The United States Essay Example for Free

The United States Essay Most of the people in America are actually immigrants. In 2007, immigrants in the United States reached 37. 9 million (Center for Immigration Studies, 2007). It is therefore obvious that everyone has their own cultural background aside from that of Americas own culture. This contributes to a persons uniqueness, as well as to the diversity of the people in America. There are a lot of different reasons why people choose to immigrate to America but the main reason is â€Å"living the American dream. † The United States is seen by many as a place to start a new life. They believe that America brings endless opportunities. It is also a place where every person is free. They are not limited by their roots culture and traditions. Of course, not all finds these things in America. For the lucky ones, they find their lives getting better. They do not have regrets about coming to America. They learn about the new surroundings and adapt to the countrys culture and traditions without difficulty. This is probably the best reason to stay in the United States; to learn more and be able to explore more of yourself by adapting another culture and tradition. The American culture is very interesting. It is known as the â€Å"melting pot† of all nationalities because one can find almost all types of nationalities here. Individualism plays a major role in everyones lives. It sets them apart from everyone else. Because of these reasons, it seems hard to set a definite culture and tradition for the American people. Everyone has their own thing to do and respects everyone elses businesses. At home, they usually have their own schedules of who will do the chores for the day or week. Family members are not known to be close with each other. As well, children are not required to share things with their parents. At school, Americans do not practice calling their teachers as sir or madame. They are not obliged to standing up when a teacher enters or exits the room. They work they way to graduation by their own with minimal supervision from the teachers. Also, young people are not forced to attend college because many jobs are available even to those who do not finish a higher education. People are more liberal in this country. Fame, money, and glamor are considered important. The media and Hollywood plays a great role in shaping the minds of the young adults. Violence, sex, and crimes are rampant. On a brighter note, people are more open-minded. They are adventurous and are willing to try out new things. The world of sports, as in basketball, baseball, and football, is also popular. Americans spend a great deal of money just to watch a good game. They also love celebrations and holidays. One of the main holidays they commemorate is the Fourth of July, which is their independence day. Although religion and spirituality is not very focused on, most Americans are Protestants with Roman Catholic only second in place (CIA: The World Fact Book, 2008). There are also some who do not belong to any religious groups. Another interesting thing about the culture of the American people is how they love eating. They have a passion for food. Cooking schools and cooking shows are everywhere. A person can find a dining place in every street. The diversity of the food is also interesting because it shows just how many nationalities are there in the country. One is not limited on what to eat and the places to eat because of the abundance of restaurants, cuisines, diners, and fast foods everywhere. On the other hand, Japan can be considered to have one of the richest cultures in the world. They have cultures and traditions that sets them aside from their neighboring Asian countries. One of the different things that the Japanese people can boast about is the language, which is Japanese. Although this is their primary language, English is also taught in school. At home, they have traditional Japanese furniture and shoes are left outside the house to avoid damage to the floor. Grandparents usually stay with the family instead of living in nursing homes. The Japanese are also famous for their tea ceremony called Chanoyu. It is believed to bring harmony (Sosnoski, 1996). They also celebrate their holidays in a festival way. Some of their holidays include New Year (shogatsu), Coming of Age (seijin no hi), Spring Eqinox Day (shunbun no hi), and Constitution Day (kenpo kinenbi). With regard to religion, most Japanese practice Buddhism, which was first introduced in 552 (Murthy, 1989). As well, Japan is known for their traditional dress called Kimono, geisha, and public baths. These are only some of Japaneses culture and traditions. Indeed, it can be said that they are very rich in this area. These similarities and differences of the two countries do not really affect my way of life because I have already accepted them as my past and present. I do not limit myself to one cultural background because then, I will lose my individualism. One just have to accept these similarities and differences for it not to have an affect on their life. My cultural background does not really affect the American way of life because our number are only few considered to other groups. I think that the main contribution of the Japanese culture to that of the Americans is the Japanese food and cuisine, which is very popular among Americans. Learning about my own culture is not at all hard because it is still practiced at home with my family. Also, there are many source available for me to study about Japan including books and the Internet although I am in the United States. I make sure that I learn something new about Japan every now and then. In this way, I do not lose my identity as a Japanese though I was born and raised in America. Immigrants are able to preserve their own culture and customs while living an American life by speaking their native languages or practicing their traditions at home (Yoshinaga, Mitsuaki, Roberts, 2000). As an adult, I have not developed a new culture. I want to believe that I am American, though I have a Japanese background. I live as any person in America does, which means that I am living the American way with regard to the customs, beliefs, and traditions. I believe that this is not hard as long as a person knows who he or she really is and what he or she want to become. I think that it does not matter where a person is born or raised, or even what his or her cultural background is. Identity is important. An individual has to choose what to follow, especially when not in his or her own home land. A person can not help but follow what is there in front of them. Generally, it is hard to fit in another group while practicing the ways of another group. It does not really matter what a person chooses or if the person even chooses just as long as he or she knows what he or she really wants. Being an immigrant can be hard but it also means expanding your knowledge and experience about certain things. It should be seen as a new way to learn more about ones self. It is important to have an identity but diversity should also be kept in mind. There should be no limit as to what a person should follow or believe. America, as stated, is the melting pot of all cultures and backgrounds. Even those who opt not to believe in anything can be seen here. It is so diverse yet each person is unique. Living in the United States does not mean that a person has to forget about his or her background and beliefs. A person can still practice what he or she has grown to know while living the American way of life. Even if not raised in a Japanese culture, I can still be a Japanese in my own way. I do not have to disregard my background just