Function Questions on SAT Reading Strategies and Practice

Function Questions on SAT Reading Strategies and Practice SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Function questions (also sometimes known as â€Å"meaning in context† questions) make up 17% of all passage-based reading questions, or about 12% of all SAT Critical Reading questions (based on my survey of the four publicly available post-2005 SATs). Answering function questions requires the ability to step back from the text and judge the effect of a phrase in a certain place (as opposed to little picture and vocab in context questions, which are just concerned with meaning). So how are function questions asked on the SAT, and what strategies can you use to answer them? Read on to find out. Note: The advice in this article is still relevant for the new SAT (March 2016 and beyond), but some of the examples have not yet been updated. Feature image credit: What's Your Function In Life? by bixentro, used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from original. What Are Function Questions? Function questions ask what a phrase, sentence, paragraph does in the context of a passage. They are often framed as â€Å"The author wrote [this thing] in order to..." Answering these questions can be tricky, because the wording of function questions often makes it seem as if they're asking â€Å"Why did the author do this thing?† Invariably, unless you are the author, your first response will probably be along the lines of "How should I know? I can't read the author's mind!"A better way to approach function questions is to rephrase them from "The author uses the phrase "The Great Old Ones" multiple times in order to..." to something more like â€Å"What effect does mentioning "The Old Ones" multiple times have in the context of [the lines, paragraph, or passage]?† A label sometimes given to function questions is "meaning in context" questions, which I find to be a little too imprecise: the questions are asking about the EFFECT of a phrase in context, not what the phrase means (which would be an inference question). Let's say that I lived in a city that got over 100 inches of snow last winter, and just as I finished clearing snow out of the gutters, it started snowing again, prompting me to sing (sarcastically) "It's the most wonderful time of the year" as I smiled through gritted teeth. The MEANING of the words "most wonderful" in this context would be "worst" (as in "It's the worst time of the year"); the FUNCTION of the words "most wonderful" would be "to suggest that the speaker actually feels the opposite is true." Just as with primary purpose questions, function questions usually have answer choices that are in the form of â€Å"verb a noun† (as in "add gravitas to the mythology" or "convey the passing of time"); the main difference between the two is that function questions ask about relatively small amounts of text (phrases or lines), as opposed to the entire paragraphs covered in big picture questions. In fact, having a good understanding of the big picture/main point of a passage can often assist you in answering function questions. Consider this example: you're asked "The phraseâ€Å"the life-or-death cycle of espionage and counterespionage† primarily serves to..." If you know that the main point is, for instance, about deep sea life, you’re unlikely to assume the phrase â€Å"the life-or-death cycle of espionage and counterespionage† promotes the idea that all underwater creatures are potential spies for other countries. Instead, it's far more likely that the function of the statement is to support the idea that in dangerous environments like the deep ocean, species are constantly evolving to win the fight for survival. Here are a few examples of the most common ways you’ll see function questions presented in the SAT (adapted from actual SAT questions): â€Å"The primary purpose of the statements in lines 36-42 (â€Å"Like†¦from the deep†) is to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"In lines 58-73, the description of the ocean floor primarily serves to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"The author invokes â€Å"Cthulhu the destroyer† chiefly in order to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"The author uses spy imagery in lines 84-85 in order to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Jun asks the questions in lines 41-42 (â€Å"Does†¦frightening†) primarily in order to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"In lines 27-30, the author uses the word â€Å"ordinary† several times in order to† Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn by Thomas Claveirole, used under CC BY-SA 2.0/Cropped from original. This is not in any way to imply that there is something lurking beneath the surface of the water. Why would you even think such a thing? The Best Strategies for Answering Function Questions Below, I’ve gathered the advice that is most helpful for answering function questions. Some of this advice is specific to certain ways of reading the passage (for instance, advice for students who read the whole passage before answering questions may be different from advice for students who read the questions before looking at the passage), while some advice is useful for everyone. Understand What the Question Is Really Asking I believe that this is the single most important part of consistently answering function questions correctly. The fact that function questions are worded in a way that makes it seem like you need to read the mind of the author (or character) can make these questions seem impenetrable. To some extent, I understand why the College Board words SAT Reading function questions the way it does. Questions that say â€Å"What does the mentioning of two sports stars do† are too open to interpretation, as compared to [actual SAT question] â€Å"The author of Passage 1 mentions two sports stars (lines 31-33) in order to.† Understanding the reasoning behind the wording doesn’t make the wording any less confusing at first glance, however. In order to answer function questions successfully, you must first learn to translate the questions into questions that you can actually answer. Here's an example question: The author most likely refers to the â€Å"flea† in line 4 in order to... Wrong way to rephrase it: "Why does the author refer to â€Å"the flea†?" The answer to this question is going to be something like "Because she feels like it? I dunno." Right way to rephrase it: "What does the reference to â€Å"the flea† DO?" The answer to this question: mentioning â€Å"the flea† emphasizes how good Duke Ellington’s listening skills were (his hearing was so sharp that he could even hear a flea). Corollary: Answer in Your Own Words Coming up with the answer in your own words before looking at the answer choices is just as useful for function questions as it is for many other types of SAT Reading questions. Your answer for â€Å"what does mentioning ‘monsters’ DO?