It's been a fairly low-key week for bullpens. The biggest news was the Phillies announcing they are going to a closer committee. I'll take a deep dive into that bullpen today, then I'll get an update from a few other bullpens around the league including LAA, ATL, TOR, and TEX.
Hector Neris is 8 for 11 in save chances on the season and although he's recorded the bulk of the Phillies' saves, he also has a 5.06 ERA on the season. This likely played a part in Phils' manager Gabe Kapler announcing that he does not have a defined closer and the 9th inning would be up for grabs.
Over the last month the only other Phillies reliever with a save was Edubray Ramos, so it stands to reason he's in the mix for saves. On the season, Ramos has pitched 17.2 innings to a 1.02 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 11.2 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9. In addition to one save, Ramos also has 5 holds and a win. Ramos' K-rate and BB-rate are both in line with his 2016 season, as is his ground ball rate at 34%. Ramos is out-performing his 3.48 FIP by over 2 runs, so he's likely to regress. This is further supported by a 99% LOB rate, meaning that almost all the runners Ramos leaves on base for the next guy don't come around to score. All in all, there is more to like about Ramos than dislike, and he projects for a mid-3s ERA and a K-rate north of 10.5.
Also in the mix for saves is Seranthony Dominguez, a rookie with just 4.2 career innings and 5 strikeouts. He has a plus fastball in the upper 90s, along with a slider and changeup which grade as average. He has the potential to be a top bullpen arm, but is too green to see consistent save opportunities just yet.
Luis Garcia hasn't recorded a save but he does have 9 holds, a 3.24 ERA, and 0.90 WHIP in 16.2 innings this season. His ratios are consistent with his 2017 season. The only thing lacking with Garcia is the strikeouts. His K/9 has historically been around 7 – 8, and never above 8.5 K/9. He seems more suitable in the middle innings than the 9th, but could see some save chances nonetheless.
With 7 holds on the season, and the last Phillies RP I'll write about today, is veteran Tommy Hunter. Hunter missed the first part of the season on the DL and since returning has picked up 7 saves in 8.2 innings, recording a 9.3 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, 4.15 ERA and 1.62 WHIP. Hunter had success out of the bullpen the last two seasons, recording ERAs of 2.61 and 3.18 in 2017 and 2016, respectively. He has 17 saves to his career.
Actions to take: For saves, I still think Neris gets the majority of opportunities the rest of the way, so definitely hold onto him if you own him. Ramos is the next in line, as he's performed well and has also been used in late innings and save situations. Dominguez may be a closer of the future, but right now he's too unproven to take over the role. He will be very useful in holds leagues though, so definitely worth an add if he is available. Garcia has also been good, but due to the low K-rate I don't think he will be the top option in the 9th anytime soon. Finally, Hunter is an intriguing option and I put him 3rd in line for saves. He's had success out of the pen after some mediocre seasons as a starter. Sometimes the veteran has an edge when it comes to high pressure situations too.
Keynan Middleton returned last week briefly before being shut down with elbow pain. An MRI revealed damage to his UCL. Tommy John surgery was confirmed yesterday, so Middleton will be out for quite some time.
Justin Anderson has recorded the only save for the Angels since Middleton went down. This occurred on Monday. It is notable that both Cam Bedrosian and Blake Parker pitched the previous two games. Anderson, a rookie, has pitched 10.1 innings on the season, striking out 15 batters. He also has 6 walks, allowed 2 home runs, and has a 5.23 ERA and 1.55 WHIP. It's a small sample and digging into his game log reveals the walks are scattered across his appearances. His ERA is the result of two outings where he allowed 3 earned runs; the other 8 outings he did not allow a run.
This one will most certainly be a committee for the time being. In addition to Justin Anderson, the usual suspects will be in the mix for saves including Bedrosian, Parker, and Jim Johnson. In the last 30 days, Parker has been the best of the bunch going 13.1 innings with a 1.35 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and a 15/3 K/BB ratio. Bedrosian and Johnson haven't been bad at all, but both have walked 6 in 13.0 and 13.1 innings, respectively.
Actions to take: It's tough to say how this one will shake out. I'm buying into Blake Parker's resurgence after a poor spring training that poured into the first couple weeks of the regular season. He is my first choice for saves speculators, however if he's not available you would be fine to grab any of the other options noted above. With the Angels contending for a wild card playoff spot, there is a chance they seek RP help from outside the organization at the trade deadline. We'll monitor the situation as the dog days of summer approach.
AJ Minter picked up a save this past Monday, his second of the season. Arodys Vizcaino had the night off after pitching the previous two nights. The Braves went right back to Viz on Tuesday night, but he blew the save and took the loss against the Cubs in a 9th inning that featured two controversial calls, one at home and one at third base. Both calls went the wrong way for the Braves. Viz bounced back on Wednesday, nailing down his 8th save in 10 opportunities.
Actions to take: Vizcaino owners need not be worried, he'll continue to see the bulk of the saves. AJ Minter will notch a couple here and there.
Roberto Osuna's administrative leave was extended by MLB through May 21 as they continue their investigation into his domestic violence charge. Until we know more details it's tough to predict if a suspension will come down, and if so how long it will be for. Since last week, no one recorded a save for the Blue Jays, so there is not much to update for the active relief pitchers.
Actions to take: Closer candidates for the Blue Jays include Tyler Clippard, Ryan Tepara, and John Axford. Check out last week's article for a little more detail on each.
Tim Lincecum is in the midst of a rehab assignment at Rangers' Triple-A affiliate Round Rock. Assuming no set-backs, he's about 2 weeks away from returning. Keone Kela has been adequate in the closer role for Texas, going 8/8 in save chances and striking out 19 batters over 16 innings, but he does have an ERA over 5. I don't think the job will be Lincecum's immediately upon activation, but he could see some saves at some point during the year with Kela not exactly dominating.
Actions to take: There is no reason to drop Kela and I don't think his job is in immediate jeopardy. Lincecum may be worth a stash on your DL if you are desperate for saves and have DL spots available.
Raisel Iglesias, CIN – Iglesias pitched 4 innings picking up 4 saves while striking out 6. He did not allow a run and only allowed one baserunner via a hit.
Kyle Barraclough, MIA – Barraclough pitched 4 innings and recorded 3 holds to go along with 3 Ks, 1 BB, and 0 runs or hits.
Pierce Johnson, SFG – Johnson pitched 3 innings, striking out 3 and recording 1 hold, 1 win, and did not allow a baserunner. On the season he has a 5.7 K/9 and 4.79 ERA, so it seems like he just had a good week.


text:
Q: How to grab first line of string and display in php? Below is my code:
<?php
 $array = explode("\n", $order['payment_address']);
 $firstLine = $array[0];
 echo $firstLine;
 ?>

What i am trying to do is grab the name of customer in first line from $order['payment_address'] and print it. Payment_address includes several lines with customer name on top. Tried the code by Ben Pearl Kahan and output is now as -
Bob Smith
12
Line 1: Bob Smith
12
Line 2: Kannaught Place
Delhi 282010
Uttar Pradesh
India
While i want just "Bob Smith".
I am a novice. Plz help.

A: Without providing output of $order["payment_address"], this should help:
//Trim whitespace from start/end of string
$pa = trim($order["payment_address"]);

//Check if the value is empty
if(!empty($pa)){

    //Explode by line
    $array = explode("\n", $pa);

    //Echo out first line
    echo "First line: {$array[0]}

";

    //See data line-by-line
    $num = 0;
    foreach($array as $line){
        $num++;
        echo "Line $num: $line
";
    }

} else echo "Payment address is empty!
"; //Output error if $pa is empty

For comma-separated values:
//Trim whitespace from start/end of string
$pa = trim($order["payment_address"]);

//Check if the value is empty
if(!empty($pa)){

    //Explode by line
    $array = explode(", ", $pa);

    //Echo out first line
    echo "First line: {$array[0]}

";

    //See data line-by-line
    $num = 0;
    foreach($array as $line){
        $num++;
        echo "Line $num: $line
";
    }

} else echo "Payment address is empty!
"; //Output error if $pa is empty

A: If you are not sure about what's inside your variable, always var_dump(). To view in browser
echo '
'; var_dump($order['payment_address']); echo '
';

The following regex would split at any linebreak-sequence or
 and return first non empty item.
$firstLine = preg_split('~
|\R~i', $order['payment_address'], -1, PREG_SPLIT_NO_EMPTY)[0];

