Developing A Warranty Cost Model - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 15 Words: 4600 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? Chapter 2: literature review. 2.1. Introduction to Reliability: The reliability expression may sometimes be unclear in general logic due to the differences in understanding it among customers. Each customer can define reliability from a different point a view. As an example; a customer may define it as cheap product which has a long guaranteed life cycle period and in the meanwhile works hardly enough. Whereas another customer may define it as a reasonable price product which has a life cycle period and will definitely work as intended. (Institute et al., 1968) Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Developing A Warranty Cost Model" essay for you Create order The concept reliability is very clear and understandable in the practical and industrial world. Reliability of a product, process, or system is the probability that it will perform as specified, and under certain condition, for a specified period of time.(2Blank, 2004) Reliability is known as the likelihood of a product, machine or a component, to keep doing its intended task without breaking down under precise conditions for a given period of time. (Yang, 2007) (Yang, 2007) The above expression holds three significant essentials to ensure the full understanding of reliability: To know the planned function or task of a product, machine and component. To know the planned duration specified relating to a product, machine and component. To know the environment surrounding where the product, machine, and component, suppose to be working at. Knowing these three essentials conditions will allow us to estimate the product, machine or component reliability capability from the first instance. 2.1.2. Reliability Engineering Studies: The purpose of reliability engineering studies is to control, or to make sure that a product, machine or component will be reliable under normal operation in a specified studied manner, as well as away from breaking downs. (Smith, 1972) Reliability engineering studies are science used to minimize the outcome effects and possible behaviour which will result in maximizing reliability. There are three necessary conditions to achieve the previous statements: To build a maximum reliability consideration into a product, machine and component, during the design and development stages; this consideration is known to be the most critical point due to its responsibility in inherent reliability. To cut down production process differences; this will guarantee that the process will not deliberately degrade the inherited reliability. Once a product is manufactured. A well maintained operation should be commenced; this will prevent the performance degradation and will extend the product life.(Hartman, 2007) These considerations are presented within a large selection of reliability techniques, as an instance; reliability planning and specification, fault tree analyses, accelerated life testing, degradation testing, reliability verification testing and warranty analysis.(Yang, 2007) 2.1.3. Reliability Main Factors: To judge on the reliability of any product, there are factors should be known, as an instance: Intentional usage or application. Product, machine and component specification. Price. Customer expectations. Level of inconvenience caused by product, machine or component breakdown. 2.1.4. Reliability Measurements: In a view of the fact that reliability is measured by probability or likelihood, any effort to measure it will engage the usage of statistical methods. Therefore statistics are very important tools in relating to reliability studies. (Yang, 2007) 2.1.5. Reliability Formula: Warranty and reliability share the same patterns for an economic sense to be observed. Reliability has been identified as the likelihood of a product to keep performing its intended task without breaking down. R= reliability. P (s): success probability. N: number of attempted trails. S: number of success. F: number of failures. Reliability mainly presents the successes and failures in a process, where a good economic warranty cost model has high accuracy in reliability prediction. Design for Reliability: Overview of the Process and Applicable Techniques. 2011. Design for Reliability: Overview of the Process and Applicable Techniques. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.reliasoft.com/newsletter/v8i2/reliability.htm. [Accessed 19 March 2011]. 2.1.6. Reliability Improvement: There are many ways by which the reliability can be affected, below are two ways: Quality is the integration of features and characteristics of a product or a service, to enable us to meet the needs and specific requirements. Repetition of the same task causing financial and labor waste. (6Condra, 2001) 2.1.7. Reliability Applications: Various phases of a power plant such as construction, production and maintenance shall apply the reliability data analysis. Such a data might be (Heyman, 1988)applicable for production planning, benchmarking , trend analysis, plant components improvement, risk issues, RCM , spare parts optimization, Design review , Structural reliability. (Heyman, 1988) Data on existing units can be effectively useful for benchmarking the unit performance, during RCM, failure preventions, the spare parts optimization.(Heyman, 1988) 2.1.8. Reliability Prediction Science: It is considered to estimate the effects of the choices made prior the system is built or put into service. Reliability prediction handles the analysing of products with the help of models better than real systems to supply a solid foundation for testing, analysing, planning, manufacturing, and estimating reliability. An ideal example of reliability prediction is to predict the system of specified design and specified group of components in an ideal working environment. At the end of the prediction the reliability of the same system should be tested in a different surroundings from those which data and prediction were obtained from earlier.(3Blischke and Murthy, 2000) Reliability prediction procedure is attempted at the very first steps of improving a program to hold up the design procedure. Commencing a reliability prediction helps in supplying clear demands of reliability enhancement within the improvement stage, and the knowledge of the possibilities of failure of the equipment in its operation life. The advantage of applying reliability prediction, machinery designs are able to develop, money is saved rather than spending on poor designs and time is preserved concerning testing. A widely used way for prediction the reliability of machinery is based on database usage, however this way is not probable due to variety types of failure rates which dramatically happen to similar products.(Geitner and Bloch, 2006) 2.1.9. Objective of Reliability Prediction: The importance of reliability prediction lies down under several points: The reliability prediction should be implemented as an assurance program in different sections of a plant. Repairing decisions are taken when and where problems appear.(Kececioglu, 2002) 2.1.10. Taxonomy Related to Reliability: Availability: It can be defined as the probability that the component will function at any random time. Mean time to failure (MTTF): The time that elapses until a failure occurs. Mean time between failures (MTBF): It is the average time between failures. It is used for repairable systems. Failure Rate: The failure rate in a time interval which is the probability that a failure per unit time occurs in the interval given. Hazard Function: The failure rate limit as the interval approaches zero.(Pham, 2006) 2.2. Reliability Centred Maintenance: The word maintenance from the engineering point of view is: to take the necessary action to maintain or restore equipment and machinery, or system to determine the practical requirement to achieve maximum validity. This includes corrective maintenance, preventive maintenance, and predictive maintenance. What is maintenance? Definition and Meaning. 2011. What is maintenance? Definition and Meaning. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/maintenance.html. [Accessed 19 March 2011]. Reliability centred maintenance or (RCM) can be expressed as an advanced study into maintenance, which joins the maintenance of interactive applications, preventive, predictive, and proactive, as well as the formation of plans to make the most of the life of the product, and also to ensure proper function for the product, machine and component at the lowest possible cost. Introduction to Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) Part 1. 2011. Introduction to Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) Part 1. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.plant-maintenance.com/RCM-intro.shtml. [Accessed 19 March 2011]. 2.2.1. Preventive Maintenance: Preventive maintenance is the programme of planned maintenance, which aims to prevent the collapse and failure. The main objective of preventive maintenance is to prevent the failure of equipment before it happen. It is designed to maintain and improve equipment reliability by replacing worn components before they fail in practice. Preventive maintenance activities include equipment checks and repairs, partial or complete checks at fixed intervals, oil changes, and lubrication and so on. In addition, workers can record equipment deterioration so they know when to replace or repair defective parts before they cause system failure. It would be an ideal preventive maintenance program to prevent all equipment failure before it happens. Preventive Maintenance. 2011. Preventive Maintenance. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.weibull.com/SystemRelWeb/preventive_maintenance.htm. [Accessed 19 March 2011]. 2.2.2. Predictive Maintenance: Techniques help to determine the status of equipments in service in order to predict when you must perform maintenance. This approach offers cost savings over routine preventive maintenance. What Is Predictive Maintenance?. 2011. What Is Predictive Maintenance?. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-predictive-maintenance.htm. [Accessed 19 March 2011]. 2.2.3. Terms and Goals of Using Reliability Cantered Maintenance: The majority of maintenance organizations classify the goals of using (RCM) by the below listed steps: Scheduling the tasks by its priority. Consider the safety prospective. To be familiar with the machinery capabilities; each type of machinery will have different performance type. Knowing the failure causes; to recognize when the right moment to reduce it is. Using skilled staff; to help out in scheduling priorities. Practicing preventative tasks; to help in knowing the machinery status. Disposing and replacing the damaged components; to ensure the effectiveness of the other related parts. Standards must be identified for each step mentioned above. It is important that the steps are done by the same staff who are responsible of the function and operation of the plant.(Tweeddale, 2003) The conditions to develop a sufficient (RCM) program depend on the success of using the observation and statistical methods, because sometimes both methods depend on each other. 2.3. Failure Mode and Effects Analysis: Mechanical failures are introduced as any significant changes regarding size, shape or material characteristics in a system. The first and main responsibility of any mechanical designer is to make sure that the design produced is capable of doing its function properly, meets the designated life time and most important is to be competitive in the market. Estimating and identifying all possible modes of failure which may restrict the functionality of the design will ensure the success in designing. The designer must be familiar with the variety collection of failure modes presented in the work sites as well as the circumstances leading to it, so the designer becomes ready to prevent failure from occurring once again. The designer should preferably have an on hand experience to investigate predictable failures in a professional manner, thus failures could be prevented in future. It is clear that the failure analysis, prediction, and preventative are significant to be known to every designer.