Project Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project Management - Case Study Example This is because any additional work may likely lead to increased costs of operation. If all factors are held constant, there should be no consideration for the increase in the productivity since the increase will likely lead to a decrease in the profits. Consequently, since the indirect costs are accrued daily on the project but, are fixed, the possibilities would be that of increasing the costs of certain specific projects while at the same time decreasing the project time. The decrease in project duration of a specific activity results in an overall decrease in the duration for the whole project hence, a decrease in the total overheads (Meredith & Samuel 204). Another related issue with the tradeoffs is the determination of activities to be crashed for the enabling of maximum overall job profits. Therefore, the cost-time tradeoffs will enhance the costs of specific activities in the project while reducing the overall cost for the project (Nagarajan 105). Question 2: Options for acc elerating project completion There are several options that can be available to the project manager for the enhancement of the completion of the intended project. These include addition of extra resources into the project, outsourcing for the project work, scheduling of overtime for the project and the establishment of a core project team to look over the project’s completion. Other options for the acceleration are conduction the project twice (repeated project), faster and correctly than the first case (Gray & Erik 324). However, these options may only apply when the resources for the project are not constrained. If the resources are constrained, then the options available would be fast-tracking of the project to hasten its completion, development and adoption of a critical chain for the completion of the project, reduction of the scope of the project and the compromising of the quality of the project though a faster conduct for as long as it is completed (Gido & James 130). In the first scenario, a project manger may enhance completion of a project through the addition of resources. While this will probably lead to augmented costs to the project, it will increase the rate at which the project is delivered thus, a reduction in the time of the project. Activities that can be done in regard to this include employment or hiring of additional staff and purchasing of additional equipment to carry out the tasks. In the second scenario, a project manger may schedule the work involved in the project to entail workers doing overtime. In this regard, the extension in work time will hasten the completion of the project but at an increased cost of maintenance of workers in overtime shifts (Haynes 44). The project manage can also enhance the completion of the project through outsourcing of the project either in terms of outsourcing other materials and laborers from other companies or giving a fraction or the entire project to a different company to carry out. This, just like the former process will reduce the project duration and enhance faster completion of the project but, at a higher cost to the project (Morris 98). Finally, the project manager may enhance the completion of the project through the establishment of a core project team which will be tasked to oversee the stages of the project to its finishing point. In this, the team has to put more efforts to be

Monopoly and Quasar Essay Example for Free

Monopoly and Quasar Essay In 2003, Quasar computers launched a revolutionary new laptop computer named the neutron. The neutron uses high speed optical conductors, which is the first technology of its kind to be used in a laptop. Over time many businesses need to evolve to stay competitive and continue to make a profit in the market place that they have entered. This paper will discuss how the Quasar computer company moved through the different market structures over the past ten years and how the pricing and non-pricing strategies affected the company’s growth. During their transition the company faced many obstacles that could have caused a detriment to their economic prosperity. We will also discuss some of the potential risks that the company may have faced and the negative consequences that they would have had to overcome in those situations. Last, we will explore the competition that Quasar faced as the transition from one market structure to another occurred and analyze the commercial policies that are intended to protect the computer industry. Quasar like most other companies found a short-term profitable product, but being able to adjust as competition enters the market is the key for Quasar to remain profitable. After the launch of the Neutron laptop computer Quasar enjoyed a pure monopoly market. A pure monopoly exists when a single firm is the sole producer of a product for which there are no close substitutes (McConnell, Brue, 2004). During this time the company could set the pricing of the computer based on the demand for the newly innovative product. Because no other company produced the optical notebook the company was free to charge above market value for their product. But having a product in place will not bring up the sales. One of the strategies is to select an advertising budget to attract more customers to their product. The simulation showed that by slightly cutting the price and advertising the product the company could more than double their profits. Another strategy that the company was faced with was the improvement of the production processes. By upgrading, the company can optimize production while reducing the per-unit cost. This reduction means a lower price for the product which could bring in more customers and a higher profit. With the expiration of the patents once held by Quasar along with the increased demand for optical computers, other companies began to enter the market. This changed the market structure into an oligopolistic market. The difficulty in the oligopolistic market is the pricing strategy. The competitors need to reach a stable price where all make a reasonable profit. Because there are competitors fighting for market share and in the case of Quasar there is only one other fighting for market share, they both need to understand that pricing is the key. If the price is too high the demand for the product is lower if the price is cut severely, then the companies would have caused a slump in the industry. Even though they are both looking to get more market share the stability of the market is what will continue to bring the profits. As market share decreased due to competition, technology is now easily available, and new competitors entered the market. With low barriers to entry and ease of differentiation the market began to look like a monopolistic competition. In general, however, monopolistically competitive industries are much more competitive than they are monopolistic (McConnell, Brue, 2004). By having multiple variants in the market Quasar is faced with a decision of whether to promote the brand that has been the cornerstone of their business or introduce its own variant into the market. Quasar can invest money into research and development of their own variant that can remain competitive. By choosing to go that route, the company is able to be more profitable than if they were to advertise and promote the Neutron. As the years went by the monopolistic competition market finally became a perfect competition. A perfect competition market involves a very large number of firms producing a standardized product and allows new firms to enter or exit the industry very easily (McConnell-Brue, 2004). Unlike the other structures, the price of the product is determined by the market. In the short term a company such as Quasar can increase profits by using cost cutting measures. In pure competition a company has very little alternative to turn a profit. The quality and pricing of the product has stabilized and the products are similar to one another. A strategy that Quasar pursued was to invest in a company called Opticom which was a primary supplier of Optical Display Screens. By investing in Opticom and continuously improving much like the company did for the Neutron line, Quasar can turn a small profit before the industry catches up. During the transitions, Quasar was faced with many risks that need to be addressed to keep the company profitable. By performing a risk analysis we can determine if the course of action that the company pursued was correct. For example, when the company made the choice to introduce a variant into the market to remain competitive, the risk that the company took was tremendous. The money invested in research and development of a new product may not bring the expected result. If they had a far less superior product than the competitors or if the brand was improperly promoted, the outcome could have been disastrous. But by observing that they could use a twelve million of their unused production capacity they could lower the total cost of both the incumbent product as well as the new comer. Over the past several years the computer industry has grown exponentially with manufacturers like Dell, Apple and even Sony. Quasar has identified Japan as the country where they will face the greatest competition. Government procurement restrictions protect Japanese electronics and computer industries. These restrictions have recently been relaxed somewhat but they remain significant obstacles of trade (Unknown, 2004). These trade restrictions will hinder trade of Quasar’s products to Japan, but the company may be able to expand into the country and take advantage of the tax breaks while possibly distributing there product under a subsidiaries name. Many different businesses have had to evolve over their lifetime. Businesses that were once monopolies may end up on the other end of the spectrum depending on the ebb and flow of the market. The Quasar Computers scenario exhibited the evolution of a firm from one form of market structure to another. The company showed that during the life cycle of the product the company may have to pass through the different market structures as the product matures. The key to any company to remain profitable is to remain flexible. References McConnell, C, Brue, S. (2004). Economics principles. problems and policies [Adobe version]. University of Phoenix. (2002). Economics for Managerial Decision Making [Computer Software]. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, Simulation, ECOGM561 International Economics website. Unknown, . (1984). Japanese industrial policy. Retrieved from http://fraser. stlouisfed. org/publications/erp/page/5692/download/46305/5692_ERP. pdf.

Wish For a Better Tomorrow: How can I Improve the local community :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  7,000, is the number of people in the small town of Lyons, New York. Many people haven’t even heard of this town. Lyons is my hometown, and I will never forget it. I am graduating this year, and my friends as well as myself are moving out! We are all going to college at least an hour away from Lyons. Everyone in my school can’t wait to leave. They hate Lyons, and they say that there is nothing here for them. I believe just the opposite. There is a lot in Lyons to improve, but I will never leave forever. I am having a hard time just leaving this town to go to college. Everything is here, My family, my friends, my house and my school. That means more to me than anything in this world. Lyons isn’t exactly the hipest place to be, it’s sometimes even scary to walk the streets at night. I even remember my mother once saying that about fifteen years ago, she could leave the doors unlocked at night and not have to worry about anything. Now, you have to leave the doors locked in the daytime. I would change a lot of things about Lyons, but never change the way people help other people out in every situation. I would change the community in many ways. One way I would change Lyons is by adding more places for children and teenagers to hang out. As of right now, there is one community center where some people play basketball, but it is really run down, and there is not much to do. I haven’t even been there. One of the biggest problems in Lyons is that kids roam the streets all hours of the day, and I think that if we have something to help minimize that, that is all we need.

Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case Essay

‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ was written in 1886 by Robert Louis Stevenson. The story derived from one of Stevenson’s many adult nightmares and raised questions about Society and Religion that was debated by many people. The story was about the duality of man and how Dr. Jekyll tried splitting the good and evil. A result of this was Mr. Hyde and his pure evil personality. In the novel, the last chapter ‘Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case’ answered many questions brought up earlier in the story. Dr. Jekyll is portrayed as a respected and distinguished, well brought up man at the beginning of chapter 10. This is clear in the words, ‘[he was] fond of the respect of the wise and good among my fellow-men’, and ‘with every guarantee of an honourable and distinguished future’. These statements show us he has all the traits of a gentleman because it says ‘good among my fellow men’ and fond of the respect of the wise’ which meant he liked other high honourable men respecting him; however he feels as though he already leads a double life. We see this in the words, ‘I concealed my pleasures’ and ‘I stood already committed to a found duplicity of life.’ This tells us that although he likes having he privileges of a gentleman he also enjoys doing something he can’t, which would tarnish his reputation. Before he started the experiment Jekyll lead a respected and high life style of being respected by others and being well off and had a theory on good and evil. Jekyll believed that man was made up of 2 personalities, one good and evil. This is clear in the text when Jekyll explains, ‘That man is not truly one, but truly two’. He had a large interest in the duality of nature. He believed he could split everyone’s two personalities into two different people. Jekyll was excited by the idea of separating the two identities. This is apparent when he says ‘ I had learned to dwell with the pleasure, as a beloved daydream, on the thought of the separation of these elements’ he thought that by separating the two identities they would stop irritating each other and he was excited by separating the two personalities because he says he’d ‘learned to dwell with the pleasure†¦of the separation of these two elements.’ Therefore, this was Jek yll’s ultimate desire and he worked towards this ground-breaking experiment. Jekyll undertook the experiment to try and split his two personalities and to prove that it was possible. He believed he could brew a potion that would make his good and evil side split into two. It is clear because Jekyll explains that he ‘managed to compound a drug by which these powers should be dethroned from their supremacy’. He tells us that mixing the elements would combine their power and he thinks this will split his two personalities into two different people. After he compounded the drug Jekyll hesitated to take it because he knew it was a powerful drug and he risked death. This is proven in the statement ‘I hesitated long before I put this theory to the test of practice. I knew well that I risked death’ Jekyll knew that he risked his life but was sure that he could do it and had faith in his theory of the dual personalities and duality of man. Once Jekyll finally takes the drug he describes the transformation as ‘the most racking pangs succeeded: a grinding in the bones, deadly nausea, and a horror of the spirit that cannot be exceeded at the hour of birth or death’. The way he described the feelings was excruciating pain and that he imagined that you could only feel such pain at the hour of birth or death. This would of made the reader feel repel the reader but also excite them because they would want to know what happens. A Victorian reader probably would find this very controversial and might be slightly offended by the words that are used. When Jekyll first became Hyde he knew from the moment he changed that he was more evil already, this is obvious in the words ‘I knew myself, at the first breath of this new life, to be more wicked, tenfold more wicked’. Although Jekyll knew that he was even more wicked as Hyde he seemed to have positive feelings towards him. He felt as though when he was Hyde he was free and had no cares in the world. This is reflected in the words ‘I looked upon that ugly idol in the glass, I was conscious of no repugnance, rather of a leap of welcome’. Before the experiment Jekyll felt as though he already lead a double life and had to ‘conceal his pleasures’, but as Hyde he had someone in which he could unleash all his forbidden cravings and not have a conscience after doing so. He’d found a ‘perfect’ solution. Jekyll could become Hyde by taking a potion and Hyde could become Jekyll by reversing the potion. Jekyll believed that his experiment was all under control. However, as Hyde grew stronger it was proven that he learned to control Jekyll. This is shown in the quote ‘Yes, I had gone to bed Henry Jekyll, I had awakened Edward Hyde. How was this to be explained? I asked myself; and then, with another bound of terror – how was it to be remedied?’ Hyde was becoming stronger then Jekyll and was beginning to control him, Hyde could pick and choose when he wanted to come out, and Jekyll had no control now. This also showed Jekyll’s panic and increasing lack of control because he’d began to ask himself how he could keep control of Hyde. Due to Hyde’s strength becoming more powerful Jekyll decided to stop taking the potion hoping that it would stop Hyde forever. Jekyll was scared that Hyde would take over forever. This is shown in the words ‘the balance of my nature might be permanently overthrown, the power of voluntary change be forfeited, and the character of Edward Hyde become irrevocably mine’ and he had a difficult decision as he states ‘To cast it in with Hyde was to die a thousand interests and aspirations, and to become, at a blow forever, despised and friendless.’ In these words it tells us if he was to stay as Hyde he would be giving up thousands of his dreams and goals in live and become friendless because no one liked Hyde. Due to the fact Jekyll was scared that Hyde would take over he had to make a decision whether he would stay as Jekyll or Hyde. His decision was thwarted by Hyde but his resolution to be rid of Hyde helps the reader empathise with Jekyll. Jekyll stopped taking the drug hoping he would stay as Jekyll forever, however because Jekyll was taking the drug for so long he had become an addict and felt as though he could feel Hyde struggling for freedom and he took the drug once again after 3 months. This is clear in the words ‘I began to be tortured with throes and longings, as of Hyde struggling after freedom; and at last, in an hour of moral weakness, I once again compounded and swallowed the transforming draught’. These words prove that Hyde was struggling to break free from Jekyll when Jekyll had stopped taking the potion and Jekyll was finding it hard to not take the drug, I know this because it says ‘ I began to be tortured.’ The words struggle, tortured and longings all suggest conflict between the two identities. By the end of the novel Jekyll’s feelings towards Hyde had turned completely opposite from what they were at the beginning. Hyde and Jekyll had a pure hatred for each other and it was as if they were both trying to make each other’s lives worse. This is clear from the words ‘The powers of Hyde seemed to have grown with the sickliness of Jekyll. And certainly the hate that now divided them was equal on each side.’ This statement shows us how strong the hatred between both sides but also the power struggle because Hyde was becoming stronger the more he hated Jekyll. Again, it is shown in the words, ‘The powers of Hyde seemed to have grown with the sickliness of Jekyll.’ Thus representing the imbalance of power between the two. Although Jekyll’s hatred for Hyde was strong he carried on taking it because he felt like he was addicted to it. At one point in the novel it describes Jekyll taking the drug to someone with an addiction like to alcohol. He says, ‘I do not suppose that when a drunkard reasons with himself upon his vice, he is once out of five hundred times affected by the dangers that he runs through his brutish physical insensibility.’ Here Jekyll refers to himself as a drunk and says he cannot reason with himself because he feels as though the drug has already affected him. Therefore, because Jekyll is addicted to the drug, this is why he carries on taking it and he has no power or self respect anymore. When Jekyll says ‘I fell into slavery’ he means that Hyde has become stronger than him and has began to control him, making him take the drug and become Hyde more then he actually wants. Also at other times the drug has begun to control him because he is like an addict he has the feeling to want to take the drug all the time like and alcoholic would want to drink alcohol. In a way we begin to feel sorry for him here but however, we know it is his fault for carrying on taking the potions just because he enjoys not having any cares and getting away with things. In the novel Hyde is a very powerful and dominant character. He has multiple characteristics throughout the story. He is described as ‘so much smaller, slighter, and younger then Henry Jekyll.’ The physical description of him is very different from Henry Jekyll’s. However it also says that ‘evil was written broadly and plainly on the face of the other.’ This tell us that Hyde may have been smaller and younger the Jekyll however he is much more evil. Hyde’s character is the complete opposite of Jekyll’s and is described as ‘more wicked, a tenfold more wicked.’ This tells us that Hyde is ten times more wicked than Jekyll by using the word ‘tenfold’. This makes the reader concerned for what Hyde might do to Jekyll. As well Hyde is described as a ‘man of stone’ this simile tells us that he has no emotions or feelings for others. In parts of the final chapter Hyde is referred to as unnatural. This is shown in the phrase ‘something not only hellish but inorganic.’ Jekyll believes that is something that is not real, which is true because he is not a real person, just something created from a potion. As well as being described as unnatural during the final chapter he is also referred to as an animal. This is proven in the statement ‘a creature eaten up and emptied by fever.’ This phrase tells us that Hyde has traits of and animal by the way he acts and what he does, he acts as a savage animal in the wild when he kills innocent people. Hyde’s actions are disgraceful and evil throughout the novel. Some of these actions are when he trampled a little girl in the street. Jekyll reflects by saying, ‘An act of cruelty to a child aroused against me the anger of a passer-by.’ This act makes Jekyll angry at Hyde for being cruel to a child and this is clear because he describes it as an act of cruelty and he is also angry because he makes a passer by angry and it could tarnish Jekyll’s reputation if people found out they were connected in a way. Another one of Hyde’s actions was the murder of Sir Danvers Carew. This criminal act is proven in the statement ‘Some two months before the murder of Sir Danvers.’ These actions show that Hyde is pure evil and has no emotion and will do anything. His actions result in him having to go into hiding because people know that he killed Sir Danvers. The way he killed Sir Danvers Carew was described as, ‘mauling the unresisting body’ this would of shocked and scared the reader because it would of created a disturbing imagery. Jekyll’s character is different from Hyde. Firstly, Jekyll is old and elderly; this is proven when he describes himself as ‘elderly’ in the novel. However, Hyde is the opposite and is young and carefree. I know this because it says ‘younger, lighter, happier.’ This shows that they are both opposites and this is what is meant when the author describes them as ‘polar twins’. Another way Jekyll is different from Hyde is that Jekyll has a conscience whereas Hyde doesn’t. This is clear when Jekyll says, ‘I was conscious even when I took the draught’ and in comparison Hyde says â€Å"gloating on my crime.† These statements prove that even though Hyde has done worse things than Jekyll, Jekyll seems to have more of a conscience. Although as well as having his own conscience, Jekyll seems to feel guilty for what he does when he is Hyde too. But, Hyde ‘gloats’ at his crimes, therefore proving that he is immoral and not sorry for what he’s done, this would of shocked and scared the Victorian reader. Also another difference between Jekyll and Hyde is that Jekyll becomes as Hyde becomes strong. I know this because of the statements â€Å"sickliness in Jekyll’ and ‘the powers of Hyde seemed to have grown.’ This proves that as Jekyll continued to take the drug he made Hyde stronger and it began to be a struggle between them both. Jekyll controlled the growth in Hyde because he carried on taking the potion because he had become an addict; he carried on taking the drug which began to make Hyde come out more often, making him a lot stronger. I know that Jekyll became an addict to the drug because it says ‘I fell into slavery’ by using the word slavery it tells us that Hyde was beginning to control Jekyll because the more he took the transforming draught the more he became a slave to Hyde. The result of not controlling the growth of Hyde was Hyde getting stronger and stronger and eventually Hyde begins to control Jekyll because he could come out whenever he wanted and this shows how Hyde gains power over Jekyll and through the novel it shows the constant power struggle. At the end of the novel Jekyll knows that his experiments have failed and has to face the consequences. I believe that Jekyll made sure he died by his choice before letting Hyde take over for good. By killing himself Jekyll made sure that he was technically killing Hyde and that he wasn’t left free to do evil things once he finally took over Jekyll’s body and it was a matter of pride and doing what was right for others. Jekyll was very wise to do such a thing for others and at the end of the novel I believe that Jekyll didn’t regret his experiments at all. Jekyll was foolish to meddle with the darker side of science and philosophy. However, he didn’t deserve to die because he only wanted to try something new and succeed. If Jekyll hadn’t done this experiment then some one else would have. After reading the whole novel, I believe that the final chapter is very important to the story. It answers to most questions that are raised earlier in the topic. For example, when Utterson saw Jekyll at the window and Jekyll ignored him we now know that he ignored him and went away because he must have been changing into Hyde. Another example of a question being answered was why Lanyon was so shocked when he say Jekyll and never wanted to see him again, and this was due to him changing into Hyde in front of him. By seeing things from Jekyll’s perspective it gives us a clearer understanding of the power struggle between Hyde and himself and how Hyde eventually takes over. I would have liked to have seen at one point in the novel or final chapter some of Hyde’s viewpoint, but there wasn’t and perhaps Victorian readers would of liked this too because then maybe it would of given explanations for why Hyde did some of the things he did. Hyde is seen from other people’s perspectives all the time and maybe if we were to have read something from his perspective, we might have seen reasons why he did some of the things he did. However I do believe that the final chapter was key to the novel and made everything much clearer to the reader.

Application Software

LP2 Assignment: Applications Software Managing Information Systems David Khuong National American University Author Note This paper was prepared for Managing Information Systems, Course ID: MT3500/CI3510, taught by Dr. Kim Eastern LP2 Assignment: Applications Software The three primary features commonly used applications software that will be summarized in this paper are personal application software, workgroup application software, and enterprise application software.Personal Application Software’s 1) Word processing; helps create, edit and print text documents. I. e. , Microsoft word, Corel WordPerfect, Google Docs, Apple Pages and Sun Writer. 2) Spreadsheet; provides a wide range of built-in functions for statistical, financial, logical, database, graphics, and date and time calculations. I. e. , Microsoft Excel, IBM Lotus 1-2-3, Google Spreadsheet, Apple Numbers and Sun Calc. 3) Database; stores, manipulate, and retrieve data.I. e. , Microsoft Access, IBM Lotus Approach, B orland dBASE, and Sun Base. 4) Graphics; develop graphs, illustrations, and drawings. I. e. , Adobe Illustrator and Adobe FreeHand. 5) Project management; plans, schedule, allocate, and control people and resources needed to complete a project according to schedule. 6) Financial management; provides income and expense tracking and reporting to monitor and plan budgets. I. e. , Intuit Quicken. ) Desktop publishing; use with personal computers and high-resolution printers to create high-quality printed output, including text and graphics, various styles of pages can be laid out; art and text files from other programs can also be integrated into published pages. I. e. , Quark Xpress, Microsoft Publisher, Adobe PageMaker, Corel Ventura Publisher, and Apple Pages. Workgroup Application Software Support local and international teamwork and utilizes groupware; software that helps groups of people work together more effectively.Groupware is defined by Ernst & Young’s rules â€Å"Thr ee Cs†. * Convenient; if it’s too hard to use, it’s not used; it should be as easy to use as the telephone. * Content; it must provide a constant stream of rich, relevant, and personalized content. * Coverage; if it isn’t conveniently accessible, it might never be used. Enterprise Application Software * Software developed to benefit the entire organization. * (ERP) Enterprise resource planning software; set of integrated programs that manage a company’s critical business operations for an national and international organization. Application software is integral for information Decision Support, and Specialized Purposes. Overall the application software applies the power of the computer to solve problems and perform specific tasks throughout the organization from personal, local to global level. References Fundamentals of Information Systems, Sixth Edition. Chapter 2, Hardware and Software. Retrieved from: https://online. national. edu/d2l/lms/conten t/viewer/main_frame. d2l? ou=20924&tId=921805

buy custom Marijuana Legalization essay

buy custom Marijuana Legalization essay In many developed countries marijuana is illegal to trade, transfer, cultivate, or possess. In as much as no nation has been able to fully legalize marijuana, over 10 countries allow its cultivation or use in controlled quantities. The use of marijuana for medicinal purposes is tolerated in an increasing number of countries such as Netherlands, Canada, Belgium, Australia, and some states in America. Many nations have endorsed laws impacting the legality of marijuana, since the beginning of the 20th century. These laws have mainly concentrated on the transfer, possession, use, and cultivation of marijuana for recreational purposes. Most authorities have reduced the penalties for ownership of limited quantities of marijuana, so that marijuana related offenses are punishable by a fine and confiscation, as opposed to imprisonment. The punishments now concentrate on individuals who sell or traffic marijuana on the black market. Many drug courts and authorities have established treatment p rograms for frequent or young users, with their goal being to achieve freedom from drug use. The number of countries that allow marijuana use for medicinal purposes are few, in addition there are more restrictive changes being implemented in countries such as UK and Canada. Nevertheless, in some countries such as East Asia, being in possession of marijuana may result in long term jail sentences, and the sale of marijuana might even lead to life imprisonment or death penalty. This research paper addresses the history of the issue of marijuana legalization, arguments for its legalization, and arguments against its legalization. In the 19th century, medical practitioners use to sell the drug as tincture using the name cannabis. Cannabis was used by Queen Victoria to treat her menstrual pains, Sir John Reynolds, her personal physician, prescribed this drug for her and even went further to write about the advantages of marijuana in a medical journal. In an 1894, the government of India and the United Kingdom commissioned a report on the use of Indian hemp. The report was helpful in making the decision of whether to decriminalize the use of marijuana in both countries. By 1906, numerous states in the US began establishing regulations with regards to the sale of marijuana. In 1925, the exportation of Indian hemp was banned by the international opium convention to nations that had banned its use. The countries that imported marijuana were required to provide certificates which were essential in approving that the drug was only to be used for scientific or medicinal purposes. In 1937, the administration of F.D. Roosevelt came up with the first national law that made the possession of Marijuana illegal through an un-payable tax under the Marihuana tax act. The term marijuana is linked exclusively to the psychoactive use of the plant; it was popularized in English by the drug prohibitionists in America in the 1930s. These prohibitionists used the Mexican term marijuana so as to turn the public against the opinion that it should be legalized. The individuals who were against marijuana were oblivious of the fact that the drug was similar to cannabis indica, which was regarded as pharmaceutically safe. Nevertheless, some people support the legalization of marijuana by arguing that legalization will decrease crime, illegal trade, and will increase the revenue of government from taxes. For instance, marijuana is available in Canada as a palliative drug provided a patient has a medical prescription. In the United States, a mere 16% supported the legalization of t he drug in 1969. By 2005, the figure rose up by 20% to 36%, currently it is approximated that the figure is between 46% and 56%. Buy custom Marijuana Legalization essay