See demo at eval.in

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Stem cell transplantation isn't a scalable treatment for HIV
Umbilical cord stem cells can be a cure for HIV; umbilical cord blood should be collected
SOURCE: Facebook users, Facebook, 16 Feb. 2022
Lacks context: Given the complexity and side effects of stem cell transplantation, it isn't a suitable therapy for the majority of HIV patients. This strategy was tested on specific patients who needed stem cell transplant anyway to treat their blood cancers. Furthermore, it only worked because the stem cell donors had a rare genetic mutation, making it impossible to scale up that approach.
Accurate: It is accurate that a woman is in long-term HIV remission following a stem cell transplantation.
Stem cell transplantation can be used to cure an HIV infection if stem cell donors carry a specific mutation called CCR5-Δ32/Δ32. However, stem cell transplantation is a complex procedure with several side effects. Furthermore, the need for the CCR5-Δ32/Δ32 mutation limits the pool of eligible stem cell donors. Altogether, this means that stem cell transplantation is unlikely to turn into a go-to treatment for HIV infection.
FULL CLAIM: Umbilical cord stem cells can be a cure for HIV; umbilical cord blood should be collected
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has infected around 80 million people worldwide since the beginning of the HIV pandemic in the early 1980s. Untreated HIV infection results in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which has claimed the lives of about 36 million people.
The HIV pandemic continues to be a problem. In 2020, there were 1.5 million new infections and more than 600,000 AIDS-related deaths. Although medical discoveries have led to treatments that significantly increase the life expectancy of HIV-positive patients, these treatments can only control the infection, not get rid of it.
However, there have been instances of people deemed to be cured of HIV following a procedure called stem cell transplantation, a procedure that is used in the treatment of blood cancer. At least two HIV-positive individuals, the "Berlin patient" and the "London patient", achieved undetectable HIV viral loads after receiving a stem cell transplant[1,2].
And more recently in February 2022, the Washington Post reported that a woman was cured of HIV after receiving umbilical cord stem cells transplant. This is true; as the researchers monitoring the woman's condition reported in a scientific abstract, the woman was transplanted with stem cells and achieved long-term HIV remission afterward: there was no detectable HIV in her blood up to 14 months after she stopped antiviral treatment.
However, a Facebook post interpreted these research findings to mean that that umbilical cord blood should be routinely collected as it can serve to cure HIV. After reviewing the claim, Health Feedback found that it missed important context that would inform the reader why stem cell transplantation as a possible go-to HIV therapy isn't viable in most cases.
We first need to explain how stem cell transplantation works. This technique has two steps. First, the patient is subjected to high-dose chemotherapy or irradiation to wipe out their bone marrow. The bone marrow is the tissue responsible for producing white blood cells, so this preparatory procedure kills a large part of the patient's white blood cells. This step is necessary to prevent rejection of donor stem cells by the patient's immune system. Then, the patient receives an infusion of stem cells, which colonize and rebuild the destroyed bone marrow and start producing new white blood cells.
Because of the irradiation and chemotherapy and the subsequent transplantation, stem cell transplant is a lengthy and complex medical procedure with several potentially life-threatening side effects. The reason why the three patients qualified for stem cell transplantations is that they all suffered from blood cancer, and stem cell transplantation is a classic therapeutic option in those cases. The Berlin patient had leukemia, the London patient had Hodgkin's lymphoma, while the woman had acute myeloid leukemia.
Carlos del Rio, professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, told the Washington Post that "this is not a scalable intervention". "A bone-marrow transplant is not a viable large-scale strategy for curing HIV, but it does present a proof of concept that HIV can be cured", concurred Sharon Lewin, president-elect of the International AIDS Society. Therefore, it cannot be reasonably envisioned as a broad therapeutic option for HIV patients who don't have blood cancer.
Furthermore, available results showed that stem cell transplants alone cannot prevent HIV from proliferating. HIV is known to infect a type of white blood cell called CD4+ T lymphocytes. Therefore it would make sense that a stem cell transplant that involves removing the infected T cells and replacing them with healthy, uninfected ones could clear out the virus from the body.
However, researchers tested this approach on monkeys with a simian equivalent of HIV. They found that the amount of virus in the monkey's blood started creeping back up after the transplantation[3]. Thus, they concluded that stem cell transplantation alone cannot get rid of HIV. This was also confirmed in humans, when two HIV-positive patients—the "Boston patients"—underwent a transplantation using "regular" stem cells. The transplantation unfortunately proved unable to ward off the HIV infection.
The reason why this strategy proved successful in the Berlin, London, and the more recent U.S., patients is because their stem cell donors harbored a specific genetic mutation called CCR5-Δ32/Δ32. CCR5 is a protein present on the surface of the CD4+ T lymphocytes that HIV uses to latch onto the cells and infect them[4]. This is similar to the way SARS-CoV-2 binds onto the ACE-2 protein at the surface of cells[5].
T lymphocytes with the CCR5-Δ32/Δ32 mutation produce a truncated form of CCR5 to which HIV cannot bind. Therefore, people bearing that mutation are unlikely to become HIV-positive because the virus is unable to infect the cells and proliferate[6,7].
After the stem cell transplantation from their CCR5-Δ32/Δ32 donors, the three patients grew new bone marrow cells bearing that mutation and produced new CCR5-Δ32/Δ32 T lymphocytes that are protected from HIV infection. Therefore, the patients were made resistant to any remaining HIV that may have been dwelling in their body.
As the above demonstrates, this HIV treatment requires a donor with a very specific mutation. A study surveyed for the presence of CCR5-Δ32/Δ32 in 1.3 million potential donors[8]; they found that the frequency of people with that CCR5-Δ32/Δ32 mutation vary depending on the geographical area and found the highest frequency in the Faroe Islands where 2.3% of the tested individuals had CCR5-Δ32/Δ32. This is a rather low percentage, indicating that the mutation is quite rare, which means that the majority of umbilical cord stem cell donors won't be suitable if curing HIV is the main goal. It is therefore unlikely that this approach will turn into a mainstream therapy for HIV infection. Therefore, it's impractical to systematically collect umbilical cord fluid from babies with that objective in mind, as suggested in the Facebook post.
In summary, to date there have been three patients who benefited from a long-lasting HIV remission after receiving a stem cell transplant. However, not all stem cell transplantations can cure HIV. It worked in the cases of these three patients because the donor stem cells bore a rare mutation that makes the cells resistant to HIV infection. In addition, stem cell transplantation is a complex and risky medical procedure that cannot be scaled up to treat HIV-positive patients. The reason it was undertaken in these three patients was primarily to treat their cancer, not to treat HIV infection.
1 – Gupta et al. (2019) HIV-1 remission following CCR5Δ32/Δ32 haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. Nature.
2 – Hütter et al. (2009) Long-Term Control of HIV by CCR5 Delta32/Delta32 Stem-Cell Transplantation. The New England Journal of Medicine.
3 – Mavigner et al. (2014) Persistence of Virus Reservoirs in ART-Treated SHIV-Infected Rhesus Macaques after Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant. PLOS Pathogens
4 – Lederman et al. (2006) Biology of CCR5 and Its Role in HIV Infection and Treatment. Journal of the American Medical Association.
5 – Shang et al. (2020) Cell entry mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2. PNAS.
6 – Samson et al. (1996) Resistance to HIV-1 infection in Caucasian individuals bearing mutant alleles of the CCR-5 chemokine receptor gene. Nature.
7 – Novembre et al. (2005) The Geographic Spread of the CCR5 Δ32 HIV-Resistance Allele. PLOS Biology.
8 – Solloch et al. (2017) Frequencies of gene variant CCR5-Δ32 in 87 countries based on next-generation sequencing of 1.3 million individuals sampled from 3 national DKMS donor centers. Human Immunology.
HIV Stem cell
Published on: 21 Feb 2022 | Editor: Pablo Rougerie

