Northwest Case Study Essay Example

Northwest Case Study Essay Synopsis: Northwest Canadian Forest Products Limited is a company that owns and operates five saw mills in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. They produce lumber for construction in a few different countries. The President of the company is dealing with a tough situation with one of her mills in Jackson, British Columbia. The mill in Jackson is her least productive mill and she soon has to make a decision that could cost the company a substantial amount of money. She has the choice of either investing 50 million in the weak Jackson mill or to invest more that 50 million in a new mill high demand area. The president has been informed of the many complaints from the managers and supervisors, but nothing seems to be the right solution. The Jackson mill faces many problems with their safety regimen as well as the overall structure of the employees. The mill cannot operate productively internal employee disputes. The president stated that she will not invest 50 million in Jackson unless the new general manager makes some much needed improvement. The president soon needs to make the decision on whether to upgrade the Jackson Mill, or to start a new mill and lay off a large number of workers Diagnosis: Northwest Canadian Forest Products Limited has many problems they are facing with their Jackson mill. The problem is that there are poor labor-management relations. Workers have gone on strike multiple times leaving the company with physical and financial damage. There is no way a company will succeed unless there is some type of control within this branch. The managers are not taking their jobs seriously or even acting within reason. It has been noted that the overall safety of the employees is at risk due to past inspections. This company has no structure what so ever and has no goal oriented drive. Apparently almost every employee has some complaint directed at someone else. Not one employee seems to be willing to compromise toward a particular goal. Managers and Supervisors are not worried about the overall quality of the product being made; they are more concerned with the speed of production. The intense requirements put on the laborers are causing problems which lead to unfair treatment. Most of the laborers were not properly trained with the equipment because that was not the manager’s main concern. We will write a custom essay sample on Northwest Case Study specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Northwest Case Study specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Northwest Case Study specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Management was trying to be productive with speeding up production, but in return got angry employees working in unsafe areas. It is understood that there is no trust in the labor management relation, making it almost impossible for improvement. The overall problem should have been taken care of by the president when it first started many years ago. The products limited company does not understand the importance of goal oriented production. Each employee has a different goal in mind and in return none are getting reached. The president wants a quality product with efficient production; while the managers want mass production in a short amount of time. The laborer’s are getting over worked because they try and produce a quality product, but is impossible with the push they receive. In return the president is angry at the managers for the poor quality, while the managers are angry with laborers. It is a big circle of arguments that does not get solved. Solutions: 1)The first solution to the sawmills problem would be to get structure in the company. The president needs to go down to Jackson and take control of this situation. She needs to have managers and supervisors that take the blame for loss of productivity instead of blaming the labors. The president needs to be confident in these employees because they are the backbone of her operation. Before the 50 million dollars can be invested the situation needs to be handled. The president needs to make sure that her employees know safety is important to her. Some labors never felt safe and they thought the only goal was to make money. When safety checks are conducted then employees can be properly trained to do their intended job. If time is spent now to reinforce their skills with production money will be saved because there will be less down time. The company has been losing money for years now, so doing the correct procedures now will benefit them. The employees overall need to have a safe, friendly working environment or the saw mill will go back to how it originally operated. Each set of workers needs to be assigned a supervisor, then that supervisor reports to the manager. The general manger has the ultimate authority when it comes to decisions in the plant. The president puts full trust in the GM to run the day to day operations in this company. The 50 million dollars invested should not just go straight towards equipment. Some of that needs to be budgeted for employee training, safety upgrades, management seminars, productivity seminars, and employee surveys. Each one of these upgrades will contribute to the relations problem stated by the president. These problems will not just vanish; many companies elect these options as a form of improvement. If each of these options can be taken into account the company will have a better chance of success. These employees were thrown into a work environment they were not suited for. Each individual mill needs to have individual goals. The manager at the Jackson mill cannot expect to put out the same production as another mill in British Columbia. Every situation is different and each mill needs to set a limit. 2)The second solution to the problem would be to have the president invest in another mill in Alberta, Canada. The mill in Jackson, BC has so many problems and loss of productivity there needs to be some kind of change. Investing the 50 million would be too much of a risk because they have not turned profit in many years. If they downsize the mill, the GM can start from the ground up and gain some control of the situation. The president needs to realize each additional employee in her Jackson mill is contributing to the downfall of that individual mill. With the 50 million plus investment in Alberta, Northwest Canadian Forest Products Limited can now serve the demand of the customers in that market. This solution is still risky; however the company knows what kind of demand to expect because they are already in the area with another mill. They can predict how much business they will be getting due to the other mill. If one mill has to many production orders, the other mill can help out so the internal workers stay on track. This would be beneficial because employees would not be pushed to meet a quota of certain products. The president can learn from the Jackson mill that pushing employees to the limit has a negative effect. These mills are known for producing high quality lumber and it would be a mistake to test clients to see if they can tell the differences. The big investment in the new mill would save the quality of the product. Conclusion: The Preferred solution would be to get the Jackson mill in order before starting to make any investment. Jackson does need some upgrades, but the president believed that most of the problems were due to poor labor management. The Jackson mill has the same equipment as the other mills and those mills are not having any difficulties with productivity. The 50 million would be a waste on new equipment because that is not the main source of the problem. By downsizing the Jackson mill the GM can really get an idea of what plan he needs to put into action. The negative side of this action would be laying off workers, however if it is needed then there is no choice. If the Jackson mill is still underwater with better management then the president can make the right decision. Investing a large sum of money anywhere is a huge risk, she just needs to way out her options. If Jackson management is inline and production is up then the 50 million dollar investment would be beneficial. The company needs to look at the history of the Jackson mill. They upgraded the mill in 1986 and since then is has been the poorest in productivity and quality. This upgrade in the past confirms that the poor quality and productivity is in fact not the equipment. Overall downsizing is the best option and investing in another plant with high demand for product. Given the information from the case is hard to make a definite decision because there are no financial numbers given to us.