Writing Excuses 9 Actionable Tips to Overcome Writing Excuses for Good

Writing Excuses 9 Actionable Tips to Overcome Writing Excuses for Good Writing Excuses: 9 Actionable Tips to Overcome Writing Excuses for Good We all make writing excuses for various reasons and it slows down our progress for writing a bookPublilius Syrus once claimed: Every vice has its excuse ready. And writing is no different.In this article, we will uncover the kind of excuses we make and provide you tips on how to overcome your writing excuses.So stay put! Learn. Practice. And soar.Here are our tips for how to overcome writing excuses:Find your voiceAvoid the non-native speaker debateDevelop a writing habitCut back on social mediaDont procrastinateStop fearing the fallDisability is not inabilityStrive for progressGet rid of writers blockNOTE: Want to learn how to not only publish a book, but do so in a way that sets your book up for long-term success? We teach exactly that in our VIP Self-Publishing Program. Learn more about it hereWhat causes writing excuses?There are a plethora of reasons writers give for letting excuses take over their work.Sure, some are the real-life instances you may connect with, and others are cheesy ideas saved in your head.You are likely to find reasons like toddler trouble, age, illness, time, little knowledge, to creativity blocks still making headlines in the writing community as the biggest launchers to writing excuses.But do you know what? Only you can let go of all excuses- and we at Self-Publishing School are here to help you along the way. The common excuses which prevent us from writing or self-publishing: Im not a native English speaker, can I still write? What is the right age if you want to self publish? I am 14 years old; do I stand a chance? Writers block (which we cover solutions to below) I am still learning how to write. I have little vocabulary knowledge: what should I do first to be a writer? Life problems/disability. Waiting for the perfect time to write. Looking for good writing tips. Fear of failing or falling. Looking for a book genre or how to start a story. Laryngitis. I want to write a script; what should I do first? Ill do it later.How to over come writing excuses with easeThe late Great Louis La Moore, the prolific author of over 100 books, once said he could write on a busy street corner: that was years back where authors used a pen, a paper, or a typewriter to create text.Imagine the benefits you can add to your writing in this era of the iPhone, tablets, and cloud apps that allow you to write on the go? First.#1 Find your voiceUsually, we learn writing by imitation: but no matter how you view it, Laryngitis will only add poison to your book.I know you may love how JK Rowlings writes or Neil Patels variety, but I can tell you that drifting away from your voice will be a bane to your book.How?Remember the creativity slowdown I mentioned earlier?When the author completes his piece, you are blank, with no ideas for your essay. You have nothing fresh to add after you finish comparing your writing to the author you are reading.The magic to fighting ensuing excuse from Laryngitis is finding your voice in writing. But thats only half of it.Here are other kick-butt methods to find your writing voice:Writing more every day.Write your draft freely without editing or looking at another persons work.Write and research later: or research but take a break before you engage in the writing process.Plot all your plans for writing a novel and ideas on some paper or notebook whenever they pop.Read more from different authors, publications, and manuscripts.Get creative with your work or content.Write with the buyer persona in mind.Get laser-focused with your writing or content by selecting a niche and a language.#2 Avoid the native/non-native English speaking debateClient: Native English speakers only.Writer: But I am not native!I hear this phrase a lot in the writing community, especially from clients who want their book/content written by Anglophone writers.But frankly speaking, I have never understood the debate or the relationship between native and non-native speaking to writing unless one is writing on relig ion, culture, cuisine, or destinations nuance.What should you do then if you are not a native English speaker?Many great writers are native English speakers. However, writing should not only be in the English language but in other languages too! And being a native does not equal writing well.Here is how to win this debate: You can write in your native language and use a service like Google translate to translate phrases and words to other languages.If you want to focus on English, read English books, the dictionary, thesaurus, and journals on the niche you want to write.Practice writing in the English language.Watch English films and movies (not the Housewives thing).Stop using autocorrect while writing.Invest in your education, learning the language.Use online writing assistants like Hemingway editor to bring clarity in your writing.You can also seek inspiration from the likes of Prof Ngugi Wa Thiong and Chinua Achebe who are not native English speakers yet, have published books in the English language and even received international accords for their persuasive writing.#3 Develop a writing habit and strategyPlanning is a necessary process in any persons life not only for corporates but writers too.If you do not plan, you plan to make writing excuses! It is that simple.The building blocks you create in the planning process will inspire you to reach your goal of completing that book. It will help you avoid replacing writing with watching The Game of Thrones, buying groceries, browsing for advice and settling toddlers or cat mischief and excuses.Tip on making a successful plan:Designate a specific time for writing and reading.Set targets.Push yourself.Create a content calendar and a place where you find writing prompts or exercise to kill writers block.Test your progress after a week or a month.Make a list of what you want to achieve. It can be in sticky notes on a wall or laptop for affirmation.Set reminders to give you the push and inform you when its time to do groceries, shopping, or writing.Create realist goals on the number of words you want to write in a day. For me, I love using 750 words.com for setting and achieving my daily writing goals.Here too are our favorite writing software you can use in planning, time management, improve productivity, and kill those writing excuses:Chrome Plus Time Tracking AppToogllWunderlistGoogle calendarCoffitivityFocusMateEvernote#4 Use social media lessHow often do you use social media? Once a week? A day? Every minute?It is true social media has got a tremendous influence and opportunities these days. It has created jobs, made communication, information, and knowledge more manageable. But it has also contributed to time and resource wastage not forgetting making the world louder.Studies show on average; we spend close to three hours every day on social media slacking off watching memes or viral content yet, we could use this time to improve on our writing skills.Take, for example. You take an hour to write 1,000 words. You could reduce the number of hours you spend on social media to two, and the other on writing.Social media is also not just a place for watching memes, but thankfully, a platform to develop writing habits. You can write on LinkedIn writing, Tumblr, or even Facebook as you connect with friends and family.Other ways to get over being hooked on social media:Turning off notifications so you can concentrate on writing.Use an app like Zen writing app or the ones mentioned in #3, which keep track of what you do.Write before you engage in another activity. This will make you want to write faster since you want to move to the next commitment.Let your desire for writing be numero uno.Make the environment conducive for writing.Join writing groups like the Self-Publishing School Mastermind Community: an excellent place to find inspiration from those who share or overcome similar challenges and excuses.How to succeed in writing groups to get over writing excuses:Joi n relevant writing groups worth your time.Connect with authors and publishers through personal chats for advice and inspiration on places such as Scribophile.com or professional associations for writers and editors.Ask only relevant questions and be on point to get the most answers out of your questions.Build a rapport.Connect, network, and engage in each case.Never let social media take charge of your life.Take advantage of its hidden gem and use social platforms as an inspiration to arouse your creativity and bring back your writing mojo.#5 -Avoid procrastinationIf its not easy to start, it will be hell to finish. -  Niklas GÃ ¶keProcrastination is the biggest thief of creativity, progress, and success. It is an enemy you must conquer at all cost.Whatever it is that you may not want to write now, stop waiting for the right time, age, or when the right resources are available to start.Today, the community has got many great resources. You can write on your phone, table t, or a pocketbook. You can also use platforms like LinkedIn, Medium, or Tumblr to share your stories: or use a tool like Jami Gold Save to plan your novel if you are starting in this art.Remember also the Great Louis La Moore words on being able to write on any busy street corner.Any place, any time is an opportunity to write: not procrastinate.Note: For your writing to work, you need to be in the writing factory and not embrace the excuse factory.#6 Dont fear to fallThere is a lot that goes into self-publishing a book: drafts, outlines, revisions, finding a publishing company and eventually marketing and selling to the public who receives it with mixed reactions.Guess what happens during all this process?Frustrations, name shaming, trolls, in-your-face insults, and horrible reviews with straight-up lies.If this has been the case, keep the fire burning and kill the negative energy in this way:Make a list of all the life lesson and use them for motivation if you lack the inspirati on.Keep a list of your favorite motivational quotes.Take Sir Richard Bransons offer challenging readers to write letters to their younger self how to navigate life.Make a list of your habits positive and negative.Write of your failures and how you plan to succeed.Have faith which gives powers and action to thoughts. Most people develop excuses because they do not have faith in their writing.Finally, keep in mind that success waits on the other side of failure.#7 Disability is not inabilityAre you struggling with specific challenges in life? Maybe an illness, marital problems, family issues, anxiety, low mood, spouse abuse, or low self-esteem?Life has a unique way of furnishing us with problems- a thing the Bible captures: but it encourages us to overcome our challenges in a unique way.2 Corinthians 4:8-9: We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.You may struggle with whatever challenges life throws at you, but do not turn them into writing excuses.Remember, excuses thrive well where problems exist. The many times you count the troubles you are experiencing, the more you will use them as a reason for not completing your book.To tow you out of the excuse mode, look up these five authors who succeeded in this art despite disabilities.Peter WinklerOctavia E. ButlerChristy BrownJean-Dominique BaubyFyodor DostoyevskyI also wish to encourage you to:Write a memoir or a biography, or on the challenges, you are experiencing.Write about your failures and shortcomings and how you plan to undo them.Find a mentor in writing groups, writing conferences, and co-working space.Ask an able sister, friend, or family member to assist where necessary.Use technology, especially those for voice, motion, and creativity.#8 Strive for progress, not perfectionWhen I started writing, I struggled to produce a well-polished draft. I hated rewrites and self-editing made me want to ram my head into a wall.But with time, I allowed myself to be scrappy.I realized that giving it all in my drafts held my back: it pushed me into the rabbit hole of procrastination, fear and made me look inept.You may aspire to be perfect at what you do, considering the good returns it brings. But perfection sometimes carries a poor reputation plagiarism, Laryngitis, and writers block.This is especially the self-judgment we impose on ourselves when we find our piece is not of the quality of bestsellers or garnered low reviews.While you may want to become a bestselling author; when starting, strive for progress and with time, harness the power of perfection through edits, second, or third editions. Remember the old saying of how to eat an elephant? One bite at a time.That your first piece never made headlines does not mean the next will experience the same fate.Aim for progress. Perfection is like success, a journey, having no destination: hence the doing is a lot more important than th e result.Here is a broad overview of how to aim for progress:Collaborate with other writers, making relationships with them, whether aspiring or professional.Seek reviews and feedback from beta readers.Find or pay an editor to help bring out your thoughts, ideas, and write more succinctly.Do an activity that will bring more clarity to your writing.Give yourself enough latitude to experiment and maybe fail a couple of times.#9 Writers block doesnt existIt is an excuse us writers use to shot our own feet when writing or publishing a book: then seek comfort in a community or in-crowds ailing of the same.Lets face it one more time: Writers block is a fancy term made up by whiners so they can have an excuse to drink alcohol. Steve Martin.Guess what? You can stop it.How? It often starts with finding the real ailment, some soul searching and admitting to yourself.The other list of things you can do to write without writers block goes here:Make a habit of writing ideas every day.Seek idea s from social media or writing groups.The Time is Now.Check out these story ideas to stir inspirationThese creative writing prompts.Ask your partner or friend for ideas if stuck.Go through some of these creative writing exercisesDo something unique at least every quarter. It can be a documentary, podcast, or something related to the writing you produce.So whats standing in your way from self-publishing? Not excuses, it is you. But we can fix that- here at Self-Publishing School- with a few shifts in the mindset.Ready to get rid of those excuses and get your book DONE?With this training, excuses are not a part of the equation. Basically, we help you work through your biggest excuses in order to achieve your main goal: write and publish your book.

Please, Thank You, Youre Welcome

Please, Thank You, You're Welcome Please,  thank you, and  youre welcome  are perhaps the most common phrases  in English. Use  please  to politely ask for something,  thank you  or  thanks  when someone does something for you or gives you something. Finally,  use  youre welcome  as a polite response when something thanks you for something. Learn the rules and alternate forms of these three important phrases in English. Please for Requests Please is used in order to make requests more polite. It is added to the end of polite questions and is preceded by a comma. Polite Question , please ? Could you give me a hand, please?May I use your telephone, please?Can I join your table, please? Please  can also be placed before the verb when asking a polite question: Would you please help me with this?Could you please explain the grammar again? Please for Confirming Help Please is also used to confirm an offer of help using the phrase  yes, please. Would you like to come with us? - Yes, please.May I help you? - Yes, please. Id like to know more about this months sale. Giving Directions and Please Generally, please is not used when giving directions or instructions, especially if there are a number of instructions to follow.  For example, a teacher might give the following instructions to a class: Open your book to page 40.Read the introduction.Do the introductory exercises.Read the passage.Take the multiple choice follow-up quiz. Please can be used when giving instructions to make the order more polite. This is usually done when only one order (or instruction) is given and is used only in spoken English. Please sit down.Pay attention, please.Please fill in this form. Notice that please is placed at the beginning or end of the instruction. Thank You Thank you is used when a compliment is given: Youre a fantastic tennis player! - Thank you.I really enjoyed dinner. It was very tasty. - Thank you, Im glad you like it. Thank You to Accept and Refuse Offers Thank you is often used at the beginning of a reply to an offer. It can be used in both the positive and the negative form to either accept or refuse an offer. Would you like something to drink? - Thank you. Id like a cola, please.Do you want to join us at the concert tonight? - No thank you. I need to study! Thanks Thanks is also used in the same manner as thank you in informal situations. Youre Welcome The phrase youre welcome  is the most common response when someone thanks you for something.  Youre welcome  is a phrase that comes from the German word  willkommen.  However, as you can read below, the use is very different than in German. Other phrases for saying  youre welcome  include: Formal   Dont mention it.Not at all.My pleasure.Im glad to have been of help. Informal No problem.Sure.Certainly.   When to NOT use Please Please  is not used as a response to  thank you. WRONG Thank you. - Please. RIGHT Thank you. - Youre welcome.Thank you. - No problem.Thank you. - Not at all. The Use of Please and Thank You Compared to Other Languages The use of please and thank you in English is very important. Please and thank you have their equivalents in other languages, but the usage of please and thank you in English is not always the same. Lets take two examples one from German and one from Italian in which a translation of please is used in Italian or German, but not in English. Italian Please - Prego Posso sedermi? - Prego Literal English translation: Can I sit down me? - Please Proper English translation: Can I sit down? - Certainly German Please - Bitte Vielen Dank! - Bitte schoen! Literal English translation: Many thanks! - Please pretty! Common English translation: Many thanks! - Youre welcome! Please, Thank You, Youre Welcome Quiz Fill in the gap with  please,  thank you,  or  youre welcome  depending on the situation.   Could you _____ help me with my homework?Would you like to have dinner early today? Yes, _____.Thank you for your advice. - _____. Im glad you found it helpful.Would you like something to drink? _____. Im not thirsty.Another way to say  _____ is my pleasure._____ sit down and begin the lesson.Could I sit down next to you? Certainly. - _____.May I use your restroom, _____?_____ to use my study if you would like._____ for your help on the test. I got an A! Answers pleasepleaseYoure welcomeThank youyoure welcomePleaseThank youpleaseYoure welcomeThank you About English Functions The use of  please  and  thank you  are known as functions. Learning correct language functions will help you understand and use the correct phrases and grammar in specific situations.