† will probably not be as elegant as the answer choices, but your answer should only include relevant and accurate information, which means matching it to the correct answer should be easier (since the wrong answers may have irrelevant info or interpretations that â€Å"seem like they could be true†). Including irrelevant information in answer choices is a way the SAT will trip you up, particuarly on Reading questions – the College Board knows that you’re used to trying to see things from many angles as part of school (which is ordinarily helpful) and plays to that tendency. Because there's only one right answer on the SAT, if you start with the right answer in your own words it’s a lot easier to choose the right answer in their words. But how do you come up with your own answer for what a phrase, line, or sentence does in a passage in the first place? Look for Context Often, the lines that the question gives you are not necessarily the only lines you’ll need to answer the question - you'll need more context to figure out the function. If you’re struggling with a function questions, the best strategy is to look at the sentences before and after the phrase/sentence/lines you’re given in the question and see if they shed any further light on the phrase/sentence/lines in question. Occasionally, you may need even more context than the surrounding lines to answer function questions (like knowing the bigger picture/main point/perspective of the text/author). If you don’t have that context and are struggling to answer the question, circle it and come back to it after you’ve answered relevant big picture questions (questions about the paragraph/section the lines in question are in, or even questions about the whole passage). This leads nicely into my next point... Answer Questions in the Order That Works for You In contrast to the previous strategies, this strategy is heavily dependent upon which way you read the passage. I present three scenarios below. If you read thoroughly first, then answer questions, you could try answering big picture questions first (they might give you information that's useful for answering function questions), then function and inference questions (answer questions about larger amounts of text while it's still fresh in your mind), and end with little picture, author technique, and analogy questions. Honestly, though, if you read quickly enough to get through the passage and have plenty of time to answer the questions, answering all the questions in order is a viable option: it might be less confusing then jumping all over the questions and decreases the chance you’ll miss one/fill in the answer in the wrong spot. Do some trial and error to see what is most effective for you. If you look at the questions first, then go to the passage, I recommend answering little picture and vocab in context questions first. Answers to these questions will provide more information about the author and/or topic being covered, which can help you with function questions. If you end up needing big picture information in order to answer the function questions, you can always come back to them later (after you've answered the relevant big picture questions). If you skim through first, then read the questions, then back to passage, it's better to answer big picture and little picture questions first and get to function questions later. Why? Unless the phrase, sentence, lines being asked about were in the parts of the passage that you paid close attention to (beginning or end of a paragraph/passage), you probably didn’t get the meaning of the phrase/sentence/lines your first time through. Make the most use of skimming by answering questions that would be better served with a quick skim before answering questions that require a closer look (like function questions). Eliminate Answers The most important thing to remember when answering function questions on SAT Reading is that you must eliminate 3 wrong answers. If you’ve already answered the question in your own words successfully, this step might not even be necessary, because only one answer choices should match. However, the answer choices for function questions are often complex. What happens if your answer doesn't match any of the answer choices, and you have to go through them one by one? At first, it might seem daunting, because how do you figure out if the answer is right? There's so much to go through because the answers are so complicated! Actually, the fact that the answer choices are complex makes everything easier. Why? Because if any part of the answer choice does not match with the passage, then you can eliminate it. Let's look at an example: The author’s use of italics in line 20 serves primarily to (A) draw attention to a commonly known hypothesis (B) stress a speculative aspect of two theories (C) support a difficult claim (D) underscore a surprising point (E) emphasize an area of agreement Unlike with primary purpose questions, the verbs in the answer choices to function questions are usually synonymous (or close to), so you can’t really use that as an area of elimination. Instead, you must focus on the second part of the answer choices. For (B), this would be â€Å"a speculative aspect of two theories.† Are there two theories? If not, ELIMINATE. Is there a speculative aspect to these two theories? If not, ELIMINATE Does the use of italics actually stress the speculative aspect of the two theories? If not, ELIMINATE As you can see, there are many chances for elimination – it should be really hard for an answer to qualify as correct. For this question, the correct answer, (D), passes this test: there is a point, the point is surprising (both theories work, yet both cannot be true), and the italics underscores this (the italics emphasize the fact that both can’t be right). Function Questions: A Walkthrough I'll end this article with a walkthrough of a difficult function question. Here it is: The sentence in which â€Å"difficult† appears (lines 54-55) indicates that the author considers the word to be (A) an exaggeration (B) an estimate (C) an understatement (D) a contradiction (E) a preconception Before I even copy and paste the relevant lines, I’m going to rephrase this question in a way that is answerable: What effect does â€Å"difficult† have in lines 54-55? Okay, now it's time to take a look at those lines. The Tanaina live in an environment that could euphemistically be described as â€Å"difficult.† My thoughts: The word "difficult" appears in quotation marks, which makes me think the author doesn’t mean exactly what is written. If I know the word â€Å"euphemistically† (which I do), this will go a lot smoother. But let’s say for argument’s sake that I don’t know what "euphemistically" means. Hmm. The sentence doesn’t provide enough to answer what â€Å"difficult† does, except that there’s probably a hidden meaning. I need to look for more context. Here’s the sentence from the question again, along with the following sentence (since the sentence is at the beginning of a paragraph, it makes more sense to look at the next sentence, rather than the sentence before it): The Tanaina live in an environment that could euphemistically be described as â€Å"difficult.† Survival, especially in the wild, is always precarious. My thoughts: So the sentence in the question is followed by one that says â€Å"It’s hard to live out in the wild.