Information on Arizona Education and Schools

Information on Arizona Education and Schools When it comes to education and schools, each state takes its own unique approach. For the most part, state governments and local school boards develop educational policy and mandates that shape education and schools within state and local boundaries. Though there is some Federal oversight, most highly debated education regulations are shaped more closely to home. Trending educational topics such as charter schools, standardized testing, school vouchers, teacher evaluations, and state adopted standards typically align with the controlling political parties philosophy. These differences have made it difficult to compare education and schools between states accurately.   They also ensure that a student living in a particular state will be receiving at least a somewhat different education that a like student in a surrounding state. There are many data points that can be used to compare education and schools among states. Though it is a difficult endeavor, you can begin to see differences in educational quality by looking at shared data in regards to education and schools among all states. This profile of education and schools focuses on the state of Arizona. Arizona Education and Schools Arizona State Department of Education Arizona State Superintendent of Schools:  Diane Douglas District/School Information Length of School Year: A minimum of 180 school days is required by Arizona state law. Number of Public School Districts: There are 227 public school districts in Arizona. **** Number of Public Schools: There are 2421 public schools in Arizona. **** Number of Students Served in Public Schools: There are 1,080,319 public school students in Arizona. **** Number of Teachers in Public Schools: There are 50,800 public school teachers in Arizona.**** Number of Charter Schools: There are 567 charter schools in Arizona. Per Pupil Spending: Arizona spends $7,737 per pupil in public education. **** Average Class Size: The average class size In Arizona is 21.2 students per 1 teacher. **** % of Title I Schools: 95.6% of schools in Arizona are Title I Schools.**** % With Individualized Education Programs (IEP): 11.7% of students in Arizona are on IEPs. **** % in Limited-English Proficiency Programs: 7.0% of students in Arizona are in limited-English Proficient Programs.**** % of Student Eligible for Free/Reduced Lunches: 47.4% of student in Arizona schools are eligible for free/reduced lunches.**** Ethnic/Racial Student Breakdown**** White: 42.1% Black: 5.3% Hispanic: 42.8% Asian: 2.7% Pacific Islander: 0.2% American Indian/Alaskan Native: 5.0% School Assessment Data Graduation Rate: 74.7% of all students entering high school in Arizona graduate. ** Average ACT/SAT score: Average ACT Composite Score: 19.9*** Average Combined SAT Score: 1552***** 8th-grade NAEP assessment scores:**** Math: 283 is the scaled score for 8th-grade students in Arizona. The U.S. average was 281. Reading: 263 is the scaled score for 8th-grade students in Arizona. The U.S. average was 264. % of Students Who Attend College after High School: 57.9% of students in Arizona go on to attend some level of college. *** Private Schools Number of Private Schools: There are 328 private schools in Arizona.* Number of Students Served in Private Schools: There are 54,084 private school students in Arizona.* Homeschooling Number of Students Served Through Homeschooling: There were an estimated 33,965 students that were homeschooled in Arizona in 2015.# Teacher Pay The average teacher pay for the state of Arizona was $49,885 in 2013.## Each individual district in the state of Arizona negotiates teacher salaries and establishes their own teacher salary schedule. The following is an example of a teacher salary schedule in Arizona provided by the Dyzart Unified School District. *Data courtesy of Education Bug. **Data courtesy of ED.gov ***Data courtesy of PrepScholar. ****Data courtesy of the National Center for Education Statistics ******Data courtesy of The Commonwealth Foundation #Data courtesy of A2ZHomeschooling.com ##Average salary courtesy of National Center of Education Statistics ###Disclaimer:   The information provided on this page changes frequently.   It will be updated regularly as new information and data become available.

If Sans Que Talks Supposition, Use the Subjunctive

If Sans Que Talks Supposition, Use the Subjunctive Sans que (without) is a conjunctive phrase (locution conjonctive) that requires the subjunctive when theres uncertainty or supposition. The expression indicates a simultaneity of actions or a negative consequence.  Note that when you use sans que and you wish to express negation, add the more formal ne explà ©tif  (ne  without pas)  in the position you would normally find ne:   Je le fais sans quil ne me voie.   I do it without him seeing me. More examples of sans que: Tà ¢che de tapprocher sans quon te voie.Try to get close without anyone seeing you. Ils ont rà ©glà © le problà ¨me sans que nous ayons intervenir.  They dealt with the problem without us having to intervene. Le projet à ©tait passà © sans que personne (ne) sy opposà ¢t.  The bill was passed without any opposition. The Heart of the Subjunctive This goes to the heart of the subjunctive  mood, which  is used to express actions or ideas that are subjective or otherwise uncertain, such as will/wanting, emotion, doubt, possibility, necessity and judgment. The subjunctive can seem overwhelming, but the thing to remember is: the subjunctive subjectivity or  unreality. Use this mood enough and it will become second nature...and quite expressive. The French subjunctive  is nearly always found in dependent clauses introduced by  que  or  qui, and the subjects of the dependent and main clauses are usually different. For example:      Je veux que tu le fasses.   I want you to do it.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Il faut que nous partions.   Ã‚  It is necessary that we leave. Dependent Clauses Take the Subjunctive When They: Contain verbs and expressions that express someones will, an  order, a need, a piece of advice or a desireContain verbs and expressions of emotion or feeling, such as fear, happiness, anger, regret, surprise, or any other sentimentsContain verbs and expressions of doubt, possibility, supposition  and opinionContain verbs and expressions, such as  croire que  (to believe that),  dire que  (to say that),  espà ©rer que  (to hope that),  Ãƒ ªtre certain que (to be certain that),  il paraà ®t que  (it appears that),  penser que  (to think that),  savoir que  (to know that),  trouver que  (to find/think that) and  vouloir dire que (to mean that), which only require the subjunctive when the clause is  negative or interrogatory. They  do  not  take the subjunctive when they are used in the affirmative, because they express facts that are considered certain- at least in the speakers mind.Contain French  conjunctive phrases  (locutions conjonc tives), groups of two or more words that have the same function as a conjunction and imply supposition.   Contain the  negative pronouns  ne ... personne  or  ne ... rien, or the  indefinite pronouns  quelquun  or  quelque chose.Follow main clauses containing  superlatives. Note that in such cases,  the subjunctive is optional, depending on how concrete the speaker feels about what is being said.   Why Sans Que Takes the Subjunctive Sans que  is one of the conjunctive phrases (locutions conjonctives)  described in number 5, many of which are listed below. These require the subjunctive because they imply uncertainty and subjectivity; it is best to try to memorize them, although you can also decide according to the meaning of the tense.  Sans que  belongs to a subset of this category called opposition conjunctions, such as  bien que, sauf que, malgrà © que and others. These Conjunctive Phrases Take the Subjunctive condition que   provided that moins que  Ã‚  unless supposer que  Ã‚  assuming thatafin que  Ã‚  so thatavant que  Ã‚  beforebien que  Ã‚  althoughde crainte que  Ã‚  for fear thatde faà §on que  Ã‚  so that, in order that, in such a way thatde manià ¨re que  Ã‚  so thatde peur que  Ã‚  for fear thatde sorte que  Ã‚  so thaten admettant que  Ã‚  assuming thaten attendant que  Ã‚  while, untilencore que  Ã‚  even thoughjusqu ce que  Ã‚  untilpour que  Ã‚  so thatpourvu que  Ã‚  provided thatquoique  Ã‚  even thoughquoi que  Ã‚  whatever, no matter whatsans que  Ã‚  without AdditionalResources The French SubjunctiveFrench ConjunctionsThe Subjunctivator!Quiz: Subjunctive  or indicative?Expressions with  sans

Envision a business you would like to own that would employ at least Research Paper

