Lean Manufacturing: Concept Overview and Disadvantages

Lean Manufacturing: Concept Overview and Disadvantages Introduction The most noteworthy evolution of lean accounting in recent years has been a sharpening focus on value. Lean has always been centered on creating value for customers and eliminating non-value adding waste (Asefeso, p 9). Lean accounting has been steadily making it possible for manufacturers to explicitly measure value in financial terms and to focus improvement efforts on increasing value. With many manufacturers now implementing lean, it becomes essential to discover what part of lean accounting has played in the changes made. This paper will give a brief background of lean manufacturing and a general overview of what lean accounting is. I will also explore some problems and disadvantages of lean accounting from various researched articles. Background of Lean Manufacturing Lean is a philosophy that spurred from the Toyota Production System (TPS). TPS was created by Toyotas founder Sakichi Toyodo, Kiichiro Toyoda, and Taiichi Ohno. Much of TPS was also influenced by W. Edwards Demings statistic process control (SPC) and Henry Fords mass production lines. However, the Japanese were not impressed with Fords approach because it was filled with over-production, lots of inventory, and much waiting. Toyota identified these weaknesses in Fords production line and adapted the production line to create a more productive and reliable production line. TPS and lean also use just-in-time inventory where only small amounts of inventory were ordered and very little inventory was left waiting in the production line. This also was very different from Fords production line which usually bought high volumes of materials and had high inventory levels to lower costs. After TPS proved to be successful for Toyota, many companies adapted their production lines to incorporate lean principles. Lean management was first introduced in the United States in the early 1980s after a global study of the performance of automotive assembly plants. Essentially, the primary principle of lean is that it is a tool used in manufacturing to eliminate waste, improve quality, and reduce cost. Waste is eliminated by identifying non-value added activity. The main objective is to supply perfect value to the customer through a perfect value product that has no waste. Eliminating waste along entire value streams, instead of at isolated points, creates processes that need less human effort, less space, less capital, and less time to make products and services at far less costs and with much fewer defects, compared with traditional business systems (What is Lean?). Companies may face certain challenges when applying lean to their production lines. First, lean should be applied to companies that have production lines that are routine, predictable, stable, and can be flow charted. Second, lean implementation may take years and can be very costly in large companies. Depending on how integrated the systems and how disciplined the production line is, it is quite possible that a lean implementation may fail. There are several key lean manufacturing principles that need to be understood in order to implement lean. Failure to understand and apply these principles will most likely result in failure or a lack of commitment from everyone (Key Lean Manufacturing). These principles are as follows: 1. Elimination of waste; 2. Continuous improvement; 3. Respect for humanity; 4. Levelized production; 5. Just-in-time production; and 6. Quality built-in (Key Lean Manufacturing). Management may also be discouraged to adopt lean manufacturing right away because the lean implementation is a long term investment. Most CEOs make decisions that benefit the company in the short run, and may choose not to adopt lean because it may show unfavorable results on the financial statement during the early stages. Lean will cause a decrease in inventory levels, causing assets on the balance sheet to drop which is not always favorable. However, these short term negative results will eventually become long run gains as the company benefits from less inventory holding costs and improved processes. Background of Lean Accounting While most people associate lean to manufacturing processes, it is now taking on a very important key role for companies to adopt lean throughout the other departments of the company. An example of a support function that uses the lean concept is the accounting field. Since accounting is a support department, it should apply lean principles after the manufacturing department has incorporated lean. Accountings main duty is to accurately measure and communicate financial activity, and by adopting lean accounting after successfully implementing lean manufacturing would allow for the accurate measurement of the new production system. Lean accounting evolved from a concern that traditional accounting practices were inadequate and, in fact, a deterrent to the adoption of some of the necessary improvements to manufacturing operations. While manufacturing managers knew that investments in automation and the adoption of lean manufacturing practices were the right things to do, traditional accounting was often an obstacle to such improvements, yielding numbers that only supported investments when they could be justified by reductions in direct labor, with little benefit ascribed to any improvements to quality, flexibility or company throughput (Asefeso, p 10). Lean accounting is the cornerstone of a completely different model of manufacturing management. By itself, lean accounting has limited value, but as the financial basis for the application of logistics, superior management, factory operations, marketing, pricing, and other vital business functions, lean accounting is very powerful. A core principle of lean accounting is that the value stream is the only appropriate cost collection entity within the organization, as opposed to traditional accountings use of cells, cost or profit centers or departments normally based on smaller, functional groupings of work activity (Asefeso, p12). The main idea behind lean is minimizing waste, therefore creating more value for customers with fewer resources. Problems and Disadvantages of Lean Accounting Lean accounting may reduce the manufacturing process to a few numbers, but it does not provide a lot of information. There are several flaws of using the lean accounting approach. Speed gives you an advantage over the competition. No matter if you are first in a market or deliver a product faster, it will improve your competitiveness and hence your revenue. However, it is nearly impossible to determine this advantage quantitatively. How much does it get you to be in the market seven days earlier? One big thing in lean manufacturing is to reduce fluctuations. The