† Author uses the word â€Å"precarious† which I’ve always associated with things hanging off the edge, as in â€Å"Your glass of seltzer is pretty precarious sitting at the edge of the table there, Laura. You might want to move it† (may or may not be a true story). So if survival is precarious that means it’s like something almost falling over the edge. That’s more than difficult – that’s dangerous. Okay. So let me check the question again: â€Å"The sentence in which â€Å"difficult† appears (lines 54-55) indicates that the author considers the word to be† Right right right. So the situation is actually much worse than just â€Å"difficult† for the Tanaina, and putting quotes around it makes it clear that the author thinks â€Å"difficult† is way too mild a word to describe the situation. So, in my own words, the author considers the word to be too mild. Let’s look at the choices again and eliminate some answers: (A) an exaggeration Nope, â€Å"difficult† is, if anything, the opposite of this. (B) an estimate Not really - this doesn’t make sense. If it were an estimate, there’s no reason for it to be in quotes. (C) an understatement Oh yes. This is the word I was looking for. I’ll just check the other answers†¦ (D) a contradiction No, â€Å"difficult† is not a contradiction, it’s just not extreme enough. (E) a preconception Hmm I guess I could double check to see if the word â€Å"difficult† is used earlier in the passage to describe the Tanaina, although I don’t think it was†¦but wait, no, I already have an answer that is correct. Never mind. IMG_1362 by Sasquatch I, used under CC BY 2.0. Fortunately, there is no "difficult" trail. Maybe that's what happens if you try to walk straight up the tree? Function Questions: Practice Time! The following four questions are all on the same passage (taken from an official and publicly available SAT). I’ve excerpted only the paragraphs that are relevant for these questions. 1. The author of the passage uses the quotation in lines 5-6 primarily as a (A) vivid expression of how she views words (B) powerful example of what she sought in Shakespeare (C) scholarly citation linking her to poetic words (D) comical introduction to a problem encountered by every dramatic performer (E) pragmatic assessment of the power of words for beginning drama students 2. By presenting both versions of the grandfather’s words (lines 9-10 and lines 15-16), the author primarily conveys the (A) grandfather’s attempts to play with language (B) grandfather’s enthusiasm in spite of her reaction (C) father’s intervention in a private moment (D) ambivalence she feels toward her grandfather (E) significance of the grandfather’s message 3. The comparisons in lines 26-27 serve primarily to (A) show the similarities that exist between dancing and acting (B) celebrate the broad range of memories that actors learn to draw on (C) justify the author’s adherence to conventional acting theory (D) explain why actors have difficulty interpreting character (E) enhance the author’s credibility as a technically trained actor 4. In lines 29-34 (â€Å"a kind . . . follow†), the author uses the idea of a dance to (A) supply an image for the awkwardness some actors experience (B) illustrate a process that words can set in motion (C) portray the enactment of a character as an exhilarating experience (D) argue that acting requires physical agility (E) show how a word can evoke multiple meanings Answer key (scroll down when ready): 1. A 2. E. 3. B 4. B In Conclusion Function questions ask you â€Å"what effect does this [phrase, sentence, series of lines] have, in context,† or, more simply, â€Å"what does this [phrase, sentence, series of lines] DO?† Make sure you understand the question (and put it in your own words, if necessary/it helps). Answer the question in your own words before looking at the SAT’s answer choices Look for context around the phrases or lines cited in the question to help answer the question. Answer function questions in an order that makes sense Eliminate four wrong answers What’s Next? Want to practice with actual SAT questions? Go to our guide and find links to free SATs and information about what other official tests are out there. Interested in more SAT Reading skills articles like this one? We’ve got a whole series of articles on SAT Reading skills, all linked in our complete guide to SAT Reading prep! Not sure how to finish the SAT Critical Reading section without running out of time? Learn about the different ways to read the passage and figure out which one is right for you. Think more structured help is the answer for you? Then why not try out our very own PrepScholar test prep platform free for five days? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Reading lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Leadership in the accounting profession Research Paper

Leadership in the accounting profession - Research Paper Example The integrative leadership model will be applied to understand the important system of leadership in accounting profession. 2.0- LEADERSHIP IN A BROADER PERSPECTIVE AND IN ACCOUNTING PROFESSION The role of leaders in every organization has gained a critical importance. Organizations increasingly focus on developing leaders along with managers. There are different leadership styles or approaches that plays effective role in different scenarios. The leader is often the main force to drive the organization to success. Leaders in the organization direct the structure of organization, the culture and ethical values in the organization for contribution towards goal. Leaders actually develop the road map for the organization. Example, of Tim Cook at Apple, Jeff Bazos at Amazon and many more have led to the success stories for the organizations (Williams, 2013). Leadership can be present at any level of hierarchy such as strategic managers, middle-level managers, functional managers and oper ational managers. Accountancy profession has been witnessed to rely increasingly on the accounting curricula. Accounting field, since recent past, has realized the growing importance of developing leadership mindset among accounting students to successfully deal with the growing challenges of the practical field. 3.0- INTEGRATED LEADERSHIP MODEL The systematically defined model of leader’s role in professional service firms (PSFs) could better define the role a leader is required to play in the firm. Integrated model of leadership shall clearly define the combined role of employees with mindset of understanding â€Å"to whom they are leaders†. This clearly outclasses the performance of distant roles of liked and imposed jobs (Delong, Gabarro, and Lees, 2007). According to the model there are three major responsibilities that leader possess in the firm that are setting direction, building commitment and ensuring execution. The graphical representation of the model is as follows: (Delong, Gabarro, and Lees, 2007) 3.1- SETTING DIRECTION Direction determination is the necessary element for every organization and leader stands with a direction. Direction shall lead to the vision of the organization. In the new paradigm, it shall be taken as the major responsibility by the leaders to set the direction for the employees for to keep them on the desirable track (Delong, Gabarro, and Lees, 2007). 3.2- BUILDING COMMITMENT The involvement of all the employees including him/ her should be considerable in related company matters. Leaders shall take it as a responsibility to have consistent involvement of every employee in company matters and decision making. This activity contains all the employees on the same path in the organization (Delong, Gabarro, and Lees, 2007). 3.3- ENSURING EXECUTION Good leader not only formulate the strategies but they also ensure the execution and evaluation of each planned activity and its execution. Professionals and leader must be accountable for the execution of the strategies. Also evaluation and analysis at every stage about the effectiveness of the implemented strategy is important. Execution does not only mean implementing the strategy but it requires gaining the full planned benefit (Delong, Gabarro, and Lees, 2007). 3.4- SETTING PERSONAL EXAMPLE Position of this aspect being

