Equiano and Pontiac Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Equiano and Pontiac - Essay Example While the author seems to admit helplessness in dealing with the slavery, the impression created is the slavery of separation between slaves. In other words, even though slavery was the order of the day, Equiano’s bitterness is on the incarceration the slaves have to endure. In this regard, the aspect of the write could be seen as one that embraces slavery but fights against separation. The above conclusions have been as a result of the tone, language and the words used in the lamentations by the writer. For instance, the statement, â€Å"must every tender feeling be sacrificed to your avarice† is intended to show that even slaves had their ambitions which sadly had to be sacrificed to please the masters. Further, the writer laments that slaves are denied the chance to hobnob wherever they are. Therefore, usage of these statements and words show the aspect from which the writer is speaking. Evidently, Neolin’s criticism in regard toward slavery is the tendency by the Indians to seize the resources of other nations. With strong language and seemingly preparedness, the writer is adamant that the Indians are focused on impoverishing others by forcefully seizing resources. Additionally, the writer is very vehement in criticizing the action by the said group to dictate what kind of food the locals ought to consume. Finally, there is strong element in the purchase of weapons from the Indians by the locals. The writer creates the impression that even without the group’s help, the local people would still live normally courtesy of their religious belief in God. While both writers agree on the needlessness of slavery, the difference is in addressing their slave masters. While Equiano takes an approach that could be described as a rebuke, Pontiac seems to be prepared to fight them. Additionally, Equiano chooses to rebuke the oppressors using their own faith unlike Pontiac who uses his belief. Moreover, Pntiac goes a

Bullying and Harassment Among the Lgbtq Youth Essay Example for Free

Bullying and Harassment Among the Lgbtq Youth Essay Adolescence is a difficult stage in life because it is a time for many when social status is seen as very important and self-esteem can be fragile. One’s social status can directly affect one’s self esteem and overall happiness. Unfortunately, many of those who possess a higher social status in middle and high school use it against those who are deemed socially inferior to them, whether that is due to race, attractiveness, intelligence or sexuality. In other words, the adolescents at the bottom of the social pyramid are often subjected to bullying and harassment from their socially â€Å"superior† classmates. Bullying and harassment have become a widespread problem in schools all around the United States and have proved to have serious implications, such as problems in academics for those who are victimized by bullies. Victimization from bullying and harassment can be linked to lowered self-esteem, anxiety, depression, avoidance of school, and suicide (Hawker Boulton, 2000). Unfortunately, one of the most victimized groups of students subjected to bullying and harassment is the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and queer youth. According to the National Youth Association, 9 out of 10 LGBT students have experienced harassment while at school. It also states that LGBT teens are bullied two to three times as much as straight teens. These high rates of bullying may explain why more than one-third of LGBT kids have attempted suicide (Hawker Boulton, 2000). Specific harm aimed towards LGBTQ community, known as gay bashing and gay bullying can be defined as verbal or physical abuse against a person who is perceived by the antagonist to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered. This also includes those who are actually heterosexual but may appear to be non-heterosexual due to stereotypes. The three main types of bullying the LGBTQ youth is most subjected to are verbal harassment, physical assault, and cyber bullying. The first main type of bullying, verbal harassment may be hard to detect because it leaves no physical proof, but rather mental and emotional trauma. However, it is still a popular and damaging tactic used by bullies to hurt the LGBTQ youth everyday. In fact, according to River’s study in 1996, it is the most popular tactic among bullies. Also, according to bullyingstatistics.org, many victims of verbal bullying experience lowered self-image, and can have lasting effects in emotional and psychological ways. This type of bullying can lead to low self-esteem, as well as depression and other problems (Hawker Boulton, 2000). According to River’s study in 2001, many LGBTQ adolescents report being exposed to verbal harassment and stigmatization. River’s recent survey shows that 82% of the LGBTQ youth in schools are subjected to verbal slurs (Rivers 2001). According to another study from the Mental Health of America in 1998 on verbal abuse, students hear anti-gay slurs such as â€Å"homo†, â€Å"faggot† and â€Å"sissy† about 26 times a day, which would be about once every 14 minutes throughout their school day. Anti-gay language used on a regular basis in school settings is creating an unfriendly and unwelcoming atmosphere for the LGTBQ students, which may be causing them to be isolated and socially withdrawn (Swearer, Turner, Givens, Pollack, 2008). Although not all anti-gay slurs heard in school are meant to be malicious, it is still hurtful for the gay youth to hear. Many adolescents who use gay slurs may not be homophobic, but more ignorant to LGBTQ issues. Obviously not all homophobic name-calling is directed at young gay and lesbians. For example, researchers found that terms such as ‘‘gay’’ and â€Å"homo† are often used to refer to anything unmasculine or ‘‘uncool’’ (Duncan, 1999). Regardless of intention, the constant degradation of these words causes a hostile and uncomfortable environment for the LGBTQ youth (Thurlow, 2001). Homophobic slurs such as â€Å"That’s so gay,† or â€Å"no homo,† are popular among adolescents and often go unpunished due to the heteronormative atmosphere dominating schools (Thurlow, 2001). Many students may feel hesitant to speak out against anti-gay slurs out of fear of being persecuted themselves. In the U.K. a series of surveys commissioned by Stonewall reported that as many as 93 percent of young gay, lesbian and bisexual people who are ‘‘out’’ at school suffer verbal abuse (Thurlow, 2001). It is evident that it is not a coincidence the LGBTQ youth face the most harassment of any minority at school. Along with verbal abuse, LGBTQ youth also experience physical violence in schools across the country everyday. Back in the 1980’s and 1990’s sociologists such as Joyce Hunter thought that much of the physical abuse happening towards the LGBTQ population stemmed from the stigma and fear that came from the AIDS epidemic that was spreading rapidly among the gay community in that time. In a study as recent as 2003, 60% of LGBTQ youth had reported being assaulted physically due to their sexual orientation (Chesir-Taran, 2003) These phy sical actions towards the gay and lesbian youth has caused many to fear going to school. In fact, many LGBTQ students avoid school in order to escape the physical harassment. This drop in attendance has detrimental effects on the student’s academics (American Educational Research Association). According to StopBullying.gov, since LGBTQ students are more likely to avoid school they are at a higher risk for decreased academic achievement, including lower GPA and standardized test scores—and school participation. They are more likely to miss, skip, or drop out of school as well. LGBTQ youth that have been subjected to physical harassment, or youth perceived†¨as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, are more are also more likely smoke, use alcohol and drugs, or engage in other risky behaviors (Rivers 2001). This also causes lesbians, gays or bisexuals to be twice as likely as their peers to be depressed and think about or attempt suicide (Russell Joyner, 2001). This high rate is physical abuse may be one of the reasons why the American Educational Research Association reported that LGBT teens are 3.3 times more likely to think about committing suicide than heterosexual teenagers, as well as three times more likely to actually commit suicide. These victims of physical abuse also have higher rates of unexcused absences from school (American Educational Research Association). According to the social comparison theory, anti-gay violence, such as hates crimes tend to occur due to heterosexuals wanting to make a distinction between themselves and homosexuals. Meaning that the bullies are not acting on their own, but in a group. Some research implies that heterosexuals preform violence upon homosexuals to create a negative evaluation of LGBTQ’s, which in return creates a larger separation between homosexuals and heterosexuals. In other words, heterosexuals wants to make a clear distinction between themselves and homosexuals, and therefore violence is used to create this differentiation (American Educational Research Association). Since the LGBTQ is such a small minority group in most schools it is easy for heterosexuals to make the homosexuals the out-group, whereas other heterosexuals benefit from in-group biases and tr eatment (Herek, Berrill Berrill, 1992). What is so important about the social comparison theory and gay violence is that violence is one of the most effective and obvious way to create a differentiation between the in and out-groups. Interestingly, Herek Berill found that most crime related violent acts usually only involved one victim and one perpetrator, however when these violent acts were considered hate crimes, especially among gays and lesbians, the number of perpetrators averaged around four. Herek Berill also found in their research that boys are at a high risk for being both the perpetrator and victim, most likely due to bullies wanting to assert their sexual superiority and masculinity over homosexual boys (Herek Berill, 1992). In contrast to being pushed into lockers or being called homophobic slurs while walking down the hallway to class, LGBTQ students are subjected to a new form of harassment nowadays, which takes place outside of the classroom, and more specifically on the Internet. According to stop bullying.gov, Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place via electronic technology. This includes devices such as cell phones, computers, social media sites, text messages, web chat, and websites. O ne reason that this type of bullying is on the rise is because as technology advances, adolescents become more exposed to it, while adults become more disconnected. This discrepancy in culture between adults and adolescents causes many parents to become unaware of what their children are doing on the Internet, which may put them at a risk for being harassed, or even preforming the harassment (Keith Martin, 2005). One of the most recent and well-known cases of anti-gay cyber bullying is the story of Tyler Clementi, a gay Rutgers University student. Clementi was a victim of cyber-bullying because his roommate, Dharun Ravi, spied on his make-out sessions with a hidden webcam and outed him online. This caused Tyler Clementi to kill himself by jumping off the George Washington Bridge in 2010.Studies show that LGBTQ youth who are bullied online were more likely to have skipped school, to have detentions or suspensions, or to carry a weapon to school (Ybarra, Diener-West, Leaf, 2007). In this same study, the majority of the participants who admitted to being the perpetrators of cyber bullying attributed anonymity for feeling more comfortable harassin g others online due to the fact they had little fear of repercussions or of being traced backed to crime. This leads aggressors to threaten, harass, or abuse others and to even assume a new persona or character online (Ybarra et al, 2007). The victims in this study reported that they felt more helpless when they were attacked via the Internet, than in classroom. One student from another study related to cyber bullying stated that said that she felt like there was no point in telling an adult about cyber harassment because there is no proof who actually did the bullying, simply because the perpetrator could easily say, â€Å"that wasn’t actually me, it was someone pretending to be me† (Keith Martin, 2005) Although one study found that cyber bullying is the least common type of bullying (Wang, Nansel Iannotti, 2010,) the fact that these cyber bullying victims feel as though they cannot seek help or end the victimization may explain this study found that these students had the highest rates of depression and helplessness. Some studies, such as one in 2003 say that the high rates of suicide and depression among LGTBQ youth are proof of internalized self-homophobia (van Wormer Mckinney, 2003). In other words, the LGBTQ youth are so exposed to homophobia that it has caused them to become self-hating and prejudiced against their own-selves. Hiding in the closet, not fitting in, and living in fear has caused a melting pot for self-hatred, and self-embarrassment. Findings from this research stated that those who are considered to be experiencing self-hating are at a higher risk for reckless and self-destructive behavior. The findings from this research even go as far as crediting the high rates of AIDS among gay communities to self-hatred. The results state that many gay men fail to use protection due to a subconscious belief that they feel guilty for being queer and are unable to deprogram the negative stereotypes they receive for being queer. The same researcher also found that high rates of might be due to high drug addiction rates among queers that may be brought on by self-hatred (van Wormer Mckinney, 2003). Although the recent suicides and murders of LGBTQ youth such as the death of Matthew Shepard in 1998 are unwarranted and tragic, they have started paved the way for protection of all students institutionally, regardless of sexual orientation. Promptly after the death of Shepard the organization known as PFLAG implemented 150 chapters in the U.S. schooling system (van Wormer Mckinney, 2003). These chapters helped raise press for non-discriminatory policies in schools, support straight-gay alliances, donate LGBTQ literature to libraries, and to train teachers in crisis interventions. GSA clubs in schools have been credited as one of the major factors in helping teenagers create openly gay lives with peers and relate and support them (van Wormer Mckinney, 2003) According to the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network, there are over 3000 gay-straight alliance programs in high schools across the country. Van Wormer Mckinney describe harm reduction principals as a guide produced by the U.S. Department of Education and Justice to minimize violence against students. Recently, the state of Massachusetts was the first state to enforce teachers to discuss homosexuality as well as heterosexuality in age-appropriate ways to prevent students from feeling left out. According to the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network, there are three different federal laws protecting LGBTQ students from bullying and harassment in schools. The first type of law that prevents bullying and harassment of LGBTQ students is known as the Enumerated Anti-Bullying Laws. The states that have implemented this specific law include: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. With this law LGBTQ students can feel safer at their schools and know that these laws will protect them and there will be repercussions for those who do not follow them. The second type of law protecting LGBTQ students is known as the non-discriminatory law. The following states have implanted this non-discriminatory law: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. With this law implemented LBGTQ students cannot not be denied basic fundamental rights, and are guaranteed the same opportunities as heterosexual students. Unlike the first two laws, the third law may harm or stigmatize LGBTQ students. This is because this law bans LGBTQ students from receiving extra or special protection, even though it is proven they are at a higher risk for being harassed and bullied. No promo homo laws, local or state education laws that expressly forbid teachers from discussing gay and transgender issues. The states that allowed this law to be implanted are: Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah. Apart from the government and organizations pushing for protection of LGBTQ youth in schools, public figures have also reached out to the young gay community to remind them how important they are. In 2010 the famous gay author Dan Savage created the â€Å"It Gets Better Campaign,† in response to the suicides of teenagers who were bullied because they were gay. The website consists of LGBTQ people posting videos directed towards others struggling with their sexuality and who might be contemplating suicide. According to Savage, the website was an overnight success with a claim of 30,000 video entries between 2010 and 2012, including videos from celebrities and respected public figures, such as Barack Obama. This campaign is helping to raise awareness of the injustices and prejudices plaguing the American school systems, which are having detrimental effects on the LGBTQ youth. Another recent and popular campaign that has been gaining much attention recently is known as â€Å"The Trevor Project.† This non-profit organization is also helping raise awareness of the recent LGBTQ youth suicides and according to the gay affiliated magazine, The Advocate; the organization offers the â€Å"Trevor Lifeline,† which includes a telephone number, which will connect people with suicidal thoughts to professional counselors. Because the LGBTQ youth is such a small minority in schools across the country, it is to no surprise that they are at the highest risk of being subjected to bullying and harassment in school. This harassment includes, verbal abuse, physical assault and cyber bullying. Therefore it is no surprise studies that were previously mentioned show that 9 out of 10 LGTBQ students have reported some sort of bullying in school. With the extremely high rates of depression, fear and suicide among the gay youth, it is important that there is a social reform implemented across the country, especially in the schooling system. Regardless of personal opinion and beliefs on homosexuality, everyone deserves to feel safe and happy in their classroom. Thanks to anti-discriminatory and anti-bullying laws implemented in some states, many LGBTQ youth have been working towards equality. However there is still much progress needed. With positive organizations such as â€Å"It Gets Better,† and â€Å"The Trevor Project,† hopefully the rates of bullying, harassment and suicide among the LGTBQ youth will drop, allowing these young students to witness history for themselves and their queer allies. As Ellen DeGeneres once wisely said, â€Å"Things will get easier, people’s minds will change, and you should be alive to see it.† References Scholarly Research 1. Jing Wang, Tonja R. Nansel, Ronald J. Iannotti, Cyber and Traditional Bullying: Differential Association With Depression, Journal of Adolescent Health, Volume 48, Issue 4, April 2011, Pages 415-417, ISSN 1054-139X, 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.07.012. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X10003435) Keywords: Cyber bullying; Traditional bullying; Depression 2. Thurlow, Crispin, Naming the â€Å"outsider within†: homophobic pejoratives and the verbal abuse of lesbian, gay and bisexual high-school pupils, Journal of Adolescence, Volume 24, Issue 1, February 2001, Pages 25-38, ISSN 0140-1971, 10.1006/jado.2000.0371. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140197100903713) 3. Rivers, I. D’Augelli, A.R. (2001). The victimization of lesbian, gay and bisexual youths. In D’Augelli, A.R. Patterson, C.J. (ed.) Lesbian, gay and bisexual identities and youth: Psychological perspectives, New York: Oxford University Press. pp.199-223. 4. Russe ll, S.T. Joyner, K. (2002). Adolescent sexual orientation and suicide risk: Evidence from a national study. American Journal Public Health, 91, 1276-1281. 5. D’Augelli, A. R., Pilkington, N. W., Hershberger, S. L. (2002). Incidence and mental health impact of sexual orientation victimization of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths in high school. School Psychology Quarterly, 17, 148-167. 6. Herek, G. M., Berrill, K., Berrill, K. T. (1992). Hate crimes, confronting violence against lesbians and gay men. Sage Publications, Inc. 7. Ybarra, M.L., Diener-West, M., Leaf, P.J. (2007). Examining the overlap in Internet harassment and school bullying: implications for school intervention. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41(6 Suppl 1),S42-50. 8. Van Wormer, K. , Mckinney, R. (2003). What schools can do to help gay/lesbian/bisexual youth: A harm reduction approach. Adolescence, 38(151), 409-501. 9. Keith, S., Martin, M. (2005). Cyber-bullying: creating a culture of respect in a cyber world. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 13(4), 224-228. 10. Chesir-Teran, D. (2003). Conceptualizing and assessing heterosexism in high schools: A setting-level approach. American Journal of Community Psychology, 31, 267–279. 11. Hawker, D. S. J., Boulton, M. J. (2000). Twenty years’ research on peer victimization and psychosocial maladjustment: A meta-analytic review of cross-sectional studies. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 41(4), 441-455. 12. Vaillancourt, T., Hymel, S., McDougall, P. (2003). Bullying is power: Implications for school-based intervention strate- gies. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 19, 157-17 6. 13. Swearer, S. M., Turner, R. K., Givens, J. E., Pollack, W. S. (2008). â€Å"You’re so gay!† Do different forms of bullying matter for adolescent males? School Psychology Review, 37, 160-173. 14. Duncan, N. (1999) Sexual Bullying: Gender conflict and pupil culture in secondary schools. London, RoutledgeNon-Scholarly Research 15. Tyler Clementi, a gay Rutgers student, was a martyr to cyber-bullying; his roommate, Dharun Ravi, spied on his make-out sessions with a hidden webcam and outed him online. (2012, March 19). National Review, 64(5), 10. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA282583085v=2.1u=vol_b92bit=rp=ITOFsw=w 16. Stonewall. (1999, 21 April). Stonewall News: 77% of Gay Pupils Suffer Homophobic Bullying. Available (03/06/99) at 5http:www.stonewall.org.uk/news 17. Gay bullying. (2010, November 07). Retrieved from http://www.nyaamerica.org 18. StopBullying.gov. Home | StopBullying.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2012. 19. American Educationa l Research Association (2011, October 12). Education research shows LGBTQ-identified students at higher risk than straight-identified students. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 7, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com ­ /releases/2011/10/111012151507.htm 20. Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (2008). 2007 National School Climate Survey: Nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT Students Harassed. Retrieved December 5, 2012, from