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


• Understand how business processes create competitive capabilities that enable organizations to satisfy customer requirements.
• Explain how operations management can maintain an organization's competitive edge through high-quality production, convenient delivery, effective customer service, and competitive cost.
• Describe key business processes including strategy development, product develop- ment, system creation to produce services and goods, and order fulfillment.
• Discuss why operations are strategically important.
• List and define the steps necessary to link operations to corporate strategy.
• Describe how operations managers use information technology to increase produc- tivity, improve quality, provide a safer environment, and reduce costs.
Operations presents top management with many opportunities to develop competi-tive advantages. A competitive advantage is a capability that customers value, such as short delivery lead-time or high product quality that gives an organization an edge against its competition. When prop- erly used, operations can be an important tool for improving profits, increasing market share, and developing new markets. A firm's market share is its percentage of sales in a particular market, that is, its sales divided by total sales for all organizations competing in a particular market.
An organization creates a competitive advan- tage by giving customers what they want in a better way than other companies. What do cus- tomers want, or in other words, what do they value? Figure 2.1 provides a model for under- standing how an organization can deliver com- petitive advantage to its customers. An organi- zation should know its external environment (threats and opportunities) and its internal environment (strengths and weaknesses), and have a clear understanding of the customers it is trying to serve. This is often called "SWOT analysis," for strengths, weaknesses, opportu- nities, and threats. An in-depth understanding of customer requirements allows the firm to determine a set of competitive capabilities that will enable it to delight, rather than merely sat- isfy, customers. These competitive capabilities are, in turn, the result of well-designed busi- ness processes. These key business processes are cross-functional and require operations managers to work closely with their counter- parts in accounting, finance, information systems, marketing, and other disciplines within the organization.
A list of factors that customers value is provided in Figure 2.1. The factors that customers value as well as the relative importance of each factor vary from industry to industry and from customer to customer, but this list presents a good starting point. Figure 2.1 also pro- vides a set of competitive capabilities that are affected by decisions made by operations managers. These competitive capabilities help the organization meet customer require- ments, although there is not a one-to-one correlation between a competitive capability and a customer requirement. For example, flexibility in operations enables firms to meet specific customer needs quickly, but it may also impact product quality and price.
A competitive advantage gives an organization the edge over its competition. By improving profits, increasing market share, and expanding into new areas, operations can work toward achieving this desired advantage.
As shown in Figure 2.1, organizations must create business processes that enable the orga- nization to improve the competitive capabilities needed to meet customer requirements, thereby satisfying customers. However, an organization's impact on competitive capabili- ties is not immediate, that is, no firm can create flexibility, productivity, or quality. Com- petitive capabilities are indirectly impacted through effective design and the implementa- tion of the business processes that help the firm meet customer requirements. Figure 2.1 also provides a list of business processes that are related to operations. This list also may vary from industry to industry and from company to company within the same industry. Other processes not listed, such as those to recruit personnel or raise capital, are impor- tant, but they are not discussed in this text mainly because they are not central elements of operations management.
Upcoming sections in this chapter examine customer requirements, competitive capabili- ties, business processes, and technology, which is a critical tool for developing competitive advantage. Coverage of the environmental factors often appears in a course on business strategy or business policy and, with the exception of global competition and technology, will not be discussed here.
have requirements that change over time, so organizations must continuously measure and evalu- ate customer requirements.
To be successful at building com- petitive advantage, organizations should know who their custom- ers are, and what their custom- ers want. By understanding their customers' requirements, organi- zations can build a competitive advantage that enables them to compete in global markets. Under- standing these customer require- ments is essential for focusing on the right competitive capabilities and designing the best business processes. A brief description of customer requirements is listed in Figure 2.1.
Because gasoline is, essentially, an undifferentiated product, customers purchase it based on convenience, price, service, and location.
cost effectiveness, volume effectiveness, and responsiveness to customers' needs. Volume effectiveness is the ability to produce goods and services in large enough quantities to meet overall demand.
• Quick response—It is usually an advantage for customers to have products avail- able immediately upon request. Late delivery may create delays, increase costs, and create other problems for customers. Early delivery often creates storage problems, raises the risk of theft or damage as the item sits in inventory, and increases the need for working capital to carry inventory. Long lead times force customers to commit to the purchase decision before they need the product. This situation can lead to mistakes because the circumstances may change during the lead time. For example, buying next summer's wardrobe at a clearance sale in September incurs substantial risk for the style-conscious consumer. Similar prob- lems occur when organizations force their customers to contend with long lead times when placing orders.
• Product performance and features—Generally, high-performing products with many features are preferred by consumers, especially when acquired for little or no addi- tional cost. Organizations that are innovative in design and production of services and goods can achieve this. When it was first proposed that automobiles come equipped with air bags to increase safety, there was great concern that the cost of the air bag (estimated at about $600–700 each) would make the price of an automo- bile too high for the average consumer. Today, air bags are touted as an important safety feature; some vehicles have six, seven, or more. The cost of air bags has dropped dramatically because of better design, economies of scale in production, and productivity improvement through learning how to make the product better and cheaper—often called the learning curve. This is true for a variety of goods and services from the iPhone to automatic braking systems for vehicles, to mobile phone plans that offer more minutes as well as data downloads and Internet access at lower prices than voice-only plans from a few years ago.
• Product quality—To the customer, product quality means fitness for use. Does the product do what the customer wants, and does it perform well? Quality is broadly defined and can include both product performance and features.
• Price—The amount paid for a service or good is still important to consumers. In fact, it is the other half of the value equation. Value is what a customer gets for the price paid.
• Service—Service is broadly defined. It includes companion activities, such as helping to arrange financing for a purchase or helping to install equipment. It also includes service after the sale—advice on operating a piece of equipment, provid- ing repair parts, and processing warranty claims. If an organization can provide better service than its competitors, it may achieve a competitive advantage.
organizations and to describe how they might be achieved. The list of competitive capa- bilities in Figure 2.1 is not intended to be exhaustive. The emphasis is on operations and discussion focuses primarily on operating issues and concerns.
• With the ability to produce a wide variety of products quickly and cheaply, mar- keting can meet specific customer demands more closely and at a lower cost.
• Timely deliveries are possible because flexibility implies that inexpensive and quick changes can be made from one product to another.
• Changeover costs are reduced because it takes less time and effort to change production resources, thereby reducing operating costs.
• When sudden shifts in market preference occur, the cost of redesigning facilities and equipment is reduced because the system can more easily adapt to produc- ing new and different products.
Marketing departments would like to satisfy all demands made by any customer because sell- ing is part of the job. Sales can be more easily achieved when a wide variety of products is avail- able for customer choice. Marketing also aims to avoid any unnecessary delays in delivering the service or good. Requesting that operations keep adequate stock of inventory for all items is one approach that can be used in the produc- tion of goods. Inventory, however, is very expen- sive to hold. Also, a high level of inventory does not ensure that the firm has what the customer wants because companies often have in inventory what is not selling, rather than what is selling. An organization can maintain quick delivery and still keep finished goods inventory low through reducing the changeover time between products, thereby adjusting production to meet the custom- er's needs.
A barber chair can easily be adjusted to best fit each customer's height. This exemplifies operational flexibility, which is the ability to alter production processes in response to customer demands, with minimal costs or delays.
For service organizations, flexibility can be achieved by cross-training employees. Many service operations are labor intensive; if an organization wants to deliver a variety of ser- vices, it is important to train employees to perform more than one function. For example, an automotive repair firm may repair brakes, align wheels, and install batteries. If it has only one person who specializes in performing each service, it may have customers wait- ing for batteries, while no work is being done in brakes and wheel alignments, and two idle workers are present. Cross training can eliminate a problem such as this.
Flexibility in the production process also permits facilities to adapt to market changes. Disruptive technology, geo-political change, and global trade can cause relatively quick changes. Dramatic changes make it difficult for companies to maintain their competitive- ness. Without the flexibility to adjust, firms may face lower profitability, declining market share, and even bankruptcy.
Flint Auto Stamping uses flexibility to gain a competitive advantage. Stamping involves sending flat sheets of steel through a series of large presses that shape the metal by hitting it with dies (molds). The dies are formed to the shape of the finished product. Flint Auto Stamping produces left-front and right-front quarter panels (fenders) for cars. To change from left to right quarter panels, the press must be stopped, and the dies that shape the metal must be changed. At Flint Auto Stamping, 4–8 hours are required to change dies. If they change dies each day, they will spend four to eight hours each day without production. Because of these delays, management will probably choose long production runs so the changeover times and costs will not be excessive. Longer production runs will lead to greater inventory of one part. Demand for the quarter panel not being produced must be satisfied from inventory because car assembly requires both front quarter panels at the same time.
If the time required to make the change was reduced to only 15 minutes, then management could afford more changeovers because less time would be taken away from production. More changes mean less inventory buildup, because the time until the next change is short and less inventory is needed to supply the part that is not being produced. Less inventory leads to lower cost, which is a competitive advantage.
Greater flexibility is a result of good planning and effectively organized changeover procedures that use written documentation and dedicated people—engineering, management, and labor—who are willing to work together. Flexibility can also be enhanced through the application of the most current technologies.
iPhone as Disruptive Technology. A disruptive technology is a product that is substantially better than existing products: The iPhone is one such example. Disruptive technology makes it difficult for other companies to compete. For several years, the iPhone was available only with AT&T service, but as service expanded to include Verizon as an option, a large segment of the market purchased the iPhone. This had a negative impact on sales of the BlackBerry unit sold by Research In Motion (RIM), and RIM is struggling to regain lost market share with new products that are designed to compete with the iPhone. So far, these products have not been successful competitors. As a result, the stock price for RIM dropped from more than $80 per share to less than $15 in a very short time. Over the same period of time, Apple's stock price has increased to more than $600 per share. Supplying new, better performing products to the market more quickly could possibly have helped RIM maintain its market share and financial performance. Apple's ability to design and improve its technology quickly—flexibility in design and production—and RIM's inability to do the same determine in large part their relative performance.
Oil Price and the U.S. Automobile Industry. Since 1973, the date of the first oil embargo, the U.S. automobile industry has faced several major changes in market preference between large and small cars. Prior to the embargo, gasoline was selling for $.30/gallon, but afterward, gasoline doubled to $.60/gallon, sending shock waves through the industry. In the early-1980s, the price more than dou- bled again to about $1.30/gallon. In 1986, with crude oil prices falling, the price of gasoline dropped dramatically to about $.70/gallon. However, the price soared again in 1990 to about $1.50/gallon, only to drop again in 1998 to $1.10/gallon. From 2000 to 2004, the price of gasoline fluctuated from as high as $1.90/gallon to as low as $1.20/gallon. By 2007, it approached $5.00/gallon, but it was back below $2.00 a gallon the next year. As of late-2012, it stands at about $3.50/gallon, and it is not clear what the cost will be in the future.