more even your system works, the more profitable you will be. However, it is difficult to measure these fluctuations, even more difficult to determine the impact of an improvement on fluctuations, and hence nearly impossible to calculate the monetary benefit of reducing fluctuations. Yet another thing in lean is customer satisfaction, often described as value to the customer. What is the monetary damage if a delivery is delay ed, if a product breaks, if service is slow, or if your people are unfriendly? It is nearly impossible to know. Even more difficult to determine is how improvement measures will actually influence the above. How much does it cost you to provide a better service, how will this influence customer satisfaction, and what is your benefit from this? (The Problems of). Using lean accounting can also lead to bad decisions such as where to put the money when profits are maximized and where to take the money out that has been saved. There are also several disadvantages of using lean accounting. One disadvantage of lean accounting is that it requires a top-down, sometimes monumental cultural shift. Most manufacturing companies have cost accounting systems in place that measure production improvements in terms of short and medium-term cost reductions. However, lean accounting focuses on freeing up resources to increase the product or product lines value to customers and make more money. Senior management must therefore change their thinking from one focused on the bottom line to one focused somewhere between revenues and profits. Without managements full commitment, full implementation of an effective lean accounting system will stall (Wright). Accounting systems traditionally generate internal reports that owners and management both senior and departmental review and discuss. Lean accounting aims to translate the information into numbers that task-based employees in various departments can use. These accounting systems focus on compiling cost-based data. Since lean accounting focuses on value creation, companies often need to completely overhaul their accounting systems, collection and measurement procedures, controls and software. Any system overhaul can be daunting, but the scope of an accounting system overhaul can be particularly exhaustive (Wright). Lean accounting focuses on increasing revenues and profits by increasing the value of a companys products and services. When lean accounting systems focus on value stream instead of cost, they may inadvertently omit costs or ignore issues related to specific costs. Until a company fully captures a product or product lines value stream, accountants may not be able to appropriately price products or determine each products individual level of profitability (Wright). Effective lean thinking and lean accounting require input and involvement by all employees. Many employees in a traditional manufacturing or distribution environment are reactive, following the orders given them. Companies must therefore invest in training, developing and empowering all their employees to help them become proactive. This can be expensive and time consuming (Wright). Unless the accountants understand the way that lean works, in the worst case it seems to them that lean produces losses, not efficiencies. In a typical case, they cannot see the cost advantages. Those who were fighting to introduce lean into their companies reported over and over again that finding a way to reconcile accounting the way lean does it and standard cost accounting was proving to be much harder than it should be (Woods). Lean practitioners think of accounting in cash terms. Lean is against creating data and reports for their own sake. That would be considered another form of waste. In general, lean advocates have a jaundiced view of enterprise software and any general-purpose automation tools. The lean approach measures how well your value stream is working (Woods). The difference between lean accounting and standard cost accounting can be explained in a simple weight loss analogy. When dieting, standard cost accounting would advise you to weigh yourself once a week to see if youre losing weight. Lean accounting would measure your calorie intake and your exercise and then attempt to adjust them until you achieve the desired outcome. While this analogy is oversimplified, it does get to the core difference between lean and standard cost accounting. Lean accounting attempts to find measures that predict success. Standard cost accounting measures results after the fact (Woods). But even when the accounting types and the lean practitioners start to understand each other, problems remain. How can we reconcile the kind of data collection and accounting that lean demands and the standard cost accounting? Duplicated data collection and reporting is indeed a form of waste (Woods). Conclusion While lean accounting is still a work-in-process, there is now an agreed body of knowledge that is becoming the standard approach to accounting, control, and measurement. These principles, practices, and tools of lean accounting have been implemented in a wide range of companies at various stages on the journey to lean transformation. These methods can be readily adjusted to meet your companys specific needs and they rigorously maintain adherence to GAAP and external reporting requirements and regulations. Lean accounting is itself lean, low-waste, and visual, and frees up finance and accounting peoples time so they can become actively involved in lean change instead of being merely bean counters. Companies using lean accounting have better information for decision-making, have simple and timely reports that are clearly understood by everyone in the company, they understand the true financial impact of lean changes, they focus the business around the value created for the customers, and lean accounting actively drives the lean transformation. This helps the company to grow, to add more value for the customers, and to increase cash flow and value for the stockholders and owners (Maskell and Baggaley, p 43). Works Cited Asefeso, Ade. Lean Accounting, Second Edition. AA Global Sourcing Ltd, 2014. p 9, p10 and p12. Key Lean Manufacturing Principles. www.lean-manufacturing-junction.com. Accessed February 25, 2017. Maskell, Brian H. and Baggaley, Bruce L. Lean Accounting: Whats It All About?. Target Magazine. Association for Manufacturing Excellence, 2006. p 43. www.aicpa.org. Accessed February 25, 2017. The Problems of Cost Accounting with Lean. www.allaboutlean.com. Accessed February 27, 2017. What is Lean?. www.lean.org. Accessed February 25, 2017. Woods, Dan. Lean Accountings Fat Problem. Published July 28, 2009. www.forbes.com. Accessed March 1, 2017. Wright, Tiffany C. The Disadvantages of Lean Accounting. www.smallbusiness.chron.com. Accessed March 1, 2017.

