Software project management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Software project management - Assignment Example you that the productivity of game developers varies widely, from 5-25 lines of code (LOC) of per day (fully tested), and this is the same productivity range achieved for the other game. a. Provide an estimated range in LOC (e.g.,  x - y LOC)  for the software size of the game to be developed. Show your work. To help you calculate the available capacity of a programmer in a calendar year, the Human Resources Department has told you to assume 52 weeks x 5 working days per week, minus the following unavailable days based on the yearly history for the average programmer in the company: 3. The following table is a very rough plan consisting of a list of activities, immediate predecessors, duration estimates, and resources required (one network engineer (NE) or one user interface architect (UI)) for a project to develop a network administration dashboard. There is only one network engineer and only one user interface architect available for the duration of the project. 5. say in chapter 14 about "the 10 percent solution to project estimates", "life-cycle costing", and "logistics support" (what we have called MOOS-Maintenance and Ongoing Operations Support).  In your own words, how would the ideas from Kerzner: In the aspect of the logistic support and life cycle costing, the projects estimates should taken properly to eliminate any sort of deficit be it on the short term as well as long term project phase

The World of the Text of Ezekiel Creates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The World of the Text of Ezekiel Creates - Essay Example ve to pay particular heed to all the essentialities while interpreting the Biblical text.2 The present study aims to make interpretation of the Book of Ezekiel by allocating special consideration to chapters 37 and 38. The above-stated chapters of the Book of Ezekiel tend to make prophecies about the future events to be taken place in the collective life of the House of Jacob.3 Chapter 37 begins with Ezekiel’s describing the Hand of the Lord4 taking him to some valley full of dead and dry bones everywhere. The Hand of the Lord signifies the powers of Almighty God; the same has also been mentioned in many places in the Bible, as the Lord has stated: â€Å"For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being," declares the LORD. "But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.5 In both of the above verses, the Hand of God represents the supreme omnipotence of the Lord. It is partly because of the very fact that hands signify the labor or toil made by almost all living creatures to achieve something constructive as well as for the fulfillment of one’s needs and desires. As a result, the description of the Hand of God reflects the acts performed by God by applying His countless powers. The verses of chapter 37 of the Book of Ezekiel further narrates that the Lord enquired from Ezekiel whether the dead bones could become full of life again after death; where Ezekiel maintained that only the Lord is all-Knowing, while he did not have enough knowledge about various things including reincarnation.7 At this, Ezekiel found the Lord addressing to the dry bones of the dead people, where He maintained that He would infuse life into the sinews and bones of the dead people.8 The verse mirrors the supremacy and authority attributed to the Creator of heavens and the earth, Who once had created the entire universe9, and countless creatures as well as all humans out of the absolute chaos.10 It is

Eadership style and skills using relevant theories and examples Essay

Eadership style and skills using relevant theories and examples - Essay Example This essay discusses that along with the emergence of the new global economy, the need for effective management and leadership has become all the more important and crucial. Global business organizations have increasingly realized the need for effective leadership and its capacities to leverage the collective knowledge in the organization and which consequently depends largely on the quality and effectiveness of the leaders. Known for its ability to influence the minds of people and directing their activities and actions towards a required desired direction, leaders have emerged as one of the most crucial components in the management of organizations. In fact the future and fate of organizations significantly depends on the presence of leaders. Some of the most famous multinational organizations in the world, such as Microsoft and General Electric has successfully attained fast pace of growth because of the initiative and efforts taken by their leaders. Extensive researches have been conducted to identify the traits of leaders. It is seen that leadership traits or styles can vary significantly between individuals and this greatly depends on the personality that he is born with or the situations under which he emerges as the leaders. However, certain theorists are of the opinion that leaders are not made, they are born with leadership qualities. Thus it is important to make a thorough understanding of the leadership style that an individual should adopt depending on his character, personality, traits or the situation in which he adopts leadership styles. In the context of a large organization, it must understand which style of leadership would be suitable for it to take it towards success and growth (Gitlow, 2004, p.1-2). This project seeks to make an analysis of one’s leadership style and skills using relevant theories and examples. The views of researchers and authors are provided to make a critical analysis of the subject. Following with the identifica tion of the style of leadership suggestions are made with regards to the ways in which it can be enhanced in order to find usage in different situations (Okafor, 2009, p.81). Analysis of own leadership skills using leadership theories Leadership theories primarily focus on the differences in attributes between the leaders and the followers. However, recently there has been a shift in emphasis in this regard and subsequent theories have emerged which considers variables like situational factors, skill levels etc. Trait theory of leadership The trait theory of leadership provides a list of qualities or traits which are associated with leadership. The theory identifies some of the key characteristics which are associated with the great and successful leaders. The general belief was that people having such key characteristics would make great leaders and so therefore they were recruited for the leadership positions in the organization (Bolden, Gosling, Marturano & Dennison, 2003, p.6). However, the trait theory is not free from criticisms. After the identification of the traits several researches were conducted, however, the subsequent researches revealed that no such consistent traits could be identified. Although certain traits were found in many of the studies, most of the research results remained inconclusive. Researchers have claimed that although certain traits have been identified as being typical of the leaders, their mere absence does not necessarily mean that these people would not make good leaders (Bolden, Gosling,