Bolero Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Bolero - Essay Example Levitin and Wooten look at music how people perceive it within a large paradigm. Bolero is a movement musical piece that was pioneered by Maurice Ravel. It would later stand out as one of his most famous musical compositions of his time. As such, it is appropriate to use this piece to analyse these musical concepts (Levitin 78). The music features unique musical composition with a new style of composition and dance gestures, with the musical instrumentation largely utilizing a sopranino saxophone in F. Furthermore, this form of music has been characterized as having a plain structural composition being in C major of ? timing. In its composition, Bolero music starts with pianissimo progressing in a crescendo and ending up to a fortissimo being played so loud. The music is anchored on a constant ostinato in the entire composition. Wooten’s â€Å"The Music Lesson† brings out a rich collection of concepts that he has come up with over the years in his Bass camps. A combinat ion of the ten ideas seeks to illustrate music as a language all interwoven into musical concepts. Quite distinctively, Wooten identifies these concepts as elements of music that he identifies as notes, articulation, feel, musical technique, rhythm, dynamics, tone, listening, phrasing, and space (Wooten 98). Similarly, Levitin’s â€Å"This is your brain on music† offers insightful information regarding how humans perceive musical sounds and the manner in which the human brain processes musical sounds. In his point of view, humans have been successful in their own standing due to music (Levitin 56). In using these concepts to analyze Bolero music, several issues come into the mind. These issues are related to how music is perceived and how humans interpret it. In a fundamental way, Ravel’s Bolero music takes fifteen minutes repeating each of the song themes’ two sections approximately nine times using the same key. The composition uses various orchestratio ns varying considerably the musical texture. Consequently, it creates crescendo. Using Wooten’s core concepts, Bolero puts into focus a repeat pattern of AA BB four times, and AB being repeated once. All these serve to offer the composition a sort of modulation that creates a cataclysmic musical closure. In putting Levitin’s perspective, the melody used in the compositions makes the music to stick in human brains because of simple rhythm use. The effects of most of the repetitive concepts of Wooten seek to make the musical patterns stick to people’s brain. Therefore, occasionally people can be able to feel the beats and sounds of a particular music without physically listening to it playing (Wooten 45-8). Much of Andre Rieu’s renditions were based on classical music creating a new niche in music from the period ending up to the twentieth century. His approach to classical music was mostly anchored on involving the audience during musical performances so t hat the audience can appreciate music. However, these renditions combined the admired compositions of great classical musicians of the time with rather informal musical performance environment that was mostly associated with pop music. His articulation of music provided a festive atmosphere for the audience where they are encouraged to participate in the performance through dance and song. Wooten would later describe this perception of music as more of a language of the learning process to understand music (Wooten 72). The way the audience

Public Involvement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Public Involvement - Essay Example A good amount of research has gone into exploring how patients can be incorporated into the Health Care Planning process. The underlying principle of shared decision-making is that professionals and patients exchange information about treatment options and preferences, and through negotiation find solutions to the existing problems. The involvement of patients in healthcare service planning and evaluation is thought to increase accountability to tax-payers, better identify and meet their needs, and broaden the value base underlying evaluation (Gagliardi et al. 2007). A recent government policy in the UK, issued in 1999 and reviewed in 2002, under the title of ‘Patient and Public Involvement in the new NHS’, has stressed the need â€Å"to involve patients, users, carers and the public in health and health services, highlighting the opportunities which the Government’s NHS reforms offer to develop effective patient and public partnership† (HSC 1999/210 p. 2). All over the world an awareness campaign has taken birth to understand the implications of public participation and their impacts. (Anderson et al. 2006). Pollitt (2003) used a quotation from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to list some of the motives the governments are trying to employ to enhance the quality of services. It states, â€Å"†¦if service users participate, then surely they will know best what they want?† (Pollitt 2003: p. 100). It is also to escalate the credibility of policy decisions in trying to make the general public feel part of the process. It states, â€Å"This is not just our "political" decision making, it is yours too, because you participated in it† (Pollitt 2003: p. 100). As Farrell (2004) points out, the outcomes of public involvement increases the confidence, understanding and skills of the people who participate. It also

The Clash of Science, Politics,and Medical Marijuana Essay

The Clash of Science, Politics,and Medical Marijuana - Essay Example Apart from that there is additional proof to support the utilization of marijuana for pain and nausea resulting from chemotherapy, as well as muscle spasticity linked with multiple sclerosis. Therefore, nurses play a crucial role being activists in encouraging elimination of obstacles to the use of medicinal marijuana. With the legalization of medicinal marijuana, nurses will be permitted to advocate for patient use of marijuana when it comes to medicinal purposes. This is possible through the coming together of a growing number of state nursing associations through the backing of therapeutic use of marijuana (Diana, 2011). What problems were encountered? Although medicinal marijuana has a number of benefits associated with it, marijuana has in most cases been flaunted as one of the harmless recreational substances available. Perhaps this is true considering that a number of reputable scientific studies concur that alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and even cigarettes tend to be more dangero us to the health of the user compared to marijuana. Apart from that, the celebrated pharmacological elements of cannabis have resulted in thirty-six states permitting its application as a curative drug for, amongst others, those agonizing from AIDS; a variety of painful, incurable, as well as debilitating illnesses; the dangerous consequences of cancer chemotherapy, along with glaucoma. On top of that, marijuana became used in the treatment of anxiety, as well as mental disorders (Diana, 2011). The most powerful argument against the marijuana use in the treatment of a medical condition is that marijuana might lead to the hastening or provocation of the same disorders it became applied to treat. Regular smoking of marijuana damages the cells within the bronchial passages that guard the body against breathed in microorganisms, while at the same time, decreasing the capability of the immune cells within the lungs in fighting off fungi, bacteria, as well as tumor cells. For those patien ts whose immune system became already weakened, this is an indication of increased possibility of risky pulmonary infections, consisting of pneumonia, which in most cases proves fatal in patients suffering from AIDS. The principal respiratory outcomes of regular smoking of marijuana tend to be pulmonary infections, along with respiratory cancer, whose association to marijuana application became resiliently suggested, yet not conclusively proven. These effects comprise of chronic bronchitis, lung inflation, impairment in the role of the minor air passages, the development of probably pre-cancerous abnormalities within the bronchial lining, as well as lungs, in addition to a reduction in, the abilities of a number of defensive mechanisms in the lungs (Diana, 2011). There is a perception that marijuana is at the source of a number of mental disorders, comprising of acute toxic psychosis, delusions, panic attacks, flashbacks, depersonalization, uncontrollable aggressiveness, hallucinati ons, depression and paranoia. Marijuana has for a long time now been known for prompting mental illness’ attack like bipolar (manic-depressive) psychosis, together with schizophrenia. This association with mental illness must assemble health

Close reading On Bullshit by Harry Frankfurt Essay

Close reading On Bullshit by Harry Frankfurt - Essay Example Still, we don’t know the real reason for his curiosity in the word. It is only in the last pages of the essay he says that people craft their bullshit according to their targets needs. He mentions things such as market research and opinion polls, which help bullshitters manufacture their bullshit and serve it efficiently. The real reason behind the essay can be his disgust towards the bullshit that he finds around him. There are politicians, economist and psychologists who claim to know everything in their chosen field. But the results of their actions don’t seem to be helping the societies or countries. He might be having a feeling that everyone is groping in the dark or in other words, just bullshitting. The essay then investigates into the real meaning of the word bullshit. No research can be conducted independent of previous researches. It is for this reason that Harry dissects the definition of the word ‘Humbug’. He says that bullshit and humbug are to o close words differing only in the manner of their deliverance and not content. Then he divides the definition of humbug provided by Max Black into following sets of words – 1- Deceptive misrepresentation. 2- Short of lying 3- Especially by pretentious word or deed. 4- Misrepresentation of†¦. somebody’s own thoughts, feelings and attitudes. ... To this Wittgenstien replies that Pascal doesn’t know how a dog feels after its run over by something. The point the writer makes is that people are careless towards organizing facts and so they bullshit their way through. These people are not honest, neither are they liars, they are just bullshitters. The essay argues that liars are less harmful than bullshitters because liars can be held accountable for their lies. But no such thing exists for bulshit. The essay is very successful in shedding light on the phenomenon of bullshit. It makes a clear distinction between lying and bullshitting. It is very successful in emphasizing the problem of bullshit. Bullshitters are unreliable and more dangerous than dishonest people. The essay argues that liars know what truth is and are at the opposite end of the spectrum of honesty with truthful people at the other end. But bullshitters lie somewhere in between and what makes them so dangerous is that they ‘don’t care’ to know the truth. They just assume things, make up stories and also repeat what they hear somewhere else. The article understands the meaning and the functioning of the phenomenon of bullshit. It explains that people bullshit in order to achieve some objective. But there are a few things which are lacking in the analysis. Since so much is known about bullshit, a framework should have been made for comparing bullshitters with liars. That framework can have many features such as different category and scenario of bullshit. The article also makes some statements which are in conflict with the very basic etiquettes of human civilization. If lack of knowledge and features such as repetition make

Arts Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Arts - Article Example The number of people who use art when they are influenced by the some past events or something thing that shows some of the messages or ideas in the minds. Because of such unique ability in artistic works some of the art work is also called master pieces. The thing that is taken in the art for formation is the objects and the painting which is counted in the pure arts and the chair which is form by the person counted under the artistic worlds. Fine art is the art that ideals with the less value and intention for making any object. However those hand made objects that are served as the functional purpose are called the crafts. The object has different division and it is classified as according with the creator of the object they are not counted with their physical appearance they are just counted with their creators. In the past years in eighteenth century art was related with the truth and beauty. However, after the modern things came in the art study there was also the changes took place in nineteenth century and art contained the modernist paintings. Those were the formation of art that is related with the discipline it contains the methods of discipline and criticize he discipline. Art education is concerned with that type education which is related to arts. Art education is based on the education that is called the visual and tangible arts that art which is visible to every one and the students learn about those arts are the art education. this art education includes drawing sculptures paintings things that are from antiques there are different t types of art education art education may be in drawing fabrics designing jewellery and may be the art education is as an artist of drawing paintings. This art education is used on large scale today for the designing of many hand made articles in the most advance form to use in the offices hotels or at home. This term art education has not the single meaning and it is not reserved only with the art of studying only a single thing it is that type of education which is related to many things. These arts are defined by the instruction and programming in the art area. Arts include some kinds these are: Performing Art: It is the art that is related to the music theatre and the art in front of the public it is that art which is totally different from the plastic art plastic art is called the visual art that art which is visible to every one. Performing art is the art that is explained with the body it is the body art too. there are so many types of performing arts such as acrobatics busking come dance at the stage magic music opera film juggling, the performing art is very famous in the Asian countries on the theatres and this art needs much practice before going to perform in front of the public it is the art fully related with the performance of the individual not concerned with the plastic art that is related with the materials made by hands. Plastic Art: It us the visible art it is the art that is related to the tangible items such as the architectures ceramics glass arts land art metal working paper art and many more this is the art about which many students are learning at different universities and are getting knowledge of creation of such arts. This type of

British Airway is a listed industrial company on the London Stock Essay

British Airway is a listed industrial company on the London Stock Exchange,obtain its published annual reports and aacounts - Essay Example The financial performance and position analysis of British Airways can be done with the help of profitability, leverage and liquidity ratios in comparison with one of its major industrial competitors i.e. Air France-KLM (banker.thomsonib.com). The analysis of Air France-KLM would serve as a benchmark for the evaluation of performance and position of British Airways plc. The profitability ratios presented in the above table highlight both the companies i.e. British Airways plc and Air France-KLM for the last 4 years 2002-05. The return on assets ratio for British Airways reveals that the company has been generating a declining return on its various assets over the last four years. This ratio has decreased by about 39% in 2005 as compared to the year 2002. For Air France, this ratio also shows that the return generated by the company on its various assets has been consistently declining over the four years. The ratio has decreased by about 50% in the year 2005 as compared to 2002. Despite this fact, Air France's return on asset ratio is about 12% higher than that of the British Airways plc for the year 2005. This suggests that Air France has been more successful in utilising its assets towards the generation of profit. The return on capital employed ratio indicates the extent to which a company generates return on the funds invested by its investors. According the above table, British Airways' return on capital employed ratio has been on the declining trend for the last four years suggesting a significant plunge in the company's net profits. The ROCE for British Airways has declined by about 30% in the year 2005 as compared to 2002. Approximately, the similar situation has been with its competitor Air France plc; its ROCE has also been declining but at a higher rate than British Airways i.e. 50% if the figures for the year 2005 are compared with 2002. Still, Air France's ROCE is much higher than that of the British Airways. The three profit margin ratios depicted in the above chart i.e. the gross profit margin, operating margin and net profit margin provide an insight into these companies' general profitability. The gross profit margin shows the revenue that is left with the company after accounting for various production and distribution costs. The operating margin reveals the extent to which a company loses its sales revenues in meeting its

Arts Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Arts - Article Example The number of people who use art when they are influenced by the some past events or something thing that shows some of the messages or ideas in the minds. Because of such unique ability in artistic works some of the art work is also called master pieces. The thing that is taken in the art for formation is the objects and the painting which is counted in the pure arts and the chair which is form by the person counted under the artistic worlds. Fine art is the art that ideals with the less value and intention for making any object. However those hand made objects that are served as the functional purpose are called the crafts. The object has different division and it is classified as according with the creator of the object they are not counted with their physical appearance they are just counted with their creators. In the past years in eighteenth century art was related with the truth and beauty. However, after the modern things came in the art study there was also the changes took place in nineteenth century and art contained the modernist paintings. Those were the formation of art that is related with the discipline it contains the methods of discipline and criticize he discipline. Art education is concerned with that type education which is related to arts. Art education is based on the education that is called the visual and tangible arts that art which is visible to every one and the students learn about those arts are the art education. this art education includes drawing sculptures paintings things that are from antiques there are different t types of art education art education may be in drawing fabrics designing jewellery and may be the art education is as an artist of drawing paintings. This art education is used on large scale today for the designing of many hand made articles in the most advance form to use in the offices hotels or at home. This term art education has not the single meaning and it is not reserved only with the art of studying only a single thing it is that type of education which is related to many things. These arts are defined by the instruction and programming in the art area. Arts include some kinds these are: Performing Art: It is the art that is related to the music theatre and the art in front of the public it is that art which is totally different from the plastic art plastic art is called the visual art that art which is visible to every one. Performing art is the art that is explained with the body it is the body art too. there are so many types of performing arts such as acrobatics busking come dance at the stage magic music opera film juggling, the performing art is very famous in the Asian countries on the theatres and this art needs much practice before going to perform in front of the public it is the art fully related with the performance of the individual not concerned with the plastic art that is related with the materials made by hands. Plastic Art: It us the visible art it is the art that is related to the tangible items such as the architectures ceramics glass arts land art metal working paper art and many more this is the art about which many students are learning at different universities and are getting knowledge of creation of such arts. This type of

Essay on Distributive Bargaining and Mediation

On Distributive Bargaining and Mediation - Essay Example Distributive bargaining is generally referred as negotiation of win and loses between parties where both the parties attempt to maximize their profit and minimize personal losses. On the other hand, integrative bargaining focuses on developing a win-win situation for both the parties. It is also referred to as interest based bargaining as in this negotiation parties collaborate to determine a solution that generate mutual satisfaction. In certain specific situations, other measures of negotiation such as mediation are implemented as well. Mediation is one of the well-known processes of alternative dispute resolution where dispute resolution is facilitated through skilled leadership of a third party unbiased to the situation (Raiffa, 1982). In this paper, mediation and distributive bargaining have been compared and analyzed as measures of negotiation. The paper also highlights benefits and drawbacks of both the measures in context of conflict resolution and discusses situations where each of these methods is most suitable. It was gathered that a number of scholarly articles on dispute resolution indicates that primarily two kinds of negotiation strategies are adopted in most cases, namely, distributive bargaining and integrative bargaining. The philosophy of distributive bargaining focuses on value claiming and refrains from dividing the pie. There has been a mention of pie in this paper as the concept is often compared to division of pie by most researchers. The distributive bargaining is implied in terms of zero sum approach of economic theory because the process of dividing outcomes of an event under this method of negotiation is mutually exhaustive (Amanatullah, Morris & Curhan, 2008). One of the important aspects of distributive bargaining is that negative correlation is exhibited among interests of aggrieved parties while gain of one party is directly proportional to loss of another. Authors such

Benthams Utilitarianism Essay Example for Free

Benthams Utilitarianism Essay Bentham sees that man is being governed by two feelings, this is pleasure and pain. These determine that which is good and evil for man. These are also the basis of the act of man, and these-pain and pleasure would be the fundamentals of the philosophy, utilitarianism. The principle of utility is the action that approves or disapproves an action whatsoever. By the principle of utility, it aims to help man to choose which would give him benefit. The principle of utility determines that which would give man more happiness, good, and pleasure, and negate that which would give him otherwise. The perfect example of something that executes the principle of utility is the government. Since it upholds the betterment of the many, than the pleasure of the individualthis is demonstrated in law-making. Legislators are bound to the principle of utility as they legislate, while for manhe acts with Calculus of Felicity in his mind. Considering the intensity, duration, trueness and closeness of an act. But these are only applicable for a given moment of time, but if a man has to consider a succession of events he must consider fecunditywhere he thinks that a positive act would be followed followed by a positive act, and puritywhere man thinks that an act will not be followed by a negative effect, or karma. But for Bentham he asserts that this philosophy should be placed in context. The principle utilitarianism is nor always a good basis in judging the morality of an act. But the process of utilitarianism ail always be a good determiner of pleasure, profit, and advantage and also to tell which he should avert. Bentham considers that this principle maybe useless at times but he believes in the nature of man, he is innately born with pleasures of pain and this principle would always be useful to him.

