Manufacturing

Is the shift toward a more integrated and interdependent global economy a good thing? Many influential economists, politicians, and business leaders seem to think so. They argue that falling barriers to international trade and investment are the twin engines that are driving the global economy toward ever greater prosperity. They argue that increased international trade and cross-border investment will result in lower prices for goods and services. They believe that globalization stimulates economic growth, raises the incomes of consumers, and helps to create jobs in all countries that choose to participate in the global trading system.

There are good theoretical reasons for believing that declining barriers to international trade and investment do stimulate economic growth, create jobs, and raise income levels. Moreover, considerable empirical evidence lends support to the predictions of this theory. However, despite the existence of a compelling body of theory and evidence, the process of globalization has its critics. We would be remiss if we did not mention their concerns. Here we briefly review the main themes of the debate. In later chapters we shall elaborate on many of the points mentioned below

Globalization, Jobs, and Incomes One frequently voiced concern is that far from creating jobs, removing barriers to international trade actually destroys manufacturing jobs in wealthy advanced economies such as the United States. The basic thrust of the critics’ argument is that falling trade barriers allow firms to move their manufacturing activities offshore to countries where wage rates are much lower. Bartlett and Steele, two journalists for the Philadelphia Inquirer who have gained notoriety for their attacks on free trade, cite the case of Harwood Industries, a U.S. clothing manufacturer that closed its U. S. operations, where it paid workers $9 per hour, and shifted manufacturing to Honduras, where textile workers receive 48 cents per hour. 32 Because of moves like this, argue Bartlett and Steele, the wage rates of poorer Americans have fallen significantly over the last quarter of a century. Supporters of globalization reply that critics such as Bartlett and Steele miss the essential point about free trade-the benefits outweigh the costS. 3 They argue that free trade results in countries specializing in the production of those goods and services that they can produce most efficiently, while importing goods that they cannot produce as efficiently from other countries. When a country embraces free trade there is always some dislocation-lost textile jobs at Harwood Industries, for example-but the whole economy is better off as a result. According to this view, it makes little sense for the United States to produce textiles at home when they can be produced at a lower cost in Honduras or China (which, unlike Honduras, is a major source of U.S. textile imports). Importing textiles from China leads to lower prices for clothes in the United States, which enables U. S. consumers to spend more of their money on other items. At the same time, the increased income generated in China from textile exports increases income levels in that country, which helps the Chinese to purchase more products produced in the United States, such as Boeing jets, Intel-based computers, Microsoft software, and Motorola cellular telephones. In this manner, supporters of globalization argue that free trade benefits all countries that adhere to a free trade regime.

Supporters of globalization do concede that the wage rate enjoyed by unskilled workers in many advanced economies has declined in recent years. For example, data from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development suggest that since 1980 the lowest 10 percent of American workers have seen a drop in their real wages (adjusted for inflation) of about 20 percent, while the top 10 percent have enjoyed a real pay increase of about 10 percent. Similar trends can be seen in many other countries.

However, while critics of globalization argue that the decline in unskilled wage rates is due to the migration of low-wage manufacturing jobs offshore, and a corresponding reduction in demand for unskilled workers, supporters of globalization see a more complex picture. They maintain that the declining real wage rates of unskilled workers owes far more to a technology-induced shift within advanced economies away from jobs where the only qualification was a willingness to turn up for work every day and toward jobs that require employees to possess significant education and skills.

They point out that within many advanced economies there is a shortage of highly skilled workers and an excess supply of unskilled workers. Thus, growing income inequality is a result of the wages for skilled workers, being bid up by the labor market and the wages for unskilled workers being discounted. If one agrees with this logic, a solution to the problem of declining incomes is to be found not in limiting free trade and globalization, but in increasing society’s investment in education to reduce the supply of unskilled workers. Globalization, Labor Policies, and the Environment

IA second source of concern is that free trade encourages firms from advanced nations to move manufacturing facilities offshore to less developed countries that lack adequate regulations to protect labor and the environment from abuse by the unscrupulous. Critics argue that adhering to labor and environmental regulations significantly increases the costs of manufacturing enterprises and puts them at a competitive disadvantage in the global marketplace vis-a-vis firms based in developing nations that do not have to comply with such regulations.

Firms deal with this cost disadvantage, so the theory goes, by moving their production facilities to nations that do not have such burdensome regulations or fail to enforce the regulations they do have. If this is the case, one might expect free trade to lead to an increase in pollution and result in firms from advanced nations exploiting the labor of less developed nations. This argument was used repeatedly by those who opposed the 1994 formation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) among Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The vision they painted was one of U. S. anufacturing firms moving to Mexico in droves so that they would be free to pollute the environment, employ child labor, and ignore workplace safety and health issues, all in the name of higher profits. Supporters of free trade and greater globalization express serious doubts about this scenario. They point out that tougher environmental regulations and stricter labor standards go hand in hand with economic progress. In general, as countries get ‘richer, they enact tougher environmental and labor regulations. Since free trade enables developing countries to increase their economic growth rates and become richer, this should be correlated ith the introduction of tougher environmental and labor laws. In this view, the critics of free trade have got it backward-free trade does not lead to more pollution and labor exploitation; it leads to less! Moreover, supporters of free trade point out that it is possible to tie free trade agreements to the implementation of tougher environmental and labor laws in less developed countries. NAFTA, for example, was passed only after side agreements had been negotiated that committed Mexico to tougher enforcement of environmental protection regulations.

