Exile and Suffering Essay Example for Free

Exile and Suffering Essay Early scholars of Anglo-Saxon literature believed that â€Å"The Seafarer† represented an early pagan poem that had been adapted for Christian audiences by the insertion of pious formulas throughout and a moral at the end; accordingly, these scholars expended considerable ingenuity in attempting to excise the Christian elements to discover the â€Å"real poem† hidden beneath these composite overlays. Pound’s famous translation, in line with this emphasis, systematically removes or downplays many explicitly Christian elements of the poem and stops before the overtly homiletic conclusion, which features some dozen direct references to God and the heavens in the last twenty-five lines. Now, however, critics seem generally to agree that the two halves of the poem are unified by a movement from earthly chaos to heavenly order and that its coherent thematic thrust is the Christian message that the afterlife is more important than life on Earth. The poem is frequently discussed in conjunction with â€Å"The Wanderer,† another Exeter Book poem that shares many themes and motifs with â€Å"The Seafarer,† including the structure in which a specific treatment of biographical subject matter—the plight of a wanderer or Seafarer—is followed by a more general homiletic section that draws a religious meaning from the earlier material. The sailor, as a man required traveling over a hostile and dangerous environment, had always seemed to Christian poets to be a naturally apt image of the believer’s life on Earth, which should be viewed as a hazardous journey to the true homeland of Heaven rather than as a destination to be valued in itself. In this poem, the speaker seems to be a religious man (or reformed sinner) who has chosen the seafaring life as much for its efficacy as a means of spiritual discipline as for any commercial gain to be derived from it. The original opposition in the poem between landsmen and Seafarers gives way to the insight that all men are, or ought to think of themselves as, Seafarers, in the sense that they are all exiles from their true home in Heaven. As lines 31-32 (previously quoted) establish, the land can be just as cold and forbidding as the sea, and the virtuous, at least, should hope that they will be sojourning in this harsh world for only a brief time. True Christian â€Å"Seafarers† must psychologically distance themselves from secular life, as the Seafarer of this poem has done both literally and figuratively. The poet appears to encapsulate his theme at the pivotal midpoint of the poem: â€Å"therefore the joys of the Lord seem warmer to me than this dead life, fleeting on land. † This recommended ascetic withdrawal from worldly interests should enable the Christian to properly reject the comforts of life on the land as transient and seek spiritual rather than physical comforts.

Knauf Corporation Case Study

Knauf Corporation Case Study The following assignment is a case study, in which we are going to analyze the Knauf Corporation worldwide, but mostly the operation of the business in the European countries. The objective of this assignment is, by analyzing the operation of the company inside Europe to be able then to recognize, whether we see a common strategy or if there are any differences on it. In the first part, there is a research about the organizational function and the activities of Knauf worldwide and mainly in the European environment, starting from the past until the year 2009, where you can see the latest actions of the company. In the second part I will concentrate my analysis regarding how the general strategy of the company is differentiated depending on the local requirements, laws, cultures, market potentials, etc. In the end of the assignment we will make an analysis of the Greek market in order a close idea about the business operation. 1. Companys history and profile Knauf Group is a multinational producer of building materials and construction systems based in Germany, in Iphofen, where the head quarters and the master plan are located. In Iphofen exists also the historical museum of the company. Knauf is a family name. The Company began its operations in 1932, when the brothers Dr. Alfons N. Knauf and Karl Knauf established the firm Gebr. Knauf. It was a difficult beginning and at this time, no one could have thought the future big development of the company. Knauf finally became a multinational producer of building materials and construction systems, operating with more than 150 production facilities worldwide. Today the company ranks among one of the worlds leading manufacturers of building materials. Knauf has a workforce of 22,000 employees in 40 countries and in 2009 the company achieved sales of 5, 5 billion Euros. The product portfolio varies from the traditional plasterboard to the production of conveying machinery for construction site logistics, including the segments of gypsum plasters for interior and exterior use, insulation materials made of glass fibers or expanded polystyrene. The wide-ranging assortment also includes some other very special products as gypsum fiber boards for walls and floors, as well as a variety of special ceiling systems. The final aim, which comes out from this wide range of products, is that Knauf Group always focuses its efforts in being the leader producer in the construction sector by fulfilling any requirement of the architects, planners, building developers, etc. A strong characteristic of Knauf is the continuous courage for visions, innovation and investments as well as simple decision-making processes and a wealth of ideas on the part of its personnel. Despite the fact that the company is so large the CEOs of the company Nicolaus and Baldwin Knauf insist that the company is a family business, since it is still managed worldwide by the second and third generation of the family Knauf. The company doesnt belong in any stock market and every investment is created by their own profits without loans from the bank or any other external fund. 2. Companys structure and operation Gypsum plasters (core selling material of the company) The Group started to go international as early as the beginning of the Seventies of the last century and the trend has continued until today. Today the Group produces and sells its products in all European countries. In the developed countries such as E.E. countries, Turkey, Russia etc., the company has production facilities. According to the market demand in some occasions there are two or even three plants, whereas in small countries as Cyprus for example, there is only a local branch and the market is supplied with materials from Knauf Greece. Furthermore, there are factories located in North and South America, in the CIS states, in Northern Africa, in China and in Indonesia. Insulation materials Whereas in earlier times the sectors of dry construction and here we mention plasterboard as the primary product and gypsum plasters were the traditional areas of activity of the Group, meanwhile the insulation materials segment has developed into a further mainstay of the Group. The foundation stone for this was laid in 1978 when a glass fibre manufacturing company in Shelbyville, USA, was taken over. Today the company bears the name Knauf Insulation USA and operates a total of four production sites in the United States. The production of insulating materials on the basis of glass wool and mineral wool becomes more and more important. For about 30 years, the company has gained experience in the production of glass wool in North America. Within the last 5 years, Knauf has acquired 10 glass wool and mineral wool factories throughout Europe and additionally built new plants in Eastern Europe and Russia. Emerging and acquisitions activities Focusing before some years in the developing strategy into further segments of construction, where Knauf didnt have experience, the Company needed the knowledge and the facilities of existed companies well known for their quality in their field. Some of them were bought from the group in order to serve all the local Knauf companies with the special products that theyre producing. Some of the companies that have been bought and managed now from the group are AMF, Danogips, Marmorit, Sacret, Richter Systems, Knauf Perlite, Knauf PFT, Knauf Alutop. EUROPAK3 Most of these companies are selling their products only via local Knauf businesses. The interesting point is that the group doesnt hesitate to change its policy according to the target groups, different distribution channels and market needs. Being more specific, for example AMF Company is operating as a different business in the local markets, who sells products to the local Knauf businesses, but also to several wholesalers for example. PFT Company, which is occupied in machinery equipment (totally different market segment), is also developing separately from the local Knauf businesses in the European markets in order to serve other distribution channels and target groups. Knauf insulation, which is a totally different company is as well acting separately in the markets and sell its products directly to wholesalers without local Knaufs help. In many occasions in the European countries they are also selling only via local Knauf businesses. An interesting history is about a merging that the group has made with its one of the biggest competitors. The company USG is the market leader in United States producing and selling the same range of materials. United States of America is too much mature market in constructing with dry wall systems. Knauf group realized a big gap before some years in their product variety. They didnt have a board suitable for exterior constructions. Then the idea came from USG that had been producing a cement board, which is the ideal product, if someone wants to construct exterior walls facades for example. Then Knauf group in order to gain the technical knowledge and experience in cement board market, has been cooperated with USG. They have created together a joint ventured company under the name Knauf USG Systems, which is an independent company located in Germany and its aim is to produce and sell cement boards in Europe, Middle East, and Africa but only via the local Knauf businesses. 