because I live in America and was born here. It can be admitted that American and Japanese cultures are very different from each other. Although this is the case, I still believe that these things do not take an effect on my life because I have learned to respect each cultures differences. This is important to be able to live a peaceful life wherein there is no conflict between the two. I think that as long as I respect that they are not the same and that I can not live both ways, everything will turn out as I want them to be. Not living in your home land does not have to complicated. I can still be a Japanese though I am American in my ways. Being a Japanese is a part of my past while being an American is my present and future. Together, it is who I choose to be. References Center for Immigration Studies. (2007, November). Immigrants in the United States,2007. A Profile of Americas Foreign-Born Population.Retrieved March 5, 2008, from http://www. cis. org/articles/2007/back1007. html Central Intelligence Agency. (2008, February 28). The World Fact Book. Retrieved March 5, 2008, from https://www. cia. gov/library/publications/the-world- factbook/geos/us. html#People Murthy, K. (1989). Buddhism in Japan. Delhi: Sundeep Prakashan. Sosnoki, D. (1996). Introduction to Japanese Culture. Boston: Tuttle Publishing. Yoshinaga, M. , Oyabu, T. , Roberts, D. (2000). American Culture versus Japanese Culture in the Social Structure. Reports of Kyushu school of Engineering, Kinki University, 28,

Introduction To Demand Forecasting Business Essay

Introduction To Demand Forecasting Business Essay Introduction to Demand Forecasting: Forecasting provides an estimate of future demand and the basis for planning and sound business decisions. Since all organizations deal with an unknown future, some error between a forecast and actual demand is to be expected. Thus, the goal of a good forecasting technique is to minimize the deviation between actual demand and forecast. Since a forecast is a prediction of the future, factors that influence demand, the impact of these factors, and whether these factors will continue influence future demands must be considered in developing an accurate forecast. In addition, buyers and sellers should share all relevant information to generate a single consensus forecast so that the correct decision on the supply and demand can be made. The benefits of a better forecast are lower inventories, reduce stock outs, smoother production plans, reduced costs and improved customer service. (Wisner, Tan, Leong, 2008) The impact of a poor communication and inaccurate forecast resonates all along the supply chain and results the bull whip effects causing stock outs, lost sales, high cost of inventory and obsolesce, material shortages, poor responsiveness to market dynamics, and poor profitability. (Wisner, Tan, Leong, 2008) Matching Supply And Demand: The concept of matching supply with demand is straightforward. Just strike the right balance between what your customers want and the inventory investment required to meet that demand. Demand forecasting may be used in making pricing decisions, in assessing future capacity requirements, or in making decisions on whether to enter a new market. Now a day business scenario is completely change revived. Demand, supply, logistics, whole supply chain management. Now we have consumer who are more focused demanding. Whole buying behavior is turn into pull behavior where suppliers are more concern about consumers demand. Now a day retailer if supplier do not full fill the target requirement of retailer of right quantity, right time right price that retailer would not wait long for supplier to fulfill requirement rather prefer to switch supplier. (Wisner, Tan, Leong, 2008) Here matching supply demand forecast help any company to slice the threat of stock out, sales, customer relationship, business loyalities.in order to achieve sound supply chain, supplier must have forecast the future conditions so they can meet the expected targets deliver right commodities to its customers in a timely manner cost effective approach. (Wisner, Tan, Leong, 2008) Of course, its not that easy. Buying too much wastes time, money and space-and exposes you to potential losses from liquidating overstocks. Underestimating demand leads to backorders, cancellations and unsatisfied customers who turn to your competitors. Incorporating SCM successfully leads to a new kind of competition on the global market where competition is no longer of the company versus company form but rather takes on a supply chain versus supply chain form. (decisioncraft.com) The primary objective of supply chain management is to fulfill customer demands through the most efficient use of resources, including distribution capacity, inventory and labor. In theory, a supply chain seeks to match demand with supply and do so with the minimal inventory. Various aspects of optimizing the supply chain include liaising with suppliers to eliminate bottlenecks; sourcing strategically to strike a balance between lowest material cost and transportation, implementing JIT (Just In Time) techniques to optimize manufacturing flow; maintaining the right mix and location of factories and warehouses to serve customer markets, and using location/allocation, vehicle routing analysis, dynamic programming and, of course, traditional logistics optimization to maximize the efficiency of the distribution side. (decisioncraft.com) The effects that inventory levels have on sales. In the extreme case of stock-outs, demand coming into your store is not converted to sales due to a lack of availability. Demand is also untapped when sales for an item are decreased due to a poor display location, or because the desired sizes are no longer available. (Wisner, Tan, Leong, 2008) Demand for an item will likely rise if a competitor increases the price or if you promote the item in your weekly circular. The resulting sales increase reflects a change in demand as a result of consumers responding to stimuli that potentially drive additional sales. In this case demand forecasting uses techniques in causal modeling. Demand forecast modeling considers the size of the market and the dynamics of market share versus competitors and its effect on firm demand over a period of time. No demand forecasting method is 100% accurate. Combined forecasts improve accuracy and reduce the likelihood of large errors. (Wisner, Tan, Leong, 2008) Purposes of Forecasting: Purposes of Short-Term Forecasting Appropriate production scheduling. Reducing costs of purchasing raw materials. Determining appropriate price policy Setting sales targets and establishing controls and incentives. Evolving a suitable advertising and promotional campaign. Forecasting short term financial requirements. Purposes of Long-Term Forecasting Planning of a new unit or expansion of an existing unit. Planning long term financial requirements. Planning man-power requirements. (webcache.com) Length of Forecasts: Short-term forecasts up to 12 months, e.g., sales quotas, inventory control, production schedules, planning cash flows, budgeting. Medium-term 1-2 years, e.g., rate of maintenance, schedule of operations, and budgetary control over expenses. Long-term 3-10 years, e.g., capital expenditures, personnel requirements, financial requirements, raw material requirements.