Shadow Kiss Chapter 26

Twenty-six IT WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE to believe. The Strigoi were practically right next door to us, waiting for nightfall so that they could finish their escape. Apparently, in the chaos of the attack, some of the Strigoi had obscured their tracks while others had made it look as though they might have exited through any number of points on campus. Caught up in our own aftermath, no one had given it much thought. The wards had been restored. As far as we were concerned, the Strigoi were gone, and that was what mattered. Now we had an odd situation before us. Under normal circumstances – not that a massive Strigoi attack was normal – we would have never pursued them. Those kidnapped by Strigoi were usually written off as dead, and, as my mother had pointed out, guardians rarely knew where to look for Strigoi. This time, however, we knew. The Strigoi were essentially trapped. It presented an interesting dilemma. Well, it wasn't a dilemma to me. I honestly couldn't figure out why we weren't in those caves right now, flushing out the Strigoi and looking for survivors. Dimitri and I hurried back, anxious to act on our news, but we had to wait until all the guardians gathered. â€Å"Do not interrupt them,† Dimitri told me as we were about to walk into the meeting that would decide our next course of action. We stood near the doorway, speaking in low voices. â€Å"I know how you feel. I know what you want to do. But ranting at them isn't going to help you get your way.† â€Å"Ranting?† I exclaimed, forgetting to speak softly. â€Å"I see it,† he said. â€Å"That fire's in you again – you want to tear somebody apart. It's what made you so deadly in the fight. But we're not fighting right now. The guardians have all the information. They'll make the right choice. You just have to be patient.† Part of what he said was true. In preparation for the meeting, we had relayed all our information and then done some more searching. Investigation had revealed that several years ago, one of the Moroi teachers had taught a geology class and mapped the caves out, providing us with everything we needed to know about them. The entrance was five miles from the Academy's back borders. The caves' longest chamber was about half a mile long, the far side letting out about twenty miles from the dirt road on the map. It had been believed that landslides had blocked both entrances. Now, we realized, clearing those out wouldn't be too difficult with Strigoi strength. But I wasn't sure I trusted what Dimitri said about the guardians making the right choice. Minutes before the meeting began, I appealed to my mother. â€Å"Please,† I told her. â€Å"We have to do this.† She looked me over. â€Å"If there's a rescue, it's not going to be a ‘we' thing. You aren't going.† â€Å"Why? Because our numbers were so badass the first time that no guardians died?† She flinched. â€Å"You know I can help. You know what I did. I'm a week away from my birthday and only a few months away from graduation. You think something magical's going to happen before then? I've got a few more things to learn, yeah, but I don't think that's big enough to stop me from helping. You guys need as much help as you can get, and there are plenty of other novices who are ready too. Bring Christian, and we'll be unstoppable.† â€Å"No,† she said quickly. â€Å"Not him. You should have never gotten a Moroi involved, let alone one as young as him.† â€Å"But you saw what he could do.† She didn't argue that. I saw the indecision on her face. She glanced at the time and sighed. â€Å"Let me check something.† I didn't know where she went, but she was fifteen minutes late for the meeting. By then, Alberta had already debriefed the guardians on what we'd learned. Mercifully, she skipped the details about how we'd gotten our data, so we didn't have to waste time explaining the ghost part. The caves' layout was examined in detail. People asked questions. Then decision time came. I braced myself. Fighting Strigoi had always meant relying on a defense strategy. We attacked only when attacked. Previous arguments for an offensive had always failed. I expected the same now. Only it didn't come. One by one, the guardians stood up and expressed their commitment to going on the rescue mission. As they did, I saw that fire Dimitri had spoken of. Everyone was ready for a fight. They wanted it. The Strigoi had gone too far. In our world, there were only a handful of places that were safe: the Royal Court and our academies. Children were sent to places like St. Vladimir's with the certainty they would be protected. That certainty had been shattered, and we wouldn't stand for that, especially if we could still save lives. An eager, victorious feeling burned in my chest. â€Å"Well, then,† said Alberta, glancing around. I think she was as surprised as I was, though she too had been in favor of a rescue. â€Å"We'll plan the logistics and head out. We've still got about nine hours of daylight to go after them before they leave.† â€Å"Wait,† said my mother, standing up. All eyes turned to her, but she didn't bat an eyelash under the scrutiny. She looked fierce and capable, and I was immensely proud of her. â€Å"I think there's one other thing we should consider. I think we should allow some of the senior novices to go.