Lean Manufacturing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Lean Manufacturing - Research Paper Example A brief account of the advantages and challenges in adopting and implementing Lean is illustrated. Overall, the paper draws information based on existing literature and research related to Lean manufacturing. According to Hill (cited by Brown, p.7), ‘The production/operations management (POM) task is concerned with the transformation process which takes inputs and converts them into outputs, together with the various support functions closely associated with this basic task.’ Such transformation processes are mainly applied to materials, customers and information. Brown (p.8) describes that Production Management encompasses the most vital activities of production, beginning from and including, planning and design, production processes of goods and services, and also effective integration of marketing, finance, human resources management and strategy in order to enable a business to enter and compete with both new and existing markets. One important aspect of improving efficiency is elimination of waste and/or non-value-adding activities; this not only improves efficiency by saving costs, it also saves immense time and labor. The ‘Lean Methodology’ constitutes th is aspect of production management, performed through a set of principles and methodologies (Keller, p.262). Lean methodology/manufacturing is a Japanese invention, and has been widely accepted in most of the manufacturing industries throughout the world. Its application in the service industry emerged later. Although its main focus is improvement of efficiency, different organizations adopt distinct approaches within lean system to achieve this. Although Lean methodology focuses on elimination of wastes, the reference to ‘waste’ differs in every manufacturing unit and industry type. Hence, adopting a uniform approach may not be feasible in all situations. In order to meet different needs of different industries, various lean systems or

Political Economy of Inequality & Distribution Essay

Political Economy of Inequality & Distribution - Essay Example Social justice is achieved if the economic systems allow people to select opportunities created by performing within the constraints of the rules. This is because the resultant distributions from the rules will make the system just and fair. Hayek insists that the concept of social justice cannot still be attained through procedural fair rules because luck involved does not reflect an individual’s advantage (Miller 1997, p. 142-144). This notion implies that luck cannot precede distribution because one must receive the resources to appreciate economic policy. The outcome of the distribution method should show an individual’s effort of acquiring the resources. This can be in the benefits the society derives from such economic activities and the reasons for procedural rules. However, there are no legal systems where people do not break rules and Hayek should suggest ways of taming political economists from mistreating other players (Hayek 1978, p. 87). Market systems cann ot rely on a just society if the resources are reserved for a few individuals who want to satisfy personal missions. As a result, the results and deserts of free markets limit the attainment of social justice that remains a mirage in the society. Hayek’s argument that social justice is a mirage holds that procedural rules contribute to the erosion of individual freedoms and promote the introduction of totalitarianism. The concept highlights that an authority that exercise coercion in allocating resources to individuals is not just. This is because an ideal social justice evaluates an individual’s desert using his contribution to the welfare of the society (Hayek 1978, p. 87). The market liberation does not favor social justice because individual’s claims are not met and requires reconstruction of the economic system to address the shortcomings. Although organizations are beneficial parts of the society, trying to make serve all purposes affecting

Hiring Women as a Basketball Coach Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 10

Hiring Women as a Basketball Coach - Assignment Example Therefore, if the best candidate is a man, the coaching position will be filled by a man and if the best candidate is a woman, the women basketball coaching position will be filled by a woman. However, when a man and a woman have the same skills, experience and are the most qualified candidates for the coaching position, a woman will be chosen. This will be aimed at ensuring a minority is hired and to ensure finesse and skill is maintained, as is the case in a women team. I will only make the decision to hire a woman if they have better skill than men do and I would rather hire a man than hire a woman who has fewer skills. The decision to hire the best person whether he is a woman or a man may be politically incorrect but hiring a second-best woman will be a disservice to the women basketball team. The position of women’s basketball coach will, therefore, be open to anyone who provest have more skill, ability, and experience to give the best and ensure the skills of the girls are improved and that they are able to compete at the highest level and win trophies for Awesome University. I have all intention to ensure that the salary and other compensation packages of a coach hired to train the women basketball team are equal. The intention is to ensure that the coach hired to train the women’s basketball team is that the person hired has the same skill, responsibility, and effort as that of the men’s basketball team (Morris, April 27, 2008). With this similarity in the performance and skills, it would be unethical to pay the person less amount to that of the male basketball counterpart. Therefore, the intention is to pay a similar amount to the person selected to train the women basketball team with the consideration of similarity in skills, responsibility, and performance. The other reason for the pay to equal that of the male counterparts is to ensure compliance with Equality Pay Act where there is a requirement for payment of employees the same amount regardless of gender when they perform at the same level, take the same responsibilities, use the s ame skills, and performance at similar conditions.  Ã‚  