(Most uncertain in nature)  (webcache.com) Control Demand or Management of  Demand: The key to management of demand is the effective management of the purchases of final consumers. The management of demand consists in devising a sales strategy for a particular product. It also consists in planning a product, or features of a product, around which a sales strategy can be built. Product design, model change, packaging and even performance reflect the need to provide what are called strong selling points. (webcache.com) Forecasting Techniques: Understanding that the forecast is very often inaccurate does not mean that nothing can be done to improve e the forecast. Both quantitative and qualitative forecast can be improved by seeking inputs from trading partners. Qualitative forecasting methods are based on opinions and intuition whereas quantitative forecasting methods use mathematical models and relevant historical data to generate forecast. Qualitative Methods: The qualitative methods are subdivided into. The four common qualitative forecasting models are, Jury Of Executive Opinion: Qualitative forecasting in which a group of senior management executives who are knowledgeable about the market, competitors, and the business environment collectively developed the forecast. Delphi Method: Qualitative forecasting in which a group of internal and external experts are surveyed during several rounds in term of future events and long term forecasts of demand; the group members do not physically meet. Sales Force Composite: Qualitative forecast generated based on the sales forces knowledge of the market and estimates of the customers need. Consumer Survey: A questioner administered through telephone, mail, internet, or personal interviews that seeks inputs from customers on important issues such as future buying habits, new product ideas, and opinions about existing products. (Wisner, Tan, Leong, 2008) Quantitative Methods: Time series forecasting is based on the assumptions that the future is an extension of the past, thus, the historical that can be used to predict future demands. The components of time series data are, Trend Variations: Either increasing or decreasing ,movements over many years that are due to factors such as population growth, population shifts, cultural changes, and income shifts. Cyclical Variations: Wave like movements that are longer than a year and influenced by macro economic and political factors. Seasonal Variations: Peaks and valleys that repeat over a constant interval such as hours ,days, weeks, months, years, or seasons. Random Variations: Random peaks and valleys those are due to unexpected or unpredictable events such as natural disasters (hurricanes, tornadoes, fire) strikes, and wars. (Wisner, Tan, Leong, 2008) Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR): Voluntary Inter industry Commerce Standards (VICS),a New Jersey based Association defines Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment(CPFR) as, a business practice that combines the brainpower of two or more trading partners in planning the ways to fulfill the customer demand. They also explained the relationship that CPFR links best practices of sales and marketing, such as category management, to the implementation of supply chain planning and completion process, to increase availability while reducing inventory, transportation and logistics costs. Basically CPFR is an approach that deals with the requirements for good demand management. The most involved industries with CPFR are consumer products and food and beverage. (Collaborative Planning,Forecasting Replenishment CPFR) Objective of CPFR: The objective of CPFR is to optimize the supply chain process by: Improving accuracy of forecasting demand Delivering the right product at the right time to the right location Reducing inventory Avoiding stock outs Improving customer service But the most important fact on which the achievement of objective and activities of CPFR depend is to have collaborative trading partners who share risk and information mutually in the whole process. Without Collaborative planning and forecasting between the trading partners will make the supply chain suboptimal, thus will result in less-than-maximum supply chain profits. (Wisner, Tan, Leong, 2008) Real value of CPFR: It is observed that forecasting developed only by firm tends to be inaccurate most of the time so therefore in CPFR when both the buyer and seller collaborate in forecasting, then it makes possible to match buyer needs with supplier production plans, thus ensuring competent replenishment. CPFR also helps in avoiding expensive corrections after the fact when demand or promotions have changed. (Wisner, Tan, Leong, 2008) Benefits of CPFR: Strengthens supply chain partner relationships Provides analysis of sales and order forecast which improves the forecast accuracy Manage the demand chain and proactively eliminate problems before they appear Allow collaboration on future requirements and plans Combine planning, forecasting and logistic activities Provides efficient category management and understanding of consumer purchasing patterns (Wisner, Tan, Leong, 2008) Example 1: West Marine is one of the companies that has greatly benefited by implementing CPFR.They had CPFR relationships with 200 suppliers, 85 percent forecast accuracy, and 80 percent on-time shipments. For CPFR success collaboration with external part is important, and it is equally important that effective collaboration within the company is emphasized. For example: logistics, planning and replenishment personnel must work closely together. Example 2: CPFR was also implemented by ITTs Jabsco division, West Marines largest customer. During the process they experienced a reduction in cycle time from twenty-five days to three days, an increase in total sales of 11 percent, and a great improvement in on-time deliveries from 74 to 94 percent. Example 3: Wal-Mart is one of the early implementer of CPFR. CPFR enabled Wal-Mart to move into Just-in-Time (JIT) system that resulted in significant savings in inventory carrying costs for Wal-Mart, as well as its suppliers. Example 4: In late 1990s, most of the large American-based multinational companies such as Procter Gamble (PG) and Wal-Mart enter into a system called Collaborative Planning, forecasting and Replenishment. (Williams) Challenges for CPFR implementation There are top three difficulties faced by organizations in implementing CPFR: Making internal changes: Internal changes must always be tackled by top management as change is always difficult but if the top management is dedicated to the project and in educating employees about the benefits of CPFR then there are more chances of getting a successful internal change. Total implementation cost: Although cost is an important factor to be considered always but companies must determine whether they are at a competitive disadvantage. Trust: is one of the biggest hurdles in general implementation of CPFR as many retailers are unwilling to share the information required to implement CPFR. For example: Wal-Mart may be willing to share their sensitive data with the Wal-Mart only as they do not want other suppliers to know their information. (Wisner, Tan, Leong, 2008) Emerging Trends: Companies are finding new and innovative ways to collaborate. For example, Procter and Gamble has implemented CPFR not only with some of its retail customers, but also with its suppliers, and even inside the company, between functions and divisions. (Sheffi, 2002) Standard CPFR Trading Partner Processes Source:  ©2008 Hypatia Research, LLC. (Collaborative Planning,Forecasting Replenishment CPFR) CPFR: Key Tenets The consumer is the ultimate focus of all efforts Buyers (retailers) and sellers (manufacturers) collaborate at every level Joint forecasting and order planning reduces surprises in the supply chain The timing and quantity of physical flows is synchronized across all parties Promotions no longer serve as disturbances in the supply chain Exception management is systemized (Edward, 2003) CPFR Process Model: The CPFR reference model provides a framework for planning, forecasting and replenishment process. Figure below represents the framework components. A buyer and a seller work as Collaboration Partners and work together to satisfy the customer demand which at the centre of the model. http://www.sql-server-performance.com/admin/article_images_new/2008_images/BI_Collaborative_Planning_Forecasting_Replenishment/Image1.jpg The key CPFR activities to enhance performance of Collaboration partners are 1.  