(5Collins, 1993) The term behind the failure can be known as the failure to meet some specific performance measurements. Different between definitions terms such as defects, malfunction, fault and reject are usually vital in comparing causes of failures, as well as in the categorizing and analyzing of provided information. The different between the terminologies is mainly to define the types of failure, reasons, and level of failure. For any introduced definition of failures there are no doubts in introducing reliability. Because the failure is the absent of the specification and so changes in performance capabilities occur. (Smith, 2005) The estimation of the data could be done by two methods, first by using history data; this will enable us to have a look at similar machinery which may had experienced identical problems, warranty data, and customer feedback. Second method is conducted, by using several mathematical methods, models and simulations. Dealing with (FMEA) does not always mean that one way is better or more accurate than the other; both of the methods can be used if applied correctly. The proper way in commencing (FMEA) will result is providing helpful data which can help in reducing the hazards relating to work load in a system, product and service. The (FMEA) is one of the most efficient ways considered in preventative maintenance. The (FMEA) will help in having knowledge about what is suitable correction tasks should be done to keep failures away from happening. An effective and successful (FMEA) system could be recognized by meeting these objectives, first recognize the known and possible failures modes, and then reasons of failures. Schedule the failures modes according to the highest risk level, and finally follow up the work done to ensure the correction of the failure.(Stamatis, 2003) 2.3.1. When and Where To Use Failure Mode and Effects Analysis: The (FMEA) procedure is extensively used in different stages, regarding product designing and manufacturing processes. It offers a well organized structure and an easy way to communicate amongst the team of manufacturers. It can be used as well in developing services which will help production process.(McDermott et al., 1996) Traditional failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) are mainly used models in warranty cost among other models in the automobile industry. (Majeske, 2003) An essential term to inherent reliability into a product or system is by recognizing the failure causes, and making sure they are removed or that their likelihood of happening once again is low. This thought can be done by conducting tests, or logically by using models. Failure mode and effects analysis is a planned way in clarifying the origin of failures modes, and it is considered to be a sufficient reliability schedule, especially it links to reliability development throughout design stage.(7Denson, 2006) 2.4.4. Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP): Risk analysis is an orderly and systematic method for Examination system and risk management. In particular, are often used as a risk and operating Technique to identify potential hazards in the system and identify interoperability problems. It assumes that events are caused by the risk of design or operating intentions. This approach is a unique feature of risk and vulnerability to treatment methodology that helps to stimulate the imagination of the team Members when exploring potential deviations. Figure (2) shows a sample of HAZOP system.(Organisation and Safety, 1988) Figure (1) a sample of HAZOP system Hazard Operability Studies (Hazops) 1 of 2. 2011. Hazard Operability Studies (Hazops) 1 of 2. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.lihoutech.com/hzp1frm.htm. [Accessed 19 March 2011]. 2.3.2. Failure Prevention: Failures are predictable, sooner or later all products, machines and component will experience failure due to many reasons.(Yang, 2007) In any engineering system failures are expected. The effects of failures differentiate from little inconvenience costs to financial drops. Failures happen due to various factors, such as: Bad engineering design. Manufacturing process errors. Insufficient testing. Human mistakes. Poor maintenance. Misuse. In order to reduce failures or breakdowns in any engineering systems, there are some methods should be followed: Identify the cause and the way the failure happened. Identify how many times do the failure tends to repeat. Reliability handles the failure concepts in details via different statistical approaches. Whereas safety tries to study, specify, measure, determine, and analyze the failure.(Verma et al., 2010) 2.4. Introduction to Hazard: The accurate understanding of hazard is appreciated due to its criticality. It supplies us with the base foundation of a system safety. Hazard analysis is conducted to identify hazards consequences, and hazard main factors, As well as to determine the risks facing the system. To carry out hazard analysis in a proper manner, it is essential to recognize what causes hazards and how to define hazards. Understanding the hazard character is an important issue to improve the skills needed to identify potential hazards and their results in a system design.(Ericson, 2005) 2.4.1. Hazard Analysis: This analysis involves describing the complete process first, and then collecting the answers for a set of systematic questions. The purpose is to identify how exactly the deviations from the design can arise.   These deviations are further assessed by any negative effect of their consequences on the safe and efficient operation of the plant.   The assessment would provide a basis for any action to be taken to cure this situation. From an engineering point of view, hazard analysis process is the best tool for analyzing reliability data. It can be used to make conclusions about the reliability of a component. (12002) 2.4.2. Survival Analysis: Survival function, also known as a reliability function of the survivors, is a property of any random variable that maps a set of events, usually associated with failure of some system. 2.4.3. Hazard Rate Function: Hazard rate function can be obtained by an equation which assumes a constant hazard rate. 2.4.5. Bathtub Curve: Figure (2) illustrates the bathtub curve which demonstrates the product failure rate against time. Any product cycle life can be divided into three separate durations: The first duration (early life): This duration where the failure probability is decreased to minimum. . It what happens in the early life of most new products, sometimes the first period is mentioned as the mortality period. The second duration (normal life or useful life): This is represented in the graph by a flat line. Failures and breakdowns happen randomly within this duration. In this period the failure rate tends to become somehow constant. During this period the lowest failure rate is observed, so it is the most appropriate time to make reliability predictions. The third duration (wear out): this begins where the slope starts to rise till the end. This typically happen to products when they get old, thus the failure rate increases. Wear out is usually caused by break down due to various reasons such as physical wear and stress.(speaks, 2005) Figure (2) a bathtub curve. A Brief Introduction to Reliability. 2011. A Brief Introduction to Reliability. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.weibull.com/LifeDataWeb/a_brief_introduction_to_reliability.htm. [Accessed 19 March 2011]. 2.5. Statistical Models for Life Data: Statistical models for life data such as weibull distribution, survival analysis and warranty help in producing high accuracy in prediction. The automobile manufacturing having relied heavily on warranty interval in its warranty provision inclines more in reliability and therefore seek such analysis. (Ward and Christer, 2005) 2.5.1. Weibull Distribution: The weibull distribution is named after a Swedish professor Waloddi Weibull. He explained the ability to use the weibull distribution in small sizes measurements and it is easiness to supply an accurate model for a broad data sets. At the beginning of his exploring weibull distribution he faced some obstacles and doubts form his colleagues. However, the weibull distribution has ended now to be widely practised in reliability.(8Dodson, 2006) A reason for the wide spread of the weibull distribution is that it has a large different shapes, which makes it easy to fit any data. Also, it is perfect to show the weakest connection of a product. For example, if a system has more than one part, the weibull distribution will present each failure time of each part at the same distribution no matter how insignificant they are .(Nelson, 2003) Figure (3) is a sample of weibull a distribution plot. Figure (3) a sample of weibull distribution plot. Guidelines for Burn-in Justification and Burn-in Time Determination. 2011. Guidelines for Burn-in Justification and Burn-in Time Determination. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.reliasoft.com/newsletter/v7i2/burn_in.htm. [Accessed 19 March 2011]. 2.5.2. Kaplan Meier Survival Estimator: The Kaplan Meier estimator is named after Edward L. Kaplan and Paul Meier. It estimates the survival function. In engineering this method is used to measure the time until failure of different products, machine and components. Kaplan EL, Meier P. J Am Stat Assoc 1958; 53:457-81. [Cited by: McKenzie S, et al. JOP. J Pancreas (Online) 2010 Jul 5; 11(4):341-347. (Reference 14)]. 2011. Kaplan EL, Meier P. J Am Stat Assoc 1958; 53:457-81. [Cited by: McKenzie S, et al. JOP. J Pancreas (Online) 2010 Jul 5; 11(4):341-347. (Reference 14)]. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.joplink.net/prev/201007/ref/02-014.html. [Accessed 19 March 2011]. 2.5.2.1. Formulation: Where: t (1) t (2) t (n) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" ordered failure and censoring data; E = k, if k n and E = n, if k = n; dj = number of failures at t (i) 2.5.3. Exponential Distribution: This is the most commonly used distribution in reliability, and is often used to predict the probability of survival to time (t) figure (4) shows a sample of exponential distribution graph.(9Dovich, 1990) Figure (4) a standard exponential distribution graph Continuous Random Variables: The Exponential Distribution. 2011. Continuous Random Variables: The Exponential Distribution. [ONLINE] Available at: https://cnx.org/content/m16816/latest/. [Accessed 19 March 2011]. 2.5.3.1. Formulation: The probability density function is: Where Mean time to failure = Or, where 2.5.4. Disadvantages and Advantages of Statistical Method: Cost; studying and analyzing a quantity of data of different products within a system are an expensive job. The results revealed are not sufficient enough to build an understanding of the type of maintenance needed in this particular situation. The only disadvantage of the observation method appear is when applying it carelessly and without keeping record of foundings, this will result in mixing up different judgements.