Implementation Of Porters Value Chain And Lean Systems

Implementation Of Porters Value Chain And Lean Systems Porters Value chain is a concept that categories the generic value-adding activities of an organisation in to two divisions. One is primary activities that consist of inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing sales and services and secondary activities such as procurement, infrastructure, technological development and human resource. These activities are performed to add value to the product and to obtain a competitive advantage in the industry. Porter (1985 p.11) says that value chain is the internal linkage between primary and supporting activities and external linkage with customers and suppliers. Garment manufacturing is a process of converting the raw materials such as fabric trims into a finished readymade garments. In this fast growing competition and unpredictable economic situation, it is essential for a manufacture to continuously improve the quality, timely delivery and competitive price to sustain it market place. Mannan and Ferdousi (2007, p.2) believes that nowadays the key to competing in the international market place is to simultaneously improve both quality and productivity on continual basis. In todays competitive and concurrently changing business world, lean production has brought a lot of changes in the management practices to improve organisational effectiveness and customer satisfaction and ensures sustainability (Karim, 2008). Nowadays customers have more opportunities to choose so they expect more competitive price with better quality and less lead-time. A study by Sohal (1996, p.91) indicates that most western manufactures have been aware of the need to improve their performance and competitiveness for nearly two decades and they were using lean production system to take advantage. The main reason for adopting lean system is to reduce production resource requirement and cost, increasing customer responsiveness and to improve quality these all lead to gain a competitive advantage and long-term sustainability. Papadopoulou and Ozbayrak (2005) states that lean philosophy spread to Japanese factories after it was successfully implemented in the Toyoto motor company, then most of the developed and developing countries are reaping several benifits from the lean practice, but in Bangladesh the adoption of lean system is very slow. Nowadays many countries in the world have identified the essence of lean system and started implementing lean tools in their garment manufacturing process and observed incredible improvement (Mazany, 1995 and Bruce et. al, 2004). As Mamun and Afrin (2001) argues that the few firms that have adopted lean practice have experienced an overall improvement in the corporate performance. In this report we are going to implement lean system in a Bangladesh based garment export house to obtain competitive advantage in this highly influential global market and in a view to obtain long-term sustainability in concern with corporate social responsibility. Exim Exports and its Value Chain Exim Exports is an ISO 9001:2000 company that manufactures and exports knitted garments to overseas buyers. It is based on Dhaka, Bangladesh. The main process of Exim Exports is to purchase yarn and knit it into fabric through it suppliers and dye or print the fabrics and cut, sew and finish into readymade garments. It produces casual T-shirts for reputed brands such as Calvin Klein, SF, Nike, TopShop and River Island etc. These buyers are very concern about quality and timely delivery. Using Porters Value chain model an activity analysis is been conducted below. Activity analysis Activity analysis identifies the step by step process that a company perform to satisfy its customers. It also involves how the company recruit people with the skills to give the best service, how the company motivates the employees and it steam to perform at optimum level, how the company keeps up to date with the latest technology, how the company choose and develop technologies that give cutting edge, how the company gets feedback from its customers and how it is going to improve further. Porter (1985. p12) has split the organisational activities into primary and support activities. Fig .1. Exim Exports Value chain Primary Activities in Exim Exports value chain Inbound logistics Transportation for raw materials from supplier to factory i.e. Yarn purchasing. Store department handle these operations by purchasing the yarn from suppliers and transporting to knitters. Then the knitted fabric should be moved to knitting to dyeing or printing. These operations could be followed by several supervisors. Operations Knitting, Dyeing or Printing, Cutting, Stitching, Finishing and Packing are the major operations. Knitting and Dyeing will be done outside the factory however the productions department, procurement and merchandising departments will be involved in this process. Outbound logistics Transportation for goods to deliver to customers agents, export documentation and accounts departments will be involved in this. Marketing and sales Merchandising team performs the marketing activities. Merchandising team is the communication platform between buyer and the factory in to get orders, sample approvals, fabric approvals and production approvals. Costing and order confirmations will be done my merchandising department. Service The goods are dually checked by the Exim Exports QA team and customer QAs to ensure the goods are as per customers requirement. However, in case of any customer compliance after selling the goods Exim Exports always work with the buyer to rectify the problems and will make sure to improve the discrepancies in future. Supporting activities in Exim Exports value chain Infrastructure Functional teams, organisational culture and resource are the main infrastructure that supports the core activities. Financial resource and other in-tangible assets of the company that add value to the product are into infrastructure. Human resource management Human resource handles all the general activities such as recruiting, hiring, training, compensating and dismissal of employees. Human resource department takes responsibility to maintain the whole production plant, machineries and adequate supply for required resource to the company. It also motivates the employees through incentives and other motivational aspects. Technological development The Company enjoys latest machineries and equipments that enable its production process. It invests more in the technological development according to latest advancement to obtain competitive edge. Procurement Purchasing or raw materials such as Yarn and Trims is been handled by an experienced team that could bargain with suppliers and profit the company. The team has good technical skills to save money through technical aspects. It ensures the quality of material is as per requirement. Fig . 