Performance objectives Essay

Questions: 1. Discuss the significance of all of the five operations performance objectives (quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost) to VBA’s activities and explain which of these you consider to be the most important to build into the design of VBA’s processes 2. Explain how process technology helps this operation to achieve its objectives? 3. Sketch the flow of flowers in the VBA operation. Describe and explain what you think are the critical points in this flow? 1.1Objective Definition (Slack) Significance to VBA’ activities Rank Quality VBA’s service is based on the trust which it has established both with growers and buyers. This involves an implicit guarantee of the quality and freshness of the flowers. For example, VBA invest time and money into the laboratory services which give them the ability to assess flower quality levels. Without this quality guarantee buyers would not be willing to use the service. Speed Obviously the flowers cannot be kept within the total supply chain for too long, otherwise it would reduce their ‘shelf life’ when they†¦ Dependability In this case dependability means that a range and quantity of flowers are available for buyers to purchase if they wish and also that the company are able to guarantee to the growers that flowers will be available for sale at the time promised. Lack of dependability in terms of interruption to the supply of flowers would destroy the trust of both buyers and growers. Cost Cost is an important objective primarily to the company itself. The whole company’s operations are based on high volume. It is, after all, the largest operation of its type in the world. Also, the company have invested in the information technology and materials handling technology which standardizes the service, thus reducing costs further. However, cost is also important to the buyers. If the operation were not efficient, then the buyers may find it cheaper to buy directly from the growers. The transaction costs of VBA must be sufficiently low to prevent this happening. Flexibility United Flower Auctions, Aalsmeer Introduction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2CK2TatM_U We love getting flowers; they are a symbol of celebration. When you have achieved something, when you are turning 21, when you are in love, when you have graduated†¦ Flowers are big business in Holland. The ‘Verenigde Bloemenveiling Aalsmeer’ translates to the United Flower Auction in Aalsmeer. Most of the flowers purchased in the world are auctioned on a daily basis at the Aalsmeer facilities. This happens by bringing supply and demand together by means of the auction clock, a fascinating process during which large and small batches of flowers are sold within fractions of seconds. In five auction halls, over a thousand wholesalers bid on trainloads of flowers as they cruise slowly by. The flower auction in Aalsmeer is the largest trading center for plants and flowers in the world. Around 21 million flowers are sold daily with a 15% increase around occasions like Valentine’s Day and Mothers’ day. The building of the flower auction is only a stone’s throw from Schiphol airport and one of the largest buildings by floor space in the world, it boasts an area of more than 630,000 square meters – bigger than 120 football fields. The five operations performance objectives Performance objectives are the generic set of performance indicators that can be used to set the objectives or judge the performance of any type of the operation, although there are alternative lists proposed by different authorities, the five performance objectives as used in the book of Slack et al. (2010: 40) are quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost. These performance objectives are the specific aspects of performance on which an operation is judged. What does the customer think is important? In the case of VBA, the operations performance objectives that are the most important to build into the design process are speed, quality and dependability (reliability). Speed: According to Slack et al. (2010: 42), ‘speed’ is the†¦ Answers to: â€Å"VBA United Flower Auction, Aarlsmeer, Holland† 1. Which of the five operations performance objectives (quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost) are the most important to build into the design of VBA’s process and why? To some extent, this is a matter of opinion. However, the company itself would place quality very much at the top of the list and flexibility towards the bottom, as follows: Quality: VBA’s service is based on the trust which it has established both with growers and buyers. This involves an implicit guarantee of the quality and freshness of the flowers. For example, VBA invest time and money into the laboratory services which give them the ability to assess flower quality levels. Without this quality guarantee buyers would not be willing to use the service. Cost: Cost is an important objective primarily to the company itself. The whole company’s operations are based on high volume. It is, after all, the largest operation of its type in the world. Also, the company have invested in the information technology and materials handling technology which standardizes the service, thus reducing costs further. However, cost is also important to the buyers. If the operation were not efficient, then the buyers may find it  cheaper to buy directly from the growers. The transaction costs of VBA must be sufficiently low to prevent this happening. Dependability: In this case dependability means that a range and quantity of flowers are available for buyers to purchase if they wish and also that the company are able to guarantee to the growers that flowers will be available for sale at the time promised. Lack of dependability in terms of interruption to the supply of flowers would destroy the trust of both buyers and growers. Speed: Speed is only important up to a point. Obviously the flowers cannot be kept within the total supply chain for too long, otherwise it would reduce their ‘shelf life’ when they†¦ 1) Analysing VBA’s main activity it is possible to clearly define the 5 operations performance objectives and which of these are the most important for the company’s business and to maintain a leadership position in the sector. the company itself would place quality very much at the top of the list and flexibility towards the bottom, as follows: QUALITY: VBA’s service is based on the trust which it has established both with growers and buyers. This involves an implicit guarantee of the quality and freshness of the flowers: ïÆ'   a quality inspection is in fact made by VBA staff to check if the characteristics of the flowers are conformant to the description entered on the delivery forms by the grower, that are attached to each trolley. ïÆ'   to maintain the flowers fresh and in perfect conditions VBA helds the flowers in cooled storage areas to avoid them to perish Without this quality guarantee buyers would not be willing to use the service. Doing things right by providing error free goods and services, which will satisfy the customers, is known as ‘quality’. VBA operations have to export their flowers to be perishable and so they made the quality inspection by VBA staff and kept in cool storage place. COST: Cost is another very important objective to the company itself. VBA manages to operate with very low costs (about 5% of the turnover). LowCost is also  important to the buyers. If the operation were not efficient, then the buyers may find it cheaper to buy directly from the growers. The transaction costs of VBA must be sufficiently low to prevent this happening. To achieve this performance objective, that allows very high profit for the company, VBA has invested in the information technology and materials handling technology. This standardizes the service and is able to deal with the complexity of the operation due to the high volumesïÆ'   every day in fact there are 17 million cut flowers and two million plants to handle. ompanies compete with prices is ‘cost’. Low price is a universal attractive objective to customers, which can be achieved by producing goods at lower costs. In order to ‘do things cheaply’. The high level of computerization and automation of material flow allow VBA to operate with low cost at high speed and dependability. SPEED: Thanks to its developed process technology VBA manages to achieve another important performance objective: speed. Obviously the flowers cannot be kept within the total supply chain for too long, otherwise it would reduce their ‘shelf life’. For this reason it is important to do things quickly in response to customer demand. This objective is fundamental together with quality and cost because it allows VBA to handle about 1000 transactions per hour with 13 clocks, making it very convenient for the grower aswell. erformance objective speed means doing fast, it means to minimize the time between the order and the availability of the product or service that gives the customer speed advantage.VBA are focused operations to reduce difficulty by having ten thousand people to work at the center to handle seventeen million flowers and two million plants by their information processing technology. DEPENDABILITY : The ability to deliver products and services in accordance with promises made to customers is another important performance objective for VBA. In this case dependability means that: a range and quantity of flowers are available for buyers to purchase if and  when they wish that VBA is able to guarantee to the growers that flowers will be available for sale at the time promisedïÆ'   that the flowers will be in the shops in Holland, London, Paris, Berlin and New York as soon as possible, for the customers to buy them. Lack of dependability in terms of interruption to the supply of flowers would destroy the trust of both buyers and growers. To do the things in time for customers to receive their goods or services when they are promised this performance objective known as dependability. In VBA everything tiered to the auction computer so that each buyer can have uninterrupted view of the flower and price. FLEXIBILITY: regarding this performance objective, the flexibility can be measured in the capability of responding to a dynamic environment, changing their products and services and changing the way they do business. The whole bidding process by VBA including processing time takes only a few seconds and the lots are distributed on the trolleys to the appropriate packing and loading Ares.

