been increasing, that the company’s subcontracting system had not efficiently performed its functions. He is at a loss on what is happening in the subcontracting level. He is wary on what the problem could be, or how would he know the problem. Late deliveries had also been a perennial problem of the sales department. Keitaro Ogura (head of sales promotion department), expressed dissatisfaction with the way the production people had been doing their work (Mishina 1993). Selling the products is easy he said, but the late deliveries are causing uneasiness in the sales department. As in the case cited above, Mr. Ogura is unaware of what is happening at the production level. In fact, he seems be disgusted with the way the production people had been doing their job. He said that, â€Å". . . we can’t tell if they’re just not trying hard enough,† referring to the production sector (Mishina 1993, p. 4). During meetings, the problem with late deliveries are not discussed and threshed out. Definitely, when problems are presented to the higher level of management and not settled or attempted to be settled, this would affect the morale of the m iddle level managers. Communication is the process of sharing and exchanging information within a common interpretative framework so that the information can be useful and meaningful (Booth 2008). Without the established communication channels and protocols, there will be a breakdown in communication (Patterson 2009). Appropriate communication channels must be formed within the organization and between the organization and the suppliers, vendors, retailers, dealers and sales agents. Regular meetings can help in threshing out business and management issues. However, issuance of memoranda and letters are sufficient to share information. At present, the advanced information technology can help a lot in bridging the gap in information among the different components of the organization. The information system has been contributing much to the changes in the organization (Mills 2005). It is clear in the case study that the use of computers and information technology has not been utilized by Towbow in any of its processes. A computer system must be set up to facilitate communication among the components. IT can also help in one of the main problems of Tombow – inventory control and tracking. As expressed by the head of the sales department, there had been delays in the deliveries and he was not aware of what was happening. The problem of uncertainty can be solved by a global inventory system for all stakeholders of Tombow, each component with specific access to the database. For instance, the orders of retailers, dealers of sales agents will be posted by the sales department in the database. The sales department will inform the main headquarter of the orders through letter or email. The sales department will post in the global inventory

Inventory Management in a Multinational Company

Inventory Management in a Multinational Company Inventory may be desirable, even necessary, for smooth operation and good customer service in many situations. For instance, inventory can be used to reduce the lead time to respond to customer demand, to smooth out the production rate when there are variations in demand, and to protect the company from underestimates of demand (forecast errors) or shortage of supply. Reasons such as these, plus the fact that inventory is considered an asset on a companys balance sheet, have led many companys to carry excessive amounts of inventory. Some companies for example, the Japanese manufacturer Toyota, have become known for their ability to operate with low inventories and to achieve a high inventory turnover. (Inventory turnover is basically the ratio of sales to the average inventory level, both measured at cost or retail price.) The Japanese approach is to keep in process inventory low and to achieve quick flow of the product through the production cycle. Being able to respond quickly to d emand, companies can work from a shorter range forecast, which is more accurate, so they need less safety stock to protect from uncertainty. [1] 2. Aims and objectives Inventory management is an important concern for managers in all types of businesses. For companies that operate on relatively low profit margins, poor inventory management can seriously undermine the business. The challenge is not to pare inventories to the bone to reduce costs or to have plenty around to satisfy all demands, but to have the right amount to achieve the competitive priorities for the business most efficiently. [2] Aims and objectives of this thesis are as follows: Deciding where to position inventory Determining when to replenish inventory Calculating how much to order Determining the placement of safety stock Refacilitating the use of business resources for profitable business results Ensuring the target level of inventory is available to support demand. 3. INVENTORY Inventory is defined as the stock of any item or resource used in organization [3]. An inventory system is a collection of people, equipment and procedures that function to keep account of the quantity of each item in inventory and to determine which items to buy or produce in what quantities and at what times. Even very simple method that accomplishes these functions cost money to operate. Some inventory system requires transaction reporting to keep track of every instance in which units are added to or taken from the existing inventory. This perpetual inventory records can be expensive, but the additional expense can be justified for products that are relatively expensive to hold in inventory 3. 