2. Value chain analysis 1. Use of lean production in Exim Exports Exim Exports need changes in three major areas to improve its quality of product, timely delivery and to reduce wastages. First of all, at the area of Procurement Exim Exports enjoys an experienced team which is technically strong and has a good bargaining power with their suppliers and it can assure the quality of material that it purchase will be up to mark. However in this competitive economy it is necessary for the company to improve its communication with the production team to enable Pull Production to reduce wastage of time, money and resource. Poor communication between Fabric store and Production department leads to purchasing of fabric before requirement that to be stored as inventories or delay in fabric purchasing according to productions requirement that leads to waiting time delay in production cutting and stitching. According to the above needed changes to add value to the activities. It is necessary to implement lean system into this organisation to gain competitive advantage and sustainability. Mercado (2007) said that Under this highly competitive environment, garment industry has numerous opportunities for improvement through lean principles. To obtain a competitive advantage in this economy it is necessary to improve the quality, timely delivery and cost effective production. This could be achieved by using lean production tools. Empirical evidence shows that after implementing lean production in their organisation the companies identified variety of changes that took place within their organisation such as cultural change, education of workers and suppliers, empowerment of employees, relationship with suppliers, rearranging the manufacturing process and commitment to top level managers said Ferdousi and Ahmed (2009. p 110). 2.1 Value analysis and changes needed in Exim Exports value chain There are some main activities that should be concentrated to improve the performance of Exim Exports. They are, Procurement: Purchasing of yarn and trims, Procurement / Operations: Staking of fabrics and trims and movement of material between every process, Operations: Cutting, Finishing and Packing. Procurement The communication between the procurement team, production department and suppliers are not up to mark that leads to delay in materials or early purchasing of materials that should be stored as inventories. Inventory occupies the space and high inventory leads to wastage of money according to Time Value Money concept. So this is to be eliminated to improve the performance of Exim Export. Procurement / Operations Staking of fabric and trims are no up to mark. It leads to delay in organising materials while production starts. Poor staking also occupies more space and causes shortage of space for future materials. Movement of materials should be improved by reducing non-value adding movements and enhancing better material handling. Non-value adding motions are considered as waste which is to be eliminated. Operations Exim Exports enjoys skilled tailors and experienced supervisors and line managers. It dose have a good production planning team and effective execution. However the workers arent trained for multi tasking that leads to under utilization of employees which is again considered as waste. The supply chain between Cutting, Stitching, Finishing and Packing should be improved to avoid inventories and delays that lead to wastage of time and manpower. Employees should be motivated to improve the efficiency. Better quality management approach is needed. 2.2 Recommendations to eliminate waste in the value chain of Exim Exports According to the above identifications and lecturer overview about the empirical evidence of benefits of lean system in garment manufacturing industry, it is recommended to introduce lean production system in this organisation. In the area of procurement it is essential to implement JIT system to eliminate wastage of time and inventories. 5S model can be implemented in staking materials and movement of materials in between departments. This could lead to reduction of non-value adding movements and increases the efficiency in pulling back materials from stored area. It is also recommended to implement Kanban in the production process (from cutting to packing) that could eliminate under utilization of employees and reduce wastage and delays. Exim Exports could develop Kaizen throughout the process for continuous improvement in all areas i.e. improvement in quality, improvement in efficiency and work flow, improvement in reducing wastage etc Introducing JIT in Procurement to enhance communication between Procurement team, Production and Suppliers Procurement team should not purchase the materials according to their own plan or feasibility. It is recommended to communicate with the production department i.e. cutting and plan to purchase materials according to their requirement. Early purchase lead to raising inventory level and late purchase lead to increase in waiting time. Cutting department will send signals to the procurement about the requirement of raw materials for the future production. So that stores could communicate with the suppliers and purchase the materials according to the current requirement. JIT enables good relationship with the suppliers that create flexibility. Introducing 5S Model in staking areas of Exim Exports to enhance efficiency in the work place 5S stands for Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain. It is the principle of improving safety, efficiency and employee morale by deciding what should be kept, where should be kept and how it should be kept that enables easy flow of materials and reduces bottle necks (Ferdousi and Ahmed, 2009). 5S should be implemented in the stores, cutting, stitching, finishing and packing areas wherever the materials are to be staked. 5S enables smooth flow of materials and it keeps the place neat and tidy. Standardized staking method enables employees to identify the right product on time and it eliminates the delay in searching. Introducing Kanban system of supply chain in Cutting, Stitching, Finishing and Packing departments Kanban system will enable an effective material supply between and within production units. Kanban enables multi tasking, so that a single operator can handle multiple operations. Human resource department will support in training and development of employees to ensure the workers are skilled enough to do multi tasking. Lakshmi (2009) says that Kanban uses a specific work space between operations to balance supply chain with demand. The space holds limited number of completed components in queue for next operation. If the space if full then there is no need to produce more, so that the operator can assist with other operations that may be slow. This resembles the pull production method with some buffers for next operation. It reduces over production wastage and increases employee motivation. Introducing Kaizen as a continuous improvement tool in Exim Exports value chain Kaizen is a continuous improvement tool. That can be used in all primary and supporting activities to maintain the standard and increase competitiveness sustainability. This can achieve by monitoring the progress of the current system and identifying the gap to improve the system. Kaizen deals with customer complaints and feedbacks that could enable continuous improvement in process. 