Free Essay on The Catcher in the Rye :: Catcher Rye Essays

Free Essay on The Catcher in the Rye      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The catcher in the rye is a work of fiction and a   tragic-comedy. I came to choose it because I heard it is about a boy who is around my age.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this book, the main character, Holden Caulfield, tells us a story about what happened during his Christmas vacation. Holden is a sixteen-year-old boy who has flunked out of a private prep school. Because he is afraid that his parents would find out this fact, he goes to a hotel in New York City instead of going home after he leaves school for Christmas vacation. In New York, many things happen to him within a few days. For example, he goes to the hotel bar and meets three women after he first arrives there. The women go away soon after he fails to talk with them, and Holden feels lonely and depressed. He goes to another bar to find someone to spend some time with, but he fails to find anyone to talk to and comes back to the hotel feeling more depressed. In the hotel, he meets a prostitute, but he sends her back without having sex because he feels depressed and sorry for her. He was further disappointed   when she tries to rob him of his money even though he tries to be nice to her. In the next morning, he has a date with an old girl friend, and asks her to flee from this corrupt world and live in the woods with him. However, she tells him he is crazy and then leaves him. Holden meets some more people later, but they also cannot solve his problems, and he feels more and more depressed and lonely. He finally decides to run away and live as a deaf-mute who will not need to communicate with anyone. Before leaving, he goes to say good-bye to his little sister, Pheobe, who he admires the most. While talking and playing with her, Holden changes his mind and decides to rejoin his family and because he realizes there are many things that he cannot solve by himself.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The theme of this novel is how innocence is corrupted by society. Holden thinks everybody who is grown up is a phony because their behavior and advice are all false. The title of

Comparing the Black Album and Rushdies The Satanic Verses Essays

The Black Album and Rushdie's The Satanic Verses      Ã‚  Ã‚   British writer C.C. Colton once claimed, "Men will wrangle for religion; write for it; fight for it; die for it; anything but--live for it" (Copeland 345). Indeed, if nothing else, Hanif Kureishi's The Black Album shows the depths to which people concern themselves with questions of religion, ethnicity, and the identity associated with them. Kureishi's themes and symbolism work within a larger context of the politics of identity, race, and nationality. Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses and the larger religious question associated with it, serve to polarize the British community between Muslims and non-Muslims, as well as to polarize people supporting liberation and those supporting containment. Combined with other cultural references, Kureishi uses the literary allusion to create his themes and symbolism.    The question of the racial, religious, and socioeconomic identity of Shahid becomes a central question posed as Shahid undergoes translation from his Pakistani ancestry to his desired identity as a Briton. Shahid's translation parallels the translations of the former Asian colonies of Britain into their new postcolonial identities. Unfortunately for Shahid, the struggle over The Satanic Verses catches him as he is translating himself, presenting him with a series of tough choices.    The quest for identity in Indo-English writing has emerged as a recurrent theme, as it is in much of modern literature (Pathak preface). Indeed, often the individual's identity and his quest for it becomes so bound up in the national quest for identity, that the individual's search for his identity becomes allegorical of the national search (Pathak pr... ...pular Quotations for All Uses. Garden City, New York: Garden City, 1942. Gorra, Michael. After Empire: Scott, Naipul, Rushdie. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1997. Kureishi, Hanif. The Black Album. New York: Simon, 1995. Lings, Martin. Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources. Revised edition. Bartlow, Cambridge, UK: Islamic Texts Society, 1991. Pathak, R.S., ed. Quest for Identity in Indian English Writing. New Delhi: Bahri, 1992. Rusdie, Salman. The Satanic Verses. First Owl Book edition. New York: Henry Holt, 1997. Saynor, James. Rev. of The Black Album, by Hanif Kureishi. The New Statesman & Society, March 3, 1995, p. 40(2). Wilkie, Brian, and James Hurt. Literature of the Western World. 2nd edition. In Galloway, Stan. "The House of Bernarda Alba." http://www.bridgewater.edu/~sgallowa/203/alba-notes.htm, April 26, 1999.    Comparing the Black Album and Rushdie's The Satanic Verses Essays The Black Album and Rushdie's The Satanic Verses      Ã‚  Ã‚   British writer C.C. Colton once claimed, "Men will wrangle for religion; write for it; fight for it; die for it; anything but--live for it" (Copeland 345). Indeed, if nothing else, Hanif Kureishi's The Black Album shows the depths to which people concern themselves with questions of religion, ethnicity, and the identity associated with them. Kureishi's themes and symbolism work within a larger context of the politics of identity, race, and nationality. Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses and the larger religious question associated with it, serve to polarize the British community between Muslims and non-Muslims, as well as to polarize people supporting liberation and those supporting containment. Combined with other cultural references, Kureishi uses the literary allusion to create his themes and symbolism.    The question of the racial, religious, and socioeconomic identity of Shahid becomes a central question posed as Shahid undergoes translation from his Pakistani ancestry to his desired identity as a Briton. Shahid's translation parallels the translations of the former Asian colonies of Britain into their new postcolonial identities. Unfortunately for Shahid, the struggle over The Satanic Verses catches him as he is translating himself, presenting him with a series of tough choices.    The quest for identity in Indo-English writing has emerged as a recurrent theme, as it is in much of modern literature (Pathak preface). Indeed, often the individual's identity and his quest for it becomes so bound up in the national quest for identity, that the individual's search for his identity becomes allegorical of the national search (Pathak pr... ...pular Quotations for All Uses. Garden City, New York: Garden City, 1942. Gorra, Michael. After Empire: Scott, Naipul, Rushdie. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1997. Kureishi, Hanif. The Black Album. New York: Simon, 1995. Lings, Martin. Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources. Revised edition. Bartlow, Cambridge, UK: Islamic Texts Society, 1991. Pathak, R.S., ed. Quest for Identity in Indian English Writing. New Delhi: Bahri, 1992. Rusdie, Salman. The Satanic Verses. First Owl Book edition. New York: Henry Holt, 1997. Saynor, James. Rev. of The Black Album, by Hanif Kureishi. The New Statesman & Society, March 3, 1995, p. 40(2). Wilkie, Brian, and James Hurt. Literature of the Western World. 2nd edition. In Galloway, Stan. "The House of Bernarda Alba." http://www.bridgewater.edu/~sgallowa/203/alba-notes.htm, April 26, 1999.   