3. Organizational structure Knauf local businesses are managed by CEOs that usually are locals. The Local CEOs are supervised by the regional CEOs who are usually coming from the Knauf family. The local CEOs are fully responsible for the local organizational structure. Usually there is the plant manager, a logistics manager, sales and marketing managers, IT managers, technical department and sales department. Depending on how big the market is, sometimes as in Greece for example the technical department is merged with the sales department, which is finally consisted from sales engineers. 4. Vision and Mission The Knauf vision stems from the model on which the company is based: From a family company to a family of companies  [i]  . Knaufs mission is to remain a family which will always include its employees, customers and consumers. The company mainly emphasizes its philosophy on the following: Sustainability, Ecology and economy. The company produces economic construction systems based on raw materials that come straight from the earth and are completely friendly to people and the environment. Plan innovations to meet tomorrows requirements. To be the market leader in the building materials industry Focusing in long term growth and continuous increase of companys value To be as good as the sum of its total employees. The company depends on its employees skills, efficiency and creativity. In that sense production plants are designed to be pleasant to work in, efficient and to ensure a conscientious approach to resources and the environment. Quality management is a key factor for the group 5. Knauf Business and Marketing Strategy model 5,1 DISTRIBUTION Knaufs general strategy is to sell their products only via wholesalers. These dealers can then sell products further to second hand dealers, contraction companies and technicians (Knauf system installers). This model can be changed if a local market is used to work with another way, as for example in Northern Africa countries. In Europe this strategy is generally followed. 5, 2 TARGET GROUPS If we follow the whole chain of construction industry, we all know that Architects are planning the projects which means, that theyre specifying materials (they create the demand). This means that they are the main decision makers in the construction chain. Contractors are taking over to complete the project, and the technicians as sub contractors they are installing Knauf systems. As you can easily realize, Knauf target groups are all the above mentioned groups. Companys concept, is to follow the projects from the early start of the planning until the final procurement. And that means, that they support all the phases of the construction by being present and service with technical support all the groups referred. In addition they focus a lot to the individuals (private investors). Individuals are Knaufs long term objectives, since they strongly believe that they are at the end of the day the basic mean of continuously adding value in the company and make their products even better known to the market. This sector is going to empower the already famous Knauf brand in the market, and of course the materials demand. 5, 3 COMMUNICATION PR ADVERTISEMENT In this paragraph, Im going to show you a small part of the general ideas regarding the companys marketing approach. Knauf in Europe proceeds in specific advertising actions to introduce its products variety in its all target groups. This marketing approach operates since the start of the company and it is already very successful. A very important thing in business is to follow up your customers. Thus, Knauf via its CRM system saves its contacts and post them direct mails. In addition they are also sending e-direct mails, as is the Knauf monthly newsletter or any other subject they would like to promote. Moreover, theyre participating in exhibitions which are usually taking place in the construction concept with target groups from architecture, planning, decoration, etc. Another way of advertizing is by creating inputs in magazines for architects, contractors and technicians. Except of magazines, they also make inputs in newspapers and daily free presses, so they could be able to approach also the individuals. TV spots, radio spots are as well important ways of advertising their systems. Knauf invests a part of each turnover to offer free advertising gifts to its customers. These gifts might be templates, banners, signs, flags, samples, vehicles and memorial gifts, all having as design the Knauf logos and the Knauf partner s logos as well. Local technical documentation and web sites are other ways to find information for the companys products. These documents are very well developed and they obviously offer an assured technical support to the customers. The corporation invests a lot in education regarding its systems installation. Every local business has its own training center where seminars are taking place in certain dates every year. Those who have participated in the seminars are taking in the end a Knauf graduate clarification that writes Mr à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ has successfully participated in the Knauf seminars the datesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ And this small thing makes them feel that they belong in a special group. Consequently they spread this idea to other people. 5.4 POSITIONING Knauf continues to increase a premium brand and separate its position against competition. Thats why the corporation always invests in developing new products and improving the old ones. 6. Gypsum Industry Market Analysis Europe The gypsum industry belongs into the broader industry of building materials. For the scope of our assignment we will only analyze the gypsum industry and especially the European Gypsum Industry as Knauf is mainly active into the European market. The European Gypsum Industry is characterized as a growing industry in comparison with the US or Australian Gypsum Industries which are already in the maturity face of their life cycles. With a turnover of over 10 billion à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬, the European gypsum and anhydrite industry operates 160 quarries and some 200 factories and generates employment directly to 28.000 people and indirectly for 85.000 people. It is one of the few fully integrated industries within the construction products field. Thirty years ago, the Gypsum Industry was made up of many small manufacturing enterprises mainly producing building plaster and stucco for local markets. The emergence and growth of the plasterboard and the plasterboard solutions market in the 1980s requiring high capital investments, equipment, RD and securing access to natural resources led to a consolidation process within the European Gypsum industry. Currently in the industry nowadays three main operators cover 80% of the gypsum product market  [ii]  . These are Knauf Group of Companies, BPB (British Pasterboards) and Lafarge. BPB, a UK based manufacturer, acquired by Saint Gobain in 2005 and organized within the Saint-Gobains Construction Products Sector  [iii]  and Lafarge, the well known building material manufacturer, established in 1833 in France initially as a limestone mining company  [iv]  . 6.1 PEST Analysis In analyzing the macro-environment via a PEST analysis, we can configure the environment which gypsum industry producers compete and identify the factors that might in turn affect a number of vital variables that are likely to influence the organizations supply and demand levels and its costs. The European building material industry is not that vulnerable to Political issues but into the Greek Construction Industry political issues arise more frequently as the support from the European Union funds have major role into Construction Industry growth rates. From 2001 till 2009 where more and more privately funded big real-estate projects were implemented the industry was growing very fast but the economic pressure that affects, for the last year, all companies and investors involved is slowing down the rates of the industry. In such critical times, most governments are identifying its policies with social and environmental care policies. Into the construction environment there is the need, more than any other time, of energy efficient buildings and construction techniques that exploit those advantages, and governments in assessing the socioeconomic impact of energy spending reduction are already subsidizing such constructions through government or EU fund raising. Technology i tself was always the main concern of producers in order to find ways of reducing their production cost as well as to invest in new RD fields, such as antiseismic technology, for exploiting the unique advantages of gypsum. 