Causes of Epidemic Diseases

Causes of Epidemic Diseases Throughout the history of mankind there have been many diseases that have spread quickly becoming an epidemic, a lot of these diseases are preventable if only individuals had access to important information pertaining to the spread of the disease. There are many ways to prevent the spread of these diseases and there are many different types of disease with multiple symptoms. According to Medicine.net, an epidemic is the occurrence of more cases of a disease than would be expected in a community or region during a given time period, a sudden severe outbreak of a disease such as SARS. Also epidemic diseases are the classification of a disease that occur as a new case in human population through spreading quickly and extensively by infection, so these kinds of diseases affect many individuals in an area at the same time. Generally epidemic diseases appear and high rate in crowed population, where health conditions are bad and medicinal services can not provided such as in underdeveloped countries, particularly in Africa. There are some famous examples for epidemic diseases, such as the Black Death during the Medieval Europe and the Great Influenza Pandemic that occurred by the end of First World War. But today, AIDS and Bird Flu are two dangerous epidemic diseases, and lets not forget Ebola Hemorrhagic, West Nile, Mad cow, small pox and H1N1 swine flu. These diseases have been a global problem which has threatened all individuals in the world. AIDS has become a pandemic and has killed millions young and old. According to Burke Weill, AIDS is a disease that attacks the immune system leading to susceptibility to opportunistic infection and eventually death. AIDS is a great example of a disease which became an epidemic and eventually a pandemic. Additionally, epidemic diseases have occurred as a result of three important factors, which are agent, host, and environment. That is, agents are the cause of epidemic diseases and host increase the effects of diseases and environmental situations permit host e xposure to the agent. â€Å"The year 1918 embodied one of the greatest epidemics in the history of mankind. By years end, 50 million innocent lives would be taken by a virus, including over 600,000 in the United States alone (Simonsen, 1997). The virus was influenza and it spanned the entire globe in 1918. It is known as the worst influenza epidemic ever. The virus caused sickness, death, and grief to every part of the world. One of the most shocking aspects of the 1918 influenza virus was how quickly and easily it spread. One person infected with the virus could spread it to hundreds by simply coughing. What made matters and the spread of the virus worse was World War I (CDC). During the Great War, influenza afflicted military personnel from the United States were shipped all over the North America, Europe, and other various continents spreading the disease. Therefore, this paper will argue that the United States military was a major contributing factor to the spread of the Influenza virus in 1918.† Before the emergence of SARS-CoV, no efforts were put into the search for antiviral drugs against corona viruses. The rapid transmission and high mortality rate made SARS a global threat for which no efficacious therapy was available and empirical strategies had to be used to treat the patients. According to wikipedia.org, new insights into the field of the SARS-CoV genome structure and pathogenesis revealed novel potential anti-corona virus targets. Several proteins encoded by the SARS-CoV could be considered as targets for therapeutic intervention: the spike protein, the main protease, the NTPase/helicase, the RNA dependent RNA polymerase and different other viral protein-mediated processes. Potential anti-SARS-CoV drugs are currently being developed in vivo. The development of effective drugs against SARS-CoV may also provide new strategies for the prevention or treatment of other corona virus diseases in animals or humans. Passive immunization has been successful in establishing protection from SARS-CoV suggesting an important role for neutralizing antibodies. One important property of future vaccine candidates is the ability to give protection against multiple variant strains of SARS-CoV, especially in senescent populations that are most at risk for severe disease. SARS may be suspected in a patient who has: any of the symptoms, including a fever of 38  °C (100.4  °F) or higher, and either a history of: contact (sexual or casual) with someone with a diagnosis of SARS within the last 10 days or travel to any of the regions identified by the who as areas with recent local transmission of SARS (affected regions as of 10 May 2003 were parts of China, Hong Kong, Singapore and the province of Ontario, Canada) (Smith, 2006). Mad cow disease is a progressive neurological disorder of cattle that results from infection. Mad cow disease† is a fatal and communicable brain disease of cows that has a very long incubation period. Decades after infection, the brains of infected cattle develop numerous small cavities as nerve cells die. The holes produce a marked spongy appearance that gives the disease its scientific name, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) (txtwriter.com). Central nervous system function is progressively degraded, until death eventually occurs. Many people have got this disease and died. In addition, mad cow disease is caused by consumption of infected meat. Unfortunately there is no cure for mad cow disease. The origin of smallpox is uncertain, but it is believed to have originated in Africa and then spread to India and China thousands of years ago. The first recorded smallpox epidemic was in 1350 BC during the Egyptian-Hittite war. Epidemics occurred in the North American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries. Millions of people died in Europe and Mexico as a result of widespread smallpox epidemics. The vaccine that was created for small pox is called dryvax. Smallpox is caused by the variola virus, which is spread through close contact with a person who has symptoms of the disease. A person with smallpox has infected saliva, and face-to-face contact can spread the virus. The virus could also be spread