Each dramatic increase in gasoline prices has decreased the demand for large vehicles with 8-cylinder engines and increased the demand for more fuel-efficient small cars with 4-cylinder engines. Once gasoline prices stabilized (or at least remained stable for a while) larger vehicles with 8-cylinder engines were in demand once again. For many years, the production lines that machined the engines were not flexible; they were set up to make only one type of engine. It was very time consuming and costly to shift production from 8-cylinder engines to 6-cylinder or 4-cylinder engines, and it was just as expensive to shift back when gasoline prices dropped. This inflexibility was a function of equipment design. When determining the most effective level of flexibility, decision makers in the automobile industry should consider the tradeoffs between shifts to new technology, extra costs of designing and operating flexible machining centers for engine blocks, and the cost of converting inflexible systems each time crude oil prices drastically change.
Global Trade and Health Care. For many years, items once manufactured in the United States such as apparel, furniture, and televisions, have been produced in other countries, such as Mexico, China, and India. Now, global trade is impacting health care as well as hospitals. Other countries are attempting to lure U.S. patients abroad for surgical and other procedures because the costs for these procedures are far less in other countries. This small but growing trend, called medical tourism, may eventually impact hospitals in the same way that global trade has impacted manufacturing. Health care providers must find ways to keep costs in check or reduce them, improve service quality, and enhance customer service to maintain their market position.
Productivity Productivity is a mathematical calculation; it is the ratio of the outputs achieved divided by the inputs consumed to achieve those outputs. As productivity increases, organiza- tions can do the same work with less effort, or can do more work with the same effort. Increases in productivity reduce costs, lower prices, and provide a basis for competing in world markets. While productivity is defined by a mathematical equation, efficiency is a general descriptor of the time or effort needed to do work. Efficiency is often used to mean achieving an outcome with a minimum amount of effort, that is, no waste. In this way, efficiency addresses the same challenges as productivity, which is a precise measure. More is discussed about productivity in a later chapter.
Productivity improvements are beneficial to the organization, to management, to con- sumers, and to workers. In any situation, there are limits on resources, capital and equip- ment, material and energy, and labor. Additionally, none of these resources is free. If an organization can produce more products with fewer resources, while improving quality, it will achieve two significant advantages. First, the unit cost of the product will decline because less labor or fewer materials are required to produce each unit. This, in turn, makes the product cost less and the company more price competitive. Second, there will be unused resources that can be used to develop and produce new products and enhance existing products. When significant increases in productivity have been achieved, revo- lutionary changes in resource allocation have occurred. These types of shifts in resource allocation have changed the face of economic development in the United States three times.
The advent of farming equipment caused farm labor in the United States to decline from 95% to less than 3%. This shift allowed workers to focus on creating and producing consumer goods and services.
would not have been possible without the development of better methods and machinery that allowed companies to reallocate their human and physical resources from farming to the production of goods.
During the late-1800s and the first half of the 1900s, improvements in manufacturing pro- ductivity freed resources for the rapid expansion of service operations. As manufacturers invested in equipment to automate production, less labor was needed to make the same amount of finished goods. Banking, health care, insurance, retail, and other service indus- tries grew because of the labor freed by mechanizing operations. Greater opportunities for services became possible because labor productivity improvements in manufacturing allowed the U.S. economy to do more with fewer people and resources. This is how real improvement in living standards can be made.
The next wave of productivity improvements began in the 1950s with the development and commercial application of computers. This phase, which some call the post-industrial era, began with large, difficult to operate mainframe computers used by governments and a few very large businesses. Improvements have progressed with the use of large scale databases, telecommunications technology, the personal computer, the Internet, and smart devices. Now, the possibilities and potential uses of these kinds of technologies are endless. As this technology is applied to problems in decision making on the factory floor, in the office, in the hospital, in government, and so and on, productivity of blue- and white-collar workers will increase. This technology allows fewer people to do more work.
Building Quality into Products For firms to remain competitive in today's global markets, they must produce high- quality products. To remain cost-competitive, organizations must find ways to improve product quality without increasing costs. Technological advances can lead to reduced costs, improved product performance, and enhanced quality. Enhancements in quality can result from applying new technology (such as advances in micro and robotic sur- gery), developing new materials (such as high-strength carbon fiber composite materials to replace steel), and improving operations through better management and training.
The importance of building quality into products is evident in a growing reluctance to purchase cer- tain products, including food and toys from China because of well-publicized failures in China's pro- duction systems. For China to maintain and grow its economy through global trade, it must create a culture of quality that will root out these problems, and build products that customers will seek out and pay a price premium to obtain. This is the approach Japan has taken, beginning in the 1950s under the leadership of W. Edward Deming and Joseph Juran. Using their quality principles, Japan changed its perception from low-quality trinket producer after World War II to the maker of high- quality, high-technology products by the 1970s. However, even with this renewed perception, a long history of high-quality products can be damaged. For example, the substantial quality defects involv- ing Toyota automobiles with unintended acceleration have had a significant and negative impact on sales. The quality defects and the impact of the 2011 tsunami on key suppliers' ability to deliver components have lowered Toyota from the number one spot in worldwide automobile sales, a posi- tion now occupied by General Motors (GM).
At one time, many consumers believed the old adage "You get what you pay for." As a result, consumers thought they had to pay more to get high quality. Although this statement has intui- tive appeal, history has shown that improve- ments in quality can be achieved while costs are held constant or even reduced. Consumer elec- tronics such as flat panel televisions and home security systems have seen large improvements in quality while prices have remained the same or have dropped substantially. The flat panel televi- sions of today offer better picture quality and fea- tures for about a third of the price of those from 10 years ago. Research and development has helped to drive these improvements. Automobiles, which have risen in price over the past 30 years, have had substantial innovation and improvement, dramatically enhancing quality. Passenger safety, fuel economy, entertainment and navigation sys- tems, and rear view cameras are now mainstay features. The price of today's vehicles compared with vehicles from 30 years ago is relative if prices are adjusted for inflation.
It is true that high quality can be achieved with high costs and that there will always be a market for exclusive products. But mass-market appeal requires the right combination of quality and lower costs, as illustrated in Figure 2.2. Organizations that can come closest to achieving this ideal product will have a tremen- dous advantage over the competition.
During the past 30 years, substantial innovations have been made to enhance the quality of today's cars. Features include improved passenger safety, fuel economy, and entertainment and navigation systems.
To move toward the ideal of high quality and low costs, improvements in product and process technology should be considered. Recall from Chapter 1 that product technol- ogy refers to the way the product functions, and process technology refers to the way the product is made.
A look back at the evolution of television provides a perspective on product technology's potential impact on quality and cost. In the mid-1950s, when color television was first introduced, televisions had a large picture tube and a dozen or more smaller tubes inside, and each unit cost about $600. Minimum wage at the time was $1.00/hour. Picture qual- ity was poor and the life of a color television set was only a few years. Refinements in technology, including transistors and printed circuit boards, allowed producers to reduce costs and significantly improve quality. In 1982, a 25-inch color console television cost about $500. With today's digital technology, a 50-inch, non-3D, flat panel television costs about $600, and the minimum wage is now more than $7.00/hour. Televisions are now an especially good bargain because these prices are not adjusted for inflation.
Process technology is the method of making a product, so it may not be possible to see the improvement in the product itself. For example, gall bladder surgery is routinely completed using microsurgery, which is less invasive, takes less time, and has a shorter recovery period than other methods. The product remains the same, removal of a non- performing gall bladder, but only the process and the quality change. In manufacturing, improvements in process may also include the use of machines to complete difficult and demanding jobs. It is likely that most vehicles currently on the road are held together with spot-welding completed by robots rather than people. Robots will not tire or fail to show up for work. Robots can complete high-quality welds and place them in the exact same location each time. By placing the weld in precisely the right place each time, fewer welds are needed to make a strong frame than if placed by humans. In most cases, mechanized welding of all types is a process improvement that leads to faster, cheaper, and stronger welds than manual welding.
Higher quality and lower costs can also be achieved through better management practices, including quality and cost-management programs that trim waste from operations, better training and motivation for employees, and greater attention to machine maintenance.
But which should be first: new technologies or improved management practices? Improved management practices should come first. Full benefits from implementing new technology will result when existing operations are well understood and running prop- erly. Implementing new technology prior to correcting poor management systems usually leads to little, if any, return on the organization's investment. If managers are having diffi- culty with existing operations processes, it is unlikely that they will be able to understand and control more sophisticated technology and operations.
Time Competing on time has become an important way to build competitive advantage because rapid market changes place a premium on quick response. Time-based competition is a strategy of seeking competitive advantage by quickening the pace of critical organizational processes, such as product development, order entry, production, distribution, and service. The emphasis is on end-to-end time (i.e., aggregate time) from the generation of new prod- uct concepts to the delivery of finished products, rather than the time to perform specific tasks or functions. Time is a fundamental business performance variable. Time, therefore, becomes one of the critical objectives for organizations redesigning their business processes. Organizations such as Hewlett-Packard, L.L. Bean, and GE are competing on time. Each company is quickly introducing new products. These companies, and many others, are reducing time from product development as well as order fulfillment.
E-business is an electronic platform that enables fundamental changes in the way organizations, supply chains, and customers interact.
improvements in speed, power, size, and costs of hardware. Today, processing speeds, database capacity, telecommunications capability, networking, and handheld devices (among others) have improved exponentially while costs have dropped drastically. These improvements are powerful forces that enable e-business solutions to make fundamental changes in the ways that organizations, supply chains, and customers interact.
E-business can be divided into two elements: business-to-business (B2B), or supply chains, and business-to-consumer (B2C), or customer relationships. B2B refers to trans- actions between organizations in a supply chain, such as IBM selling computer services to Priceline.com or Boeing. B2C refers to transactions between an organization and its final customer, such as Amazon.com selling books or music to consumers via the Internet.
Supply chains encompass all activities associated with the flow and transfer of goods and services, from raw material extraction, through use by the organization that sells to the final consumer. In oil refining, that includes everything from locating and pumping crude oil, to the sale of gasoline at the service station. Information flows in both directions along the supply chain while materials flow, at least ideally, in a consistent and orderly fashion toward the final consumer. Service providers play an essential role in helping organizations design, plan, and manage these information and material flows so that effi- ciency, speed, and on-time delivery are achieved. Engineering firms design and install material handling systems, transportation companies move materials between facilities, and computer-based companies design and implement information systems to help man- age these activities.
Supply chain management is the integration of these activities through improved sup- plier relationships to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage for all members in the supply chain. It is an essential ingredient for competition. Progressive organizations have recognized that competition is no longer between individual firms, such as between Toyota and Ford, or between GM and Volkswagen, rather it is between their respective supply chains. The development, design, production, marketing, and delivery of a new car should be a coordinated effort that begins with extracting raw materials from the earth, continues through design, fabrication, and assembly, and ends with fit and fin- ish in the dealer's showroom. When a customer purchases a car from Ford, for example, the customer chooses the output of the entire supply chain and pays all the participants in that chain. To be successful, Ford must develop methods to manage the supply chain beginning with basic materials, such as iron ore, sand, and crude oil, and ending with the dealer. That does not necessarily mean ownership or even direct control, but it does imply mechanisms that influence decision making and impact performance. These relationships should work to the benefit of all the participants. The impacts of supply chain and supply chain management are evident in two recent examples.