Strategy Planning Establish the rules for collaborative relationship. Determine the product mix and develop event plans for the period. 2.  Demand and Supply Management Project consumer (POS) demand, as well as order and shipment requirements over the planning period. 3.  Execution Place orders, prepare and deliver shipments, receive and stock products in retail stores, record sales transactions and make payments. 4.  Analysis Monitor planning and execution activities for exception conditions. Aggregate results and calculate KPIs. Share insights and adjust plans for better performance. (www.ncsm.edu) CPFR Tasks in Detail: To understand in greater detail what businesses and their trading partners need to plan as part of their collaboration activities we need to analyze the tasks under each of the four identified Collaboration Activities.   The collaborations tasks and their mapping to collaboration activities is given in the table below CPFR Activity Task Mapping: CPFR Activity CPFR Task Trading Partners Strategy Planning Collaboration Arrangement Joint Business Plan Manufacturer, Retailer Demand Supply Management Sales Forecasting Order Planning/Forecasting Manufacturer, Retailer Execution Order Generation Order Fulfillment Manufacturer, Retailer Analysis  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Exception Management Performance Assessment Manufacturer, Retailer (www.12manage.com) (www.ncsm.edu) CPFR in Action Organizations can begin with successful CPFR with cooperation and timely plans. This combined approach helps all the trading partners such as retailers and manufacturers to unite in a formal agreement to perform the supply chain processes and establish a joint business plan. The CPFR softwares enables manufacturers, distributors and retailers to make the right decision about the material, stock and other resources required before placing the final order. CPFR is one of the powerful tools as it supports the whole supply chain process followed by nine steps defined as: (Edward, 2003) Phase I Planning In this phase, the emphasis is on developing element of trust between the people so that they give devoted work at different stages and processes. All types of barrier should be removed by the companys top management such as cultural barriers so that employees may feel comfortable working with them and will remain motivated towards their task performance. Firstly, the trading partners must clearly share their identities and processes in order to make a stronger bond between them, thus, the strong relationship will later help in setting a standard benchmark with mutual acceptance making more chances to be successful in achieving their organization targets. (Edward, 2003) There are two major steps that make up a front-end agreement and a joint business plan. Step 1: Developing Collaboration Agreement The Business Intelligence modules allow partners to define and measure specific KPIs. Web Planning ensures that all partners have access to the information simultaneously, while the Portal makes all the data and information visible across the supply chain. (Edward, 2003) The buyers and sellers must agree on the objectives of collaboration, ground rules, for resolving disagreements, confidentiality of information to be shared, sales forecast exception criteria, review cycle, time frame, and frozen time period with acceptable tolerance, financial incentives and success metrics. (Wisner, Tan, Leong, 2008) Step 2: Crafting a Joint Business Plan A joint business plan is developed by sharing the companies business strategies and plans. The plan typically involves developing a joint product category and promotional plan in which the appropriate category strategies inventory policies, promotional activities, and pricing policies are specified. (Wisner, Tan, Leong, 2008) The front-end agreement should produce a long-term pact spanning the life of the business. Obviously, an enormous amount of information will flow between partners. Who should get what? When? Where? How much should they get (Edward, 2003) Phase II Forecasting The J.D. Edwards CPFR solution begins with a collaborative forecast of end-user demand and continues through all aspects of supply chain planning, providing support for both long-term and day-to-day decisions. In Phase II, an organization creates the sales forecast, which then feeds into the order forecast. (Edward, 2003) Step 3: Forecasting Sales Using the Demand Forecasting application, organizations can build multi-dimensional models, which may include product hierarchies, geographies, channels, and specific customers. Causal variables such as pricing, promotions, and new store openings can also be completely integrated. In addition, historical data can be combined with near real-time variations in the channel to get the most accurate forecast. (Edward, 2003) Either partner or both partners may generate the sales forecast. The forecasting techniques used can be qualitative or quantitative. When both partners each generate a forcast, middleware is used to highlight the difference, based on predetermined exception criteria previously agreed upon by the partners. (Wisner, Tan, Leong, 2008) Steps 4 and 5: Collaborating to Develop a Shared Forecast Beginning with Demand Forecastings statistical forecast, users can make changes to an existing forecast or import their own forecast based on the most up-to-date information. Multiple forecasts can be reconciled using a powerful algorithm that takes into account the historical accuracy of different forecast contributors. Exceptions are easily identified and messages are sent to reconcile unusual items. Examples of sales forecast exception criteria are: retail in stock is less then 95 %, sales forecast error is greater the 20 %, the difference in sales forecast from the same period of the previous year is greater then 10%, or any changes that have occurred in timing of promotional active stores, The real-time joint decision making reduces the risk increase the confidence in the single forecast. (Wisner, Tan, Leong, 2008) Each contributor (partner, supplier, and customer) becomes an integral part of the real-time collaborative process. The final enterprise forecast is the combination of the most accurate and timely information available. (Edward, 2003) Step 6: Forecasting Orders The order forecast relies on point-of-sale (POS) data, causal information, and inventory strategies to generate a specific forecast that supports the shared sales forecast. Actual volume numbers are time-phased and reflect inventory objectives sorted by product and receiving location. The order forecast allows the manufacturer to allocate production capacity against demand while minimizing safety stock. J.D. Edwards supports this process by systematically aligning production capacity and scheduling items to give retailers increased confidence that orders will be delivered. With Production and Distribution Planning, it is possible to break down the sales forecast by sales period, sales region, and to more specific levels, such as individual stores. The order forecast integrates the sales forecast with order requirements to develop specific demand at retail level. Production and Distribution Planning