Thursday, October 31, 2019

Doccumented Essay Using No Name Woman from the Norton Anthology

Doccumented Using No Name Woman from the Norton Anthology seventh Edition and THREE (3) other sources from shcolarly journals - Essay Example This voice comes forward in her short story â€Å"No Name Woman† to tell of a family legend that has helped to shape the woman she would become. In her speculations about what might have pushed the no name woman to a position of suicide and her subsequent disownment by the family, Kingston, as narrator, reveals a great deal about the social and cultural positions of her dual society. The story, told in first person, is presented as an autobiographical reflection upon a story told to Kingston by her mother when she first reached puberty. Essentially, the mother tells Kingston about an aunt she had that is no longer acknowledged or remembered (out loud) by the family. This aunt was married quickly to a young man who was leaving China for America to try to earn money. The weddings were arranged so as to provide these young men with the anchors necessary to ensure they would return home. Years after their departure, though, this aunt became pregnant, bringing disgrace upon the family. As the time for the baby’s birth draws close, the village rises up against the family that has brought so much shame and dishonor to their community, attacking the family home and destroying their property. The rice fields are trampled and drained, the doors are broken in, the kitchenware is smashed and the villagers act in ways calculated to instill terror in the hearts of thos e inside. After the villagers are gone and the family is left to salvage whatever shattered pieces of their lives that are left to them, the pregnant aunt ran out into the fields and, later that night, gave birth to her baby in a nearby pigsty. Kingston’s mother later finds the girl and her newborn child drowned in the family well. The remainder of the story is Kingston’s reflections upon this aunt as she attempts to understand why she would have risked so much simply for sex. There are several massive holes in the story of the no name aunt for

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Child care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Child care - Essay Example Another weakness of mine is not being very orderly with my things. Sometimes, it doesn’t bother me anymore having cluttered books, pens, etc. around me. Lastly, I think I also need to learn to be more wise in my spending habits. I have the tendency to be an impulsive shopper especially when I find novel materials. One goal is to develop healthy work relationships with my co-workers and the parents of my students. Being surrounded with little children all the time makes me happy, but I also need to relate with other adults who may be able to give me wise advise in developing effective teaching strategies. I would also need their friendship and support as a colleague who understands the same things I go through in my work. As a teacher, I would also need to develop warm and congenial relationships with the parents of my students, as it is one of my beliefs that parents and teachers should work hand-in-hand to help the child reach his full potential. Parents are considered partners in education for a better future. Another goal for me is to pursue excellence in my craft. That includes making more effort to improve on my areas of weaknesses. Being tardy may reflect that I take my work and the people there for granted. Especially with young children, they would need a dependable teacher to be with them when they arrive in school. Being a messy teacher will only impart negative influences in the students, as they can model this behavior themselves and think that is the way things should be. Being an impulsive shopper would also put emphasis on a need to resort to buying new things instead of re-using or recycling old, available, inexpensive materials. It will not foster resourcefulness and self-restraint. To be able to fulfill my goal of developing healthy interpersonal relationships at work would require that I initiate social contacts with people. I would make it a point to give attention to the people at

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Importance Of Environmental Impact Assessments

Importance Of Environmental Impact Assessments The environment that we live in is the foundation on which all life is based on. We need to preserve and protect the natural environment and by implementing environmental impact assessments we can sustain the environment for future development and not ruin it. Environmental impact assessments (EIAs) are becoming increasingly important all over the world, and the need to perform environmental impact assessments have been made compulsory in a lot of countries. In South Africa the environmental laws are very strict to protect the environment of the country that we live in. EIAs are performed on the sites where new developments are scheduled to be undertaken or where there is a planned extension of previously developed projects, to assess the impact that the developments will have on the environment. One person cannot perform an environmental impact assessment alone, but rather a team of environmental assessment practitioners (EAPs). The environment The word environment has a very broad spectrum of areas that it could consist of, but it is most commonly used to describe the naturally occurring environment. It is the world we live in, work in, play