Usage of ornaments and traditional aspects vs. Simplicity and no Essay

Usage of ornaments and traditional aspects vs. Simplicity and no ornaments - Essay Example Growing urban areas, especially in the rapidly developing cities, have become arenas of many contradictory forces associated with the growing of commercialism and consumption attitudes, architectural fashions and professional egoism, and many misconceptions regarding progress and modernization. Essentially, there is a potent discourse between building of simple and minimalist structures and doing away with the traditional aspects of architecture that lay emphasis on ornamental prowess. The big question is whether architecture, in its modern or traditional form, stands in harmony with the culture and environment (Trilling, 2001). Cities have thus become a symbol for the neglect of organic, cultural traditions and the destruction of the identity of places. Respect of traditions and factors specific to certain places is, however, of highest importance for a symbiotic development of the human environment relationship. As individual characteristics are different so it should be with cities, with urban planning. In the modern world, architecture has changed the values that it portrays. It reflects different set of values from the traditional local ones; buildings and space are symbols for economic and political power, importance and status, achievement and wealth, ours and theirs, poor and rich. The prerequisites are visibility and surprise; the creation of a distinct image in the observer’s mind for capturing his attention.... It is evident that ornamental architecture added to the visual appeal of architectural designs and also helped make people to easily relate to the buildings around them. However, the advent of modern architecture in the 1920s spelt death for the once popular ornamental architecture. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, it has been normal to assume that good design has to be plain and simple. Ornamentation was renounced because proponents of modern architecture believed that the decorative aspects of design were unnecessary and not cost effective (Loos, 1998) . The origins of modern architecture can be attributed to the social and political revolutions of that time. Advances in technology and engineering gave rise to new materials such as iron and steel which encourage minimalist design. The advent in modern architecture has given prominence to the concept of â€Å"internationalization†. In this regard, the design of buildings has become uniform regardless of the cultu ral background. This is evident considering that it has become a norm to have almost generic high rise block buildings in almost every city in the world. This paper seeks to analyze make a comparison between two architects. This is in respect to the traditional ornamental architecture and the modern non ornamental simple architectural design. It should be noted that architecture is an evolving discipline and thus modernity was bound to happen. However, the major issue is to evaluate the impacts of modern architecture and the how recent advances in architecture have shaped the society. The implications of discarding traditional ornamental architecture will also be evaluated. This is essential to assess the overall impact of

Budgeting Operational Plans ( Individual Project ) Research Paper

Budgeting Operational Plans ( Individual Project ) - Research Paper Example This enables the managers of a company to report to the shareholders how their investments have been maximized over a period of some time. Different companies use different approaches to recording and reporting their financial details (McConnell, 2001). Both manual methods and computer assisted technologies are being used to facilitate proper recording of financial details of companies. With the rapid developments in technology, software applications have been developed to assist companies manage their financial record effectively. As a result, more companies are using computer aided financial reporting so as to give more authentic and reliable financial reports. Financial statements have to be prepared in accordance with set standards and reported timely to users. Financial reporting systems help companies achieve their financial objectives through accurate recording and timely reporting of financial reports (Siegel & Shim, 2006). A financial reporting system refers to all the proce dures and processes that a company employs in order to ensure financial accountability. These include the polices and measures put in place to ensure proper recording, verification of financial transactions as well as timely reporting. ... The financial reporting database helps the company prepare its financial statements such as the balance sheet, income statements, and cash flow statements periodically. This can be done either on a monthly basis, quarterly or annually. The budgeting database enables a company to access past financial information and helps the managers calculate financial estimates for the next accounting period. The budgeting database is well structured with expense thresh holds and cost limits that managers wish to set for the company (McConnell, 2001). A general ledger contains different accounts where information relating to financial transactions is recorded by the accountants or bookkeepers. Activity Based Budget The activity-based budgeting is a new and emerging trend in budgeting that seeks to give companies a new approach to manage their budgets. Activity-based budgeting allows company executives to present their budget based on the actual costs of the company’s products as opposed to the traditional budgeting methods, which require the budget to include various factors, which affect costs such as training and compensation (Mancino, 2007). In Activity Based Budgeting (ABB), only those business activities that incur costs are taken into consideration when preparing budgets. These activities are then aligned to specific objectives and goals, and thereafter, the costs that will be required to meet these business activities are used to draft the budget. The traditional method of budgeting only allowed company executives to adjust the budgets for previous financial periods so that they meet the new objectives for the next financial