Homeland Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Homeland Security - Essay Example The essay "Homeland Security" talks about the illegal border crossings and human smuggling that are considered as imminent threats to homeland security. Within the context of the United States, the foretold issues are most important because they are interconnected with a global spread of terrorism. The problem of illegal border crossing and human smuggling are interconnected because the illegal immigrants seek the help of the human smugglers to enter the U.S. Zhang, makes clear that â€Å"In recent years human smugglers have focused their efforts on recruiting willing U.S. citizens to provide transportation services in the border area†. Besides, illegal border crossings mainly occur through the Mexican and Canadian borders. Most of the states in U.S. face the problem illegal immigration but the problem in severe in California, New York, and Illinois. The restrictions on immigration imposed by the federal government resulted in large scale illegal border crossings. The Southern border of the U.S. is used by the Mexicans for border crossing. The same route is used for human smuggling from different parts of the world. Illegal border crossings and human smuggling are controlled by powerful gangs for a profitable business. The flow of the illegal immigrants into the US is in terconnected with the phenomena of transnational population relocation. The problems surrounding the illegal alien in the US require a global view and suggest more diverse strategies than the history of immigration Law enforcement.

Gun control in my community and nationally Essay

Gun control in my community and nationally - Essay Example countries like Switzerland and Germany, the rate of gun ownership is three times the number of legal gun ownership in America making gun related violence a matter of motive rather than ownership (Sowell, 2012). Further, this matter encompasses the issues on rules, restriction on the use of firearms, ownership, distribution, and regulations surrounding the same. On one hand, the acquisition of a gun may be for protection purposes while on the other hand, the acquisition of a gun may be for criminal activity. In recent times, policy makers have formulated policies aiming at gun control that are not yet law. With these aspects in mind, this argumentative essay will negate the argument that proposed federal legislation on gun ownership should become law. Presently, critics are of the idea that control of those who carry guns is the suitable approach as compared to controlling the spread of guns. According Watkins from the Detroit Green haven Press, his attribute influenced a bill by Senator Schumer Manchin Toomey on background checks for those intending to buy guns. In recent times, America has witnessed a number of shootings in inner city district schools and public schools where innocent children and civilians have met their sudden demise. This factor has triggered debate on the need to effect gun control measures as a way of preventing further loss of life. According to Killough from CNN, President Obama intimated the need to revisit these regulations in order to replace them with effective laws, but the timing for this was wrong because families were still in mourning. Across America, this bill has received intense backing from quarters that are pro the gun control idea. In the case for school shootings, the question that author ities grapple with is how the kids accessed the guns in the first place. This means that the gun owners have become reckless in how they choose to store their guns. However, most guns in crimes scenes are stolen hence making it hard to

Jacksonian Age women's reform Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Jacksonian Age women's reform - Essay Example These reform movements were known as ante-bellum reform movements. According to Cheathem (2008), the Jacksonian age was a period of democratic progress and increasing egalitarianism for men but one of regression and repression for women. The age characterized a male defined society and on the basis of equality; feminism characterized it as well as a struggle for female autonomy and self determination. Women were mainly seen as breeders and child bearers. The temperance movement called for restriction and outright prohibition of alcohol consumption due to its strong religious elements. Cheathem (2008) says that the apex of the ante-bellum reforms movement during the Jacksonian period was the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 which women listed the grievances that American women had against institutions that were male dominated and included lack of female suffrage. On female health, most medics did not have a respect for women’s bodily autonomy and many hysterectomies performed in the United States were medically unnecessary. Personal care becam e aggressively politicized and the politics of medicine became intensely personal. Doctors and scientists defined women’s nature in terms of their reproductive system and were seen as virtually pathological, causing a long list of emotional, mental and bodily complications (Cheathem, 2008). Female patients that suffered from mental health were treated by hydropathy; dumping cold water on patients and immersing them in icy pools. The Jacksonian era showed the ideologies of how the woman’s place was in the home. Edward Clarke, a Boston based doctor in 1874 warned society against letting young women pursue too demanding an education (Cheathem, 2008). Other arguments combined with religious authority, etiquette instruction and legal restrictions to declare women unsuited for the public sphere of politics, business and