ensures that the right product is built and delivered to the right aisle of the right store at the right time. In turn, Production and Distribution Planning works with Production Scheduling, breaking down production requirements on a daily or even hourly basis to ensure that the correct capacity and throughput are optimized to fill the necessary order. Operating through real-time collaboration reduces the uncertainty between trading partners and leads to consolidated supply chain inventories. Inventory levels are decreased, customer responsiveness is increased, and a platform for continual improvement among trading partners is established. (Edward, 2003) Steps 7 and 8: Identifying and Resolving Exceptions Identifying exceptions, determines what items fall outside the order forecast constraints established by the partners. The result is a list of exception items that are identified using the criteria established in the front-end agreement. Step eight, resolving exceptions, involves the process of investigating order forecast exceptions by querying shared data and submitting results to changes in the order forecast. Once again, the guidelines set down in the front-end agreement (or negotiations among partners) determine how those exceptions are resolved. (Edward, 2003) Phase III Executing During the final CPFR phase, front-end planning and forecasting come together with supply chain execution. Through J.D. Edwards collaborative CPFR solution, the order is generated and committed to delivery, enabling successful order delivery execution. Step 9: Generating Orders The final step in the CPFR process is generating the order and promising the delivery. The essence of maintaining positive relationships with partners and customers is to deliver on promises. Order Promising tags inventory (or raw materials) and addresses production schedules and transportation constraints to ensure that the product is ready when needed. Using Order Promising, companies can instantly determine where orders can best be satisfied from inventory at any location, planned production orders, or purchase receipts. When there is a promotion (such as a new store opening or product launch), Order Promising allows companies to quote future delivery dates or other key information related to the event. (Edward, 2003) Step 10: Executing to the CPFR Plan Although order generation is the ninth and final step of the formal CPFR model, the process doesnt end there. In effect, there is a tenth step involving execution of the order. This is where J.D. Edwards distinguishes itself. Once CPFR planning is complete, the model can feed data directly into J.D. Edwards Supply Chain Execution applications. Manufacturing, warehousing, order fulfillment, and transportation plans are completely synchronized into an integrated package to monitor and ensure on-time execution of the order delivery process. (Edward, 2003) Conclusion: Proper demand forecasting enables better planning and utilization of resources for business to be competitive. Forecasting is an integral part of demand management since it provides an estimate of the future demand and the basis for planning and making sound business decisions. A mismatch in supply and demand could result in excessive inventory and stock outs and loss of profit and goodwill. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are available to help companies forecast demand better. Since forecasts are seldom completely accurate, management must monitor forecast errors and make the necessary improvement to the forecasting process. Forecast made in isolation tend to be inaccurate. Collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment are an approach is which companies work together to develop mutually agreeable plans and take responsibility for their actions. The objectives of CPFR is to optimize the supply chain by generating a consensus demand forecast, delivering the right product at the right time to the right location, reducing inventories, avoiding stock outs, and improving customer services. Major corporations such as Wall-Mart, Warner-Lambert, and Proctor Gamble are early adopters of CPFR. Although the benefits of CPFR are well recognized, wide spread adoption has not materialized.

Factors Affecting The Rate Of Photosynthesis Biology Essay

Factors Affecting The Rate Of Photosynthesis Biology Essay The purpose of this experiment is to observe the factors affecting the Photosynthetic rate of leaves, which is measured in two ways. Firstly changing the light intensity, this will determine the rate of increase or decrease in photosynthesis. Secondly changing the availability of nutrients (Concentration of CO2) to the plants, this will directly affect the photosynthetic rate. To test the light intensity, an elodea submerged in a beaker was placed at different measurement away from the plant, to see if oxygen (bubbles) is produced. To test the availability of nutrients, different molarities of Sodium Bicarbonate was diluted in 500 ml of water with Elodea, to see if rate of photosynthesis increased or decreased. The result shows, as light intensity increases, the rate of reaction will increase at a proportional rate until a certain level is reached. At a light intensity of 400 the average increase in rate of reaction was 746v. At 4 the average increase in rate of reaction was 8676v, a difference of 7930v, which shows the rate of reaction is greatly influenced by light intensity. As the molarity of Sodium Bicarbonate increases, the rate of reaction will also increase at a proportional rate with respect to light intensity. At 0.05M the average increase in rate of reaction was 0.80r. At 0.1M the average increase in rate of reaction was 1.90r, a difference of 1.1r, which shows the rate of reaction is also significantly influenced by the availability of nutrients. Both light intensity and availability of nutrients are important factors that affect the rate of photosynthesis. Aim To investigate how different factors affect the rate of photosynthesis. The variables that will be changed are different intensity of light and different molarities of Sodium bicarbonate and then measuring the rate of reaction (photosynthetic rate). Hypothesis Throughout this experiment the light intensity and different molarities of Sodium Bicarbonate will be varied. The variable that is measured will be time, for rate of reaction. As light intensity increases the rate of reaction will increase at a proportional rate. As the concentration of NaHCO3 increases the rate of the reaction will also increase at a proportional rate. Introduction Every species on earth needs some kind of energy source in order to survive. In animal cells, the mitochondria produce ATP from cellular respiration. However, the plant cells have a different type of center that produces energy-chloroplasts. Plants go through the process of photosynthesis. The main process of photosynthesis is the absorption of light by chlorophyll, found in leaves and the immersion of carbon dioxide from the environment, and together they produce oxygen and sugar (energy). The equation below represents the photosynthesis reaction: The purpose of this experiment is to test whether factors such as light intensity and level of Carbon dioxide, will affect the rate of photosynthesis, which are the two most important variables in the photosynthesis process. This was demonstrated by Robert Hill in 1938, known as The Hill Reaction. Robert Hill and his associates at the University of Illinois found that the photosynthetic rate varies with light intensity, and as the light intensity increases, the reaction rate also increases up to a certain point. Apparatus needed for the Experiment Elodea 20mm ² syringe Capillary tubing Stand Stopwatch Ruler NaHCO ³ Solution Bench lamp Distilled water Figure A) Potometer Method The apparatus is set (see Fig. A) with the syringe full of the 0.01M solution of NaHCO3 solution. Two marks 10cm apart are made on the capillary tubing. The syringe is placed 0.05m away from the lamp. Using the syringe plunger the meniscus of the NaHCO3 is set so that it is level with the first mark. A stopwatch is then started. The meniscus should gradually move down the capillary tube as the elodea produces oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis. As the oxygen is produced it increases the pressure in the syringe and so the meniscus is pushed down the tube. Light Intensity = 1 / Distance ² (m) When the meniscus reaches the level of the bottom mark the stopwatch should be stopped. Light intensities have been worked out using the following equation: 6. Using the same piece of elodea and the same distance between the lamp and the syringe the experiment (steps 1 to 5) should be repeated for the other concentration of NaHCO3. 