The representation of black in fashion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The representation of black in fashion - Essay Example The step by the vogue magazine caused a phenomenal demand in Britain and the United States and made the Conde Nast Company sold more than four hundred thousand extra copies. The step is a cultural watershed in fashion and has world recognition. â€Å"Racial prejudice in the fashion industry has for a long time persisted because of tokenism and color biasness† said the fashion designer of vogue magazine industry (Giacobello, 2003:74). The fashioner designer of vogue said they had decided to take the black women and girls in order to have the right look and change monotony in the western magazines. He dismissed the claim that laziness, paranoia, and pedantry was a common phenomenon among the black women. The chosen Africans were to dress in African-inspired clothes. This gave them the minority look in the model as well as made them attractive to the western view. It also encouraged African culture. One common trend of fashion that came out clear was that, fashion loves change, however, it can change nothing itself. Fashion can detect or reflect changes in an aura. However, the question remains to be what changes fashion. The issue of blacks in the world’s models has drawn an attention in countries like the United States and now the country’s models and designers are wondering whether they should include black models in competitions or not. This makes the fashion industry and black representation story very interesting to learn and follow (Synder, 2009:12). The very vital questions revolving around the fashion industry that am going to base on are; the role of fashion industry in promoting an anorexic-like slimness for the modern day women in the western counties, the c ase of race and ethnicity in the fashion industry, evolution and black representation. From the Italian designers the fashion trend is diminishing from the era of race discrimination. World black supermodels in the likes of Naomi Campbell and a male

Analysis and design of concrete pavements Research Paper - 1

Analysis and design of concrete pavements - Research Paper Example The research project involved carrying out an analysis and design of concrete pavements based on a comprehensive literature review as well as on the results of a number of engineering tests to determine the best designs for concrete pavements. Concrete pavements are road surfaces that are built using a concrete mixture of Portland cement, sand, coarse aggregate and water to provide durable surfaces that can effectively sustain vehicular or foot traffic. The history of the use of concrete pavements on roads and walkways dates back to 1893 when the world’s first strip of concrete pavement was successfully completed. According to Croney (2008), the first concrete roads were constructed in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century and the technology later spread to Europe and the other parts of the world in the 1920s. Over the years, concrete as a building material has been increasingly used for paving airports, highways, residential streets as well as business parking lots. According to many experts, the increasing popularity of concrete pavements is particularly attributed to the numerous benefits of using concrete as a paving material some of which include its durability and less maintenance requirement, workability, strength, cost effectiveness and durability. Contemporary design techniques used for concrete pavements have resulted in the development of economically sustainable concrete pavements that are not only offer one of the best riding surfaces but are able to perform for many years with minimal maintenance. According to Horenstein (34), modern designs often take into account all the diverse sorts of environmental conditions including future estimations on environmental changes and traffic growth. Currently, there is a growing need for sustainable and low cost alternative pavement materials in many developed countries including Australia. For example, since