through other body fluids and contaminated clothing or bed linen. Smallpox is highly contagious, and people who have it are most infectious during the first week of illness (Meadows, 2003). The symptoms of small pox are as follows; high fever, fatigue, headaches, backaches, and vomiting; in addition, a rash on the face, arms, legs and other areas of the body. The rash turns into raised bumps that become pus-filled blisters (Meadows, 2003). Scabs develop and usually fall off three to four weeks later. There is no proven treatment that exists for smallpox. However, people with smallpox are given intravenous fluids and medicine to control fever and pain, and antibiotics are given to prevent or treat possible bacterial infections. Two treatments for smallpox–Vaccinia Immune Globulin (VIG) and cidofovir–are being studied and could be given under investigational new drug protocols (Meadows, 2003). Swine Flu symptoms are; cough sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting. The vaccine for swine flu is called the H1N1 vaccine. However, the treatment for swine flu is a medication called tamiflu and relenza. The dose for this medication is seventy-five milligrams twice a day for five day, which is for someone that has been diagnosed with swine flu. On the other hand, a person that was exposed to it would tale tamiflu seventy-five milligrams once a day for ten days. There have been many diseases throughout history that have become an epidemic and a lot of these diseases are preventable. The epidemic diseases have occurred as a result of three important factors, which are agent, host, and environment. In addition, the influenza virus of 1918 is known as the worst influenza epidemic ever killing 50 million people and it spread from the United States to parts of North America, Europe, and other various continents. SARS-CoV has a rapid transmission and high mortality rate. This in turn, made SARS a global threat for which no efficacious therapy was available. Before its emergence, no efforts were put into the search for antiviral drugs against corona viruses. Now Passive immunization has been successful in establishing protection from SARS-CoV. There is not a cure for small pox and other epidemic diseases. The medical community treats the diseases the best they can and the best way to combat diseases is to prevent the disease from spreading. References  ·Seasonal Influenza: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=3273 disease/us_flu-related_deaths.htm Simonsen L et al. The impact of influenza epidemics on mortality: introducing a severity index. Am J Public Health. 1997; 87(12):1944-1950. Severe acute respiratory syndrome: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severe_acute_respiratory_syndrome#Research http://txtwriter.com/Onscience/Articles/europemadcow1.html Meadows, Michelle. 2003. An Update on Smallpox.Retrieved from: http://www.mamashealth.com/infect/smallpox.asp Smith, R. D. (2006). Responding to global infectious disease outbreaks: Lessons from SARS on the role of risk perception, communication and management. Journal of Social Science and Medicine, 63, 3113-3123

Organized Crime Essay -- Criminals Mafia Essays Papers

Organized Crime Organized crime has always been occupied with a negative label. Perhaps this is due to the constantly changing environment in America as well as the social state of its homeland, Europe. Our society is convinced that the so-called Mafia is a family of pure criminals, pimps, and murderers. Whatever the opinion, there is no doubt that the Mafia played a big part in the history of America and the way Americans view crime today. "The origins of the secret society known as the Mafia are believed to be as old as the 9th century" (Mafia History). During the 9th century, the Mafia's main purpose was to strengthen themselves against enemies, which invaded their homeland in Sicily. It was supposed to create a strong feeling of togetherness between all Sicilians. "This idea of family was carried through in the structure of the organization, which had a strong hierarchical layout" (Mafia History). The Mafia is said by many to have perhaps the best system of power, than any other group or governm ent known today. One can compare a physical representation of the family almost to a family tree dated all the way back through many generations. Certain people operated the system, but without the help of the people with the less power, the Mafia would be very weak. To put it another way, a leader cannot lead without followers, and the followers cannot follow without leaders. This is why the Mafia was hard to overcome. Although when many think of the location of the Mafia, Chicago and New York often come to mind, but actually the Mafia has been traced back through 26 major cites in America. Within every city were many Mafia families each with it?s own government. "At the head of each family stood the Dons or Bosses. Next in line to the Dons was the Underbosses, who were second in command. Followed by the Consigliere or counselors. And last were the men who did the dirty work for the Mob, the Soldiers. The Soldiers were the one?s who would enforce discipline over both members and no n-members through the use of intimidation, assaults, and murder" (Living Large 3). All the members of the society were expected to go through a ceremony that often was compared to the baptism ceremony. "The induction ceremony is the most important day of a mobster?s life, the day that they become full members of La Cosa Nostra" (Mafia Life). "The ceremony for the newcomers was som... ...sition of the Mob, and the Mafia is known for making comebacks in a hurry. For example, the highpoint of the Mafia was said to be in the 1920?s, and slowly it decreased until the end of World War II when organized crime came back with much stronger than when the war started. This shows a good understanding of what the Mafia is capable of doing in short periods of time. The men who have tried to get rid of the Mafia time in and time out have made some progress. "Responsible groups of Americans have, at times, waged campaigns in the media to obliterate any assumption that crime is dominated by people of Italian descent, claiming that existence of an American Mafia had not been fully established" (Mafia Image). The opinions will differ in that sense. Some say that the Mafia is a vast organization that continues to grow in power, while others say that if the mafia still exists to this day, the old ways of organized crime will never be the same as it has been in this century. The desi re, need, brutality, wisdom, and style of what we know as the Mafia only exists in books and movies. No matter the opinion, the Mafia still claims the place in American History if it still exists or not.