† This started a small outcry, but it only came from a minority. My mother gave an argument similar to what I had given her. She also maintained that novices would not be in the front lines but that we would serve more as backup should any Strigoi get through. The guardians had almost approved of this idea when she dropped another bomb on them. â€Å"I think we should bring some Moroi with us.† Celeste shot up. She had a huge gash on the side of her face. It made the bruise I'd seen on her the other day seem like a mosquito bite. â€Å"What? Are you insane?† My mother fixed her with a calm look. â€Å"No. We all know what Rose and Christian Ozera did. One of our biggest problems with Strigoi is getting past their strength and speed to go in for the kill. If we bring fire-using Moroi, we have a distraction that will give us an edge. We can cut them down.† A debate broke out. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to join in. I remembered Dimitri's words about not interrupting. Yet as I listened, I couldn't help my frustration. Every minute that passed was another minute we weren't going after Eddie and the others. It was another minute in which someone might die. I turned to where Dimitri sat beside me. â€Å"They're being idiots,† I hissed. His eyes were on Alberta, as she debated a guardian who usually worked the elementary campus. â€Å"No,† murmured Dimitri. â€Å"Watch. Change is happening before your eyes. People are going to remember this day as a turning point.† And he was right. Once again, the guardians slowly signed on with the idea. I think it was part of that same initiative that made them want to fight in the first place. We had to get back at the Strigoi. This was more than our fight – it was the Moroi's too. When my mother said she'd gotten a number of teachers to volunteer – they absolutely wouldn't allow students for this – the decision was made. The guardians were going after the Strigoi, and novices and Moroi would go with them. I felt triumphant and exultant. Dimitri was right. This was the moment our world would change. But not for four hours. â€Å"More guardians are coming,† Dimitri told me when I once again expressed my outrage. â€Å"In four hours, the Strigoi could have decided to have a snack!† â€Å"We need an overwhelming show of force,† he said. â€Å"We need every edge we can get. Yes, the Strigoi could kill a couple more before we get there. I don't want that, believe me. But if we go in unprepared, we could lose more lives than that.† My blood boiled. I knew he was right, and there was nothing I could do about it. I hated that. I hated being helpless. â€Å"Come on,† he said, gesturing toward the exit. â€Å"Let's take a walk.† â€Å"Where?† â€Å"It doesn't matter. We just need to get you calmed down, or you'll be in no shape to fight.† â€Å"Yeah? Are you afraid of my possibly insane dark side coming out?† â€Å"No, I'm afraid of your normal Rose Hathaway side coming out, the one that isn't afraid to jump in without thinking when she believes something is right.† I gave him a dry look. â€Å"Is there a difference?† â€Å"Yes. The second one scares me.† I resisted the urge to elbow him. For half a heartbeat, I wished I could close my eyes and forget about all the hurt and bloodshed around us. I wanted to lounge in bed with him, laughing and teasing, with neither of us worried about anything else except each other. That wasn't real, though. This was. â€Å"Won't they need you here?† I asked. â€Å"No. Most of what they're doing now is waiting for the others, and they have more than enough people right now to help plan the attack. Your mother's leading that.† I followed his gaze to where my mom stood, in the center of a group of guardians, pointing with sharp, forceful motions toward what looked like maps. I still never quite knew what to think about her, but watching her now, I couldn't help but admire her dedication. There was none of the dysfunctional annoyance I usually experienced around her. â€Å"Okay,† I said. â€Å"Let's go.† He took me on a loop around campus, and we surveyed some of the aftermath. Most of the damage wasn't to the campus itself, of course. It was to our people. Still, we could see some signs of the attack: damage to buildings, bloodstains in unexpected places, etc. Most noticeable of all was the mood. Even in full daylight, there was a darkness around us, a heavy sorrow that you could almost reach out and feel. I saw it on the faces of everyone we passed. I half-expected Dimitri to take me through where some of the injured were. He steered clear of that, however, and I could guess why. Lissa was helping out there, using her powers in small doses to heal the wounded. Adrian was as well, though he couldn't do nearly as much as her. They'd finally decided that it was worth risking everyone knowing about spirit. The tragedy here was too great. Besides, so much about spirit had gotten out at the trial that it had probably only been a matter of time anyway. Dimitri didn't want me near Lissa while she was using her magic, which I found interesting. He still didn't know if I really was â€Å"catching† her madness, but he apparently didn't want to take any chances. â€Å"You told me you had a theory about why the wards broke,† he said. We'd extended our circuit of campus, not far from where Jesse's society had met last night. I'd nearly forgotten. Once I'd pieced it together, the reason had been perfectly obvious. No one had really asked many questions about it, not yet. The immediate concerns had been to get new wards up and tend to our own people. The investigation would occur later. â€Å"Jesse's group was doing their initiation right here by the wards. You know how stakes can negate wards because the elements go against each other? I think it's the same thing. Their initiation rights used all the elements, and I think they negated the wards in the same way.