Thus, supporters of free trade argue that factories based in Mexico are now cleaner than they would have been without the passage of NAFTA. Free trade supporters also argue that business firms are not the amoral organizations that critics suggest. While there may be a few rotten apples, the vast majority of business enterprises are staffed by managers who are committed to behave in an ethical manner and would be unlikely to move production offshore just so they could pump more pollution into the atmosphere or exploit labor.

Furthermore, the relationship among pollution, labor exploitation, and production costs may not be that suggested by critics. In general, a well-treated labor force is a productive work force, and it is productivity rather than base wage rates that often has the greatest influence on costs. Given this, in the vast majority of cases, the vision of greedy managers who shift production to low-wage companies in order to “exploit” their labor force may be misplaced. Globalization and National Sovereignty

A final concern voiced by critics’ of globalization is that in today’s increasingly interdependent global economy, economic power is shifting away from national governments and toward supranational organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the European Union, and the United Nations. As perceived by critics, the problem is that unelected bureaucrats are now sometimes able to impose policies on the democratically elected governments of nation-states, thereby undermining the sovereignty of those states.

In this manner, claim critics, the ability of the nation-state to control its own destiny is being limited. The World Trade Organization is a favorite target of those who attack the world’s headlong rush toward a global economy. The WTO was founded in 1994 to police the world trading system established by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The WTO arbitrates trade disputes between the 120 or so nation-states that have signed the GATT. The WTO arbitration panel can issue a ruling instructing a member state to change trade policies that violate GATT regulations.

If the violator refuses to comply with the ruling, the WTO allows other states to impose appropriate trade sanctions on the transgressor. As a result, according to one prominent critic, the U. S. environmentalist and consumer rights advocate Ralph Nader: In contrast to Nader’s inflammatory rhetoric, many economists and politicians maintain that the power of supranational organizations such as the WTO is limited to what nation-states collectively agree to grant. They argue that bodies such as the

United Nations and the WTO exist to serve the collective interests of member states, not to subvert those interests. Moreover, supporters of supranational organizations point out that in reality, the power of these bodies rests largely on their ability to persuade member states to follow a certain course of action. If these bodies fail to serve the collective interests of member states, those states will withdraw their support, and the supranational organization will quickly collapse. In this view, then, real power still resides with individual nation-states, not supranational organizations.

The importance of mathematical skills is extremely evident in the field of manufacturing. In many cases, Jobs in manufacturing revolve around math and the skills that come along with It. Often the success of manufactured products depend on the correctness of several different fields of math that are used in the processes that take place in a plant. The financial success of a manufacturer can also often depend on mathematical skills.

Between the quality of products and their production prices and all that goes along with creating a product, math is the center piece of manufacturing. In manufacturing, the quality of the products produced Is one aspect that really depends upon math. This is because measurements taken must be precisely taken or the product may be defective. Also calculations of quantities of something needing to be made have to be exact.

This Is where the amount of profit made depends on mathematical skills, because if too much or to little of something is made It will hurt the profits made by that specific good. Because of this, whoever Is In charge of quantity in production must be good with taking in previous data and estimating hat’s needed. Often times skills with conversions are also required because of the diversity of measurements that could field, which is very common, one must have be knowledgeable with decimals, because often very small measurements are used along with the machines’ preciseness.

Throughout the field of manufacturing, mathematical knowledge is an essential skill to have. It is crucial to be good with numbers and measurements if one wants to succeed in manufacturing. This comes into play throughout the field of manufacturing, because math is used so often in so many different instances for many different reasons during the process of The quality of the products produced rests on the correct measurements and calculations of what needs to cut or aligned or whatever the the case is.

The prices of these products also often depends on math, because the right amount of goods have to be estimated or the price can be drastically affected, which can in turn have large affects on profits of the manufacturer. Truly, math skills will either make or break someone in the field of manufacturing, because it is so important to most Jobs in the field.

Land can be polluted through soil or water. Human activities are the main factor and their misuse of land resources. Urbanization and industrialization are major causes of land pollution. Indiscriminate disposal of domestic (solid and liquid) and industrial wastes, exploitation of minerals, and improper use of soil by inadequate agricultural practices are a few factors. Taking Ibadan as a case study, we are going to discuss the causes of land pollution in Ibadan, the effects, the remedial measures and how effective they are.

Background of study

Ibadan was historically an Egba town. The Egba occupants were forced to leave the town and moved to present-day Abeokuta under the leadership of Sodeke when the surge of Oyo refugees flocked into the towns as an aftermath of the fall of Oyo Kingdom. Ibadan grew into an impressive and sprawling urban center so much that by the end of 1829, Ibadan dominated the Yoruba region militarily, politically and economically. The military sanctuary expanded even further when refugees began arriving in large numbers from northern Oyo following raids by Fulani warriors.