Envision a business you would like to own that would employ at least 20 people (either manufacturing or services) but I want it - Research Paper Example 44). The operations strategy of my business involves the use of low inventory levels as this will help to keep the prices low thus generating faster sales because of the low prices and the high value of the products. Furthermore, keeping of low levels of inventory will help to ensure that the business will be able to keep the prices low for the customers. This will help to maintain the existing customers and attract new customers as well. The use of low inventories will help to ensure that products are replaced with new items as soon as the inventory is exhausted and as a result this will increase the demand of the products. Increased demand, coupled with low prices, will lead to increased sales for a company and therefore this will in turn lead to increased profits for my business (Slack, & Lewis 2008) Supply chain management Supply chain management involves the active management of supply chain activities so as to ensure that customer value is maximized and a sustainable competitiv e advantage is achieved. Supply chain activities involve product development, product and material sourcing, production, logistics and the necessary information systems that help to coordinate these activities. Efficient supply chain management strategy will ensure that the print business is exposed to several opportunities that will provide competitive advantages. Examples of the competitive advantages that will be achieved include lower product costs for the materials that have been produced, reduced carrying costs in relation to the inventory because of the fact that no inventory will be kept, improved in store value and selection due to the different materials that will be produced, and finally a very competitive pricing for the customers. This therefore will work to ensure that the print business will become a dominant force to reckon with and to ensure that the focus is maintained on innovative processes and systems which work to improve the supply chain and achieve greater ef ficiency (Mentzer 2001). The key elements of a supply chain include structuring, sourcing, purchasing, and managing. The supply chain will begin with structuring and this usually involves the creation of the organization and forming together with recruiting members into the organization that are able and willing to take the business to a higher level. The staff that has been recruited will then allocated to different sections of the business for instance in my print business; sourcing manager will be recruited who will help to source for materials, purchasing managers who will ensure that the required materials are purchased on time and finally managers will be involved with the overall management of the business. Sourcing as a component of supply management involves the process of sourcing for items to print from clients. This is done by the sourcing managers who will deal with souring for product suppliers and vendors and also procuring the products that are used on printing at pr ices and terms that ensure the profitability goals of the firm are met (Mentzer 2001). Purchasing element in the supply chain will involve determining the products that the business requires and then procuring them from the client at a favorable price. The other element in the supply chain is the managing element. This usually focuses on demand planning,

Physiology for health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Physiology for health - Essay Example 4. Describe the mechanisms involved in regulation of energy metabolites? 5. Explain the role of the hormones involved in controlling glucose level? 6. Describe the role of structures in controlling carbon dioxide and urea? Homeostatic Mechanism Homeostatic mechanism happens in an attempt to balance the internal environment of the body despite the changes in temperature of the internal and external environment. To achieve such condition, the temperature and chemical compositions of the person’s fluid environment has to remain constant (Thibodeau & Patton, 2004). Thus, in events where there are disturbances of the homeostatic condition of the body, specific regulatory mechanisms responds to adjust the different body systems for the person to get back to its homeostatic state. The body adapts the self regulatory mechanism as a way to homeostasis. For instance, if a person’s temperature greatly fluctuates from the set point which is 37 degrees centigrade, the regulatory sys tem that controls body temperature use negative feedback to correct the temperature to bring it back to the set point. The same holds true in chemical changes where glucose and gases such as carbon dioxide and oxygen has to be maintained if the person is to survive. However, in this case, there is a gap for hormonal homeostasis to be corrected because chemical substances of the body take time to diffuse and circulate into the blood stream. Osmoregulation and Thermoregulation Process Homeostatic mechanism works to regulate the osmoregulation process through the kidneys that regulates the water and electrolytes that leaves the blood so that it equals the amount that enters. To process blood plasma and to form urine, the mechanism of filtration, tubular re absorption and tubular secretion has to take place. These mechanisms start when the water and solutes free of protein moves from plasma to the tubules of the Bowman’s capsule. As they pass through the tubules, water and import ant solutes are reabsorbed while molecules that move out of the blood are excreted. This process not only prevents water loss or retention but also maintains sodium and potassium content as well as the desirable ph level of the blood. Thermoregulation is also regulated by homeostatic mechanism with the negative feedback of the muscles. Stimulus from the outside environment is perceived by the affectors and is relayed to the hypothalamus where it is compared with the â€Å"built in† body set point. The result of the interpretation of the hypothalamus will be sent back to the effectors for the body to act appropriately. For example, when a person is exposed to cold weather, the skin and blood vessels picks up the signal and is sent to the hypothalamus which is interpreted as something that threatens the temperature. As a result, it sends nerve signal to the muscles to shiver to produce heat. Once the body temperature is regulated, the hypothalamus stops its stimulation of the e ffectors. Functions of Cardiovascular and Respiratory systems in regulating body Mechanism The function of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems regulates body mechanism by transporting hormones and nutrients , cleansing waste body products such as carbon dioxide and providing the body with fresh supply of oxygen as the blood circulates within the structures of the heart and lungs. As the blood is propelled to enter the right side of the

The Heckscher-Ohlin Essay Example for Free

The Heckscher-Ohlin Essay The Heckscher-Ohlin theorem of international trade argues that a capital abundant country is supposed to export those goods that are capital intensive while a country that is labor abundant is expected to export goods that are labor intensive, while David Ricardo argued that there should be free trade among countries and also there should be specialization among the individuals in production of any products. Ricardo later assumes that there is mutual benefit in trade between two countries even if one country has the resources while the other lacks the resources. The Heckscher-Ohlin theory assumes that the two countries in trade are identical apart from the differences in their resource endowments. The abundance in capital results in the capital abundant country producing the capital intensive good (Ethier, 1974. ) When there is specialization and trade between two countries there will be an improvement in the standards of living in the two countries. The Leontief paradox argues that trade is normally determined by the level of abundance of the factors of production in any economy. He found that although the USA was well endowed with capital it exported labor intensive products and imported capital intensive products. International trade is determined by endowment factors in any Nation. Those countries which have endowment factors for the manufacturers will trade with each other while countries with favorable factors for production of primary products will trade with each other. A specific tariff is a fixed rate that is charged on a certain predetermined quantity for example$10 per Kilogram. An ad valorem tariff is a fixed percentage of the total value of the goods being imported. A compound tariff is a charge on a good comprising of both the specific tariff and the Ad Valorem Tariff. REFERENCES LIST Ethier, W. 1974. Some of the theorems of international trade with many goods and factors. Journal of International Economics, v. 4; pp. 199–206.

The Poetics Summary Essay -- essays research papers

The Poetics- Aristotle Tragedy- the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself; in language with pleasurable accessories, each kind brought in separately in parts of the work; in a dramatic, not in a narrative form; with incidents arousing pity and fear; where with to accomplish its catharsis of such emotions. I.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Discussion of Tragedy A.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Six parts to a tragedy: 1.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  fable/plot- the combination of incidents, or things done in the story 2.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  characters- they’re what make us ascribe certain moral qualirties to the agents (actors) 3.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  diction- the composition of the verses 4.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  thought- shown in what is said when proving a point is enunciating a general truth 5.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  spectacle- stage appearance of the actors 6.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  melody- self explanatory II.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Importance of the Fable/Plot over the other elements A.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tragedy is essentially an imitation not of persons, but of action and life, of happiness and misery B.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The life and soul of a tragedy is the plot 1.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tragedy is impossible without action, but there may be one without Character C.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most powerful elements of attract...