Philosophical thinking Essay

There are many forms of philosophical thinking that humans tend to immerse themselves into. Sometimes, even the realm of self idolatry can be a subject of one’s happiness in pursuit of his own idea of what is satisfactory. In a more conventional identification of this act, vanity can become an obsession and may induce certain effects to one’s character. According to Wikipedia, vanity is a form of self gratification with regards to one’s belief about his or her attractiveness and abilities. Most of the time, people with this philosophy tend to excessively compliment themselves without entertaining any forms of negative perception from the people around them. In religious perspectives, vanity is a form of idolatry to oneself in which a person may become too overwhelmed with his characteristics that he tends to ignore any other beings superior than what he is supposed to be, bypassing the concept of god. In modern times, vanity can be easily spotted and may be identified to almost all societies in the world. One may identify a vain person by simply observing the way he acts with regards to how he projects himself to the public. For example, a person may always need to do make up retouching, consistently apply perfumes and even always engage in small acts of looking for runs and protruding fibers out of his clothes. In some cases, vanity can also be identified not only in physical perspectives but also in one’s philosophy. Vain people tend to always tell self proclaimed abilities about how they can handle situations which seem to be a problem for others. With such acts, some people may even interpret them as a form of arrogance. It would be a fulfilling experience if someone will tell you compliments about how you look and praise what you can do, but the aim to always look forward for this reactions from people can become an obsession and may lead to vanity. Works Cited Wikipedia. November 7 2007. Vanity. Wikipedia-The Free Encyclopedia. November 19, 2007 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Vanity.