Major Characteristics Of Qualitative Research

Major Characteristics Of Qualitative Research CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.0 Introduction In this chapter, researcher will explain in detail on how the research will be conducted. This includes the research design chosen by the researcher, the research procedures, sample selection, methods of gathering data, and methods of data analysis used. In explaining the methods and procedures employed, the researcher also explains the rationale for choosing the particular methods and procedures conducted in this research. 3.1 Research Design Patton (1990) in Fraenkel and Wallen (2006) described one of the major characteristics of qualitative research is design flexibility where they suggested that a qualitative research should avoid from stick on a rigid designs or situation so that the situation can be understood in-depth. They also recommended a qualitative research should pursue new paths of discovery that suits with the researcher interest. From his own reading and opinion, the researcher would like to define qualitative research as a type of scientific research. It is because; generally scientific research consists of a proper investigation that seeks for answers to a question systematically by uses a predefined set of procedures. In order to answer the questions, researcher collects evidence and produces findings that were not determined in advance and that are applicable beyond the immediate boundaries of the study. Therefore to carry out his research qualitatively, the researcher would like to use case study as the method for the researcher to conduct this research. Case study is one of methods to conduct qualitative research where Robert Stake (1997) defines a case as a bounded system as it tells a story about a bounded system. A system refers to a set of interrelated elements that are wholesome while bounded outlines the boundary of the system (Holmes et al, 2008). However the researcher himself need to determine the case first and later the researcher will uses various data collection techniques such as interviews, observation through literature, and relevant documentary analysis to carry out a holistic study of the entity. By using case study, the researcher will actually attempt to investigate the components or parts that make up the system to see how they operate. By refer to this research; the researcher will investigate the science curriculum of Steiner Waldorf education as he will comp are the curriculum with Malaysian science curriculum. At one hand, the researcher will look at the important components of curriculum of both Malaysian and Steiner Waldorf education. On the other hand the researcher will compare both curriculums in order to look at the strength and the weaknesses in Malaysian science curriculum as compared to Steiner Waldorfs. Hence, the researcher believes that the researcher will experience the personal contact and insight as well as holistic perspectives on both curriculums by using case study and comparative analysis. 3.2 Research Methods According to Fraenkel and Wallen (2006) qualitative research employed three main techniques to collect and analyze data which are observing people and classroom, interviewing the subject as well as analyzing documents or other forms of communication. Therefore for the data collection the researcher employed the three different methods namely observations, interviews, and document analyses. By employing more than one methods, the researcher believe it will help to triangulate the data, to provide multiple sources of evidence as well as to increase the validity and reliability of the findings of this research. Below here are the explanations on each method: 3.2.1 Observations Observation basically conducted in order to investigate something that the researcher unfamiliar with. Because of that, certain kinds of research questions can best be answered by observation (Fraenkel Wallen, 2006). According to Holmes et al (2008) observation can be classified according to the role that the researcher plays. Fraenkel and Wallen (2006) suggested the same and as follow; Participant Observation, the researchers actually participate in the situation or setting they are observing and when the researcher takes on the role of a complete participant his identity is not known to the other members of the group or another role that could be play by the researcher is as participant as observer. This is where the researcher participates completely in the activities of the group being studied and on the same time telling the group clearly that he is doing research. Non-participant Observation, sit on the sidelines where the researcher does not participate in the activity being observed or actually he is indirectly involved with the situation being observed. There two roles that the researcher could play. First as observer as participant where the researcher immediately identifies himself as researcher and do not have to pretend as a member of the particular group being studied. Second one; the researcher could be complete observer which is totally contradicted with complete participant. The presence of the researcher may or may not, realize by the group because the researcher is actually observes the activities without any intention to participate. For this research, the observations carried out by the researcher were actually used both types of observation. In one situation the researcher plays his role as participant as observer and in yet, another situation, the role changed to observer as participant. The researcher adapted with the change of situation where it involved time and purpose of the observation. For example when the researcher participated in the programs organized by the Steiner Waldorf department in Plymouth the researcher also carrying out his observation and informed the member of the group that he was carried out observation for his research. However during his visit to the Steiner school in Plymouth, he was no longer participant as observer; instead, he was observer as participant where he observed the teaching and learning process, condition and environment of the school as well as the activities that the school had along that day. It was same with the observation carried out by the researcher in Malaysia. The researcher plays his role totally as observer as participant with the groups of students and teachers involved in this research. However when it involved with his personal experience as in-service teacher, he was actually a complete participant, where he observed the phenomenon occurred in the group that he studied without telling them the actual situation. But it was a very minor part from the observations that the researcher carried out. 3.2.2 Interview Interview is a common tool usually used in qualitative research. It is used by researcher to know and understand peoples experiences and their inner perceptions, attitudes, and feelings of reality (Zhang.Y, 2006). By referring to its structure, interview can be divided into three categories: structured interview, semi-structured interview, and unstructured interview (Fontana Frey, 