† â€Å"Magic is used all the time on campus, though,† pointed out Dimitri. â€Å"In all the elements. Why has this never happened before?† â€Å"Because the magic isn't usually happening right on top of the wards. The wards are on the edges, so the two don't usually conflict. Also, I think it makes a difference in how the elements are being used. Magic is life, which is why it destroys Strigoi and why they can't cross it. The magic in stakes is used as a weapon. So was the magic in the torture session. When it's used in that sort of negative way, I think it cancels out good magic.† I shivered, recalling that sickening feeling I'd felt when Lissa had used spirit to torment Jesse. It hadn't been natural. Dimitri stared at a broken fence that marked one of the Academy's boundaries. â€Å"Incredible. I never would have thought that was possible, but it makes sense. The principle really is the same as for the stakes.† He smiled at me. â€Å"You've thought about this a lot.† â€Å"I don't know. It just sort of fell together in my head.† I glowered, thinking of Jesse's idiotic group. Bad enough they'd done what they did to Lissa. That was enough to make me want to go kick their asses (though not kill them anymore – I'd learned some restraint since last night). But this? Letting Strigoi into the school? How could something so stupid and petty on their part have led to this sort of disaster? It almost would have been better if they'd tried to make this happen, but no. It had come about through their glory-seeking game. â€Å"Idiots,† I muttered. The wind picked up. I shivered, and this time it was from the chilly temperature, not my own unease. Spring might be coming, but it certainly wasn't here yet. â€Å"Let's get back inside,† Dimitri said. We turned around, and as we walked toward the heart of the secondary campus, I saw it. The cabin. Neither of us slowed down or obviously looked at it, but I knew he was just as acutely aware of it as I was. He proved it when he spoke a moment later. â€Å"Rose, about what happened – â€Å" I groaned. â€Å"I knew it. I knew this was going to happen.† He glanced over at me, startled. â€Å"That what was going to happen?† â€Å"This. The part where you give me the huge lecture about how what we did was wrong and how we shouldn't have done it and how it's never going to happen again.† Until the words left my mouth, I didn't realize how much I'd feared he would say that. He still looked shocked. â€Å"Why would you think that?† â€Å"Because that's how you are,† I told him. I think I sounded a little hysterical. â€Å"You always want to do the right thing. And when you do the wrong thing, you then have to fix it and do the right thing. And I know you're going to say that what we did shouldn't have happened and that you wish – â€Å" The rest of what I might have said was smothered as Dimitri wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me to him in the shadow of a tree. Our lips met, and as we kissed, I forgot all about my worries and fears that he'd say what we'd done was a mistake. I even – as impossible as it seems – forgot about the death and destruction of the Strigoi. Just for a moment. When we finally broke apart, he still kept me close to him. â€Å"I don't think what we did was wrong,† he said softly. â€Å"I'm glad we did it. If we could go back in time, I'd do it again.† A swirling feeling burned within my chest. â€Å"Really? What made you change your mind?† â€Å"Because you're hard to resist,† he said, clearly amused at my surprise. â€Å"And †¦ do you remember what Rhonda said?† There was another shock, hearing her brought up. But then I recalled his face when he'd listened to her and what he'd said about his grandmother. I tried to remember Rhonda's exact words. â€Å"Something about how you're going to lose something†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I apparently didn't remember it so well. â€Å"‘You will lose what you value most, so treasure it while you can.'† Naturally, he knew it word for word. I'd scoffed at the words at the time, but now I tried to decipher them. At first, I felt a surge of joy: I was what he valued most. Then I gave him a startled look. â€Å"Wait. You think I'm going to die? That's why you slept with me?† â€Å"No, no, of course not. I did what I did because †¦ believe me, it wasn't because of that. Regardless of the specifics – or if it's even true – she was right about how easily things can change. We try to do what's right, or rather, what others say is right. But sometimes, when that goes against who we are†¦you have to choose. Even before the Strigoi attack, as I watched all the problems you were struggling with, I realized how much you meant to me. It changed everything. I was worried about you – so, so worried. You have no idea. And it became useless to try to act like I could ever put any Moroi life above yours. It's not going to happen, no matter how wrong others say it is. And so I decided that's something I have to deal with. Once I made that decision †¦ there was nothing to hold us back.