7. The experiment (steps 1 to 6) should then be repeated at each different distance between the syringe and the light for all the NaHCO3 concentrations. The remaining distances are 0.05m, 0.06m, 0.07m, 0.08m, 0.1m, 0.2m, 0.3m, and 0.5m. 8. The entire experiment should then be repeated three times in order to obtain more accurate data and to get rid of any anomalies that may occur in a single experiment. In order to make this experiment as accurate as possible a number of steps must be taken. The same piece of elodea should be used each time in order to make sure that each experiment is being carried out with the same leaf surface area. The amount of NaHCO3 solution should be the same for each experiment. 20mm ² should be used each time. The distance should be measured from the front of the lamp to the syringe. Although taking these steps will make the experiment more accurate, its accuracy is still limited by several factors. From these recorded times I will work out the rate of the reaction using the following equation. Rate of the Reaction = 1 / Time (s) Results Table1. (Average of the 4 trails of Molarity against Light intensity): Molarity of NaHCO3 Light Intensity 1/d ² (m) 0.00 (Distilled water) 0.01 0.02 0.05 0.07 400 3571 1666 1099 523 200 278 1670 5183 988 600 375 204 4998 4485 1175 1005 473 156 5590 2300 1770 1445 621 100 9990 3150 2900 2552 1224 25 4762 3984 2850 1640 11 5945 4348 3780 2830 4 16480 11904 5196 6578 Using these results I worked out the rate Rate Of the Reaction = 1 / Time(s) x 1000 The rate was multiplied by 1000 to make the numbers easier to handle. Table2.Average of the 4 trails in rate of reaction: Molarity of NaHCO3 Light Intensity 1/d ² (m) 0.00 (Distilled water) 0.01 0.02 0.05 0.07 400 0.28 0.60 0.91 1.91 5.00 278 0.60 0.19 1.01 1.67 2.67 204 0.20 0.22 0.85 1.00 2.11 156 0.18 0.43 0.56 0.69 1.61 100 0.10 0.32 0.34 0.39 0.82 25 0.21 0.25 0.35 0.61 11 0.17 0.23 0.26 0.35 4 0.06 0.08 0.19 0.15 Light intensity against NaHCO3 Graph1. Analysis Discussion of Results Analysis: Distilled water: With the distilled water the rate of reaction went up from 0.1 to 0.4 when the light intensity was increased from 100 to 400. This is a 4 times rise which is quite large. The curve on the graph does however level out quite soon showing that the rate is being limited by the lack of NaHCO3 in the water. 0.01M NaHCO3: At a light intensity of 4 the rate is 0.06 but this rises to 0.6 when the light intensity is brought up to 400. The curve is very shallow and levels off towards a light intensity of 350 400. 0.02M NaHCO3: The amount of NaHCO3 is double that of the 0.01M NaHCO3 experiment. The rate also finishes off twice that of the 0.01M experiment. This would suggest that there was a directly proportional relationship between the amount of NaHCO3 and the rate of reaction. 0.05M NaHCO3: The curve for the 0.05M NaHCO3 is steeper than the previous curves. The rate rises to 1.9 at a light intensity of 400. 0.07M NaHCO3: The 0.07M NaHCO3 test produces a line which is steeper than all the previous curves. The plant is using the extra CO2 to photosynthesize more. As the plant has more CO2 the limiting factor caused by the lack of CO2 is reduced. This test did produce a big anomaly. The rate for a light intensity of 400 is 5. By following the line of best fit I can see that this result should be more like 3.5. The elodea for this test was very close to the light source. It is possible that it had been left here for a while which caused the lamp to heat the elodea up. This would have increased the rate of reaction of the plants enzymes which would have increased the photosynthesis rate. 0.1M NaHCO3: The 0.1M NaHCO3 produced the steepest line. Near the end of the line it looks as if the rate of reaction is hit by another limiting factor. The line goes up steadily but then between a light intensity of 300 and 400 levels off very quickly. This would suggest that at a 0.1M NaHCO3 is sufficient for the plant to photosynthesize at its maximum rate with its current environmental conditions. Increasing the NaHCO3 concentration after this level would therefore have no effect unless the next limiting factor was removed. Discussion: The hypothesis was that the rate of photosynthesis would increase if the light intensity and NaHCO3 levels were increased (please refer to Graph1). As the elodea absorbed the light and CO2 it produced oxygen gas which increased the pressure in the syringe. This pushed the air bubble in the capillary tube down. The chloroplasts produce ATP and reduce NADP to NADPH2 when exposed to light. It is at this stage of the reaction that oxygen is produced as a waste product, furthermore, the data collected was supported by the results obtained by Robert Hill and his associates at the University of Illinois, where they predicted, as the light intensity and NaHCO3 levels increased, the rate of photosynthesis will also increase up to a certain level (please refer to Graph2) As predicted when the light intensity increases so does the rate of photosynthesis. It was predicted that a level would be reached where increasing the light intensity would have no more effect on the rate of reaction as there would be some other limiting factor which limits the rate of the reaction. The rate increases at a steady rate as the light intensity increases until near the end of each line where the rate decreases. This is either because the photosynthesis reaction has reached its maximum rate of reaction or another factor is limiting the rate. As 6 different CO2 concentrations were used I can see that the first five reactions are not occurring at their maximum rate as there is the 0.1M NaHCO3 rest which is occurring at a faster rate then the other 5. The photosynthesis reactions of the other five tests must therefore be limited by the concentration of CO2 to the plant. As predicted when the NaHCO3 concentration is increased the plant in able to get more CO2 which causes the rate of reaction to go up. It was predicted that once the NaHCO3 had been raised above a certain level increasing the rate further would have no effect as there would be other limiting factors limiting the rate of the reaction. As the NaHCO3 concentration the water was increased the rate of photosynthesis also increased. The plant therefore made more oxygen as a waste product. At a NaHCO3 concentration of 0.1M once the light intensity gets above 300 the rate of reaction decreases significantly. This could be because photosynthesis is occurring at its maximum possible rate or because another limiting factor is restraining the rate of reaction. The fact that the curve levels off so quickly indicates that there is another limiting factor