(4Chalifoux and Baird, 1999) 2.6. Introduction to Warranty: Warranty is a provision for a seller to provide assurance to a buyer that the product will perform as implied. (Zhou and Tang, 2008) Warranty brings confidence to the buyer; automotive vehicles like any other automated system consider warranty to a buyer. (Wu and Li, 2007) Unlike the quality loss function which assumes a fixed target and accounts for immediate issues, warranty loss occurs during the customer use. (Zhou and Tang, 2008) In automotive industry, data is tracked and analyzed regularly (Zhou and Tang, 2008). The interval can be evaluated on the basis of their costs. The effect of warranty especially in the context of the interval, affects the performance of the company especially if the number of returns on warranty is high. (Wu and Li, 2007) Neglecting the fact that warranty cost is a result of conflict between the customer expectation and the performance of the product, the interval of the warranty liability disturbs the economic sense of warranty. (Wu and Li, 2007) Warranty costs have in many companies been positioned as operational costs. (Ward and Christer, 2005) The impact of warranty in the whole business performance has challenged vehicle manufacturers to develop vehicles that are less costly to repair (Metric: Warranty $s) and are more reliable within a longer period of time. (Metric: annual failure rates, AFR) For this purpose to be done, warranty cost models that make the impact of reliability on cost and costs associated with repair of specific failure modes should be economically healthy. (Wu and Li, 2007) 2.6.1. Warranty Probability: The ratio as Pw is termed as the warranty probability (Ward and Christer, 2005). The warranty probability is the ratio of the number of complaints N against the total number of products Tp. Pw Another factor that is important in warranty cost analysis is the complaint factor. (Ward and Christer, 2005) The complaint factor is the ratio of the actual number of complaints and the potential number of complaints where the actual number of complaints is the number of actual complaints fixed. (Ward and Christer, 2005) The method for calculating the warranty probability depends on product performance and customer expectations. (Wang et al., 2010) The distance of performance is a function of the warranty interval. (Ward and Christer, 2005) It is supposed that as time passes, the distance of performance increases, this is the common feature referred to as mileage. In motor vehicles the time age of the car has been consistently assumed to be a factor representing its use. (Manna et al. 2008) Despite the fact that mileage can be determined, the correlation between mileage and age of the car is strong and positive. (Manna et al. 2008) Since vehicles manufacturing designs and model change with time, the automobile industry prefer attaching warranty to age of the vehicle rather than calibrated mileage. Warranty is a key factor in bringing confidence to a buyer. The higher the warranty time, the more the confidence is the buyer. (Manna et al. 2008) 2.6.2. Warranty Distribution Analysis: Feedback from warranty returns provides a solid basis in determining use failure distribution. (Murthy, and Blischke, 2006) The time interval as a factor contributes significantly to predictions. The warranty intervals are the most solid factor that can be used in assessing the failures prediction. By maintaining warranty and assessing failures for a longer period of time, more knowledge on the performance especially for automated systems is achieved. (Murthy, and Blischke, 2006) Reasons for carrying out warranty data analysis are the following: Forecasting warranty claims. To determine risk assessment and monitoring. Reliability assessment.(12002) 2.6.3. Reduction strategies for cost drivers There are two factors that have been identified as primary warranty cost drivers. The number of occurrence of an event which can be noticed by the analysing failure rate and the cost of the process are the identified cost drivers. (Attardi et al., 2005) The strategies employable for reduction of costs are by reducing the factors. (Attardi et al., 2005) 2.6.4. Cost model in product development The cost model has been used in product development in making economic sense of organizational existence. (Karim and Suzuki, 2005) Through its impact in influence of decision making by providing design alternatives that come handy in warranty cost, the model establishment should be in advisory of the product development through calculation of estimates of product total warranty cost. (Aldridge, and Dustin, 2006) Difference in warranty costs based on design alternatives provides a short projection of the optimized design that maintains both customer confidence through warranty and economic advantage to the organization. (Attardi et al., 2005) Identification of necessary product features, capabilities and diagnostic tools that are required in automobile projected warranty savings for the warranty intervals is achievable through the cost model in product development. (Aldridge, and Dustin, 2006) Under the foundation of the cost model, the risk involved in the warranty interval can be evaluated by analyzing the risk involved in an extension of warranty in automobiles. (Aldridge, and Dustin, 2006) It should be taken into consideration that the cost model economic impact is dependent on the period of warranty especially with automobiles that are known to wear and tear. (Karim and Suzuki, 2005) Chapter 3: case study (from notes given by doctor) Introduction: Field data in the automotive industry often comes in two types, the first is grouped data expressed by months in service. The second is ungrouped data available from company owned but customer operated fleets and expressed as miles to failure. In many scenarios, data which comes from late stages have a greater importance over the former because of the following reasons: Mileage is more objective measure of the component life than time in service. There are types of failures are not tracked by the warranty system. The complexity of censoring mechanism in relating to reliability analysis of grouped warranty data. Therefore, this theoretical case study will focus on the analysing of ungrouped mileage data which is not represented by time in service, because it comes from the company owned fleets. Aim and objective: To discuss a procedure to estimate the censoring mileage and the reliability function for a component of interest (e.g.: battery). Data: Table 1 shows a format of failure data from a customer operated fleet. The vehicle mileage is reported only at failure or service events. VIN failed / serviced comopnent failure / service mileage X009 battery 45000 X018 fuel pump 91680 X021 brake pads 78470 X006 front wipers 77350 X028 head lamp 4007 X015 clutch disks 150400 X031 front wipers 51420 X003 ign.switch 3961 X013 battery 16890 X007 front struts 27160 X026 battery 72280 X031 battery 131900 X027 door lock 7298 X017 fuel pump 4734 X023 battery 17200 X025 battery 7454 X014 head lamp 23060 X029 front struts 10190 X016 battery 69040 X019 battery 5248 X008 brake pads 40060 X012 brake pads 61960 X012 clutch disks 105700 X005 battery 49390 X020 head lamp 28690 X011 front struts 45670 X025 battery 46580 X022 door lock 37100 X010 clutch disks 53000 X002 battery 38700 X024 fron wipers 6054 X001 clutch disks 69630 X004 brake pads 106300 X030 front wipers 67000 Table 1 illustrates an example of failure data collection If every line in the previous table had experienced a failure mileage of the same type if component (in this case, battery) it would be considered a complete data set. Censored data set appears when only encounter a few failures of a given component within the sample of vehicles. Singly censored on the right means Chapter 4 case study (real life) Chapter 5 discussion and conclusion

The Success of a Sports Team - 1628 Words

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Advertising uses many different types of appeal and a number of media to achieve a variety of goals. Advertising is the most effective means to get the word out about products, services, events, charities, and just about anything else that one can think of. Where would sports be today without advertising? Advertising in sports has helped the sports world grow into one of the mostRead MoreCoach Carter by Jasmine Jones687 Words   |  3 Pagesfrom our athletic teams, along with our JROTC National Championship banners that hang up from the walls. One can see by the quality of our gym that our sports are a main part of our school, but as one wonders on into the hallways of our school, they can see how dull they are. By the plainness of the walls, there seems to be no life, in the JROTC hallway you see the trophy cabinet full of multiple national trophies and as you venture on you get to see ima ges of what these teams do, along with the

Theology Mission Theology and Practice

Question: Discuss about theTheologyfor Mission Theology and Practice. Answer: In this paper, varied theological beliefs and arguments are presented from two theologizes, from Martin Luther and Count Nicolus von Zinzendorf. In the first part, Luther explains the way he is unable to understand the meaning of the phrase; Gods righteousness as it appears in the Bible. Although he was a monk, Luther admitted that he could not explain this phrase and hence he felt quite uneasy. His goals and passion as a monk and having studied theology is to understand the letters of Saint Paul, especially his letter to Galatians and Romans. Luther views God to be a judge who passes penalty to any person who sins against Him. Moreover, Luther depicts God to be full of wrath. This is why he fails to understand the fact that God is righteous to His people (Wright, 2014). Luther then wonders how a God who loves His people still punishes them severely when they sin. Moreover, Luther portrays God to love to His people because He reveals Himself to His people in a number of ways. From th is passage, Luther portrays God to be a living God based on his personal experience. Having struggled for a long time to understand God, Luther finally came to peace with his doubts. Having gone through a long period of meditation, Luther came to understand that in the Bible, it is stated that the righteous shall live by faith. Luther finally found out that God has a passive righteousness via which Gods mercy justifies His people through belief in His word and deeds. Later he went through the Bible and found other attributes of God which made him to understand the scriptures better. In the second part of the article, Count Nicolus, makes a legacy by providing a combination of mission, heart and mind with regards to the bible (Gallagher, 2008). The author indicates various aspects that relate to understanding of religion. For instance, the author argues that religion needs to be grasped through experience in absence of reason. In this case, the statement of Nicolas Ludwig agrees with that of Luther because, he never found reasons to believe about the righteousness of God from the biblical perspective. However, when the grace of God appeared to him in a special form of experience and he was able to understand very many things in the bible. Moreover, the view of Count Nicolus concerning the religion indicates that an understanding of religion from a personal experience is greater as compared to an understanding induced by education or time (Fogleman, 2014). This is because despite the fact that Luther had been to the University, studied theology and was a monk, he lacked a clear understanding of some concepts in the letters of Saint Paul, until when God shed some light on him. Count Nicolus again indicates that unless divinity gives itself for man to understand then religion could not been in existence. Sometimes men have to listen to the inner voice of God, with fait so that they can know what god requires of them through the bible. In the end, religion is understood holding on to experiences and not going in search of reasons to believe. References Fogleman, A. S. (2014). Jesus is female: Moravians and radical religion in early America. University of Pennsylvania Press. Gallagher, R. L. (2008). The integration of mission theology and practice: Zinzendorf and the early Moravians. Mission Studies, 25(2), 185-210. McGrath, A. E. (2011). Luther's theology of the cross: Martin Luther's theological breakthrough. John Wiley Sons. Wright, N. T. (2014). What Saint Paul Really Said: Was Paul of Tarsus the Real Founder of Christianity?. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.