After losing the northern portion of their region to the marauding Fulanis, many Oyo indigenes retreated deeper into the Ibadan environs. The Fulani Caliphate attempted to expand further into the southern region of modern-day Nigeria, but was decisively defeated by the armies of Ibadan in 1840. The Ibadan area became a British Protectorate in 1893 and by then the population had swelled to 120,000. The British developed the new colony to facilitate their commercial activities in the area, and Ibadan shortly grew into the major trading center that it is today.

At independence, Ibadan was the largest and the most populous city in Nigeria and the third in Africa after Cairo and Johannesburg. It is located in south-western, 128 km inland northeast of Lagos and 345 km southwest of , the federal capital and is a prominent point between the region and the areas to the north. The population of Ibadan was 2,550,593 according to 2006 census results, including 11local government areas. The principal inhabitants of the city are the Yorubas.

Objectives

The objectives of this study are;

• To identify the major sources of waste in Ibadan
• To identify the factors leading to land pollution
• To identify the effects of land pollution

Waste generation

Waste which is one of the sources and causes of environmental pollution has been defined under Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) (2000) as any solid, semisolid liquid or contained gaseous materials discarded from industrial, commercial, mining or agricultural operations and from community activities. Waste also includes garbage, construction debris, commercial refuse, sludge from water, control facilities and other discarded materials.

Most of the solid wastes, like paper, plastic containers, bottles, cans, and even used cars and electronic goods are not bio-degradable, which means they do not get broken down through inorganic or organic processes. Thus, when they accumulate they pose a health threat to people. Decaying wastes also attract household pests and result in urban areas becoming unhealthy, dirty, and unsightly places to reside in. Moreover, it also causes damage to terrestrial organisms, while also reducing the uses of the land for other, more useful purposes.

Some of the sources of solid, liquid and gaseous waste that cause land pollution are:

Wastes from Agriculture

• This comprises of waste matter produced by crop, animal manure, and farm residues.

Wastes from Mining

• Piles of coal refuse and heaps of slag.

Wastes from Industries

• Industrial waste matter that can cause land pollution can include paints, chemicals, and so on.

Solids from Sewage Treatment

• Wastes that are left over after sewage has been treated, biomass sludge, and settled solids.

Ashes

• The residual matter that remains after solid fuels are burned.

Garbage

• This comprises of waste matter from food that are decomposable and other waste matter that are not decomposable such as glass, metal, cloth, plastic, wood, paper, and so on.

Waste generation in Ibadan

Solid waste Although it is generally agreed that enormous quantities of solid waste are generated in Ibadan daily, the exact figures have not been determined, probably owing to the use of diverse methods of calculation. Maclaren International Ltd (1970) found that the average per capita quantity of solid waste generated was 0. 37–0. 5 kg/day for the traditional areas of the city and 0. 53 kg/day for the newer areas.

According to Egunjobi (1986), 38 million kg of solid waste was collected in the suburbs of Ibadan in 1986. The suburbs constitute about 21% of the city. On this basis, it can be estimated that 181 million kg of solid waste was generated in the city as a whole in 1986. This gives a per capita waste-generation rate of 0. 31 kg/day, using the 1986 estimated population of 1. 6 million for the city. In 1982, PAI Associates recorded the volume and weight of solid waste generated per household per day in Ibadan. The study revealed that waste generation varied according to land use, with residential land use taking the bulk of the hare. The generation rates were 3. 4 kg/household per day in the traditional areas, 3. 2 kg/household per day in the newer areas, and 3. 3 kg/household per day in the whole city (altogether giving a per capita generation rate of 0. 33 kg/day). Several researchers have studied the volume of refuse generated in the city. For example, Maclaren International Ltd (1970) estimated this volume at 182 900 t. The latest study, conducted by Haskoning and Konsadem Associates (1994), estimated the per capita rate at 0. 6 kg/day, with a density of 300 kg/m3.

The projections are based on an annual growth rate of population per year The solid-waste composition in Ibadan comprises leaves, paper, food waste, tins, glass, and rags (Maclaren International Ltd 1970). This is because Ibadan is located in the heart of a rich agricultural land and has a large old and unplanned section. PAI Associates (1983) made a comparative analysis of the composition of solid waste from two acres of Ibadan in 1970, which showed that residential land use accounted for 70. 1% of the waste generated, followed by commercial land use (18. 8%) and industrial land use (9. 7%). Institutional and other land use accounted for 0. % each.

PAI Associates (1983) estimated the magnitude of liquid waste within Ibadan at 22 650 million L (an average of 6. 2 L per household), and Akintola and Agbola (1989) projected the amounts of liquid waste for 1990 and 1995 at 113. 7 million and 126. 5 million L, respectively. Liquid waste in Ibadan also contains tins, sticks, excreta, oil, pieces of iron scrap, and refuse. Outside of large institutions, such as the University of Ibadan’s Teaching Hospital and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan has no sewerage system. The city’s human waste is disposed of largely by means of septic tanks, pit latrines, and buckets.