† He hesitated, seeming to replay his words as he brushed my hair from my face. â€Å"Well, to hold me back. I'm speaking for myself. I don't mea n to act like I know exactly why you did it.† â€Å"I did it because I love you,† I said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. And really, it was. He laughed. â€Å"You can sum up in one sentence what it takes me a whole speech to get out.† â€Å"Because it's that simple. I love you, and I don't want to keep pretending like I don't.† â€Å"I don't either.† His hand dropped from my face and found my hand. Fingers entwined, we began walking again. â€Å"I don't want any more lies.† â€Å"Then what'll happen now? With us, I mean. Once all of this is done †¦ with the Strigoi†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Well, as much as I hate to reinforce your fears, you were right about one thing. We can't be together again – for the rest of the school year, that is. We're going to have to keep our distance.† I felt a little disappointed by this, but I knew with certainty he was right. We might finally have reached the point where we weren't going to deny our relationship anymore, but we could hardly flaunt it while I was still his student. Our feet splashed through slush. A few scattered birds sang in the trees, undoubtedly surprised to see so much activity in daylight around here. Dimitri stared off into the sky ahead, face thoughtful. â€Å"After you graduate and are out with Lissa †¦Ã¢â‚¬  He didn't finish. It took me a moment, but I realized what he was about to say. My heart nearly stopped. â€Å"You're going to ask to be reassigned, aren't you? You won't be her guardian.† â€Å"It's the only way we can be together.† â€Å"But we won't actually be together,† I pointed out. â€Å"Us staying with her gives us the same problem – me worrying more about you than her. She needs two guardians perfectly dedicated to her. If I can get assigned somewhere at Court, we'll be near each other all the time. And in a secure place like that, there's more flexibility with a guardian's schedule.† A whiny, selfish part of me wanted to immediately jump in with how much that sucked, but really, it didn't. There was no option we had that was ideal. Each one came with hard choices. I knew it was hard for him to give up Lissa. He cared about her and wanted to keep her safe with a passion that almost rivaled my own. But he cared about me more, and he had to make that sacrifice if he still wanted to honor his sense of duty. â€Å"Well,† I said, realizing something, â€Å"we might actually see more of each other if we're guarding different people. We can get time off together. If we were both with Lissa, we'd be swapping shifts and always be apart.† The trees were thinning up ahead, which was a shame, because I didn't want to let go of his hand. Still, a surge of hope and joy began to blossom in my chest. It felt wrong in the wake of such tragedy, but I couldn't help it. After all this time, after all the heartache, Dimitri and I were going to make this work. There was always the possibility he could get assigned away from the Court, but even so, we'd still manage to get some time off together every once in a while. The time apart would be agony, but we would make it work. And it would be better than continuing to live a lie. Yes, it was really going to happen. All of Deirdre's worries about me coping with conflicting pieces of my life would be for nothing. I was going to have it all. Lissa and Dimitri. The thought that I could be with both of them was going to make me strong. It would carry me through this Strigoi attack. I'd tuck it away in the back of my mind, like a good luck charm. Dimitri and I didn't say anything else for a while. Like always, we didn't have to. I knew he was feeling the same happy buzz I was, despite that stoic exterior. We were almost out of the forest, back in sight of the others, when he spoke again. â€Å"You'll be eighteen soon, but even so†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He sighed. â€Å"When this comes out, a lot of people aren't going to be happy.† â€Å"Yeah, well, they can deal.† Rumors and gossip I could handle. â€Å"I also have a feeling your mother's going to have a very ugly conversation with me.† â€Å"You're about to face down Strigoi, and my mother's the one you're scared of?† I could see a smile playing at his lips. â€Å"She's a force to be reckoned with. Where do you think you got it from?† I laughed. â€Å"It's a wonder you bother with me then.† â€Å"You're worth it, believe me.† He kissed me again, using the last of the forest's shadows for cover. In a normal world, this would have been a happy, romantic walk the morning after sex. We wouldn't be preparing for battle and worrying about our loved ones. We'd be laughing and teasing each other while secretly planning our next romantic getaway. We didn't live in a normal world, of course, but in this kiss, it was easy to imagine we did. He and I reluctantly broke apart and left the woods, heading back toward the guardians' building. Dark times were ahead of us, but with his kiss still burning on my lips, I felt like I could do anything. Even face down a pack of Strigoi.