6.2 SWOT analysis European Gypsum Industry is a growing one and most European countries only now capitalize the advantages that gypsum offers as a building material. Gypsum is virtually indispensable for the interiors of homes and offices and all types of building where people congregate, such as schools, shops, airports, etc. Its superior performance in providing everyday comfort, in fire resistance and in insulation, heralds an ever greater role for it in buildings of the future. In fact, the safety and protection of people and property against fire, and effective thermal and acoustic insulation of buildings depends, more often than not, on the unique properties of gypsum. And many of the attractive features of the modern interior would be impossible without the versatility of gypsum as a building material. The gypsum wallboard industry is highly competitive. Because wallboard is expensive to transport, does not travel well in large quantities and lacks of product differentiation, producers compete on a regional basis, primarily based on price, product range, product quality, and customer service. The sector is highly competitive especially in Europe and North America with production mostly concentrated among few international players. The drywall solutions are seen in growing countries as a substitute for traditional construction solution like for example cement and brick and block constructions. The unique advantages that systems offered to the engineers made them a huge threat of substitute for the traditional techniques. But, soon the industry will be into the maturity face and new innovative and evolution building materials like magnesium or perlite have already started to threaten gypsums raising empire. The industry has to invest into new materials, new technologies and diversify towards innovative building material and construction system solutions. The capital investment that is required in order to enter into the gypsum industry is high. Equipment is expensive, know how is difficult to acquire, access to natural resources is prohibited and investment in RD is mandatory. That is why in very few years the European Gypsum Industry from the state of many locally situated small producers it transformed into an extremely concentrated market where three companies cover approximately 80% of the market. In global level the same concentrated situation is observed where 81% of the market is covered by 7 players (Georgia Pacific, Knauf, Lafarge, National Gypsum, Saint-Gobain, USG and Yoshino) The Gypsum Industry covers the whole life-cycle of the product. Indeed, the companies which extract the mineral gypsum also process it and manufacture the value-added products and systems. The full integration that characterizes the industry is a fact that removes any danger of suppliers bargaining power but at the same time it leads to higher production costs for the producer. The ownership of the gypsum reserves is a power game between the main competitors of the industry as it is at the same time a main clue of product differentiation and product quality resulting from the mineral gypsum purity. Gypsum reserves are now rare around Europe and that turned the producers to invent new technologies by producing synthetic gypsum mainly from fly ash which is a byproduct of energy production plants. The industry is mainly selling through an extensive dealers network in each country. Those dealers are commercial companies selling a series of building materials either to contractors or consumers. In Western Europe more mature markets dealership is also concentrated into few very big companies (Praktiker, Leroy Marlene, OBI etc) which due to its size and concentration they have already obtained a big bargaining power over the producers. Into the Greek market the dealers network is still based on small, unorganized depots with no special power over the industry but big retailers are already into the market and soon the situation will change. 7. Key Success Factors of the Gypsum Industry The following factors have played a major role in a gypsum companys prosperity: Cost advantages and economy of scale: The recent trend of acquisitions and mergers exploit potential cost advantages to be found in RD facilities serving global operations. They create larger and more diversified market focused organizations. All the top performing companies in the industry have faced, at least once, a major merger in the past. In 2005, BPB, one of the top 3 companies of the industry in Europe, was acquired by Saint Gobain which invested 5.9 billion à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬, for setting itself a step ahead from its major competitors in the building materials industry. Access to natural resources: As previously noticed, the Gypsum Industry covers the whole life-cycle of the product and producers strive for securing reserves all over the world. In that industry, due to the cost structure, privileged access to the raw material is vital for the companys growth. For that reason, companies started investing either in finding new ways of composing synthetic gypsum from several sources (e.g. energy plant waste) or by implementing systems for recycling their the products at the end of their life cycle (demolition waste). Differentiation through technical specifications and customer service quality: The main target for all producers is to offer a complete solution with their systems of products in order for engineers to be able to substitute traditional ways of building. They managed to specify with standard norms the use of the plasterboard walls, ceilings, floor or any other use as well as their technical characteristics like fireproof, sound insulation, thermal insulation etc. With the combination of professional sales and technical support as companies are using only engineers for sales reps with extensive and professional training, in order to serve customers and specify the systems in a market that is constantly gaining market share from the traditional construction methods. 8. Greek market analysis As we previously noticed, into the Greek market there is also one competitor to Knauf, Rigips Hellas (BPB) with one production site situated in West Greece. Both companies have their own reserves of the raw material close to their factories which are both situated into the same geographical area resulting to equivalent quality levels of raw material. A main difference is the production capacities as well as the plants sizes. Knauf operates a plant that was build from scratch in 1991 in Amfilochia, while on the other hand Rigips acquired some years after Knaufs establishment in Greece an old gypsum factory from a local producer. That explains the estimated difference in local production capacities for the two producers. Having the appropriate capacity levels, Knauf can control its production cost and overheads better than the competitors and therefore result to higher margin levels. Knauf from 1991 invested a lot of money for differentiating through technical specifications and customer service quality. In order to achieve that high level engineers were recruited and were extensively trained into Germanys headquarters. The experience and professionalism of the mother company was soon transferred into the Greek subsidiary and the company culture was quickly transformed according to the following: The future lies in the hands of talented and highly motivated employees. An important aspect is the family culture which prevails in the company: Learn from one another, hold together, pass on knowledge, assume the role of mentor, take fast and direct paths and press for special achievements  [v]  . In very few years, almost 10 professional engineers were covering all the Greek territory offering technical support to contractors, extensive training to installers and professional customer service to retailers. Rigips which was established a few years later used same techniques for expanding into the Greek territory but always by following Knaufs steps. That was something that reduces its cost for training the market into new building materials but cost them the reputation of the leader in the market. Knauf was and still is characterized as the leader industry in the gypsum market in Greece. Their competitive advantage in the market is the ability of its people to open the market, train the customers and lead to a new age in construction industry. All the above are mainly achieved by the following: A huge database of active engineers is informed once every month by direct mail regarding new and innovative solutions. Over 7.000 installers are trained for efficient installing drywall systems into Knaufs Training Centre in Amfilochia. Retailers are supported by professional sales engineer all over Greece. Finally, Knauf has invest a lot in marketing by extensive advertising into press, technical magazines, radio and TV, by providing signs to all its retailing network and by participating into all main fairs in Greece. Rigips havent tried to differentiate significantly from Knauf into the market. They have not invest as much as Knauf into penetrating and training the market and their main position in the market is to let the leader open the way and then to follow. The main differentiation point for the two companies was the price. Knauf is the leader and for that the customer has to pay a premium. 9. Strategic recommendations Conclusion As we saw in this assignment Knauf Corporation is developing in Europe with a certain way which is driven by the values, the culture, the ethics and the historical success model, that the family developed for their business. However, we also saw that several differences exist, depending on the needs and the culture of the local markets. Such differences for example could be the style of the management, the variety of products, the developing of the other corporate businesses and so on. Knauf family believes a lot in the different local adaptation of their business model and this is visibly proven from their willing and trust to choose local people as general managers to run the business in the countries. They invest a lot of money and efforts in order to find the correct person who is going to implement Knauf successful business style according to the local needs. Knauf group has proven its ability to penetrate, train and lead new markets. As a group it has a promising future as it is in line with the major key successful factors for the industry. Its competitive advantage is very strong and it is implemented into most countries in the world as it is into the Greek market. The industry is highly competitive and it is getting more and more concentrated. In order for Knauf to continue growing into such a competitive environment it needs to diversify its building material portfolio into more developing and profitable markets. Such a market is the insulation material industry in which the group recently invested by acquiring a lot of local producers in Europe and becoming the worlds fastest-growing insulation manufacturer with full ownership of its activities since 2002. Finally, Knauf should invest into countries that are structurally unexploited like for example in Asian or growing African countries initially by securing raw material reserves into strategic places.