Definition and Examples of Descriptive Grammar

Definition and Examples of Descriptive Grammar The term descriptive grammar refers to an objective, nonjudgmental description of the grammatical constructions in a language. Its an examination of how a language is actually being used, in writing and in speech. Specialists in descriptive  grammar  (linguists) examine the principles and patterns that underlie the use of words, phrases, clauses, and sentences. Kirk Hazen notes, Descriptive grammars  do not give advice: They detail the ways in which  native speakers  use their language. A descriptive grammar is a survey of a language. For any living language, a descriptive grammar from one century will differ from a descriptive grammar of the next century because the language will have changed. (An Introduction to Language. John Wiley, 2015) Descriptive grammar, Edwin L. Battistella notes in Bad Language,  is the basis for  dictionaries, which record changes in  vocabulary  and  usage, and for the field of  linguistics, which aims at describing languages and investigating the nature of language.   The term descriptive is a little bit misleading, as descriptive grammar does provide analysis and explanation of the languages grammar and not just description of it. Contrast Descriptive and Prescriptive Grammar Contrast the type with prescriptive grammar, which  notes how something should or should not be used, what is right and wrong.  Prescriptive grammarians (such as most editors and teachers) attempt to enforce rules concerning â€Å"correct† or â€Å"incorrect† usage. According to Donald G. Ellis, All languages adhere to syntactical rules of one sort or another, but the rigidity of these rules is greater in some languages. It is very important to distinguish between the syntactical rules that govern a language and the rules that a culture imposes on its language. This is the distinction between descriptive grammar and prescriptive grammar. Descriptive grammars are essentially scientific theories that attempt to explain how language works....People spoke long before there were linguists around to uncover the rules of speaking....Prescriptive grammars, on the other hand, are the stuff of high school English teachers. They prescribe, like medicine for what ails you, how you ought to speak.  (From Language to Communication. Lawrence Erlbaum, 1999) Examples of the Difference To illustrate the difference between the types, for a descriptive grammarian, the sentence I aint going, is grammatical, because its spoken by someone using the language to construct a sentence that has meaning for someone else who speaks the same language. However, to a prescriptive grammarian, it most certainly isnt a grammatical sentence, because, as the adage says, aint aint a word... (though it is in the dictionary). And just having the word  aint  in the dictionary exactly illustrates the difference between the two types- descriptive grammar notes its use in the language, pronunciation, meaning, and maybe even etymology, without judgment. Its prescriptive grammar that says that the term  aint  shouldnt be used, especially in formal speaking or writing. For a descriptive grammarian to say that something is ungrammatical, the sentence would need to be something that a native speaker just wouldnt put together. For example, someone speaking English wouldnt put two question words at the beginning of a single sentence. The result would be unintelligible as well as ungrammatical. In that case, the descriptive and prescriptive grammarians would agree.