New horizons in standardized work techniques for manufacturing and business process improvement Essay

This document analysis different business improvements techniques stating the benefits and limitations of the improvement techniques and going further to reviewing and reflect on the social, commercial and economical factors that affect these business improvement techniques. Investigation on the engineering and manufacturing processes and systems by explaining in details one type of the system known as the lean or Sigma manufacturing system in depth is critically evaluated based on benefits to business: productivity, quality and cost. In today’s very competitive market environment, there is a dire need for enterprises to ensure continual improvement in all their operations. Manufacturing companies always continue to face increasing pressure to improve the quality of their products, to increase productivity and to reduce costs with the available scarce resources. Service firms need to reduce their response time so as to eliminate errors and ensure customer satisfaction. Deployment of suitable techniques to ensure continued improvement thus proves to be a necessity. Through these techniques process capability need to be enhanced which will do away with any kind of defects? Mechanical Engineering is a field of engineering that deals with the application of engineering principles, physics and material science to analysis, designing , in manufacturing and in mechanical systems. Manufacturing Engineering on the other hand is still field of engineering that deals with various manufacturing processes and practices, research and development of the manufacturing systems, machines, equipment and tools and outline of the manufacturing processes being a core part and parcel of this field. BITs (Business Improvement Techniques)                  Business improvement techniques or process improvements also known as business process reengineering entails improving the quality, productivity and the response time of a business process by doing away with activities that add no value and also doing away with unnecessary business costs. An improvement technique(s) thus brings about overall effectiveness in the business operations and processes through optimization of the organization`s underlying processes and activities so as to achieve more and more efficient results. Business Improvement Techniques are very important and beneficial for the different types and sizes of companies in each and every sector so as to remain competitive and relevant in today’s challenging business environment. Implementation of Business Improvement Techniques usually requires a dynamic culture change throughout the whole organization. The organizations that have been in a position to successfully implement a philosophy of continuous improvement over the time have had benefits of reduced costs of operations reduced inventory costs, increased sales and profitability, improved team work and better customer service level and thus leading to customer satisfaction. These Business Improvement Techniques can apply to the organization as a whole in any particular sector of the economy starting from service providers, to government departments to the health care sector then to construction, agriculture and also from manufacturing. The techniques are also very pivotal in the development of a vision, goals, objectives and a strategy towards yielding extraordinary gains in the business. Through these Techniques proper mapping and identification of key processes is done and the information is systems are designed to ensure that information flows within the whole organization in the right order and manner. Another benefit of these techniques is that through them defective points are noted or identified and areas or points of â€Å"waste† are also identified. Recommendations in terms of ways and methods of introducing business those which will eliminate waste and provide bottom line benefits to the business are formulated. Despite the fact that Business Improvement Techniques have numerous bottom line benefits the techniques still have some limitations. The process of Business Improvement Technique is quite engaging and tiresome it surely requires diligence, dedication and concentrated efforts for it to bear fruits or yield the expected results. The process is also usually costly to implement despite having very many benefits it requires resources in terms of skilled and experienced manpower, hiring of experts and also machinery, tools and equipments especially for a manufacturing organization so as to effect the recommended changes. Thorough and detailed analysis of any available information and gathering of data may in a way strain the organization. In-depth training of workers and staff, regular monitoring and evaluation thorough planning, scheduling and organizing are also highly inevitable if the improvement technique is to succeed. It also takes time for the benefits of implementing the improvement technique to be realized at times even years after the start of the implementation process. Resistance to changes by some people in the organization is also an expected limitation in an endeavor to improve the business, some factions in the organization may feel threatened and insecure with the changes brought about by the techniques in terms of changes to processes and systems in the organization. At times workers and even some customers tend to oppose changes to the existing processes and systems. Difficulties can also be experienced before the new established or streamlined processes and systems can become ful ly operational and functional. The Sigma Six                  Sigma Six is a powerful management philosophy business improvement technique developed by Motorola that champions setting of very high objectives, collection of data and its analysis to give out results to a really high degree so as to reduce defects in the products and services offered by the organization. The word â€Å"Sigma† originates from a Greek letter sigma which is usually used to denote variation from a certain set standard. The Six Sigma philosophy is based on the fact that if you take consideration of the many number of defects through measuring there is in a process then it becomes easier to figure out how to eliminate the defects systematically and get near to perfection as much as possible. For Six sigma to be achieved by any organization or company it cannot be producing more than 3.4 defects per one million opportunities in which case an opportunity is taken to mean a chance for nonconformance. Sigma Six has six