restraining photosynthesis. It could be temperature. These tests are being carried out at room temperature so the temperature would have to be raised another 15 °C before the enzymes in the plants cells were at their optimum working temperature. More tests could be done by using water that was at a higher temperature to see what effect this would have on the photosynthesis rate. It is however impossible to raise the plants temperature without affect other factors. For instance the actual amount of oxygen released by the plant is slightly more than the readings would suggest as some of the oxygen would dissolve into the water. At a higher temperature less oxygen would be able to dissolve into the water so the readings for the photosynthesis rate could be artificially increased. It is also possible that the photosynthetic reactions in the plant are occurring at their maximum possible rate and so cannot be increased any more. The light is probably not a limiting factor as all but one of the curves level off before the maximum light intensity of 400 is reached. The maximum light intensity that the plants can handle is therefore just below 400.Water will not be a limiting factor as the plants are living in water. They therefore have no stomata and absorb all their CO2 by diffusion through the leaves. Graph1. Light intensity against NaHCO3 MY RESULTS Graph2. Light intensity against NaHCO3 SOURCE Limitations and Improvement The accuracy of this experiment is limited by a number of factors. Some of the oxygen give off is used for respiration by the plant. Some of the oxygen dissolved into the water. Some was used by small invertebrates that were found living within the pieces of elodea. The higher light intensities should be quite accurate but the smaller light intensities would be less accurate because the light spreads out. The elodea will also get background light from other experiments. The lights are also a source of heat which will affect the experiments with only a small distance between the light and the syringe. This heating could affect the results. Using the same piece of elodea for each experiment was impractical as the elodeas photosynthesis rate decreased over time. By using a different piece of elodea for each experiment did create the problem of it being impossible for each piece to have the same surface area. This experiment could be improved in a number of ways. It could be repeated more times to help get rid of any anomalies. A better overall result would be obtained by repeating the experiment more times because any errors in one experiment should be compensated for by the other experiments. Each person should have done their experiments in a different room to cut out all background light. All the experiments should be done sequentially. A perspex screen could have been placed between the light and the syringe to reduce any heating effect that the light may have. The experiment could have been carried out with higher NaHCO3 to see if increasing the concentration would increase the rate of photosynthesis, or if a concentration of 0.1M NaHCO3 produces the maximum rate of photosynthetic reaction. Conclusion The intention of this experiment was to investigate different factors that affect the rate of photosynthesis. The hypothesis was, as light intensity increases the rate of reaction will increase at a proportional rate. As the concentration of NaHCO3 increases the rate of the reaction will also increase at a proportional rate. This was correct, supported by the data collected which shows at a light intensity of 400 the average increase in rate of reaction was 746v. At 4 the average increase in rate of reaction was 8676v, a difference of 7930v, which shows the rate of reaction is greatly influenced by light intensity. This was demonstrated by Robert Hill and his associates, with similar results to this experiment, which they found that the photosynthetic rate varies with light intensity, and as the light intensity increases, the reaction rate also increases up to a certain point.

Concepts Of Sight in Sophocles’ Play Oedipus Essay -- Sophocles Oedipu

Concepts Of Sight in Sophocles’ Play Oedipus The concept of sight is one of the major motifs throughout Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King. The play revolves primarily around series of events caused by many people’s insight or lack there of. Oedipus does not see that he is caught up in a web of cruel destiny that he cannot escape. The gods demonstrate foresight and insight into the play. In addition to this, Tiresias has physical blindness but also has prophetic insight. Finally, both Oedipus and Jocasta portray types of mental blindness and shortsightedness. These are all examples of different uses of sight in the play Oedipus the King. Oedipus is a hero, but sometimes he can not see the reality of this. He goes into states where he lacks mental insight, making rash decisions without thinking about the future or consequences. One of his biggest downfalls because of this shortsightedness is that he does not realize that his destiny is solely in the hands of the gods. After Oedipus is told as a young boy about the prophecy of his life, he can not "see" how he is destined to marry his mother and kill his father. Furthermore, because of his lack of insight he truly believes that he can move without the Oracle’s prophecy following him. No matter what Oedipus does, he has no control over what the gods have predetermined. The gods also punish the people of Thebes with hard times since it is these people who brought Oedipus into the land as their king. The gods do this in order to make the people see through Oedipus’ extreme pride and quick temper. The gods apparently think that the only way to get them to see what Oedipus has done is by causing the city pain and suffering. The gods use their insight to affect Oedipus’ life, family and city. Although the gods do not initially favor Oedipus, his kingdom sees him as a noble ruler. Oedipus’ pride prevents him from seeing the truth and this leads to his great fall. His pride forces him to kill his father because he refuses to pay a toll and give up the right of way. Oedipus is so blinded by his pride that he can not accept the fact that he can not avoid his fate placed upon him by the gods. It is because he is not perfect and has these tragic flaws that in the end makes him a tragic hero. The greatest of his flaws happens to be his excessive pride and self-righteousness. Had Oedipus not listened to his pride, ... ...has lost everything of importance: his kingdom, his family, and his happiness. In the beginning of Oedipus the King, Oedipus is portrayed as an admired and respected ruler. By the end of the play, he has been stripped of his political power, has blinded himself, and has exited as a broken man. All these different uses of the concept of sight are found in Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King. Oedipus is noble in taking full responsibility for his troubled past, even though his troubles have been caused by Laius’ and Jocasta’s blind way of handling their problems. With a little help from the gods, who did not hold Oedipus in favor, his blind choices and quick temper lead to his great fall. Even though Oedipus is not physically blind like Tiresias, he is blind to the actuality of the actions of his life. Because of this, it is ironic that Oedipus is morally blind when physically he can see. When Oedipus finally sees the truth, he realizes he is morally blind and then physically blinds his eyes. He realizes that his destiny is in the hands of the gods, and there was nothing he could do to change that. These are all different concepts of sight that revolve around the story of Oedipus.