Design For Manufacturing And Assembly

Design For Manufacturing And Assembly A design process that focuses on meeting customer requirements meanwhile balancing the important aspects such as cost, quality and performance is Dfma. DFMA is an abbreviation for Design for manufacturing and assembly. It a software comprised of various principles or methods when used properly will improve the ability of design to be easily manufactured and assembled thereby decreasing the costs. This system can be divided into three major sections. The first is the raw material. Choosing the right material is the foundation of a good design. Second is the machines and processes used to work the raw material. The right process is essential for creating finished parts that will meet your design requirements. Third is the assembly of the product. It is during the assembly of the finished product that provides the greatest opportunity to apply DFMA principles. The proper use of DFMA principles will allow one to design a quality product. DFMA follows an exacting design review method It identifies the following features: -Optimal part design of the product. -Material choice. -Assembly and fabrication operations to produce an efficient and cost effective product It reveals that initial ideas may not be the most efficient in all the cases. It is a structured catalyst methodology used to analyze a design and generate ideas for further improvement. DFMA encourages concurrent engineering during product design so that product qualities exist in with both the designers and other members of the production team. It is a communication tool for the team. It is a bench marking tool. It defines the design and manufacturing capabilities of self and competitor It provides a non-threatening way to get people talking about a design without feeling like others are encroaching on their territory Einstein said â€Å" the best design is the simplest one that works â€Å". DFMA provides the cheapest way to that goal. Customer requirements and product specifications are useful for guiding the concept phase of product development. But during the later stages product design teams often have difficulty linking needs and specifications to the specific design issues. Due to this, many product design and development teams practice ‘Design for X (DFX) methodologies .The most common of these methodologies is Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA), which is an engineering philosophy used generally by design and manufacturing engineers that promotes simplifying parts and product designs to reduce production costs. Other (DFX) methodologies are DFD Design for Disassembly DFEMC Design for Electro Magnetic Compatibility DFR Design for Recycling DFE Design for the Environment DFS Design for Safety DFT Design for Test DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURE: Design for manufacturing software follows a simple rule which states one can improve the efficiency of a product by minimizing the number of parts that have to be assembled so the cost of the product is efficient and easy to manufacture. This manufacturing approach is different from the traditional approach where a huge project is broken down in smaller parts (steps) and then these steps are assigned to various departments. These departments then work independently most of the time. The traditional approach enhances the specialization and functional job focus of the product devolpment. But the main drawback with the traditional approach is the market time plus various difficulties that arise in the manufacturing process. While designing a product lots of parameters have to be kept in mind ot of which that most important one which manufactures ask is can we build the product now that they have the product designed. A way to design a particular product is to make sure that the product maintenance is less, its reliable, time factor, its simple. Maintenance of a particular product shold be less or else it could cost a huge amount for maintenance. Reliability of a product is also a key factor because if the product fails consistently it makes little sense and thereby its a huge money waste to the organization. Speed is the another key factor in designing, if it take too long to make the product then it will have more and more competitors. Competitors control the market by releasing their product faster than fellow counterparts. Using few parts also increase the simplicity and saves money as well, more parts for a product increases the rate of complexity which can lead to malfunctioning of a product. The simpler the product is the fewer are its problems. Over the wall syndrome process was used before the use of DFMA process. Over the wall syndrome is a process where if an idea was generated in a company it would first have to be approved by the president of the company. It would then go then go to the manger of the process deign to be devolved into a product. If any problems would arise it would then be asked to redesign and then brought into the notice of the manager. The resolved problem would then be sent to the engineers where the work would continue where they left from. This process was a huge time consuming process because everyone is not situated in the same location and it would also take a lots of time to solve the problems. The total process sometimes could take year or more. The concept of design for manufacture was used to break these barriers and thereby reducing the time spent on designing the products. DESIGN FOR MANUCTURING has some advantages and disadvantages just like any other software. Firstly dfma tools dont take into consideration many manufacturing capabilities or tolerance. DFM has many computer based tools which nearly complete the design but when we analyze the design finally there are number of barriers which prevent substantial modification of the design.DFM uses too many tools which can increase the manufacturing costs of a product, its also gives very little feedback upon which to base the design modifications. One advantage with DFM it suggests the optimal assembly and the degree of automation. DFM can produce higher products yields through manufacturing. It also increases the performance and the predictability of the product yields.DFM analysis helps us to compare various materials and manufacturing process for the parts of the components. There is an increase in the performance and the cycle time is reduced enormously. DESIGN FOR ASSEMBLY SOFTWARE Design for assembly can be defined as a analysis for improving the product design for a simplified and low cast assembly. Design for assembly main aim is to simplify the product so that the cost of assembly is reduced. By applying dfa we can also improve quality, reliability in the production equipment and the part inventory. G. boothroyd was the person who promoted the usage of DFA in the industry. The practice of dfma is a relatively recent development, but many companies have been following this process form a long time. For example, a company called general electric published its own internal manufacturing handbook as a set of guidelines for its engineers to follow. These guidelines had the same set of principle of DFA without actually distinguishing it from the rest of the product development process. Assembly methods can be divided into three different groups Manual assembly Automatic assembly Robotic assembly In manual assembly the work is mainly done manually parts are transferred from one work bench to another. Worker use different types of hand tools. This is one of the most flexible and the adaptable of the assembly methods methods. Automatic assembly follows a process where it consists of a custom built machine that assembles one and only a specific kind of a product. In this assembly large amount of investment is needed and as the production increases the total manufacturing costs decreases. These types of assembly can be only beneficial when a product is produced in bulk. Robotic assembly in this the assembly we use robotic systems. The robotic systems can take the form of a single robot or a multi station robot. Robotic assembly also involves huge capital costs. In robotic assembly the robots are normally controlled by computers, one company can have huge flexibility on different types of products in robot assembly Assembly methods are chosen by a company keeping two important parameters in mind ie time and costs. Relative costs of different assembly methods by type and production volume. Design for Assembly Vincent Chan and Filippo A. Salustri http://deed.ryerson.ca/~fil/t/dfmdfa.html Design for assembly is an experimental way to identify the unnecessary parts in a product and to determine its assembly time and costs. DFA is a software which gives the design engineers more tools to analyse various design concepts and therby creating innovative products with few and simpler parts. Using DFA software helps engineers to assess the costs of each part and then modify the product through part reduction concepts. The outcome of a DFA based design is a much well designed product with fewer parts which is both efficient and also easy to assemble. The benefits of a DFA based design are reduced part costs, improved quality and reliability, and shorter development cycles. DESIGN FOR ENVIORMENT: Design for environment is an idea of implementing various environmental friendly aspects to create a product. Design for environment helps a company to minimize the waste and also decrease the pollution thereby saving some money which can be used for other processes. Design for environment helps engineers at various stages