Colgate-Palmolive Keeps the World Smiling free essay sample

Executive Summary The objective of this RFI is to determine whether or not Colgate-Palmolive (CP) should remain with SAP for their technology infrastructure, or if they should seek out other or new IT opportunities. CP needs to determine what is important and whether or not IT supports it. We evaluate the current problem CP is facing and the future trend of the technology. We reviewed SAP and its competitor, Oracle, to determine whether CP should stay with their current provider and what advantages would be available to them from their current and other IT providers. CP must have a very good handle on automation and rationalization. assignment help accounting These two items being the two most common forms of organizational change because they are slow-changing and slow-moving. Not only that, but they also offer reasonable returns with minor risk (Laudon, Laudon, Dass, 2010, p. 483). We also researched from CP, SAP and Oracle’s annual report and find data and articles to prove our points. Colgate-Palmolive Colgate-Palmolive (CP) Company is a $15. 3 billion multinational enterprise (MNE) that as of December 31, 2009 employs approximately 38,100 employees worldwide and serves people in more than 200 countries and territories. The company provides consumer products that help to make lives healthier and more enjoyable. They also focus on strong global brands in their core businesses — Oral Care, Personal Care, Home Care and Pet Nutrition. CP is delivering strong global growth by following a tightly defined strategy to grow market shares for key products, such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, bar and liquid soaps, deodorants, antiperspirants, dishwashing detergents, household cleaners, fabric conditioners and specialty pet food (CP Annual Report, 2009). Truly global in scope, CP sells its products in over 200 countries and territories and approximately 75% of sales come from international operations (Colgate. com, 2010). Analysis of Organization’s Current Problems IT management of projects in company at this size can be challenging. In the past, CP developed its company into geographical regions and each region planned its own projects and deployed avaliable resources to build those systems (Laudon, Laudon, Dass, 2010, p. 568). As global operations became more and more integrated, managers realize the need for CP to have more global coordination and a global approach to IT resources. They need to manage the firm from the top to down. The managers need to know who is working on what project and what the current status of each project is. They also need to ensure they have a skilled project manager who is able to coordination the project while demonstrating efficient resources allocation. Simultaneously they must also have an efficient supply chain to help them manage and allocate their inventory. When CP management began to looking for solutions and trying to analyze the problem the have incurred they found they needed an enterprise system to help manage the company from a global perspective instead of regional. CP began using SAP’s enterprise resource planning system in 1993. Since the first year they began using the system, CP has benefited, for example, the system has helped CP reduce its finished inventory by half, while cutting order receipt-to-delivery time for its 50 top customers from 12 days to 5 days (Whiting, 1999), identifying savings opportunities has been enhanced by continuous improvement of globe approach program. Currently formal Global Funding the Growth programs exist that share, monitor, and track savings ideas in a searchable database accessible worldwide. Previously, savings programs have been locally or regionally driven. According to CP’s annual report, technology also helps CP to perform its greater responsibilities as â€Å"category captain† (Annual report, 2002, p. 15) . Trade customers give to top companies in each category this designation. In this role, CP advises their customers on category-specific merchandising ideas that increase consumer purchases. In the U. S. , handheld computers used by CP’s sales force are improving merchandising effectiveness with new software that enables immediate analysis and communication right from the store aisle. Achievements in this area led to CP U. S. to being awarded Retail Merchandiser Magazine’s 2001 â€Å"Best in Class Category Captain Award† in oral care for merchandising effectiveness, operational efficiency and marketing innovation (Annual Report, 2002, p. 15) . The Company’s investment in technology continues to provide substantial returns. By mid-2002, SAP enterprise-wide software supported 94 percent of CP’s business (Annual Report, 2001, p. 10) . SAP has already led to significant improvement in supply chain performance and customer service, and that is only the beginning. CP has a long history of strong performance, which comes from absolute focus on their core global businesses, combined with a successful worldwide financial strategy. Dow Theory Forecasts (Unknown, 2001) reported: The stock trades for 30 times projected 2001 earnings of $1. 92, high compared to its long-term profit-growth projection of 13% annually. How can a company, with less than 2% annualized sales growth over the last five years keep that valuation? By boosting profit margins, gobbling market share, and buying back plenty of its stock. Higher margins and a smaller share base will boost both earnings and return on equity. Colgate controls 35% of the U. S. toothpaste market, up from around 31% a year ago (p. 4). CP designed this financial strategy as a way to increase gross profit margin and reduce costs in order to fund growth initiatives and generate greater profitability (Colagte. com, 2010). Advantageously, SAP’s software helps CP to improve its business process and business efficiency. According to CP’s annual report in 2001: SAP has already led to significant improvement in supply chain performance and customer service, and that’s only the beginning. Additional savings are just starting to come from the next generation of applications now under way that facilitate a wide range of key activities, including on-line ordering by customers, management of retailer inventory, store shelf management, sales forecasting, collaborative planning with trade customers, and purchasing. CP has leveraged SAP to develop new unique technology that captures data on purchases of materials and services around the world, providing a distinct competitive advantage. Information on everything CP buy is updated daily and can be viewed and analyzed in minutes. A powerful business tool, this reporting system is driving efficiencies and simplification worldwide. For example, the number of glycerin specifications and suppliers were quickly identified and subsequently reduced by 50 percent, resulting in over $4 million in annual savings around the globe (2001, p. 14. ). In 2002, global implementation of the base SAP system was completed. Significant benefits are being realized as these new applications bring savings across many functions, including sales, marketing, the supply chain, and human resources. These new systems are currently in several areas of CP’s operations and global installation follow. For example, SAP’s new Business Warehouse module enables CP managers everywhere to quickly access uniform companywide reports in many areas, allowing for easy analysis and faster generation of their action plans. Benefits are already in evidence in purchasing, where standardized reports reflect their daily data on the prices of raw and packaging materials in dozens of markets worldwide. In sales, enhancement of â€Å"flash† reports provides timely and detailed analysis of the number and status of new orders (Annual Report, 2002, p. 8) . The data is sorted by brand, customer country, category, or trade channel, which enables faster and better decision making for CP’s management level and shortens business processes inside and out. Another new SAP application enables web-based procurement of goods and services while giving CP the advantage of better financial control and tracking. Payment processes are becoming simpler and more efficient, as proven with the elimination of over 20,000 invoices annually (Annual report, 2002, p. 18) . The Continuous Quality Improvement process has identified many savings opportunities. In order to share, monitor, and track savings ideas in a searchable database accessible worldwide, a formal Global Funding the Growth program was established. Not only that, a collaborative approach to identifying savings opportunities is encouraged throughout the supply chain. The benefits of continuous improvement are largely evident in the expansion of SAP software, now a vital tool in managing the Company’s business operations globally. The enterprise software has been a major driver of gross profit margin improvement, which has risen from 47. % in 1995 when implementation started, to 54. 6% in 2002, up 120 basis points over 2001(Annual report, 2002, p. 5) . SP’s Gross Profit margin had steady growth after implementing the new system in 1993. Gross Profit Margin is a financial metric used to assess a firm’s financial health by revealing the proportion of money left over from revenues after accounting for the cost of goods sold, the following example is the ca lculation for gross profit margin: Gross profit margin serves as the source for paying additional expenses and future savings (Investopedia, 2010). We can see from the graph below, their Gross Profit Margin has shown continuous grow since SAP installation of applications from 1993 to the end of 2009. Economic crisis affected CP sales, as shown in the graph below. Specifically, notice downward movement in years 2002 in Asia and 2008 in USA. Oracle Some background on the company, Larry Ellison, Bob Miner, and Ed Oates founded a new company by the name of Software Development Laboratories in June 1977. The company changed its name to Relational Software Inc. (RSI) in 1979 and in 1982; became Oracle Systems—and hosted its first user conference, in San Francisco. Challenges, changes, and innovation have filled the intervening years for Oracle. As far back as 2001, the Dow Theory Forecasts (Unknown) informed readers that: Chairman Larry Ellison claims to have carved out an e-business market niche that didn’t exist before Oracle filled it. While outspoken Ellison is far from impartial, he does have a point, as the company began harnessing the power of the Internet five years ago, long before most of its competitors (p. 4). This makes a good point to show Oracles innovative and forward thinking ability. They have been able to keep pace with their competitors, though have not yet been able to dominate SAP. In the past five years, â€Å"Oracle has made 57 acquisitions-a staggering pace of just about one per month. With $20. 