The Glycosylation Profile of Proteins in Biological Fluids Research Paper

The Glycosylation Profile of Proteins in Biological Fluids - Research Paper Example The kinds of buyers who are expected to be frequently served are habitual shoppers who buy products at same places over and over and in the same manner. These shoppers get awareness once they have run out of a product and use only information provided or easily available. Once they visit retail outlets they discover new products. In the evaluation stage, they are likely to fall back on long-held preferences since they are brand loyal but they are also susceptible to change. To make the purchase, they have to be reminded and their purchase can be planned or unplanned. In the last stage of post-sale service, they perform moderate evaluations unless switching brands (Nunes & Cespedes, nap). The best channel for this device places it in several factory outlet stores, websites and use of catalogue so that the buyer can get the information wherever they are used to shop. To create awareness of the product, salespersons or adverts can be placed at their favourite sites or factory locations and enough information provided to convince them to change their preferences. Such adverts or sales promotions keep reminding them of the need to buy such devices. Once they buy the product, they are likely to repeat the purchase as they become brand loyal. The open system is essential for such shoppers as they prefer buying everything in one place and not much concerned with product quality assurance. Targeted e-mail campaigns can also be used to remind such customers of the need to buy the devices.

Reason and democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reason and democracy - Essay Example In his speech on (2009), the united state president Barrack Obama claimed that, American presumes no knowledge of everyone's needs, but he believes that everyone yearns for certain things in life. These things include; the ability to share their thoughts on how they are governed; the ability to confide in the judicial system. In addition, citizens need to have a government they can confide in with their resources, and for the freedom to live as they may choose (Obama's Speech in Cairo 2009) In this sense, a true act of democracy must be supplied by reason. Democratic state, government in office are open and ready to supply all the essential facts of their actions to their citizens. This builds the citizens trust on the government in managing their resources, in the judicial system and their freedom to make their own chooses without state manipulation or threats (Obama's Speech in Cairo 2009).. If an individual believes that they are entitled to certain aspects in life, if one can clearly elaborate the reasons as to why they enjoy such rights as opposed to if they were not entitled to them, hence, they believe in democracy. In a judicial system, every judgment ought to be backed by reason. It is only in such circumstances that democracy is fulfilled. If a judge were to pass judgment on individuals without clarified reasons, then this would defile the aspect of democracy. Acts of democracy should be justifiable based on reason. In a dialogue between; Theseus from a democratic city, and Theban Herald from despotism city.