1. CYCLE INVENTORY The portion of total inventory that varies directly with lot size, is called cycle inventory. Determining how frequently to order, and in what quantity, is called lot sizing, two principles apply. The lot size, Q, varies directly with the elapsed time (or cycle) between orders. If a lot is ordered every five weeks, the average lot size must equal five weeks demand. The longer the time between orders for a given item, the greater the cycle inventory. At the beginning of the interval, the cycle inventory is at its maximum or Q. at the end of the interval, just before a new lot arrives, cycle inventory drops to its minimum, or 0. the average cycle inventory is the average of these two extremes: Average cycle inventory = This formula is exact only when the demand rate is constant and uniform. However, it does provide a reasonably good estimate even when demand rates are not constant. Factors other than the demand rate also may cause estimating errors when this simple formula is used. 3.2. SAFETY STOCK INVENTORY To avoid customer service problems and the hidden costs of unavailable components, company holds safety stocks. Safety stocks inventory protects against uncertainties in demand, lead-time, and supply. Safety stocks are desirable when suppliers fail to deliver the desired quantity on the specified date with acceptable quality or when manufactured items have significant amounts of scrap or rework. Safety stock inventory ensures that operations are not disrupted when such problem occur, allowing subsequent operations to continue. Figure 1: Various types of Inventory To create safety stock, a farm places an order for delivery earlier than when the item is typically needed. The replenishment order therefore arrives ahead of time, giving a cushion against uncertainty. Inventory used to absorb uneven rates of demand or supply, which businesses often face, is referred to as anticipation inventory. Predictable, seasonal demand patterns lead themselves to the use of anticipation inventory. Anticipation inventory also can help when supply, rather than demand, is uneven. A company may stock up on a certain purchased item if its suppliers are threatened with a strike or have severe capacity limitations. 3.3. ANTICIPATION INVENTORY Inventory used to absorb uneven rates of demand or supply, which businesses often face, is referred to as anticipation inventory. Predictable, seasonal demand patterns lead themselves to the use of anticipation inventory. Anticipation inventory also can help when supply, rather than demand, is uneven. A company may stock up on a certain purchased item if its suppliers are threatened with a strike or have severe capacity limitations. 3.4. PIPELINE INVENTORY Inventory moving from point to point in the materials flow systems called pipeline inventory. Materials move from suppliers to a plant, from one operation to the next in the plant, from the plant to a distribution center for customer, and from the distribution center to a retailer. Pipeline inventory consists of orders that have been placed but not yet received. Pipeline inventory between two points, for either transportation or production, ca be measured as the average demand during lead time, , which is the average demand for the item period (d) times the number of periods in the items lead time (L) to move between the two points, or Pipeline Inventory = = dL. [2] 4. BATB Inventory Management There are some standard management theories as we described earlier in chapter two. The operational environment varies firms to firms, companies to companies. Based on the different varying conditions most companies do manage the inventory at their own. They do not follow exactly what the theory implies but analyzing the theories they go for the decisions that suit them most effectively and efficiently. The goal should not be to minimize inventory or to maximize customer service but rather to have the right amount to support the competitive priorities of the company. 4.1. BATB Inventory System BATB inventory system can be compared with a two-bin system in which an items inventory is stored at two different locations. Inventory is first withdrawn from one-bin. The two-bin system implies that if the first bin is empty, the second bin provides backup to cover demand until a reenlistment arrives [2]. BATB has the flexibility to locate their inventory at different points from supplier to warehouse at supplier premises which is very good advantage for a company. The demand manager and the MPS manager reviews the inventory positions on the daily basis and then go for receiving the lot from the pipeline inventory. This indicates that they are maintaining the pipeline inventory. It helps them reduce the lot size to be stocked at warehouse. BATB Inventory includes: Finished goods Bled sets Filter rods Wrapping materials Leaf Tax stamps Bandle rolls The study is mainly focused on the leaf. Because this is the major concern in any cigarette manufacturing company as it holds the maximum cycle time. We will work with the raw materials inventory. Mainly BATB has two types of materials. These are wrapping