Freud and Jung: Early Psychoanalytic Theories Essay

Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung were two influential theorists in psychology (Nystul, M. , 2005). Freud was considered the father of psychology and believed that human behavior was the result of unconscious conflict deep in the mind of individuals (Nystul, M. , 2005). Jung’s theory developed directly out of Freud’s psychoanalytic approach; however he refuted several of Freud’s key points and placed an even greater emphasis on the unconscious. Freud and Jung were the key figures of the psychoanalytic approach to psychology; however their theories differed on several key points (Nystul, M. , 2005). Freud’s psychoanalytic theory was the seed for many subsequent theorists’ work. His main assertion was that human behavior and personality derived from the unconscious conflict that arose in individuals’ unconscious (Fayek, 2005). He postulated that the unconscious was a combination of the id, which was the primal drive for all human needs (e. g. , sex, hunger), the superego, which could be likened to the internalization of societal values and standards (e. g. , the conscience), and the moderating ego that was the rational part of thought that controlled the impulses of the id and superego. Anxiety arose when individuals were confronted with fears of danger within reality (Shill, 2004). Neurotic anxiety occurred when individuals were confronted with dangers that arose in childhood, and can be connected to his five stages of psychosexual development, where personality developed. The five stages of psychosexual development were connected to erogenous zones that children were fixated on until their needs were met and were able to move on developmentally. The five stages include oral, anal, phallic, and genital stages of development. The id relied on the stimulation of these zones until the child would move into the next developmental stage. If an individual were unable to move into the next stage, then they would fixate into that particular stage, and this could mediate personality development (Garcia, 1995). For instance, adults that had not moved on through the anal stage of psychosexual development are representative of type-A personalities such that they are characterized as uptight, as children are as they are focused upon controlling potty training and bowel movements between ages one and three. Furthermore, Freud’s theory was focused on sexual issues and conflict. For instance, he developed the Electra complex and Oedipus complex such that girls became jealous of their mothers as they competed for their father’s sexual attention. Similarly, boys became jealous of their fathers through penis envy as they sought the sexual attention of their mothers and secretly wanted to kill their fathers (Garcia, 1995). Freud used assessment methods to probe the unconscious of his patients. He believed that the unconscious used several techniques to keep conflicts in the unconscious and used methods to tap into his patients’ unconscious through psychoanalytic therapy. For instance, he developed free association where patients said whatever came to their minds, similar to a verbal daydream (Macmillian, 2001). This helped patients to recall events that had been suppressed and so they could achieve catharsis in order to relieve their disturbing symptoms. Freud also used hypnosis in his early therapy sessions. Moreover, Freud conducted dream analysis where he would interpret dreams in order to tap into the unconscious on an individual dream by dream basis (Schept, 2007). The unconscious was also a main point of interest in Jung’s psychoanalytic approach to psychology. However, Jung disagreed with Freud on three main points (Bergmann, 2008). First, Jung refuted the main importance of sexual anxiety in his theory. Instead, Jung stressed that sexual stress was more of a generalized aspect that impacted a psychic energy of a person but included other aspects. Second, Jung believed that individuals were impacted by past and future events, while Freud postulated that individuals were impacted solely by events in an individual’s life. Finally, Jung placed a greater importance on the unconscious and developed the idea of the collective unconscious that was retrospective and prospective. Jung developed the idea of the collective unconscious and expanded the idea of the unconscious itself (Leader, 2009). He believed that there was an aspect of the unconscious that included all of the past experiences of humankind. He believed that this information was passed down generation by generation as an accumulation of human and prehuman experiences that helps the species to develop as a whole. He also believed that all individuals have a personal unconscious that contains information that was once known but has been suppressed because it was too painful to remember. Within the collective unconscious, there were a series of archetypes or sets of universal experiences within the collective unconscious. For example, there was the persona archetype that is a mask that an individual present to others during interactions in order to hide the true self from others. The darkest archetype was the shadow archetype that included the evils that human beings are responsible for. Other archetypes include the anima, animus, and self archetypes. Jung also believed that personality was the response of psychological types that were based on the attitudes and functions of individuals (Dolliver, 1994). These types included the extraverted (viz. , thinking, feeling, sensing, intuiting) and introverted (viz. , thinking, feeling, sensing, intuiting). Depending upon type, individuals behaved and interacted differently with others and the environment. These eight psychological types may be likened to an early version of trait theory and other later personality theories. Moreover, Jung believed that personality developed throughout the lifetime, and individuals’ personalities did not appear as a result from unresolved conflict in childhood as Freud believed. Instead, individuals were continuously moving toward self-realization and individuation, which makes Jung’s psychoanalytic approach more uplifting in comparison to Freud’s more pessimistic view of human development (Leader, 2009). Jung’s assessment practices were similar but differed from Freud’s methods. First, Jung used a word-association test such that patients would respond to a word that the therapist said with the first word that came to their mind (Jung, 1907). This helped to tap into complexes of his patients. He also used symptom analysis to interpret the free associations that patients made. Similar to Freud, Jung used a dream analysis technique but he worked with a series to dreams instead of singular dreams as Freud did to develop a thematic interpretation based upon free response (Schept, 2007). While both Freud and Jung’s theories led to the development of psychology as a scientific field, neither of these theories was based directly upon systematic experimentation. Instead, these psychoanalytic theories were based upon case studies of individual clients (Thompson, 2002). Patient interviews were not recorded verbatim, and were based upon a small number of patients. While the reliability of theory development was not optimal for generalization to society as a whole, these early ideas and theories helped modern scientists develop research questions that have been tested through empirical research methods, and have led to the development of more modern theories of behavior and personality. Without the early contributions of Freud and Jung, the face of psychology may look very different today. References Bergmann, M. S. (2008). Freud/Jung: Enlightenment, romanticism, and the irrational. Issues in pyhoanalytic Psychology, 30 (1), 43-58. Dolliver, R. H. (1994). Classifying the personality theories and personalities of Adler, Freud, and Jung with introversion/extraversion. Individual Psychology: Journal of Alderian Theory, Research & Practice, 50 (2), 192-202. Fayek, A. (2005). The centrality of the system Ucs in the theory of psychanalysis: the nonrepressed unconscious. Psychanalytic Psychology, 22 (4), 524-543. Garcia, J. L. (1995). Freud’s psychosexual stage conception: A developmental metaphor for counselors. Journal of Counseling & Development, 73 (5), 498-502. Jung, C. (1907). On psychophysical relations of the associative experiment. The Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1 (6), 247-255. Leader, C. (2009). The odyssey: A Jungian perspective: Individuation and meeting with aechetypes of the collective unconscious. British Journal of Psychotherapy, 25 (4), 506-519. Macmillian, M. (2001). The reliability and validity of Freud’s methods of free association and interpretation. Psychological Inquiry, 12 (3), 167-175. Nystul, M. S. (2005) Introduction to Counseling: an Art and Science Perspective (3rd edition) New York: Pearson Schept, S. (2007). Jacob’s dream of a ladder: Freudian and Jungian perspectives. Psychological Perspectives, 50 (1), 113-121. Shill, M. A. (2004). Signal anxiety, defense, and the pleasure porinciple. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 21 (1), 116-133. Thompson, P. (2002). The ecological imagination. European Journal of Psychotherapy, 5 (1), 71-85.