of the manufacturing process. While selecting a manufacturing process for a product an engineer should also keep in mind various aspects such as amount of energy used, amount of energy released, process should be non toxic. These are all the various aspects an engineer also has to keep in mind other than manufacturing and assembly of the product. Dfma 2009 gives the design engineers an extra option in which they could conduct a environmental assessment during the concept stage. The analysis helps the designers to select a suitable material from the DFMA library that they prefer to use. Then the software reveals the various proportions of those materials in a particular product. It also estimates various other proportions like reuse, recycle, end of life destinations and landfill. All these measure help the company meet the requirements set up by ROHS. DESIGN FOR RECYCLING: Design for recycling en-cooperates methods such as recycling and recyclability of products to obtain recyclable products. Recycling is a process where a product or a raw material is recovered from waste stream and is reused as a raw material in the manufacturing process of a new product. When a part is recycled it does not affect or change the properties or the price of a particular product. Design for recyclability helps a manufacturing process to reduce the environmental impact of a material and by following design for recyclability large number of parts can be reused this thereby decrease the cost for raw material and thus decreasing the overall costs for manufacturing a product. DESIGN FOR SAFETY: Many companies use safety standards purely as guidelines. Although some safety equipments are costly the future savings make up for the cost invested. Safety production also helps the company in producing more. Safety also improves the morale of the worker which helps in the increase of production. The main aspects or the principles on which DFMA focus are: Raw materials Minimize the number of parts Minimize the number of fasteners Standardize Avoid difficult components Use modular subassemblies Use multifunctional parts Minimize reorientation Use self-locating features Avoid special tooling/test equipment Eliminate Interfaces Minimize operations process steps Part Interchangeability Design Tolerances to Meet Process Capability Determine Capabilities of each Process Step Design for Ease of Part Orientation for Assembly Eliminate Multiple Solder and Cleaning Steps Eliminate Adjustments DFMA Raw materials: Choosing the best raw material for the design is the first step in designing a world class product. There are many factors that need to be considered when choosing the best material for a design. At first the material must have the correct mechanical and chemical properties to meet the design criteria. Secondly when possible one should choose a standard material that is readily available. Using special materials may increase purchase price and lengthen deliveries. Third use near net parts whenever possible. The raw materials profile should be as close to finished parts as possible to reduce processing. DFMA Minimize the number of parts: Minimizing the number of parts directly affects the final cost of the product. By minimizing the number of parts Product quality, flexibility and reliability of the product is increased. The fewer parts a product has the fewer chances of misalignment. DFMA Minimize the number of fasteners: Fasteners increase the complexity of a particular product, thereby increasing its weight and cost. Dfma main aim is to eliminate the fasteners and include self aligning features into a part. If fasteners are needed in a part then its better off using self tapping screws DFMA standardize: Standardization is a phenomenon which requires increase in communication between different design teams working on a complex product. The more standard products an engineer uses for manufacturing of a product the less number of tools are required and it gradually decreases the cost for production. The best method is to create a list of various standard parts available for each project. In order to smooth the progress of the standard parts, the design and manufacturing team should make the most of the different resources such as trade magazines, various vender catalogs and various part manuals. DFMA modular sub-assemblies: With the help of modular designs, the identification of problems becomes easier by reducing the number of parts. Maintenance and serviceability of a product also increases by using modular assemblies. By designing parts as independent modules times for disassembly are reduced thereby decreasing the overall repair time. DFMA Using stack assemblies: Stack assembly is stacking up the components of an assembly from bottom to top. The main purpose of using stack assemblies is it requires less reorientation of parts which leads to speeding up the assembly process, which thereby decreases the cost for assembly. DFMA self locating features: The use of Self aligning parts speeds up the assembly process. Self aligning parts dont need any kind of adjustment or re-orientation. The more the self aligning parts present in a product assembly the much easier it is for an assembly worker to assemble the product. Different types of self aligning parts are washers, ball bearings, roller bearings. DFMA simplifies and optimizes the manufacturing process : Minimization of manufacturing process reduces the direct and overhead costs. While designing a production process a designers main aim should be on various factors like Smooth flowing of materials. Using various processes than can easily be controlled. Separating different operation (like manual and automated ) DFMA Eliminate Interfaces: Eliminating of interfaces is an important phenomenon while assembling of a product. The amount of interfaces increases the cost of an assembly. Each interface present on the part increases the time for assembly as it requires double the amount of information. DFMA Part Interchangeability: Interchangeability is a phenomenon where similar parts are used for manufacturing of a product that can be interchanged. This phenomenon reduces the number of parts used for an assembly which leads to a decrease in assembly time and costs. While using interchangeability left and right handed parts should be avoided because they create confusion which directly leads to increase in time. DFMA Design Tolerances to Meet Process Capability: Tolerances are such parameters of a part which tend to complicate the design. If a tight tolerance has been specified for a particular part, other process such as inspection or fixturing has to be done. Which gradually increase the overall cost of a product and also time is wasted. They fore a designer during the design process should understand the manufacturing and suppler capacity while specifying different tolerance to make sure that tight tolerances are necessary DFMA Minimizes parts for interconnections: Interconnected parts are flexible parts which are used to connect two parts in an assembly. Interconnected parts are prone to get damaged when compared to other parts. When harnesses are used in an assembly of a product always ensures that we are using distinctive connectors for a simple reason to avoid the connectors being misaligned DFMA Determines Capabilities of each Process Step: Process capability can be defined as an ability of an process to produce within a suitable specification. When the correct process capabilities of a particular deign are determined, it also helps the design team by giving them some valuable information from which they could choose a simple technology and a simple sequence. Which directly decreases the costs for assembly and gradually the time for production is also decreased. Eliminate multiple solder and cleaning steps: The more processes one uses in manufacturing of a product the more are its risks, costs and potential for delays. Production engineers use DFMA to minimize the processing technologies used in the manufacturing process. The more the number of technologies the greater are the chances for various errors and part malfunction. Eliminating adjustments: Minor adjustments only affects the look of the product, but it does not affect the functionally of the product whereas the major adjustments have a major affect on the functioning process of the product. Adjustments are normally complicated process which involves huge costs. Elimination adjustments could also include replacement of parts in the assembly. WHY DFMA Dfma can be used as the basis for engineering studies and thereby provide a guidance for the design team to simplify the existing product, reduce its manufacturing and assembly costs. It can also be used as a benchmarking tool to study competitors and to quantify manufacturing and the difficulties that arise during assemblies One can also use Dfma as it â€Å"should-cost† tool to help validate design concepts, provide cost predictions, and to negotiate suppliers bids and contracts. The main purpose to use dfma is Dfma also helps us to keep various aspects in mind during the manufacturing and assembling a product. Materials Is material that we are going to use available in standard stock configuration. Is material well-suited with the most desirable manufacturing process. Is the material available from reliable sources. Do material prices fluctuate widely over time. Are special alloys and exotic materials used only for environmental or functional demands. Product Assembly Are tolerance dimensions realistic. Is marking and stenciling defined and visible. Are assembly notes complete and definitive. Is