The uncontrolled disposal of liquid waste into open gutters, open spaces, along roads, etc. , poses serious health hazards. Bodies of stagnant water produce bad odours, breed mosquitoes, and sometimes obstruct the movement of people and goods. For instance, the 1983 study by PAI Associates revealed that 50% of the stagnant pools emitted bad odour, 70% bred mosquitoes, 24% obstructed the movement of people, and 12% bred worms and other germ-breeding pests. Poor practices for liquid-waste disposal are responsible for waterborne diseases that are common in the city, particularly in its inner core.

The unwholesome environment forces the populace to spend appreciable portions of their low income and time on improving their personal health, with adverse consequences for general economic well-being. Industrial waste The industries in Ibadan generate a lot of waste, particularly chemical and toxic waste, explosives, and ash, but the exact quantities have not been measured. The industries make private arrangements for disposal of their waste, with little or no monitoring. Groundwater pollution is a possibility, as companies do not take precautions at disposal sites to supervise and ensure proper sanitary conditions.

Causes of land pollution

Some of the causes of land pollution according to Ukpong are

• Improper resources management
• Destructive logging of the forest
• Overgrazing and overcropping of animals
• Flooding and wind erosion menace
• Destruction of wetlands and marshes for development
• Strip mining

He also identified other indirect causes of land pollution to include population growth and population influx, lack of control of enforcement measures and jurisdictional overlap which are due to unclear authority and the use of inappropriate technology for farming and even for producing manufactured goods.

This above-listed causes persisted for the past decades (since independence) and will continue to be so in Ibadan because of the following factors:

1. High rate of illiteracy
2. Ignorance
3. Uncivil culture of indiscriminate waste littering (i. e. throwing of wastes on bare ground)
4. People inability to maintain a sanitarily clean environment
5. The reluctance of people to cooperate with the authority by disposing solid waste in illegal dumps, rather than using the means provided by the Government;

Other factors that militate against decent environment in Ibadan include i. Uncontrolled population creating slum condition; i. Poor planning; and iii. Violation of town planning regulations.

Effects of land pollution

The increasing amount of solid waste and its disposal have become a serious environmental problem, leading to visual pollution, public health hazards, and water and air pollution. With the growth of the population and the wider use of ‘throw-away’ bottles and cans, the problem of litter and waste spoils the beauty of our environment . In addition, the discarded solid waste , if untreated, will decay, producing bad smells polluting the air and water.

Effects of land pollution in Ibadan

Unarguably, one of the main problems facing. Ibadan City and which has become an intractable nuisance is open and indiscriminate dumping of refuse, human and animal faeces on land. Piles of decaying garbage which are substantially domestic in nature dominate strategic locations in the heart of the city including the Ibadan Lagos express way. The risks that may be anticipated include bad odour, aesthetic nuisance, fire out break, water pollution, proliferation of insects, flies, cockroaches, rats and other small and dangerous insects which can endanger public health through breeding of ailments such as dysentery, cholera, diarrhea, yellow fever, plague and filariasis.

There is also reduction in the property value of land close to a dump site. Regrettably, this condition characterizes environmental culture in Ibadan. It is important to note that endangered public health situation can exert excessive pressure on the health budget, curtails productivity and worsens urban condition of health.

Remedial measures taken by the government

The government established three institutions charged with the responsibility of overseeing the environment of Ibadan city. They are

• Ibadan Solid Waste Board.
• The Local Government Councils, and Ministry of Environment.

Prior to the enactment of edict No 8 of 1997, Ibadan city and its environs were constitutionally broken into (11) eleven Local Government Councils which now shoulder the collection and disposal of solid wastes in Ibadan.

With the commencement of the edict, the functions of the Local Government councils in the Ibadan urban area under the 1979 Nigerian Constitution, and the instrument establishing them to collect, transfer and dispose solid waste were delegated to the new Authority. The functions of the Authority are:

1. Collection, transfer, and disposal of solid wastes for the Ibadan urban area directly or indirectly;
2. Collection and registration of private refuse contractors in the city. Each refuse collection firm will need to pay specified amounts to the authority annually;
3. To hire or lease out and sell its equipment to refuse contractors at profitable rates
4. To enforce all regulations concerning refuse collection, disposal and any other sanitation laws as obtained and as may be promulgated in the city of Ibadan;
5. To make effective use of Sanitary Inspectors from the Local Government Service and to impose sanctions on any refuse contractor or citizen in form of fines for the contravention of any of the law in accordance with provision under Offences and Related Matters;
6. To maintain land fill sites around Ibadan and to charge economic rates;
7. Holding meetings concerning planning and strategy to be adopted for the success of its operations;
8. Approving the budget estimates based on the planning and strategy;
9. Ensuring proper use of governmental budget allocated for solid waste collection;
10. Improving the management and operations continuously in such a way that the best service is given against the lowest possible cost;
11. Maintenance and proper use of vehicle and buildings from the State Government entrusted to the Board;
12. Preparation of management information on sanitation and environment;

Problems faced by the administration of environmental pollution in Ibadan

The problems facing administration of environmental pollution in Ibadan are multi-faceted. There are four main factors responsible for the problems faced by the Administration of Environmental Pollution in Ibadan. They are

1.  Poor funding
2.  Culture of the people
3.  Limited technology
4.  Human resources
5.  Poor Funding

Essentially, refuse collection and disposal in Ibadan city have become such complex, capital intensive and expensive project such that it is a futile effort to expect a single institution of local government or state ministry, talk less of a parastratal to finance it from its own limited source.