When Chrysler and General Motors faced bankruptcy in late-2008 and 2009, there was grave concern for what would happen to the supply chain. Many of Chrysler's and General Motors' suppliers were also suppliers to Ford, Honda, Toyota, and other assembly plants in the United States. Bankruptcy of Chrysler and General Motors would most likely lead to bankruptcy of key suppliers, which could create problems with the entire automobile industry in the United States. To resolve this issue, the bankrupt- cies were orchestrated so the two automakers and their suppliers continued business. The automakers exited bankruptcy stronger and more likely to succeed. The recent successes of Chrysler and General Motors, as well as Ford (which did not file for bankruptcy) illustrate the success of these efforts.
The tsunami that hit Japan in 2011 created significant damage to key automotive suppliers in Japan, and forced Toyota to scale back production. Many of these suppliers were located in the vicinity of the tsunami, and product facilities were damaged and buildings were without power, making cleanup and production difficult. Despite the comprehensive and effective contingency plans in place, the magnitude of the disaster was so large that Toyota could not maintain worldwide production.
Customer relationship management (CRM) is a process to create, maintain, and enhance strong, value-laden associations with customers (both individuals and organizations) that purchase products. CRM moves beyond short-term transactions to build long-term rela- tionships with valued customers, distributors, and dealers. Firms using CRM attempt to build strong economic and social connections by promising and delivering high-quality goods and services at a fair price and in a timely manner. Increasingly, firms are focusing on building mutually beneficial relationships with customers, distributors, and dealers instead of working to maximize the profit on any individual transaction. Firms can use the following ideas to develop stronger relationships with customers.
• Financial benefits—Firms can build value and satisfaction by adding financial benefits. For example, airlines offer frequent flyer programs, hotels provide room upgrades to guests with a certain number of visits, and supermarkets give pre- ferred customers discounts on items.
• Social benefits—Firms can build allegiance by increasing their social bonds with customers by learning individual needs and then personalizing service. Ritz- Carlton hotel employees treat customers as individuals by attempting to learn and use their names. The hotel records specific information about customer preferences in a database, and other Ritz-Carlton hotels around the world use this information. Customers with a special request in one hotel should find that request met the next time they stay at a Ritz-Carlton hotel, even if it is in another city or country.
• Structural ties—Firms can add value by creating additional support services that make it easier to buy products from them. A business might supply customers with special equipment or online links that help them manage their orders. For example, Dell creates personalized websites for its large commercial customers that provide most of the information and support the customer may need. In addition to handling purchases, the site also supplies tailored technical support, diagnostic tools, and other features designed for the customer.
Amazon.com started as an online bookseller about 20 years ago, stating that its goal was to become the largest bookseller in the world. The company grew rapidly for several years before it encountered very challenging times when the dot-com bubble burst. Amazon understood that its competitive advantage was access to a large, growing, loyal customer base, so it expanded its services to include a wide variety of products. Amazon also decided to provide brokerage services to other companies, so its customers could have access to a wider selection of products. Items found on Amazon's website may be owned, warehoused, and shipped by Amazon's partner company. Amazon receives a portion of the selling price without any associated costs except listing the items on its website. Amazon is often the first place that many online shoppers search when buying almost any product. This growth in business has driven Ama- zon's stock price from single digits after the dot-com bust to nearly $200/share. It also has driven many brick and mortar book stores out of business and nearly forced others into bankruptcy.
Organizations do not control customer satisfaction directly. When a customer pur-chases a product, it is through the consumption of the product that customer sat-isfaction is achieved. As shown in Figure 2.1, focusing on business processes is a critical factor in achieving competitive capabilities, which leads to customer satisfaction, which, in turn, leads to organizational success. An organization may have several differ- ent processes and many sub-processes within each process. The discussion here is limited to four key processes that most organizations have, and that are substantially impacted by operations: strategy devel- opment, product development, development of systems to pro- duce services and goods, and order fulfillment.
The lunar landing required a cooperative effort of several teams. This feat would have been impossible to achieve if only one team had been working toward this goal.
objectives. This path includes setting goals, developing action plans for achieving the goals, and determining resource requirements. Developing a strategy requires a team with specialized knowledge from different functional areas or disciplines. When oper- ational plans are linked to financial, marketing, engineering, and information systems development plans, synergy can result. Synergy involves cooperative actions (teamwork) in which the total effect of the actions is greater than the sum of the individual effects (i.e., the whole is greater than the sum of its parts). For example, putting a man on the moon is a feat that required a cooperative effort no single part of the team could have achieved, no matter how long and hard it worked. A brief description of the process for strategy development is provided later in this chapter.
Product Development Product development is a teamwork-oriented process that begins with the organization's strategy and analysis of the markets as inputs. The team develops a product concept, gen- erates a product design, and provides a process design for producing the service or good, which are the outputs. Knowledge regarding customer preferences, technology, operat- ing capabilities, financial constraints, distribution systems, and so on, should be available from specialists in accounting, finance, marketing, research and development, engineer- ing, information systems, and operations.
Developing Systems to Produce Services and Goods Developing systems to produce the services and goods designed in the product develop- ment process requires firms to assemble resources—people, facilities and equipment, and material and energy. These resources may be part of the organization, or they may be contracted by another firm. Important knowledge inputs needed to develop an effective production system are the product and process designs created in the product develop- ment process. These designs help to guide decision making.
Traditionally, these topics are included in operations management, but organizations that want to ensure success recognize the interdisciplinary nature of these tasks. Accounting and financial information is necessary for decision making, and human resources are nec- essary to make the system work. Engineering principles, especially industrial engineer- ing, are an important foundation of this design for both services and goods. More is cov- ered on this topic later in the book.
A typical Midas shop and the service center at a dealership such as Genoa Ford provide the same service, but are they really competitors? Each has adopted different strategies and tailored their operations to fit those strategies.
Midas is in the automotive repair business. Its strategy is to provide a narrow range of services at low cost. National advertising is used to develop wide geographical coverage. The company is not a full service repair shop, but concentrates on muffler repair, brakes, and shock absorbers. It is successful because it quickly delivers quality services at low cost. How are operations important to Midas?
1. Limited service requires a limited inventory that allows convenient storage close to where materials are needed to perform operations.
to plan and manage operations, including production planning, scheduling, inventory control, purchasing and material management, and project management. These activities influence and are affected by activities carried out in other parts of the order fulfillment process. Details of the order fulfillment process from the operations management perspec- tive are provided later in the book.
Strategy begins with the organization's goals and includes the key policies that are established to direct actions toward meeting those goals. As an organization defines its corporate strategy, a framework is created that enables the firm to develop a set of functional strategies consistent with and integrated to the corporate objectives. Research and development, marketing, engineering, operations, and other functional areas need to develop objectives, plans, and programs that are consistent with corporate goals.
An advantage that can be achieved by improving operations should be pursued because it fits the organization's overall goals, not because it fits a narrowly defined operating objective, such as minimizing transportation costs. Minimizing transportation costs, for example, may not be in the best interests of an organization if inventory holdings or other costs would increase too much, or if product quality or on-time delivery would be nega- tively affected. Operational goals should be important only when they help the organiza- tion reach its objectives. The following sections describe how corporate strategy is linked to operating strategy.
Linking Corporate Strategy to Operations Corporate strategy and operating strategy must be carefully linked. Operations can become a positive factor contributing to organizational success, rather than a negative or neutral factor. To make this happen, facilities, equipment, and training should be viewed as a means to achieve organizational, rather than operational, objectives.
Analyzing, Appraising, and Designing Management needs a strategic, top-down view of operations to successfully link corpo- rate strategy and operating strategy. This process begins with analyzing the competitive environment, step 1 in the list, and ends with managing and controlling operations, step 7. Some important questions that define the process are provided in Table 2.1.
3. Because employees have few variations in service, they learn how to perform these jobs more quickly.
4. Workers' skill levels and knowledge requirements focus on a limited area of service so they quickly become experts in a particular area.
As part of a Ford dealership, Genoa Ford's Service Center provides a full line of automotive repairs. In contrast to Midas, this service operation competes without advertising or national appeal. It also has a different operating strategy. In order to maintain the dealership, Genoa Ford must be able to satisfy a wide variety of customer needs. It offers transmission work, body work, engine repairs, and other tasks in addition to working on brakes, shocks, and mufflers as Midas does. Genoa Ford designs its operations to match its objectives.
1. The facility is adaptable to changing needs. For example, on one day, a single repair stall may be used to wash a new car, repair a door lock, fix an air conditioning leak, or tune an engine.
2. Genoa Ford has more tools than a specialist like Midas does because Genoa Ford offers a greater variety of jobs.
3. There is some job specialization among workers. All employees will not be able to do every- thing, but employees still need a wide range of skills because Genoa Ford does not have enough of one particular job to allow personnel to specialize. Cross-training is necessary.
rated from the repair stalls and controlled by specialists in parts.
As a result of its strategy, Genoa Ford has higher costs and charges higher prices than Midas does for comparable work. When a car needs routine exhaust system work, it can be taken to a national chain such as Midas. Generalists, such as Genoa Ford, can complete more difficult jobs and repair work that is paid for by Ford as part of its new car warrantee program.
Analyzing In what market(s) is the organization planning to compete? Who are the present competitors, and what are their strengths? Who are the potential entrants? What changes in government regulations or business conditions may alter the competitive environment?
Appraising What strengths does an organization possess? How may these strengths be used to take advantage of certain opportunities in the environment? What technological expertise and production capabilities are available? What markets or channels of distribution are open?
Formulating What are the goals and objectives of the organization? What are the key policies for achieving goals? What policies will be set for minimizing security risks? How can customers be identified? Who are the competitors?
Determining What are the strategic operating decisions? Where should the facility be located to provide rapid response to customer needs at an acceptable cost? What process technology will be employed and at what capacity? What is the level of product quality? Is there a trade-off between product cost and quality? What level of flexibility is required to produce services and goods for this market? Is the market likely to change, making flexibility important?
Examining What are the specific limitations of the existing operations? What resources need to be improved or obtained in order to meet organizational objectives? How large will a particular facility be? How should the production resources be distributed? Should there be only a few large facilities with their associated economies of scale? Would several smaller facilities that are easier to manage be better?
Designing How should operations be designed in order to meet the organization's objectives? How can flexibility be designed within the system to anticipate changing needs? What are the information-processing capabilities necessary to provide management with useful information for decision making?