processes namely Six Sigma DMAIC and Six Sigma DMADV, each term deduced from the major steps in the process. Six Sigma DMAIC is a process that deals with defining, measuring, analyzing, improving, and controlling of existing processes that fall below the Six Sigma standard or specification. Six Sigma DMADV deals with defining, measuring and analyzing designs and also verification of new processes and even products that are striving to achieve the Six Sigma quality. All Six Sigma processes are implemented by Six Sigma Green Belts or Six Sigma Black Belts, which are then overseen by a Six Sigma Master Black Belts. Six Sigma proponents argue that it has mega benefits to the company. These benefits include an up to 50% process cost decrease, cycle-time improvement, a less waste of materials and company`s resources, a better understanding of customer needs and requirements, multiplied customer satisfaction, and also more reliable products and services that can be trusted . Six Sigma can be a really costly improvement technique to implement and can even take several years before the company begins to see its benefits or bottom-line results. Some of the Companies that have practiced and still practice Six Sigma are, General Electric, Texas Instruments, Scientific-Atlanta, Allied Signal and many others. Cases showing application of Six Sigma Technique in the Industry                  The samples below shows some Six Sigma projects evidencing the improvements and changes to processes and systems that were ongoing some of which were very problematic and people would wonder whether those problems could have actually been saved at all at all. It is the Six Sigma technique or approach that leads to these companies identifying their problems and thus be in a position to seek solutions to them many of these projects that were tackled by Six Sigma teams would not have been tackled or addressed at all. Some of these sample cases are: Sample Case 1: CANCEL THAT NEW PLANT                  The case involved a highly successful new pain-killer drug, a pharmaceutical company launched plans to set up a $200 million production facility so as to double its capacity. As the effort of setting it up were starting some people from the company who were new participants in the company’s Six Sigma effort resolved to investigate some of the short-term steps that can boost production in the existing plant. As they collected data, the group or participants first realized that it was only about 40 percent of the drug that was being packaged was usable or could be used. Looking further, they discovered that the sealing method that was being used for the drug vials was very inconsistent that some of them would not be completely closed, while at the same time others were too long to fit in the box. The team thus used a number of testing and refining of the Sealing process by use of different design experiments methods and finally determined the very best combination of inputs or factors that is the time, temperature, distance and so on that could be used to ensure a good seal. Effecting these changes and an addition of few $50 parts to regulate and change the sealing equipment was done and there was no need of establishing the new plant. Sample Case 2: REPAIRING REPAIRS                  A major organization dealing with appliances repair realized the need to improve its capacity to return items to the customers in accordance to when the goods were promised to be returned. Many are the times that repairs were late and the customers became disappointed when they would call in or drop by the organization premises to pick up their appliances or computer. A multi-level DMAIC team decided to narrow their scope to two repair locations and to diligently and carefully analyze all the causes leading to late repairs. The first discovery is that the time taken to repair one product was only part of the problem and that the time taken to ship appliances back and forth from repair shop to the customer site also was the main and big contributor to delays or missed dates. Based on the findings together with the cost/benefit analysis the team in assistance with other colleagues engaged in the two pilot facilities or projects implemented a few changes so as to streamline the process and increase the number of appliances being returned to customers when promised. Lean Sigma on Manufacturing Systems and its Importance in the Production system                  The value of Lean Manufacturing System is best comprehended when at the particular time that its impact of change on economics is properly understood. This manufacturing engineering philosophy is based on designing a manufacturing process or system that very well blends together the essentials of minimizing cost and maximizing profit. The main fundamentals with these systems are Labor, Materials and Machines or Equipment referred to as 3Ms of manufacturing. A very well balanced 3M results in: Maximum utilization of both skilled and unskilled labor; optimal use of the plant size; Smooth traffic movement of materials, labor and automotives. It can also lead to minimum grand total manufacturing costs of the products being produced; Reduce investment; reducing labor requirement and utilization of more productive equipment. Disposition of less productive or unproductive equipments; Flexibility to keeping in pace with market and customer changes and also Increa se Return on Net Asset are other results of use the 3M fundamentals. Three steps involved in the accomplishment of the ultimate manufacturing engineering lean philosophy namely: The first step is to design a simple manufacturing system; one commences the process of system design as simple as possible with just a low volume through the system. The second step is the realization that there is always a room for improvements and thus refining the first step as much as possible. The third step is to continuously work on and improve the lean manufacturing system design concept with addition of the appropriate insertion of and balance of automations, conveyors and in necessary cases the buffer stocks. Additional concepts can be generated that could lead to satisfaction of product and the technical marketing requirements of the products. Through a thorough re-examination of intra- and inter- technologies, through past production process errors and the lessons learned. The competitive analysis of techno-communication may be applicable and finally selection of the proper manufacturing system concepts to be adopted for further considerations or developments should be based upon a thorough analysis performed