Edition Chapter

School of Economics Summary The case lists out the dilemma that Western Retail outlets (such as Wall-Mart, Careful and others) face as they enter Asian markets. The case builds on the notion that these retail outlets are not able to build on the premise of cultural differences and hence they cannot adapt themselves to the demographics of the local markets.The paper puts forth the framework which emphasizes of the Importance of adapting to the needs of Aslant consumers on part of these large retailers. The paper Is a culmination of work done on large retailers over a span of six years. The researcher has deviated from the traditional methods of data collection and has traveled wide and far for data collection, this has allowed the paper to develop a wider frame of reference and have a cross-sectional analysis across countries.The approach to the paper is ethnographic and real-life scenarios have been issued to elicit the happenings in daily life. From the researcher's point of view, t he customer's obvious needs are kept in accordance with their unspoken needs and wants. The method used results in a more In depth understanding of culture and the resulting buying processes which are otherwise not comprehensible. The paper elects the hypermarket structure being followed In Asia and sets out by explaining the structures of stores such as ART-Marti Tests and Careful which have.

Free Essays on Philosophical And Religous Influences Of The Constitution

Part One – The Legal Framework What were the philosophical and religious influences on American Constitutional Government? In framing the Constitution, the forefathers derived many of the foundations of constitutional government from philosophical and religious ideas. American Constitutional government was not perfect but a result of trial and error of almost two centuries of colonial existence. The origins of Constitutional Government stem from the Judeo Christian principles of covenant, justice, and inalienable rights. This idea was a reflection of the protestant influences and upbringings of the framers and that of the American people. The framers read extensively on the writings of Enlightenment thinkers such as Locke and Montesquieu, applying their ideas into the constitution. John Locke’s â€Å"Second Treatise† and his idea of the â€Å"social contract† was a major influence upon the construction of the constitution. According to Locke, the original state of nature was happy and characterized by reason and tolerance; all human beings were equal and free to pursue "life, hea lth, liberty, and possessions." Thus such rights could not be delegated or withheld from any individual in a state of society. The framers applied Locke’s social contract, which guaranteed a human’s inalienable rights to formation of the constitution. Also, Locke argued that revolution was not only a choice but in some cases an obligation when faced with tyranny. Baron Montesquieu’s, an influential French philosopher believed that in order to protect the liberty of the people, the government should be divided into three branches: the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. Montesquieu argued in his essay â€Å"Spirit of the Laws† that this was necessary to prevent the abuse of power, which he felt was the nature of humans. What was the process by which our constitution was adopted? The compromises required and the mistakes made. ... Free Essays on Philosophical And Religous Influences Of The Constitution Free Essays on Philosophical And Religous Influences Of The Constitution Part One – The Legal Framework What were the philosophical and religious influences on American Constitutional Government? In framing the Constitution, the forefathers derived many of the foundations of constitutional government from philosophical and religious ideas. American Constitutional government was not perfect but a result of trial and error of almost two centuries of colonial existence. The origins of Constitutional Government stem from the Judeo Christian principles of covenant, justice, and inalienable rights. This idea was a reflection of the protestant influences and upbringings of the framers and that of the American people. The framers read extensively on the writings of Enlightenment thinkers such as Locke and Montesquieu, applying their ideas into the constitution. John Locke’s â€Å"Second Treatise† and his idea of the â€Å"social contract† was a major influence upon the construction of the constitution. According to Locke, the original state of nature was happy and characterized by reason and tolerance; all human beings were equal and free to pursue "life, hea lth, liberty, and possessions." Thus such rights could not be delegated or withheld from any individual in a state of society. The framers applied Locke’s social contract, which guaranteed a human’s inalienable rights to formation of the constitution. Also, Locke argued that revolution was not only a choice but in some cases an obligation when faced with tyranny. Baron Montesquieu’s, an influential French philosopher believed that in order to protect the liberty of the people, the government should be divided into three branches: the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. Montesquieu argued in his essay â€Å"Spirit of the Laws† that this was necessary to prevent the abuse of power, which he felt was the nature of humans. What was the process by which our constitution was adopted? The compromises required and the mistakes made. ...

5 Billboard Taglines That Advertise Errors

5 Billboard Taglines That Advertise Errors 5 Billboard Taglines That Advertise Errors 5 Billboard Taglines That Advertise Errors By Mark Nichol I strongly advise against employing billboards to teach you proper English grammar and spelling, but you can certainly use them to learn what not to do. Here are some pain-inducing billboard boo-boos: 1. â€Å"Are you in or out?† This tagline from the remake of Ocean’s Eleven won’t strike many people as erroneous, but the omission of a comma ruins the effect for me. Read as is, this sentence calls for upward inflection: Are you one of these? But the inflection should fall, and whether your voice catches instantaneously before your pitch falls after in or you don’t actually pause, a comma signals the difference: Are you this, or are you that? 2. â€Å"All day, everyday.† This error in an advertisement for a major chain supermarket went viral some years ago, and the English language hasn’t been able to shake the bug since. Make everyday two words, and call me in the morning. 3. â€Å"Name’s Mel-care to have a drink?† This confused come-on appeared in an advertisement for Tanqueray gin featuring a comely woman inviting the billboard viewer to join her for a cocktail. With a disregard for the visual esthetics of language endemic to the marketing industry, the copywriter puzzled readers with what appeared to be a non sequitur reference in a liquor ad to a variant of Medicare known as Mel-care. By separating Mel’s introduction from her invitation with a mere hyphen when a mighty em dash was called for (â€Å"Name’s Mel care to have a drink?†), this multimillion-dollar ad campaign cried out for a pocket-change fix. The ubiquitous unwitting use of hyphens in place of dashes is wrong, but, almost worse, it’s ugly. 4. â€Å"You provide the truck. We’ll bring the barbeque.† An ad for a pickup truck big enough to haul around an oil-barrel barbecue grill misspelled the last word. â€Å"But, Mark, we see it like that all the time!† Yes, you see it misspelled all the time. It’s an understandable error, extending from the slang abbreviation BBQ, and it may end up in the dictionary someday. But it’s not there yet. Honor the language. 5. â€Å"Don’t stare, you might miss your exit.† Come on, a comma is too weak to convey the cadence of this sentence. (It didn’t work in that sentence, either, did it?) There’s a definite break in the two parts of this sentence, and the rhythm cries out for an em dash or even a period after stare. Again, as in the first and third examples, the copywriter failed to use the nuances of punctuation to help upload the desire to buy a product or use a service to the consumer’s brain. This message is brought to you by DailyWritingTips.com: When you seek to sell, consider not only words but also punctuation in the sell’s structure. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Structure A Story: The Eights of Misplaced Modifiers

Concert Critique essays

Concert Critique essays CONCERT PERFORMANCE - PREZIDENT BROWN Today, June 30, 2002, I attended the Africamix Festival, a volunteer-based nonprofit organization of Africans seeking to use multicultural arts and music to help promote global awareness and prevention of child abuse and neglect. The festival was a 2-day event held at Serna Plaza, C.S.U.S, Sacramento. The performers lined up included Prezident Brown, Earl Zero, Amandla Poets, Ras Rebel, Gale Revila, The Huklebucks, J.J. and Bryon J., Ze Manel, Brother G. with the River, Jordan Band, Ayouba and the Blazing Cornerstones, TuFan, Meguen Touko, and the Green Acres. I was particularly interested in Prezident Brown whose performance was the last today at about 6pm. Fitz Albert Cotterell, aka Prezident Brown, is a champion in the new Jamaican root reggae, reality consciousness; he entertains, informs and inspires. His message is pure Rasta conscious vibes. Prezident Brown performed with the Orchestra of Judah, a four-member instruments group. The instruments the Orchestra used included Guitars, drums, and the keyboard. The concert songs from Prezident Brown included among others, To Jah only (prayer for the world), Woman of rising sun, Lionheart, Mother nature, Straighten out, By Tomorrow, Down in the Valley, Faith, In this life, African Woman, Talking Drums, and Encouragement. The last song, Encouragement, is a thoughtful song. Part of the lyrics of the song goes like these ... Right now I say, unity is strength, and sometimes your brother need some encouragement ... Just a word of encouragement could make your little sister not to give up on life, just a word of encouragement could make another brother not to commit suicide, love is stronger than pride. Is it not so true that a word of encouragement ...

Measurement Scales Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Measurement Scales - Research Paper Example The scale is often employed in labelling variables that lack any quantitative value such as the human gender, which fundamentally presents itself in two forms that is the male and female (Kendall et al, 2012). Additionally, nominal scales are used while placing data into categories without adhering to any order or structure. Physical examples of a nominal scale are the terms used for colors, as the underlying spectrum normally appear ordered while the names are nominal. Nominal scales are suitable for use in questionnaires, as they enable the parties involved to classify all the variables into specific groupings. At the same time, nominal scales make it easier for the researchers to analyze the collected data given that the information can be totaled. The example below demonstrates how a nominal scale can be used in a questionnaire. An ordinal scale is a feature of measurement that is used to determine non-numeric conceptions such as contentment, delight and discomfort. Under ordinal scales, the order of the values in question are the most important, implying that less significance is accorded to the difference between the variables (Aaker, 2010). Researchers have overtime reaffirmed the fact that the variables within an ordinal scale are easy to comprehend notably because they adhere to the order in which they appear. In like manner, it is far-reaching to note that the ideal way to determine the central tendency of a set of ordinal data is by using both the mode and median values and not the mean. Ordinal scales are normally used when analyzing data derived from questionnaires majorly because they ease the process of classification. Similarly, ordinal scales imply rank ordering as validated in the portion below. The term interval refers to the difference between two values. Interval scales are hence defined as the numeric scales that indicate both the

Introduction to Global Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Introduction to Global Business - Assignment Example To manage the plant the CEO of the company feels that someone from top management from the headquarters Boston who needs to manage the integration of the site. Therefore the proposal is as follows First and foremost it is important to understand the culture of Malaysia so that the manger that comes from Boston can easily adapt to the culture and act accordingly. Malaysia is multi-cultural society making it easier for the manger to adapt the culture. In addition the proposed staffing model to be used in the new plant based outside Kula Lumpur is ethnocentric staffing model. The CEO plans to send from its home country for the global operation which is emphasized by the particular staffing model also. With the implementation of this staffing model, the CEO would need to focus or monitor less and the candidates are often known at the headquarters of the company (Steers & Nardon, p. 277). The training and recruitment will be conducted in headquarters. Candidates will comprise mainly from Boston and few from Malaysia and the organization would seek candidates having an extrovert nature, flexible and able to adjust in every situation and having good knowledge about different culture. But since the employees have no idea about the culture of Malaysian people and this might prove it to be difficult to adapt to the situation. Hence proper training is essential for effectiveness of the working of the plant in Kula Lumpur both for the top level management and also for the chosen employees. Assuming that the person selected is well adverse with technicality and the only thing required is training on adoption of new location. Cross culture training are required for the managers so that they adapt to the culture of the particular country. An expert from Malaysia can be hired by the company to provide the manger with cross cultural training so that the expatriates experience fewer incidence of failure. Problem 2 Transferability of Practices: The Mazda Example Third Culture The modified version of management practice is termed as â€Å"third culture†. Usually companies tend to face difficulties in setting of plant internationally mainly in transferring management practice to different culture and this was seen in Mazda situation. The American decided to work on for the Japanese and thus adopted a mix of both American and Japanese styles referred to as third culture. The case itself explains that the concept of â€Å"third culture† did work but at the same time it had to face many difficulties in the management practice. As stated in the case study the Japanese worked for United Auto makers and named it Mazda management. It used extensive testing methods to select their workers and adopted the system similar to that of Michigan plant. As per the study of Fucinis, there were several areas in the transfer of management style. The employees quit the plant as they did not see any future prospect. The Japanese had all the powers and were dictating the decisions. However after much issue the problem was solved and the Japanese’s adopted a flexible management practice. Therefore it can be said that transfer of management practice should be adopted but both the nations entering the â€Å"third culture† should have an equal participation and power to make the concept work in a managerial practice. Across Societies Transfer of managem