Culture of the People: One of the factors that pose a great challenge to the management of environmental pollution in Ibadan has to do with the culture of the people. The city is not well organized and planned.

The city has for long been a commercial centre for marketers of maize, yam and other food stuff that generate heaps of refuse which are unmanageable. The illiterate culture of the people seems not to respect human dignity and decency. Many houses are without toilet facilities especially in the core of the city. People defecate indiscriminately in any available plots of land which are uncleared or along the streams. Even when toilets are built by the Local government Councils, they are carelessly used and within a short period they get spoilt. Added to this, is the poor maintenance culture of our public facilities. The provision of water to service these facilities is, to the least epileptic, if it runs at all.

Finally, the socio-cultural attitude, lack of awareness and traditional syndrome of dumping refuse very close to their houses constitute a serious health hazard.

Limited Technology: A visit to the garage of the Ibadan Waste Disposal Management Authority revealed that most of its operational vehicles are grounded because of minor technical problem. Even at the dumping site at Aba Eku, the scavengers are self-employed with all the health risk. The compactors relatively new are grounded with just minor complaints and little expenditure to repair them. Again this condition affirms the underfunding of the Authority earlier mentioned. Still on technology, the land fill designed to be operated sanitarily are operated as open dump due to limited technology.

Furthermore, it was observed that medical refuse are deposited at the dumping site which technically ought to have been sorted out. There is also the problem of plastic and polythene products which are not bio-degradable.

Recommendations

Ibadan being the largest and most densely populated West African city should be a state on its own. Fund allocated to the state will be used in managing Ibadan only and this will therefore reduce the pressure on the fund allocated to the present day Oyo State. There should be an intensive teaching of heath education in primary and secondary schools hoping that the children would be able to influence their illiterate parents in complying with simple environmental habits and laws.

Compact incinerator method should be introduced to neighbourhoods because this burns not only the waste but also the smoke and dust arising from leaves and a very small quantity of ashes i. e. about 10% of the original weight of wastes is left back in the incinerator.

Conclusion

This town paper concluded that the management of environment of Ibadan city is a function of the concerted efforts of the three agencies charged with the environmental sanitation being a capital intensive project coupled with adequate manpower and the government should regard the care of the environment as a social service by enlightening and educating the citizens on proper waste disposal methods, otherwise Ibadan city will continue to remain as the city of refuse.

CHAPTER 1 Introduction Background of the Study Like many other hygiene convenience, shoe polish or can also be called boot polish is usually a wax , cream or paste used by people to shine, water proof and restore the appearance of leather shoes. This extends the footwear’s life. This is made up of many kinds of chemicals and because of this; it can cause irritations, allergies to us. In our generation, shoe polish is used every day and companies produce a lot of it to meet the demands of consumers. This leads to chemical wastes.

We the researchers would like to find or discover materials like banana peelings, leaves, or trash and use them as alternatives for these chemicals but without sacrificing the effectiveness of the shoe polish. Recently the Philippines has experienced flash floods and according to the disaster agency of the Philippines more than 338,000 people in 13 provinces were affected by the disaster, with nearly 43,000 still in schools, churches and gymnasiums. This was mainly caused by illegal logging and improper disposal of garbage.

If we are successful in using trash as alternative for making shoe polish we could lessen the trash in the streets because companies would be collecting these trashes to produce their product. As of now, Ateneo de Iloilo students and teachers are using leather shoes when going to school and when it rains it could damage the physical appearance of the shoes which would lead them to buy new ones. Many of them uses shoe polish to protect and clean their shoes and some are not safe when it comes in contact with skin, eyes or other sensitive parts of the body.

Our investigation could benefit them because they would be able to homemade shoe polish that would not cause harm or irritations to them. The investigators chose this study because of curiosity and that the investigators are looking for other alternatives in making a shoe polish which is convenient and safe to use. It is through this experiment that most of us could greatly benefit in ways that are useful in our everyday lives. Statement of the Problem This study seeks to answer the following questions: What other components can be added in making the shoe polish that would make it a better alternative than those bought in stores?