material and Tobacco. They receive raw materials from both local and foreign suppliers. Foreign suppliers are mainly from Brazil, Argentina, Canada, South Africa and Zimbabwe. For local suppliers average lead-time is 10 to 15 days and for the foreign suppliers lead-time is 90 to 120 days. Leaf is supplied by both the local and foreign supplier. But ignoring the local leaf as it takes less time, we will take the imported leaf in account to analyze. Leaf Strategy Leaf is an agricultural plant, which must be cultivated, and it needs certain period to get matured. Therefore the ordering policy of leaf is very time consuming. They have to place the order very early of the time it is needed to arrive. Suppose they need 1000-ton leaf in the month of April 2008, they inform their supplier right now that is in the month of April 2007, so that they can cultivate the leaf and then deliver. In addition, it is to be mentioned that just after the arrival in the warehouse the leaf is not as ready as to be used for production. It goes under another certain period of time for maturation and then is under for production. But if we talk about the lead-time it will include only the days between order placements to arrival at warehouse. 5. SAFETY STOCK Usually one does not know precisely the number of units that will be demanded each day during the lead-time. The duration of lead-time may have unexplained or unexpected variation. Demand can be thought of a probabilistic variable with some expected amount of demand during a period of time and unexplained variations about the expected value. If inventory could be replenished one a moments notice there would be no reason to be concerned about demand uncertainty. Whenever inventory reached zero, stock would be held again. With some lead time between the placement of an order an its arrival, however there is a chance that demand will be greater than expected and loss will be incurred due to stockout. When stockout costs are high and demand is very unpredictable, the financial risk is sizable. Safety stock is a means of protection against this risk. Safety stock (SS) is established simply by raising the reorder level above the expected lead-time demand. For probabilistic demand during le ad-time, the reorder level is given by the following equation where represents the mean demand per unit of time. [1] RL= ( ÃÆ'- LT) + SS Safety stock is the average amount one hand when replenishment orders arrive. Sometime demand during the lead-time is less than expected extra stock is on hand. Sometimes demand is greater than expected and some of the safety stock is used. 6. Methodology Step 1: Conducting a primary survey. Step 2: Preparing primary questionnaire Step 3: Modification of the questionnaire Open-ended questions: This type of questions found out the view of the decisions makers out for gathering information regarding the subject topic. Close-ended questions: These types of questions were designed to extract information which are related to the preparation of a realistic forecast: Step 4: Performing the case study and conducting the interview Step 5: Data processing and analysis 6.1 Demand Forecasting Strategy Demand manager receives the sales history of the previous 4/5 years. He observes the trend that every month undergoes. There are some seasonal impacts in the cigarette market. But overall the market is a stable one. Following the trend of previous 4/5 years and considering the marketing activities, the demand manager goes for a rolling forecast over the next 18 months. The term rolling here implies that the forecast is updated every month for the next 18 months. Stable Trend-up Trend-down Figure 2: Trends of Demand By this, the demand manager feels flexible enough to consider any new promotional activity or any assumption from the marketing department and any seasonal impact, which has not been included earlier. The main focus of forecasting is based on the trend. If the trend is decreasing the forecasted sales goes down and vice versa. 6.2. Findings Imported leaf stock: Year end 2008 imported leaf stock was 317 million Taka Average 2008 leaf stock was 334 million Taka (~ 4 months duration) Currently, they are following an inventory policy of maintaining a 90 day safety stock which varies in quantity and value terms over the year with fluctuation in demand. 7. ANALYSIS The assumptions presented in the chapter two have been considered applicable to develop the EOQ for the imported leaf. Considerations: Grade: AN30/104S Demand in Kg/Month: Annual Demand = 152000 Kg Holding Cost = 32 TK/ Kg Ordering Cost = 700 TK (Assumed) EOQ =à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ (2DS/H) = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ ((2*152000*700)/32) =. 75Kgs Kgs 7.1 HOW MUCH TO ORDER The analysis shows that the company should order 2579 kg for the particular grade each time, a quality that should be result in 58.93 cycles per year. Actually, the equation derived doesnt result in actual lot size that must be ordered. This will help to manage lot size and inventory control. The current moves towards the inventory cost and quantities, stress the importance in reducing lot size. That means to reducing lot sizes is to reduce setup time and cost. When smaller lots are run, holding cost is reduced. The point is to understand the logic and where to apply it. The effect on order size resulting from reducing setup cost is shows in the following figure. When the setup cost is reduced, the total cost curve shifts from TC1 to TC2. Correspondingly, the EOQ is reduced from EOQ1 to EOQ2 and the maximum total cost is reduced from TC1min to TC2min.