Economics Practice Problems Essay

1. Which of the following would most likely cause equilibrium quantity and price of x to rise? (a)a fall in income when the income elasticity of demand for x is positive Wrong. This will cause a drop in demand and thus a fall in quantity. (b)a fall in the price of complementary product y Correct. A fall in a complementary product will cause a rise in demand for that product â€Å"y† and thus a rise in demand of product â€Å"x† (see graph). (c)a fall in the price of substitute product Z Wrong. A fall in a substitute product will cause an increase in the demand for product Z and thus a fall in the demand for product x. (d)an increase in the cost of producing x Wrong. The increase in production cost will decrease supply (see graph). (e)a fall in the price of product A which is jointly produced with x Wrong. A fall in price of a jointly produced product will give the incentive to produce more A. If this incentivizes the producer to also increase the supply of x, the effect would be opposite as in (d): less price and more quantity. 2. Which of the following is not characteristic of a cartel situation? (a)While disagreement over production quotas may occur, once set, there is little incentive for cheating. Correct answer. In a cartel there are incentives to cheat (all other are characteristics of a cartel). (b)There is an incentive for some producers not to join. (c)Entry of new producers is a threat to the cartel’s viability. (d)Long-run demand elasticity can pose an obstacle to success. (e)Output must be less than the competitive case for the cartel to be effective.

First Extended Stay Away from Home Essay

The Cathedral Effect Emotions are a thing that nobody escapes themselves from, no matter how hard they try. They are something we are born and die with. Emotions are the also a foundation to how we see things. If someone is sad then most of the things they come across will be viewed as sad. Now, if someone is happy or open minded then they will deal with things they come across much better. In Carver’s short story â€Å"Cathedral†, the narrator is jealous and bitter. This causes his views to be distorted to something that is not correct. His wife’s friend comes and he is mean and jealous towards him. If the narrator changed his mood, then he would see things in a new better perspective. In â€Å"Cathedral†, written by Raymond Carver, the narrator starts off as a bitter man with a bad attitude of mind who changes throughout the story as to have a better attitude which results being more open minded and having a better aspect at life. At the beginning of the story, the narrator is a jealous and bitter husband. Although he has no reason to as he does not acknowledge his wife very much. The narrator is very lonely, â€Å"Every night I smoke dope and stay up as long as I could before I fall asleep.† The narrator could go with his wife instead of staying up all alone. When he does this it only shows how lonely he really is and how much he does not communicate with his wife. Maybe if he talked to her he would understand her and would feel comfortable when her blind friend came to visit. The narrator was not so excited for the visit, â€Å"My idea of blindness came from the movies†¦the blind moved slowly and never laughed†¦a blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to.† Clearly the narrators perception of blind people is very close minded as he only thought of blind people to fit stereo types. He has no idea what blind people are like and only goes with his own poor judgment. If h e changed his attitude towards things like these then maybe he would be able  to understand his wife and even the blind man. Later on in the story he begins to change just slightly. At first when the blind man arrives he only makes rude comments and stares as his wife smiles and interacts with him. Later though he begins to talk with him, â€Å"I asked if he wanted to smoke some dope with me.† The narrator invites Robert, the blind man, to smoke with him which is something he usually does by himself. It is not much but it is a step towards getting to know the man. As they smoked, his wife fell asleep and eventually left to sleep in her own bed. Robert and the narrator stayed up and watched television and as they watched it, a Cathedral came up. The narrator tried to explain the cathedral to Robert but failed to do so, â€Å"I stared some more at the Cathedral before the picture flipped into the countryside. There was no use.† Although the narrator was sharing thoughts with Robert, it was still not enough. The narrator soon gave up when trying to explain the Cathedral to Robert instead of tryi ng harder to help Robert picture a Cathedral in his mind. He did change his attitude a bit by communicating with Robert, but not enough. As the story concludes, the narrator has an epiphany. They continue to watch television when the blind man has an idea as to how the narrator could show him how a Cathedral looks like. Robert tells him, â€Å"I got an idea. Why don’t you find us some heavy paper? And a pen. We’ll do something. We’ll draw one together.† Robert suggests an activity that will benefit him and the narrator will be helpful. The narrator looks for what Robert requested and comes back after a while so they could do whatever he wants to do. Robert found the narrators hand and they began to draw a Cathedral together. The narrator guides the pen and Robert following along like a shadow. As the narrator was drawing the Cathedral he closed his eyes and thought, â€Å"His fingers rode my fingers as my hand went over the paper. It was like nothing else in my life up to now† This is where the narrators epiphany occurs. He finally sees something differently in life that changes his attitude towards many things. He experienced being blind for once and in a good way not in a bad way. Before he was blind intellectually and as to how people were. Now he was blind physically and it benefited him much  more than his useless jealous stereo typical thoughts. All he had to do was experience something that he had no insight towards. Lots of times humans let their emotions dictate the way they view life. Due to this, we should all try and be content and keep a positive attitude. If we keep a positive attitude then things won’t seem so harsh, miserable, or as lonely. If we have a negative attitude though, then things will be harder for us to understand and harder to interact with all sorts of different people. Sometimes it takes an experience that leads to an epiphany in order to change our attitude in life. In Raymond Carver’s story â€Å"Cathedral†, the narrator is a perfect example of someone having an epiphany that changes their attitude and view towards life. There’s always hope for everyone, you just need that extra push to have a better view towards things.