in, and includes all living (and non-living) things that we encounter on earth. (Aucamp, 2009, p.1). The environment has the ability to vary as time goes by. Therefore the species or organisms that live in an environment need to be able to adapt to these changes in their living environments in order to survive. The environment provides resources for different types of projects. These resources are all part of the environment and prove to be a very crucial part of our lives. The environment is the foundation of future life and needs to be protected and preserved. Environmental Impact Assessment An environmental impact assessment (EIA) is defined by Canter (1999) as the classification and estimation of the impacts that a planned project could potentially have on various workings of the environment. These impacts can occur directly, as well as indirectly and include both environmental and social implications. Environmental impact assessment of proposed development should prove that a project does not have a major negative effect on the environment. If a project does have a significant impact on the environment, the environmental impact assessment should show that these impacts can be mitigated to such an extent such that it doesnt have a great effect on the environment. An environmental impact assessment is not just a document, but rather a process that is followed. This process can be described as very flexible, since there are many different methods and techniques of performing an EIA. EIAs should only be performed once a well proposed project has been planned. Main activities that take place during an EIA During an environmental impact assessment a lot of crucial steps need to be followed and it is very important that all of these steps are completed thoroughly to ensure that the EIA has been performed correctly. These are the four main activities involved in an EIA: Scoping Stakeholder involvement Environmental assessments Related legal aspects These activities will be explained individually throughout the remainder of this report. Screening Screening is the process that needs to be undertaken to establish whether or not an environmental impact assessment has to be done. This process (screening) is done by compiling all the necessary given information or, if there is not enough information, a brief assessment or site visit needs to be done. The level at which an EIA must be performed can also be determined by implementing screening. The steps that can be followed After screening has been completed, decisions on how to continue with the development can be made. The steps that can be followed to perform screening are as follows: Initial meeting with the promoter of the proposed development The environmental assessment practitioner that has been placed in charge of the specific project needs to meet with the person who is promoting the new development or the extension of an old development. They have to discuss all the aspects of the proposed project. These aspects are things like the reason of the project, the size, cost, main stakeholders, opposition and whether some parts of the project are negotiable or not. The environmental assessment practitioner needs to know who all the people are that are in charge of the different categories of the project in order to assess exactly what all the impacts of the project will be. Visit the proposed or existing location of the site During a visit to the intended site, a lot of necessary information can be gathered that is needed for the screening of the project. The exact co-ordinates of the site can be obtained as well as pictures. This makes the project more realistic to assess and easier to visualize once you are no longer on site. While on site, observation can be made and in situ tests can be conducted. The surrounding areas can also be assessed and therefore the whole screening process becomes more intense, which allows for more accurate results concerning the level of the environmental impact assessment that possibly has to be performed. A study of all applicable legislation All the legal requirements that involve an EIA have to be examined. Regulations and rules regarding EIAs according to the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) need to be adhered to at all times. These regulations could also determine whether a basic or full scale environmental impact assessment is required. Knowledgeable experts should be advised when working with all the legal aspects of a project during screening. Scoping After the screening process has been completed, or even at the same time as the screening process, scoping can commence. During scoping the most important issues are attended to. These are the issues that have been raised during the screening of the proposed development that has caused the greatest concerns among the environmental assessment practitioners, the people in charge of the project and the general public. Therefore this process mainly highlights which impacts will have the greatest effect and provides a trend for the final assessment. Scoping is necessary for projects of all sizes. Scoping should be performed throughout the project. Once the site for the proposed development has been finalised the angle of the scoping will differ. Then there will be less issues and more attention can be placed on detailed aspects of the assessment. According to Hamilton (2000) additional time is needed to assess unknown impacts that the project may have on the environment and the social community. This is caused