Terror Tactics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Terror Tactics - Essay Example The Al-shaabab is a terrorist organization in Eastern Africa Region, Boko Haram in West Africa, Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Palestine, Student Islamic Movement of India in India, and United Self-Defense Forces of Columbia among others. Countries that have experienced its effect fast-hand like United States, 2001 and Kenya, 1998 have progressive efforts in combating it using a series of tactics. Most terrorist organizations have a common ideology; to destroy U.S.A’s allies, United Nations’ activities against terror groups, and structures of global order. Not even a powerful state like USA can fight terrorism alone because such groups have established networks and have easy access to money across international borders. The best tactic applied by USA in conjunction with United Nations is the use of the 4D strategy (Defeat, Deny, Diminish and Defend). Nations fighting terrorism aim at defeating terrorism through direct and indirect use of economic, diplomatic, information, intelligence, financial, and military among other tools. Research findings published in Terrorism Research Initiative (Rineheart, 2010) reveal that the 4D strategy, at times referred to as the Counterinsurgency Theory has helped counter terror activities by simultaneously applying the 4D strategy elements. The outcome has led to disorientation of terror organizations by limiting and eliminating their sources of finance, reducing their scope and capabilities from global threats to state criminal domains. Maxims of warfare (White, 2012) demand that every participant to know and mark terrorists and their sympathizers as enemies. Through combined efforts, it will be possible for their unlawful and inhuman activities to be restrained within controllable limits. Therefore, both local and international security agencies must work tirelessly to ensure terror activities, plans, and their locations are known before the worse happens. Rineheart Jason. (2010). Counterterrorism and

Aligning Operations and SCM with Other Functional Strategies

Aligning Operations and SCM with Other Functional Strategies 1. Discuss the importance of aligning operations and SCM with other functional strategies (e.g. Design, Marketing and Finance) in creating a viable business strategy. Skinner gives us a broad picture of how we look at the business as a whole moving away from sub optimization which he has criticised it and making choices that are sensible and how will compete on the market. Skinners work introduced the importance of the concept of trade-offs and the need to align the delivery systems to what market really require therefore the sub-functional trade-off choices are strategically aligned with key manufacturing tasks. Hill come with the concept of OWC and qualifying criteria and highlights the fact that focus should be on what important to the customer and a system require a common objective and everyone on the system is focus on common objective. Rumack Pharmaceuticals is an example of marketing strategy where they produce lots of variants of that ingredient, different pills, different potions, different bottle sizes, different packages because they little way of exploiting market opportunity. The cost of manufacturing is small compare to the value of the product because of the paten and the manufacturing was bottlenecked in this situation. In this case manufacturing means to be subordinate to the opportunity of the business and the nature of the product should be supporting the market opportunity. They end up with capacity problems and long setup times as they did not understood the implications of higher variety on that capacity. Higher variety means to go either for large batches but also inventory or smaller batches and where capacity is more absorbed thru setup. Tyndall B is another example where marketing influenced where company went. Manufacturing invested a lot of effort in chair and their process choice was to go for standard high volume but the demand was more than they would coop with. So marketing made them look at case goods but case goods would not give them so much return. They were not good in manufacturing producing case goods so the profits was declining. But why they did not invested more in tables and chairs rather than spending on galleries where marketing driven to produce a full range of products causing variety to go up and profits down. They was not paying attention of what manufacturing is capable of delivering. They werent aligned. Compare to Rumack there is no paten but there is capability which can be exploited. For both companies idea of alignment strategy was to be for volume and variety. Referring to Babcock Wilcox case study they mix up trade-offs choices because what is good for high volume is not good for low v olume and choices needs to be aligned. Regarding Finance operation strategy from Skinner point of view was all about avoiding local cost and local efficiency. Focus operations on delivery, speed, price and everyone work together to align themselves. Also he argue that quite often in factories every department try to optimise local cost and efficiency which encourage push and pull thinking. Local optimisation is not aligning with the system and we can see evidence of that at Rumack Pharmaceutical where basically in manufacturing you need to be align with the strategy thats being adopted which is all introducing new products resulting in new product capacity which should not happen as will require more capacity in the system. Going for higher variety will put more pressure on capacity because of the setups. Tyndall they had really good arrangements in terms of producing tables and chair colonial style lots of demand for them but they wont exploit it because they said that there is no capacity for that so they went for case goods. Problem was that case goods was providing throughput but no revenue. They were doing everything rather then bringing throughput per bottleneck/minute. There was no alignment to improve throughput per limiting factor or to understand what constraints are and if is a market or resource constraint. Coming to Design from an operation point of view we would like standardisation. From market point of view they want customization. So product have to be standardised as much as we can and have the ability to customise later in other words to postpone it and reduce variability and introduce the buffering options as late as possible. Postponement is used to achieve customisation and efficiency within one operating system. 