Ford Motor Company: Supply Chain Management and Strategic Fit

This report covers the performance of Ford Motor Company over the past 10 years and analyzes the results of its â€Å"One Ford† business plan. The main question this report answers is whether Ford’s resent actions match the supply chain strategy of the new plan. There is also a short comparison between Ford and it closest competitor in the United States, General Motors. Data was collected from different sources such as, annual and quarterly reports, company websites, organizations such as the United Nations, along with independent sources.This data was review and non-financial and financial computations were performed to see it if Ford’s overall performance had improve since the implementation of â€Å"One Ford† and the assignment of new management. The results show that the company has made improvements to it performance both financial and quality based off forecasting, employee efficiency, contribution and cost margins, net income, and higher prices dema nded for their products. Table of Contents Industry Overview In their industry report, First Research (2011) describes both the United States and global automobile manufacturing industries.The industry in the United States is comprised of about 200 companies . In 2010, two of the larger manufactures, Ford and General Motors, had combined annual revenues of approximately $235 billion & . The automobile manufacturing industry is a global industry with players from several major countries. Some of the larger global companies based outside the United States include Toyota (Japan), Volkswagen (Germany), Hyndai (South Korea), Peugeot (France), Fiat (Italy), and SAIC (China) .Although these manufacturing companies are  foreign based a few have manufacturing facilities inside the United States. Some of these include Honda, Nissan and Toyota . While other manufactures have facilities here in the United States, Ford and General Motors have located facilities in other countries. Companies th at locate facilities in foreign countries are attempting to maximize profits by taking advantage of lower labor costs, locate near suppliers and customers, and lower tariffs and other taxes. There are other challenges that are faced by the automobile manufactures besides the distance between their facilities and customers.These challenges include world economic conditions, fuel prices, regulatory standards, and the amount of loanable funds available to consumers . To combat macroeconomic issues such as these, firms must find other ways to increase profitability. Ford Motor Company is one of the automobile companies that has been able to do just that. Ford Motor Company Brief Overview, Products and Services The following information was compiled from Ford Motor Company’s 2010 Annual Report (2011) and www. Ford. com. Ford Motor Company manufactures and distributes automobiles across six continents, employs about 164,000 people at approximately 70 plants.The major bands manufact ured by Ford Motor Company are Ford and Lincoln. Ford Motor Company also owns approximately 30% of Mazda that is located in Japan. Besides automobiles, the company also sells parts and offers financial and repair services for their products to the consumer. In its car segment the Ford brand offers economical and sports cars, and a sedan. The economical cars include the Focus, Figo, Fiesta, and Fusion. The sports car and sedan are the Mustang and Taurus, respectively. MSRP of these cars rang from just over $13,000 to almost $26,000.The SUV and crossover segment includes the Escape, Flex, Explore, Edge, Kuga, Expedition, and the EcoSport. MSRP for these two types of automobiles from Ford ranges from $21,000 to $38,000. Ford brand also has a truck line that includes the F-Series, Ranger, Transit Connect, Super Duty, and E-Series Wagon. MSRP for the truck line ranges from $18,000 to $29,000. Ford Motor Company also has a domestic luxury car segment. The Lincoln brand of automobiles incl udes sedans, crossovers and an SUV. The sedans include the Town Car, MKZ, and MKS. These cars range from $35,000 to $47,000, MSRP.The crossovers include the MKX and MKT and range in MSRP from $40,000 to $45,000. Lincoln’s SUV is the Navigator and starts at an MSRP of almost $58,000. Ford Motor Company’s Changes in Their Supply Chain Strategy Over the past decade Ford Motor Company has had its financial ups and downs and had not been able to maintain a stable net income (See graph below). To combat this problem in the middle of the last decade Ford made some management changes to try and improve their industry position. They addressed supply chain efficiency problems that the company was facing.Some of the needed changes included closing plants, retooling, building flexible manufacturing facilities, and contracting with new logistics firms. The plan to make the transformation was coined â€Å"One Ford† . â€Å"In September of 2006 William Clay Ford, Jr. was name d CEO of the Ford Motor Company. . In Liker and James’ journal article (2011) they noted that Ford brought in Allan Mulally whose job it was to use borrowed monies to bring Ford Motor Company back to a more stable and profitable state. Mulally had to decide where to use the borrowed $23 billion and where to cut cost.To help with this he appointed Derrick Kuzak, former vice-president of Europe’s product development. Kuzack was appointed as the vice-president of global product development . To combat cost Ford has closed approximately ten of its facilities since 2006 . In addition to closing facilities, Ford had to pare down supplier to bring all of its production facilities and products across the globe into alignment. In 2010 James Tetreault, vice-president of North American manufacturing stated, â€Å"[it was] expensive to maintain separate product and supply chains† .The company in 2006 started working on standardizing the architecture of the all it body panel s, vehicle plat forms, die designs and processes . In addition to making manufacturing changes Ford addressed it logistics problems in the United States. From 2000 and into 2009 Ford had used United Parcel Services (UPS) as its logistics partner for transporting both inbound and outbound inventory . Since then, Ford contracted with Penske to be its logistic partner. Penske works with Ford not only in the United States but also in Europe, South America, and United Kingdom .In addition to internal process challenges, there are other internal and external challenges that the automotive industry faces. External Challenges to Ford’s Changes In the middle of all of its changes Ford Motor Company had many different challenges besides its, financial and process changes to make the â€Å"One Ford† concept work. First, it had communication issues from upper levels to lower levels, and they could not get past â€Å"improvements† fully implemented. Second, relationships wit h vendors needed improvement. Third, the world was about to enter into a recession starting in 2008.Even though the world’s GDP was falling, there was continuous inflation all over the world. Finally, iron ore price continue to rise even during the recession. In their case study, Liker and Morgan (2011) said information dissemination was described as â€Å"hand grenades† and â€Å"scud missiles. † To improve this, two types of meetings were started inside the company. First, were the â€Å"Skip-level† meetings that allowed engineers and upper level management to communicate. Second, they had â€Å"All-Hands† meetings twice a year where the entire organization gathered to discuss the status of the improvements.Liker and Morgan (2011) also quoted Mulally as saying â€Å"supplier were treated like enemies† and not partners of Ford. To fix the battles between Ford and its suppliers â€Å"a process of dialogues between matched pairs of Ford engi neers and buyers in purchasing who were responsible for the commercial side of working with suppliers† was put into place . This can help the buyers know what, how much, and when supplies are needed, and hopefully this will increase the supplier confidence in the processes at Ford.Shortly after Allan Mulally came on in 2006 the world was about to enter into a recession that some news reports were saying could be the next Great Depression. According to a United Nations, World Economic Situation and Prospects 2010 report, the rate of growth for GDP in most, if not all, countries began to decline in 2007 and actually entered into declines sometime in 2008. Although GDP was falling, inflation continued without any period of dis-inflation, meaning that prices were still on the rise but just at a slower rate .See the two graphs below for a graphical view of the United Nations data. These results show that the cost of living (prices) were still on the rise, but the amount of producti on (income) is in decline between 2007 and 2009. This makes it harder for consumers to purchase products like automobiles. Even with the upturn in the economies between 2009 and 2010, there is still a likelihood that people are going to be reluctant to purchase expensive durable goods. Unfortunately for the automobile industry its greatest commodity is steel.Over the past ten years world iron ore prices have been on the rise, except for a dip in prices between mid-2008 and the first quarter in 2010 . â€Å"About 98% of iron ore is used to make steel† . These price increases will drive the price of inputs for the car industry up because everything from the nuts and bolts, engine, frame and body panel, on most cars, are made from steel. Higher input prices means either lower gross profits and/or higher prices to the final consumer. The graph below shows the price changes of iron ore from 2001 until the end of 2010.Ford’s Forecasting, Inventory, Transportation, and Revenu e Management To compete, keep cost down, be profitable, and stay in business Ford has had to address the fore mentioned internal and external issues even after getting its â€Å"Ford One† plan in place. To do so it appears that management has addressed the forecasting, inventory, transportation, and revenue management functions of their operations. First, Ford had to address its forecasting so that it would not over or under produce its product to a level that would be detrimental to profitability.Second, inventory and transportation was outsourced to capitalize on the knowledge inside a firm that specialized in logistics and also had the physical resources. With an improvement of the first and second topics in this section the third topic’s, revenue management, tasks are made much easier. After a review of the company’s quarterly reports from 4Q 2007 to 3Q 2011 and the 2001 to 2010 annual