3. Impact of above recommendations on the organisations resources and how above recommendations will ensure increased competitiveness, Long term sustainability and corporate social responsibility The above recommendations enable the company to eliminate wastages such as inventories, under utilization of employees, avoids wastage due to mistakes and uncertainties, delay in production, quality issues etc. These improvements have a direct impact of the companys resources. Inventories comprises of investment, storage cost and obsolescence. Carrying excess inventories may signal a lack of coordination and collaboration among supply chain partners as well as a lack of flexibility and agility to adjust to sudden demand shifts. This can result in increasing uncertainty about future earnings and their growth prospects, thereby negatively affecting the reputation of the firm and its market value (Singhal, 2005). Inman and Mehra (1993) identified that JIT adoption is correlated with the future financial success of the firm. Thus, if JIT adoption is viewed as beneficial capital expenditure, it will result in increased market prices. Kanban increases the flexibility of utilizing operators, reduce wastage due to over production, and reduce absenteeism and increases empowerment of employees thus leads to maximum utilization of companys resources. 5S model reduces the mistakes occur in production process such as wrong fabric cutting, reduces repetitive motion aliments that impacts the resource of the company (Lakshmi, 2009). Kaizen a continuous improvement tool increases the efficiency and reduces wastage that has a direct impact on companys resource. A case study by EPA (2003) indicates that the lean system enables reduction in resource requirement and cost of capital, increases customer responsiveness and improving product quality that boots the overall company profits and competitiveness. According to Yeung and Chan (1999, p.756) Manufactures are nowadays facing intensive global competition, they are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of modern management philosophy in providing with a competitive advantage in a free market system. Lean production and lean tools are the solution for achieving competitive advantage in this market place. The above recommended tools will enable the reduction in resource requirements and cost of capital by improving the utilization of employees, reduction of wastages, reduction of delays and avoiding mistakes that leads to loss of resource. It also ensures customer satisfaction by timely delivery and improved quality. Kaizen ensures the company is achieving competitive advantage against its competitors. Thus improved quality, reduced process cycle time, cut production cost and likely to improve delivery performance lead to customer satisfaction and sustainability. Lean systems have long realized the return from an engaged, well-trained, innovative workforce. By coordinating diverse production stages and management systems into a successful, enthusiastic, corporate culture, the vision and discipline of Lean-embracing executives transfer perfectly in Green transition. Lean provides a two-way channel, from the top down and then back up again, that fast tracks transition and reflects the foundational flow underlying Lean systems. Reduction of wastages enables a company to utilize the natural resources in the right way and making quality products increases the durability of the product which is one of the most important social responsibilities of the company. Corporations should take responsibility in reducing wastages of resources and should manufacture durable products that lead to less manufacturing and less pollution where lean system enables the same. 4. 1. Value stream mapping the framework to identify the types of wastages in both primary and support process Value stream mapping is a framework that could be used by the line-managers to identify the types of wastages in a value chain. The goal of value stream mapping is to identify, demonstrate and decrease the waste (Shingo, n.d). Value chain mapping identifies the non value adding activities in a process and eliminates wastage due to non-value adding activities. It focuses on visual maps the flow of materials and information from the time products come in the back door as a raw material through all manufacturing raw materials. In this frame work, the line-manager could be able to track the process flow and value addition to the product in every activity. Whenever a non value adding activity is identified then it is called as waste. Fig. 4. 1. Value stream mapping to identify the type of wastage Value-adding steps are drawn across the centre of the map and the non-value-adding steps be represented in vertical lines at right angles to the value stream. Thus the activities become easily separated into the value stream which is the focus of one type of attention and the waste steps another type. 4. 2. Identify the danger signals for each waste Upon the value stream mapping there are targets for a particular waste. If the actual figure exceeds the target a danger signal will be created. The danger signals of each waste can be identified by comparing the actual results with the targets. Using time study lead time of each and every process will be calculated and stored as a database. When the production starts the line manager could track the operations using the value stream mapping. Whenever the actual production status goes beyond the target a danger signal will be created. So that the manager could concentrate upon the particular operation where there is a need for improvement. There are lean tools such as Jidoka can be used to identify the danger signal. Whenever the quality turns out of control or wastage exceed the allowance a danger signal will be created that makes aware of the line manager. 4. 3. Framework that assists to respond to the danger signals Response to danger signals should be systematically handled. Once the manager noticed a danger signal, the manager should closely analysis and identifies the cause of wastage. Manager should ask themselves a few questions as a check list to ensure they are taking right decisions. First of all the manager should identify where the problem is? How the problem is been created? What is the impact of the problem in the value chain? Does it make economical sense to take a decision upon it? If the managers get answers for these questions then they could proceed with taking decisions. Then using Kaizen as a framework manager should take an appropriate solution to solve the current issue and ensures the system in running as per scheduled. Continuous improvement strategy should be taken in consideration before taking any decision. While taking decision the manager should consider about the current strategy that the company is pursuing. Conclusion While comparing and contradicting the Exim Exports value chain analysis and lecture review upon the current market situation and benefits of lean production in enhancing performance in the current market place it is recommended to implement Lean system in Exim Exports Value chain. JIT in Procurement enables a communication platform between stores, production and suppliers that lead to smooth flow of materials, without ant bottlenecks. Kanban in cutting, stitching, finishing and packing where an effective supply chain that enables pull production and reduces inventory. It is also recommended to implement 5S in the area of staking materials and kept ready to issue. So Based on the above analysis and discussion it is recommended that implementation of Lean system in Exim Exports Value chain will give overall profit to the organisation.