How effective is the presence of the glycerin, charcoal, citric acid in the making of the shoe polish? Will these alternative components be sufficient in making a great shoe polish? What factors affect the efficiency p of the shoe polish? Hypotheses In view of the preceding questions, the following hypotheses are advanced: 1. The harder the charcoal, the smoother and finer shoe polish can be made. 2. The given alternatives are sufficient in the making of shoe polish. 3. Considering that you undergo the process of heating, the more you stir the finer the shoe polish. . The more number of kerosene drops, the slimier the polish. 5. The greater the volume of the water added, the less effective the polish. Significance of the Study The investigators believed that the result of the study will be beneficial to the following: Students. This study could help the students by adding some information on their knowledge about shoe polishes. This could also enhance their creativity and resourcefulness while doing the study. Shoe shiners. This study can help shoe shiners by giving them alternative ways on how to create their own shoe polish.

Instead of buying the industrial shoe polish, they can use their own creation. It’s more cheaper, less expensive and more convenient. Environment. This study can help the recycling department in our environment. Instead of using the normal ingredients, we can use trash as the main ingredient. In this study, we are not only learning on the alternative ways on how to make shoe polish but also helping the environment at the same time by recycling and reducing of things. Future investigators. This study could serve as a basis for them to do more esearch and add more information to the things that we have done. This could also be a form of help to them as a source of information on how to start the research. Scope and Limitations This study revolves or focuses only on the topics about shoe polish and it’s processes. The experiment is only limited to 2 sub trials per trial. The study is limited to safe components that can be used for comparative testing. Thus, flammable or corrosive materials will not be appropriate to use in the investigation. Definition of terms 1.

Glycerin – is a thick liquid that is colorless and sweet tasting. It has a high boiling point and freezes to a paste. Glycerin’s most common use is in soap and other beauty products like lotions, though it is also used, in the form of nitroglycerin, to create dynamite. (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary) In this study Glycerin is used as a component in making a shoe polish. 2. Charcoal – a dark or black porous carbon prepared from vegetable or animal substances (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary) In this study charcoal is used as a component in making a shoe polish. 1.

Citric acid – is a natural, weak organic acid that is found in many fruits and vegetables, especially citrus. Because citric acid is also a byproduct of the citric acid cycle, it is also produced by many living organisms, including mold. (Foodreference. about. com) In this study citric acid is used as a component in making a shoe polish. 2. Soap – A substance used with water for washing and cleaning, made of a compound of natural oils or fats with sodium hydroxide or another strong alkali, and typically having perfume and coloring added (Google. com) In this study soap is used as a component in making a shoe polish.

The case is all about CDS (Concept Design services) , earlier they were in to business to consumer business by d product name of “Focus” now they have moved from business to consumer to business to business format. They have tied up with many design house and they give them the design which they manufacture and then distribute to the customer. They also moved from manufacturing focus products to high – quality stylish home wares with a high design value.

CDS has become Europe most profitable home ware businesses; it was originally founded in 1960s. The company has moved from making industrial mouldings mainly in the aerospace sector, and some cheap home ware products. The move into concept was initiated by Marketing Director Linda fleet. She had prior exp in decorative products industry. She had d gut feeling that correct product with appropriate promotion and marketing can earn big profits to the company. The company moved to design house partnership with the facility to provide distribution services as well.

The company changed its manufacturing unit with high end machinery with many moulds which gave them around 600 % increase in productivity. The most successful design partnership was with villessi , Italian design house. Their manufacturing operations were gr8 in terms of scheduling and planning for a product. They had good machinery which utilises their full capacity. There were some challenges for the company as well as there was issue within the company as they were pushed to a limit. But it was good in some way. The main objective or key to future was building and retaining design expertise will be the key to the future.

The company had an edge with design and finishing of the product as they were into making aerospace products which gave them this expertise. Now they are the leader in euro market, but they are thinking what should be their future plans and what product venture they should do in future. Or we can say the issue for debate in company was long term beyond their expertise as the two changes they made earlier were already their strength. Concepts Input transformation output processes.  Operations topology.  General model of operations Management and operation strategy. Questions Why is operations management important in CDS? Operations management is important in CDS (Concept Design services) if they are to continue being one of Europe’s most profitable home ware businesses. As with any other company, CDS objective is to add value to their final product while using its resources effectively and efficiently through its internal processes like planning, scheduling, control, quality. The company has successfully been able to apply the technology used in the aerospace sector into home ware items, through the mastering of injection moulding machines.

Moreover, the company has expanded into a premium home ware product market from low end product i. e. “Focus”, integrating new functions within its operations, such as forming partnerships with reputable designers and increasing the volume and complexity of its production i. e. High design value products and outsources the low end low profit making product i. e. “Focus” brand. Draw a 4 V’s profile for the company’s products/services. Volume: High/ low. it can be drawn that production volume is high as it has increased 600% since the buying of new large multi-cavity moulds and machinery. Another ndication of high volume production is the fact that CDS decided to subcontract their Focus line to other moulding companies, so they could focus on the production of their premium line (Concept Design). But as it’s not mention in the case so we can’t be sure of the volume aspect. It can be low as well high. Variety: High. CDS market is a highly competitive one, in which design innovation determines the longevity i. e. Long term of the firm. CDS capacity of developing products that are in fashion and moreover, its adaptability to change as fashion changes is key to the survival of the firm.