Academic Degree and Abundant Natural Resources Essay Example for Free

Academic Degree and Abundant Natural Resources Essay When I say educated man, I do not refer to the individual who has read a thousand books and magazines, however important reading may be to the life of the mind. One of the most unfortunate things in this country is that so much is read by so many who do not know what to read. Because of cheap paper and printing, comics, pulp magazines and cheap literature have replaced the classics and the great masterpieces. As a consequence, an enormous mental garbage has been piled up beyond our collective capacity to liquidate. Writers of history a hundred years from now, in assessing the quality of education in the Philippines, may have ample reason to say that our schools have produced a vast population able to read, but unable to distinguish what is worth reading. It was Mark Twain, I believe, who said he never allowed his schooling to interfere with his education. When I use the term educated man, I do not mean the individual who has memorized a thousand facts and assembled in his mind a million data, on the basis of which he has earned a string of academic degrees. I do not mean to minimize the importance of memory, for it is stating the obvious when I say we should be able to observe, sort out and remember relevant facts so we may have a sound basis for each judgment. Of Themistocles, it has been said that he knew by heart the names of twenty thousand citizens of Athens; and Cyrus, it is recorded, knew every soldier in his huge army. Indeed, how refreshing it would be for our youth to learn by heart Jesus inimitable Sermon on the Mount, the magnificent soliloquies of Shakespeare, the unforgettable dialogue of Plato and in our own land, the lofty language of Arellano and Laurel, the trenchant outbursts of Manuel Quezon and the elegant prose of Claro M. Recto. How inspiring it would be for our young men and women to remember the historic landmarks in our struggle for freedom — from the heroism of Lapu-Lapu to the lonely battle of Del Pilar at Tirad Pass, from the field of Bagumbayan where the young Rizal met his tragic death to the dark dungeons of Fort Santiago, where the youth of the land suffered a thousand times and met a thousand deaths! Nor do I minimize the significance of degrees and diplomas in a degree-conscious society such as we have, except to emphasize the danger of mistaking a degree for intellectual worth. A college graduate has once been described as one who at the end of his studies is presented with a sheepskin to cover his intellectual nakedness. When I say educated man, I do not refer to the skilled engineer, the able trial lawyer, the talented musician, the gifted writer, or the expert surgeon. Far be it from me to underrate the importance of skills and talents. Sometime ago, I made reference to the fact that while we have abundant natural resources in this country, we do not have sufficient skills to make this country great. Japan is relatively poor in natural resources, with land scarcely enough to sustain her tremendous population, but despite a war that laid waste her towns and cities, she has recovered and come back with greater vigor because she has a people of abundant skills. But I would like to submit the proposition that one becomes a great scientist, an able lawyer, or a noted writer, only because he is first — and pre-eminently a good man. An abundant talent employed to serve an evil end is a prostitution of divine endowment. What, then, is the educated man? Is he the man who has read a lot? Partly yes, because his reading is serious and discriminate and uplifting. Is he the man who remembers many facts and events? Partly yes, because the training of memory is a wholesome discipline that requires effort and application and because one cannot make a sound judgement without respect for remembered facts. Is the educated man, then, one who because of his skill is able to provide for himself and his family? Partly yes, since education should teach us how to make a living. But there is one thing we should always remember and it is this — that far more important than the making of a living, is a living of life — a good life, a meaningful life, an abundant life. The educated man lives this kind of a life, because he has opened the windows of his mind to great thoughts and ennobling ideas; because he is not imprisoned by the printed page, but chooses to make a relentless, rigorous analysis and evaluation of everything he reads; because he is less interested in the accumulation of degrees than in the stimulation of his mind and the cultivation of a generous spirit; because his interest is less in knowing who is right but more importantly, in discerning what is right  and defending it with all the resources at his command; because he can express himself clearly and logically, with precision and grace; Because he is not awed by authority, but is humble enough to recognize that his best judgment is imperfect and may well be tainted by error or pride; because he has a deep reverence for the inherent worth and dignity of every human being, as a creature of God; because he has a healthy sense of values, a breadth of outlook and the depth of compassion which a purposeful education generates; because whenever he talks about good government he is prepared and willing to sacrifice himself for it; and because he lives a life of relevance to the world in which we live, a sharing in the problems of his time and doing whatever he can with intelligence and fairness and understanding.