internal wiring layout critical? If so, is the location and routing specified? Is harness development required? If so, can the harness be fabricated outside the unit and installed as a subassembly. Does the design lend itself to automated assembly. Are component parts accessible for assembly. Can testing be performed without disassembling the unit. Are standard connectors and assembly hardware used. Are circuit cards, if used, designed to plug in. Has the assembly been analyzed to meet electrical, thermal, vibration, and shock Specifications. Can printed circuit flex cable or moulded ribbon be used in place of hard wiring. Can plastic tie-wraps be used in place of lacing or spot ties. HOW DFMA Designers do not enter a new design situation as newcomers or novices. Through education and practice they have acquired a vast repertoire of design solutions, which they will carry over the design task at hand (PASMAN, 2003).All these experiences are due to the result of several situation mistakes, improvement opportunities or just real good new ideas acquired due to development and research on design area. A good engineer must know what happens in his factory in a detail level that can permit an assembly to be done and an injected part to be extracted and also must know were the assembled parts are and the injected material should be in the correct geometry. These means two different conflicting conditions. The designer cannot stay in his area ignoring what is happening around and the designer must know his tasks perfectly to justify his work position. The question remains, is it possible to be in simultaneously in the factory and in the design office? FERREIRA and TOLEDO (2002) say so and suggested how using the technique of Design for Manufacture and Assembly is possible to â€Å"hear the voice of the production line† and been virtually near to the information. BUSS et al. (2001) agreed with this point of view, saying that the DFMA allows bring to the project area the considerations related to the assembly and manufacturability of the product. Finally FAGADE and KAZMER (1998) defended that the most significant advantage of DFMA is the encouragement of the teamwork between project and production, improving the reliability of the final product and generating the possibility of cost/time to deliver reductions due decreasing in the parts number and/or more productive parts that can accelerate processes. WHAT TO HAVE DFMA: First of all we need to understand the project with DFMA techniques. For this is important to define the product conception as a task of multiple responsibility, from the conceptual sketch to the packed assembly delivered there are many operations and actions that need to be considered. Thus in accordance with the key points the total chain of the process is to be defined in an clear form from one (process) to another to provide or receive services/pre-processes Also is essential to let all teams warned that the project is designed for manufacture and assembly and this means that all attention is focused in a development for that condition and this means that the manufacture must be heard all time. To achieve all this, there should be efficient communication, efficient information, translation of data is the basic requirements on a DFMA driven development. WHEN DFMA: Whats the correct time to carry on a Dfma driven project? CAPUCHO et al. (1997) adopted after observe the behaviour of multidisciplinary teams that the local rework caused by an activity with adverse results is much smaller then a global restructuring of a project also, a global reproject may be impossible due costs (according to HARTLEY and OKAMOTO (1992)) the inclusion of a change in a running project is more expansive as more is close to the project end or due other factors as time and market expectations. So, once the projects main activities are defined the doing them is a good option irrespective of their order of development. Mistakes, adverse results and budget can less compromise the project running timetable. Which technology: According to BOOTHROYD (2001) the rising sophistication in the use of moulded injection plastics. Injection moulding is an important tool to win the battle of reduces parts to save costs and creates an elegant design. Based on the literature present and other articles researched by the groups of teams on plastic injection acquired by work and development in other lines (refrigerators and washing machines), where plastics are used in a very large scale,It was decided to try a solution using injection of thermoplastics. This was a risky decision. First of all the temperature limitations on a plastic material are more severe than in a metal limits also include the possibility of deformations, flowing and resistance downgrade. After that, a running and deployed solution give some comfort to the project designers and all of other teams: the new idea was offering a possibility of assembly improvement and a bundled possibility of fail, this means that for some parts of the workgroup the manufacturability advantages were not good enough to release the change in short words that was to develop a substitute part to improve a good working assembly to give some help to line and to reduce costs, with a low, but existent, possibility of further problem. Case studies of companies that used DFMA software Product: Motorcycles Company: Harley Davidson General goals: Identify the total costs (make design, material, process) and by making some substitutions to have an impact on cost. Improve the overall cost predictability of the product to meet the desired revenue and costs targets Method: Engineers of Harley and the suppliers team up and the cad models of each part are loaded into the dfma software. Dfma software generates cost information that gives rise to various discusiions on cost, labour rate , process materials etc. A motorcycle frame was designed which was to cut down the costs by 70 dollars . before the manufacturing of the new frame Harley Davidson analysed various departments in DFMA like material cost , operating efficiency, plant cost. The software predicted that the current frame costs within 0.5%. Frame of Harley Davidson motorcycle Then the new frame was analysed in DFMA software, the company found out that the new frame would cost 7 dollars more than the old frame (not dollars 70 less as they had anticipated). Harley Davidson was glad to discover this before they went into production and they researched various other areas for cost savings, before the bike was launched. Product: Microwave Company: whirlpool General goals : To reduce the costs inside the plant Generate a good slim design. Simplify or eliminate assembly processes. Method: Teams were developed which consisted of all types of engineers (mechanical, electrical, technicians, air ventilation designers. The teams closely observed all the video tapes of the assembly line of the current microwave to spot the different weak or awkward operations. Teams structured a bill of materials and saw how the product was assembled or in what order it would assemble before crating a prototype of the model. Engineers used DFMA and prepared a performance matrix in which they could evaluate the easiest and the awkward assembly operations. In the original design, the worker had to turn the chassis over to install the door spring, and then turn it back over to do the rest of the operation. With the help of dfma the engineers can to a conclusion to have the spring in the front of the oven, so that there was no need to turn the chassis to install the spring. With the help of DFMA analysis whirlpool had the following results. 29% part reduction was achieved . 106 parts for the new oven, versus 150, this was more than expected. Many of the reduced parts were fasteners, cutting assembly time 26% Standardized cabling across product lines, creating immediate assembly and part savings Payback time was 6 months Product: Gourmet coffeemaker Goals: High standards of coffe tate Uniform coffe saturation Temperature control Weight of the design is less Efficient design for best retail price. Company Access group is one of the leading distributor and manufactures of a comprehensive range of durable products, which include water treatment and air filtration systems and most importantly an award winning coffee maker. Which we are going to discuss in this case study. Two years ago access business group wanted to design an high end coffee maker to support their own line of water filters and gourmet coffees. According to access business group their main was to build a coffee maker which is stream lined and an efficient machine and they achieved their objectives with the help of design for manufacture and assembly software. Using DFMA analysis: The major aim of DFMA analysis was to determine the minimum number of parts for this design. With the help of DFMA the design engineers could reposition the motor much closer to the power and a bit higher on the machine. This phenomenon was achieved due to the reduction in the number of parts. Most companies now a days gives higher priority to the look of a product, designers of gourmet decided to replace the existing motor with a new sleek and a less power motor thereby saving the costs. Manufacturing of the coffe maker using DFMA involves three stage Bill of materials Middle product development Fine tuning of the design Design for assembly consists of an index Colum which shows the results or the rating of the design. As the time taken for assembly, costs for the assembly and when the parts are consolidated or omitted the index number rises. The table present below indicates how DFMA software helped kahve coffee maker to reduce the part count, cost and assembly time. Kahve coffee maker DFMA Round 1 DFMA Round 2 DFMA Round 3