The impact of language on Friday life in Foe Essay

The impact of language on Friday life in Foe - Essay Example Upon arrival in England, Susan offers to accommodate Friday (McGrath 1). She had a desire to document her experiences while on the Island, but is limited in her language skills. Thus, she requests Daniel Foe, a writer, for assistance. This mission is not fully accomplished since Foe, being the language expert, chooses what he thinks is entertaining to write about, thus frustrating Susan’s efforts to have her story told (Caracciolo 105). Language is one of the themes in J. M. Coetzee’s book Foe. Language is key and paramount in any communication and accurate or inaccurate presentation of issues through language as a tool of communication can impact positively or negatively on the message being communicated. If not well presented, it could give the wrong message and impression about the content value of any work of art. Language gives a person power to communicate adequately. By Daniel Foe suppressing and omitting part of Susan’s story does an immense disservice to what she, in reality, wants to communicate. Lack of proper and/or appropriate language skills and knowledge can also be a significant impediment (Caracciolo 105). This is the case with Susan when she is frustrated by Foe for choosing to incorporate the truth about her, but feeling the book bibliography with fiction. Susan’s case highlights the power of language because, if she was well equipped with proper writing skills, she would have been in a better position to write her own story. In her frustration, she attempts to write the story herself but fails due to her lack of proper writing skills. Through the character of Susan, Coetzee is highlighting the plight of the voiceless. Since Susan cannot communicate well, she is left helpless, thus representing the people in society who cannot be heard because of their incapability to communicate effectively (McGrath 1). Foe, on the other hand, represents the people who tyrannize the underprivileged by downplaying their issues resu lting in them not being heard at all. Using the theme of language, Coetzee brings out the plight of those who are oppressed because of their language handicap and the oppressors like Daniel Foe who ensures that the oppressed remain downtrodden. Coetzee uses another character, Friday, to further the theme of language in his book. He is said to be mute because, according to his master Crusoe, his tongue was chopped off by his previous master. This can be interpreted to show the extend oppressors would go to silence the marginalized in the society. Cutting off his tongue totally stops and impairs the downtrodden such as Friday form speaking or having a say in matters concerning or affecting them (Woelert 118). The writer being from South Africa may through these characters be highlighting the brutality of the Apartheid system. It can be construed as a way that those in authority used to silence the minority. His inability to speak because his tongue was cut off by his colonial masters totally limits his language communication skills and ability. Friday brings to mind not only the plight of the Africans in South Africa, but also the unvoiced oppressed people in the society. Crusoe is another character in the novel whose refusal to talk about his past can be seen as to portray Coetzee’s language theme on non verbal communication. He is in a position to tell his story but instead chooses not to in comparison to Friday who if given a chance may be willing