8 billion in cash and a strong stock price, Oracle’s in a position to continue that pace† (Evans, 2010, p. 22). The rate of acquisitions, if handled with care, could be a great thing for the company. However, if not closely monitored could lead the company into financial difficulties. For a company that has been an industry leader for many of its 30 years they probably know what they are doing. More recently, and in spite of Oracle’s â€Å"generally cautious stance on cloud computing†, they have also â€Å"vowed to focus on industry-specific functionality† (Evans, 2010, p. 12). This is important because SAP customized the software purchased by CP in 1995. Oracles ability to offer customization will open doors and increase revenue capabilities for the company worldwide. Along the same lines, Henschen (2010) describes an important new product development for Oracle as follows: Oracle’s new product Enterprise Performance Management System release 11. 1. †¦includes Hyperion Planning enhancements such as user-configurable workflows for common planning and forecasting of processes, and â€Å"zero-code† Web forms for creating task-specific data entry and planning interfaces†¦. new apps in the suite include Financial Close Management, Disclosure Management, and Private Sector Planning and Budgeting (p. 18). The mentioned applications wou ld simplify processes, which they directly affect. Additionally, the Disclosure Management interface allows the user easier handling of statutory reporting to government agencies. Similarly, companies should be mindful of their business process management (BPM). To their credit, the Oracle-BEA System allows companies who purchase their product the ability â€Å"to verify that process performance has been improved and measure the impact of process changes on key business indicators† (Laudon, Laudon, Dass, 2010, p. 483). A company with the ability to streamline their BPM in this way is also able to eliminate the need to juggle multiple mainframe applications. Information Week gave Oracle an overall grade of B in a recent report card they published (Evans, 2010, p. 2). Even though Oracle is able to deliver a fully integrated and optimized system, there were some concerns about the 22% charged for annual maintenance fees. That can add up to quite a chunk of money. Evans (2010) notes in the same article that â€Å"each quarter, co-president Safra Catz highlights Oracle’s 50% or greater operating margins and underscores how those are made by the main tenance fees† (p. 22). Evans goes on to say, Ms. Catz believes that customer satisfaction is at an all-time high. Which is a problem because the figures calculating customer satisfaction are not released (p. 2). Transparency or the lack thereof can say a lot about a company and affect its future success. Oracle would need to work with the transparency of their customer services measures if they hope for a higher grade by Evans in the future. Over the years, Oracle has proven to be a consistent threat to SAP, and by the looks of things, they will continue to remain a threat. According to the Oracle website (2010), their goal for the future is: To become #1 in middleware and #1 in applications, just as we have in database. And we will provide our customers with complete, open solutions integrated from the disk to applications software that meet their business needs and solve their business problems. And, we will continue to innovate and to lead the industry, while always making sure that we focus solving the problems of the customers that rely on our technology. The company currently has over 370,000 customers and only time will tell how successful, how many more customers they will acquire, and if they are able to meet this goal. From the look of their current offerings, they have a good start on achieving their goal. According to the Oracle website, their product, Oracle Accelerate, designed for the consumer products industry claims to deliver â€Å"a powerful combination of complete and scalable applications that can meet all your business challenges† (2010). The issue here is that the Oracle products are a good fit for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), and is found in various places on the Oracle website, as well as stated in customer testimonials. As we all know, an SME is â€Å"a company with 500 or fewer employees in the United States† (Cavusgil, Knight, Riesenberger, 2008, p. 68). As always, companies must protect their intellectual as well as physical property. Not just physically safeguard it but to also pursue legal action if necessary. Oracle’s 2010 fiscal year, runs from June 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010 and according to the most recent Oracle Form 10-K Annual Report: On March 22, 2007, Oracle Corporation, Oracle USA, Inc. and Oracle International Corporation (collectively, Oracle) filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California against SAPAG, its wholly owned subsidiary, SAP America, Inc. , and its wholly owned subsidiary, Tomorrow Now, Inc. (collectively, the SAP Defendants) alleging violations of the Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the California Computer Data Access and Fraud Act, civil conspiracy, trespass, conversion, violation of the California Unfair Business Practices Act, and intentional and negligent interference with prospective economic advantage. Oracle alleged that SAP unlawfully acce ssed Oracle’s Customer Connection support website and improperly took and used Oracle’s intellectual property, including software code and knowledge management solutions (Unknown, 2009, p. 116, 117). Naturally, the case is not as simple as state above and we are unable to judge it solely on what we read. As a direct result of technological advances in which information is â€Å"filtered through these social institutions, organizations, and individuals† (Laudon, Laudon, Dass, 2010, p. 131) these types of intrusions and ethical issues become more common. The legal system will determine and award damages if they are due to the plaintiff. This case is of particular interest since it seems to be a battle of industry giants. Of course, this case has many amendments, allegations, and complaints, the above reference s simply the original claim filed. The court has set a new trial date of November 2010. Many individuals and businesses will be closely anticipating and watching how this trial unfolds. Oracle faces many of the same risks as other businesses, such as the current recession, the global economic crisis, political and market conditions, foreign currency exchange fluctuati ons, etc. They also share risks applicable specifically to their industry, such as ability to develop new products and services, integrate acquired products and services, ability to enhance existing products and services, etc. The ability to foresee, plan, overcome, and take advantage of the risks shared by competitors will lead to their continued success. Technology This leading consumer products company is committed to using technology to create products that improve the quality of life for consumers wherever they live. CP operates on an SAP ® infrastructure with SAP R/3 ® as the core software (SAP R/3 functionality is now available in mySAPâ„ ¢ ERP). In the late 1990s, when the SAP software went live in Asia, there were a number of reasons why a single version of it could not be used throughout the region. First, tax structures within India are extremely complex; resulting in SAP software for India had added separate functionality. Second, the SAP system did not handle complex languages like Chinese and Thai on the same system. As a result, the Asia-Pacific region had three SAP systems that could not be integrated: one for India, one for China, and one for the rest of Asia. Since 1987, Colgate-Palmolive Code of Conduct has served as a guide for company daily business interactions, reflecting our standard for proper behavior and our corporate values. The Code of Conduct is updated and reissued on a regular basis to ensure comprehensiveness. The Code clearly conveys to each of us that the manner in which we achieve our business results matters just as much as achieving them. The CP Code of Conduct applies to all CP people, including Directors, Officers, and all employees of the Company and its subsidiaries around the globe. Vendors and suppliers are also subject to these requirements as adherence to the code is a condition for conducting business with CP. Most importantly, each employee is responsible for demonstrating integrity and leadership by complying with the provisions of the Code of Conduct, Global Business Practices Guidelines, Company policies and all applicable laws. By fully including ethics and integrity in their ongoing business relationships and decision-making, they demonstrate a commitment to a culture that promotes the highest ethical standards. The new technology helps CP with the privacy policies. It collects information on or through company’s site that can personally identify you, only when voluntarily offered by the visitor. For example, they collect personally identifiable information to respond to visitor questions and comments about them and their products and services, to mail e-newsletters and to contact winners of contests and promotions. They claim that they do not share any of the personal information provide to them with any third party other than service providers who assist in providing the information and/or services they are provide others. To the extent that they do share personal information with a service provider, they would only do so if that party has agreed to comply with their privacy standards as described in this privacy policy. Any non-personal information, communication, and material sent to this site or to CP by E-mail are on a non-confidential basis. They are free to use and reproduce any such information freely, and for any purpose whatsoever. Specifically, they will be free to use any ideas, concepts, know-how or techniques contained in such information for any purpose, including developing, manufacturing or marketing products. Any information you send to this site must be truthful, not violate the rights of others and be legal. Like many other companies, they use cookie technology, where their servers deposit special codes on a visitors computer. This information helps them to determine in the aggregate the