by ineffective scoping. Activities During the scoping process a number of activities take place. These activities include: Identifying the key stakeholders and introducing them to the project and the stakeholders list. Highlighting the most significant issues, values and concerns that need attention during an EIA. Using findings accurately in debating situations as well as in crucial decision making, involving alternatives that could be introduced to a project. The process of identifying all the policies, regulations and detailed aspects of the assessment. These activities should provide a comprehensive scope and could point to means of mitigation or alternatives (Aucamp, 1999; Bekker, 2006). Stakeholder involvement In order to comprehend the stakeholder involvement it is first necessary to understand who a stakeholder is. Howlett and Nagu (1997) define stakeholders as all those people and institutions who have an interest in the successful design, implementation and sustainability of the project. This includes those positively and negatively affected by the project. Stakeholder participation involves processes whereby all those with a stake in the outcome of a project can actively participate in decisions on planning and management. They share information and knowledge, and may contribute to the project, so as to enhance the success of the project and hence ultimately their own interests. Stakeholder involvement is the process where the affected parties of a proposed development or activity participate in the project and includes the full range of communication between the stakeholders and the decision makers of the proposed development. The stakeholders of a project should therefore be part of decisions that are made during a project and they should always be briefed as to the status of the project. Stakeholders should have a right to their opinion and always be brought into consideration during and after a project has been completed. Reasons why stakeholder involvement is important according to Hughes (1998) Stakeholders help identify and address issues that are relevant during an EIA. The involvement of stakeholders helps to connect traditional knowledge of the environment to the project. During an EIA the stakeholder involvement improves the communication between the promoters of the development and the stakeholders. The involvement of all the different stakeholders allows the promoters to identify each stakeholders requirements concerning the project. Stakeholders could identify problems and come up with promising opportunities for the mitigation of problems. Stakeholders make sure that the EIA is performed thoroughly and assure that no aspects have been neglected. When satisfactory attention is spent on stakeholder involvement during an EIA, the class prediction of the environmental assessment improves. Stakeholder involvement allows for more information to be gathered when an assessment is being done. Some local stakeholders have cumulative knowledge about their environments and more availability to information concerning the area of the development. Environmental assessments An environmental assessment (EA) is the process of determining the consequences or effects of change (positive or negative) that a proposed development or activity might have on the environment. The environmental assessment therefore studies the effects that these changes will have on both the physical as well as the social environment. Some changes wont have any effect on the environment. Jain (2004) concluded that some projects that undergo an environmental assessment wont experience any changes caused by the actions, but the present status of the project might have been unacceptable from the start. Methods used to perform environmental assessments according to (Aucamp, 2009) Comparisons with EIA projects in similar projects Checklists Environmental cost-benefit studies Expert opinions and systems Indicators of environmental media or resources Laboratory testing Landscape evaluation Interaction matrices Impact tree networks Photography These are just a few examples and there are many more methods used to perform environmental assessments. Most important environmental legislation controlling the undertaking of an EIA in South Africa In South Africa there are environmental laws that need to be followed when one plans on performing an EIA. This body of rules and guidelines forms part of the structure of the South African environmental legislation. Multinational environmental agreement (MEA) This is part of an international law and includes the following: Treaties Attending to endangered species. Protocols These include the Kyoto protocol that controls carbon emissions. Conventions This includes the likes of the Montreal convention. The Constitution The constitution addresses the rights of all South African citizens. The South African Constitution environmental right section 24 (Republic of South Africa, 1996a) says that: Everyone has the right (a) to an environment that is not harmful to their health or wellbeing; and (b) to have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations, through reasonable legislative and other measures that (i) prevent pollution and ecological degradation; (ii) promote conservation; and (iii) secure ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development. Statuary law Written statuary laws are signed by ministers and presidents. The following are general statuary laws: Environmental Conservation Act (ECA) No. 73, 1989. National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) NO. 107, 1998 Chapter 5 amended 2008. Specific law The following are specific laws that are pert of the South African environmental legislation: Air: VEMA Air quality Act No. 39, 2004. Water: National Water Act No. 36, 1998. Soil: Conservation of agricultural resources Act No. 43, 1983. Biodiversity: NEMA Protected areas Act 2003 NEMA Environmental Biodiversity Act No. 25. 