[3] Figure 6: Effect of reduced set up cost on order size and total cost 7.2. Reorder level The order quantity and reorder level are interrelated. A large order quantity causes fewer replenishment cycles with fewer exposures to stockout, so the reorder level can be reduced, and vice versa. Theoretically, we would have to find simultaneous solutions to equations for Q and RL to find their normal values. The value of D, S and H are only estimates, and the value of the EOQ will be approximate whether or not an adjustment is made for the expected stockout cost. Consequently, as often as done, we disregard the interrelationship between Q and RL. We solve for the EOQ, ignoring its effect on stockout cost, and then we find the best reorder level for this value of Q. Assumptions: Highest Service Level Factor corresponding to 99.99% satisfaction level used though recommended maximum level is usually 98%; this results in a more than 50% higher safety stock ii) Safety Stock calculated using standard deviation of actual demand rather than variance between forecast and actual giving higher levels of safety buffer. iii) Lead time taken to be 4 months for all grades whereas actual lead time is considerably less providing greater safety stock to cover variation in demand during lead time. Calculation: RL = L + z Where, RL =Reorder Point in Units, =Average Demand Per Time Period, L = Lead Time,Z = No. of Standard Deviation for a Specified Service Level,= Standard Deviation of Usages during Lead Time Annual Demand =152000 kgs Average Demand/Per Month =12666.66 L= 4 Months Z = 99.99% = à Ã†â€™d = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ (di-dà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢) 2/12), in a range from i-1 to 12 =à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ (31066666.66/12) =1609.00 Therefore, = =1609* =3218 From the above calculation RL can be determined as follows: RL = 12666.66 * 4 + 4*3218 =50666.64 + 12872 =63538.64 This says that when the stock on hand gets down to 60610.26 kgs order should be placed. 7.3. Level of Safety Stock Safety stock= =4*3218 =12872 It results to a safety stock of 31 days, as the daily demand is 416.43 kgs. But theoretically it is applicable for the particular grade. Though the other grades do not involve so much variation in their demand, considering some logistic capabilities for the overall improved leaf the proposed safety stock is 50 days. This will allow for flexibility during roll out of new safety stock polling while guarding against unanticipated changes in sales and supply scenarios. The reason for proposing this amount of safety stock is to protect much against the uncertainty of demand. Because there may be a situation that for a sudden change in demands the system may not be flexible enough to meet the change from the calculated safety stock. This is due to demand forecasting that takes place over a long period and the order is placed for a particular month very early of the situation it experiences the change in its demand. So immediately it is not possible for the system to respond the sudden change in demand. For this, proper level of safety stock should be placed in a company for its smooth operation. Another fact is that the lead time from order placement to arrival at warehouse involves some events over which the proper control is not possible. The following section represents the impact of reduction of safety stock and then the analysis of lead time is shown. It is to be mentioned that the more the lead times the more the level of safety stock. Therefor e the lead time calculation is an important factor for the placement of safety stock. 7.4. BENEFITS CALCULATION GRADE: AN30/104S Annual consumption = 152000kgs 90 days safety stock = 38000kgs 50 days safety stock = 21111.11 Therefore, WC Reduction = (38000-21111.11)*165 =2.78 million Taka 7.5. OFFSHORE STOCK COST CALCULATION Reduction in safety stock = 16888.89 kgs This amount of excess stock will be held at supplier premises for a maximum additional period of 12 months. Holding cost at BATB @ 12% = 16888.89ÃÆ'-135.11ÃÆ'-12% =273823 Taka Holding cost at supplier @ 7.2% + Excess Duty =16888.89 ÃÆ'- 135.11 ÃÆ'- 7.2% ÃÆ'- 1.22 =200439 Taka Therefore, Savings =73384 Taka 8. IMPACT OF REDUCED LEVEL OF SAFETY STOCK ON WC Proposed Safety Stock based on lead-time, variability in demand during 2006 and desired service level indicates a substantially lower requirement of safety stock even with very conservative assumptions Using 2007 volumes this would translate to reducing imported leaf stock from an average of 322.60 Million TK. to about 179.18 Million TK. Jan 08 Feb08 Mar 08 Apr 08 May 08 Jun 08 Aug08 9. LEAD TIME ANALYSIS It has been already mentioned that the more the lead time the more the safety stock. Lead time involves the total time from the order placement to arrival at warehouse Figure 7: Supply Lead Time We can develop a pie chart highlighting the time taken on a percentage basis by different events that take place from order placement to arrival at warehouse. Symbols Events Average % A TIME TAKEN BW ORD PLACE PRO INVOICE REC 14.75 7 B TIME TAKEN BW LC REQUIEST 10.93 5 C NO. OF DAYS SPENT B/W LC SHIPMENT DATE 38.90 19 D ARRIVAL IN CTG (ACTUAL SHIPMENT ETA CTG) 35.10 17 E DAYS REQD CTG TO ICD 6.05 3 F DAYS REQD ICD TO WAREHOUSE 8.58 4 Table 1: Lead Time Analysis The pie chart shows that a major part of the time from order placement to arrival at warehouse involves the events C and D over which the control cannot be held so easily. They involve some complex as well as time taking procedures. But in case of the rest of the events different action can be issued very effectively. Figure 8: Events placed on Warehouse (Percentage basis) In addition there are some recommendations for reducing the lead-time in the next chapter. 