Interview Essay - Peter Clauss -- Interview Essays

Interview Essay - Peter Clauss Peter Clauss was born March 21, 1935, in what was then, East Germany. Growing up he worked in hotel restaurants; this was where he learned his trade. Instead of attending the regular school system he learned the skills that he would need later on in life in the restaurant. Today Peter enjoys attending the opera, theater, concerts and plays. It is these places where he finds most of his happiness in life. What is your definition of happiness? "Not to have any worries or as few worries as possible." Has your definition changed over the years? "Yes." "This year I changed a lot, it's a whole process." Who or what do you turn to when you are unhappy? "Music or books, but especially music. Music isn't for some people, but it is for me. For example, Beethoven and Bach put all this philosophy and emotion in their music." What makes you unhappy? "Cruelty towards animals makes me unhappy. And stupidity or stupid attitudes. I try to stay away from that, you know if someone says you're stupid, I just forget it and walk away." How do other people's attitudes affect your happiness? "It doesn't affect me because if they are unhappy, then I just stay away from them. When I am going out with my friends and they bring along one of their friends, that is fine, because if their friends are good to them, then they are friends of mine. So other people's attitudes really don't affect me." How did your childhood influence your sense of happiness? "I grew up in Germany, I know a little bit about the Nazi's. The war ended in 1945 when I was 10 years old, so I know a little bit, but not much. My mother was an apprentice and was employed by Jews. She always said that they were such wonderful people.... ...rmany and their communistic views." Are you pleased with yourself? "Oh yes, very. Absolutely couldn't be better." Religion? "I gave up religion. Religion is kind of superstitious; especially if you are young, they kind of corrupt you. God is like a baked potato and every church puts a different topping on it to make it more appealing. But really all it is, is don't do any bad things like the basics. In religion you are always waiting for something, its like gimme gimme, and then if it doesn't come, its like, how can you do this to me?" If you could give a piece of advice for achieving happiness what would it be? "I would say listen to music, because music to me is like religion. If you educate your five senses, then you will have a happy life." Peter was a very friendly person. I enjoyed the time I had learning about his life, and I wish him the best. Interview Essay - Peter Clauss -- Interview Essays Interview Essay - Peter Clauss Peter Clauss was born March 21, 1935, in what was then, East Germany. Growing up he worked in hotel restaurants; this was where he learned his trade. Instead of attending the regular school system he learned the skills that he would need later on in life in the restaurant. Today Peter enjoys attending the opera, theater, concerts and plays. It is these places where he finds most of his happiness in life. What is your definition of happiness? "Not to have any worries or as few worries as possible." Has your definition changed over the years? "Yes." "This year I changed a lot, it's a whole process." Who or what do you turn to when you are unhappy? "Music or books, but especially music. Music isn't for some people, but it is for me. For example, Beethoven and Bach put all this philosophy and emotion in their music." What makes you unhappy? "Cruelty towards animals makes me unhappy. And stupidity or stupid attitudes. I try to stay away from that, you know if someone says you're stupid, I just forget it and walk away." How do other people's attitudes affect your happiness? "It doesn't affect me because if they are unhappy, then I just stay away from them. When I am going out with my friends and they bring along one of their friends, that is fine, because if their friends are good to them, then they are friends of mine. So other people's attitudes really don't affect me." How did your childhood influence your sense of happiness? "I grew up in Germany, I know a little bit about the Nazi's. The war ended in 1945 when I was 10 years old, so I know a little bit, but not much. My mother was an apprentice and was employed by Jews. She always said that they were such wonderful people.... ...rmany and their communistic views." Are you pleased with yourself? "Oh yes, very. Absolutely couldn't be better." Religion? "I gave up religion. Religion is kind of superstitious; especially if you are young, they kind of corrupt you. God is like a baked potato and every church puts a different topping on it to make it more appealing. But really all it is, is don't do any bad things like the basics. In religion you are always waiting for something, its like gimme gimme, and then if it doesn't come, its like, how can you do this to me?" If you could give a piece of advice for achieving happiness what would it be? "I would say listen to music, because music to me is like religion. If you educate your five senses, then you will have a happy life." Peter was a very friendly person. I enjoyed the time I had learning about his life, and I wish him the best.

El Teatro Contra Las Peliculas :: essays research papers

El teatro contra las peliculas   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aunque la pelicula surgio del teatro, hay diferencias distintas que los separan. La pelicula se ha convertido en una clase de entretenimiento con propositos para entretener a la gran cantidad de gente. Se enfrentan las necesidades del publico de salir del teatro satisfechos y felices. Al contrario, el teatro sigue apelando a un publico educado que esta buscando una experiencia que empiece el pensamiento. Por eso, el drama La muerte y la doncella y la consiguiente pelicula, Death and the Maiden, contienen finales tan distintos.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  La muerte y la doncella es una drama escrita acerca de una mujer llamada Paulina que fue torturada por un doctor durante la dictadura de su pais. Una noche su esposo, Gerardo, llega tarde por causa de un neumatico ponchado. Un doctor Roberto es el buen samaritano porque lleva a Gerardo a su casa. Paulina sospecha que Roberto es el doctor que fue su torturador. Entonces, cuando Roberto esta durmiendo en su casa, Paulina lo detiene como regen con una pistola, y ella dice que no lo va a librar a menos que Roberto confiese ser el torturador.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  En el drama escrito por Ariel Dorfman, el final deja al publico pensativo. Algunas cosas quedan ambiguas. Por ejemplo, el doctor Roberto nunca confesea al crimen contra Paulina. Tampoco sabemos si Paulina lo mato. El dialago entre Roberto y Paulina cerca del final termina con Paulina enojada y aputando a el la pistola. La escena final ocurre en una sala de conciertos, y cuando entra Roberto, el esta iluminado, Paulina lo vio y no hizo nada. La interpretacion del espectador determina el final de la obra.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  En cambio, la trama de la pelicula dirigida por Roman Polaski tiene un final que deja al publico satisfecho con una obra completa. A pesar de unos detalles casi irrelevantes, las dos obras son casi identicas hasta el final. En el final, Roberto niega a Paulina la confesion hasta que Paulina le lleva al acantilado y le dice que le va a tirar al barranco. Con tono sincero le confiesa a Paulina todo lo que le hizo a ella durante la dictadura. Despues de la confesion, Paulina no lo puede matar, y queda vivo. Cuando ellos se ven en la sala de concierto, el publico no esta confundido por la presencia iluminada de Roberto porque saben que todavia esta vivo.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Estas diferencias entre el drama y la pelicula existen por la diferencia entre el publico de una obra de teatro y el publico de una pelicula. Las obras de teatro de hoy

Book of Eli Social Commentary Essay