Alternative high schools the path for the education of the future for Essay

Alternative high schools the path for the education of the future for youth to compete in a global economy - Essay Example A wide range of philosophies and teaching methods are offered by alternative schools. â€Å"The only true education comes through the stimulation of the students powers by the demands of the social situations in which he finds himself. Through these demands he is stimulated to conceive of himself from the standpoint of the welfare of the group to which he belongs.† John Dewey. Schools decided the way a student’s life works, the way their mind develops and ultimately the life choices they make. Ordinary public schools usually cram information into students heads and test-test-test! Alternative schooling ensures students grow a creative mind of their own, by letting them learn for themselves. The actual teachers give structure to their ideas, and encourage them to think constructively and gain true knowledge .Alternative schooling aims at preparing students for the practicalities of living and succeeding not just during school life but to participate in the global economy by providing them with necessary knowledge and skills. â€Å"High school was something I had to break out of, because all of it felt like chains that were keeping me down. And when I did, one day, break free, I felt liberated and ready to take on the world. Not because I had learned so much in high school, but because I no longer felt a restraint on my creativity.† this is a comment posted on the net by Faruk Ates a professional web developer .3 In conventional schools, areas of knowledge and particular skills fall into orderly categories, in life they merge together into a rich and intricate texture. Alternative schools may be defined as ‘an educational establishment with a curriculum and methods that are nontraditional.’ (Definition of alternative school) 1 .These schools have a special syllabus offering a more flexible curriculum of study than a conventional school. Such schools exist in various forms like Alternative Schools,

Jesus as founder of Christianity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Jesus as founder of Christianity - Essay Example That Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah or Christ, is the founder of Christianity is held as an unquestionable assumption by many Christians is obvious, but careful scholarship requires that the assumption be qualified, if not refuted. A founder may be defined as a person who establishes, initiates, originates or lays the foundations of an idea, movement, group or institution . Identifying a founder of Christianity then will require one to determine with which person did the religion originate, who established it, who introduced it as an idea or movement, and who gave it its structure and organisation. As we shall see, this task is not a clear-cut one. The origins of Christianity were fraught with much controversy, and its development into the organized religion and group of religious systems that we now call Christianity cannot be said to have been a smooth and linear one. This paper then explores the above question along three axes: Jesus as the founder of Christianity; Jesus as the originator of a Jewish Messianic sect that â€Å"posthumously† became Christianity; and the apostles as the founder of a Jewish sect that became Christianity through the interpretations and Christology of Paul. According to The Columbia Encyclopaedia, the main teachings of Christianity are that "Jesus is the Son of God; that his life on earth, his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension into heaven are proof of God's love for humanity and God's forgiveness of human sins; and that by faith in Jesus one may attain salvation and eternal life"3. It is indisputable that Christianity centres on the life, death, resurrection, and teachings of Jesus, without whom the religion wouldn't exist. He is the pre-eminent source, and the great 'rabbi', whose words and the Midrash4 thereof form the New Testament scriptures. It is Jesus who gives the basis for the religion's creation in the forty days between His resurrection and ascension: "After his suffering he appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. He said to them 'you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'"5 Although Christianity begins in earnest after Jesus' ascension, he lays the foundations for it to be carried out in the above quote and in the Great Commission: "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And [miraculous] signs will accompany those who believe".6 There are two things of note about this commission; the first is that it reiterates the disciples' missionary work during the lifetime of Jesus7, and the second is that it gives the disciples the power and authori ty to continue doing the miraculous work that Jesus had done in his lifetime. The first time the gospel is preached after the resurrection is on the day of Pentecost, when, on receiving the promised Holy Spirit, Peter addresses the crowd gathered8. His sermon takes the following form: he recalls the Messianic prophecy in Joel and relates the story of Jesus' life, work, persecution and resurrection, using this to demonstrate that "God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."9 He closes with a rejoinder that indicates the basic tenet of 'The Way': "Repent and be baptised, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."10 'The Way' eventually becomes known as 'Christianity', after the appellation given to the disciples in Antioch11. On the one hand, the above shows that to some extent, Jesus can be considered the founder of Christianity, since it originates and is grounded in him. On the other hand, it shows, as most definitions of Christianity claim, that the religion that bears his name is actually founded by his followers after his death12. In one sense, Christianity,

WestCiv4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

WestCiv4 - Essay Example It is urging the while people, rather it is a command to the whites to take over the burden and colonize the people of other nations. The Europeans virtually looked down upon the Africans and the Asians condescendingly. They considered the non-Western culture and traditions as inferior to theirs and this European ascendancy is known as â€Å"cultural imperialism†. The Europeans had the attitude that they were destined to rule over the non-Western countries. The White men were culturally and technically advanced and always carried that air that they were superior to others. This in itself provided a motivation for the Europeans that they were destined to take care of the under privileged. This is driven by the feeling of superiority which has been confirmed by the Darwinian Theory that the â€Å"strong survive†. It promotes the idea that the white European race was superior to others. The Europeans were more advanced in culture compared to other races. The ‘surviva l of the fittest’ is the rule of the game and as believed by Kipling, the Europeans being superior were the fittest. The second motivation comes from the evolutionary theory, which believes that nature is a "kill-or-be-killed" system. It is based on the principle that if necessary, kill others to save your self. Those that cannot keep are either left behind or cut off. Even the Nazis claimed that murder of the Jews in World War II was an act of cleaning out the inferiors. To protect themselves, the superiors could even exterminate an entire race of people. It is not possible for people of two different races to survive in harmony and rather than be killed, it is better to kill them. As the others are uneducated and lack culture, they could turn savage and kill the Europeans and before they do that, the Europeans are urged to make the move. Rather than live with the â€Å"burden† it is better to kill them. Any war takes place with the motive of

Jesus as founder of Christianity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Jesus as founder of Christianity - Essay Example That Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah or Christ, is the founder of Christianity is held as an unquestionable assumption by many Christians is obvious, but careful scholarship requires that the assumption be qualified, if not refuted. A founder may be defined as a person who establishes, initiates, originates or lays the foundations of an idea, movement, group or institution . Identifying a founder of Christianity then will require one to determine with which person did the religion originate, who established it, who introduced it as an idea or movement, and who gave it its structure and organisation. As we shall see, this task is not a clear-cut one. The origins of Christianity were fraught with much controversy, and its development into the organized religion and group of religious systems that we now call Christianity cannot be said to have been a smooth and linear one. This paper then explores the above question along three axes: Jesus as the founder of Christianity; Jesus as the originator of a Jewish Messianic sect that â€Å"posthumously† became Christianity; and the apostles as the founder of a Jewish sect that became Christianity through the interpretations and Christology of Paul. According to The Columbia Encyclopaedia, the main teachings of Christianity are that "Jesus is the Son of God; that his life on earth, his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension into heaven are proof of God's love for humanity and God's forgiveness of human sins; and that by faith in Jesus one may attain salvation and eternal life"3. It is indisputable that Christianity centres on the life, death, resurrection, and teachings of Jesus, without whom the religion wouldn't exist. He is the pre-eminent source, and the great 'rabbi', whose words and the Midrash4 thereof form the New Testament scriptures. It is Jesus who gives the basis for the religion's creation in the forty days between His resurrection and ascension: "After his suffering he appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. He said to them 'you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'"5 Although Christianity begins in earnest after Jesus' ascension, he lays the foundations for it to be carried out in the above quote and in the Great Commission: "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And [miraculous] signs will accompany those who believe".6 There are two things of note about this commission; the first is that it reiterates the disciples' missionary work during the lifetime of Jesus7, and the second is that it gives the disciples the power and authori ty to continue doing the miraculous work that Jesus had done in his lifetime. The first time the gospel is preached after the resurrection is on the day of Pentecost, when, on receiving the promised Holy Spirit, Peter addresses the crowd gathered8. His sermon takes the following form: he recalls the Messianic prophecy in Joel and relates the story of Jesus' life, work, persecution and resurrection, using this to demonstrate that "God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."9 He closes with a rejoinder that indicates the basic tenet of 'The Way': "Repent and be baptised, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."10 'The Way' eventually becomes known as 'Christianity', after the appellation given to the disciples in Antioch11. On the one hand, the above shows that to some extent, Jesus can be considered the founder of Christianity, since it originates and is grounded in him. On the other hand, it shows, as most definitions of Christianity claim, that the religion that bears his name is actually founded by his followers after his death12. In one sense, Christianity,

Cultural Transformation in Mississippi Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cultural Transformation in Mississippi - Article Example By the turn of the 19th century, the Mississippi was an Indian location. Indians were the most numerous residents. Indian villages also controlled passage down the river. Indian villages were governed by chiefs. Villages such as of those of Choctaw were autonomous and had a common language (Bradley 18). The Chickasaw had a great Chief who was consulted if community issues arose, or there were disciplinary problems that had to be met. The Indians had a unique way of designing their buildings, in addition to the mode of dressing (Bradley 18). Few of them still based their residences on molds, which had been a way of life since medieval times. Of the few white residents residing then, most were of French ancestry. Hence, cultural behavior and daily rules were derived from these two groups. Besides the particulars of French and Indian cultures, it is imperative to note that the Mississippi was a frontier. The culture of the region reflected a locality where people of diverse backgrounds collided. It also reflected a place where the systems of power and governance were uncertain. Colonial Mississippi was characterized by marked cultural differences from each kind of population. The cultural challenge during these times was to make the diverse population into a single nation. As migration mixed the population, and an improvement in communication and transportation technologies decreased the geographical barriers, the Mississippi culture began to homogenize during colonial times (Morris 22). New residents of Mississippi developed a cultural identity that was different from their ancestral lands. Attitudes towards social class, religion, manners, and slavery combined to make a distinct western culture and character (Ownby 38). The energy that drove cultural evolution in the region can be broadly categorized into two sources: local and global (Morris 6). One of the forces radiated from within the locale, where people confronted and continually changed their local enviro nment. The other force was as a resultant of the wide and always changing world. The culture of Mississippi was also a direct result of broader diplomatic and commercial factors (Wyne 4). In spite of everything, culture and commerce worked together to shape how residents negotiated with each other. Meanwhile, particular frontier circumstances were preserved due to the lack of clear resolutions in the struggle between the US, Europeans, and Indians for the control of Mississippi. In the 1820s, soil exhaustion and economic problems in the East forced tens of thousands of white Americans to seek fortune in the West (Wyne 3). The Mississippi region was deemed to offer a promised land of fertile, cheap land, where the river itself assured of speedy connections to the markets. By 1850, the Mississippi river was a thoroughfare through the increasing different cultures of South and North. The culture of lower Mississippi was rested on slavery (Ownby 54).  