GM Financial Overview Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

GM Financial Overview Introduction The General Motors Corporation is a multifaceted company but its primary function is the manufacturing of automobiles and light trucks (SIC 3711). The General Motors stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and has approximately 1,426,592,046 outstanding shares on the marketplace, as of 10/14/2001. It is headquartered in Detroit Michigan with offices around the world. General Motors has many other operations besides automobile manufacturing including: General Motors Acceptance Corporation Financial Services, Hughes Electronics Corporation, and the GM Locomotive Group. (Disclosure.com) Financial Statement Analysis Overall, General Motors has had five profitable years with increasing sales during the same period. GM has also paid a fixed dividend to its shareholders over the same period. The one-year, which was below average for GM, was 1998. During this period, GM was restructuring its top management and operations and also incurred a union strike of 54 days. However, GM did return to better performance in 1999 and 2000. GM overall was able to attain a fixed dividend of $2.00 per share and increase the shareholders value over the past five years. The first observation from the financial data in appendix one is that General Motors has a low profit margin and is generally less than the industry average each year. The firm is able to keep a low profit margin because they have such high sales volumes throughout the world. This strategy can be both an asset and liability in business planning. The plus side of the strategy is that GM is able to sell a large number of vehicles in the marketplace due to the lower selling price as compared to the competitor. However, the down side of the strategy is that there is a possibility that if sales volumes decrease, the firm can incur a significant decline in the EPS because the profit margin on each item sold is very low. If the global economy sours, GM can have a very difficult time meeting shareholder expectations. Another observation is that GM looks to use more debt financing that equity financing for funding their activities. The debt to equity ratio has steadily decreased over the past five years and is higher that the industry average. Also, the current and quick ratios are much lower than the industry averages. This again can pose so... .... 1996 edt. (1997) (page 320). Murray Hill, NJ: Dun & Bradstreet. Dun & Bradstreet. Industry Norms and Key Business Ratios. 1995 edt. (1996) (page 327). Murray Hill, NJ: Dun & Bradstreet. General Motors Corp. (2001, October 14). Retrieved on October 20, 2001 from www.disclosure.com. General Motors Corporation 1998 Annual Report. (1998). (pp. 55 – 83). General Motors Corporation 1999 Annual Report. (1999). (pp. 53 - 93). General Motors Corporation 2000 Annual Report. (2000). (pp. 41- 79). Standard & Poor’s. General Motors (GM). (1999) Standard Corporation Descriptions. (pp. 6000 – 6003) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Troy, PhD., Leo. Almanac of Business and Industrial Financial Ratios. 32nd edt. (2001) (page 159) Paramus, NJ: Prentice Hall. Troy, PhD., Leo. Almanac of Business and Industrial Financial Ratios. 31st edt. (2000) (page 159) Paramus, NJ: Prentice Hall. Troy, PhD., Leo. Almanac of Business and Industrial Financial Ratios. 30th edt. (1999) (page 159) Paramus, NJ: Prentice Hall. Troy, PhD., Leo. Almanac of Business and Industrial Financial Ratios. 29th edt. (1998) (page 159) Paramus, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Venice, Italy Essay -- Geography Geographical Papers

Venice, Italy The city of Venice was built on the water; therefore the canals of Venice have always been an important part of the life of Venetians. Venice is a city of 120 small islands with over 400 bridges linking them. The more than 150 canals serve as streets of the city, making it unlike any other city (Kertzer). It is connected to the mainland, which is two and a half miles away by both rail and highway bridge (encyclopedia.com). Venice?s history as well as its state in the present revolves around the water and the canals that serve the city. A Brief History The first settlers to Venice were refuges fleeing the Visigoth and Hun invaders after the fall of Rome (Steves). At this time the islands were uninhibited, muddy, and very small. (Steves) They expanded the tiny islands by creating platforms by shoving pylons into the sea floor and topping them with stone (Simonis). The little streams that the inhabitants kept from silting became the canals that exist today. The first settlers harvested fish and salt, but soon trading began up the river. When Ravenna, the leading trade city, fell the Venetians became the connection between the East and the West. Venice regulated trading between Constantinople (now Istabul), other Italian cities, and northern Africa (Kertzer). These goods included silk, ceramics, and carpets exported from Asia to Europe and iron and wood exported from Europe to Asia (silkroadproject.com). In the sixth century the Lombards attacked and with them came noble families. During this time organization began among the islands with shops, clergy, noble, and a ruler called the Doge. Eventually, all of the island communities decided to merge by building bridges. They also had to shorten the canals and ... ...s, 2001 Kerper, Barrie. "Venice: The Art, Mass Tourism and High Water." Venice. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2002. Rpt. in Venice. Kertzer, David I. "Venice." World Book Encyclopedia. 1993 ed. Vol. 20. 306-308. "The Silk Road: Connecting Cultures, Creating Trust." 36th annual Smithsonain Folklife Festival. Silk Road Project Inc.. 27 Nov. 2003. <http://silkroadproject.org/smithsonian/venice.html>. Simonis, Damien. Venice. Victoria, Australia: Lonely Planet Publications, 2002. Steves, Rick. Venice 2004. Emeryville, CA: Avalon Travel Publishing, 2003. Venice. 