For the same reason as with variety, CDS is forced to continuously produce innovative designs that would keep their customers interested and therefore keep demand high. Visibility:  Mixed high and low.  What would you recommend to the company if you were asked to advice on improving its operations? There are 2 areas that CDS needs to improve: the relationship between its designers and other parts of the company (such as the manufacturing and distribution, planning) and a better forecasting of sales.

The designers don’t get to spend enough or any time on the ‘floor’ of the company, that is, they do not have an in depth understanding of the manufacturing processes and the way they are affected by their decision making. If they could spend some time doing ‘cross training’ they would get a real idea of the manufacturing processes. Departments should have a better collaboration. As per Linda its a fashion industry so predictions can’t be accurate, but it should be to accurate to a point where there is better planning and accuracy of decisions.

Wasted Food We have a lot of problems in the world today and one of these problems is food waste. I will be going over facts and statistics of one of the leading countries that produces food waste; the United Kingdom. There is another problem out there that could reduce this problem and that is United Kingdom citizens that are malnourished and starving to death. What if one problem was another problems solution? The amount of food waste worldwide could end and save thousands of lives.

It is easy to sit at home with a full belly and full fridge and not think of these kinds of problems. If every time people were going to throw away perfectly good food and saw a starving family or child they would easily give that family or child the food. The problem is we do not see these family and children every day. The average United Kingdom family is wasting nearly 60 euros a month by throwing away almost an entire meal a day (Smithies). This is 24 meals a month, adding up to 4. 2 million tons of food and drink every year that could have been consumed (Smithies).

The UK food industry is wasting an estimated cost of 5 billion euros per year (GOB). Reducing the volume of food wasted in food manufacturing, retailing and foddering operations means reducing the overall costs of these operations. Efficient, cost-effective companies are best positioned to deliver affordable products to consumers, grow, create Jobs and support their communities (FAR). England itself has a huge hunger problem that people are not aware of. In 2008, 3,161 patients were admitted to hospital in England which went up to more than 5,400 in 2012 (Hope).

The number of people fed by food banks has gone up from 26,000 in 2008 to 347,000 in 2012 (Hope). England is considered to have a surplus of food supply and from the evidence shown in the first paragraph these next statistics go back to my point of solving a problem with a problem. 78 percent of malnourished children live in countries that have a surplus of food and there is enough food being produced in the world today to feed every person 2,720 calories each day. Hunger is the world’s number 1 health risk it kills more people than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined (Food Security and Welfare Politics).

Food Waste does not only effect people who are malnourished and hungry but it also hurting our environment. When food waste decomposes in a landfill, it generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas with 21 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. Keeping food waste out of landfills will result in reduced methane emissions. Also, growing food requires many resources, including water and energy. Wasted food is a waste of the resources used to grow it (FAR). Eliminating food waste at the source is the preferred approach.

But when food waste is generated, it can be recycled into impost or energy, which offer a number of environmental benefits. Compost improves soil health and structure, increases drought resistance, and reduces the need for other fertilizer. Also, food waste doesn’t create methane in a compost system the way it does in a landfill. Food waste can also be turned into renewable energy through anaerobic digestion, where the methane emissions from broken down food are captured to produce biogas, heat and energy (FAR).

The solution to this problem of food waste has already started and there are a lot of great organizations out there that everyone should be aware of. The Food Waste Reduction Alliance is an example of a great organization that more people need to be aware of. The Food Waste Reduction Alliance (FAR) is a collaborative effort of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the Food Marketing Institute, and the National Restaurant Association. The FARMS mission is to reduce the volume of food waste sent to landfill by addressing the root causes of waste, and securing pathways to donate or recycle unavoidable food waste (FAR).

Large food producing companies in the United Kingdom have started to make progress Tests has agreed to reduce its multi-buy teems and other promotions after revealing that 35% of its bagged salad is being thrown out (Smithies). The United Kingdom is working with Waste and Resources Action Programmer’s and businesses on voluntary agreements to reduce food and packaging waste as well as providing ideas and information to help waste less, through the WRAPS Love Food, Hate Waste campaign (GOB).

Another great example of ways the United Kingdom government are reducing waste is the Courtyard Commitment a responsibility deal in the grocery retail sector which includes finding says to reducing household waste from groceries, and also the hospitality and food service voluntary agreement, which aims to cut food and associated packaging waste by 5 percent and increase the overall rate of food and packaging waste that is being recycled, sent to anaerobic digestion or composted to 70 percent by 2015.

In conclusion food waste in the United Kingdom is Just a small portion of what is going on around the world. The United Kingdom itself is wasting enough food to feed Europe, imagine the statistics and facts of the rest of Europe and even the United States. This seems to be a problem that is so easy to solve that it’s hard. There are a lot of great organizations out there doing the right thing and politicians who are trying to pass the laws to stop wood waste.

In 1985, Michael Porter published Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. In this book, he described how organizations can achieve competitive advantage in their industries. Porter’s focus in this book was not on an overall competitive strategy, but on what organizations needed to do on a daily basis to achieve results. As Porter (3) stated, “My aim is to build a bridge between strategy and implementation. ” To create the link between the overall strategy of a firm and how that strategy could be achieved, Porter referred to value.