Review of Own Leadership Behaviour Essay Example for Free

Review of Own Leadership Behaviour Essay B Braun Medical Ltd is one of the worlds leading healthcare suppliers. Our company’s success can be attributed to its employee’s belief in the overall goal of the company and the dedication to achieve them. I work within the Supply Chain Customer Care Department as a Leader of the Emerald Prescription Service, a home delivery business supplying long or short term patients delivery off stoma and incontinence products to there home address. We are a dedicated, compassionate team consisting of six personnel, we look after approximately 2,000 patients who use our service around the UK. We as a team pride ourselves on the fact we are all cross trained and have the ability to undergo anyone’s role if required. I as a leader believe it is important for everyone in the team including myself to be able to carry out any of our procedures with confidence and ease. Various roles within our team are carried out daily in order to supply a slick pro-active service to our patients, which include regular telephone contact with the patients, monthly ordering to ensure they always have supply, contacting GP’s on there behalf to obtain there prescription to dispense there products. Offering hospital specialist stoma and urology nurses a dedicated telephone line so we are able to supply urgent stock to there patients, regular contact with our field based sales staff to communicate wins and falls in achievement and how to improve if something does go wrong. We are a compassionate team pod and have to be when dealing with people. I naturally sit in a democratic leadership model and have strengths which sit in this style, I am a motivated, supportive, calm self confident leader. I listen and communicate well using positive banter and body language. I will encourage idea’s from my team and I give praise and recognition on a good job done. I can adapt well to change and will try new things. Sometimes faced with office culture (tickle tackle) I can face this head on and any problems within my team are ironed out as soon as they occur. I can read a persons personality and situation well and will deal with whatever happens in an appropriate way. To support my theory on my democratic leadership style I carried out a questionnaire with my team please see appendix 1 attached. Our team constantly bring new ideas to the table and our business is in growth and in order to meet this growth we hold monthly meetings. These meetings have advantages and are interactive. They are great for instant feedback, the same information is outlined at the same time making it fair and avoids Chinese whispers. You can get an instant verification of understanding with a clear action plan in place before leaving the meeting and as we are currently looking at improving our procedures to meet business demands the meeting is a priceless tool! Minutes are also issued to backup any member who needs clarification. I also carry out one on ones with my team members a company procedure with yearly objectives set please see examples off these objectives in appendix two. We discuss achievements of these objectives and I give praise, feedback and guidance if required. This helps me to build a strong, flexible and highly effective team with mutual trust for one another.