2 Critically discuss how developing operational excellence can support and lead a business strategy. Porter argue that operational effectiveness is not a strategy and also Lean and TOC are not strategies because they can be copied. Lean, TQM, TOC are all about managing flow in organisation with the idea of cost, push and pull. The main question is how can we improve performance and rid away of trade-offs or how can we break them. Slack et al. (2004) argue that there are five operations performance objectives: cost, quality, speed, dependability and flexibility. The law of trade-offs states that no single plant can provide high performance in all dimensions simultaneously. We would expect to find support for this law if all competitors use similar technologies and are operating near the asset frontier. If all plants are far from the asset frontier, however, one plant can simultaneously provide higher levels of product quality, flexibility, and delivery at a lower manufactured cost if, through betterment, its management approaches create an operating frontier which is superior to its competitors. The theory of performance frontiers clarifies the impacts that assets and operating practices have on competitive advantage. However, the resource-based view took this thinking a step further through positing that competitive advantage can be sustained only if the capabilities creating the advantage are supported by re sources that are not easily duplicated by competitors. Both the asset and the operating frontier can be the source of competitive advantage but they are based on resources of different nature. Armed with an understanding of a firms operating position relative to both competitors and the performance frontiers, strategic planners are better equipped to evaluate and plan manufacturing initiatives. For example, a quality improvement initiative may well be more attractive than a new technology initiative to a firm that considers itself far from its asset frontier. Can operation not just follow business strategy and lead business strategy? Hayes and Wheelwright stage 4 evidence that.In 80s quality and lean was a paradigm shift. Operation capability can actually win the orders. Porter(96) argue that Japanese dont have a strategy as they have operational effectiveness which wins on short term but actually Toyota production system is still difficult to copy on long term. Thus, the process of strategy development should be based on a sound understanding of current operational capabilities and an analysis of how these could be developed in the future. This can then provide the basis for decisions about which markets are likely to be the best in which to deploy current and future capabilities, which competitors are likely to be most vulnerable and how attacks from competitors might best be countered (Hayes et al., 2005). organization fits with the resource-based view (RBV) .toc lean etc 3 Practically evaluate the means of enabling pull (e.g. production, project and distribution) referring to the design of a specific planning and control system. Lead time requirements of the customers tend to drive the OPP towards the customer whereas product variability and demand uncertainty drive it away from customer. The more product variables, less likely it is economically sustainable to keep every variable in stock. Therefore, often large and steady volume products are kept in stock whereas products with a lot of variance are either assembled- or made-to order. Thus, companies have often multiple OPPs depending on the product characteristics. MTS method of production reduces before demand is realise or before orders come in.This are some goods or builds based on capacity or forecast which more often are greater than current demand. This is the reason that stocks are made only to be stored or sold at some future date. MTO builds according to actual demand. This system wont produce stock as all outputs are consumed or sold immediately. MTO is a pull system since every station doesnt start processing unless pull by demand or next process. Therefore we can talk about a pull line or JIT line. This is a type of MTO system in which all working stations are strictly produce according to the takt time. JIT is also known as a lean system or Kanban system. Kanban system control the flow thru a form of electronic or physical signal which tell to start producing or deliver the next part. In the case of MTO the overall approach is termed Drum Buffer Rope (DBR). Pull means small batches and we try get as required by the system. JLR is a pull system because everyone is working at the pace of the system. They relishing car or raw material into the system at the plant rate and everyone is working at the management prescribed rate called takt time. Ohno didnt had physical restriction of space but he had this rule to do something only if you have a Kanban instruction, the signal. Fords moving assembly line physical space was the control, the signal. Kanban was the idea of inventory in the system and TOC BM was another signal: what do I do next? When do I expedite? When do I interfere with the process? Ford had pretty much a lean system that why Ohno quoted from fords book. There is a more complex environment but the principles are the same. planning of stock or raw materials or finished stock in excess is a waste(ford 1926,p99).Ford understood the importance of the flow. He forced everyone to work on the same pace and had the idea of flow line. Ford was applying principles of flow to an environment where it was not so much variety. Ohno had variety and apply principles of flow thru JIT and C.I. linked to law of variability and variability buffering and theory Theory of Swift and Even Flow. He put a lot of effort in minimizing the fluctuations, stabilizing the demand and reduce variability. Ford didnt had Jidoka but he had teams which responded fast. C. I. challenged the traditional trade-offs model. Batch size reduction was the key for lean (Schronburger 1982).Right from the beginning was all about how to reduce batch quantities and setup time which is interpreted like a source of variability in the process. Batches will be reduced till will create a bottleneck again. Reducing setup times will reduce variability. Kanban represents inventory but also time and they are interrelated. In JLR they have a fast response and they doing first order which is coming compare to buffer management. In the case of MTO the overall approach is termed Drum Buffer Rope (DBR) introduced by Goldratt(1990) to reduce variation and improve activity. In the next case study SDBR was used with time being the rope and drum the market demand. The drum previously was the roasting and char grill departments which were considered constraints. In the case of Freshcut Foods when it was to manage the flow they was releasing work in the system to early and cause quality issues and wastages. They had late demands but they were uncertain if they have the capacity to produce. So they needed a system to tell them if they have capacity to take the orders. Finally a system which can tell them how to prioritise what they should produce next and when to release the working to the system was put in practice. If is in the red zone they need to expedite if the red zone is growing means that they have a problem and they need to escalate it.. So Kanban is like an automatic system where everyone knows how to use it. 4 Critically evaluate the circumstances best suited to Kanban and Buffer Management pull systems. Benton (2014, 2) describe that the main objective of manufacturing planning and control function: is to ensure that the desired products are manufactured at the right time, in the right quantities, and meeting quality specifications in the most cost-effective manner. To illustrate the significance of BM in TOC, the functions of BM in TOC is compared with Kanban in TPS. Firstly, both BM and Kanban prioritise work orders albeit with different assumptions and mechanisms. For Kanban, there is a pre-planned quantity or WIP in buffers designed in between every work center. In addition, there is also a specific routing sequences or dedicated production line required for each product, which results in rigidity in responding to market requirements. In BM however, the priority of work is triggered by the percentage buffer penetration of completion time. As it is time-based, it allows each work center to have flexibility to react (or catch-up with time) to disruptions when Murphy strikes. Other than the function of