total number of visitors to the site on an ongoing basis and the types of Internet browsers (e. g. , Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer) and operating systems (e. g. , Windows or MacIntosh) used by their visitors. This information is used to enhance the visitor on-line visits. Under no circumstances do they use this information to personally identify visitors or cross-reference the information with any type of personal information that is voluntarily offered on or through the site. C may modify this policy at any time, it is their sole discretion, and all modifications will be effective immediately upon their posting of the modifications on this site. Unless they specifically provide otherwise, this policy only applies to this site and their online activities, and does not apply to any of their offline activities. In all cases, however, they will take reasonable steps to help safeguard personal information. They will only share your information under terms and conditions that obligate recipients to protect the privacy and security of their personal information. Except as described in this Privacy Statement or as required by law, they will not share personal information with a third party unless they have consent or have notified a visitor to their site about this practice when they first collected personal information. At any time, the visitor has the right log in to the system to modify, correct, or erase the personal information that you provided to use in your Job Profile or your resume. In the event that you erase your Job Profile or your resume, we will make your Job Profile or resume inactive. However, you understand that we will retain your Job Profile indefinitely for its own record-keeping purposes. C evaluated several companies before deciding to engage SAP Consulting. John Giroux, head of the Asia-Pacific Shared Services Organization at Colgate-Palmolive explains, â€Å"There is a strong partnership between SAP and Colgate-Palmolive. We have co-developed solutions with SAP Consulting before and recognized that with its offshore delivery model we could take advantage of a very competitive price for high-quality resources. We knew that SAP Consulting has developed work protocols, as well as communication and project management methodologies that ensure the physical location of resources is not an issue. † Colgate-Palmolive was keen to use SAP Consulting both to access areas of SAP expertise and, through the offshore delivery model, to leverage Indian software developers from both SAP and other companies. C believed this would reduce costs and, if successful, would act as a model for a new way of working. Responsiveness to promotions and other changes in supply and demand have been enhanced due to the closer link between producers and consumers. Improvements in cycle times, fulfillment performance, and inventory levels were supported through enhancements enabled by DP and the collaborative engine. In particular, forecast error with a major retailer was reduced from 61. 9% before CPFR to 21. 9% after CPFR was implemented. All three initiatives were supported by SAP APO’s real-time integration model, where any changes in stock, sales orders, and so on are transferred in real time between customer or internal ERP systems and SAP APO. This ensures that modifications to the plan can be ade rapidly – which is particularly important to facilitate planning for promotions. The VMI, CBS, and collaborative planning implementations will extend globally. As the implementation extends to all brands and plants, C expects to multiply the impact of the current implementations substantially. Moreover, savings are being achieved outside direct supply chain operations, including in key areas such as IT. As the standardization init iative is extended, visibility is being improved throughout the supply chain, and consistent data will be increasingly useful in management decisions covering tactical and strategic plans. In particular, enhanced data availability using mySAP Business Intelligence (mySAPâ„ ¢ BI) supports improved tactical and strategic decision making at various levels in the organization. By improving C going forward, new forces are shaping their use of systems for enhancing competitiveness. These drivers include price competition, the evolving attributes of global trade, and the consumer goods industry’s use of promotional campaigns. These factors are motivating C to pursue continued cost reductions through all aspects of the business and to make use of collaborative tools that improve links with global customers. E-commerce is growing at a high annual rate in the consumer goods industry, providing further impetus for them to make use of e-business tools that strengthen its integration internally and its links with partners and customers. C intends to continue to pursue supply chain improvements that will enhance its competitive position. In addition to extending the use of vendor-managed inventory, cross-border sourcing, and collaborative planning globally, C is pursuing; they are working with SAP to implement repetitive manufacturing processes using the PP/DS capabilities in SAP APO. These processes will perform repeated production runs using a single bill of material, with back flushing of material requirements. Production will become more responsive to promotion-driven demand changes, as making and finishing operations will be distinguished as separable manufacturing processes, facilitating quick production scheduling changes. C is specifically supporting development of a PP/DS-related Wave algorithm. This algorithm will provide optimization of repetitive manufacturing during potential sudden peaks and valleys in requirements and finite capacity constraints. Outsourced manufacturing: Due to the variations in supply requirements resulting from the promotions-driven environment, third-party manufacturing contractors are increasingly relevant to C business. They expect to make use of SAP APO-enabled collaborative planning links with these contractors. Transportation planning: C is planning to implement Transportation Planning/Vehicle Scheduling (TP/VS) in SAP APO to optimize its transportation network and derive ongoing cost savings. Supply chain event management: C is planning to use SAP supply chain event management capabilities to track carrier tendering and customer shipments – and to provide early warning of undue delays or problems. Additional collaborative scenarios: C will pursue various additional forms of collaboration with customers and partners. Of significance will be company participation in consumer goods industry e-marketplaces, which provide exchanges for collaborative demand, procurement, and logistics planning. For global companies like C, it has become increasingly important to harmonize systems and processes worldwide. C customers, such as major retailers, are expanding across country boundaries and expect to have their requirements managed consistently from region to region. C also has facilities that manufacture goods for worldwide markets. Managing global supply chains is more difficult when systems differ from country to country. In addition, development and maintenance work has to be duplicated on each individual system. The demand planning (DP) capabilities and collaborative engine in SAP APO provide the Colgate sales subsidiary with a mechanism for communicating demand information to the supplier and further synchronizing planning across the supply chain network. For example, Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment (CPFR) is being deployed by Colgate by making use of SAP APO tools with customers, enabling collaboration on promotional activity, inventory levels, and demand forecasts. The associated CPFR processes can drive forecast accuracy improvements and thereby enable a range of cycle time and customer service improvements. In particular, statistically computed-base demand is calculated by DP and can drive repeatable replenishment processes, and changes resulting from promotions can be incorporated using collaborative processes. The support that the collaborative process provides for separate management of base and promotional demand is very valuable. Promotional demand management is substantially independent of the base demand, and it is critical information for driving manufacturing, product finishing, and distribution in Colgate’s consumer products business. To support the collaborative process covering promotional demand, the collaboration engine allows the exchange of up-to-date planning information, enables user-access security restrictions, supports exception-based management, and facilitates tracking of performance measures including forecast accuracy. The SAP APO-supported supply chain implementations have achieved significant, measurable benefits for the initial America-based implementations. The competitive position of C business has been enhanced – by improving service to the retail trade and internal customers, enhancing responsiveness, and improving margins. They have achieved performance gains with SAP APO beyond what had already been achieved with SAP R/3, and the company is well-positioned for multiplying the benefits across the global enterprise. Quality Assurance Since 1993, SAP integrated with C to provide them business solutions. C is depended on SAP to do a lot of maintenance work for them. C outsourced as much maintenance work as possible to enable their internal IT to focus on their customers. They offer software to ensure the quality assurance and control, both for their own applications and C product. To ensure success, it is important for C to select a partner who can support the entire project. SAP addressed both business-solution requirements and IT requirements, including implementation, live operations, administrative services, education, and professional services (Sap. com, 2010). According to their website, Sap offers a easy-to-use CRM functionality on a pay-as-you-go basis, clear and comprehensive service level agreements, 99% system availability, Compliance with data protection standards worldwide, single vendor viability and accountability and 24/7 global production support (Sap. om, 2010). They also tailor services and collaborate with C to customize applications for the best fit and to ensure quality and success. Their applications ensure to improved sales, productivity, achievement of revenue objectives, consolidated accurate customer records, support continuous business improvement, enable quick ROI, and minimize implementation costs (Sap. com, 2010). Impact of New Technology Over the years, the business model has