2003. Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia . 27 Nov. 2003 <http://www.thehistorychannel.com/perl/print_book.pl?ID=11 8895>. "Venice- History." Columbia Encyclopedia. 6th ed. 2003. 27 Nov. 2003<http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/section/ venice_history.asp>. Venice, Italy Essay -- Geography Geographical Papers Venice, Italy The city of Venice was built on the water; therefore the canals of Venice have always been an important part of the life of Venetians. Venice is a city of 120 small islands with over 400 bridges linking them. The more than 150 canals serve as streets of the city, making it unlike any other city (Kertzer). It is connected to the mainland, which is two and a half miles away by both rail and highway bridge (encyclopedia.com). Venice?s history as well as its state in the present revolves around the water and the canals that serve the city. A Brief History The first settlers to Venice were refuges fleeing the Visigoth and Hun invaders after the fall of Rome (Steves). At this time the islands were uninhibited, muddy, and very small. (Steves) They expanded the tiny islands by creating platforms by shoving pylons into the sea floor and topping them with stone (Simonis). The little streams that the inhabitants kept from silting became the canals that exist today. The first settlers harvested fish and salt, but soon trading began up the river. When Ravenna, the leading trade city, fell the Venetians became the connection between the East and the West. Venice regulated trading between Constantinople (now Istabul), other Italian cities, and northern Africa (Kertzer). These goods included silk, ceramics, and carpets exported from Asia to Europe and iron and wood exported from Europe to Asia (silkroadproject.com). In the sixth century the Lombards attacked and with them came noble families. During this time organization began among the islands with shops, clergy, noble, and a ruler called the Doge. Eventually, all of the island communities decided to merge by building bridges. They also had to shorten the canals and ... ...s, 2001 Kerper, Barrie. "Venice: The Art, Mass Tourism and High Water." Venice. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2002. Rpt. in Venice. Kertzer, David I. "Venice." World Book Encyclopedia. 1993 ed. Vol. 20. 306-308. "The Silk Road: Connecting Cultures, Creating Trust." 36th annual Smithsonain Folklife Festival. Silk Road Project Inc.. 27 Nov. 2003. <http://silkroadproject.org/smithsonian/venice.html>. Simonis, Damien. Venice. Victoria, Australia: Lonely Planet Publications, 2002. Steves, Rick. Venice 2004. Emeryville, CA: Avalon Travel Publishing, 2003. Venice. 2003. Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia . 27 Nov. 2003 <http://www.thehistorychannel.com/perl/print_book.pl?ID=11 8895>. "Venice- History." Columbia Encyclopedia. 6th ed. 2003. 27 Nov. 2003<http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/section/ venice_history.asp>.

Wireless Networks

Chapter 3 Mobile Radio Propagation: Large-Scale Path Loss 1. (a) Explain the advantages and disadvantages of the 2-ray ground reflection model in the analysis of path loss. (b) What insight does the 2-ray model provide about large-scale path loss that was disregarded when cellular systems used very large cells? 2 . In a 2-ray ground reflected model, assume that must be kept below 6. 261 radians for phase cancellation reasons. Assuming a receiver height of 2 m, and given a requirement that be less than 50 , what are the minimum allowable values for the T-R separation distance and the height of the transmitter antenna?The carrier frequency is 900 MHz. 3. In the 2-ray path loss model with ? derive an appropriate expression far the location of the signal nulls at the receiver. 4 . Compare the received power for the exact expressions for the 2-ray ground reflection model. Assume the height of the transmitter is 40 m and the height of the receiver is 3m. The frequency is 1800 MHz, and unit y gain antennas are used. Plot the received. 5. Referring to Figure P3. 3, compute d = d1, the first Fresnel zone distance between transmitter and receiver for a 2-ray ground reflected propagation path, in terms of and X.This is the distance at which path loss begins to transition from d to d behavior. Assume 6 . If the received power at a reference distance d0 = I km is equal to 1 microwatt, find the received powers at distances of 2 km, 5 kin, 10 km, and 20 km from the same transmitter for the following path loss models: (a) Free space; (b) n = 3; (c) n = 4; (d) 2-ray ground reflection using the exact expression; (e) extended Hata model. Assume f=1800 MHz, ht = 40m, hr = 3m, Gt=Gr=0dB. Plot each of these models on the same graph over the range of 1 km to 20km. 7 .Assume the received power at a reference distance d0 = 1 km is equal to 1 microwatt, and f=1800 MHz, ht = 40m, hr = 3m, Gt=Gr=0dB. Compute, compare, and plot the exact 2-ray ground reflection model with the approximate ex pression. At what T-R separations do the models agree and disagree? What are the ramifications of using the approximate expression instead of the exact expression in cellular system design? 8 . A transmitter provides 15W to an antenna having 12 dB gain. The receiver antenna has a gain of 3 dB and the receiver bandwidth is 30 kHz.If the receiver system noise figure is 8 dB and the carrier frequency is 1800 MHz, find the maximum T-R separation that will ensure that a SNR of 20 dB is provided for 95% of the time. Assume n = 4, dB, and d0 = 1 km. 9. Assume a SNR of 25 dB is desired at the receiver. If a 900 MHz cellular transmitter has an EIRP of 100 W, and the AMPS receiver uses a 0 dB gain antenna and has a 10 dB noise figure, find the percentage of time that the desired SNR is achieved at a distance of 10 km from the transmitter. Assume n=4, dB, and d0 = 1 km.