Overfishing and it Effects to the Environment Essay Example for Free

Overfishing and it Effects to the Environment Essay For the last 10 years, the world had been aware of the various changes which had been occurring within our environment. It is known to us that the actions which our ancestors had done in the past have now caused us many problems such as global disasters that could truly ruin the future of the next generation. In the event of the problem of climate change (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005), various things had come up such as pollution of the air and various water resources. Due to this, different aspect of the environment is deeply affected and sometimes devastated because of the scenarios present. For many people who live in a place where in fishing is their main industry, it is immediately declared that their primary source of income is directly affected by the harsh conditions of the changing weather brought by climate change. Although it is true the climate change is affecting the waters which is one of the main source of our resources, it could not be hidden that the individuals who are directly involved in the industry are also to be blamed to the catastrophe in the water industry. In the waters, one of the main problems which are faced by the industries is the lessening of the fishes in the see. One of the main culprits of this issue is the over fishing of various fishermen who are connected to the huge companies. Over fishing had been a main concern for various non-governmental organizations such that of the Green Peace. It was said by the respectful environmental group that â€Å"over-exploitation and mismanagement of fisheries has already led to some spectacular fisheries collapses. The cod fishery off Newfoundland, Canada collapsed in 1992, leading to the loss of some 40,000 jobs in the industry. The cod stocks in the North Sea and Baltic Sea are now heading the same way and are close to complete collapse† (Green Peace, 2008). Even before human beings have discovered new technologies, it is known that fishes are the main source of food for many. Based on various historical books such as the Bible, fish was the main commodity for the people in order for them to eat. As years gone by, more and more people are inclined to get more fish in order for them to gain income to provide their families. Various innovations and technological advancements were also used to increase the number of catch due to the increasing number of demand for fish. Based on the studies made by the Green Peace and their team of scientists it was stated that overfishing truly is causing a grave danger for the marine life and diversity of our oceans. Most of the fishermen who have the capacity to catch enough fish are those that utilize nets which are not suited to legally catch fish. Many of the fishermen use nets which has smaller holes which do not allow the smaller fishes to escape. This type of scenario happens most of the time, therefore the young fishes were not given a chance to grow and be mature enough to be caught. Through the Young Peoples Trust for the Environment, types of events happen due to commercial fishing. There are various techniques that are done by fishermen in order for them to capture various kinds of fishes. There are fishes which are called â€Å"pelagic† meaning they live within the upper parts of the water making them the most accessible fishes to be caught by fishing nets which are connected to the gigantic ships that fishermen use. It is stated that, â€Å"net suspended from floats is stretched between two boats so that fish swim into it. Fish are unable to swim backwards, so once they are caught in the net, there is no escape unless they are small enough to fit through the net’s mesh† (Young People’s Trust for the Environment, 2008). Other fishes that are in the deeper level of the sea are caught differently. There is also a big net placed under the boat which then gets everything that it captures along the way. The marine resources that I catch were not only fish but also the coral reefs, the schools and other organisms which are not supposed to be captured during the act of fishing. Such action is not only disastrous for the young fishes but also the organisms within the environment because they are also being displaced and even killed when there are commercial ships around. (n. p. ) In order to mitigate the problem of over fishing different agencies have created ways in order for them to fully destabilize the problem which is being caused by over fishing. One of the main agencies are the United Nations in which launched various types of programs and amendments to protect the marine resources all over the world as well as protect the marine resources that our world currently have. In 1995, an article was written about the treaty in which was proposed under the United Nations which addresses the problem in over fishing. It states that the treaty should be approved by 185 countries which then be ratified by 30 countries in order for the treaty to be fully taken into place. In addition, another program which had been under the United Nations is the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement (Government of Canada, 2006). However, Green Peace and World Wildlife Fund had expressed that this treaty would not directly answer the problems of over fishing. In fact, Matthew Gianni had stated that there is a great possibility that yearly there will be new innovations of boats which will be able to detect fish which then result to much more damage to our marine resources (Crossette, 1995). With such article, it directly states that these international organizations does not trust that a plain agreement with various countries thus they suggests more than just an agreement but a full arrangement and limitation of the types of vessels which should be reasonable to be able to catch enough fish. In addition, fishes which will be caught will be enough in size and maturity which will then leave the small fishes to be fully grown and create another generation of fishes. The World Wildlife Fund have done their own actions in order for help create a sustainable fishing for the future generation. They have noted various types of steps in which they called: Fisheries Partnership Agreements which listed these various general actions to fully attain sustainable fishing: †¢ respect sustainable fishing levels account for environmental costs †¢ protect local fishers †¢ include compliance with flag state laws †¢ are based on best practice fisheries management †¢ include cooperation on research and monitoring †¢ ensure adequate monitoring and enforcement capacity †¢ ensure fairer sharing of economic benefits between producer and extractor nations (World Wildlife Fund, 2008) In conclusion, many of our world’s resources had now been gone and are still being abused by various types of industries due to the demand of resources the global economy has. But then, we should remember that we must learn how to conserve our natural resources so that there would not be scarce resources for the future. Like the World Wildlife Fund and the Green Peace have stated, it is not enough the there will be treaties and agreements under these types of issues. It is still important that the mitigation process should be continuously checked in order to incur changes for the environment, the amount of resources as well as to secure the lives of the future generation. The continuous efforts of the international community, through the help of various countries as well as the international organization will lead to a prosperous and much more peaceful fellowship with one another. On the other hand, the issue of climate change must also be resolved for the reason that it also affects the issue regarding overfishing and lessening of the resources available for various marine industries. Although there are issues like this, it should be taken into mind that the responsibility is not only through organizations but also through an individualistic perspective.