Planning How can the organization use the resources available to meet present and projected customer needs? How might those resources be changed through additional capital expenditures to satisfy changing demands? How well has the operations function performed in meeting the established plans? Has it been successful at moving the organization toward its short- and long-term objectives? Has operations made the organization stronger and given it a competitive advantage by making better quality products, providing improved service and shorter delivery lead times, or reducing costs?
All organizations operate within an environment that is shaped by external factors and forces over which there is limited control. These factors include the level of technology, labor supply, social and political environment, and an array of competitors and potential competitors, both domestic and international. Environmental legislation may dramati- cally alter an organization's cost of doing business in a way that does not affect com- petitors. New entrants into the market may possess strengths that provide a competi- tive advantage over firms already in the market. To be successful, an organization should know about the market in which it will compete as well as its environment.
The use of computers in service and manufacturing operations is not new. In account-ing, computers are used to perform payroll, accounts receivable, and accounts pay-able functions. Computers are key to monitoring inventory levels and controlling quality. Airlines and hotels use computers to take reservations and to schedule flight crews and housekeeping. Computer technology is used to monitor flow process in paper- making and oil refining and to control metal-cutting machines that shape parts needed in automobile engines and refrigerator compressors. In these situations, computers provide feedback on operations and can take corrective action.
In addition to these applications, which have been used for many years, computer and information technology is being applied to other elements of business to create an information-rich environ- ment. In turn, these technologies provide access to data via sophisticated, complex databases and the wealth of information on the Internet. Worldwide travel registration sites Travelocity and Expedia are good examples of sophisticated Internet data- bases. A short discussion of expert systems and decision support systems provides some basic understanding of these tools.
Airlines and hotels use computers connected to the Internet to take reservations and to schedule flight crews and housekeeping.
working knowledge in a computer-based expert system is very appealing. Knowledge engineers help the human expert structure the job by interpreting and integrating human answers, drawing analogies, posing examples, and identifying conceptual difficulties.
The knowledge base can be thought of as a powerful database that contains facts such as the problem situation and theory in the problem area, as well as special rules that direct the use of the knowledge. The inference engine is a computer program that provides a methodology for reasoning. This component makes decisions about how to use the knowledge in the system. The inference engine interprets rules, maintains control over the problem, and enforces consistency as the recommended solution emerges. There are many potential applications for expert systems, from generating orders for inventory, diagnosing patients, troubleshooting equipment failure, advising on tax-sheltered annui- ties, and scheduling production.
Decision Support Systems A decision support system (DSS) is a model-based set of procedures for processing data to assist managers in decision making. A DSS allows managers easy access to stored infor- mation and provides easy-to-use tools for analysis. With these supporting tools, manage- ment has the information to more easily control complicated manufacturing and service operations. A DSS is different from an expert system because an expert system has a rule base and an inference engine for decision making and a DSS does not. Once an expert system has been constructed, it can make a decision. On the other hand, a DSS provides information to help managers make decisions. In a DSS, the manager provides the logic to structure the problem and ultimately makes the decision.
A DSS can help a manager relate the demand for a product to the correct quantities of materials to be ordered to make that product. If a manager has received an order for 10,000 hair dryers for next month, how does he or she know the number of electric motors, wire connectors, and plastic parts to order? How does the order fit into the production sched- ule? Does the organization have sufficient capacity? What are the impacts on cost and quality if the orders are processed on certain machines? It becomes necessary to link these decisions by using the computer as a tool.
Role in Manufacturing Computer-based control systems can be combined with manufacturing technology, such as robots, machine tools, and automated guided vehicles, to improve manufacturing operations. In this role, the computer can assist in integrating these technologies into a lean and efficient factory capable of competing in world markets. Organizations such as Allen-Bradley, Black & Decker, and Boeing have used information technology and factory automation to improve manufacturing operations. This combination of information tech- nology and factory automation is often called computer-integrated manufacturing.
Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) blends developments in manufacturing with information technology to achieve competitive advantage. When properly organized, CIM offers the opportunity to automate design, manufacturing, and production planning and control.
Kroger supermarket's automated warehousing provides its competitive advantage. Retail food is a competitive business with low profit margins. To remain price competitive, Kroger must cut inven- tories and warehousing costs and maintain adequate supplies of thousands of products. To achieve these goals, Kroger has implemented automated warehouses and point-of-sale inventory tracking. The process begins when a customer purchases an item. An electronic scanner reads the bar code on the product. The cash register, which is really a computer terminal, records the sale of that item in the computer's database. At any time, a store manager can tabulate sales by product. In addition, orders can be sent electronically to the automated warehouse. The orders are filled using automated stock pickers and shipped the next day. At the warehouse, computers help to track shipments to individual stores and place orders to suppliers, so that inventory costs in the warehouse are low, and product availability is kept high.
• Engineering design through computer-aided design (CAD) allows an organization to rapidly make high-quality specialized designs. The designs can be tailored to meet individual customer needs.
• Flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs) can quickly produce a variety of high- quality products efficiently. A FMS also allows an organization to produce highly specialized designs.
• Computer-based production planning and control systems allow an organization to cope with the complexity of managing facilities that produce a wide variety of specialized products without losing efficiency.
When properly combined, these components can yield synergistic results. An organiza- tion can have more flexible and integrated operations, be better equipped to manage com- plex operations, and exercise better control than a company that operates without CIM. To merge these components into one coordinated whole, IT staff should integrate engineer- ing, manufacturing, and business databases into a cross-functional decision support sys- tem. Once accomplished, the flexibility to respond to customer demands with low-cost, high-quality specialized products becomes a powerful competitive advantage.
Role in Service Operations Service, by its definition, does not have a physical component. However, many organiza- tions classified as service providers produce both goods and services. These hybrid opera- tions include: restaurants, which sell food (a good) and prepare it (a service); department stores, which sell products as well as provide retailing services; and shops that sell parts and offer repair services.
Real World Scenarios: BNY Mellon and Merck & Co.
BNY Mellon bank and others are using an expert system to successfully battle credit card fraud, which is a multibillion dollar problem in the United States. The computer-based expert system examines 1.2 million accounts each day for many factors, such as an unusual number of transactions, charging large amounts, and changing patterns of expenditures. The system identifies nearly 100 cases each day that require more investigation. Mellon paid approximately $1 million for the software, and pre- dicted that it will pay for itself in 6 months.
Merck & Co., one of the largest drug companies in the world, decided to completely revamp its ben- efits system. To enroll more than 15,000 salaried employees using printed forms would have required Merck to double its personnel staff. Instead, the company spent $1 million to write computer soft- ware and install 24 machines (similar to the ATMs at banks) to enroll its employees. Enrollment took only 5 weeks and not one person was added to the personnel staff. Merck is using similar systems to allow employees to adjust withholding allowances and reallocate their investment plan without speaking to personnel in payroll. Merck's software prevents employees from selecting options for which they are not eligible.
For many services, the tangible part of a product is not signifi- cant. Within these operations, managers cannot buffer cus- tomer demand from the pro- duction process with finished- goods inventory. Managers in service operations must find other ways to provide better and faster customer service. Implementing information sys- tems that provide up-to-date and accurate information about availability of the service and how customers can acquire it is one way to do this. Many oppor- tunities exist for using comput- ers and information technology to improve service operations and to gain competitive advan- tage. In order to remain compet- itive, future managers should understand this technology and be capable of implementing it successfully. Tomorrow's managers will be expected to be more efficient and increase the quality of their work with these tools for improvement.
Several supermarkets use automated warehouses and point-of- sale inventory systems to keep inventory costs low and product availability high.
• Satisfying customer requirements means building competitive capabilities, such as flexibility, productivity, quality, and time.
competitive advantage. When properly designed, operations can increase an orga- nization's flexibility, reduce costs, enhance quality, and improve productivity.
• Operations are strategically important to an organization's success. Without this strategic view, an organization can never reach its full potential.
• Links that connect operations to an organization's strategy begin with analysis of the competitive environment and include an appraisal of the organization's skills, the implications of corporate strategy for operations, and the economic and technological limits of operations.
• Computer and information technology helps an organization to achieve a com- petitive advantage. These systems provide information to enhance decision mak- ing and improve control by integrating various parts of the production process.
• Applying information technology to service operations is one way to achieve a competitive advantage.
Midas Assume that Midas is deciding whether it should add engine tune-ups to its existing product line. Top management has called you in as a consultant to help it to analyze this opportunity. The first thing the consultant asks you to do is read the Midas and Genoa Ford Feature in this chapter.
Management is concerned about the impact that this new service will have on existing operations. Presently, the company has a policy that customers will not wait longer than 30 minutes for muffler service. How can Midas maintain that pledge? What methods for scheduling tune-up service might make it easier for Midas to keep its pledge? If reaction to the new service is great, the shops may not have the capacity to satisfy demand. Should the company add capacity to existing shops to take the extra load, or should it add more shops? How will the shop owners react to the new proposal? Assume that most of the shops are very profitable. Will the owners want higher profits?
Midas's management is looking for help in organizing its thinking and has asked you to respond to the following questions in a two-page report. Your responses should include the critical issues raised in the previous paragraph.
1. What are the anticipated impacts upon operating efficiency? How would you attempt to minimize the negative impacts?
2. Should some operating practices be changed to accommodate the tune-ups? 3. Should input be gathered from the shop owners? If so, what? 4. If Midas decides to launch this new program, how should it begin?
business-to-business (B2B) Business to business Internet transactions; these are supply chain transactions.
business-to-consumer (B2C) Business to consumer Internet transactions; these help firms manage customer relationships.
competitive advantage An organization's special abilities, such as shorter deliv- ery lead-times or higher quality prod- ucts, which customers value and which gives the organization an edge on its competition.
computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) Blends recent developments in manufacturing with information technol- ogy to achieve a competitive advantage.
customer relationship management (CRM) A process to create, maintain, and enhance strong, value-laden associations with people and organizations that buy products.
decision support systems (DSS) Systems that allow managers to easily access infor- mation stored in a database and provide easy-to-use tools for analysis.
1. To be successful, organizations should focus on customer requirements. List the ways operations can help satisfy customer requirements, and discuss each briefly.
technology to gain competitive advantage. Why are these methods different from those used by manufacturers?
e-business Involves the use of electronic platforms to conduct company business. It has two types of transactions: business-to- business and business-to-consumer.
expert system A computer-based approach that uses knowledge and infer- ence procedures to solve problems that are difficult enough to require significant human expertise for their solution. The knowledge and the inference procedures are attempts to create a model of the best practitioners in the field.
flexibility The ability to modify pro- duction from one product to another in response to customer demands, with mini- mal costs and delays.
knowledge engineer One who helps human experts structure the problem by interpreting and integrating human answers, drawing analogies, posing examples, and identifying conceptual differences.
market share An organization's sales in a market divided by the total sales for that market.
productivity Output from an activity divided by total input to the activity.