1999. Heritage: National Heritage Resources Act No. 25, 1999. Civil law The civil law is one that is unwritten. It is based on precedent and it is between individuals or between individuals and companies or governmental organizations. All of the above mentioned laws form part of the structure of the most important environmental legislation controlling the undertaking of EIAs in South Africa. When an environmental impact assessment should be undertaken in South Africa Every country has their own environmental legislations and follows different procedures when they plan on performing environmental impact assessments. South Africa has one of the best environmental legislations in the world, which covers every aspect of the environment in order to protect and preserve it for sustainable development. South Africa is very prosperous in terms of natural environment, since the country has a great deal of wildlife and resources. Knowing when to perform an environmental impact assessment is crucial and no short cuts should be taken when determining this. Knowing when to perform an EIA A certain criteria of requirements need to be met in order to ensure whether or not an environmental impact assessment should be performed or not. In South Arica there are rules and regulation controlling this decision. These requirements are all covered in the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), the three listing activities and the EIA regulations. New projects that have started after the 2nd of August 2010 need to adhere to the new regulations. These regulations are discussed in the following subsection. New regulations When determining whether an EIA should be performed the new regulations that have been promulgated in June 2006 should be taken into consideration. After the EIA legislation was introduced to South Africa it was reviewed in 2006. This review brought a number of amendments to the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) which improved certain acts that wasnt up to standards. On the 2nd of August 2010 these regulations were changed slightly. The following regulations have come into effect: Projects that run through this transitional period and cross over into the new regulations only need to adhere to all the old environmental impact assessment regulations, which were still in effect when the project started. Differences between basic and full scale environmental impact assessments in South Africa Full scale EIA Acknowledge receipt Check application Submit application EIA Response Submit scoping report Scoping Notification of decision Decision Response Basic EIA Submit application Basic assessment report Public participation Await authorisation Acknowledge receipt Check application Response Notification of decision Images of environmental impacts in South Africa Moses Mahbida Stadium in Durban Description This photo shows the construction of the soccer stadium. This huge structure covers 89600 m2 and is 45 m in height. A 350 m long arch that stretches across the stadiums length reaches a height of 100 m. Type of project This was a construction project for the development of Durbans Fifa World Cup 2010 venue that replaced the old Kings Park Soccer Stadium. Impacts This stadiums biggest negative impact was its visual impact on Durban, since it is such a massive structure and it was an upgrade of an existing stadium. Mitigation of impacts The design of this stadium was done to world class standards. The stadium was designed to be a great engineering accomplishment and by doing this the big structure no longer had a negative impact on the social environment. Everyone was looking forward to the completion of the great stadium and they were proud to include this stadium to the image of Durban. Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) Description This is a photo of the Cape Town International Conference Centre that is stated to be the greenest building in South Africa. This project is attempting to set international standards in sustainable building design and management. Type of project A 30000 m2 extension project of the Cape Town International Conference Centre was performed to improve the facility. Impacts This building didnt have any significant negative impacts on the environment, but it didnt have any positive impacts either. Mitigation of impacts The mitigation process for this project was turning a project with no impact on the environment into a project with an overall positive impact on the environment. According to Harcourt (2008) they accomplished this by designing the building to use 40 percent less energy per m2, 25 percent less waste to landfill and 95 percent potable water. The port of Ngqura Description This is a development of a deep water port at the Coega River Mouth. It is situated about 20 km from Port Elizabeth and will be the deepest container terminal in Africa. Type of project This is a brand new project that has been built from scratch. It will have a fixed embedded jet pump sand bypass system. It will include major earthworks as well as road networks. Impacts The natural