Automotive Industry Lean Model Analysis

Automotive Industry Lean Model Analysis Introduction In any organization there are essential activities which need to be run effectively: production, quality, logistic, and so on. These activities are the means for the main purpose of any company which is to make money (Goldratt, 1993:41). Today the companies are facing a fierce market place: set the production with customer demand, in variety and quantity, and pursuit superior quality. To reach this is a high goal for any company, reach that and being effective is the core of nowadays strategy plan. The financial crisis that exploded the last year led many companies analyze the way they were operating in, and seek how to be more effective and make the company sustainable in the medium and long term. Reduction of cost is important at any time but reduction in time of crisis is essential. The way to escape the pitfalls faced in the mass production requires a redefinition of the production management system which eliminates the waste and pursuit the efficiency of the company as a whole. This dissertation is a case study base in an industry of automotive  industry. This sector has the characteristic of being very influential in the development of emerging trend in management.  From Henry  Fords  and the introduction  of the  moving  assembly to Toyota Production Systems many innovations have been development in this sector. Taiichi Ohno (1988) was the first person to identify seven inefficiencies which do not contribute to the goal of any company. These inefficiencies of wastes are denominated as muda in the Toyota Production System. It was after the book The machine that changed the world?, 1990, when the term Lean began to be known all over the world. Lean thinking is the medicine for companies suffering from inefficiency, and is Lean because it provides a way to do more with less; less human resources, less equipment, less time and less space, (Womack J. et al., 1990:15). All this reduction measures could be easily translated into money hence when a company is making money it has a future to plan. Another  characteristic  of  automotive industry  is  the  low  margins. The company, in which is based the dissertation, as  many  of  others  automotive manufacturers, is struggling  with  low  or  negative  profits. Through the application of Value Stream Mapping, Cell layout, and Takt time is the intention of the research to show and encourager the company to swap from traditional production into lean manufacturing Confidentiality   The company where the case study is bases is a sensitive phase of change. Due to this reason this dissertation will not display the company name, name of persons working at the company and other pieces of information that can be derived from the research. Therefore the company is referred throughout all dissertation as the company. Aims and objectives The main objective of this dissertation is to study and understand lean model and revealing the efficiency of lean techniques by applying them in a case study. These objectives can be summarised as the following: To carry out an extensive literature review about the lean model. To study the different elements and techniques of lean Draw the potential new ways to seek the processes and process layout. Outline potential improvements in the points below which contribute to solve the problem of the current highly expensive processes. Quality Lead Time Space Inventory Workers required This study intends to show the benefits of lean approach application and be used as an internal feasibility study of the potential application of this philosophy into the company. Nevertheless, whether the company finally decides to apply these principles or not is not the purpose of this project. Methodology The methodology for the first three chapters involves and intensive literature search and review on the lean philosophy. The source of this information was from extensive range of information sources as: written literature; books, journals, and the internet resource; also detailed discussions with lecturers and colleges who had knowledge on the topics. An important part of the literature review was to understand the concept of the lean and how can be applied. Secondary data is based in review documentation provided by the company. Primary data collection is based on the observation of how the company is currently working and after the working procedure are know lean approach will be applied starting with Value Stream Mapping, and the subsequence tools and techniques, described in more detail in the next chapters. Nevertheless a deep explanation to this topic will be found in the methodology chapter. Limitations One of the most important limitations for this dissertation is time limit, driven in part for the limitations time that the research had to the company. The research will be focus to a small area, but the same steps can be applied for all areas/families. No consideration will be taken, about potential issues derived from this research concerning to material handling. Another limitation is the confidential agreement between the research and the company, for this reason relevant information data could not be publicly released. The distance to the company being researched and the researcher is clear limitation for the arrangement of appointments with the company. Nevertheless this limitation known beforehand and a planning was agreed with the company in the first meeting; both sides agreed to make three on site visit of 3 working days each and another visit for presenting the research. 13,14,15 of Aprilà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚  1 toma de contacto y anÃÆ' ¡lisis de la situaciÃÆ' ³n actual 21,22,23 of Juneà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚  2 Implementation de VSM, cell layout, takt time,. 13, 14, 15 of July à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚  3 seguimiento de las mejoras applicadas 24 of Augustà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   4 Ajustes y presentacion del projecto a la compaÃÆ' ±ÃƒÆ' ­a. Research structure This dissertation is divided into 8 chapters, with a brief outline below; Chapter 1 Introductionà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚  This chapter explains about the nature and the background of the dissertation objectives. Chapter 2 Literature reviewà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   Is included here a study of the background literature on lean manufacturing. Chapter 3 Tools and techniquesà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   This chapter explains the tools and techniques used under the umbrella of lean manufacturing. Chapter 4 Methodologyà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   This chapter gives the overall view of the research design taking into account the methodology under taking to do the primary research and explain the type of research, data and tools used. Chapter 5 Company overviewà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   This chapter discuss the current situation of a second tier car company which is faced a crisis. Chapter 6 Implementation of lean Chapter 7 Data result and analysis Chapter 8 Conclusion and recommendations. This page is left blank on purpose Literature Review Origins of Lean Manufacturing Any new management approach that emerges will undoubtedly contain pieces from the knowledge from the past. Therefore we can find characteristic of lean were addressed in the past like: interchangeable parts developed by Ely Whitney (1765-18825), the work standardization made by Frederick W. Taylor (1856-1915), or the time and motion studies made by Frank Gilbreth (1868-1924), where he pursuit the elimination of non-value elements. But without any doubts the most influence person in the development of Lean was Henry Ford, he organized all the elements of a manufacturing system; people, machines, tooling and raw materials, in a continuous flow system, for manufacturing the famous model T by applying this methodology the factory achieve to rise the effectiveness in the assembly process and by 1920 he achieved to reduced the price of the model T at 34% of the original price in 1908. Kiichiro Toyoda travelled to EEUU (1929) in his search for learn the American Way. Fords assembly line provided the flow idea upon which Kiichiro Toyoda based his early car production, but soon he realized the need to adapt it to the market conditions and the culture in Japan. They knew that they could not compete with the giants like Ford in foreign markets. Therefore, they were producing only for internal market, and bring the raw materials from outside, for that reason Toyota could not lower cost by exploding economies of scale, thats why they build a systems upon an strategy: to make many models in small numbers (Ohno, 1988). They pursuit the cost reduction through the elimination of the inefficiencies; defined as muda, Japanese word for waste. (W. J. Hopp et al, 2000) Henry Ford vision about systematic elimination of waste, standardization and elimination of process variability, Quality at the source, and so forth was so inspirational for Ohno and the definition of TPS. In the book Toyota Production System; beyond large-scale Production, 1988, Ohno quoted the Fords book Henry Fords Today and Tomorrow in different chapter as a key to the development of lean principles. In 1945, after Toyoda Kiichiro set an ambitious goal: Catch with America in three years (Ohno, 1988). In order to achieve this goal Toyota production system was developed as a respond to the severe competition imposed by mass production and offered an alternative production system according with the restrictions of the moment. Under these conditions Taiichi Ohno (1912-1990) was brought into the company as a leader to translate the ideas of Kiichiro Toyoda into action. He was working for the company since 1932 but wasnt until 1943 when he went transfer to Toyota Motor Company, where he became Machine-shop manager in 1949. During that period the company was fighting on bankruptcy hence major investment or massive inventories werent affordable. For many years the western companies had cut the cost by increasing the production but after oil crisis, explore around 1973, rapid growth stopped and the principle if you can make it, you can sell it (Ohno, 1988, p2), most of the Japanese industries had losses, but Toyota overcame these problems. The capability of Toyota to overcome the crisis was the trigger for eyes opener to Japanese companies and implement the TPS. The Toyota Production System (TPS) was first denominated in the West as Just in Time (JIT).After the initial visits of industries from western countries to Japanese industry, the people returning with stories of factories which produced only what was needed, when needed, without any Just In Case expensive stock. Later, we realised that there was more than this, and the JIT was worked because was part of a more global management system, TPS. A system in fact useful to reduce costs and from that time the TPS became very popular. (Y. Monden 1993). But this system got popularity in the western countries after a researcher made in 1990 for Massachusetts institute of technology (MIT) by James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones. This five year research about the future of the automobile makers, revealed a gap between the conventional mass production and the new trend used in Japanese industries. This book coined the term Lean as a description of the Toyota Production System. Definition of Lean As is described above, Toyota Production System was born in Toyota (1945). This system is sustained for two pillars: Just in Time and Autonomation or Jidoka. The name of Lean manufacturing was given in a research published by Massachusetts institute of technology (MIT) in 1990. Ohno make three statements in his book Toyota Production System; beyond Large-Scale Production, 1988, taken together we can use as his definition: The basis of the TPS is the absolute elimination of waste. The two pillars needed to support the system are: Just in Time and Autonomation (Jidoka) (Ohno, 1988 p4) Cost reduction is the goal (Ohno, 1987 p8) After World War II, our main concern was how to produce high-quality goods. After 1955, the question became how to make the exact quantity needed (Ohno, 1987 p33). We can conclude that for Ohno the TPS consist of many techniques that are designed to reduce the cost by removing the waste and providing the right product, at the right quantity at the moment is required. Using less of everything this statement was made in the book The machine that change the world (Womack et al. 1990) as a definition of Lean production. Another important contribution of TPS was a new approach of looking at the equation formed by: Price, Cost and Profit. When TPS was developed, the western was using the following equation to obtain price of a product: Price=Cost + Profit In this formula if the cost increase, the best way to maintain the same profit is by raising the price, is based on the principle that is the company who fix the price. By offering more feature, quality or service they can raise the price. By another hand, Japan proposed the next expression: Profit=Price â‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Cost In this equation is the market, the final customer who is fixed the price. The companies used the voice of the customer as a means to design the new features of a product, and the price they are willing to pay for it. With this equation the only way to obtain better profits is by reducing the cost as much as possible (fig. 3.1). This equation leads the companies to pursuit internal improvement if they want to keep or raise the profit in the current market situation. (J. Santos, et al. 2006). Figure 3â‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ1 Equation price-cost benefits (adaptation of J. Santos et al 2008) Price fixed by the customer Cost Profit Summarizing we can conclude that Lean is a theory of management that consider the uses of resources for any means other than the creation of value from customer point of view is a waste (defined below); and pursuing the elimination waste as a means of achieving greater efficiency of the process. (Y. Monden, 1993) Seven types of Wastes Muda is a Japanese means waste. According to James P. Womack (2003) any activity which absorbs resources but creates no values is called waste. Lean thinking provides a way to identify the value, defined by the final customer, and analyze the value stream in the search for not added value action in order to eliminate and based in Continuous improvement, where the search for new improvements is never ending. (Womack et al., 2003) The wastes defined by Ohno include parts not right the first time, piles of products made in Just in case, processing step that no one had analyzed, to realized that they are not needed, transporting goods thought work floor, workers, machinery or material waiting to the next step in the process, and so forth. (Womack et al., 2003, p16). There are many types of waste; some are easy to discern others difficult. An important thing to remember is that to eliminate waste, you must find it first, towards eliminating it. The seven wastes (7Ws) addressed by Ohno (1988) are detailed below, with the addition of the one defined by Womack, 2003. Overproduction Manufacturing companies, sometimes produce more than they have sold, some times because they want to build an inventories, in the expectation that the market requirements arise, another times with the purpose to keep everyone busy and / or to achieve a high used of the facilities. Whatever the reason is, making products for which there is no demand is waste and can drive the company out of business. The key point to found this waste is compare what is produced versus what is sold. (J. Nicholas, 1988) Waiting This waste will include delay between the end of one activity and the start of the next activity. This waste can take many forms: operators or machineries waiting for orders, parts, materials, parts for the preceding process, equipment repairs, and so on. Contrasting with the previous waste, this one it is easy to identify. As It was explain above, some companies minimizing the waste of waiting by keeping the workers and the machines active all the times, incurring in that way in the previous waste; overproduction. Stopping the machines and allowing workers to be idle in occasion, is less costly than producing products with no orders. Another advantage of these spare times is that the workers can used it to search for improvements. (J. Nicholas, 1988) Transporting It is any kind of unnecessary transport of workers, parts, products, etc moved from one location to another. There two things that determine the transport through the factory; the layout facility and the sequence of operations. (J. Nicholas, 1988) No value is added in any items while they are moving around, therefore all time and facilities involve in that are wastes. Rearranging the layout and putting sequential equipment together allow us to minimize this waste. Too much machining; over processing. A process may itself contain steps that are ineffective or unnecessary. When company use expensive or high precision equipment where investing in smaller and more flexible equipment would be adequate. This often results in poor plant layout because The monuments are located far away from the process and making the process incur in waste such transportation, wait and in addition overproduction (in order to set high utilization, and justify the investment). Inventories Ohno in his book Toyota Production System, Beyond Large Scale Production (1988), qualify the inventory as the root of all evil because covers other kinds if wastes and inefficiencies and encourages to wasteful practices. Inventories represent items waiting for something to happen, where there are many associated and hidden costs (storage space, handling, management, insurance, lost of opportunity, and so forth). John Nicholas (1988) identifies that many companies even when they recognize the high cost of the inventory they justify them for dealing with issues such: To cover fluctuations in future demand, where more accurately forecasted are necessary. To cover the delay in lead times caused by breakdowns or delivery delays, where a Preventive maintenance plan would be necessary as well a close relationship with the suppliers. To cover long setup times, where an improvement in standardization as well as a study of the setup times made the big batch unnecessary. We can use the analogy of a ship on water (figure 2.1) to clarify the idea of hidden costs and problems incurred with high level of inventory. As inventory is reducing, problems are exposed, which can be resolved. After that, the inventory is lowered again, in order to get more problem appear and management has to resolve them in order for the system to work. Figure 3â‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ2 Analogy of water and inventory Worker absenteeism Work load imbalance Downtime Quality Scrap Rework Out of spec. materials Set-up Times Process variation Inventory level is hidden all problems By reducing the inventory, production problems arise WIP The research is agreed with Ohno (1988) when he argued that people tend to build some inventory as a respond of their farming roots. Our ancestors grew rice for subsistence and stored it in preparation for times of natural disasters (Ohno, 1988) this type of accumulation is no longer practical from the moment that we can find everything that we need from the corner shop. Nevertheless, break this habit in the day to day factory habits is difficult, is requires a change of attitude. But we need to keep in mind that reduction of inventory is not an end itself; it is a mechanism for revealing problems and wasteful practices in the production system. Moving People in work often confuse being in motion with working. A worker in constant motion all day may actually be doing little work; we should consider which portion of the motion is actually added value to the product. This waste is related to ergonomics and the objective is to obtain that the 100% of the motion is work; added value. Hence pursues the elimination of wasteful motion, but not by increasing work. Motions as bending, stretching, walking, lifting, reaching, picking up, transporting, loading, and so forth take workers time and increase the cost, but not add value. (J. Nicholas, 1988) Making defective parts and products. The simplest form of waste is products that do not meet the specification. Manufacturing products right at first time requires no money. Defects in any product are a major source of waste, hold up production and increase production lead times avoidable if products were done right the first time. Quality defects result in rework or scrap and involve a remarkable cost to organizations, along with the associated costs such: re-inspecting, rescheduling quarantining inventory, and capacity loss.   