or done in accordance with the established selection criteria. Consideration of two manufacturing systems that when they are combined give rise to Lean Manufacturing system that is the Flow Manufacturing System and Agile Manufacturing System. Designing a Simple Manufacturing System through flow manufacturing is a time-based process that joins together a smooth production system without any disruption. Rapidly and smoothly flowing materials from raw materials to finished goods through systematic balancing of the laborers or operators, the machine and equipment to customer demands or requirements. The objective of Flow Manufacturing is to provide the ultimate response and also produce the customer requirement, benefits of this goal being to decrease the Total Product Cycle Time, increased productivity and also increased the per capital equipment utilization. In this system of Flow Manufacturing, the performance and output is measured by the Total Product Cycle Time also referred to as the Critical Path. Total Product Cycle Time is the longest lead time path right away from raw materials to finished goods it is the quickest possible response to a customer order with finished products. Lead Time consideration and analysis is derived from the Critical Path which helps us to outline opportunities so as to reduce or eliminate Non-Value-Adding activities and in the process shortening the Total Cycle Product Time. When reducing the variations in the rate of flow in the manufacturing system, the lead time will be reduced. These variations can be reduced through random downtimes, higher uptime, through quick changeover, lower downtime and also through improved quality through error proofs, self checks, and equipment product centered cellular layouts. Agile Manufacturing is quite a profitable manufacturing system that is closely inter-twined to the concept of Flow Manufacturing. It goes further and builds on the Flow Manufacturing concept to further reduce the lead time, optimize asset utilization or use and build to customer demand by focusing on being able to aptly respond to customer requests and demands. It has an assumption that the customer requirement or specifications and volumes which is based on continuous changes. Program lead time is the form of measurement of Agile Manufacturing performance. The main goal is to have a system that has a smooth flow of material while at the same time maximizing the value added activities of the operator. There are other situations in the system design process that requires special consideration such as situations include: Manufacturing Process, Manufacturing System, Value Added (VA) activities and the Non Value Added (NVA) activities. The manufacturing process entails the equipments used to create, to alter, to assemble, to measure and tests the product with the objective of meeting a pre-determined product requirement. This equipment includes machines, tools, fixtures, and gauges such as drills, grinders and test stands. The manufacturing system involves the combination of labor and manufacturing process which are then linked together with materials handling both manual or automated so as to move the material or product from one manufacturing point to the next process and to the next until it is processed into a finished product. VA or Value Added is any activity that is performed to a product as it moves along the production process that the customer perceived as actually addition of value to the product. The NVA (Non Valuable Activities) are all the activities that are associated with the production process that happen not to be adding any value to the product and thus not necessary to be performed but it is st ill nonetheless performed at the current moment awaiting the emergence or arousal of awareness on availability of better methods to replace it. In Lean Manufacturing however the manufacturing cost does not necessarily have a steep drop as the volume requirements or demands of customer’s changes. This is because of the product flexibility and also equipment flexibility that can be very well incorporated into the Lean Manufacturing System. This system is mostly characterized with: investment which are done as required, more flexible equipment, more adaptability to uncertain markets in terms of volumes and products and also characterized with smaller capacity increments and more product(s) flexibility. Lean manufacturing system design needs to be continuously improved so as to aptly respond to the customer requirements and to ensure this is by having flexibility of equipment and have the capability to match it with the product flexibility. Having uncertain customer requirements makes it important to examine the manufacturing costs over a range of volumes also been very keen not to produce beyond the requirements. This system is characterized with: investments committed upfront which is usually quite high; more rigid and complicated equipment and larger capacity increments with high customer volume demands or requirements for long periods Lean Manufacturing System has potential for greater profitability which highly depends on utilization of its resources that is the 3Ms in terms of the materials moving the Value Activities or VA, man or labor working by adding value to the product, machine running in a manner that is more productive. Lean Manufacturing System can be successfully adopted in new manufacturing system or environment, in an existing manufacturing system requiring capitalization, new equipments or even in product relocation. In conclusion given the increasing competitiveness in the market place it would be suicidal for a business to ignore continual improvement in its systems and operations. Manufacturing companies specifically will always continue to face increasing pressure to improve the quality of their products, to increase productivity and to reduce costs with the available scarce resources. Use of the right Business Improvement Techniques to ensure continued improvement of the business to as to keep afloat of competition and deal with changes in its environment. From this paper it is clear that Business Improvement Techniques dramatically decreases the waste chain in the business operations and also reduces the Inventory and floor space requirements. Creation of more robust production processes and systems and also appropriate material delivery systems are established and there is improved layouts for more flexibility in business as a result of the Business Improvement Techniques and thus should b e a priority for any business to consider embracing. References Marcos, M. (2012). Advances in manufacturing systems selected, peer reviewed papers from the 4th Manufacturing Engineering Society International Conference, September 2011, Cadiz, Spain. Durnten-Zurich, Switzerland: Trans Tech Publications. Martin, T. D., & Bell, J. T. (2011). New horizons in standardized work techniques for manufacturing and business process improvement. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Meyer, U. B., & Creux, S. E. (2009). Process oriented analysis: design and optimization of industrial production systems. Boca Raton, FL: CRC/Taylor & Francis. Olaru, A. (2012). Optimization of the mechanical engineering, manufacturing systems, robotics and aerospace selected, peer reviewed papers from the 7th International Conference on Optimization of the Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing systems, Robotics and Aerospace (OP. Stafa-Zurich: TTP Trans Tech Publications. Rogers, D. (2011). The future of lean Sigma thinking in a changing business environment. Baco Raton, FL.: CRC Press. Source document

Forensic Investigations Regulations Essay Example

Forensic Investigations Regulations Essay Example Forensic Investigations Regulations Essay Forensic Investigations Regulations Essay Forensic Investigations Regulations Name: Course: Institution: : Instructor: Date: Forensic Investigations Regulations Risk Assessment Checklist Risk Assessment Checklist Yes No NA 1. Does the company have an adequate level of fraud awareness, and are appropriate policies in place to minimize fraud risk, specifically:a. Generic risk factorsHas the company assigned each employee a maximum â€Å"opportunity level† to commit fraud, that is, has management asked itself the question, â€Å"What is the maximum amount this employee could defraud the organization, and does this represent an acceptable risk?† Comments: I was not able to find out about this risk factor. Has the company set a catastrophic opportunity level; that is, has management asked itself the question, â€Å"Have we ensured that no single employee- or group of employees in collusion- can commit a fraud that would place the organization in imminent risk of survival?† Comments: I was not able to find out about this risk factor. Does the company have a policy of immediately dismissing any employee who has committed fraud? Comments: employees who are found guilty of committing fraud are immediately laid off. Does the company have a policy of reporting all frauds to the authorities and pressing charges? Comments: the management does not report all fraud cases some are solved internally. For all frauds experienced by the company in the past, has management evaluated the reasons that led to the fraud and taken corrective action? Comments: the management has not taken time to investigate why fraudulent activities take place within the company. b. Individual risk factorsDoes the company have a corporate mission statement, which includes an objective of good citizenship or the maintenance of good standing in the community? Comments: the company’s mission statement is â€Å"to be a leader† Does the company have a written code of ethics and business? Comments: the code of ethics is important when running any business Does the organization conduct ethical and security training for new employees and periodic updates for existing employees? Comments: employees are trained before they start work and during their employment period. Does management set the right example; that is, does it follow the company’s mission statement, code of ethics and business conduct, and other policies of the organization; and is it clearly seen to be doing so by employees? Comments: the management does not set the best example to the rest of the employees given by the rise in cases of fraud within the company Does the company’s culture avoid characteristics that promote unethical behavior, for example, high or even hostile competitiveness within the organization that might push employees to the point of burnout; pointless rigid or petty policies, or both; over centralization of authority? Comments: I could not find information on this matter Do The organization’ hiring policies, to the extent possible, seek out individuals of high moral character and weed out those of low moral character? Comments: extensive vetting and training is done to ensure the right candidates are picked for the job. Does the company’s use screening and/or testing procedures for especially sensitive positions; for example, psychological tests, drug tests, or lie detector tests, or a combination of all three, where permitted by law? Comments: this is important for efficient productivity by the potential employees 2. Does the company have an adequate system of internal controls, specifically:a. Internal control Has the organization explicitly considered the need for fraud prevention in the design and maintenance of the system of internal controls? Comments: the internal system is not adequate Risk Management Checklist Yes No NA b. Control over physical and logical accessDoes the company state and enforce a policy that restricts access to those requiring it for job performance, including a strict policy against employees allowing access to unauthorized personnel, for example, by loaning keys or sharing passwords? Comments: access is granted to anyone c. Job descriptionsDoes the company have written specific job descriptions? Comments: job descriptions determine who works where and distinguishes authority Are job descriptions adhered to? Comments: not all employees adhere to their job descriptions Does the organization have an organization chart that reflects and is consistent with the job descriptions of its employees? Comments: this is a contributing factor for fraud because there is no supervision Are incompatible duties segregated, for example, the handling of valuable assets- especially cash- and related records? Comments: there is no segregation of duties within the company d. Regular accounting reconciliations and analysesAre budgets reviewed for variances? Comments: budget reviews are important in organizations e. SupervisionDo supervisors and managers have adequate fraud awareness, that is, are they alert to the possibility of fraud whenever an unusual or exceptional situation occurs, such as supplier or customer complaints about their accounts? Comments: the supervisors do not have efficient information on fraud in the company Do supervisors and managers diligently review their subordinates’ work, for example, accounting reconciliations, and redo the work when appropriate? Comments: work reviews are not satisfactory Is supervisory or management override