How I Chose my Career of Business Essay -- career, business,

Often times, I can’t help but wonder what my life would be like if I haven’t been exposed to the world of business; a wonderful career that changed my life completely. I have taken interest in business career because I love calculating numbers and interacting with people; But most importantly, my fascination in business came from my grandfather. He taught me many valuable tips on how to be a successful person, and most certainly how to run a business. He was not only a successful businessman, but also a respected individual. One of the businesses that he owned was a company called â€Å"Wu Long Tea Factory†. The main thing that they produce is tea of course, but they also have products such as cakes, candies, and all kinds of stuff. By being the production manager’s assistant of this company, I was able to experience everything that was going on in the factory. Even though that was the background I grew up in, my biggest fascination wasn’t in being a manager in a factory; it was the finance part that got me all excited. Often times I can even see myself sitting in my office and work on clients’ financial profiles and statements. I also took extra math classes and participated in many of the competitions in order to prepare myself to succeed in this particular field. Other things that I also did to get me well prepared are joining school activities, applying internships, and having jobs. I believe that all my hard work will pay off, when I see myself as a successful businessman. I grew up in a low-income family with a father that has rheumatoid arthritis; in other words, my life was full of hardships. Being the oldest child of the two, I had a lot of responsibilities I have to carry upon my shoulder. My father is an individual who is f... ...ed younger kids by tutoring them on certain subjects or just spending time playing with them. The hobbies I do gave me a sense of enjoyment and satisfaction. By attending New York University, since it has one of the finest business programs, I believe I will become even more successful, both academically and socially. I have enthusiasm and ambition, plus having good leadership skills, being a hard worker, and having great social networking skills. After going through a childhood with a rheumatoid arthritis father, and coming to a foreign country where I had knew very little of its language, I would and strive for and participate in any learning opportunities. I know that I am ready for the upcoming challenges and tasks. I strongly believe that no matter what kind of ordeals people will face, as long as they have the heart and will to do it right, they will succeed.

Corporate social responsibility Essay

1) Corporate Ethics – The broad area dealing with the way in which a company behaves towards, and conducts business with, its internal and external STAKEHOLDERS, including employees, investors, creditors, customers, and regulators. In certain national systems minimum standards are required or recommended in order to eliminate potential conflicts of interest or client/employee mistreatment. 2) Board of Directors (BOD) – An appointed or elected body or committee that has overall responsibility for the management of a nonprofit or nonstock organization, such as a foundation, university or mutual fund. 3) Executive Officer – is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. 4) Corporate Compliance – means having internal policies and procedures designed to prevent and detect violations of applicable law, regulations, rules and ethical standards by employees, agents and others. It involves legal risk management and internal controls. 5) Corporate Governance – refers to the set of systems, principles and processes by which a company is governed. They provide the guidelines as to how the company can be directed or controlled such that it can fulfil its goals and objectives in a manner that adds to the value of the company and is also beneficial for all stakeholders in the long term. 6) Corporate Responsibility – includes being consistent with ethical principles and conduct such as honesty, integrity and respect for others. By voluntarily accepting responsibility for its actions corporations earn their licence to operate in society. 7) Corporate Social Responsibility – is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model. CSR policy functions as a built-in, self-regulating mechanism whereby a business monitors and ensures its active compliance with the spirit of the law, ethical standards, and international norms. 8) Corporate Sustainability – is a business approach that creates long-term consumer and employee value by not only creating a â€Å"green† strategy aimed towards the natural environment, but taking into consideration every dimension of how a business operates in the social, cultural, and economic environment. Also formulating strategies to build a company that fosters longevity through transparency and proper employee development.

Outline of a Wedding Reception

Special Occasion Wedding Role: Prayer OUTLINE Hook: Let us bow our heads and feel the presence of the Lord. Thesis: Prayer for the newlyweds. Preview: Lord for the joy of this occasion, we thank You. For Your presence here and now and at all times, we thank You. Protect the newlyweds from evil and temptation, guide them for their every challenges they encountered, and bless Owen and Sheryl and everyone present here. Surround us with Your love now and always. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.I. Opening A. Introduction of the Prayer 1. Giving respect to the Lord 2. Sign of the cross II. Body A. Praising the Lord B. Asking for forgiveness C. Thanks giving D. Supplication III. Closing In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Full Speech I. Opening Lets all stand and feel the presence of the Lord. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. II. Body Heavenly Father, Love has been your richest and great est gift to this world.Love between a man and a woman which matures into marriage. Today, we celebrate that love. Lord for the joy of this occasion, we thank You. For Your presence here and now and at all times, we thank You. Protect the newlyweds from evil and temptation, guide them for their every challenges they encountered, and bless Owen and Sheryl and everyone present here. Surround us with Your love now and always. III. Closing In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. (Sign of the cross)