prioritisation, both BM and Kanban have their own mechanism to monitor and control their production throughput. In Kanban, the deployment of distributed buffers in between work centers enables problems to be immediately surfaced and dealt without passing the problem to the subsequent work centers (Ohno, 1989:30). In TOC, aggregated buffer is deployed and thus has a certain delay as problems are only escalated and expedited for attention after entering into the Red zone of BM. However, as highlighted by Stratton and Knight (2010), though Kanban is more sensitive, the problems highlighted are mainly related to quality and process, whereas in BM, it also includes issues such as product volume and mix changes. In spite of these differences, both BM and Kanban advocates continuous improvement. This is seen in the final steps of both TPS: Pursue Perfection (Womack and Jones, 1996:90) and TOC: not to allow inertia to cause a systems constraint (Goldratt and Cox, 2004:307). In Kanban, continuous improvement is encouraged through reducing inventory to expose problems which then can be targeted; whereas in BM, causes of delay (Red zone penetration) are being targeted. 5. Critically evaluate the use of MTA and dynamic buffer management as a means of practically enabling a pull distribution system. VMI say communicate demand and stock levels thru the system and replenish them on the regular basis. Replenish on the stock target MTA is similar with VMI but give a priority code in terms of buffer penetration. DBM is less common as the buffer status signals whether the target level is too large or too small and this can be used to signal automatic adjustments. By monitoring how we are performing in terms of green,yellow and red we can determine whether we need to increase or decrease the stock target For example if we are in the green zone reduce stock target and if is in the red zone increase the stock target. It is the means of getting the system to work at the pace of the consumption where drum is the consumer so is signalling down to distribution system what we need to replenish and how fast which resulting in an idea of pull. In the case of Frozen Meals they replenish based on consumption on the 3rd party distributer so is very straight forward till the stock time. MTA will say if there are multiple orders in the system will give an indication what the priority is. If the consumption was high and replenishing the full quantity in the distribution depot will be less stock. This stock will have to be replenish very quickly so VMI will communicate consumption across the whole supply normally replenishing it within a day or couple of days. So all the demand in the distribution depot will go in the red zone. So VMI says communicate demand and stock level always thru the system and replenishing to the stock target. The problem come when Frozen Meals tried to replenish and couldnt because the warehouse was full. Analysing demands and orders there is obviously that demands are pretty stable and orders are more volatile in demand represented by the consumption of consumer in Weatherspoon. This difference was caused by 3rd party distributer which has his own warehouse and has more stock that he needed and fluctuating and planning orders ad hoc. Because placing order in ad hoc manors caused Frozen Meals to ask for 7 days delay of supply. The ordering system from 3rd party distributer was ad hoc. There was a stock target so why not just replenish this stock automatically communicate down the supply chain whats required. The solution was to go for VMI rather than 3rd party distributer placing orders on Frozen Meals. A pull system was created when the supplier is responsible for maintaining agreed target stock levels. 6 Discuss the strategic importance of postponement through configuration, packaging and distribution, making reference to the concept of an Order Penetration Point (OPP). In the first part I was discussing about focus factory and separating different orders. This can be also separate by postponing which means that will be 2 strategies. one at the first part of the supply chain which is looking to stabilise and standardise and a different strategy at the later stages with a decupling point. How can we design the supply chain to postpone the impact of variation and uncertainty? This can be done in the manufacturing process but distribution side as well. Skinner strategy is about how we take the system perspective and how we meet the needs of the market reducing variability in the process. With TQM the reason why ends up with variability in the process is that no-one consider how to reduce variation. This is what SPC done: to focus on variation which will bring the cost down. Unless will do that then the variability tend to be there which make the trade-off choices about quality and cost. So all of them are about reducing variability. Agility is about dealing with demand uncertainty and demand variability. Stability is associated with lean and uncertainty demand with agility. This table is similar with line vs jobbing looking for two extremes such as delivery speed and low cost. Skinner will argue that this should be two different factories because the owc are different Fisher model talking in the idea of Skinner operation trade-offs in terms of a supply chain. If we have variability in demand we need to buffer like any variation. The ideal efficient model will have flow, minimum variation in demand and process, minimum buffering. In contrast the responsive model demand varies and also product changes in the same time and we got demand uncertainty and we ll buffer with inventory capacity. Talking about lean and agile supply viewed in terms of dependency, fluctuation, buffer capacity and buffer inventory we can refer to law of variability, law of variability buffering, law of variability pooling. Talking about service it represents the customer input which can be put on MTS which can be a date, a forecast. MTA say that the priority of the order all depends on what stock level is, if the stock level goes down rapidly the priority goes up, if the stock level is not priority (demand is low) the priority goes down. In Lego case they was doing bad because they grow over the years resulting in too much variety as increasing number of elements, to many colours and they diversified to do other things(low of focus) As a start-up they cut the number of colours and elements (no elements to be unique to one product stated by the law of variability pooling).In manufacturing they segmented some of the machines as all machines should be able to do everything. They organised and streamlined how they going to manufacture elements. They rationalized the suppliers which is a lean thing. The distribution changed to a pull system and the they supply to one distribution centre in Europe in 3-4 days which is consider closer to the customer. In terms of packaging machines and capacity. By reducing the range of colours and elements setup process variability all this helped to reduce variation and uncertainty. Buffering packaging they postponed rather than holding stock in packets they opted for a centralized distribution centre and more frequent distributions. All this system was about flow. Production is lean if is accomplished with minimal waste due to unneeded operations, inefficient operations, or excessive buffering in operations. Production is agile if it efficiently changes operating states in response to uncertain and changing demands placed upon it ( Narasimban et al..,2006) References Benton, W. C. Jr. 2014. Supply Chain Focused Manufacturing Planning and Control. Stamford, Connecticut: Cengage Learning