The key point is attain Quality at the source or Quality Assurance where the parts are made right the first time, transforming the old idea of Quality Assurance; where the parts are inspected at the end of the line. In order to achieve this we can use tools such: Poka Yoke, Kaizen, and so forth. (Y. Monden, 1993) Underutilization of Employees In the book Lean Thinking by James P Womack and Daniel T. Jones (1996), was added another wasted, added to the seven defined by Ohno (1988); which was denominated by them as Underutilization of employees. The companies hire employees for the physical skills, and sometimes the managers forgot to take an advantage of the brainpower that they hired with those skills. Some common causes of inability to see this waste may result in mudas such high employee turnover, inadequate hiring practices, and so forth. Not Used the employees as an experts of the process in which they are working is a waste of creativity and the improvement ideas that they can generate, this waste deserved the same important than the previous seven described above. Tools and Techniques There are many definitions that refer to lean; as Toyota Production System, Just in Time, Jidoka, flexible workforce, Kanban, TQM and so forth; partly because for many years had been confusion and many practitioners; mix up the purpose with the means. Lean production may be viewed as a bunch of all this practices/tools, and all underneath subsystems give the necessary support to the main system. The main systems Ohno (1988) described as two pillars are: Just inTime Autonomation with human touch, or Jidoka The tools/techniques of lean, as supporting subsystems can be said as; Kanban Poka-yoke Visual Control, Andon Value Stream Mapping Standard Operations One Piece Flow 5S Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) Levelling Production Benchmarking SMED Multifunctional Workers Kaizen Some of the most relevant for the research purpose are explained below. The two pillars of Lean: Just in Time In 1950 Toyota was near to bankrupting, as a consequence they couldnt afford major investment in new machineries or substantial inventories. In 1956 Ohno travel to America, where he got the perspective of Just-In-Time in the American supermarket. He was interested in way the supermarket were working; by providing to customer what they need, when they need and in the quantity they need. Ohno transfer this idea down to the process, and he developed a system that is working like a coordinate chain of small supermarket, where all processes are transformer in customer for the previous step and supplier for the next step and every step is only produced the quantity needed for the next step, with perfect quality and no waste. The system was denominated as pull system. TMMK (7may2010) JIT was developed in the framework of TPS and evolved due to the need of the Japanese industry to survive in the post-war global market. Soon, the value of the system was proven into the manufacturing industry and a large number of companies worldwide hastened to implement this model to their own production systems (Monden, 1993). Ohno developed a number of methodologies to support the Just in Time system; one of the best known is the Kanban system, detailed below. Pull system and Kanban The traditional mass production system is the one denominate as push production system, where every station start to assembly a part when the raw material arrive to the work station. The way to manage production system is usually based in forecasting. The parts usually are processes in batches according to a schedule for each process (fig 2.2). The materials must usually wait until the workstation complete the previous work and is performing the changeover necessary. Changes in schedules, breakdown in machinery and other incidents, make a planning inaccurate. (J Nicholas, 1988). When a problem occurs at one stage, the problem will not be notice in the rest of the system, because an inventory between the workstation are insulated the problems in each workstation, and dependency between workstation was low. Figure 4â‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ3 Push System Retention points Process 1 Retention points Process 2 Inspection Retention points inspection Information and material flow High variability in lead times, long lead times, large Work in Progress inventory, and a numerous quality issues are arisen in this system. Besides with the problems associated with maintaining valid scheduled, made by the forecasting office, which is far a way from the shop floor and all the problems that arise in the manufacturing process. By contrast the pull production is sometimes called stockless, because is minimized the work in progress, pursuit the one piece flow. It seeks to have every stage in a process produce and deliver materials downstream in the exact quantities and the exact times requested. (J Nicholas, 1988). Figure 4â‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ4 Pull System Process 2 Inspection Material Flow Process 1 Inspection Max Min Delivery point Max Min Max Min Information Flow Refer to the figure 2.3, when a customer order arrives to the delivery point, this work station sends a production order to the downstream process, in order to refill the product had been delivered. The work station 2 in the moment is used more than two parts, and let the buffer with the minimum quantity, then sends a production order to the work station 1. Just in time pursues the zero inventories; the system that is describing here is used a buffer, in that way any process shouldnt wait to have the necessary material to start producing an order. Refer to the figure 2.3 each work station begins de production as soon as the order upstream is received. (J Nicholas, 1988). In contrast with the Push production system, any problem in any work station is affected the whole system, so that all stage are working together in order to resolve the problem, increasing the chances of solving the root problem. Kanban is a subsystem to support of the JIT system and was developed by Toyota in the early stages of TPS. Kanban is a Japanese word for card, but not necessarily need to be a card, sometimes can be a signboard, container, empty space, and so forth. The broadly idea is to use the Kanban, whatever the form is takes, as a signal to produce a specific number of parts request for the next process. (N. Slack et al, 2004). The system is not used a complicated and expensive computer schedules. The theoretical operation of Kanban is no one product is manufacture until is demanded for the final customer. Therefore the signal Kanban is used as a trigger for a production. There are different types of Kanban; Conveyance Kanban, also know as a move Kanban, whose purpose is to move the goods along different production stages. The Production Kanban, work as a signal to a production process that can start producing a part to be place in the inventory. (N. Slack et al, 2004) There are two procedures of using Kanban system; dual-card (used both production and conveyance) this is the original Toyota method, and the single-card, explained below (used only the production, but acting as both move and produce authorization), is more often used the last one, for the simplicity of use. (N. Slack et al, 2004) Figure 4â‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ5 Kanban system. Process 2 Inspection Material Flow Process 1 Inspection Delivery point Max Min Kanban Max Min Kanban Max Min Kanban Information Flow Order to the supplier To explain the concept we can use the example in figure 2.4, where each process made two piece batches. When the delivery point sent two finished parts, the operator takes a Kanban card from the container and sends it back down to the previous workstation; process 2,where that part is assembled. When the Kanban card is received, the previous work station start to assemble new batch of 2 parts, and consequently it sends downs to the previous process the Kanban card in order to refill the parts used in the last operation. This chain or work orders is repeated until an order is sent to the supplier of raw material. This system keeps to minimum the paperwork, provides a self-manage workstation and one the more important achievements is that the inventory of Work in Progress is kept to a minimum. The parts are assembled only when a need for them and WIP is reducing by dropping the number of cards into the system. The two pillars of Lean: Jidoka Jidoka is a Japanese word meaning automation with a human touch, refers to the automatic control of defects under the supervision of an employee; or as is described by Ohno (1988) Autonomation. Is refers to a process that has incorporated mechanism to detect non conformances and not allowed the process to pass a product if there isnt a conformance with the requirements.   Sakichi Toyoda began to used Jidoka, also known as Autonomation; he invented the automatic looms that stopped immediately when any thread broke. In that way one operator was able to manage many machines with no risk of producing outside specifications. This pillar of TPS is a â‚ ¬Ã‹Å"Proactive Systematic Approach. That is means instant detection of non conformances at the root source, pursuing the prevention is chosen over correction for problems after its occurrence. Through this principle we ensure that hundred per cent of the products are free defects, and when a defect is found this is fixed directly, otherwise the worker had the authority to stop the line, in order to resolve it.(J. Nicholas,1998).No OK parts are very important in JIT, when a one short part can cause the stoppage of the whole factory, just to remember one of the quotation for define JIT The exact product in the exact moment that is required (Ohno, 1988) This authority to stop the line meets resistance in western managers, because they are afraid that this can cause a delay in the lead time. But that is only the negative side, by another hand should be viewed as improvements in the process, the root of many quality issues are discovered and as a result they are resolved. Thought Jidoka principles the employees are more aware of quality issues and the related problems, and the number of defects and rework drop at the end of the line. (Nicholas, 1988 Automotive Industry Lean Model Analysis Automotive Industry Lean Model Analysis Introduction In any organization there are essential activities which need to be run effectively: production, quality, logistic, and so on. These activities are the means for the main purpose of any company which is to make money (Goldratt, 1993:41). Today the companies are facing a fierce market place: set the production with customer demand, in variety and quantity, and pursuit superior quality. To reach this is a high goal for any company, reach that and being effective is the core of nowadays strategy plan. The financial crisis that exploded the last year led many companies analyze the way they were operating in, and seek how to be more effective and make the company sustainable in the medium and long term. Reduction of cost is important at any time but reduction in time of crisis is essential. The way to escape the pitfalls faced in the mass production requires a redefinition of the production management system which eliminates the waste and pursuit the efficiency of the company as a whole. This dissertation is a case study base in an industry of automotive  industry. This sector has the characteristic of being very influential in the development of emerging trend in management.  From Henry  Fords  and the introduction  of the  moving  assembly to Toyota Production Systems many innovations have been development in this sector. Taiichi Ohno (1988) was the first person to identify seven inefficiencies which do not contribute to the goal of any company. These inefficiencies of wastes are denominated as muda in the Toyota Production System. It was after the book The machine that changed the world?, 1990, when the term Lean began to be known all over the world. Lean thinking is the medicine for companies suffering from inefficiency, and is Lean because it provides a way to do more with less; less human resources, less equipment, less time and less space, (Womack J. et al., 1990:15). All this reduction measures could be easily translated into money hence when a company is making money it has a future to plan. Another  characteristic  of  automotive industry  is  the  low  margins. The company, in which is based the dissertation, as  many  of  others  automotive manufacturers, is struggling  with  low  or  negative  profits. Through the application of Value Stream Mapping, Cell layout, and Takt time is the intention of the research to show and encourager the company to swap from traditional production into lean manufacturing Confidentiality   The company where the case study is bases is a sensitive phase of change. Due to this reason this dissertation will not display the company name, name of persons working at the company and other pieces of information that can be derived from the research. Therefore the company is referred throughout all dissertation as the company. Aims and objectives The main objective of this dissertation is to study and understand lean model and revealing the efficiency of lean techniques by applying them in a case study. These objectives can be summarised as the following: To carry out an extensive literature review about the lean model. To study the different elements and techniques of lean Draw the potential new ways to seek the processes and process layout. Outline potential improvements in the points below which contribute to solve the problem of the current highly expensive processes. Quality Lead Time Space Inventory Workers required This study intends to show the benefits of lean approach application and be used as an internal feasibility study of the potential application of this philosophy into the company. Nevertheless, whether the company finally decides to apply these principles or not is not the purpose of this project. Methodology The methodology for the first three chapters involves and intensive literature search and review on the lean philosophy. The source of this information was from extensive range of information sources as: written literature; books, journals, and the internet resource; also detailed discussions with lecturers and colleges who had knowledge on the topics. An important part of the literature review was to understand the concept of the lean and how can be applied. Secondary data is based in review documentation provided by the company. Primary data collection is based on the observation of how the company is currently working and after the working procedure are know lean approach will be applied starting with Value Stream Mapping, and the subsequence tools and techniques, described in more detail in the next chapters. Nevertheless a deep explanation to this topic will be found in the methodology chapter. Limitations One of the most important limitations for this dissertation is time limit, driven in part for the limitations time that the research had to the company. The research will be focus to a small area, but the same steps can be applied for all areas/families. No consideration will be taken, about potential issues derived from this research concerning to material handling. Another limitation is the confidential agreement between the research and the company, for this reason relevant information data could not be publicly released. The distance to the company being researched and the researcher is clear limitation for the arrangement of appointments with the company. Nevertheless this limitation known beforehand and a planning was agreed with the company in the first meeting; both sides agreed to make three on site visit of 3 working days each and another visit for presenting the research. 13,14,15 of Aprilà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚  1 toma de contacto y anÃÆ' ¡lisis de la situaciÃÆ' ³n actual 21,22,23 of Juneà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚  2 Implementation de VSM, cell layout, takt time,. 13, 14, 15 of July à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚  3 seguimiento de las mejoras applicadas 24 of Augustà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   4 Ajustes y presentacion del projecto a la compaÃÆ' ±ÃƒÆ' ­a. Research structure This dissertation is divided into 8 chapters, with a brief outline below; Chapter 1 Introductionà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚  This chapter explains about the nature and the background of the dissertation objectives. Chapter 2 Literature reviewà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   Is included here a study of the background literature on lean manufacturing. Chapter 3 Tools and techniquesà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   This chapter explains the tools and techniques used under the umbrella of lean manufacturing. Chapter 4 Methodologyà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   This chapter gives the overall view of the research design taking into account the methodology under taking to do the primary research and explain the type of research, data and tools used. Chapter 5 Company overviewà ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   This chapter discuss the current situation of a second tier car company which is faced a crisis. Chapter 6 Implementation of lean Chapter 7 Data result and analysis Chapter 8 Conclusion and recommendations. This page is left blank on purpose Literature Review Origins of Lean Manufacturing Any new management approach that emerges will undoubtedly contain pieces from the knowledge from the past. Therefore we can find characteristic of lean were addressed in the past like: interchangeable parts developed by Ely Whitney (1765-18825), the work standardization made by Frederick W. Taylor (1856-1915), or the time and motion studies made by Frank Gilbreth (1868-1924), where he pursuit the elimination of non-value elements. But without any doubts the most influence person in the development of Lean was Henry Ford, he organized all the elements of a manufacturing system; people, machines, tooling and raw materials, in a continuous flow system, for manufacturing the famous model T by applying this methodology the factory achieve to rise the effectiveness in the assembly process and by 1920 he achieved to reduced the price of the model T at 34% of the original price in 1908. Kiichiro Toyoda travelled to EEUU (1929) in his search for learn the American Way. Fords assembly line provided the flow idea upon which Kiichiro Toyoda based his early car production, but soon he realized the need to adapt it to the market conditions and the culture in Japan. They knew that they could not compete with the giants like Ford in foreign markets. Therefore, they were producing only for internal market, and bring the raw materials from outside, for that reason Toyota could not lower cost by exploding economies of scale, thats why they build a systems upon an strategy: to make many models in small numbers (Ohno, 1988). They pursuit the cost reduction through the elimination of the inefficiencies; defined as muda, Japanese word for waste. (W. J. Hopp et al, 2000) Henry Ford vision about systematic elimination of waste, standardization and elimination of process variability, Quality at the source, and so forth was so inspirational for Ohno and the definition of TPS. In the book Toyota Production System; beyond large-scale Production, 1988, Ohno quoted the Fords book Henry Fords Today and Tomorrow in different chapter as a key to the development of lean principles. In 1945, after Toyoda Kiichiro set an ambitious goal: Catch with America in three years (Ohno, 1988). In order to achieve this goal Toyota production system was developed as a respond to the severe competition imposed by mass production and offered an alternative production system according with the restrictions of the moment. Under these conditions Taiichi Ohno (1912-1990) was brought into the company as a leader to translate the ideas of Kiichiro Toyoda into action. He was working for the company since 1932 but wasnt until 1943 when he went transfer to Toyota Motor Company, where he became Machine-shop manager in 1949. During that period the company was fighting on bankruptcy hence major investment or massive inventories werent affordable. For many years the western companies had cut the cost by increasing the production but after oil crisis, explore around 1973, rapid growth stopped and the principle if you can make it, you can sell it (Ohno, 1988, p2), most of the Japanese industries had losses, but Toyota overcame these problems. The capability