As Porter (3) stated, “competitive advantage grows fundamentally out of value a firm is able to create for its buyers that exceeds the firm’s cost of creating it. ” This focus on value led to the concept of the value chain, which refers to the internal processes that occur as the organization creates its product or service. Value chain management is not just a process that occurs within an organization. Instead, it is closely linked to the competitive environment. This means that value chain management takes into account the industry in which the organization operates.

This is referred to as the industry value chain and describes how the industry overall adds value to the consumer. This is an important point because it means that value chain management does not just refer to the series of processes that occur within the organization. As an example, consider the case of Apple’s Ipod. If creating value was only considered in the context of what happens within the organization, the focus might be purely on the manufacturing process.

Apple might consider their value chain as a process where raw materials are converted to the product and where the product is distributed to the consumer. In terms of improving the value of their product, they might consider that saving on raw materials, decreasing production time, and improving distribution will help add value. The problem with this approach is that it does not identify the real value that consumers gain from the product. This real value is identified when the MP3 player industry is considered on a broader level.

This broader view shows that value is added more by marketing than by manufacturing. includes the major activities that instill value in the product. Marketing with the aim of gaining consumer support is one of the key ways to add value. It is this aspect that Apple competes against with the other organizations in the market. This illustrates that value chain management is a process of recognizing what activities add value to the organization and then focusing on these activities to gain competitive advantage.

The aim is not to improve everything about the organization, but to improve the processes that will allow the organization to gain an advantage on the competition. Porter (39) also identified various generic factors that are part of an organization’s value chain. These generic factors are: inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales, and service. Porter considered that these five areas add value to a firm. Porter (40) also identified several support factors. These support factors are: infrastructure of the organization, human resource management, technology, and procurement.

Porter identified these generic factors as a general guideline for organizations, while noting that the industry’s competitive factors determine what factors will comprise the value chain for a specific firm. For example, in the case of Apple’s Ipod, sales and marketing would be a key factor and technology would also be a part of the value chain. In the case of an organization manufacturing and selling nails, sales and marketing is not likely to be a large part of the value chain. Instead, operations may be more important, with the aim being to manufacture the nails as cost effectively as possible so as to maximize profits.

For any organization, value chain management is used to identify the key factors that add value in the industry and then to determine how to improve those key factors so as to become more competitive. Southwest Airlines is one organization that has successfully used value chain management to improve its performance. Southwest Airlines is recognized as a success in the airline industry not just because it is a successful company, but also because it made positive changes to the industry. It is generally considered as a pioneer.

This success is linked, at least partially, to its use of value chain management. Pellet (53) describes Southwest Airlines as a company that found creative ways to make improvements, with these improvements especially related to reducing the downtime of aircraft, improving scheduling, and making maintenance more efficient. At the same time, Southwest Airlines needed to improve cost-effectiveness so it could offer a lower price to its customers, but still maximize profits. Southwest Airlines based its success on identifying the industry value chain.

This included noting the key industry factors that determine success. With the key industry factors identified, Southwest Airlines was able to find creative ways of improving on these factors. One of the important points is that Southwest Airlines’ strategy did not just involve copying what other airlines were doing. This was achieved because they were not comparing themselves to what others were doing. Instead, they were only focused on how they could improve. This allowed them to identify unique ways of doing things and this is how they managed to gain competitive advantage.

Southwest Airlines’ successes were enough to get them listed in Fortune magazine’s “Top 100 Companies” list. In the magazine, it is noted that Southwest Airline won the Triple Crown award for Best Airline five times; a fact that shows their success is more than just financial (Moskowitz and Levering 148). Southwest Airline became the best in the industry. Their success shows how effective value chain management leads to competitive advantage. Finally, it is useful to consider how value chain management has changed since it was first introduced by Porter in 1985.

One of the major changes is that computer software has become an important tool in the process. Computer software has been developed to identify problems and opportunities for improvement in the value chain. This is largely focused on the manufacturing process, but can also be applied to any process where efficiency is desired. Another significant trend is that the value chain is extended further, both upline and downline. For example, many organizations are considering the internal processes of their suppliers.

The idea is that if the supplier improves their value chain, the organization that receives the output of the supplier also benefits. In addition, if the supplier can improve efficiency and reduce costs, the benefits can be passed on to the organization by lowering the price of raw materials. The same applies to considering upline organizations, such as distributors and retailers. This is creating an environment where organizations are demanding more from companies that provide them with any type of service. In turn, many companies are becoming less like suppliers and more like partners.

This allows the organization to assist supplier companies, while also ensuring that they benefit from the improvements that suppliers make. This creates an environment where organizations are linked together by either formal or informal partnerships. In some cases, both organizations work together to determine how they can best assist each other. In other cases, organizations have contractual demands on their suppliers. In other cases, a formal partnership is in place. In all of these cases, the same trend is seen, with organizations recognizing that other companies are part of their value chain.