My husband's iPhone 5 slipped from his pocket on sidewalk and LCD cracked badly. Local repair shop asked for $90 but after watching some tutorials on you tube i decided to do it myself. it was my second repair, about 3 years ago i replaced lcd and battery of my daughter's iPhone 3g and it was successful.
I was so nervous, but the repair went better than expected. Most difficult part was to open the phone, I couldn't get suction even with tape applied. I used a knife's tip above headphone jack to lift the screen and got a tiny scratch there.
Once opened, every thing was just fine. I used tweezers and a wooden skewer to remove and pickup tiny parts. Putting everything back took less than 10 min and repair took about 35 min.
Watch tutorials at you tube carefully and go to comments section on iFixit to get useful tips before repair. Home button connectors are very hard to remove, use heat gun or hair dryer at low setting and dig underneth using plastic tool ( I used wooden skewer) never use anything metal.
Put the rubber gaskets under ambient light sensor and ear speaker bracket properly otherwise they won't work properly.


text:
layout: post
date: 2015-11-02
title: "Jovani Red Lace Sleeveless Prom Dress 90709 Sleeveless Sweep/Brush Train Sheath/Column"
category: Jovani
tags: [Jovani ,Jovani,Sheath/Column,V-neck,Sweep/Brush Train,Sleeveless]
---
### Jovani Red Lace Sleeveless Prom Dress 90709
Just **$473.98**
###   Sleeveless Sweep/Brush Train Sheath/Column

BRANDS	Jovani

Silhouette	Sheath/Column

Neckline	V-neck

Hemline/Train	Sweep/Brush Train

Sleeve	Sleeveless

Buy it: [https://www.readybrides.com/en/jovani-/39495-jovani-red-lace-sleeveless-prom-dress-90709.html](https://www.readybrides.com/en/jovani-/39495-jovani-red-lace-sleeveless-prom-dress-90709.html)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Fluid Dynamics is an experiment in lowlights and highlighsh creating movements in a static piece.
This glue on nails are mid length gold designs on a pale blue glitter background. The warm tint of the gold really pops against the background.in the background are microscopic flashes of pink and gold as the nails twist and turn in the light. Price includes first class shipping in the continental US.


As a parent of three school-aged boys, I expect my children to learn family values at home and most of everything else at school. Schools are where my children spend most of their time when they aren't at home. My expectations for a safe and healthy home are essentially the same expectations I would hope for in a school. Similarly, just as I manage my home to use resources efficiently and keep costs down, I would expect the same to hold for a school. In the end, a green school is not much different than a healthy home: both should provide a safe, healthy, and productive learning environment.
This past school year, 2010-2011, more than 42,000 students, teachers and administrators participated in green school initiatives in both private and public schools alike. Many projects included recycling programs, green service learning projects, environmental education, teacher professional development projects and efforts to make school buildings and facilities more sustainable.
Many times, these projects go unnoticed; so to recognize such environmental stewardship, DEP's Office of Environmental Education began the Florida Green School Awards program. At the end of every fiscal year, students, teachers and schools are encouraged to enter their environmental projects. This year we received 103 applications, which is the highest number of eligible applicants yet. After evaluating which projects demonstrated significant ways to learn green, save green, and protect green, we selected 16 finalists in five categories: students, classrooms, teachers, schools and school districts.
The finalists selected have been invited to attend the Florida Green School Awards Ceremony and Banquet to be held on Nov. 10, 2011, in West Palm Beach, our annual event that promotes and rewards conservation efforts by students, teachers and school administrators.
We appreciate the dedication and contribution of each participant, because through these green school initiatives, they have not only made schools healthy and productive places to learn, but they've generated $10.8 million in gross cost savings. So next time you send your child off to school or go to work in a school – a combination of close to 16 percent of Florida's total population – think about the similarities between green schools and healthy homes and learn about opportunities to make both healthy and productive learning environments.
Finalists for the 2011 Florida Green School Award program include Celeste Norup, Madeline Cowen and Larissa Weinstein, Monica Dyches, Deb Wagner's class, Ray Cruze's class, Peter Jordan's class, Deborah Pate, Josh Clearman, Wendy Doromal, David Lawrence Jr. K-8 Center, Lawton Chiles Elementary School, Learning Gate Community School, Pine Jog Elementary School, Charlotte County School District, Duval County School District and Pinellas County School District.