reports, it can be determined that Ford uses historical quantitative info rmation in its aggregate forecasting. Some of this information is not automobile industry specific but macroeconomic information that affects sales inside the industry.It appears that Ford’s aggregate demand forecast uses historical data and the macroeconomic information for world production forecasting and then they base their production off of recent market share percentages they control. Ford also recognizes that there is seasonality to its customers purchasing patterns and adjust projection levels. In the notes of the â€Å"Outlook† section of the 1Q 2008 report (2008) Ford commented that â€Å"results generally have been stronger in the first half of the year, with the first quarter being the strongest† .After having forecast errors in 2008 and 2009 that totaled 1.9 million units, Ford’s forecast for 2010 was only off 149,000 units worldwide. As addressed earlier, Ford had shifted its logistics in 2010 from UPS to Penske Logistics. Penske claims that they have lowered Ford’s domestic plant inventory by 15% with the use of Order Dispatch Centers (ODC) and training suppliers on a uniform set of carrier procedures . With the ODCs Ford’s suppliers were no longer delivering to the plant facilities but to the ODC where supplies were cross-docked. This was done because Penske found that delivery trucks were traveling at 50% capacity and crossing routes.Penske now reports that â€Å"most trucks are at 95% capacity when they depart for a plant . On their website, Penske states that they have setup other logistical functions to streamline Ford’s transportation portion in its supply chain activities which include information technology and finance management systems. Their information technology system communicates schedules and shipment information up and down the supply chain and the finance management handles all of the freight bill payments, claim processing and resolutions throughout the supply chain .We have al l seen the ads on television and in newspapers that start around October and run through the end of the year. The manufacturers and dealers give them titles like â€Å"Year End Blowout† and â€Å"Year End Clearance. † The specials they are running are to clear out the previous year models. These sales are a form of revenue management used to increase sales during the upcoming holiday months when consumers are more focused on Christmas and vacations. Specifically, it is a form of dynamic pricing. Dynamic pricing is used to sale inventory that is becoming less valuable as time persists .Ford is one of those automobile companies that partake in such pricing practices. They also offer discounts to consumers that finance through their Ford Motor Credit Company. Visit Ford’s website www. fordspecialevent. com and you will see the special interest rates, some even at 0%, and rebates that are offered on select units from the previous year models to help move them off of the dealer lots. This type of sales practice is an example what happens with an inventory push system. The Performance and Financial Results of â€Å"One Ford†After just over three years from when Alan Mulally took the helm as CEO for Ford Motor Company, how have they performed? To determine if Ford’s changes have actually worked we can look at several metrics. First, we will look at the aggregate forecasting numbers from 2008 to 2010. Next, the utilization of employees that are working in the automobile sector of Ford will be analyzed. Finally, we will look at some financial performance numbers to see if the plan has had an effect on Ford’s bottom line. Ford’s forecasting has greatly improved over the past several years.When forecasting, an organization, such as Ford, must take into account its existing inventory and base its production forecast on expected demand that exceeds inventory. In 2008 Ford had forecasted that it would produce just over 4. 5 m illion units, but actually produced only 3. 8 million. Sales that year totaled 5. 5 million units. This means that the annual forecast had an error of 1. 7 million units. In 2009 the total production forecast was 3. 7 million units, but the actual production was 4. 6 million. Sales in 2009 were almost 4. 9 million units. That’s a forecast error of -247 thousand units.In 2010 Ford’s forecasting improved even more. Production was forecasted at 5. 4 million units, but actual was 5. 6 million units, and sales were 5. 5 million units. This results in a forecasting error of 149 thousand units. Ford has lowered its forecasting error by more than 10 times from 2008 to 2010 (See chart below). It has also lowered its mean average deviation between quarters from 1Q 2008 to 4Q 2010 a total of 367 units (See chart below). These kinds of results could show that Ford is moving from a push to a pull type of inventory control system.Since 2003 Ford has reduced the number of employees t hat are in their automobile sector. Along with a reduction of employees, the implementation of the above discussed â€Å"One Ford† plan to improve and standardize production processes has had a positive effect on the company’s financial performance. Between 2003 and 2010 employment went from approximately 279,000 down to 157,000, a reduction of 44%. But with this reduction in employment, production per employee rose from 24. 1 to 35. 2 or 46%. The increased number of units per employee has had a positive effect on the company’s revenues from auto sales and gross profit margin.Revenue from the sale of automobiles per employee has risen 53%, $495. 56 million to $759. 75 million. The total employment at Ford has dropped from 328,000 down to 164,000. This includes both the manufacturing and service sectors of the company. The effect on total net revenue per employee has increased from $501. 75 million to $786. 3 million or 57% from 2003 to 2010. See the graph below for a depiction of the above employee utilization and contribution results. Now we will look at how Ford’s change in their business model has affected the unit contribution and cost, and gross profit margin of the company.The average contribution per unit between 2001 and 2010 was $18,668 and $21,593, respectively. That is an increased contribution of 16% per unit. In 2001 the average cost to produce one unit for Ford was $18,324. This rose to a high of $23,558 in 2007, but the company was able to reduce this cost back down to $18,908 in 2010. The percentage reduction in cost per unit from 2007 to 2010 is 16%. The negative correlation between contribution and cost per unit has a positive effect on the gross profit margin for the company. Ford’s gross profit margin from 2003 to 2010 increased 100% from 6% to 12%.That is after dipping to lows of -4% and 1% in 2006 and 2008, respectively. See the below graph to see how the changes in Ford’s operations has affected the above mentioned financials. To analyze the total effect the â€Å"One Ford† plan has had on the company’s bottom line let us look at the revenue and income side of the financials. First, we need to take into account that the world has been in a recession since about 2008. This has had an effect on the total sales and revenues that Ford has experienced over the last several years, and the difference between 2001 and 2010 results are $160 billion and $129 billion, respectively.To understand how the changes (One Ford) have affected the net income for the company we must look at the trend between sales and cost of goods sold. Starting in 2006 the cost of goods sold for Ford trended downward, as did total sales and revenue starting in 2007, but in 2009 there started to be a change between the rate of growth between sale and cost of goods sold. The rate of growth from sales increased at a faster pace than cost of goods sold. From 2008 to 2009 the change in sales was a re duction of 19%, and the cost of goods sold fell by 22%. Between 2009 and 2010 sales rose 15% while cost of goods only increased by 6%.These differences are a result of the above mention average contribution and cost per unit. Other changes that could be making this difference are the outsourcing of its logistics and relations with suppliers. These increases in gross profits from operations have been enough to offset the reduced revenues (22%) from the financial sector and have resulted in a 141% increase in net income between 2009 and 2010. (All of the above employment, production and financial data was collected from annual and quarterly reports published by Ford Motor Company and can be found on their website, www.Ford. com, and the Securities and Exchange’s website, www. sec. gov. ) Comparison of Ford and General Motors Performance To compare General Motors to Ford Motor Company we will look at worldwide sales revenues, cost of goods sold, and net income. In its 2010 Annua l Report (2011), General Motors claims to lead Ford in worldwide sales . This is true, in the number of units sold. In 2010 General Motors did out sales Ford by almost 2. 8 million units.This has been the trend even back to 2004 where the difference was in General Motors favor at 2.2 million units. Even when it comes to some financial performances General Motors has the advantage. In 2010 average unit cost for a General Motors unit was $14,200 dollars and Ford’s average unit cost was $18,900. That is a difference of $4,700. Between 2006 and 2010 General Motors was able to reduce their average unit cost by 28%. Ford only reduced its average unit cost by 19% in the same period. The big differences that gives Ford the advantage between the two companies are the average gross profit per unit and the net income.Ford is able to demand a higher average price, $21,600 versus $16,100, than General Motors. This has given Ford the advantage in net income with a difference of almost $1. 