environment around this area has been severely changed and damaged. This was a very simple piece of land and there were no endangered species. It will surely also positively impact the economical environment of a previously undeveloped and poor region. Mitigation of impacts The areas all around the Port will be developed once Ngqura is promoted to South Africas hub port. These damaged areas will then be created into an industrial area and create thousands of jobs and economically strengthen the region Gautrain Project Description The Gautrain will be a Rapid Rail Link system that can improve transportation in the Gauteng area. It is a world class railway system and will produce high speed trains for speedy transportation that stretches from Johannesburg to Pretoria. Type of project This will be South Africas most technological transportation project to date. This Rapid Rail Link system has been under construction for several years and is currently up and running. This project has a lot of potential of expanding in the future. Impacts Due to the size of this project there are a lot of impacts. There are both bio-physical and socio-economical impacts. The bio-physical impacts are the following: Fauna and flora along the path of the construction. Ground and wetlands that are destroyed. Soils along the route and the geology of the earth. Air quality around the construction sites. The socio-economical impacts are as follows: Noise and vibration that will be caused during the construction and once the trains are running every day. Land use and the property values. Social. Heritage. Economic. Mitigation of impacts The developers of the Gautrain project have held several meetings with the public and their stakeholders in order to mitigate all of the problems that have arisen from this project. All endangered plant species have been saved and protected. Wetlands have been rehabilitated to previous conditions as well as damaged ground and soils. The noise levels have been lessened considerably since the project has been running and there have been no major complaints. All heritage sites have been protected during the construction. Overall this project has shown a very large potential for economic growth. Impacts The most significant impacts involved with this project are the transmission integration factors, seismic suitability of the sites, impacts on dune geomorphology, impacts on wetlands, impacts on vertebrate fauna, impacts on invertebrate fauna and economic impacts. Mitigation of impacts Conclusion This report has shown the importance of environmental impact assessments. It is definitely a fundamental step in the life of a project. Performing an EIA is critical for a successful project and that projects are done without performing EIAs are destined for failure and devastation to all the people involved in the project. The South African law proves to be very up to date when it comes to environmental legislation and is of world class standards. These laws protect all environments and help enforce developers to build according to the regulations. EIAs very detailed processes and all developers should gain insight as to what the procedures are when performing EIAs and when EIAs should be performed to basic or full scales. EIAs are there to protect the environment and ensure sustainable development. They ensure that we leave something behind for future generations.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Choir Changed My Life :: Narrative Essay

Choir Changed My Life Freshmen year of High School changed my life for the better, although at first I was very reluctant to think so. My mom and her boyfriend had been commuting for two years after he was offered a much better job in Las Vegas. We decided it would be best for me to finish up middle school and freshman year of high school, head out for the gambler’s city. This change was extreme for me and had I not gone, I would have never joined the choir, which is where this story begins. I walked into McKinney North High School (where all freshmen had to attend that year) and signed up for my first year of high school classes. My mom thought it’d be a good idea to join a club or an interactive, fun, and exciting class. I had my doubts at first, but I decided to join the school Choir. I wouldn’t have had much of a problem walking in on my first day, but Las Vegas school’s start a few weeks later than McKinney†¦so they were on their second nine weeks and had all gotten a chance to get to know each other. I on the other hand, walked in and silenced the room. Mr. Nelms, the Choir teacher, introduced me to the Choir and had me sing†¦in front of everyone. I was beyond nervous. Turns out I did OK and I was from then on, an alto. I realized I would be moving to McKinney High School from North after the re-zoning of school’s which I was actually very excited about. I had to face another new choir, and a new teacher Mr. Garms. Mr. Nelm’s referred a handful of us to be in Concert Choir. It turns out I was one of the few. I was too nervous to accept, for I didn’t think I was Concert Choir material quite yet. Turns out I made a lot of friends in Chamber Singers (the choir I ended up in) and couldn’t of been happier with my decision to stay. I was put in Concert Choir again my Junior year but still didn’t think I was quite ready, so again I got out of it and stayed in Chamber. I became the leader of my Choir and was the best sight reader.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

meditech surgical case Essay