Business plan, Market, Analysis, Construction

Abstract Aims to take advantage of the construction boom in the North West UK and expand their company. Also another aims to reach by the daughter company to expand their activities within their existing markets.As a Management Consultant specializing within the Construction Industry, the company approached was looking to take advantage of the construction boom in the North West UK and expand their company. The business is a family owned company.As a Managing consultant, I have been employed to assess the viabilities of these two proposals and to produce a business plan that could be presented at the bank to gain financial backing for the expansion.I was able to make an ASSESSMENT CRITERIA, which were listed below:†¢ Understanding and application of theories †¢ Correct use of terminology, techniques, etc. †¢ Relevance of examples and scenarios †¢ Quality of referencing and sourcing of material (evidence) †¢ Quality of presentation †¢ Correct structuring of the reportBusiness Plan:Constructed â€Å"mega-projects† are readily recognizable for their form and function, and in many cases, are awe-inspiring.   Major buildings and bridges give identities to cities and nations and evoke a sense of pride in the people. â€Å"The construction industry is a vast system of engineers, architects, laborers, craftsmen, material, equipment and tool suppliers, and project owners responsible for building these structures (http://bcc.ecnext.com/)†.   The scope of the industry is all encompassing, including every type of facility imaginable.   Roads, bridges, mass transit, airports, schools, retail and commercial buildings, industrial and manufacturing facilities, drinking water systems, wastewater treatment facilities, dams and power generation, solid waste facilities, and hazardous waste treatment and disposal projects all benefit society and bolster our national security.   The construction industry seminar focused on projects and issues that have a potential mobilization involvement.Executive Summary stated that, a home office in Yellowknife, NT will be established the first year of operations to reduce start up costs. The founder of the firm is a professional engineer with eighteen years of progressive and responsible experience. After the operation has started it was found out that the first year operation increased till up to 3rd year operation as well. Notice the sales amount in dollars increases as well as dollar profits together with the percent sales/profit.The firm will specialize in providing three dimensional modeling and visualization to our clients. State-of-the-art analysis and design tools will be an integral part of the business plan. Implementation of a quality control and assurance program will provide a focus for production work.The highlights of the executive summary shown in a bar graph presentation as analyzed in this manner, red bar represents which is increasing dollars from year 2000 to the year 2002. Also apple green color represents gross margin, which is also increasing order and while net profit increased in increasing order as well.Objectives were seen to have the following:Achieve 20% of market value at the end of the third year of operation.Increase gross margin to 80% by the third year of operations.Company has mission, as stated here:Our mission is to provide clients across Canada's North with structural engineering services for all types of buildings, from concept planning through to completion, with a highly skilled professional team working together, using common sense and practical.  Key to success has developed experience as stated.Provide professional quality services on time and on budget.Develop a follow-up strategy to gauge performance with all clients.Implement and maintain a quality control and assurance policy.Company Summary:Structure All Ltd. is a new company, which provides professional engineering design services for clients that manage, maintain, and plan for residential, commercial, and industrial type buildings. Our focus will be the public sector market in remote communities across Canada's North.Company Ownership will be,Structure All Ltd. will be created as a limited liability company. Philip D. Nolan will privately own the company. Leslie C. Goit will also be listed as a Director.Start up summary:Our start-up expenses amount to $13,000, which allows for initial legal expenses, licenses, permits, stationary, specialty software, office equipment, and furniture. In addition to these start-up costs, an initial balance of $7,000 will be placed in the company accounts. The software purchases include an allowance of $5,000 for AutoCAD ® 2000, $1,800 for National Master Specifications, and $200 for QuickBooks ® (accounting package).Total start-up expenses amounted to $13,000, which has the big values, compared to other expenses. Office equipment, other expenses and permits holder and legal service also ha s same amount, which is the least expenses incurred.For a company start-up summary goes this way, investments leads small amount while profit is big and the sales amount becomes big.Start-up expenses have the following: Professional Liability