Which Culture Should We Teach? Which Version of History is Correct? :: Teaching Education Philosophy

The educational process should not just be a process aimed at relaying information to students. Students have a rare opportunity to experience their youth and grow intellectually. College provides a chance for young people to experience life in a loose setting where they can grow as individuals and form their own opinions about life. When developing a school curriculum, members of college boards need to remember how vulnerable this time is in a student's life. The question of, whether colleges should emphasize a unified view of culture and the things that we have in common or whether they should emphasize people's differences is a complicated one. When first looking at this question many of people would be adamant about the fact that colleges have a certain responsibility to teach about different cultures, and I agree with that, but only to a certain extent. I think always wanting to emphasize peoples differences could be a problem. In today's multi-cultural world it is important to know about ones own culture and the cultures of others, but we can't forget to teach about our own culture. The culture we share as a whole, the American culture. Many people forget about the rich culture we have in America. A lot of the time people get wrapped up in looking at the differences between us and forget to look at all the similarities. Another problem that can arise when different cultures refuse to integrate is it thickens the walls between us. Everyone is always talking about trying to tear down these invisible walls between racial groups and religious groups, but then these same people, high ranking government and school officials are constantly pounding into peoples heads how different we are, and in some cases why some group should be angry at some other racial group. All this is doing is causing trouble and putting resentment into peoples heads, which just adds to the barriers between us. When a student graduates from high school he is faced with a decision about what he is going to with the rest of his life. One option that is open to these students is college. In college a student is given a chance to learn about a subject of his choice. While getting this education the student is surrounded by a rich wealth of knowledge and ideas that can influence the way he looks at life. High School a vulnerable time in many of these students' lives.

Logic of the Absurds :: Free Essay Writer

Logic of the Absurds Man's fundamental bewilderment and confusion, stems from the fact that man has no answers to the basic existential questions: why we are alive, why we have to die, why there is injustice and suffering, all this serve as the impetus for such a thinking. Man constantly wonders about the truth of life and realizes that the more you expect from it, the more it fails you or may be the more we expect from ourselves the more we find ourselves engaging in a futile battle with the odds. May be the truth is the realization of our limitations and the potency of these odds that press you down with their brutal truths†¦.†¦.brutal?, can the truth be brutal. But the truth is the God, ourselves, the destiny that rules us and fashions us, after a strange decree which we fail to unravel. "What do I know about man's destiny? I could tell you more about radishes." -Samuel Beckett Concerning itself with such questions is the genre of literature is the movement called ‘THE THEATRE OF THE ABSURD’. The Theatre of the Absurd (50's) draws on the existentialist writings of Jean Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. Camus adapted Dostoyevsky's The Possesed to the stage (1959). Mostly, his writing was concerned with the dilemma of individuals who believe that values are relative but who cannot live without moral commitment. Camus argues that humanity has to resign itself to recognizing that a fully satisfying rational explanation of the universe is beyond its reach; thus the world must ultimately be seen as absurd. The underpinnings of the Theatre of the Absurd are derived from these existentialist ideas that led to Absurdism. Absurdism teaches, much like Camus, that, that which cannot be justified in a rational manner is absurd. Since religion requires a "leap of faith"(Kierkegaard) it is absurd, just as life itself is absurd. The Theater of the Absurd refers to tendencies in dramatic literature that emerged in Paris during the late 1940s and early '50s in the plays of Arthur Adamov, Fernando Arrabal, Samuel Beckett, Jean Genet, Eugene Ionesco, and Jean Tardieu. A term coined by the critic Martin Esslin, 'The Theatre of the Absurd' refers to the work of a number of playwrights, mostly written in the 1950s and 1960s. Its roots lie in an essay by the French philosopher Albert Camus. In his 'Myth of Sisyphus', written in 1942, he first defined the human situation as basically meaningless and absurd.

Better business through budgeting Essay

The article talks about the importance of formulating a budget for businesses even small-size companies since it establishes their goals and helps to predict the success of a business idea while embarking upon the financial health of the company. Formulating a working budget is important from a business and financial perspective that allows measuring progress, accounting for unexpected expenses and availing investment opportunities. It is a tool for attracting investors and getting loans. Budget enables both the insiders and outsiders to look at the history of performance and upcoming plans and deliverables of the company. Small companies usually don’t pay much attention to budget since they consider financing as secondary to the product or service they provide as well as a waste of time. A simple and effective budget is the need of time for small companies. Alexander defined budget as a tool for identifying incomes and expenditures. The projections allow a company to compare it plans and expectations with what happens actually thus showing the company’s performance and accomplishment of the goals. Budget entails with it three financial statements of which cash flow is the most important followed by income statement and balance sheet. The realistic projections about a business future performance can be made through historical data as well as likely income to be generated through marketing programs, seasonal businesses and other anticipated sources with the help of research. Fixed and variable costs should be projected in the same manner and later the numbers should be plugged in. The key is to be conservative and build contingency plans in order to build a financial cushion in the budget(Klein, K. E. 2006). The biggest mistake to avoid is that budget should be treated as an ongoing exercise rather than once a year exercise done to accomplish some purpose which is not consulted again throughout the year. Secondly, it should be realistic with all the necessary elements and details. Thirdly, it can be made with the help of financial advisors who offer insight into the budgeting process rather than the entrepreneur making it himself with incomplete knowledge. Softwares are also available for this purpose but the key is to select the simple and easy to use ones which do not contain specialized programs but the general ones which are not heavy on jargons. RESPONSE The article explains us the importance and usefulness of budgeting in an organization which is meant for both insiders and outsiders. Budgeting will not only allow projecting incomes and expenditures but compare them those to the real picture in order to know whether the business is fulfilling our expectations or not. It is necessary to set goals and ensure that the business idea seems to be realistic and viable in the future. The insiders of a company need budget to regulate their expenses and account for any unexpected expenses or losses. Before making any investment, the company should consult its budget that whether it allows for it or not keeping all other expenses in account. For the outsiders, the budget serves as a statement of plans and deliverables for the year. The budget tells the stakeholders how successful the company has been on meeting its goals. Budget is a useful exercise for small sized companies since they need to operate within their small source of income and ensure that their expenses do not get out of their hands. Budgeting also increases the credibility of a business since the stakeholders gain confidence in a business while looking at the financial statements. Today, most of the businesses do not formulate a budget and those who do consider it a one-time exercise and a formality for the shareholders. Companies should realize the importance of budgeting and take actions only after consulting their budget in order to avoid any pitfalls (Shim & Siegel, 2008). REFERENCE Shim, J. K. , & Siegel, J. G. (2008). Budgeting Basics and Beyond, 3rd edn. Wiley. Klein, K. E. 2006. Better Business Through Budgeting.

Basketball Sports Editorial

The Stanford Cardinals men's basketball team won, 82-69 over visitng Arizona State on Thursday night. With the win, the Cardinals ended a two-game losing streak and continued their ninth straight win at home. This was an important game for the Pac-10 Conference teams. After the game, Stanford (9-4,13-9) remained a game behind co-leaders UCLA and California. Stanford senior, Matt Haryasz, who scored 22 points, said: â€Å"Right now we just need to win. We're only a game out of first and we think we got robbed out of one at U of A.We're going to be pumped up to play. † Haryasz, who has dealt with vision problems stemming from a poke to the eye two weeks ago at Oregon State, became the 35th player in school history to reach 1,000 points, following Hernandez, who reached the milestone earlier this season. Haryasz also became the 13th player to record 1,000 points and 600 rebounds. â€Å"This injury has put things in perspective for me,† Haryasz said. â€Å"Sometimes you ta ke things for granted like always being able to see perfectly. To go down with the eye injury was tough.It's nice to see again. † Stanford's Chris Hernandez scored 12 points and extended his consecutive free throw streak to 34. Hernandez is now seven shy of Todd Lichti's 41 straight, and 15 short of the school record held by Ryan Mendez. Also a senior at Stanford, Dan Grunfeld, scored a career-high 31 points against Arizona on Thursday. He made 9 of 11 shots from the field and all 11 of his free throws. He now has a total of 914 career points for Stanford. Grunfeld, a first-team all-conference pick last year, injured his knee last Feb. 2 and had surgery on Feb. 23. He missed the final nine games of the season, but his shooting and scoring have both been off from last year. â€Å"The fact that we won is more important, but it is special for me as far as coming back from an injury. † Grinfeld said. â€Å"I'm wearing a lighter brace now, and it's nice to be able to do thi ngs I wasn't able to do before. † Grunfeld began wearing the new brace in Saturday's loss at Gonzaga. Cardinal coach Treant Johnson said of Grunfeld and his new brace, â€Å"He's had a lot of bounce the last week.I thought at Gonzaga he looked real good. It's nice to have Danny back. † Haryas said, â€Å"You can tell he's moving more fluid, and that's good for the team. It's good to know he's able to do so much more. A bunch of times I hit him (with passes), he was wide open. He got a couple of easy buckets, went to the foul line and started rolling. † Stanford's Antwi Atuahene, who scored 10 points, stole the ball and went all the way in for a layin to draw Arizona State within 49-43 with 13:37 to play.He was called for a foul 17 seconds later, and a technical foul assessed on Sun Devil assistant coach Tony Benford moments later. Stanford made all four free throws on the play, and Hernandez added two more foul shots on the ensuing possession to push its lead bac k to double digits. Also on Thursday, Cal sent the University of Arizona Wildcats to their sixth conference loss. The Wildcats are coming to Stanford Maples Pavilion on Sunday at 12:30 p. m. for a key game.