9 billion in 2010 alone. Plus, Ford has done this all without a bailout from the United States government like General Motors. Conclusion Over the ten years this report covers, Ford has been able to make major improvements in its operations. It has been able to make architectural changes to the body assembly and tooling that makes their production facilities more flexible.Penske was able to come in and reduce waste in the inventory and logistics that was not found by their previous logistics company. The big hurdle that Ford overcame was the implementation and communication issues they had in-house and with suppliers. With all of these changes Ford has been able to alleviate some of the financial woes it was experiencing several years back. Finally, the result of the automobile sector and the total company shows that Ford Motor Company as a whole is moving in the right direction with its â€Å"One Ford† plan. Ford Motor Company: Supply Chain Management and Strategic Fit AbstractThis report covers the performance of Ford Motor Company over the past 10 years and analyzes the results of its â€Å"One Ford† business plan. The main question this report answers is whether Ford’s resent actions match the supply chain strategy of the new plan. There is also a short comparison between Ford and it closest competitor in the United States, General Motors. Data was collected from different sources such as, annual and quarterly reports, company websites, organizations such as the United Nations, along with independent sources. This data was review and non-financial and financial computations were performed to see it if Ford’s overall performance had improve since the implementation of â€Å"One Ford† and the assignment of new management. The results show that the company has made improvements to it performance both financial and quality based off forecasting, employee efficiency, contribution and cost margins, net income, and higher pr ices demanded for their products.Industry OverviewIn their industry report, First Research (2011) describes both the United States and global automobile manufacturing industries. The industry in the United States is comprised of about 200 companies. In 2010, two of the larger manufactures, Ford and General Motors, had combined annual revenues of approximately $235 billion & . The automobile manufacturing industry is a global industry with players from several major countries. Some of the larger global companies based outside the United States include Toyota (Japan), Volkswagen (Germany), Hyndai (South Korea), Peugeot (France), Fiat (Italy), and SAIC (China) .Although these manufacturing companies are foreign based a few have manufacturing facilities inside the United States. Some of these include Honda, Nissan and Toyota . While other manufactures have facilities here in the United States, Ford and General Motors have located facilities in other countries. Companies that locate faci lities in foreign countries are attempting to maximize profits by taking advantage of lower labor costs, locate near suppliers and customers, and lower tariffs and other taxes. There are other challenges that are faced by the automobile manufactures besides the distance between their facilities and customers.These challenges include world economic conditions, fuel prices, regulatory standards, and the amount of loanable funds available to consumers . To combat macroeconomic issues such as these, firms must find other ways to increase profitability. Ford Motor Company is one of the automobile companies that has been able to do just that. Ford Motor Company Brief Overview, Products and Services The following information was compiled from Ford Motor Company’s 2010 Annual Report (2011) and www. Ford. com. Ford Motor Company manufactures and distributes automobiles across six continents, employs about 164,000 people at approximately 70 plants.The major bands manufactured by Ford M otor Company are Ford and Lincoln. Ford Motor Company also owns approximately 30% of Mazda that is located in Japan. Besides automobiles, the company also sells parts and offers financial and repair services for their products to the consumer. In its car segment the Ford brand offers economical and sports cars, and a sedan. The economical cars include the Focus, Figo, Fiesta, and Fusion. The sports car and sedan are the Mustang and Taurus, respectively. MSRP of these cars rang from just over $13,000 to almost $26,000.The SUV and crossover segment includes the Escape, Flex, Explore, Edge, Kuga, Expedition, and the EcoSport. MSRP for these two types of automobiles from Ford ranges from $21,000 to $38,000. Ford brand also has a truck line that includes the F-Series, Ranger, Transit Connect, Super Duty, and E-Series Wagon. MSRP for the truck line ranges from $18,000 to $29,000. Ford Motor Company also has a domestic luxury car segment. The Lincoln brand of automobiles includes sedans, c rossovers and an SUV. The sedans include the Town Car, MKZ, and MKS. These cars range from $35,000 to $47,000, MSRP.The crossovers include the MKX and MKT and range in MSRP from $40,000 to $45,000. Lincoln’s SUV is the Navigator and starts at an MSRP of almost $58,000. Ford Motor Company’s Changes in Their Supply Chain Strategy Over the past decade Ford Motor Company has had its financial ups and downs and had not been able to maintain a stable net income (See graph below). To combat this problem in the middle of the last decade Ford made some management changes to try and improve their industry position. They addressed supply chain efficiency problems that the company was facing.Some of the needed changes included closing plants, retooling, building flexible manufacturing facilities, and contracting with new logistics firms. The plan to make the transformation was coined â€Å"One Ford† . â€Å"In September of 2006 William Clay Ford, Jr. was named CEO of the F ord Motor Company. . In Liker and James’ journal article (2011) they noted that Ford brought in Allan Mulally whose job it was to use borrowed monies to bring Ford Motor Company back to a more stable and profitable state. Mulally had to decide where to use the borrowed $23 billion and where to cut cost.To help with this he appointed Derrick Kuzak, former vice-president of Europe’s product development. Kuzack was appointed as the vice-president of global product development . To combat cost Ford has closed approximately ten of its facilities since 2006 . In addition to closing facilities, Ford had to pare down supplier to bring all of its production facilities and products across the globe into alignment. In 2010 James Tetreault, vice-president of North American manufacturing stated, â€Å"[it was] expensive to maintain separate product and supply chains† .The company in 2006 started working on standardizing the architecture of the all it body panels, vehicle pla t forms, die designs and processes . In addition to making manufacturing changes Ford addressed it logistics problems in the United States. From 2000 and into 2009 Ford had used United Parcel Services (UPS) as its logistics partner for transporting both inbound and outbound inventory . Since then, Ford contracted with Penske to be its logistic partner. Penske works with Ford not only in the United States but also in Europe, South America, and United Kingdom .In addition to internal process challenges, there are other internal and external challenges that the automotive industry faces. External Challenges to Ford’s Changes In the middle of all of its changes Ford Motor Company had many different challenges besides its, financial and process changes to make the â€Å"One Ford† concept work. First, it had communication issues from upper levels to lower levels, and they could not get past â€Å"improvements† fully implemented. Second, relationships with vendors need ed improvement. Third, the world was about to enter into a recession starting in 2008.Even though the world’s GDP was falling, there was continuous inflation all over the world. Finally, iron ore price continue to rise even during the recession. In their case study, Liker and Morgan (2011) said information dissemination was described as â€Å"hand grenades† and â€Å"scud missiles. † To improve this, two types of meetings were started inside the company. First, were the â€Å"Skip-level† meetings that allowed engineers and upper level management to communicate. Second, they had â€Å"All-Hands† meetings twice a year where the entire organization gathered to discuss the status of the improvements.Liker and Morgan (2011) also quoted Mulally as saying â€Å"supplier were treated like enemies† and not partners of Ford. To fix the battles between Ford and its suppliers â€Å"a process of dialogues between matched pairs of Ford engineers and buye rs in purchasing who were responsible for the commercial side of working with suppliers† was put into place . This can help the buyers know what, how much, and when supplies are needed, and hopefully this will increase the supplier confidence in the processes at Ford.Shortly after Allan Mulally came on in 2006 the world was about to enter into a recession that some news reports were saying could be the next Great Depression. According to a United Nations, World Economic Situation and Prospects 2010 report, the rate of growth for GDP in most, if not all, countries began to decline in 2007 and actually entered into declines sometime in 2008. Although GDP was falling, inflation continued without any period of dis-inflation, meaning that prices were still on the rise but just at a slower rate .See the two graphs below for a graphical view of the United Nations data. These results show that the cost of living (prices) were still on the rise, but the amount of production (income) is in decline between 2007 and 2009. This makes it harder for consumers to purchase products like automobiles. Even with the upturn in the economies between 2009 and 2010, there is still a likelihood that people are going to be reluctant to purchase expensive durable goods. Unfortunately for the automobile industry its greatest commodity is steel.Over the past ten years world iron ore prices have been on the rise, except for a dip in prices between mid-2008 and the first quarter in 2010 . â€Å"About 98% of iron ore is used to make steel† . These price increases will drive the price of inputs for the car industry up because everything from the nuts and bolts, engine, frame and body panel, on most cars, are made from steel. Higher input prices means either lower gross profits and/or higher prices to the final consumer. The graph below shows the price changes of iron ore from 2001 until the end of 2010.Ford’s Forecasting, Inventory, Transportation, and Revenue Management T o compete, keep cost down, be profitable, and stay in business Ford has had to address the fore mentioned internal and external issues even after getting its â€Å"Ford One† plan in place. To do so it appears that management has addressed the forecasting, inventory, transportation, and revenue management functions of their operations. First, Ford had to address its forecasting so that it would not over or under produce its product to a level that would be detrimental to profitability.Second, inventory and transportation was outsourced to capitalize on the knowledge inside a firm that specialized in logistics and also had the physical resources. With an improvement of the first and second topics in this section the third topic’s, revenue management, tasks are made much easier. After a review of the company’s quarterly reports from 4Q 2007 to 3Q 2011 and the 2001 to 2010 annual reports, it