A Roman Senator and the Ides of March

A Roman senator heard a rumor of an assassination attempt against Julius Caesar. There were two things in his mind: 1) if the assassination succeeded, should be declared legitimate by the Roman senate, and 2) assuming Julius Caesar is a power hungry tyrant, should the assassination a matter of public policy be endorsed by the Roman Senate.Now this senator approached the Great Forum to explain his views of Julius Caesar. In his mind, Caesar is a tyrant inclined to destroy the Roman aristocracy. Although Caesar conquered lands for Rome, it does not suffice to declare him â€Å"dictator for life.† In his thoughts, if Caesar was a true leader of the Roman world, he must learn to relinquish power when required by the state.The Roman senator approached one of the benches of the Roman Senate, and began to talk. He concealed his thoughts about Caesar in metaphors and ironies, offering the Senate both the opportunity to criticize Caesar (in the form of satire) and the chance not to be killed by Caesar. Now came the Ides of March: the day of Caesar’s assassination. A senator born from a noble Roman family, this senator decided to join Brutus and Cassius.Before the assassination, he argued that â€Å"killing Caesar should be thought off as an honorable duty to the state.† Only an assassination can save the Roman Republic from the sting of a new â€Å"kingship.† Then appeared flashes of Pompey in his mind: the true champion of the Roman Republic. The Ides of March to him was his greatest achievement; that is, the means to liberate the Roman world from the bonds of a tyrant.Work CitedGibbon, Edward. The Roman Republic. Ed. By Nero A. Saunders. London: London Publishing House, 1790/1967.

Secrets About Health Education Essay Topics Revealed

Secrets About Health Education Essay Topics Revealed Writing a persuasive, argumentative essay can be challenging, and at times it can find a little confusing. Education scholars are continuously evolving the way that they think about how we learn and what's taught. Other individuals think education will not operate. Students are accustomed to the fact which their professors give them with the assignment's topic. Using Health Education Essay Topics The aim is to wind up getting fewer people to smoke. Some people today live their lives in accordance with their religion even though others don't think you should factor that into decision making in regards to determining rules for everybody. On the other hand, they doubt the effectiveness of education for certain reasons. Just since there is a continuous ban on a product doesn't indicate that it may help the men and women who already understand what using cigarettes is like. Health Education Essay Topics The topics mentioned previously are excellent starting points that may be used to make an exceptional project on health troubles. Doing extensive research on particular topics will boost your wisdom and your outlook on the health care world altogether. To comprehend the reason it is important to define both terms. Use what you read to assist you create some search terms, and to aid you choose your own position. The Basics of Health Education Essay Topics Argumentative essay topics are so important since they are debatableand it's critical to at all times be critically considering the world around us. The essay needs to have a clearly defined thesis statement dependent on the topic of your essay. An argumentative essay requires you to choose a topic and have a position on it. Writing an argumentative essay can occasionally be confusing since you don't necessarily understand how to compose a convincing argument. Definitions of Health Education Essay Topics The cost of an essay depends upon the quantity of effort the writer has to exert. For instance, in college, you might be requested to compose a paper from the opposing perspective. The reader ought to take the author's side by the close of the reading. You ought to make sure you keep on that 1 side during your whole essay. Health Education Essay Topics: the Ultimate Convenience! Nobody would like to read an essay that's laden with half truths, and the sole method to enhance credibility of your written work is by conducting extensive research on the subject. An argumentative paper is part of the persuasion. Our crew of professional writers with the required experience and writing skills is always prepared to fulfill your demands and exceed your expectations. It's necessary they provide some vivid real-life examples should they desire to convince their audience of their perspective. Ruthless Health Education Essay Topics Strategies Exploited Facts, in the long run, will always win out against how folks are feel ing at a specific moment. People ended up finding different sources to acquire their hands on alcohol. Everyone understands that great medical experts are valued extremely high in the usa. So, education cannot be acquired without the right frame of the mind and appropriate state of mind may not be possible without proper health and hygiene. The Meaning of Health Education Essay Topics The notion of each health topic is to give in depth explanation of its importance and your take on the entire issue. If you can select the problem by yourself, it's possible to produce the issue of interest! Then you must choose a topic and approach that you will use. The issue is that everybody's interpretation of what makes a great society differs. What Is So Fascinating About Health Education Essay Topics? Your essay should consist of recent statistics and data from reliable sources. To help you recognize which issues to discuss, we've listed the very best health care essay topics below. Besides that, it health research topics will need to illustrate just how a specific issue is important and your solution or advice on the specific problem. For this reason, it's possible to never underestimate the importance of doing research for an essay. Health Education Essay Topics Features Health education is a wide subject and might also incorporate topics like health issues of alcohol, medications, tobacco and environmental well-being. It is an essential tool of community health. It provides information about the factors that affect the health and hygiene of an individual or a community. Introduction Health Education intends to impart knowledge regarding measures to be taken through a person or community as a way to enhance their general wellbeing. Life, Death and Health Education Essay Topics The expense of healthcare is just one of the most essential difficulties. Three emerging public health issues in the field of educational and community-based programs are iden tified. Health education is a kind of education developed for individuals or the general public at large to get the knowledge, skills, value, and attitudes required to promote, maintain, improve, and restore their, or a different individual's, health. The history of organized modern wellness education goes back only two or three decades. With a substantial number of topics to cover, it's useful to comprehend which topics are definitely the most well-known ones and very good suggestions for research topics. Most issues can have essays on all the above mentioned questions. Choose from popular topics that folks are passionate about. There are two major means by which you can use the most typical IELTS essay topics to your benefit.