Tramatic Brain Injury Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Tramatic Brain Injury - Research Paper Example TBI is also associated with closed head injuries as oppose to penetrating injuries of the skull and brain stem, although not always exclusively since there can be multiple characteristics of initial injuries with both penetrating and non-penetrating effects.. (Papanicolaou) There are an estimated 20 to 50 million people [worldwide]are injured or disabled in road traffic accidents every year with those between ages 18 and 25 experiencing the greatest incidence. According to the Centers for Disease Control, individuals over age 75 are at high risk for TBI due to falls. By 2020, the World Health Organization projects that road traffic injuries will be the third leading cause of global disease or injury. Motor vehicle accidents are a major cause of TBI in less developed countries and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality (Bay, Kreulen, Shavers, and Currier 141) TBI severity is grouped into three general classifications: mild, moderate, or severe. The diagnosis is dependent upon seve ral factors, the depth and length any coma that was induced by the TBI, the duration of any posttraumatic amnesia, the overall time to respond consistently to stimuli, as well as the neuroimaging and electrophysiological studies, and measures of brainstem function. â€Å"As severity levels increase, the range and extent of possible long-term physical, cognitive, and psychosocial impairments increases.† (Degeneffe 257) These classifications have been further codified by the introduction of the Glasgow Coma Scale, which was originally developed to help practitioners diagnose the level of consciousness of a patient after a head injury. It has now been adapted to rate TBI survivors in the mild, moderate or severe classification. The scale is reproduced in Appendix I. There is certainly a general lack of understanding regarding individual how have suffered a TBI and the resultant issues arising from it. This results in many TBI sufferers receiving treatment by medical, psycho-soci al or other personnel who do not have experience with TBI. This is especially true in cases of Mild TBI where the patient is presented with headache, vomiting, dizziness; work-related difficulties, forgetfulness, or mood disorders without mention any current head trauma thus impairing a proper diagnosis and treatment. By informing medical practitioners about the general symptoms of TBI, there would be a better chance of asking if the patient had suffered a recent head injury. (Bay, Kreulen, Shavers, and Currier) Once a TBI has been diagnosed often the first medical professional to be alerted is the neuropsychologist. Neuropsychology is a complex field of psychology for it incorporates a variety of other sciences such as psychiatry, neuroscience, neurology as well as cognitive psychology. The general theory of Clinical Neuropsychology will provide the basic tools and techniques necessary to assist individuals with TBI in developing the appropriate coping skills and strategies needed to reclaim their lives. This will allow them to return to a life of greater independence in order to live successfully in the community. The conducted research and readings surrounding Clinical Neuropsychology has an in depth understanding of the organic component of brain damage in those with TBI, giving a keener insight into the treatment and therapies that

Legal theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Legal theory - Essay Example It is hence a typically Platonic argument.2 Nussbaum firmly claims that a good judge appreciates the poetics of justice. Essentially, the argument of Nussbaum implies that a good judge fulfils his/her professional existence most wholly when s/he is equipped to defend and oppose, and be condemned or repealed, in seeking justice. The clash between the natural law and positivism should be very definite if a judge is to depend on the notion of poetic justice to the core of fair dealing. The judge should make a decision: does this positivistic law go against the heart of my responsibility to humanity and to self? The endeavour is exceptionally challenging. To society it is normally baffling. That challenge is not yet met, albeit the insistent demand by judges for justice and rationality. The objective of this essay is to discuss the argument of Nussbaum in light of the two novels of William Shakespeare, namely, Measure for Measure and The Merchant of Venice. The discussion will revolve ar ound the specific themes of law and morality: Christianity, common law, and the debate of natural law and positivism. ... The Duke cautions Angelo that individual morality should be enacted freely or in public3: Heaven doth with us as we with torches do, Not light them for themselves; for if our virtues Did not go forth of us, ‘twere all alike As if we had them not.4 The above statement is reminiscent of a passage in Matthew 5:15-6, the Sermon on the Mount: â€Å"Nether do men light a candel, and put it vnder a bushel, but on a candelsticke & it giueth light vnto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may se your good workes, & glorifie your Father which is in heauen.†5 The character of Angelo is recognised for his self-control and accuracy, although illustrations of him lean more on apathy than virtuosity. The glorified personal moral principles of Angelo are now subjected to criticism in his recently assigned public position. The conflict between the concept of natural justice and positivistic law, at this point, came in Angelo’s encounter with Isa bella. Isabella speaks up for mercy on the basis of understanding of one’s immorality and emulation of Christ’s life. Unluckily, Angelo is not convinced. Insincerity may be criticised by the passage ‘judge not’, yet it is not banned by the law, an argument Angelo has already stated earlier in the novel.6 Isabella justifies her argument when she implores Angelo to think about the judgement of God: â€Å"How would you be, /If He, which is the top of judgment, should/ But judge you as you are?†7 The allusion of the overgenerous mercy of Christ requires that the ‘human’ or deficient Angelo ought not to give judgment on other mortal beings, a claim that appears to hark back Schleitheim Confession’s article 68: The sword is ordained of God outside the perfection of