can be determined that Ford uses historical quantitative information in its aggregate forecasting. Some of this information is not automobile industry specific but macroeconomic information that affects sales inside the industry.It appears that Ford’s aggregate demand forecast uses historical data and the macroeconomic information for world production forecasting and then they base their production off of recent market share percentages they control. Ford also recognizes that there is seasonality to its customers purchasing patterns and adjust projection levels. In the notes of the â€Å"Outlook† section of the 1Q 2008 report (2008) Ford commented that â€Å"results generally have been stronger in the first half of the year, with the first quarter being the strongest†.After having forecast errors in 2008 and 2009 that totaled 1.9 million units, Ford’s forecast for 2010 was only off 149,000 units worldwide. As addressed earlier, Ford had shifted its logistics in 2010 from UPS to Penske Logistics. Penske claims that they have lowe red Ford’s domestic plant inventory by 15% with the use of Order Dispatch Centers (ODC) and training suppliers on a uniform set of carrier procedures . With the ODCs Ford’s suppliers were no longer delivering to the plant facilities but to the ODC where supplies were cross-docked. This was done because Penske found that delivery trucks were traveling at 50% capacity and crossing routes.Penske now reports that â€Å"most trucks are at 95% capacity when they depart for a plant . On their website, Penske states that they have setup other logistical functions to streamline Ford’s transportation portion in its supply chain activities which include information technology and finance management systems. Their information technology system communicates schedules and shipment information up and down the supply chain and the finance management handles all of the freight bill payments, claim processing and resolutions throughout the supply chain .We have all seen the ads on television and in newspapers that start around October and run through the end of the year. The manufacturers and dealers give them titles like â€Å"Year End Blowout† and â€Å"Year End Clearance. † The specials they are running are to clear out the previous year models. These sales are a form of revenue management used to increase sales during the upcoming holiday months when consumers are more focused on Christmas and vacations. Specifically, it is a form of dynamic pricing. Dynamic pricing is used to sale inventory that is becoming less valuable as time persists .Ford is one of those automobile companies that partake in such pricing practices. They also offer discounts to consumers that finance through their Ford Motor Credit Company. Visit Ford’s website www. fordspecialevent. com and you will see the special interest rates, some even at 0%, and rebates that are offered on select units from the previous year models to help move them off of the dealer lot s. This type of sales practice is an example what happens with an inventory push system. The Performance and Financial Results of â€Å"One Ford†After just over three years from when Alan Mulally took the helm as CEO for Ford Motor Company, how have they performed? To determine if Ford’s changes have actually worked we can look at several metrics. First, we will look at the aggregate forecasting numbers from 2008 to 2010. Next, the utilization of employees that are working in the automobile sector of Ford will be analyzed. Finally, we will look at some financial performance numbers to see if the plan has had an effect on Ford’s bottom line. Ford’s forecasting has greatly improved over the past several years.When forecasting, an organization, such as Ford, must take into account its existing inventory and base its production forecast on expected demand that exceeds inventory. In 2008 Ford had forecasted that it would produce just over 4. 5 million units, b ut actually produced only 3. 8 million. Sales that year totaled 5. 5 million units. This means that the annual forecast had an error of 1. 7 million units. In 2009 the total production forecast was 3. 7 million units, but the actual production was 4. 6 million. Sales in 2009 were almost 4. 9 million units. That’s a forecast error of -247 thousand units.In 2010 Ford’s forecasting improved even more. Production was forecasted at 5. 4 million units, but actual was 5. 6 million units, and sales were 5. 5 million units. This results in a forecasting error of 149 thousand units. Ford has lowered its forecasting error by more than 10 times from 2008 to 2010 (See chart below). It has also lowered its mean average deviation between quarters from 1Q 2008 to 4Q 2010 a total of 367 units (See chart below). These kinds of results could show that Ford is moving from a push to a pull type of inventory control system.Since 2003 Ford has reduced the number of employees that are in thei r automobile sector. Along with a reduction of employees, the implementation of the above discussed â€Å"One Ford† plan to improve and standardize production processes has had a positive effect on the company’s financial performance. Between 2003 and 2010 employment went from approximately 279,000 down to 157,000, a reduction of 44%. But with this reduction in employment, production per employee rose from 24. 1 to 35. 2 or 46%. The increased number of units per employee has had a positive effect on the company’s revenues from auto sales and gross profit margin.Revenue from the sale of automobiles per employee has risen 53%, $495. 56 million to $759. 75 million. The total employment at Ford has dropped from 328,000 down to 164,000. This includes both the manufacturing and service sectors of the company. The effect on total net revenue per employee has increased from $501. 75 million to $786. 3 million or 57% from 2003 to 2010. See the graph below for a depiction of the above employee utilization and contribution results. Now we will look at how Ford’s change in their business model has affected the unit contribution and cost, and gross profit margin of the company.The average contribution per unit between 2001 and 2010 was $18,668 and $21,593, respectively. That is an increased contribution of 16% per unit. In 2001 the average cost to produce one unit for Ford was $18,324. This rose to a high of $23,558 in 2007, but the company was able to reduce this cost back down to $18,908 in 2010. The percentage reduction in cost per unit from 2007 to 2010 is 16%. The negative correlation between contribution and cost per unit has a positive effect on the gross profit margin for the company. Ford’s gross profit margin from 2003 to 2010 increased 100% from 6% to 12%.That is after dipping to lows of -4% and 1% in 2006 and 2008, respectively. See the below graph to see how the changes in Ford’s operations has affected the above menti oned financials. To analyze the total effect the â€Å"One Ford† plan has had on the company’s bottom line let us look at the revenue and income side of the financials. First, we need to take into account that the world has been in a recession since about 2008. This has had an effect on the total sales and revenues that Ford has experienced over the last several years, and the difference between 2001 and 2010 results are $160 billion and $129 billion, respectively.To understand how the changes (One Ford) have affected the net income for the company we must look at the trend between sales and cost of goods sold. Starting in 2006 the cost of goods sold for Ford trended downward, as did total sales and revenue starting in 2007, but in 2009 there started to be a change between the rate of growth between sale and cost of goods sold. The rate of growth from sales increased at a faster pace than cost of goods sold. From 2008 to 2009 the change in sales was a reduction of 19%, and the cost of goods sold fell by 22%. Between 2009 and 2010 sales rose 15% while cost of goods only increased by 6%.These differences are a result of the above mention average contribution and cost per unit. Other changes that could be making this difference are the outsourcing of its logistics and relations with suppliers. These increases in gross profits from operations have been enough to offset the reduced revenues (22%) from the financial sector and have resulted in a 141% increase in net income between 2009 and 2010. (All of the above employment, production and financial data was collected from annual and quarterly reports published by Ford Motor Company and can be found on their website, www.Ford. com, and the Securities and Exchange’s website, www. sec. gov. ) Comparison of Ford and General Motors Performance To compare General Motors to Ford Motor Company we will look at worldwide sales revenues, cost of goods sold, and net income. In its 2010 Annual Report (2011) , General Motors claims to lead Ford in worldwide sales . This is true, in the number of units sold. In 2010 General Motors did out sales Ford by almost 2. 8 million units.This has been the trend even back to 2004 where the difference was in General Motors favor at 2.2 million units. Even when it comes to some financial performances General Motors has the advantage. In 2010 average unit cost for a General Motors unit was $14,200 dollars and Ford’s average unit cost was $18,900. That is a difference of $4,700. Between 2006 and 2010 General Motors was able to reduce their average unit cost by 28%. Ford only reduced its average unit cost by 19% in the same period. The big differences that gives Ford the advantage between the two companies are the average gross profit per unit and the net income.Ford is able to demand a higher average price, $21,600 versus $16,100, than General Motors. This has given Ford the advantage in net income with a difference of almost $1. 9 billion in 20 10 alone. Plus, Ford has done this all without a bailout from the United States government like General Motors. Conclusion Over the ten years this report covers, Ford has been able to make major improvements in its operations. It has been able to make architectural changes to the body assembly and tooling that makes their production facilities more flexible.Penske was able to come in and reduce waste in the inventory and logistics that was not found by their previous logistics company. The big hurdle that Ford overcame was the implementation and communication issues they had in-house and with suppliers. With all of these changes Ford has been able to alleviate some of the financial woes it was experiencing several years back. Finally, the result of the automobile sector and the total company shows that Ford Motor Company as a whole is moving in the right direction with its â€Å"One Ford† plan.