dramatically changed with the increasing pervasiveness of new technologies. C depends on SAP to develop, make changes, and follow the trends. According to Dr. Vishal, a member of the Executive Board of SAP AG and Chief Technology Officer, new cloud computing technology will enable, through the emergence of the internet of services, setting the stage for a new era of business networks (SAP Research Report, 2010, p. 6). Equally promising for SAP is the in- memory database technology which will allow them to answer business queries in no more than a second, strengthening the vision of the real time enterprise (SAP Research Report, 2010 p. ). Now SAP is focusing on four areas of future technology development, cloud based applications, future compliances solutions, global â€Å"internet of things’ services, and service delivery framework. According to their 2009-2010 research report: Cloud computing is the generic umbrella term for flexible, IT-related services, such as storage, computing power, software development environments, and applications, combine d with service delivery through the Internet to consumers and businesses. The main innovation is that the IT infrastructure no longer lies with the user, meaning that users can access these services without special knowledge. Clouds provide major opportunities for new business models by restructuring the value chains in the information and communication industry, making cloud computing a concept that will surely change the way people work and companies operate. The Internet of Things fuses the digital world and the physical world by bringing together different concepts and technical components. Experts predict that the Internet of Things will lead to tremendous efficiency gains in many industries, such as manufacturing and energy supply. Applications, services, middleware components, networks, and end points will be structurally connected in entirely new ways. As such, pervasive networks, miniaturization of devices, mobile communication, new models for business processes, collaboration, and lifecycle management will be made further possible. Thanks to the Internet of Services, the opportunity to create a Web-based service industry is becoming a reality. In this type of virtual world, software providers, service providers, brokers, and users can collaborate using a service delivery platform (SDP) to build flexible and dynamically integrated applications. The SDP supports the whole lifecycle of a service offering from its creation, introduction, and redesign with incorporated user feedback. SAP Research is looking to further explore services that can be managed through IT and, being combined, lend themselves into value- added services (SAP Research Report, 2010, p. 19). For C, future technology will definitely enable them to collaborate more freely; C can offer to its customers many values. Business process will be more efficient and cost saving. More opportunities will be available to C, customers, and its suppliers. Human Interface With approximately 38,100 employees worldwide there are bound to be human issues at C, and not just the interface kind. How they manage those issues can be a challenge to any organization. Changes in how company information is used can and does lead to new distributions of power and authority. There can be resistance and opposition to deal with at all levels of an organization and it would smart to prepare for that challenge. As far as the effect on the systems used by the human assets, Laudon, Laudon, Dass, (2010) complicated our RFI evaluation when they wrote the following: Enterprise application software vendors such as SAP and Oracle-PeopleSoft have developed powerful software packages that can support the primary business processes of a large firm worldwide from warehousing, customer relationship management, supply chain management, and finance to human resources. These large-scale enterprise software systems provide a single, integrated, worldwide software system for firms at a cost much less than they would pay if they developed it themselves (p. 131). This statement puts SAP and Oracle on the same level playing field, which in reality may not be the case. They both have good products and application to offer. If C were to make the change to Oracle, or anyone else, the impact on human interface would be enormous. New applications, how they relate to other parts of IT applications could be costly and time consuming on a human level. Whether or not Oracle has enough to offer C to make such a change is the multi-million dollar question. It certainly could add up to millions of dollars if they were to convert to Oracle or any other provider and that provider were unable to deliver the quality of product, both in IT and consumer goods, they currently enjoy. The biggest risk factor for C is maintaining and enhancing their reputation and branding. Reputation and branding are two of the easiest areas damaged by product quality, supply chain issues, customer service, employee morale, etc. Risk assessment and risk management are both ongoing functions for companies of any size. At this point, we need to look at the risk of C making a change from SAP to any other IP service provider. Laudon, Laudon, Dass, (2010) define risk assessment as â€Å"determines the level of risk to the firm if a specific activity or process is not properly controlled† (p. 314). They go on to write â€Å"business managers working with information systems specialists should try to determine the value of information assets, points of vulnerability, the likely frequency of a problem, and the potential for damage† (p. 314). The sheer magnitude, cost, and complexity of a companywide IT provider change would be worthwhile only if the new company had significantly more advanced and superior product(s). We are able to determine that the SAP system and applications are working well for C and that SAP is an industry leader providing services to MNE’s. Should C decide to change to Oracle, or any other provider, for their IT they would have to ensure they had skilled project managers who have the knowledge to use the following tools: ? Risk Assessment ?Internal Integration ?Formal Planning ?Formal Control ?Gantt or PERT Charts ?External Integration Mind you, the tools listed above are but a few of many used to ensure the success of a project and its participants. Probably the most important tool is the human one, the Project or Program Manager who has technical and administrative experience, team member who are also highly experienced, and participating in team meetings. Lest we forget, there may be outside sources able to provide their experience and team support. Someone who is not able to manage a project(s) or people will most likely have cost overruns, time slippage, technical shortfalls that can impair performance, and fail to obtain the anticipated benefits. In this case, C needs to ask itself if the risks outweigh the benefits. Clearly, they do not. Conclusion For C to make a change to another IT interface provider, that provider would have to have a lot more to offer than the current provider SAP does. A major area where SAP has dominated is their ability and willingness to customize IT specification for C. At this time, Oracle is close but not worth the investment or risk to make a change over, they are just now beginning to offer customization for SME’s. We do not feel that Oracle has enough advantages to offer C as an MNE and that C should remain with their current IT provider, SAP. Subsequently, we have determined that at this time a change would be low-benefit and high risk to the company. Evans recently reported in Information Week (2010): SAP makes its own case for having industry-tailored applications. The larger point, however, is that the two most-powerful enterprise software companies are now locked in direct competition to deliver to CIOs in every industry deeper and more powerful insights, new customer-centric features, and, ultimately, greater business value (p. 2). Maybe, in time, Oracle will overtake SAP as the industry leader, even until then we recommend C remain with SAP because it is a very long and costly process merging from one system to another. Unless SAP is not improving and following the trend, which from our research on SAP, they are, and have been, focused on innovation. References Annual Report. (2001). Co lgate Annual Report 2001. Retrieved from http://files. shareholder. com/downloads/CL/925173196x0x236529/90A2D1BD-1300-44EE-935E-C1E8C8906458/ColgateAR_PDF1. pdf Annual Report. (2002). Colgate Annual Report 2002. Retrieved from http://files. shareholder. com/downloads/CL/925173196x0x236520/0BE8EC61-8FAD-4C4F-ADDE-AC29921B7B0D/ColgateAR02. pdf Cavusgil, S. T. , Knight, G. , Riesenberger, J. R. (2008). International business strategy, management, and the new realities. Upper Saddle River, NH: Pearson Prentice Hall. Colgate. com. (2010). Colgate World fact sheets Retrieved from http://investor. colgate. com/ColgateWorld/colgate_world-glance. cfm? header=fin Colgate World of Care. Code of conduct Retrieved on May 24, 2010 from http://www. colgate. com/app/Colgate/US/Corp/LivingOurValues/CodeOfConduct. cvsp

Heart Of Darkness Symbolism Essay Research Paper free essay sample