High School District Essay

Declining high school dropout rates continue to reflect on the American educational system. Dropout rate for high school students refer to the number of individuals within the high school age range, between 16 to 24 years of age, who have not enrolled in school, obtained a high school diploma, or achieved equivalency documentation when compared to the general population for this age range. National statistical data indicates that the dropout rate decreased by 6 percent from 15 percent in 1972 to 9 percent in 2006. A similar decrease by 2 percent from 11 percent in 2000 to 9 percent in 2006 also occurred. (National Center for Education Statistics, 2008) There are differing interpretations of the implications of these statistics particularly on developments in the educational system. Some consider this a positive reflection on the educational system while others recognize this as the persistence of the problems. Regardless of the perspective, the relative dropout rate points to improvements in the number of people not enrolling or completing high school as well as an area for further improvement. Dropping out from high school has adverse consequences to individuals and the broader community. On the part of individuals, majority of those who have dropped out of high school were unable to find jobs or engage in odd jobs (Stanard, 2003). Even if employed, there are limited opportunities for career advancement. Income would also likely remain low. (Campbell, 2004) This affects long-term financial security. On the part of communities, the dropout rate means more people likely to become dependent on the social welfare program of the government. This also translates into greater risk of involvement in alcoholism and drug use likely to co-occur with criminal activity. (Martin, Tobin & Sugai, 2002) Even with a decreased dropout rate, it is important to continue addressing this issue by getting at the root of the problem. While the dropout rate has declined, there is no change in the dropout rates when considering all races. The racial gap over the dropout rate remained the same. (Heckman & LaFontaine, 2007; National Center for Education Statistics, 2008) In comparing the dropout rate among Caucasians and Hispanics, the difference or gap in drop out rate is 20 percent in 1980 and 19 percent in 2000. Two reasons account for the nil change in the racial gap over the dropout rate between Caucasians and Hispanics. One is the census bias with Hispanic immigrants who have not graduated from high school included in the statistical data (Christle, Jolivette & Nelson, 2007). This gives rise to the issue of the evaluation of statistical measures and variables in determining dropout rates. The rise in Hispanic immigrants kept a high dropout rate for Hispanics even if the national dropout rate has declined. Another is school related factors that cause the racial disparity in dropout rate at the states and district levels (Orfield et al. , 2004). This means that there are race related school factors at the local level that contribute to the persistence of a huge gap between the dropout rates of Caucasians and Hispanics. One factor is the extent of inclusion or seclusion of minority students in various high schools of different districts (Heckman & LaFontaine, 2007). Another factor is the lower socio-economic status or higher poverty rates of minority high school students in various school districts leading to higher dropout rates (Orfield et al. , 2004). There are differences in the causes of dropout rates at the state or district level because of variances in the existing determining factors and the impact of these factors on racial disparity in dropout rates. State or district level studies are important in identifying and understanding the root cause of the racial gap in dropout rates. In the state of California, there is a concentration of dropout rates in certain schools. There are 2,462 high schools in the state but 100 of these high schools contribute 40 percent of students dropping out from high school. Of this number, 25 high schools account for 21 percent of the dropout rate. The mean rate of high school drop outs in the state is 3. 5 percent and most of the high schools in California report a dropout rate that is lower or equal to the average. Of the total number of schools in California, 76 schools have a more than 50 percent dropout rate. However, there are 662 high schools in the state without any dropouts. This zero dropout rate in these high schools is due largely to the non-traditional schools. In the different high schools, the dropout rate relative to race varies. (â€Å"One hundred,† 2008) Even at the state level, there are disparities in the dropout rate per school when considered relative to the varying racial composition of the school and other closely related school factors. As such, understanding the disparities in dropout rates relative to race requires study at the specific district level. The largest high school district in California is Kern County High School District. The district covers 22 educational institutions serving at least 37,000 students and employing 3,500 educational workers. The school district ranks as the 17th in terms of the highest number of dropouts, with 1st as highest. A large number of the population in this school district is Hispanic comprising 68 percent, followed by Caucasian making up 44 percent. More than one-quarter of the population are living beyond the poverty line. (Orfield et al. , 2004) The racial composition of this school district provides an insightful locale in studying why there is disparity in the dropout rate between Caucasians and Hispanics. This district comprise a good venue in testing the applicability of different perspectives on the reasons for the racial gap for high school dropouts and the identification of other reasons for the differences in the dropout rates specifically between Caucasians and Hispanics. References Campbell, L. (2003–2004). As strong as the weakest link: Urban high school dropout. High School Journal, 87(2), 16–25. Christle, C. A. , Jolivette, K. , & Nelson, M. C. (2007). School characteristics related to high school dropout rates. Remedial and Special Education, 28(6), 325-339. Heckman, J. J. , LaFontaine, P. A. (2007). The American high school graduation rate: Trends and levels. IZA Discussion Paper No. 3216. Bonn, Germany: The Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). Martin, E. , Tobin, T. J. , & Sugai, G. M. (2002). Current information on dropout prevention: Ideas from practitioners and the literature. Preventing School Failure, 47(1), 10–18. National Center for Education Statistics. (2008). The condition of education 2008. Department of Education. Retrieved April 12, 2009, from http://nces. ed. gov/FastFacts/display. asp? id=16. One hundred California high schools account for more than 40 percent of the state’s dropouts. (2008, February 21). Reuters. Retrieved April 12, 2009, from http://www. reuters. com/article/pressRelease/idUS82976+21-Feb-2008+BW20080221. Orfield, G. , Losen, D. , Wald, J. , & Swanson, C. B. (2004). How minority youth are being left behind by the graduation rate crisis. Cambridge, MA: The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University. Stanard, R. P. (2003). High school graduation rates in the United States: Implications for the counseling profession. Journal of Counseling and Development, 81, 217–222.