Effective Inventory Control and Management

â€Å"EFFECTIVE INVENTORY CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT: A CASE STUDY OF IKEA† UNIVERSITY OF WALES JANUARY 2012 Table of Contents ABSTRACT4 CHAPTER – 15 1. 1 INTRODUCTION5 1. 2 BACKGROUND OF THE ORGANIZATION7 1. 3 OBJECTIVES8 1. 4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS8 1. 5 PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH9 1. 6 DELIMITATIONS9 1. 7 TARGET GROUP10 1. 8 JUSTIFICATION FOR CHOOSING THIS RESEARCH TOPIC10 1. 9 PROBLEMS FORMULATION11 1. 10 OVERVIEW OF THE DISSERTATION11 2. 4 INVENTORY CONTROL17 2. 5 APPROACHES USED FOR INVENTORY CONTROL:17 2. 6 INVENTORY CONTROL SYSTEM19 2. 7 INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE:20 2. 7. Components of the software:20 Asset tracking20 Barcoding20 Order management20 Service management20 2. 8 CONTROLLING INVENTORY21 CHAPTER – 3 Research Methodology:29 3. 1 RESEARCH TYPES:29 3. 1. 1. Exploratory Research:29 3. 1. 2 Descriptive Research:30 3. 1. 3 Explanatory Research:30 3. 1. 4 Chosen method for this research:30 3. 2 RESEARCH APPROACH:30 3. 2. 1 Qualitative Approach:31 3. 2. 2 Quan titative Approach:31 3. 2. 3 Chosen approach in this study:32 3. 3 RESEARCH METHOD:32 Inductive versus Deductive approach:32 3. 4 RESEARCH STRATEGY:33 3. 4. 1 Experiment:33 3. 4. Survey:33 3. 4. 3 Action Research:34 3. 4. 4 Case Study:34 3. 4. 5 Operations Research Modeling:34 3. 4. 6 Chosen strategy for the research:35 3. 5 DATA COLLECTION:36 3. 5. 1 Primary Data:36 3. 5. 2 Secondary Data:36 3. 6 APPROACHES FOR ANALYSIS:37 3. 7 QUALITY CRITERIA:37 3. 7. 1. Validity:37 3. 7. 2 Reliability:38 CHAPTER – 4 FINDINGS & ANALYSIS:39 CHAPTER – 6 CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS:50 CHAPTER – 6 FURTHER RESEARCH:52 6. 1 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE MODEL & REALITY53 6. 2 FINAL REMARKS:55 ABSTRACT In this research study the inventory management and control at IKEA is studied.IKEA is a home furnishing company that produces high quality products at very low prices. This is only possible with the help of VMI i. e. vendor managed inventory system. To reduce the cost of logistics, the in ventory must be reduced from the supply chain. VMI is a very good strategy of supply chain management where supplier is whole solely is responsible for full filling the demand inventory at customer’s stock. There are 19 VMI relationships which are maintained by IKEA. In this way IKEA is able to reduce the inventory at their stores and enhance the service level and satisfy consumers very well.The main purpose behind doing this research is to determine whether the coordinated inventory management is useful for reducing the inventory levels at the IKEA stores or not. In this research a complete study about the inventory control and management is done. The results shows that there are various innovative ways used by IKEA to reduce its inventory level so that low prices can get involved in managing the inventory and good quality of service can be provided to the consumers. The VMI system used by the IKEA benefits the supply chain; therefore this is responsible for increasing the p roductivity of suppliers.The increased number of inventory at distribution centre of IKEA may be troublesome but it can be also solved with the help of VMI CHAPTER – 1 INTRODUCTION 1. 1 INTRODUCTION The stream of management that is related to the keep and manages the objects and material or goods is called as inventory management. The basic domains of inventory management is to correct determination of order, asking for the material on correct time means proper timing. Inventory management is very important in supply chain management. To reduce the cost of total inventory keeping is referred as Inventory control.At present time inventory control is done with the help of barcodes and radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags that enable documentation of inventory automatically. Some of the inventory objects are fixed assets, circulating tools, library books, merchandise. The inventory objects are scanned under a barcode scanner or RFID reader so that all the data related to t hese transactions are recorded. After that collects additional information from the operators via fixed terminals or mobile computers. This whole process is used for the automation of sales and satisfies the consumers to fulfill his needs.This all information is recorded in a system and then workers are required for packing and shipping of the order to the final consumer. In and outward hardware materials are also maintained by the inventory system. Various wireless and mobile terminals are used at the time of transactions moment and real-time inventory control system. The name IKEA stands for â€Å"Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd†. Ikea is one of the largest and well-known companies for home furnishing. The main objective of IKEA is to provide good quality home furnishing products at comparatively lower prices.The main core specialized areas of IKEA is designing, buying and selling home furnishing. At present there are more than 300 IKEA stores that are located in 37 diffe rent countries and are enhancing its number continuously. At present there are 127 000 employees are working in the company in the entire world such as in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. This research study is mainly concerned with improvement of inventory control systems in order to lower inventory levels at IKEA. Most of the companies at national as well as international level are facing huge challenges due to immense competition in the market.The challenges that occur in front of the companies are production of innovative product line and that too in lower prices. The company can overcome these challenges if it will be enhanced its strengths and overcome its weaknesses by various efforts. The analysis of target market has to done very properly so that company’s products will be purchased by more and more clients and company will earn profits and generate more revenues. This research paper is mainly related to the fact that how multinational companies manage all its operations related to the inventory and its control.Various processes such as customer requirements, operations management, monitoring projects and other theories and processes applied in actual operation are studied here. In this research various findings related to the management of inventory and its control are gathered that underpins the theoretical aspects and the real strategies behind this concept. To ensure the correct supply of items or material at perfect timing the supervision of supply, its storage and good accessibility is required and that can be done with control of the inventory.This is also called as internally control of all the things. Inventory control is an accounting process or system that is made for promoting efficiency or ensures proper implementation of a policy or safeguards for the assets to reduce any error or fraudulent activity. Inventory control  can be explained as following ways also: ? In economics, it can be elaborated as the  inventory co ntrol problem, that’s main objective is to decrease the overhead cost without declining the sales graph. ? In the field of  loss prevention, systems designed to introduce technical barriers to  shoplifting . 2 BACKGROUND OF THE ORGANIZATION IKEA  is a privately owned home products company in the international market that deals in designing and selling of  ready-to-assemble furniture  such as beds and  desks, appliances and various home accessories. IKEA is the best retailer in the home accessories sector. This was started in the year 1943 by 17-year-old  Ingvar Kamprad  in Sweden, the name of the company is decided according to the name initials of founder such as (Ingvar  Kamprad), and the farm where he grew up (Elmtaryd), and his home parish (Agunnaryd in smaland  , South Sweden).This was a well-known organization that reduces the controlling cost of the inventory, various operational things and good management of inventory. Due to its innovative product s it was able to generate more profits and global expansion in the year 2010. But with the help of its operational efficiency it could able to keep its prices lower. The groups of companies that form IKEA are all controlled by INGKA Holding B. V. , a Dutch corporation, which in turn is controlled by a tax-exempt, not-for-profit Dutch  foundation. The ntellectual property of IKEA is controlled by a series of corporations that can be traced to the Netherlands Antilles  and to the  Interogo Foundation  in Liechtenstein. INGKA Holding B. V. owns the industrial group Swedwood, which  sources  the manufacturing of IKEA furniture, the sales companies that run IKEA stores, as well as purchasing and supply functions, and IKEA of Sweden, which is responsible for the design and development of products in the IKEA range. INGKA Holding B. V. is wholly owned by  Stichting INGKA Foundation, which is a non-profit  foundation  registered in  Leiden, Netherlands.The European logis tics centre is located in  Dortmund, Germany, and the Asian logistics centre is located in Singapore. In Delft and Netherlands, Inter IKEA Systems B. V. consists of the concept and trademark of IKEA and there is an agreement between these two companies. The IKEA Group is the biggest franchisee of Inter IKEA Systems B. V. Inter IKEA Systems B. V. is not owned by INGKA Holding B. V. , but by Inter IKEA Holding S. A. registered in  Luxembourg,  which in turn is controlled by the  Interogo Foundation  in Liechtenstein. Ingvar Kamprad has confirmed that this foundation is controlled by him and his family.The company which was originated in Smaland, Sweden, distributes its products through its retail outlets. There are 332 stores of IKEA is the 88 countries of the entire world as of October 2011. In fiscal year 2010, it sold $23. 1 billion worth of goods; a 7. 7 percent increase over 2009. On February 17, 2011, IKEA announced its plans for a wind farm in Dalarna County, Sweden, furthering the furniture giant's goal of running on 100 percent renewable energy. (Handfield, 2001) On the website of IKEA there are about 12,000 products that show the whole range of IKEA products and its specialties also.From the year September 2007 to September 2008, there were total 470 million visitors of the website of IKEA. At that time, Company is very much interested in taking up eco-friendly processes for the production of its products. The number of IKEA is 3rd for the consumption of woods and it is lagging behind The Home Depot  and  Lowe's. (Simchi-Levi D, 2007) Business idea: The main business idea of IKEA is to provide huge range of good designed products for home furnishing and that must be given in low prices so that many people can use them more. Vision: â€Å"To create a better everyday life for the many people. 1. 3 OBJECTIVES †¢ To identify the challenges that occurs in the supply chain of IKEA. †¢ To decrease the cost that is responsible for gene rating more profits at IKEA. †¢ To improve customer services while scrutinizing the approaches for inventory control in order to lower stock levels †¢ To determine the usage of coordinated inventory management for proper management and control of inventory. 1. 4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS †¢ How the challenges can be solved in supply chain for IKEA? †¢ At what level, reduction of holding cost can increase the profitability of IKEA? Is it a good idea to finding new approaches for inventory control in order to improve customer services? †¢ How does coordinated inventory management is helpful in proper management of inventory? 1. 5 PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH The main aim of this research is to find out the operational efficiency of IKEA and to determine the inventory management at IKEA. This study includes operational efficiency, capacity planning, process layout, and product services/scheduling, inventory and how all the projects were managed in the organization. Simchi- Levi D, 2007) The evaluation and monitoring of all the operational processes can be done, this all will going to explore in this case. This research will be helpful in getting all the empirical findings related to the research and the matter that supports the theories related to operations, inventory management and control. This research study will scrutinize the thing that how a model can control the multi-level inventory system and it is also used for calculating the reorder points for IKEA’s distribution centers and retail stores. (Hines, T. 2004)This research study will also give knowledge about the simulation software that is used for calculation of inventory that how much inventory can be decreased if a coordinated inventory control method is executed rather than the uncoordinated control system used today. This analysis is done by using a sample of articles and the corresponding real case data from a geographically limited area. For conduting this study in a smooth way , the flow of material that is chosen was simplest multi-level case where one distribution center is there and more number of retail stores are selected.The goods or material is distributed from that one distribution centre only. The chosen articles are taken from different price, frequency and service level categories. This means that even though only a fraction of the total number of articles is included, the results of the project should be representative for a larger number of other articles. (Haag, S. , 2006) 1. 6 DELIMITATIONS In any research study the geographical area must be chosen so that this area can be selected as a sample to conduct this research study. The geographical area chosen in this case study is the distribution center and the seventeen retail stores.The common goods are sent to all retail stores from the single distribution centre and direct deliveries from the suppliers are not entertained. All articles are also found in the self-serve range of products. In t his research the products that are already used is not used for conducting the project because that can affect the results of this research. The distribution of new products is done from the distribution centers. The goods that are moved very less from the distribution centre is not used for this research. (Hines, T. 2004) 1. 7 TARGET GROUP In any research study the target group carries the utmost importance.The one target group is IKEA and the fellow students at the university, especially those studying inventory management and future master’s thesis authors. The usage of this research thesis for IKEA is to see the operational things and inventory management at its place and evaluation of its overall inventory management and control. This project is also concerned with the employees that are working with the supply chain management at IKEA (Handfield, 2001). The coordinated inventory management will be helpful in reduction of inventory, this concept will be explored in this research report. . 8 JUSTIFICATION FOR CHOOSING THIS RESEARCH TOPIC This research is mainly concerned with the operational aspects of IKEA. The inventory is very important part of any organization but the most important thing is to maintain this inventory and its proper management is taken care of. The companies’ main motto is to maintain its inventory in lowest cost and satisfy its consumers to provide the products and services on time means timely delivery of goods and services is very important for the organizations to achieve its organizational goals.If company is able to manage its inventory cost, it will ultimately born to earn lots and lots of profits. (Simchi-Levi D, 2007) 1. 9 PROBLEMS FORMULATION The main problem that is searched by IKEA is that its retail stores dealing with the problem of inventory management. There are lots of inventory is collected at the retail stores and distribution centers. If there is a lot of inventory is available at the retail, it will i ncrease its retaining cost and that affect the profits of the organization. If the level of inventory is high, it becomes very costly for the organizations. Hines, T. 2004) Some products are moved but remaining is disposed from the stores and the profits get very lower. Most of the inventory related systems are optimizing the level of stocks and they do not care for other installations. The inventories are kept in the organization so that stocks must be maintained and when demand is arouse company will be able to meet the demand. The different levels will not benefit from information from the other actors and the system as a whole will only be sub optimized.The distribution store and retail store has the same service levels requirements are similar. With this system, it is likely that the central warehouse keeps a non-optimal amount of stock. The service level that is experienced by customers is the important one. It does not matter what service level the retail stores experience fr om the distribution centre, as long as the customers do not experience shortages. (Handfield, 2001) This master’s thesis will give IKEA a chance to see how a coordinated inventory control system will affect the company.It will not provide any exact or detailed recommendations on how to implement the coordination approach into the current ERP-system, but instead show a possible next step in the development of the control system. (Larson, P. D, 2004) 1. 10 OVERVIEW OF THE DISSERTATION The complete dissertation will go according to the following structure: Chapter 1: The research problem, its background, organizational background, the aims and objectives of the research, research questions will explained in this part of the dissertation. The justification behind choosing this research subject and scope of the research is also explained.Chapter 2: This chapter consists of literature related to this topic and all theoretical aspects of the inventory management and control. The ope rations are very important department of any big industry. The inventory always kept in the stores but the huge money is invested in it to maintain this inventory so that we are here studying the practices to manage inventory and control it. Chapter 3: This chapter consists of the research methodology of the research. The determination of research methodology must be done very carefully so that research will go in right direction.The triangulation methodology is used here that is the combination of qualitative as well as quantitative research methods. The methods of data analysis and rational for choosing this research approach these all questions will be answered in this chapter. Chapter 4: This chapter will collect the analysis of data that is gathered through various sources. The analysis of collected data is very important part of any research study because it will give the solution of or problem. Therefore the data analysis various graphs, charts, tables, etc are given in this chapter and findings from each data is explained here.Chapter 5: In this chapter, the conclusions drawn from the project are presented. Finally, recommendations on the use of this master’s thesis are given. Suggestions on how to expand the study and improve results is also provided. [pic] Figure-1: Flow of whole dissertation CHAPTER – 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2. 1 INTRODUCTION IKEA one of the big players which deal in home products and this organization is famous for good product quality, less expensive product in comparison of other players. On the facts if we compare prices offer by IKEA with other layers, they offered 30-50% less price. In last four year IKEA claim that they reduced 20% price in total where other players are continue increases there product prices. Now this question is arises in mind that who it is possible when the cost of raw material, transportation and the other related things are increasing regularly, this is possible because IKEA now start work on their production designing, they manage all the production related work in such a way that they are able to reduce the overall cost and at the same time there is no compromise with the product quality.For an example in the starting phase IKEA able to fit 864 mugs in pallet but after redesigning of this plate they got success to fit 2024 mugs in a plate, with this strategy they able to reduce the shipping cost by 60%. (Simchi-Levi D, 2007) In the era of neck to neck competition all industries are locking to make the operations at the best level and with the help of this they want to cut down the cost, because this is the only way by which an organization is able to reduce the cost without any compromise on product quality.Flow of material from the point of origin to customer is the chain where there is maximum possibility of cost cutting. In this chain there are many drivers which convert the raw material into end product and after that sale it to customers. Common drivers include pr ocurement, design of the supply chain, inventory, transportation, warehousing, and collaboration. Cost reduction requires timely and improved decision-making for common processes under each driver. (Cannella S. , 2010) 2. 