of Toyota to overcome the crisis was the trigger for eyes opener to Japanese companies and implement the TPS. The Toyota Production System (TPS) was first denominated in the West as Just in Time (JIT).After the initial visits of industries from western countries to Japanese industry, the people returning with stories of factories which produced only what was needed, when needed, without any Just In Case expensive stock. Later, we realised that there was more than this, and the JIT was worked because was part of a more global management system, TPS. A system in fact useful to reduce costs and from that time the TPS became very popular. (Y. Monden 1993). But this system got popularity in the western countries after a researcher made in 1990 for Massachusetts institute of technology (MIT) by James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones. This five year research about the future of the automobile makers, revealed a gap between the conventional mass production and the new trend used in Japanese industries. This book coined the term Lean as a description of the Toyota Production System. Definition of Lean As is described above, Toyota Production System was born in Toyota (1945). This system is sustained for two pillars: Just in Time and Autonomation or Jidoka. The name of Lean manufacturing was given in a research published by Massachusetts institute of technology (MIT) in 1990. Ohno make three statements in his book Toyota Production System; beyond Large-Scale Production, 1988, taken together we can use as his definition: The basis of the TPS is the absolute elimination of waste. The two pillars needed to support the system are: Just in Time and Autonomation (Jidoka) (Ohno, 1988 p4) Cost reduction is the goal (Ohno, 1987 p8) After World War II, our main concern was how to produce high-quality goods. After 1955, the question became how to make the exact quantity needed (Ohno, 1987 p33). We can conclude that for Ohno the TPS consist of many techniques that are designed to reduce the cost by removing the waste and providing the right product, at the right quantity at the moment is required. Using less of everything this statement was made in the book The machine that change the world (Womack et al. 1990) as a definition of Lean production. Another important contribution of TPS was a new approach of looking at the equation formed by: Price, Cost and Profit. When TPS was developed, the western was using the following equation to obtain price of a product: Price=Cost + Profit In this formula if the cost increase, the best way to maintain the same profit is by raising the price, is based on the principle that is the company who fix the price. By offering more feature, quality or service they can raise the price. By another hand, Japan proposed the next expression: Profit=Price â‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Cost In this equation is the market, the final customer who is fixed the price. The companies used the voice of the customer as a means to design the new features of a product, and the price they are willing to pay for it. With this equation the only way to obtain better profits is by reducing the cost as much as possible (fig. 3.1). This equation leads the companies to pursuit internal improvement if they want to keep or raise the profit in the current market situation. (J. Santos, et al. 2006). Figure 3â‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ1 Equation price-cost benefits (adaptation of J. Santos et al 2008) Price fixed by the customer Cost Profit Summarizing we can conclude that Lean is a theory of management that consider the uses of resources for any means other than the creation of value from customer point of view is a waste (defined below); and pursuing the elimination waste as a means of achieving greater efficiency of the process. (Y. Monden, 1993) Seven types of Wastes Muda is a Japanese means waste. According to James P. Womack (2003) any activity which absorbs resources but creates no values is called waste. Lean thinking provides a way to identify the value, defined by the final customer, and analyze the value stream in the search for not added value action in order to eliminate and based in Continuous improvement, where the search for new improvements is never ending. (Womack et al., 2003) The wastes defined by Ohno include parts not right the first time, piles of products made in Just in case, processing step that no one had analyzed, to realized that they are not needed, transporting goods thought work floor, workers, machinery or material waiting to the next step in the process, and so forth. (Womack et al., 2003, p16). There are many types of waste; some are easy to discern others difficult. An important thing to remember is that to eliminate waste, you must find it first, towards eliminating it. The seven wastes (7Ws) addressed by Ohno (1988) are detailed below, with the addition of the one defined by Womack, 2003. Overproduction Manufacturing companies, sometimes produce more than they have sold, some times because they want to build an inventories, in the expectation that the market requirements arise, another times with the purpose to keep everyone busy and / or to achieve a high used of the facilities. Whatever the reason is, making products for which there is no demand is waste and can drive the company out of business. The key point to found this waste is compare what is produced versus what is sold. (J. Nicholas, 1988) Waiting This waste will include delay between the end of one activity and the start of the next activity. This waste can take many forms: operators or machineries waiting for orders, parts, materials, parts for the preceding process, equipment repairs, and so on. Contrasting with the previous waste, this one it is easy to identify. As It was explain above, some companies minimizing the waste of waiting by keeping the workers and the machines active all the times, incurring in that way in the previous waste; overproduction. Stopping the machines and allowing workers to be idle in occasion, is less costly than producing products with no orders. Another advantage of these spare times is that the workers can used it to search for improvements. (J. Nicholas, 1988) Transporting It is any kind of unnecessary transport of workers, parts, products, etc moved from one location to another. There two things that determine the transport through the factory; the layout facility and the sequence of operations. (J. Nicholas, 1988) No value is added in any items while they are moving around, therefore all time and facilities involve in that are wastes. Rearranging the layout and putting sequential equipment together allow us to minimize this waste. Too much machining; over processing. A process may itself contain steps that are ineffective or unnecessary. When company use expensive or high precision equipment where investing in smaller and more flexible equipment would be adequate. This often results in poor plant layout because The monuments are located far away from the process and making the process incur in waste such transportation, wait and in addition overproduction (in order to set high utilization, and justify the investment). Inventories Ohno in his book Toyota Production System, Beyond Large Scale Production (1988), qualify the inventory as the root of all evil because covers other kinds if wastes and inefficiencies and encourages to wasteful practices. Inventories represent items waiting for something to happen, where there are many associated and hidden costs (storage space, handling, management, insurance, lost of opportunity, and so forth). John Nicholas (1988) identifies that many companies even when they recognize the high cost of the inventory they justify them for dealing with issues such: To cover fluctuations in future demand, where more accurately forecasted are necessary. To cover the delay in lead times caused by breakdowns or delivery delays, where a Preventive maintenance plan would be necessary as well a close relationship with the suppliers. To cover long setup times, where an improvement in standardization as well as a study of the setup times made the big batch unnecessary. We can use the analogy of a ship on water (figure 2.1) to clarify the idea of hidden costs and problems incurred with high level of inventory. As inventory is reducing, problems are exposed, which can be resolved. After that, the inventory is lowered again, in order to get more problem appear and management has to resolve them in order for the system to work. Figure 3â‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ2 Analogy of water and inventory Worker absenteeism Work load imbalance Downtime Quality Scrap Rework Out of spec. materials Set-up Times Process variation Inventory level is hidden all problems By reducing the inventory, production problems arise WIP The research is agreed with Ohno (1988) when he argued that people tend to build some inventory as a respond of their farming roots. Our ancestors grew rice for subsistence and stored it in preparation for times of natural disasters (Ohno, 1988) this type of accumulation is no longer practical from the moment that we can find everything that we need from the corner shop. Nevertheless, break this habit in the day to day factory habits is difficult, is requires a change of attitude. But we need to keep in mind that reduction of inventory is not an end itself; it is a mechanism for revealing problems and wasteful practices in the production system. Moving People in work often confuse being in motion with working. A worker in constant motion all day may actually be doing little work; we should consider which portion of the motion is actually added value to the product. This waste is related to ergonomics and the objective is to obtain that the 100% of the motion is work; added value. Hence pursues the elimination of wasteful motion, but not by increasing work. Motions as bending, stretching, walking, lifting, reaching, picking up, transporting, loading, and so forth take workers time and increase the cost, but not add value. (J. Nicholas, 1988) Making defective parts and products. The simplest form of waste is products that do not meet the specification. Manufacturing products right at first time requires no money. Defects in any product are a major source of waste, hold up production and increase production lead times avoidable if products were done right the first time. Quality defects result in rework or scrap and involve a remarkable cost to organizations, along with the associated costs such: re-inspecting, rescheduling quarantining inventory, and capacity loss.   The key point is attain Quality at the source or Quality Assurance where the parts are made right the first time, transforming the old idea of Quality Assurance; where the parts are inspected at the end of the line. In order to achieve this we can use tools such: Poka Yoke, Kaizen, and so forth. (Y. Monden, 1993) Underutilization of Employees In the book Lean Thinking by James P Womack and Daniel T. Jones (1996), was added another wasted, added to the seven defined by Ohno (1988); which was denominated by them as Underutilization of employees. The companies hire employees for the physical skills, and sometimes the managers forgot to take an advantage of the brainpower that they hired with those skills. Some common causes of inability to see this waste may result in mudas such high employee turnover, inadequate hiring practices, and so forth. Not Used the employees as an experts of the process in which they are working is a waste of creativity and the improvement ideas that they can generate, this waste deserved the same important than the previous seven described above. Tools and Techniques There are many definitions that refer to lean; as Toyota Production System, Just in Time, Jidoka, flexible workforce, Kanban, TQM and so forth; partly because for many years had been confusion and many practitioners; mix up the purpose with the means. Lean production may be viewed as a bunch of all this practices/tools, and all underneath subsystems give the necessary support to the main system. The main systems Ohno (1988) described as two pillars are: Just inTime Autonomation with human touch, or Jidoka The tools/techniques of lean, as supporting subsystems can be said as; Kanban Poka-yoke Visual Control, Andon Value Stream Mapping Standard Operations One Piece Flow 5S Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) Levelling Production Benchmarking SMED Multifunctional Workers Kaizen Some of the most relevant for the research purpose are explained below. The two pillars of Lean: Just in Time In 1950 Toyota was near to bankrupting, as a consequence they couldnt afford major investment in new machineries or substantial inventories. In 1956 Ohno travel to America, where he got the perspective of Just-In-Time in the American supermarket. He was interested in way the supermarket were working; by providing to customer what they need, when they need and in the quantity they need. Ohno transfer this idea down to the process, and he developed a system that is working like a coordinate chain of small supermarket, where all processes are transformer in customer for the previous step and supplier for the next step and every step is only produced the quantity needed for the next step, with perfect quality and no waste. The system was denominated as pull system. TMMK (7may2010) JIT was developed in the framework of TPS and evolved due to the need of the Japanese industry to survive in the post-war global market. Soon, the value of the system was proven into the manufacturing industry and a large number of companies worldwide hastened to implement this model to their own production systems (Monden, 1993). Ohno developed a number of methodologies to support the Just in Time system; one of the best known is the Kanban system, detailed below. Pull system and Kanban The traditional mass production system is the one denominate as push production system, where every station start to assembly a part when the raw material arrive to the work station. The way to manage production system is usually based in forecasting. The parts usually are processes in batches according to a schedule for each process (fig 2.2). The materials must usually wait until the workstation complete the previous work and is performing the changeover necessary. Changes in schedules, breakdown in machinery and other incidents, make a planning inaccurate. (J Nicholas, 1988). When a problem occurs at one stage, the problem will not be notice in the rest of the system, because an inventory between the workstation are insulated the problems in each workstation, and dependency between workstation was low. Figure 4â‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ3 Push System Retention points Process 1 Retention points Process 2 Inspection Retention points inspection Information and material flow High variability in lead times, long lead times, large Work in Progress inventory, and a numerous quality issues are arisen in this system. Besides with the problems associated with maintaining valid scheduled, made by the forecasting office, which is far a way from the shop floor and all the problems that arise in the manufacturing process. By contrast the pull production is sometimes called stockless, because is minimized the work in progress, pursuit the one piece flow. It seeks to have every stage in a process produce and deliver materials downstream in the exact quantities and the exact times requested. (J Nicholas, 1988). Figure 4â‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ4 Pull System Process 2 Inspection Material Flow Process 1 Inspection Max Min Delivery point Max Min Max Min Information Flow Refer to the figure 2.3, when a customer order arrives to the delivery point, this work station sends a production order to the downstream process, in order to refill the product had been delivered. The work station 2 in the moment is used more than two parts, and let the buffer with the minimum quantity, then sends a production order to the work station 1. Just in time pursues the zero inventories; the system that is describing here is used a buffer, in that way any process shouldnt wait to have the necessary material to start producing an order. Refer to the figure 2.3 each work station begins de production as soon as the order upstream is received. (J Nicholas, 1988). In contrast with the Push production system, any problem in any work station is affected the whole system, so that all stage are working together in order to resolve the problem, increasing the chances of solving the root problem. Kanban is a subsystem to support of the JIT system and was developed by Toyota in the early stages of TPS. Kanban is a Japanese word for card, but not necessarily need to be a card, sometimes can be a signboard, container, empty space, and so forth. The broadly idea is to use the Kanban, whatever the form is takes, as a signal to produce a specific number of parts request for the next process. (N. Slack et al, 2004). The system is not used a complicated and expensive computer schedules. The theoretical operation of Kanban is no one product is manufacture until is demanded for the final customer. Therefore the signal Kanban is used as a trigger for a production. There are different types of Kanban; Conveyance Kanban, also know as a move Kanban, whose purpose is to move the goods along different production stages. The Production Kanban, work as a signal to a production process that can start producing a part to be place in the inventory. (N. Slack et al, 2004) There are two procedures of using Kanban system; dual-card (used both production and conveyance) this is the original Toyota method, and the single-card, explained below (used only the production, but acting as both move and produce authorization), is more often used the last one, for the simplicity of use. (N. Slack et al, 2004) Figure 4â‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ5 Kanban system. Process 2 Inspection Material Flow Process 1 Inspection Delivery point Max Min Kanban Max Min Kanban Max Min Kanban Information Flow Order to the supplier To explain the concept we can use the example in figure 2.4, where each process made two piece batches. When the delivery point sent two finished parts, the operator takes a Kanban card from the container and sends it back down to the previous workstation; process 2,where that part is assembled. When the Kanban card is received, the previous work station start to assemble new batch of 2 parts, and consequently it sends downs to the previous process the Kanban card in order to refill the parts used in the last operation. This chain or work orders is repeated until an order is sent to the supplier of raw material. This system keeps to minimum the paperwork, provides a self-manage workstation and one the more important achievements is that the inventory of Work in Progress is kept to a minimum. The parts are assembled only when a need for them and WIP is reducing by dropping the number of cards into the system. The two pillars of Lean: Jidoka Jidoka is a Japanese word meaning automation with a human touch, refers to the automatic control of defects under the supervision of an employee; or as is described by Ohno (1988) Autonomation. Is refers to a process that has incorporated mechanism to detect non conformances and not allowed the process to pass a product if there isnt a conformance with the requirements.   Sakichi Toyoda began to used Jidoka, also known as Autonomation; he invented the automatic looms that stopped immediately when any thread broke. In that way one operator was able to manage many machines with no risk of producing outside specifications. This pillar of TPS is a â‚ ¬Ã‹Å"Proactive Systematic Approach. That is means instant detection of non conformances at the root source, pursuing the prevention is chosen over correction for problems after its occurrence. Through this principle we ensure that hundred per cent of the products are free defects, and when a defect is found this is fixed directly, otherwise the worker had the authority to stop the line, in order to resolve it.(J. Nicholas,1998).No OK parts are very important in JIT, when a one short part can cause the stoppage of the whole factory, just to remember one of the quotation for define JIT The exact product in the exact moment that is required (Ohno, 1988) This authority to stop the line meets resistance in western managers, because they are afraid that this can cause a delay in the lead time. But that is only the negative side, by another hand should be viewed as improvements in the process, the root of many quality issues are discovered and as a result they are resolved. Thought Jidoka principles the employees are more aware of quality issues and the related problems, and the number of defects and rework drop at the end of the line. (Nicholas, 1988