Out of Shadows Themes

Change and racism evidently aids the characterization and the development of the text because these significant themes help the portrayal of the characters as they are relatable In society. The text being explored Is â€Å"out of the Shadows† by Jason Wallace. Change reoccurs throughout the text which helps to develop Roberts character. Similarly, the major connotation of racism also engages readers to relate to the changes of Roberts and Van's character. Change is evident in the development of Roberts character as he experiences his journey with Ivan and his friends.At the beginning of the text, Out of the Shadows by Jason Wallace, Robert has an awkward confrontation with his ex-friend Nelson when he was with Ivan. Knowing how Ivan would react, Robert harshly told Nelson to leave him alone and not to mind his business. This is demonstrated in the quote, â€Å"l don't know why I felt surprised, wasn't that what I'd been after? † The use of the soliloquy creates an impre ssion that Robert is realizing he is changing into to someone he isn't. He Is questioning why he was having doubts as that was what he had wanted to achieve In the first place.This obscurity in how Robert feels about becoming a new self helps the Idea that change Is a recurring theme throughout the text. In another scenario, Robert Is responding to his dad why he has not been playing or hanging around with Nelson anymore. In this quote, â€Å"He's not really a friend anymore. † Robert replied with a tone that seemed he was trying to tell himself how he ‘felt' instead of his father. The doubt he is experiencing emphasizes he is trying to turn over a new leaf in order to fit in, and hence Robert deals with change throughout the text.Another significant theme recurring through the text is racism. This is shown in the quote, â€Å"He's using his color to his advantage†. The metaphor used suggests that the author is putting out the fact that racism was still a major i ssue in those times and needed to be viewed differently. Ivan is disgusted by Nelson, who he says is using is color to his advantage because blacks in those time were viewed as the unfortunate. The harsh meaning behind this racist comment, gives people an urge to change and make a difference In racial equality.Van's character persists to tell the readers he does not appreciate the ‘blacks' and always finding a reason to hate on them. This is shown in the line † No, special. He's black. † The italics used for the word, ‘special' emphasizes racial equality is not evident in this text. The composers use of a metaphor shows the scorn and harsh personality of Ivan and thus engages the audience in the relevant issues of society. In conclusion, change and racism are significant themes in the text which are sadly still relevant now in our society.The change in Roberts character gives the reader's a personal insight on how these relevant ideas involving post-colonial Zanzibar, affect people negatively. It is responsible for the portrayal of all the characters in ‘Out of Shadows'. Out of Shadows Essay – Themes By Gregariousness relatable in society. The text being explored is â€Å"out of the Shadows† by Jason Lorene with Ivan and his friends. At the beginning of the text, Out of the Shadows by lasso Wallace, Robert has an awkward confrontation with his ex-friend Nelson when isn't.He is questioning why he was having doubts as that was what he had wanted to achieve in the first place. This obscurity in how Robert feels about becoming a new self helps the idea that change is a recurring theme throughout the text. In another scenario, Robert is responding to his dad why he has not been playing or hanging change and make a difference in racial equality. Van's character persists to tell the word, ‘special' emphasizes racial equality is not evident in this text. The composer's

Midterm Exam Essay

The Midterm Exam questions come from Modules 1-4. You should plan to take 2 hours to complete the exam. The exam is essay. Each answer is worth 20 points for a total of 100 points. Type your responses in this document and submit to the Dropbox by Sunday 11:59 PM EST/EDT. (This Dropbox basket is linked to Turnitin.) To see how your responses will be graded, review the â€Å"Midterm and Final Exam Grading Rubric† in Doc Sharing. 1. A re-organization will require that some employees are provided severance packages while other reassigned. What interpersonal managerial roles developed by Mintzberg will a manager confronted with this employ? Explain. The interpersonal managerial roles that will confront a manager are figurehead, leader and liaison. The manager will be confronted by the figurehead role because he is the person that is in charge, that is representing the organization in these decisions. He will also be confronted by the liaison role because he will be interacting with his peers during and possibly after these decisions are made. Lastly he will be confronted with the leader role because he is the leader of his employees and will be required to gather the information and ultimately make the decisions. 2. A manager has decided to use the Hawthorne Studies to improve productivity in an office. How would she accomplish this? Would the results be short- or long-term? Explain. Hawthorne studies dealt with group and individual behavior in the workplace. I think that a manager can accomplish more productivity in the workplace by making job satisfaction a priority. If someone is satisfied in their job then they are more likely to be productive. A manager can make the job more satisfying by making work challenging and interesting. Simple stuff such as introducing the latest software for office tasks or having an employee challenge of who can make the most sales in a week etc. can all help. A manager can also provide a reward system for employees that do well at work. Another thing a manager can do is create a supportive work environment for employees where they can ask for help or raise concerns without fear or prejudice. I think that all these factors will raise job satisfaction and as a result reduce the turnover rate, absenteeism and create a more productive workplace. These results would be long term because old employees would stay in the job longer and n ew employees would appreciate the work environment. 3. Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman argued that, â€Å"there is one and only one social responsibility of business—use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game† (Friedman, 1962, p. 133). Do you agree with Friedman? Explain. I do not agree with Friedman. Friedman was campaigning for a capitalist society where capitalism was not wrong as long as â€Å"it stays within the rules†. For a long while this idea worked and was the American way. However this is the same idea that caused the financial meltdown. The rules Friedman was referring to was an unregulated market were profit was the driving force, profit at any cost. Loans were made and taken with no common sense, ethics or regulations. Responsibility and accountability went out the window and the economy crashed. There has to be some ethics and social responsibility involved for businesses. Businesses based in America should have a social responsibility to create a particular amount of jobs and not only take advantage of China’s cheap labor to increase profit margins. Companies can profit from things like innovation, ideas, excellence not only unethical behavior. These â€Å"rules† need to be revised for our country’s future. A capitalist society that lacks rules, regulations, ethics and social responsibility has already been proven to have only short term success. We need to also think about the future. 4. Please evaluate this scenario by detailing what the manager would do for each step in the decision-making process. i) Two employees are blaming each other for a project they collaborated on which failed. ii) The department’s last three hirers all quit within six months. The decision making process entails the identification of a problem, identification of decision criteria, allocation of weights to criteria, development of alternatives, analysis of alternatives, selection of an alternative, implementation of the alternative evaluation of decision effectiveness. i) The first step in problem 1 would require the manager to find out why the project failed then maybe he can identify who if anyone was at fault. The second step would be to figure out the criteria that are relevant to their decisions such as whether enough research was done, was the planning done poorly etc. The third step would be to rate or put a weight to each factor found in step two as to their importance in the final decision e.g. not enough research 5, poor planning 4. The fourth step is to list the alternatives that could succeed in resolving the problem, like 1st alternative termination, second alternative training course, third etc. The fifth step would be to analyze each alternative in step four weighing up the pros and cons of each potential alternative like would termination be a benefit or liability to the company. The sixth step is choosing the best alternative after they have each been evaluated. The seventh step in the implementation of each decision, this is where the decision would be conveyed to the two employees. The eighth and final step is an evaluation to see whether if implementation of the decision took care of the problem, e.g. would projects be successful in the future. ii) The first step would be to indentify why the workers all quit within that particular time frame. The second step would be figure out a decision criteria, e.g. need for more staff, need a new office building etc. The third step would be to allocate weight to each of the criteria’s in step two e.g. five be the highest and one be the lowest, need for more staff rated at 5 would have the better weight than a new office building rated at a three. The fourth step would be to list all the alternatives better work environment, incentives etc. The fifth step would be to analyze every alternative. The sixth step would be to choose the best alternative. Step seven would be the implementation of the alternative and step eight would be an evaluation of if the alternative fixed the problem. 5. Competition with China has eviscerated many American industries, how can women’s clothing companies compete? Car companies? Please use Michael Porter competitive advantage categories: cost leadership strategy, differentiation strategy, and niche in your answer. Explain. I believe that American car companies can compete by implementing all three competitive strategies. American car companies can utilize a cost leadership strategy, a differentiation strategy and also a focus strategy. I think that American companies can utilize the cost leadership strategy by reducing overhead expenses and translating some of those savings into the final price of the cars. Another portion of those savings can be used towards innovation or inventing something that gives American companies an advantage such as a more powerful engine, better handling etc. One of the things that really shocked me during the financial collapse was how much the CEO and board members of these car companies were making. American car companies can also use a differentiation strategy to become competitive. American car companies can utilize every sub category under differentiation strategy such as innovation, better customer service at its dealerships, innovative designs, technological capabilities etc. A differentiation strategy coupled with a cost leadership strategy would make American car companies competitive. The last competitive strategy is a focus strategy. This is where these car companies focus on one segment. A segment can be a geographical location, customer type etc. I think a focus strategy can help these companies market their cars to specific demographics, different financial classes, different countries etc. With a differentiation implementation of maybe new innovation or technology and better customer service at their dealerships along with focus strategies then maybe American car companies can change the way that people perceive them and become more competitive in the car industry. I think that all American companies can utilize the three different competitive strategies. One of these strategies would impact more than another depending on different factors such as the type of company, the size, location etc. Women’s clothing can also benefit. To me it would depend on the size of the women clothing company. If it were something that’s available only within the United States then I would focus less on a focus strategy as women’s clothing is already focused towards women. A cost leadership strategy can always be helpful to become competitive by reducing overheads etc. A differentiation strategy can also be implemented but again I think that this will depend on the size of the clothing company and it’s goals.