10. RECOMMENDATION As the analysis shows that the company can reduce the level of safety stock, the first phase of recommendation represents how it can be carried out and the later phase defines the steps, which should be proper monitored and controlled with a view to, maintain an optimized inventory management system. This will enable to obtain an effective safety stock level. Allowing Inventory Policy Exceptions for certain grades to satisfy requirements for blend changes and brain launches. Reviewing and improving the order tracking process as necessary. Monitoring orders, delivery performance and safety stock policy adhere continually. Gradually moving to safety stock of 2.5 months and then to 50 days, with 6 months duration difference. Holding the excess stock at the supplier premises. Locating the inventory at different points in the pipeline rather to hold much in the warehouses. The following steps should be performed in order to implement the recommend actions: Developing operational excellence in demand forecasting so that there will be fewer surprises. Cutting the lead-time to reduce the demand uncertainty during lead time. Reducing the supplier uncertainty. Supplier reliability can be increased by sharing the production plans with them, permitting them to make more realistic forecast. Improving the logistics capability by planning the infrastructure to meet demand, then implementing and controlling the physical flows of material and final goods from points of origin to points of use. 11. CONCLUSION It has been revealed that the traditional inventory management system needs some modification depending on the situation or the operating environment, while inventory is management by a company. The different inventory models provide a different set of capabilities and opportunities to exploit different competitive priorities. Some members of different industries and consulting firms have already started to criticize classical inventory models seem fashionable. But prior to the operating conditions different classical inventory models can be considered as the decision making tools that will enable a company to take its step under conflicting pressure. All the system needs is proper integration of operation and business. This will smooth the flow of information and thereby implementation of such models would be openhanded.

The Operation of Electric Motors :: essays research papers

I have written this science research paper to help people understand more about the electric motors and their operation. The electric motor transforms electrical energy into mechanical energy, which in turn makes motion possible. To better understand electric motors, one should first understand the basics of electric motors operation, electromagnetics. One can create an electromagnet by running an electric current through a wire which in turn will create a magnetic field. An electromagnet may only be a temporary magnet but it has the same magnetic properties as a permanent magnet. Any magnet creates a magnetic field and this magnetic field will contain two ends or polls, one North and one South. The fundamental law of magnets states that ?Opposites attract and likes repel? and the same holds true with an electromagnet. A simple electromagnet can be created by the use of a power source and a piece of wire as shown in Figure 1. The magnetic field created will be stronger then the magnetic field of the earth, effecting the compass and will cause the needle to move in the direction of this newly created magnetic field. As current flows through the wire, a magnetic field is created around the wire. Figure 2 shows the circular shape of the magnetic field around the wire as if you were able to look down the end of the wire. The magnetic field itself is invisible, but the magnetic field strength can be measured through the use of special equipment. The magnetic field weakens the further you move away from the wire and will always be perpendicular to the wire and the fields direction depends on the which direction the current if flowing. Since the magnetic field is always circular and perpendicular to the wire, the magnetic field can be increased simply by creating a coil of wire. Figure 3 shows an example of a simple electromagnet by coiling a wire around a nail and connecting it to a power source. The magnetic field is amplified by each loop of wire around the nail. An electric motor depends upon magnetism to function, to be more specific, electromagnetism. By continuously changing the direction of the electromagnetic field in a motor, we take advantage of the basic magnet principle that ?Opposites attract and likes repel?. This allows an electric motor to rotate.