If you want to know what the next nuclear war will be like, read Jeffrey Lewis's The 2020 Commission Report on the North Korean Nuclear Attacks Against the United States.
How Long Would It Take To *Cough* End North Korea's Nuclear Weapons Program?
Observe how gracefully I avoided the unclear word denuclearization by saying what I mean. Another area of disagreement is in how long it would take to remove North Korea's nuclear weapons and eliminate or repurpose the facilities that develop and build them. And we don't know what North Korea thinks about that.
John Bolton estimated that it would take a year. The Institute for Science and International Security estimates 30 months. A study by Siegfried Hecker, Robert Carlin, and Elliot Serbin at Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation estimates as long as 15 years.


text:
CLIMATE AND GLOBAL CHANGE
What Is Climate?
What Controls Climate?
Paleoclimates
Effects of Climate Change
Climate Events
Clouds in Climate
Energy Interactive
Slowing Global Warming
Games/Activities
Climate Literacy
Copenhagen Summit
Coral reef fringing Roatan, Honduras
Courtesy of Anne Pharamond
Acidic Ocean Water Impacts Corals and Other Marine Life
Pacific Coral Reefs May Not Get Into Hot Water
Reef Health Depends on Algae Chomping Fish
NSF Podcast: "Degrees of Survival"
Atlantic Coral Reefs Are No Match for This Lion
Coral Reefs on a Changing Planet
A coral reef is like an underwater city. Corals and algae make the mounds of the reef on the tropical ocean floor. The reef attracts many other creatures who find a home there. Schools of red, blue, yellow, and green fish swim above the reef. Crabs dart around on its surface. And clams nestle into cracks in the rock. All that life needs the reef to survive.
But reefs are threatened by humans in many ways. Some of the threats are easy to see like trash littering a reef, sand in the water or on the corals, and water pollution. Too much fishing is reducing the number of fish that eat algae in some reefs. And there are scratches on corals from the fins of careless snorkelers, anchors, or from boats.
There are also threats that are invisible. We can't see them, but they are very dangerous for coral reefs. These threats include acidic seawater, warmer seawater, and coral diseases. The threats might be hard to see, but their effects are not. Some reefs have been so hard hit that scientists say they will not be able to recover. Scientists predict that over half of the world's coral reefs may die by 2050 if these threats continue.
Last modified February 24, 2011 by Jennifer Bergman.
Cool It! Game
Kingdom Protista
Members of the Kingdom Protista are an unusual group of organisms that were put together because they don't really seem to belong to any other group. Some protists look or act like plants, others look...more
Red lionfish have beautiful stripes and spines. They live in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. And many of them also live in people's aquariums. Some lionfish have escaped their aquariums. These pretty fish...more
Global Warming Causes Outbreak of Rare Algae in Caribbean Corals
The Caribbean Sea is usually warm. But it was much warmer than normal in 2005. The heat made corals less healthy. Scientists say that a tiny type of algae helped some corals to survive. Corals and the...more
Caribbean Coral Reef Protection Efforts Miss the Mark
Corals in the Caribbean are threatened by global warming and climate change. Most of the efforts to conserve corals in this area have focused on the most diverse corals in the center of the Caribbean....more
Effects of Climate Change Today
Have you ever taken your temperature to see if you are getting sick? Scientists have been taking the Earth's temperature and have found that it is getting warmer. During the past 100 years, the Earth's...more
Content for Climate Change Education Courses
Looking for online content that can be used for a climate change education course or module? Pages linked below can be used to support an introductory climate change education for either a unit or a full...more
A New Plan to Help Earth's Changing Climate
Leaders from the countries of the world are heading to Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2009 to decide how the world will deal with climate change. They will make decisions about how to send less greenhouse...more


Teeth cleaning is part of oral hygiene and involves the removal of dental plaque from teeth with the intention of preventing cavities (dental caries), gingivitis, and periodontal disease. Dentist and dental hygienists can remove hardened deposits not removed by routine cleaning. The objective of scaling or deep cleaning, is to remove or eliminate the etiologic agents which cause inflammation: dental plaque, its products and calculus, thus helping to establish a periodontium that is free of disease.


The long awaited annual Cowaramup Sunday Sundowners are on again every Sunday in February from 5pm to 7pm.
Held in Pioneer Park Cowaramup, these family friendly concerts feature the best live performances by local South West musicians.
Bring a picnic or purchase food and drinks from the local community stalls.
No entry fee but donations are welcomed.


text:
Q: Select2 TypeError: data.results is undefined Am trying to use Select2 to load remote data using ajax / json but i keep getting an error as:

TypeError: data.results is undefined

My code is :
$('#tags').select2({
                ajax: {
                    url: 'http://localhost:8090/getallusers',
                    dataType: 'json',
                    quietMillis: 100,
                    data: function (term) {
                        return {
                            term: term
                        };
                    },
                    results: function (data) {
                        return data;
                        }

                    }

            });

I really Don't Understand the Problem !

A: Select2 needs the results as a collection of objects with id: and text: attributes.
Like:

[{ 'id': 1, 'text': 'Demo' }, { 'id': 2, 'text': 'Demo 2'}]

Try, to reformat you response like:
$('#tags').select2({
    ajax: {
        url: 'http://localhost:8090/getallusers',
        dataType: 'json',
        quietMillis: 100,
        data: function (term) {
            return {
                term: term
            };
        },
        results: function (data) {
            var myResults = [];
            $.each(data, function (index, item) {
                myResults.push({
                    'id': item.id,
                    'text': item.first_name + " " + item.last_name
                });
            });
            return {
                results: myResults
            };
        }
    }
});


Nashville's transit race was decided in a landslide election in May and the Koch brothers had a heavy hand in deciding the race, the New York Times says.
A new report by The New York Times highlights a grassroots effort by a Koch brothers-funded group to defeat transit plans in cities across the nation — including in Nashville.
The report focuses on the local chapter of Americans For Prosperity and its phone calls and door-to-door efforts in the lead up to Nashville's May 1 transit referendum.
The Nashville transit plan would have raised four taxes — including the sales tax — to fund a $5.4 billion transit plan that featured light rail, a downtown tunnel and rapid buses, among other improvements.
Nashville voters overwhelmingly rejected the plan.
The Times report suggests Americans for Prosperity played a major role in the transit referendum's defeat through the use of sophisticated data software. But the reasons the voters said no on the transit plan are far more complicated, and the group may have played just one part in the referendum's defeat.
For instance, the group through its Stop the Train campaign committee and website had $4,700 in-kind contributions for canvassing work, compared to the more than $1 million spent by the NoTax4Tracks, one of the main transit opposition groups.
Here are some the bigger reasons why the transit referendum lost.
The Nashville for Transit coalition, which supported the plan, started with a message of fighting traffic gridlock.
But as the campaign continued, supporters also touted job creation, affordable housing that could grow from transit-oriented development, health and wellness of using transit and environmental benefits.
Before Jan. 31, former Mayor Megan Barry was widely popular with an approval rating of greater than 70 percent. Barry has pushed the transit plan as one of her top priorities.
But then she admitted to an affair with the head of her police security detail and eventually resigned from office as part of her agreement to plead guilty to felony theft.
As the Barry scandal grew, the pro side lost valuable time to build its message. It gave the opposition time to catch up.
Transit boosters had three elections to choose from to hold a public referendum decided on May 1, the local primary election and typically one with the lowest historic turnout.
The idea: Look to control turnout to the polls by identifying their backers and making sure they vote. But in hindsight, some believe the November general election would have been a better call.
The high-turnout November election will feature competitive races for U.S. Senate and Tennessee governor, driving significantly higher turnout among Democratic voters, those who would be more inclined to support transit.
The the NoTax4Tracks opposition group, funded by conservative donors, could have waged a tea-party style campaign against the transit referendum.
But it decided against that plan in Democratic-heavy Davidson County. The group tapped Jeff Eller, a former Democratic consultant from Austin, Texas and a former Nashville resident to help lead the effort.
African-American voters proved key in helping defeat the transit plan.
Heading into the campaign, the simplest way for the Nashville for Transit coalition to win would have been to keep intact a coalition of Democratic voters in left-leaning Nashville.
The transit coalition had widespread support among young voters and millennials, white educated liberals and organized labor. But a split emerged among African-American voters.
In other cities, black voters have typically backed transit projects.
Just take a look at how the vote went down across Nashville. Predictably, voters in the suburban parts of the county, which tend to be more conservative, rejected the transit plan.
But so did voters in overwhelmingly Africa-American precincts.


The Arizona-based tuners at Supercar Specialists have murdered out this customers Ferrari Enzo with a new set of HRE P43S CL monoblock rims. They feature a central locking hub and this particular set was wrapped in high performance Bridgestone tires. These are one of HRE Wheels lightest models, being forged from aerospace-grade 6061-T6 aluminum and finished with the gloss black look seen here. Put these together with one of rarest Ferrari supercars to date and you have a winner.


Estonian Tõnu Tõniste on Lenny, confirmed his victory in the first Melges 24 European Sailing Series event of the season with an eleven point margin.
Tõniste finished ahead of Italian Niccolo Bertola on Taki 4, and Sergio Caramel on Arkanoe by Montura who completed the podium – both in overall and Corinthian rankings.
Sunday morning in Portoroz was nice and sunny, but not very windy and only one race was completed before the wind failed completely.
The light conditions favoured the stalwart of the class from Germany, Eddy Eich's Musto Racing, with Oliver Oczycz on helm to take their solid first win of the regatta.
A great performance by Davide Rapotez' Destriero from Trieste who was second to cross the finishing line followed by the current regatta leader Tõniste in third.
The Hungarian FGF Sailing Team of Robert Bakoczy were fourth and Taki 4 of Marco Zammarchi with Niccolo Bertola on helm were fifth.
The competition is tight in the Top 8 overall, with just six points covering them.
Miles Quinton's Gill Race Team with Geoff Carveth on helm has 22 points in fourth place, followed by Akos Csolto's Seven Five Nine completing the Top 5, one point behind.
Thirty boats from Europe represented ten countries in the first event of the season.