Introduction Meditech is a leader in the endoscopic surgical instrument market. The company manufactures and market low cost endoscopy surgical equipment to hospitals and independent surgeons. The company’s distribution operation is arranged and managed from a central storage warehouse that ships its products to domestic and international affiliates. The organization have been experiencing a good customer service experience in the past, however, lately customers have expressed concerns with the time products are being delivered to them. Due to the nature of the industry, the delivery of surgical equipment on time is extremely important. The on time delivery of products to its customers has become the main problem for the firm. Currently, Meditech’s customers are waiting over six weeks for products to be delivered to them. This current practice is not acceptable and must be addressed by management immediately if Meditech wants to stay competitive and keep its current market share. Statement and Causes of the problem Meditech’s main problem is that a bullwhip effect was produced due to organizational and supply chain problems. The method used by Meditech to balance customer demands with planned production is not effectively serving  its purpose. The catalogue of products being offered by Meditech continues to grow and replacing current items, making obsolete old products that are in their catalogue and current customer orders. Poor customer demands forecasting, long assembly lead times, and changing products are the main reason why inventory levels are not enough to satisfy customer’s demands. While the assembly lines try to keep with demand and company’s resources are getting exhausted trying to launch a new product, the distributors then will increase their product demand, which causes a bottle neck effect as it moves up the supply chain process. As the initial demand slows down there are still backup of high demand of inventory being produced. This cycle would repeat again as new products are being released to the market. Due to these problems, Meditech supply chain and management has created a poor customer service. Another problem of Meditech is communication. There is not enough communication between main operations departments in the company; this is causing information to become distorted as it makes its way through the supply chain line. The lack of communication and information increases the firm’s lead to demand variation as orders or demand is being process through the supply chain systems and departments. In consequence, distributors are feeling the effect by long waiting periods of time, thus this also causes them to place larger orders in an effort to help them compensate the waiting time. Panic ordering by distributors is caused by lack of communication and in turn leads into the problem of the bullwhip effect. Meditech’s current distribution system is inefficient and obviously is causing an inflated demand of products. There is not enough information being shared among distributors and Meditech’s operations. Each distributor receives orders from different regional warehouse, which makes it hard to see the bullwhip effect. The organization’s forecasting system is also confronting serious problems. The current organization’s forecast system is determined by marketing and finance departments on an annual basis. The annual forecast is then broken down into monthly and weekly forecasts and is frequently adjusted by Central Planners according to market trends. Meditech has realized that leads to forecasting problems when they try to introduce new  products. The organization realizes that they are unable to effectively predict demand for new products, which causes large demand fluctuations and backorders. Decision Criteria & Alternative solutions + Recommended Solution, Implementation and Justification Meditech can try few alternatives process to reduce demand variation and the possibility of panic ordering. The company should improve how customer ordering is processed, they should more effectively share demand information, and increase lead times on new products. The forecast methods needs to be upgraded to reflect current needs, the company should also introduce vendor managed inventory and an e-commerce web site to share information with its customers. All of these functions should be centralized and shared among all of the supply chain channels that are involved. With improvements in forecasting it would be much cheaper and more efficient with the introduction of new products to stock finished goods inventory based on projected forecasts. By pushing is anticipating the fluctuations in demands that may be caused with the introduction of a new product. Meditech will now have products available exactly when the customer needs them, and will no longer be forced into back order. A push strategy will also allow Meditech to be more confident in their inventory policies and should allow them to lower their current inventory policy to a level that is more economical and feasible. Q1) Meditech’s problem in introducing new products. In manufacturing ALL products. Meditech introduces 1 new product per month on an average. Most of the new products are only upgrades of old products. This considerably reduces the life-cycle of the products. Majority of Meditech customers are Material Managers whose primary focus is on cost and delivery schedules but not on innovative product features. Though no major problems arise  products int   from assembly line