Oedipus The King A Great Deal Of Courage - 2332 Words

Courage is defined as the â€Å"ability to do something that frightens one† or, â€Å"strength in the face of pain or grief.† Three characters that show a great deal of courage in their story’s include, Oedipus from the play Oedipus the King, Antigone from the play Antigone, and Socrates from Plato’s plays The Apology and Crito. All three characters courageously pursued what they thought was right- Oedipus in finding out who his birth parents were and who murdered Laius, Antigone in burying her brother Polynices, even if it meant her punishment or death, and Socrates in leading the examined lifestyle-even when it meant his imprisonment and death by the city. All three characters did what they thought was right. But their courage cannot only be measured by their initial beliefs and choices, but also by their responses to the consequences of the choices they made. When reading Oedipus the King, most people would conclude that Oedipus is an overall courageous character that, he belongs at the top of the list as the most courageous character. He was portrayed as a man well loved by his people. The love and respect that the people of Thebes have for Oedipus, is evident in some of the first lines of the play, in which the priest praises Oedipus as being the city’s â€Å"greatest power† (pg. 160-line 60). The chorus and the priest then go on to praise Oedipus for the noble and courageous things that he has done for the city of Thebes in the past: You freed us from the Sphinx; you came to ThebesShow MoreRelatedThe Heros Journey1704 Words   |  7 PagesHe calls this common structure â€Å"the monomyth† (Hero’s Journey). The â€Å"hero’s journey† appears in drama, storytelling, myth, religious ritual, and psychological development. It describes the typical adventure of The Hero, who goes out and achieves great deeds on behalf of the family, group, tribe, or civilization. There are twelve steps, or stages, of the typical â€Å"Hero’s Journey†. The twelve steps are: The ordinary world, the call to adventure, refusal of the call, meeting with the mentor, crossingRead MoreThe Iliad And The Odyssey1615 Words   |  7 PagesOdysseus, is the King of Ithaca and is called to serve and lead the Greeks in the Trojan War. Odysseus receives help from Athena and is told that he must serve in the Trojan War for he is destined to bring them victory, in which he does. After winning the war Odysseus is cursed to never go home, thankfully he makes amends with the gods and returns home in ten years. Correlating to Greek literature a famous tragedy, is the play â€Å"Oedipus the King† by Sophocles, where the main character, Oedipus, is destinedRead MoreThe Tragic Flaw Of Oedipus And Hamlet1829 Words   |  8 Pagestranscend. 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Antigone’s brothers, Eteocles and Polynices had battled over the throne of Thebes, resulting in the death of both (Lawall). To show his disdain for the treasonous acts of PolynicesRead MoreEssay What Does Violence Mean to the Greek?1142 Words   |  5 PagesViolence was the basis of polis culture and it helped unify Hellas. In every aspect of the polis some sort of violence is involved, whether it is athletic or intellectual, violence exists everywhere. According to Homer, violence means courage, strength, power, the might of domination, the taking of human life and psychological violence. Hesiod, on the other hand, defines two different types of violence: one which is hateful and is shown in war and the other which is peaceful which is expressed inRead More The Influence of Mythology on Literature and Society Essay2666 Words   |  11 Pagespeople cared for the Earth more than today. This is true, because in today?s world not many people are caring about the Earth and its going by us fast. 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However, the arg ument is further emphasized when Antigone challenges Creon’s authority after burying Polynices, supposedly two times, and induces him to reverse the consequencesRead MoreAntigone And Ismene Essay1635 Words   |  7 Pagesconsistent is each, in her view? The play Antigone, written by Sophocles is the last book of his trilogy called The Oedipus Play of Sophocle. Antigone take places in the city of Thebes, the play open â€Å"some days later† there have been an edict by King Creon regarding the burials of Eteocles and Polyneices; Eteocles, will get a proper burial for defending the senate, Polyneices will not. The King Creon had declared Polyneice is a traitor and forbid anyone in the city to bury him. Here where we are being presented