Insurance is $1,200, Professional Liability Insurance is $1,200, web site development is $600 and lastly business licenses are $500.So overall total an expense coincides with the total assets.Market AnalysisCompany Locations and Facilities We will establish a home office in Yellowknife, NT in order to reduce start-up costs. The office space is estimated to be 150 square feet. We will be installing a dedicated fax line as well as a high-speed Internet connection. An interactive website will also be developed which will serve as a marketing tool.ServicesStructure All Ltd. offers complete structural engineering services. We will focus on buildings with the following Use and Occupancies, like the company is project oriented where each project invol ves. It also offers Project Consulting, Forensic Investigations, Project Management, and Dispute Resolution. Further more it also caters Restoration Engineering, and Inspections.Describing offers services was noted to be Competitive in the sense that offers their clients superior service, implement a quality assurance and control program for all projects undertaken, systematic manner of sorting and retrieving a library of structural elements and assemblies will be implemented.The sales literature was describe to be a brochure system. Brochure inserts will be maintained as individual sheets to facilitate their assembly in any custom situation.Greatly market analysis will be describe as Structure All Ltd. will focus on traditional Architect/Engineering (A/E) contracts. The owner will usually contract the A/E to perform planning and design services. These design services include preparation of plans, specifications, and estimates.Types of project distributions were having guidelines to follow as*Architecture Design (65%).*Structural Design (10%).*Mechanical Design (15%).*Electrical design (10%)Knowing the Market Segmentation will describe as a manner the market for engineering services that is, established Architectural and Engineering firms, territorial and Federal Governmental Departments.Market analysis Pie can summarize accordingly; Service Business Analysis, Business Participants, which were describe in as much as the manner showed. The major clients within the Territorial Governments include: Department of Education, Department of Transportation, and Department of Education, Department of Transportation, Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.Competition and Buying Patterns at which, pricing of projects and billing rates are surprisingly variable. In consulting at this level, it is easier to be priced too low than too high. Clients and potential clients expect to pay substantial fees for the best qual ity professional advice. The nature of the billing, however, is sensitive. Clients are much more likely to be offended when a job starts at $20K and ends up at $30K because of overruns, than if the same job started at $30K or even $35K.Main Competitors are Ferguson Simek Clark (FSC Group), A.D. Williams Engineering Ltd. (ADWEL), and Girvan and Associates.Conclusion:The company done a very good performance as the company executive summary showed a very remarkable achievement in the analysis.

Why Education Should Be Privatized - 2463 Words

Importance of Education According to uis.unesco.org â€Å"774 million adults lacked basic literacy skills in 2011.† Furthermore, most of the people living in illiteracy are from poor countries such as South and West Africa and sub-Saharan Africa where the population live in such poverty that many die of hunger. However, UNICEF has been focusing on providing basic education to all humans around the world and as data.unicef.org shows, â€Å"Worldwide, 91 percent of primary-school-age children were enrolled in school in 2012.† The data also shows an improvement on youth literacy from 83.3% from 1985-2004 to 89.6% from 2005-2010 and a 91% in 2012. In addition, the target of UNICEF is to achieve a 100% school enrollment worldwide because they†¦show more content†¦Martha Nussbaum believes all humans have the right to have an education. In the book Creating Capabilities: The Human Development Approach, Martha Nussbaum states that education is the heart of the ten capabilities all human need to receive to have a life with dignity because without education many of the other capabilities cannot be provided, and she believes everyone needs to have at least a basic education that provides them with some advantage to have a better employment opportunity, and to have a greater chance of political participation and the feeling of interaction and belonging in the society (152). Education for Nussbaum and many others is important and a right all humans are entitle to have because education give humans the critical thinking to take better decisions and a person without education Nussbaum believes is a disadvantaged person. In addition, Education provides the opportunity to be independent and have a good life and it is more apparent in women. For example, Martha Nussbaum shows the case of Vasanti, an Indian woman who suffered domestic violence because she was born in a country where women lack rights and opportunities and she, as many others, did