The film The Book of Eli directed by the Hughes brothers is a cinematic display of dystopian genius. Many dystopian films critique government involvement, privacy issues, and ethical concerns. However in The Book of Eli, the Hughes brothers take a jump to a different part of modern society: religion. Numerous religions are practiced in society as they are protected under the first amendment. The written word can be interpreted many different ways whether it is for good or evil and this film does a great job outlining the interpretations. The Book of Eli is a dystopian symbol for how organized religion is abused in modern society. Religion as a whole is seen throughout the film. Eli, the main character, believes that his purpose on Earth is to bring the Bible out West and to protect it. He is a religious man, regularly reading and praying from the book. He is devout and puts the books’ protection before other ethical issues. In the film, Eli encounters a woman being gang-raped. He proceeds to say† follow the path, follow the path.† He continues moving because his only mission is to get the Bible to the West. Eli believes that God put him on Earth to carry the book to the West, so he will do anything to get it there. The beginning of the film outlines Eli as having the inclination of protecting the book, yet he doesn’t quite understand the message of compassion found within the words. In this same way, we see religious zealots who â€Å"believe† in their religion so strongly that they sometimes ignore those that have less than them. Eli could’ve helped the woman being raped but instead continued with his journey, not straying in the least. These days, people go to church to hear preachers talk of compassion and loving forgiveness but once Mass is over, sure enough there is always a fight in the parking lot when everyone is trying to leave in a hurry. For many, these scriptures go in one ear and out the other and only certain passages are held on to because they deal with the problems faced only at that very moment. Carnegie’s mission is one of the most important parts of the film. He is in a long search for the Bible and is one of the only people who can still read. He yearns to rebuild civilization and become a dictator to many towns. He believes that the Bible holds power. With the book, Carnegie believes that he will be able to gain followers as long as he uses the written word. Carnegie and his men only see the Bible as a means of control, and do not see the true meaning of the written word: compassion, devotion, and freedom. This also mirrors the current situation with the Vatican. The Pope claims that condoms will worsen the African AIDS crisis. He believes â€Å"The traditional teaching of the church has proven to be the only failsafe way to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids.† The Pope is trying to use his religion to keep power over the African people. 67% of people with HIV live in Africa, so by him preaching to not use condoms, he will reach a significant amount of people. In a dire situation like this, the Pope will use his religion to convey his message of God. Religions like this one could be used to build morality in people by taking stories and finding the values in them. However, they can also be used to attack certain individuals and be used as a means of control. Eli and Carnegie resemble both sides and warn of the evils that can come from an otherwise useful tool to teach from. Sunglasses also play a powerful role in the film as Eli wears them mysteriously throughout. The audience does not know why this is until the end of the movie when it is revealed that Eli is at least partially blind, if not completely. Looking back at the film, hints are dropped to suggest that Eli lacks vision. A significant line he says is â€Å"I walk by faith not by sight.† This can be interpreted in many ways. Eli walks with the Bible, his faith, to the west coast. He feels God put him on Earth to bring the bible to the west to preserve it along with other important books of faith that will later be used to recreate civilization. While walking, he is guided by God’s message instead of what he is able to see in front of him. Only two people in the film are able to read the book: Eli and Solara’s mother. Those who can’t see are the only ones who can truly read from the book. They are the most pure in the sense that they cannot see the corrupt society around them, so all they have to guide them through life is their faith. In today’s society people are surrounded by the deviant behaviors of sexual activity, drug usage, and violence as entertainment. In order to stay grounded to their own morality, people rely on their faith to guide them. These people are blind to the ills of society because they are confident in their values. The Book of Eli does a phenomenal job of describing abuses of religion in modern society, however, the concept it much bigger than that. In a perfect world, there are perfect people and no problems. In today’s society people do whatever they want with their money, time, religion, etc. There are no ground roots to fall back on. The people are the ones creating chaos; it’s not any one specific event. However, people place the blame on anything they can think of: money, time, religion, etc. Most people use this blame to gain control, and then it becomes a power struggle. This film was meant for the audience to think beyond the religious undertone, and realize the real issue: themselves.

Coca Cola Vending Machines Case Study

Coca Cola a Vending Machine Case Study Problem Statement: Coca Cola Co. , the world’s largest beverage company is facing a public relation nightmare which can ultimately put their brand image at stake. Their Chairman and CEO, Ivan Ivester, abruptly announced the introduction of interactive vending technology which will lower the price of coke during off-peak buying time and increase the price during very hot weather conditions, Ivester virtually confirmed the vending machines will be introduced to the market soon.The core problem is not if the vending machine should be brought to market but WHEN and what the public relations/marketing strategy should be in the midst of the current media scrutiny to rebuild loyalty with avid coke drinkers and Coke’s image. Critical Factors: Increasing the vending machine profit, which has been the main profit resource for the company, serves the purpose of the new technology. Sales of soft drinks are on the rise. Last year, about 11. 9 % of soft drinks world- wide derived from vending machines. Intelligent vending has already begun in Japan using the same technology.Taking full advantage of the law of supply and demand, price fluctuations occur all the time in several industries such as the airline and movie industries and are not new to the general public. It often occurs when the supply for any product is high and the demand is low; basic economics. Price discrimination also can occur demographically or geographically and is hard to eliminate from a customer’s mind once disclosed in a negative light ultimately setting the stage to lose customers to Coke’s #1 competitor, PepsiCo. Additionally, their brand image is at stake.Ivester's statements regarding the new technology was disclosed too soon and the response from the public relations team was not sufficient to the loyal coke drinkers and the media, spurring several negative articles and backlash from their customers. Strategic Alternatives: Option A. Eliminate any option of introducing the interactive vending machines to the public in the near future and create a new public relations and marketing strategy focusing on Coke's loyalty to its customers to include re-establishing the value of drinking coke during extreme hot and cold temperatures.Option B. Proceed with a plan to implement the intelligent vending machines at a later date than plan originally plan, while working to develop a new public relations and marketing strategy to curtail the current media damage, focusing on Coke's loyalty to its customers and re-establish the value of drinking coke during any weather conditions. Evaluation of Alternatives: Option A: ?Pros: Build trust with consumers; on same level with competitors regarding technology. Cons: This strategy does not coincide with the company’s marking plan to pump more sales of the flagship coke into the market, most likely utilizing the heat sensitive vending machine as one of the core tactics to in crease revenues. Option B: ?Pros: Technology availability and costs to implement the new vending machines is inexpensive due to falling prices of the temperature sensors and computer chips; ? Internet connectivity associated with the technology makes it very easy to track daily and hourly demand based on fluctuations thus making it easy to determine the price point offered in any region; ?The new public relations and marketing campaign will slowly educate the consumer of the inevitable; ? Increase profitability during the peak season due to lower costs compared to competitors. ?Cons: Run the risk of losing loyal customers due to the price gaps urging many consumers to search for lower price from the competitor’s vending machine; ? Largest competitor, PepsiCo announced they have did not have any plans to introduce the new technology Recommendation: Option B Corrective measures must take place to implement a strategy of price changes.Coke must improve their public image with a well executed public relations and marketing strategy. Justification: As a consumer, I am not sure why corporations continue to insult our intelligence. If a product is in the testing stage, then it is just a matter of time before the new technology, (if worthy) is introduced to the market. R in this case, serves the sole purpose of creating new technology in order to maximize efficiency and costs, thus increasing profits. And, quite frankly there is nothing wrong with a company trying to maximize profits.Vending machines have remained largely untouched by discounting and although the machines can automatically raise prices for its drinks in hot weather, in my opinion not too many consumers would notice. Coca Cola Co. can also be the first in the SDC market to introduce new innovation that will be able to effectively gauge the buying interests of their customer by the touch of a button. This technology will help to predict sale revenues and take the guesswork out of customersâ€℠¢ wants and needs.It will also allow Coca Cola Co, to always stay ahead of the competition and remained the leader in the industry. Additionally, price discrimination exists everywhere, across all industries and the new technology will connote increased efficiency for the entire SDC market. The public relations and marketing campaign will help to educate and prepare the average consumer of the inevitable introduction of heat sensitive vending machines. The goal in mind for the campaign is to continue to establish Coke as the number one thirst quencher regardless of the weather.