Hollow Men Explication :: English Literature

Hollow Men Explication We are the hollow men We are the stuffed men" Empty and full. Considering the speaker of this fraternity of contradictions is a singular being (it can be a human, or even a rock) representing the many of its kind, it resembles the likes of a scarecrow or perhaps a mannequin along the lines of those seen on CNN representing a Bush with a monstrously big nose put on flames. A scare crow with straw. Stuffed to the brims. A substance lacking substantiality. The straw is the substance, but each individual straw is hollow, light, one nuance of color yet together they make a purpose one of either being a mockery of what the U.N. puts in its record books of the only super power in the beginning of the 21st century or scaring crows away. There is a purpose amongst hollow grounds, a purpose for the straw to be compacted together. And alas, that purpose is accomplished when a "we" is achieved not an "I." "Leaning together Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!" This reconfirms my suspicions of flitting together to achieve a statute of social approval, of a status that determines the purpose to be one of those flirting with the positive. And all they have to do is lean their heads, even the heads that are full of straw, in a virtually neuron encapsulated skull. Lean over, and take a toast to their drinks a mere tink of the tumblers even scotch couldn't have a more satisfying "alas" signaling a finality of finite relief. "Our dried voices, when We whisper together Are quiet and meaningless As wind in dry grass Or rats' feet over broken glass In our dry cellar" Hollow voices, minus the dew of moisture. Yet this phrase is a complete antithesis of my hastily drawn theory within the time frame of how long my eye lids can venture off as those determined jackasses to avoid flitting down (yes Mr. Little, my very own testament of 2 o' clock wanderings into "Hallow Men" turn over some hollow stones themselves, but I'm not complaining, enjoy). Quite literally, as I'm taking this metaphor minus the allusions I strongly suspect this poem to have (perhaps even borrowed???), convening among themselves produces no rate of success, for the meeting bears no vital result. But whom is to claim that it is a vital result which implies a success, is what out scarecrow is trying to vouch after? Elliot brushes out a downcast mood on canvas, seemingly a sketch of shadows as a precursor to more feet sliding across shards of glass. As for the result of a conference, it can also point to the non-existence of

Mobile American Sign Language

Inaccessible technology interferes with an ability to obtain and use information quickly and easily. Mobile American Sign Language by the University of Washington is about a recently develop cell phone software that allows deaf and hard-of-hearing people to use ASL through video calls. â€Å"The MobileASL team has been working to optimize compressed video signals for sign language. † This was a great article to read. I was excited when I was able to video chat on my cell phone, so I know deaf people are very excited to have a way of talking to each other over video chat. It is a much better way of communication for deaf and hard of hearing. Once MobileASL software is worked out it could possibly run on any mobile device. â€Å"Transmitting sign language as efficiently as possible increases affordability improves reliability on slower networks and extends battery life, even on devices that might have the capacity to deliver higher quality video. † Researchers have brought the data down to about 30 kilobytes per second while still relaying clear sign language. The participants in this study were pleased with MobileASL. Most deaf or hard-of-hearing people use text messages as a means to communicate on a cell phone. Text messaging is a good way to communicate but sometimes it is slow and the message might not be clear. Sometimes they don’t know if the person even receives the text message. I will have to find me sum deaf friends now because I love to video chat with others. Since I’m learning ASL they could help me study and still be at the house and me at mines. MobileASL can detect if you are the one signing or not. This detection helps save the battery life. If you are the one signing you use more of the battery. So I suggest you just â€Å"listen†, you will save your battery. Some phone companies need to find out how they do this so my phone battery could last longer. I would have thought that ASL signers could have video chat with an iPhone but that’s not the case. Yes they could use the iPhone but the prices are way too high. Some broadband companies have blocked the â€Å"bandwidth-hogging† video conferencing from their network. The iPhone uses 10 times more bandwidth than MobileASL. What’s the reason for them to block the bandwidth? They should be trying to help. I will read more about this because this is very interesting to me. It’s interesting that they haven’t come up with some kind of software already. Deaf and hard of hearing people do need another means of comminuting on the mobile phones besides text messaging because sometimes that just doesn’t work. The prefer talking face to face anyway. I still would like to know why they are blocking the bandwidth instead of trying to help improve the problem.