2 INVENTORY Inventory is the essential evil of every business; inventory is there in business at every driver of the supply chain.Inventory management is the process which helps to control in inventory at optimum level so that the organization never face the problem of stock out condition and at the same time product is available at the time of demand. When the inventory is at optimum level flow of material is in continuous process. When flow of material is fast inventory is at minimum level and when flow of material is slow inventory level is at high level. There is the cost which is associate with inventory known as inventory cost, the cost which required managing inventory and to manage the quality of holding product is called Inventory cost.There are two method s which are more famous in current era for inventory management and those are Vendor-Management inventory (VMI) and Drop-shipment. In Vendor management inventory model the organization is in coordination with their vendors to manage the inventory level at optimum level, in this approach the whole process is controlled by some software so that the all point of this chain are aware about the current status of the flow of material and on the basis of that vendors make raw material orders.Drop-shipment inventory model is different model this work on ABC model in this model A class inventory cover the item which are costlier and use very rarely and C class inventory cover the items which are used frequently by not costlier and B class are medium. 2. 3 IN-STORE LOGISTICS AT IKEA IKEA mainly famous for its customization, the design unique product and with the help of inventory management system they make this type of product at lower cost. Most of the product are design in such way that cu stomer assemble all the parts at home, so with this kind of strategy they able to tumble down the transportation cost.This type of strategy is beneficial for both the point of business customer and provider. IKEA is big organization so they deal in high volume and this helps to cut down the cost at high level. IKEA’s store operations are supported by high-flow facilities (focused on the 20 percent of SKUs that account for 80 percent of the volume) and low-flow warehouses that are more manual. In its high-flow warehouses, IKEA employs automatic storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) to drive down its costs-per-touch. (Larson, P. D, 2004)IKEA stores are design in such way that they all have warehouse in the same premises, First floor is for customer visit at this store all the product are in customer range so that they can touch it and feel the real comfort while check them, second floor is for the product which are fast moving products, so in case if the product from first floo r is sold out customer come to second floor and here can check the product and the last floor is only and only play the role of warehouse; this floor is out of the reach of customer and at this floor product used to store in bulk.IKEA employs logistics personnel at its stores. There is an in-store logistics manager responsible for the ordering process and a store goods manager responsible for material handling logistics. Having logistics personnel work in stores is rare, but there are good arguments for this. The in-store logistics manager uses a proprietary system developed by IKEA to set and respond to store-level inventory reorder points (min and max settings), which is also fairly unique. Most retailers forecast at the distribution center (DC) level and inventory replenishment logic (e. . , minimum order quantity before reordering, maximum amount of a particular product to reorder at any one time) also resides at the DC level. (Cannella S. , 2010) Because IKEA doesn’t rep lenish during the day, the logic of its min/max is based on having a bin large enough to cover all the sales for one day. Because what is sold is known (POS data) and what comes into the store is also known (WMS data), very little cycle counting is done. However, IKEA’s system is able to catch anomalies.If the system expects a certain volume of a particular product to have sold during a two day period, and much less has sold, the system will direct in-store logistics to go to the location and conduct a manual stock check. Store-level inventory accuracy at other retailers is often surprisingly low. IKEA believes its process and system allows for the right goods to be in the store with greater certainty, and at a lower cost, than the traditional retail forecasting/replenishment process. (Handfield, 2001) IKEA is moving to having in-store logistics personnel work with RF terminals.These terminals will direct workers to bins and tell them how much inventory to let down. Unlike in a DC, where WMS logic is often focused on minimizing travel distances, the guiding principle here is to minimize touches. (Larson, P. D, 2004) At many companies, advances can be easily copied by competitors. But IKEA has a clear vision supported by complementary cross-functional logic. This not only differentiates IKEA from its peers, but also provides it with a competitive advantage that is difficult to duplicate. (Cannella S. , 2010) 2. 4 INVENTORY CONTROLIt  is the supervision of supply, storage and accessibility of items in order to ensure an adequate supply without excessive oversupply. It can also be referred as internal control – an accounting procedure or system designed to promote efficiency or assure the implementation of a policy or safeguard assets or avoid fraud and error etc. (Axsater Sven, 2007) Inventory control  may refer to: ? In economics, the  inventory control problem, which aims to reduce overhead cost without hurting sales ? In the field of  lo ss prevention, systems designed to introduce technical barriers to  shoplifting . 5 APPROACHES USED FOR INVENTORY CONTROL: The Eyeball System This is the standard inventory control system for the vast majority of small retail and many small manufacturing operations and is very simple in application. The key manager stands in the middle of the store or manufacturing area and looks around. If he or she happens to notice that some items are out of stock, they are reordered. (Halldorsson, 2003) In retailing, the difficulty with the eyeball system is that a particularly good item may be out of stock for sometime before anyone notices.Throughout the time it is out of stock, sales are being lost on it. Similarly, in a small manufacturing operation, low stocks of some particularly critical item may not be noticed until there are none left. Then production suffers until the supply of that part can be replenished. Such unsystematic but simple retailers and manufacturers to their inherent di sadvantage. (Cannella S. , 2010) Reserve Stock (or Brown Bag) System This approach is much more systematic than the eyeball system. It involves eeping a reserve stock of items aside, often literally in a brown bag placed at the rear of the stock bin or storage area. When the last unit of open inventory is used, the brown bag of reserve stock is opened and the new supplies it contains are placed in the bin as open stock. At this time, a reorder is immediately placed. (Mentzer, 2001) If the reserve stock quantity has been calculated properly, the new shipment should arrive just as the last of the reserve stock is being used. This is a very simple system to operate and one that is highly effective for virtually any type of organization.The variations on the reserve stock system merely involve the management of the reserve stock itself. Larger items may remain in inventory but be cordoned off in some way to indicate that it is the reserve stock and should trigger a reorder. (Lavassani K . , et al, 2009) Perpetual Inventory Systems Various types of perpetual inventory systems include manual, card-oriented, and computer- operated systems. In computer-operated systems, a programmed instruction referred to commonly as a trigger, automatically transmits an order to the appropriate vendor once supplies fall below a prescribed level. Halldorsson, 2003) The purpose of each of the three types of perpetual inventory approaches is to tally either the unit use or the dollar use (or both) of different itemsand product lines. This information will serve to help avoid stock-outs and to maintain a constant evaluation of the sales of different product lines to see where the emphasis should be placed for both selling and buying. (Axsater Sven, 2007) 2. 6 INVENTORY CONTROL SYSTEM An  inventory control system  is a process for managing and locating objects or materials.In common usage, the term may also refer to just  the software components†¦ Modern inventory control syste ms often rely upon  barcodes  and  radio-frequency identification  (RFID) tags to provide automatic identification of inventory objects. In an academic studyperformed at  Wal-Mart, RFID reduced Out of Stocks by 30 percent for products selling between 0. 1 and 15 units a day. Inventory objects could include any kind of physical asset: merchandise, consumables, fixed assets, circulating tools, library books, or capital equipment.To record an inventory transaction, the system uses a  barcode scanner  or  RFID reader  to automatically identify the inventory object, and then collects additional information from the operators via fixed  terminals  (workstations), or  mobile computers. (Simchi-Levi D, 2007) Its applications are written below: An inventory control system may be used to automate a sales order fulfillment process. Such a system contains a list of order to be filled, and then prompts workers to pick the necessary items, and provides them with packaging and shipping information.An inventory system also manages in and outwards material of hardware. Real-time inventory control systems may use wireless, mobile terminals to record inventory transactions at the moment they occur. A  wireless LAN  transmits the transaction information to a central  database. Physical inventory  counting and  cycle counting  are features of many inventory control systems which can enhance the organization. (Axsater Sven, 2007) 2. 7 INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE: Inventory  management software is a computer-based system for tracking product levels, orders,  sales  and deliveries.It can also be used in the  manufacturing  industry to create a  work order,  bill of materials  and other production-related documents. Companies use  inventory management software  to avoid product overstock and outages. It is a tool for organizing inventory  data  that before was generally stored in hard-copy form or in  Microsoft Excel  s preadsheets. (Handfield, 2001) 2. 7. 1 Components of the software: Inventory management software is made up of several components, all working together to create a cohesive inventory and stocks for many organisations control systems. These components include (in alphabetical order): (Mentzer, 2001)Asset tracking When a product is in a  warehouse  or store, it can be tracked via its  bar code  and/or other tracking criteria, such as  serial number, lot number or revision number. Barcoding Barcodes are the means whereby data on products and orders is inputted into inventory management software. A  barcode reader  is required to read barcodes and look up information on the products they represent. (Larson, P. D, 2004) Order management Once products reach a certain low level, a company’s inventory management system can be programmed to tell managers to reorder that product.This helps companies avoid running out of products or tying up too much capital in inventory. (Lavassani K. , et al, 2009) Service management Companies that are primarily service-oriented rather than product-oriented can use inventory management software to track the cost of the materials they use to provide services, such as cleaning supplies. This way, they can attach prices to their services that reflect the total  cost  of performing them. (Cannella S. , 2010) 2. 8 CONTROLLING INVENTORY Controlling inventory does not have to be an onerous or complex proposition. It is a process and thoughtful inventory management.There are no hard and fast rules to abide by, but some extremely useful guidelines to help your thinking about the subject. A five step process has been designed that will help any business bring this potential problem under control to think systematically thorough the process and allow the business to make the most efficient use possible of the resources represented. The final decisions, of course, must be the result of good judgment, and not the product of a mechanical set of formulas. (Axsater Sven, 2007) STEP 1: Inventory Planning Inventory control requires inventory planning.Inventory refers to more than the goods on hand in the retail operation, service business, or manufacturing facility. It also represents goods that must be in transit for arrival after the goods in the store or plant are sold or used. An ideal inventory control system would arrange for the arrival of new goods at the same moment the last item has been sold or used. The economic order quantity, or base orders, depends upon the amount of cash (or credit) available to invest in inventories, the number of units that qualify for a quantity discount from the manufacturer, and the amount of time goods spend in shipment. (Halldorsson, 2003)STEP 2: Establish order cycles If demand can be predicted for the product or if demand can be measured on a regular basis, regular ordering quantities can be setup that take into consideration the most economic relationships among t he costs of preparing an order, the aggregate shipping costs, and the economic order cost. When demand is regular, it is possible to program regular ordering levels so that stock-outs will be avoided and costs will be minimized. If it is known that every so many weeks or months a certain quantity of goods will be sold at a steady pace, then replacements should be scheduled to arrive with equal regularity. Mentzer, 2001) Time should be spent developing a system tailored to the needs of each business. It is useful to focus on items whose costs justify such control, recognizing that in some cases control efforts may cost more the items worth. At the same time, it is also necessary to include low return items that are critical to the overall sales effort. (Simchi-Levi D, 2007) If the business experiences seasonal cycles, it is important to recognize the demands that will be placed on suppliers as well as other sellers.A given firm must recognize that if it begins to run out of product i n the middle of a busy season, other sellers are also beginning to run out and are looking for more goods. The problem is compounded in that the producer may have already switched over to next season’s production and so is not interested in (or probably even capable of) filling any further orders for the current selling season. Production resources are likely to already be allocated to filling orders for the next selling season. (Larson, P. D, 2004) Changes in this momentum would be extremely costly for both the supplier and the customer.On the other hand, because suppliers have problems with inventory control, just as sellers do, they may be interested in making deals to induce customers to purchase inventories offseason, usually at substantial savings. They want to shift the carrying costs of purchase and storage from the seller to the buyer. Thus, there are seasonal implications to inventory control as well, both positive and negative. The point is that these seasonable im plications must be built into the planning process in order to support an effective inventory management system. Axsater Sven, 2007) [pic] Figure 2: Inventory Control STEP 3: Balance Inventory Levels Efficient or inefficient management of merchandise inventory by a firm is a major factor between healthy profits and operating at a loss. There are both market-related and budget-related issues that must be dealt with in terms of coming up with an ideal inventory balance: (Axsater Sven, 2007) †¢ Is the inventory correct for the market being served? †¢ Does the inventory have the proper turnover? †¢ What is the ideal inventory for a typical retailer or wholesaler in this business?To answer the last question first, the ideal inventory is the inventory that does not lose profitable sales and can still justify the investment in each part of its whole. An inventory that is not compatible with the firm’s market will lose profitable sales. Customers who cannot find the it ems they desire in one store or from one supplier are forced to go to a competitor. Customer will be especially irritated if the item out of stock is one they would normally expect to find from such a supplier. Repeated experiences of this type will motivate customers to become regular customers of competitors. (Simchi-Levi D, 2007)STEP 4: Review Stocks Items sitting on the shelf as obsolete inventory are simply dead capital. Keeping inventory up to date and devoid of obsolete merchandise is another critical aspect of good inventory control. This is particularly important with style merchandise, but it is important with any merchandise that is turning at a lower rate than the average stock turns for that particular business. One of the important principles newer sellers frequently find difficult is the need to mark down merchandise that is not moving well. (Mentzer, 2001) Markups are usually highest when a new style first comes out.As the style fades, efficient sellers gradually beg in to mark it down to avoid being stuck with large inventories, thus keeping inventory capital working. They will begin to mark down their inventory, take less gross margin, and return the funds to working capital rather than have their investment stand on the shelves as obsolete merchandise. Markdowns are an important part of the working capital cycle. Even though the margins on markdown sales are lower, turning these items into cash allows you to purchase other, more current goods, where you can make the margin you desire. (Cannella S. , 2010)Keeping an inventory fresh and up to date requires constant attention by any organization, large or small. Style merchandise should be disposed of before the style fades. Fad merchandise must have its inventory levels kept in line with the passing fancy. Obsolete merchandise usually must be sold at less than normal markup or even as loss leaders where it is priced more competitively. (Handfield, 2001) Loss leader pricing strategies can also s erve to attract more' consumer traffic for the business thus creating opportunities to sell other merchandise as well as well as the obsolete items.Technologically obsolete merchandise should normally be removed from inventory at any cost. Stock turnover is really the way businesses make money. It is not so much the profit per unit of sale that makes money for the business, but sales on a regular basis over time that eventually results in profitability. The stock turnover rate is the rate at which the average inventory is replaced or turned over, throughout a pre-defined standard operating period, typically one year. It is generally seen as the multiple that sales represent of the average inventory for a given period of time. Axsater Sven, 2007) Turnover averages are available for virtually any industry or business maintaining inventories and having sales. These figures act as an efficient and effective benchmark with which to compare the business in question, in order to determine its effectiveness relative to its capital investment. Too frequent inventory turns can be as great a potential problem as too few. Too frequent inventory turns may indicate the business is trying to overwork a limited capital base, and may carry with it the attendant costs of stock-outs and unhappy and lost customers.Stock turns or turnover, is the number of times the â€Å"average† inventory of a given product is sold annually. It is an important concept because it helps to determine what the inventory level should be to achieve or support the sales levels predicted or desired. Inventory turnover is computed by dividing the volume of goods sold by the average inventory. (Simchi-Levi D, 2007) STEP 5: Follow-up and Control Periodic reviews of the inventory to detect slow-moving or obsolete stock and to identify fast sellers are essential for proper inventory management.Taking regular and periodic inventories must be more