Heart Of Darkness: Symbolism Essay, Research Paper Joseph Conrad # 8217 ; s Heart of Darkness: Symbolism of Light and Dark What are the word pictures of a civilised individual? Is it a individual who conforms to a standard societal casting, which # 8220 ; we # 8221 ; determine, sophisticated? Is it being instruction and remaining within the social stereotypes? In Joseph Conrad # 8217 ; s 1901 literary chef-doeuvre, Heart of Darkness, these constructs of what is considered to be # 8220 ; civilized # 8221 ; in our European-adopted civilization is the chief subject of the narrative. Conrad # 8217 ; s theory that when adult male are taken off from civilisation that the true darkness of a adult male # 8217 ; s bosom is genuinely ascertained and the # 8220 ; barbarian # 8221 ; within takes over. Joseph Conrad uses symbolism to heighten the chief subject of the novel by puting certain symbolic elements in resistance to contrasting elements. In order to accomplish this, he relies to a great extent on metaphors. Repeating throughout Heart of Darkness was the contrast between elements stand foring as being light and elements characterized as being dark. We will write a custom essay sample on Heart Of Darkness Symbolism Essay Research Paper or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Light carries with it the metaphorical significances of what is good, true, civilized, and humane. The word darkness and the usage of dark elements, typify everything that is evil, vague, and barbarian. Heart of Darkness is embedded with complex layering of interrelated and overlapping symbols. Conrad # 8217 ; s usage of symbolism, metaphors, and sarcasm was necessary in order to convey the narrative # 8217 ; s overall subject. Africa was, to the Europeans, a topographic point of another type of darkness. It was a topographic point of the unknown, danger, disease, and force. Charlie Marlow ( the supporter and cardinal character ) spoke lovingly of the big clean map of Africa when he was a male child. It was empty because adventurers had non recorded the characteristics of that portion of the universe. A few illustrations in where Joseph Conrad uses this stylistic device of the component of dark and visible radiation was in the relation of the narrative of the two captains. Fresceven and Danes were stationed at a station near a native small town. Due to a squabble over two black biddies, Fresceven killed one of the indigens. The indigens in return killed him. The black biddy foreshadowed the unequivocal result of what was to come of Fresceven. The symbolism of the colour of the biddies reveals the unpleasant luck of the work forces and small town. When Charlie Marlow arrives to recover the organic structure of Fresceven, he describes the small town as dark, black, and desolated, negative features depicting the destiny of the small town. He makes his journey to the metropolis where in the office edifice he is encountered by two adult females. The adult females are seated in the anteroom knitting black wool giving Marlow edginess when come ining. The knitwork of the black wool is Marlow # 8217 ; s first indicant of what is to come through his journey. Marlow s journey leads him going on the Congo River to the centre of Africa. Conrad describes the centre of Africa as a black hole. He besides depicts the jungle and the native P eople with words that inspired images of darkness and somberness. The darkness therefore, is non a actual absence of visible radiation ; it is alternatively a device making a feeling of desperation, anguish, and immorality. Reaching a new metropolis, Marlow # 8217 ; s journey through the disease-infested town leads him an epiphany of what is civilized to him. He sees a immature scrawny male child sitting underneath a decomposition tree. His eyes catch Marlow # 8217 ; s as he is drawn into the dark deepnesss of the male child # 8217 ; s. A blazing white piece of twine is tied around the male child # 8217 ; s cervix, giving a strong contrast with his dark tegument. He meets the company comptroller shortly after who is contrasting to everything around him. When Marlow saw him he said, # 8220 ; I saw a high starched neckband, white turnups, a light alpaca jacket, white pants, a clean necktie, and varnished boots. No chapeau. Hair parted, brushed and oiled. # 8221 ; The description of the adult male is compelling, the fact that they are in the center of Africa and the comptroller goes through the problem to maintain his shirt and bloomerss clean and pressed. The manner the comptroller is portrayed show s how he may cognize that if he lets his civilised ways slip that his saneness and his psyche will steal every bit good. He might be terrified of going barbarian like the Africans that he goes all out in maintaining himself and his close milieus civilized. Marlow # 8217 ; s hunt for Kurtz, the adult male Marlow all this clip was in hunt for, is eventually over. Kurtz had succumbed to the darkness within, going a barbarian. Further glances of Kurtz # 8217 ; dark nature when Marlow discovered that on the land of Kurtz # 8217 ; station ; he had set decapitated human caputs onto bets. A mountain of glittering white tusk ivories set in the center of the evidences. The immorality that possessed the land shadows all the countries around Kurtz # 8217 ; thrown of tusk. The symbolism of the white tusk and the darkness enfolding everything around represents the civilised Kurtz, who one time was a sane tusk bargainer, give uping to the darkness and the greed. Towards the terminal of the narrative, Kurtz # 8217 ; decease is the epiphany of symbolism. Marlow enters Kurtz # 8217 ; cabin with a firing taper, a manufacturer of visible radiation, as he is mouth offing about his awaited decease. The visible radiation from the taper falls short of Kurtz # 8217 ; eyes as he cries, # 8220 ; the horror! The horror! # 8221 ; Marlow shortly after blows-out the fire and leaves the cabin with Kurtz to decease in the darkness. The visible radiation from the taper # 8217 ; s fire symbolizes the release of the concluding yarn of saneness Kurtz was keeping on to. Kurtz had become a barbaric ; he had become a barbarian. Joseph Conrad # 8217 ; s fresh Heart of Darkness takes on a physical journey through the elation and the darkness. Marlow is on his pursuit for the inner truth where he must happen the visible radiation and the dark within himself. He must happen world, his # 8220 ; self # 8221 ; , to be free to understand the complexness of life that surrounds him. Conrad # 8217 ; s usage of symbolism, metaphors, and sarcasm was important in the portraying the overall premiss of Heart of Darkness.

Aztec Religion and Gods of the Ancient Mexica

Aztec Religion and Gods of the Ancient Mexica The Aztec religion was made up of a complex set of beliefs, rituals and gods that helped the Aztec/Mexica to make sense of their worlds physical reality, and the existence of life and death. The Aztecs believed in a multiple-deity universe, with different gods who reigned over different aspects of Aztec society, serving and responding to Aztec specific needs. That structure was deeply rooted in a widespread Mesoamerican tradition in which concepts of the cosmos, world, and nature were shared across most of the prehistoric societies in the southern third of North America. In general, the Aztecs perceived the world as divided into and balanced by a series of opposing states, binary oppositions such as hot and cold, dry and wet, day and night, light and dark. The role of humans was to maintain this balance by practicing appropriate ceremonies and sacrifices. The Aztec Universe The Aztecs believed that the universe was divided into three parts: the heavens above, the world in which they lived, and the underworld. The world, called Tlaltipac, was conceived as a disk located in the middle of the universe. The three levels, heaven, world, and underworld, were connected through a central axis, or axis mundi. For the Mexica, this central axis was represented on earth by the Templo Mayor, the Main Temple located at the center of the sacred precinct of Mexico- Tenochtitlan. The Multiple Diety UniverseThe Aztec Heaven and underworld were also conceived as divided into different levels, respectively thirteen and nine, and each of these was overlooked by a separate deity. Each human activity, as well as the natural elements, had their own patron deity who overlooked different aspect of human life: childbirth, commerce, agriculture, as well as the seasonal cycles, landscape features, rain, etc. The importance of connecting and controlling the cycles of nature, such as the sun and moon cycles, with human activities, resulted in the use, in the pan-Mesoamerican tradition of sophisticated calendars which were consulted by priests and specialists. Aztec Gods The prominent Aztec scholar Henry B. Nicholson classified the numerous Aztec gods in three groups: celestial and creator deities, gods of fertility, agriculture and water and deities of war and sacrifices. Click on the links to learn more of each of the main gods and goddesses. Celestial and Creator Gods Xiuhtecuhtli-Huehueteotl (Old Man, the cycle of seasons)Tezcatlipoca (Smoking Mirror, god of night and sorcery)Quetzalcoatl (the god/hero, the once and future king figure) Gods of Water, Fertility, and Agriculture Tlaloc (rain god)Chalchiutlicue (She of the Jade Skirt, childbirth)Centeotl (Maize Cob Lord, maize)Xipe Totec Lord with the Flayed Skin, fertility) Gods of War and Sacrifice Tonatiuh (Aztec sun god)Huitzilopochtli (war god, patron god of Tenochtitlan)Tlaltecuhtli (earth goddess) Sources AA.VV, 2008, La Religià ³n Mexica, Arqueologà ­a Mexicana, vol. 16, num. 91 Nicholson, Henry B., 1971, Religion in Pre-Hispanic Central Mexico, en Robert Wauchope (ed.), Handbook of Middle American Indians, University of Texas Press, Austin, Vol. 10, pp 395-446. Smith Michael, 2003, The Aztecs, Second Edition, Blackwell Publishing Van Tuerenhout Dirk R., 2005, The Aztecs. New Perspectives, ABC-CLIO Inc. Santa Barbara, CA; Denver, CO and Oxford, England.

Problem Solving & Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Problem Solving & Decision Making - Essay Example Different studies present varying models of a typical decision-making process depending on their perspectives. Some models follow eight steps, others five. For purposes of making intuitive choices, the Harvard Case Approach (HCA) following four steps would be utilized. The four steps of this natural, intuitive decision-making process are: Step 1: Define the problem; Step 2: Alternative Courses of Action; Step 3: Analysis; Step 4: Recommendation. Initially, there is a situation where one of the subordinates, a security personnel, who was scheduled for regular work on a 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM slot, requested for a change in schedule due to emergency reasons. His wife called in early at 8:00 AM and informed the appropriate channels that the security personnel had to undergo immediate surgery for appendectomy. Therefore, he would be on emergency leave for five days. The shift sergeant was immediately informed of the situation and necessary changes in shift schedules have to be reviewed to fill in the temporary vacancy. a. Recall a security personnel on scheduled vacation leave. This option calls for determining a personnel on leave during the five-day period, who can be recalled for emergency purposes and who would be requested to report on the specified 10PM to 6AM schedule for five days. After which, he can resume his leave. b. Require overtime for current security personnel. Utilize security personnel to extend their shifts to at most four hours. Security personnel from the PM shift could extend from 10PM to 2AM and AM shift personnel could be requested to report four hours early (2AM instead of 6AM). The first alternative would entail some time and effort to locate and contact the security personnel on vacation leave. This option’s viability depends on where he is spending his vacation, the time he could return, the persons to be affected