Conservatism (Politics) - Definition

Conservatism (Politics) - Definition Definition: Political conservatism in the United States is both an intellectual/theoretical tradition and a popular political movement.As an intellectual tradition, political conservatism does not necessarily focus on any particular political position or issue. In fact, most conservative traditionalists disagree with one another over a number of issues including (but not limited to) abortion, stem cell research, capital punishment, the environment and war. Nevertheless, these intellectual traditionalists tend to subscribe to the same conservative principles, those being primarily the importance of family, but also a small or limited government, a strong national defense and free enterprise.As a popular political movement, conservatism is more specific regarding a host of specific political issues that include (among other things) the pro-life movement, judicial restraint, welfare reform, immigration reform and the sanctity of marriage (specifically the opposition to gay marriage).Conservatism is also an umbrella term that embodies several different types of politically conservative philosophies. These are often primarily identified as neoconservatism, paleoconservatism and social conservatism, but they also include fiscal conservatism, cultural conseratism and crunchy conservatism. Pronunciation: kunservitizim Also Known As: moderation, orthodoxy, preservation, prudence, right-wing, reactionary, temperance, traditionalism, utilitarianism Alternate Spellings: conservativeness Examples: Former President Ronald Reagan: The basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom, and this is a pretty general description also of what libertarianism is.†Author Craig Bruce: Liberalism is financed by the dividends from Conservatism.Actor Robert Redford: â€Å"Because, you know, youre in Utah. And because of its political conservatism, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.†

Dont Be Negative About Negatives

Dont Be Negative About Negatives Don’t Be Negative About Negatives Don’t Be Negative About Negatives By Mark Nichol A site visitor called attention to a sentence in one of my recent posts and asked, because it has two negatives, whether it is grammatically correct. The sentence in question? â€Å"In case you hadn’t heard, I couldn’t care less.† The reader confused the appearance of two negative words with the concept of the double negative, which is not the same thing. In the sentence I used, each negative is located in a separate clause: Hadn’t appears in the dependent clause, and couldn’t is in the main, independent clause. Therefore, they don’t contradict each other. But even if they did, would that be wrong? Not necessarily. Two forms of double negative exist. One, referred to as two negatives resolving to a positive, is also known as litotes (LIE-tuh-tees), a rhetorical device in which emphasis is conveyed by understatement. For example, â€Å"I do not disagree,† a form of two negatives resolving to a positive, is an effective way to convey lukewarm concurrence. â€Å"He is not unattractive,† likewise, is not the same as â€Å"He is attractive.† By using the double negative, the writer intends to damn with faint praise. The double negative carries the euphemistic connotation that the man in question is only merely pleasant looking rather than handsome. The other form of double negative, known as two or more negatives resolving to a negative, is the one we associate with the grammarian’s admonition to avoid double negatives. Here are some examples of double negatives that are not considered specimens of proper English usage: â€Å"I ain’t no fool.† â€Å"She didn’t do nothing.† â€Å"They ain’t going nowhere.† â€Å"We don’t never go out.† â€Å"You don’t have no money.† Related examples employ a minimizing adverb instead of a negative: â€Å"I can’t hardly tell.† â€Å"He couldn’t barely see in that fog.† But are these sentences grammatically challenged? Not really. They aren’t exemplars of Standard English, but they’re seldom unclear, and they are appropriate in context, to authentically convey the substandard usage of uneducated speakers of English. To review, â€Å"In case you hadn’t heard, I couldn’t care less† is unimpeachable, â€Å"I do not disagree† and â€Å"He is not unattractive† are eloquent equivocations, and â€Å"I ain’t no fool† and similar constructions are entirely acceptable as expressions of dialect or of jocular usage. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Classes and Types of Phrases5 Lessons for Mixing Past and Present TenseHow Verbs Become Adjectives

Engineering Products Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Engineering Products - Essay Example The theory developed by French and Raven (1958, p. 453) distinguished five bases of social power.   These are the reward power, the coercive power, the referent power, the legitimate power, and the expert power.   EP’s power policy is the combination of three bases, namely reward, coercive, and legitimate power.     The reward power is the leader’s influence on his followers exerted through the dispensation of valued rewards in return for compliance with instruction.   When EP established the pay plan and the new criteria for promotions, opening upward mobility to compliant managers, it was wielding the proverbial â€Å"carrot† and trying to court obedience to central policy.   Coercive power, on the other hand, is based on the administration of penalties or sanctions for non-compliance with instructions.   In EP, HQ wielded the â€Å"stick† in the form of sanctions and dismissals for managers who insisted on not abiding by HQ’s standa rdization policies.   HQ also introduced punishment in not allocating orders to plants perceived to be uncooperative with central authority. Finally, the exercise of legitimate (or position) power is based on the obligation of subordinates to accept instructions given by the leadership because of its position and title.   HQ used its legitimate power by employing control mechanisms such as: centralizing the decision-making functions on itself; changing the company’s structure to favour standardization; affording rewards and imposing punishments; training of personnel; and imposition of policies and rules (Hellriegel, D. and Slocum, J., 1978, p. 365 ). In EP, however, the changes in the organizational structure may be viewed as a benevolent attempt to gradually inculcate standardization through collaboration.   The manufacturing councils, the engineers’ International College, the internal consultants, and regular meetings of international HR specialists, were all meant to smooth out the transition from localized operations to a standardized system.