perspective, signs of cognitive dissonance may arise in customers. No attempt is made by Meditech to understand the Demand Dynamics along the product lifecycle. Qualitative factors that have been identified as critical success drivers for a new product launch are time-to-market relative to competition or product diffusion. But Meditech does not launch new products relative to competition and by constantly pushing new innovations into the market it does not allow its products to diffuse effectively into the market. Every new product launch requires a lead time of around 5-19 weeks (excluding design phase lead time) which is very high. With every product launch, pushing the product into the market becomes the primary consideration of the sales force thereby neglecting customer service for older products. These constant launches have led to: †¢Ã‚  Supply side shortages †¢Ã‚  Delayed deliveries (6 weeks) †¢Ã‚  Low customer service †¢Ã‚  Low customer satisfaction †¢Ã‚  Inaccurate forecasts †¢Ã‚  High FG inventory levels The product portfolio of Meditech comprises about 200 separate end-products and the number is increasing. These wide ranges of products make Meditech rely heavily on suppliers wherein the lead time is 2-16 weeks. So practising JIT, which would be very effective for Meditech, becomes impossible in this case. Meditech organizational structure has a long scalar chain. Information dissemination becomes difficult here if there are too many products in the portfolio. Q2) Cause of the problems, systematically and organizationally ISHIKAWA FISH-BONE DIAGRAM WAS USED TO DISSECT THE CAUSE AND EFFECT Q3) Why is customer service manager the first person to recognize the major issues? The scalar chain from Customer Service Manager to the Customer Service Representative is only of two steps. The representatives work in direct contact with dealers and affiliates and are often in direct contact with hospital personnel i.e. their consumers. A general rule of thumb is â€Å"If you want the best feedback, ask your consumers†. This network would have proved effective for feedback-information flow. Mr. Dan Franklin himself held many meetings with hospital material managers. This brought forth the level of dissatisfaction amongst his customers, Meditech’s poor service levels and improper delivery schedules. Q4) How would you fix these problems? The foremost thing we would do is implement an ERP System costing around $100,000. This would help in better data storage & warehousing, analysis and forecasting. We would reduce the frequency of new product launches. We would prefer a leaner product portfolio. We would lay emphasis on better forecasts with a shorter horizon of 1-2 months. We would maintain a safety stock so as to provide a service level of 95%. We would work to reduce the assembly cycle time from the current level of 2 weeks. We would look for new and better supplier relations to reduce the supplier lead time from the current level of 2-16 weeks. References 1. (Bass 1969, Krishnan 2000) 2. (Porter 1985, Kailash and Lilien 1986)

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Logic Cannot Prove the Existence of God Essay

For Anselm, using logic that can be deducted about God, it is clear to see that God’s existence is necessary. In the second ontological argument from Anselm, God is the greatest being possible; it is greater to exist by necessity than by contingence, it is therefore, impossible for God to not exist. In this argument, God’s existence is an analytic statement, it is impossible to prove that God exists and although Anselm believes that it does not need to be proven, there is no way of knowing that it is analytic. For example take triangles, every triangle that anyone can ever think of will have 3 sides that all add up to 180 degrees, that is simply a part of what a triangle is. Humans can however, prove this by drawing every possible triangle and testing them to see, with God’s existence that is not possible. For humans to consider his existence as an analytic statement, they would have to go faith and logic alone. In a way God’s existence could be a synthetic statement, which would mean that it would need to proven before the statement was true or not, the reason for this is because whether God exists or not does not prove his existence in reality as Anselm suggests in his argument. Kant would agree with this as he reviews Anselm’s ontological argument by saying that God’s existence is not a predicate, existence may be a part of the concept of God, but it does not proof that God exists. Descarte would also agree with the statement, as in his ontological argument he sets out that God is a perfect being, a part of being perfect is existing, and therefore God must exist. Descarte also uses the idea of the triangle in his argument, he writes that even if we think of triangles having four sides, the truth will not change; the triangle will remain to have 3 sides. For Descarte the triangle is God, he believes that God is immutable and will not change even if humans think he does not exist. Descarte would argue that logic can be used to prove the existence of God, he believes that God has instilled in humans an idea of God, which is that he is perfect, in this Descarte agrees with Anselm he then however, writes that we cannot talk of God unless he exists as a part of being God is existing. His argument, for Descarte, demonstrates God’s existence this argument is a priori and uses pure logic, and so for him God’s existence is an analytic statement.