prohibited and are others within the firm alert to the fraud risks associated with management override? Comments: employees are not fully aware of fraud associated with the management override Risk Assessment Checklist Yes No NA 3. Has The organization specifically addressed the following fraud prevention issues:a. Ethical Environmentb. Risk FinancingComputer Security Comments (a-c): the organization has taken preventive measures in the ethical environmental and risk financing. However computer security needs to be improved Fraudulent Financial ReportingIs the organization’s financial stability or profitabilty threatened by economic, industry, or entity operating conditions? Comments: the economy affects the stability of all businesses and organizations Is there excessive pressure on management or management incentives related to reaching earnings expectations or certain revenue benchmarks? Comments: there is no pressure because the company operates according to its earnings Are there significant balances in the financial statements which are based on subjective management estimates? Comments: the financial statements do not always balance, which is risky in terms of promoting fraud Reasons for comments The comments indicated in the above checklist are after careful study of the organization and its operations. There have been cases of employees losing their jobs after being found guilty of fraudulent activity within the company (Pasiuk $ Vault, 2005). This is the right thing to do because it sets examples to the other employees. With the number of fraud cases within the company, the management should report to the relative authorities so that the same is avoided. The management does not take time to investigate the reasons why they are fraud within the company. Investigations would promise a reduction on the fraud cases. The organization has a mission and vision statement that helps to run it. A code of ethics is important in every organization and Kroger’s has adopted one for the organization. Kroger’s train their employees and they are known to pick some of their potential employees from universities and colleges. There are always cases of fraud within the organizat ion sometimes involving the management meaning the management does not set the best example to the rest of the employees. Their employees are screened to ensure that their productivity is optimal. They have a substandard internal system. Access to some of the most confidential document and files is not limited. The job descriptions are not respected by all employees because job description is not clearly defined. This means that there are those who are exploited and this is unfair. The supervision is not adequate as the supervisors lack sufficient information to know and detect fraud within the company. The rest of the employees do not know about fraud by management overrides and this exposes the organization to higher fraud risks. There are annual budget reviews in the organizations that reflect the expenditure and income of the business (Pasiuk Vault, 2005). Recommendations I recommend asset identification and registration, which includes revenue collection, expenditure, supplies ad computers at the organization. The management should also recognize the risks involved with protecting these assets. The risks involve knowing when assets are being misused and if they are getting lost within the company and finding ways of preventing this (Biegelman Bartow, 2012). Positive control should be made aware to all the staff members to demonstrate responsibility. The internal control system in the company should be effective. This includes sufficient supervision, inventories and appropriate documentation. This will ensure that there is no unofficial use loss or damage of company assets. Every employee should be allocated specialized responsibility for effective and efficient cohesion in terms of fraud prevention in the work place. The responsibilities should be clearly defined for instance they should know the different levels of authority within the organization . This will also reduce over reliance on one person and prevent abuse. I recommend the managers to take keen supervision measures to ensure that productivity is optimum. Supervision includes control checks of lower level staff and it will help them to detect any cases of fraud (Biegelman Bartow, 2012). Random checks by the supervisors will be an effectual anti-fraud measure. Kroger’s should adopt an audit trail as a measure of fraud detection. It ensures that all controls are checked and reviewed through a system. Effective monitoring and evaluation should be done periodically by an independent team. This will make clear any fraudulent activity within the company. Satisfactory staffing should be made to ensure that the system works effectively. Staffing should not be done without thorough vetting and interviews. Financial and accounting controls should be done by the delegated people in the company. This will reduce risks of fraud. The systems within the company should be developed, modified and upgraded to the latest versions for efficiency. Tr eatment of staff members is important. They should be allowed leave days, promotions, health benefits and they should not work under stress (Biegelman Bartow, 2012). All these are contributors of fraudulent activities within companies. As an anti-frau preventive measure, Kroger’s should have an auditing committee. This committee identifies fraud risks and implements their prevention procedures. It will also ensure transparency by the senior management team. The committee should be assisted by anti-fraud specialists. The management should provide the rest of the employees with opportunities to report concerns about suspected fraud within and without the company. They should have both internal and external auditors. Internal auditor will help in the deterrence of fraud and the external auditors should liaise with internal auditor to ensure zero tolerance for fraud (Biegelman Bartow, 2012). It is important to have an ethics policy and a fraud policy within an organization. This is made available to the employees upon employment and sporadically during their term of employment. Adoption of these measures will guarantee a prevention and reduction of fraudulent activities within the company. Reference Biegelman, M. T., Bartow, J. T. (2012). Executive roadmap to fraud prevention and internal control: Creating a culture of compliance. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. Print. Pasiuk, L., Vault (Firm). (2005). Vault guide to the top retail employers. New York: Vault Inc. Print.