than just totaling the costs. Any clerk can do the work of recording an inventory. However, it is the responsibility of key management to study the figures and review the items themselves in order to make correct decisions about the disposal, replacement, or discontinuance of different segments of the inventory base. (Lavassani K. , et al, 2009) Just as an airline cannot make money with its airplanes on the ground, a firm cannot earn a profit in the absence of sales of goods. Keeping the inventory attractive to customers is a prime prerequisite for healthy sales.Again, the seller's inventory is usually his largest investment. It will earn profits in direct proportion to the effort and skill applied in its management. Inventory quantities must be organized and measured carefully. (Mentzer, 2001) Minimum stocks must be assured to prevent stock-outs or the lack of product. At the same time, they must be balanced against excessive inventory because of carrying costs. In larger retail organizations and in many manufacturing operations, purcha sing has evolved as a distinct new and separate phase of management to achieve the dual objective of higher turnover and lower investment.If this type of strategy is to be utilized, however, extremely careful attention and constant review must be built into the management system in order to avoid getting caught short by unexpected changes in the larger business environment. Caution and periodic review of reorder points and quantities are a must. Individual market size of some products can change suddenly and corrections should be made. (Halldorsson, 2003) Basic definitions: Holding cost – The cost of keeping one product in stock for one time unit. Shortage cost – The cost per unit and time unit of not having a product in stock when it is demanded.Lead time- The time it takes to receive an order after placing it, including the potential delays due to stock out at upper echelons. Transportation – The time it takes to receive an order after placing it, given time t hat it can be delivered immediately (may include fixed times for picking, receiving and other handling). Lost sales -When customers leave the store empty handed because the demanded item is not available. This presumes that the customers are not willing to wait until the product is delivered from the next level supplier.Backorder- Occurs when a customer waits for an order until it becomes available; if the supplier is out of stock at the time the order is placed. This can lead to a queue. Inventory level – The actual physical inventory on hand Inventory position – The inventory level plus outstanding orders minus possible backorders. SERV1 – Probability of no stockout per order cycle, also known as cycle service level. SERV2 -Fraction of demand that can be satisfied immediately from stock on hand, also referred to as the fill rate. SERV3 – Fraction of time with positive stock on hand, also known as ready rate.SERV3 =SERV2 when demand is continuous or cust omers can only purchase one unit a time. (R,Q)-policy Stock replenishment policy where Q units are ordered as soon as the inventory position drops down to or below R. The maximum inventory level can thus be R + Q. CHAPTER – 3 Research Methodology: In this chapter of the dissertation all the methodologies that are used for conducting this research is expressed. First of all the research purpose and then research approach is explained over here. The research method and its strategies are also described.Then the chapter continues with the process of data collection and approach of analysis. (Holliday, 2007) The research process that is given by Saunders et al, are given below. This is given in an onion shape model: [pic] Figure 3: Saunders Onion Model for Research Methodology 3. 1 RESEARCH TYPES: The purpose of this research is divided in following ways: 3. 1. 1. Exploratory Research: In this researcher is keen to know what is going on in the research and try to find out new thi ngs about the research problem. This is useful when researcher wants to understand the problem properly.Exploratory research is open for change so that is adaptable and flexible. It is useful in formulation of hypothesis. (Creswell, J. W. 2003). 3. 1. 2 Descriptive Research: It is used when research objectives and information is clear about the research. In this the researcher does not form any conclusion from the data collected, he just shows what he observes. The research object must be very clear in this research. 3. 1. 3 Explanatory Research: In explanatory research, the problem solution can be done by explaining the relationships between variables. Saunders, et al, 2000) In explanatory research the research is planned and structured so that systematic errors can be reduced. The researcher is able to draw the conclusions on the basis of the relationships. The main source of data for explanatory research is by interviewing the people through surveys or interview protocol. (DeWalt , et al 2002) 3. 1. 4 Chosen method for this research: In this research the data is collected through interviewing the employees at IKEA and case companies. So that explanatory research approach is used here for conducting this research study.This method is used because the researcher wants to form a conclusion from the research problem. (Holliday, 2007) 3. 2 RESEARCH APPROACH: The researcher chooses the research approach on the basis of the relationship between theory and empirics in the project. The research approach can be inductive or deductive. The Qualitative or Quantitative research approaches are also used. These approaches are given below: 3. 2. 1 Qualitative Approach: The qualitative approach is very flexible and the questions can be mould according to the situation and according to the respondents’ responses during interview.Its flexibility is useful for the researcher because it gives the opportunity to him to explore more about the research subject. But the negat ive side is that it is impossible to compare data from two respondents. The advantages of qualitative research are given below: †¢ This data is present in quality and gives in-depth knowledge about the subject. (Creswell, J. W. 2003). †¢ In qualitative approach more than one possible explanation of the objects are given. The disadvantages of this approach are given below: The result of qualitative approach is not open for generalizations because small numbers of objects are studied. †¢ The analysis and interpretation of the data is dependent upon the experiences of the researcher. †¢ This analysis takes long time. 3. 2. 2 Quantitative Approach: In this approach, the researcher collects the quantitative data through rigorous survey that is conducted to gather the data. There is a set format of questionnaire that consists of various structured questions and these surveys are filled by the respondents in order to get the data. The advantages of quantitative analysis are given below: The results that are achieved through quantitative approach can be generalized easily on the whole population. †¢ This gives the scientific basis to the study. †¢ The result of quantitative research is highly credible and authentic. The disadvantages of quantitative analysis are given in the following points: †¢ The negative aspect of this approach is that sometimes irrelevant data is also gathered through quantitative research and that is not usable in the research. (Saunders, et al, 2000) †¢ If the quality of input is low the quality of output is also low. 3. 2. 3 Chosen approach in this study:The triangulation approach is used over here in this research study. In triangulation method both qualitative as well as quantitative research methodology is used. Some of the data is collected through benchmarking case studies of different companies and thoughts about vendor managed inventory and its evaluation is collected through qualitative research and interviews are also conducted and surveys are also get filled by the people so quantitative method is also used. The questions are similar and can be generalized on whole population. (DeWalt, et al 2002) 3. 3 RESEARCH METHOD:Inductive versus Deductive approach: There are two kinds of research method one is inductive and another is deductive theory. In inductive method the data is firstly collected by the researcher and then he develops the theory on the basis of that collective data. In this approach the study is done on the real scenario and then a general theory is formed on the basis of that analysis. The data is collected via various sources. The main problem with the inductive approach is that the data is collected to form the theories so that data collection is no more unconditional. Saunders, et al, 2000) In deductive approach the research starts on the basis of theoretical studies and then these theories are applied to the real empirical case and conclusion of the resear ch is formed according to the theory. In this kind of approach the hypothesis is formed according to the pre-existing theories and then it is tested in the real world. The conclusion made through this will reject or accept the hypothesis. Deduction method is related to the collection of quantitative data and in induction theory, the qualitative data is gathered.The research is totally based on pre-existing theories so that deductive approach is applicable in this study. The theories that are already exists are tested in the practical terms and find the research results. The already used methods of inventory control or management at IKEA is tested and improves in order to enhance effectiveness. In this research the simulation method of inventory and vendor managed inventory is tested on the IKEA framework. The management of inventory and its control and vendor managed inventory the questions about all these concepts will be given with the help of this research method. Creswell, J. W. 2003). 3. 4 RESEARCH STRATEGY: To conduct a research is successful manner it is very necessary for the researcher to decide a strategy and plan accordingly for the way of collecting the data. The strategy is useful for getting the knowledge about the source of collecting the data. The main strategies are elaborated in the following points: 3. 4. 1 Experiment: Experiments are used in scientific as well as social science research. The definition of theoretical aspects, the sample selection and measurement of variables is done in this. Saunders, et al, 2000) These are used to find out the causalities between the input and output. The process of whole experiment is standard and fixed; it is not at all flexible. First of all a hypothesis is formed, then the parameters are decided that will be studied while experiment, and finally the resulting parameters are achieved. 3. 4. 2 Survey: The survey is conducted for systematic mapping of the phenomenon. When deductive methodology is used by the research, the survey is used at that time. The survey is full of questionnaires and that is distributed to all the population or its sample for collection of data.The standard questions are used in the questionnaire and comparison can be done accordingly. This strategy takes so much of time. (DeWalt, et al 2002) 3. 4. 3 Action Research: The action research approach is applied when we are working for improving something while its studying. First of all observation is very necessary and identify and define a problem that is going to be solved. The proposal for solving the problem is formed and implemented. The evaluation of the solution is necessary to check how well it is working. If the solution is not appropriate, it is again check and changes the proposal accordingly.The action research is done by a close relationship and the association between the researcher and the studied research problem. 3. 4. 4 Case Study: The main aim of the case study is to explain a particular object . If researcher is so much keen to know each and every aspect of the research problem and wants to understand the research subject in and out then he goes for the case study approach. The case study gives deeper insights of the research object. In this approach extensive knowledge about the research subject is collected through studying the case studies.In case study there are no restrictions about how data is collected through this and how it should be analyzed. But the results that rose from case studies are not necessarily applicable to general cases. The collection of data is done through following methods: †¢ Interviews †¢ Observations and †¢ Achieve analysis. 3. 4. 5 Operations Research Modeling: The cases where analytical model is used in the real scenario and quantitative research technique is used, this is called as operations research modeling (ORM). (Hillier, et al, 2005) The main steps of ORM are given below in following points: The problem is defined and collects the data that is relevant to it. †¢ A mathematical model is being formulated to show the problem. †¢ A computer based procedure is formed to derive the solutions to the problem. †¢ The testing of model is done and refines it. †¢ Ongoing application of the model is being formed. †¢ Execute [pic] Figure 4: Operations Research Modeling 3. 4. 6 Chosen strategy for the research: The case study approach is used for this research study because here we are studying IKEA that is a world known home furnishing company. The whole focus s given on IKEA and its strategies of managing inventory and its control. The deep insights are created by studying this company and in-depth knowledge of its inventory management system is studied in this research. (Fischer, 2005) The operations research approach is also used for this research paper, a mathematical model i. e. model for optimizing multi echelon inventories is used. 3. 5 DATA COLLECTION: There are various sources that is used for data collection. There are two kinds of data collection first is primary data collection and second is secondary data collection.Primary data is the one that is gathered for particularly this research according to the demand of that research and secondary data that is collected already for another purpose. But secondary data is used for support the primary data. (Holliday, 2007) 3. 5. 1 Primary Data: The primary data is collected through three ways such as observation, interview and questionnaires. Particularly for this research, the semi-structured interview protocols are formed that is used for getting the data from respondents. (Holliday, 2007) 3. 5. 2 Secondary Data: Both primary as well as secondary data is used for this research study.The secondary data is collected firstly for getting a broad literature review about the inventory control and management and about vendor managed inventory. The secondary data is also gathered to issue the thesis for this resear ch. The vendor managed inventory, supply chain management, logistics management at IKEA, economic evaluation these all terms are widely studied. (Flyvbjerg, B. 2011). The most common methods of collection of primary as well as secondary data are given below: †¢ Literature: The literature review gives the deep insights about the research subject is given in it.It gives better background knowledge of the subject. Various books, journals, articles, internet sources are used to gather data. †¢ Interviews: Interview is also an important source to get the data from the respondent. The interviews are of different kinds structured as well as unstructured interviews. In structured interviews same questions are being asked by all the respondents but in unstructured the respondent are open to share all his thoughts. †¢ Survey: Taking interviews will take long time so that a survey sheet is distributed among the candidates and get the data from them.It is a questionnaire that con sist similar questions. 3. 6 APPROACHES FOR ANALYSIS: The analysis of data that is collected through various research methods are done through two different approaches one is qualitative research approach that is used for analysis of qualitative data and another one is quantitative research approach, that is used for analysis of quantitative data. The economic method and parameters that affected the inventory control and management will be analyzed here to get the result of this research. (DeWalt, et al 2002) 3. 7 QUALITY CRITERIA:To determine the validity and reliability of the research is very important step of the research and it is helpful in judging the quality of the research. (Holliday, 2007) 3. 7. 1. Validity: Here validity means the methods that are used for measurements are intended to measure. There are internal as well as external validity. To enhance the validity of any research subject, various views of problem must be seen. The internal validity means that how much th e result of the research is corresponds to the phenomenon that is studied in this research. External validity means that the ability to generalize from the results.The internal validity of this research is very well. The literature review is thoroughly reviewed by the researcher that is used for these research objectives. The literature review gives the rich knowledge about the inventory management and its control. (Fischer, 2005) An increased validity is also given by changing input parameters and controlling if the model behaves as expected. This is specially revealing if the parameters are extreme of both maximum and minimum values. Another way to enhance validity is to do a retrospective test, which means using historical data as input parameter.The results are then compared to what actually happened and it reveals if the model would give better results than reality. It can also reveal if the model is correct. The drawback of using retrospective testing is that the results given from the data used to create the model (historical) do not necessarily give good results for the future. 3. 7. 2 Reliability: Reliability refers to the methods of measurements will give the correct or reliable methods or not. The reliability of this dissertation is very high and the whole information is collected by the researcher in a systematic way.The data is collected through semi-structured interview surveys in a standardized form. The interview forms are already sent to the people so that they can well verse with the interview questions are prepare themselves before the interviews. (Mahoney, 2006) CHAPTER – 4 FINDINGS & ANALYSIS: 4. 1 Simulation model: Assumptions made in simulation model: The following assumptions are made for simulation model: †¢ The demand that is not fulfilled due to lack of stock is considered as lost sales. †¢ The continuous review of inventory is done. The orders are placed directly when the inventory reach to the level of reorder poin t. The time of transportation is taken as constant. The lead time can be variable when stock is not available at distribution centre. †¢ The supplier has always has its stock. †¢ If a retail store places an order that cannot be fulfilled immediately by the distribution center, the order is kept as a backorder and fulfilled when the products become available. †¢ The distribution center never delivers partial orders to retail stores. Instead, it always waits for the entire order to be available before shipping the goods. †¢ The order quantities at all levels are constant. 4. 1. 1 Demand distributionIn Extend, customer arrivals cannot be generated by simply entering the mean and standard deviation of the demand over time. Instead, the statistical distribution of the time between customer arrivals needs to be inserted. Also, in order to ensure that the mean and standard deviation of the demand over time are correct, the number of items one customer buys is not fixed. The relation between variation and mean value of the weekly demand is over 1. 1 for the vast majority of the articles and stores. According to the theory discussed earlier, this makes the Compound Poisson distribution suitable to estimate the customer pattern.In the case of a variance mean relation of lower than 1. 1, a regular Poisson distribution is used. The reasoning above is based on the assumption that the arrivals of customers, and the number of products each customer wishes to purchase, are independent of each other. Based on the fact that the customers are end consumers of the products, this is a reasonable assumption. The compounding distribution chosen to use is the logarithmic distribution since it is a discrete distribution with available formulas for calculating the parameters needed given mean and variance of the demand. . 1. 2 Output parameters of the simulation The simulation model is built to store three types of data: mean inventory levels, SERV2 and SERVIKEA. Th e measurements chosen are enough to estimate the potential stock reductions as well as controlling that the service is kept at the