2005) and as in Frankael and Wallen (2006) the unstructured interview term is used as informal interview. Structured interview is the interview that has a set of predefined questions and the questions asked to the respondent in the same manner. Structured interview is similar to survey and questionnaire except that it is conducted verbally rather than in writing. Semi-structured interview can best be described in terms of the flexibility in the interview process. Just like structured interview, this type of interview consists of a series of questions which designed to elicit specific answer from respondent. However it usually more open-ended than questions in a structured interview but in the course of interview, interviewers has a flexibility to adjust the sequence of the questions to be asked and add questions based on the context of the conversations. Informal interview as the term implies shows that the interview conducted is less formal as compared to structured or semi structured interview. It is also similar to a casual conversation and basically carried out to pursue the interests of both the researcher and the respondent in turn. This type of method is commonly used in qualitative research. For this research, the researcher carried out the three types of interview. Informal interviews were used by the researcher at the initial part of this research. The interviews were conducted on few teachers, lectures and students in the attempts to find out the problem of Malaysian science curriculum. During his visit to Plymouth, the method changed to semi structured interview as the researcher hoped to gather as much information as possible to gain some insight about the Steiner education. The questions designed basically to help the researcher to get the intended answer from the respondents. Time is always being the limitation of any research. Therefore when the researcher traveled back to Malaysia, the researcher still hopes that he could get more information about science curriculum from the Steiner education. Therefore he conducted email interview with few Steiner teachers, lecturers and its ex-students. In the email the researcher explained briefly about research that he conducting as well as instruction how the respondent should answer the questions. The researcher classified the email interview method as structured interview in the sense that questions asked were fixed (in term of number) and no further probing were carried out. Email interviews conducted by the researcher as part of member check which is a term of method that use in qualitative research to verify what the researcher had understood based on the previous interviews, observations and document that he analyzed or as mean of validating via triangulation. 3.2.3 Document/Content Analysis It is a technique that allow the researcher to study human behavior in an indirect way such as through an analysis of human communication, written content of communication, textbook, essays, newspaper, journals, magazines, articles and others (Frankael Wallen, 2006). Content analysis also has been defined as a research method for the subjective interpretation of the content of text data through the systematic classification process (Hsieh Shannon, 2005) and also as an approach of empirical, methodological controlled analysis of texts within their context of communication (Mayring, 2000). Therefore in this research document refers to written sources that the researcher have obtained from the online sources (articles, reports and journals) and other written sources such as books that explain about Steiner and Malaysian science curriculum. The documents gathered include official publications which discuss the aims and objectives of science education and other aspects of curriculum such as implementation, assessment and the performance. These different documents were analyzed and discussed in relation to the findings gathered through observations and interviews carried out by the researcher previously. 3.3 Research Procedures Since this is a comparative study between 2 different curriculums, there are procedures that need to be carried out by the researcher in two different countries which is Malaysia and Britain. Therefore, the researcher will explain the procedures in number of different stages as detailed below; Stage 1 To identify the problem about the Malaysian science curriculum, the researcher had informal interviews with few senior teachers and lectures with science education background. Besides that the researcher also conducted few informal interviews with students in mainstream science class. The idea to compare the Malaysian and Steiner science curriculum actually came from colleagues who had general idea about the Steiner Waldorf education. Stage 2 (Initial Study) The researcher gathered information about Steiner education including the history, approaches and its curriculum as well as read about the research conducted on Steiner education. At the same time, the researcher also contacted the Head of the Steiner Waldorf education in University of Plymouth and liaises with the Senior Tutor of the Industrial linkages of that university via email to establish rapport before the visit to Britain. Meantime, the Head of the Steiner Waldorf department helped the researcher to organize Steiner and science related programs for the researcher to attend during the visit and one of which is a visit to a Steiner school in Plymouth. Stage 3 Prior to conducting this research in the UK, the researcher needed to obtain permissions from the following parties: The Dean of Faculty of Education of University Teknologi Mara (UiTM) to obtain permission to submit the proposal to the UiTM International Linkages Centre (UiLC); The Head of UiLC for the approval of the fund needed by the researcher to conduct this study in Britain; The Vice Chancellor of UiTM to obtain the approval for the researcher to conduct this study in Britain; and The Head of Steiner Waldorf Department in University of Plymouth for permission and to be involved in this research. Stage 4 When in the UK, data was gathered or obtained through varying sources and methods as highlighted assistance earlier, namely subsequent Joined a week program organized by Steiner Waldorf Department in University of Plymouth. The program also involved a class of first year students who doing their Bachelor in Steiner Education; Group interview with the few lectures and students from the Steiner Waldorf Department; Interview with the Head of Steiner Waldorf Department in University of Plymouth; Educational visit to one Steiner school in Plymouth where interviews were carried out with a few teachers from different backgrounds; Observation of one science lesson; and one practical or experiment session; and Exchange of emails with the few science teachers, lecturers and students who graduated from Steiner schools. Stage 5 Once the intended data were obtained from the UK, this stage will more focusing on data analysis and to find more evidence to further support the earlier findings. Conducted email interview with few Steiner science teachers, lectures and ex-students. Doing analysis on documents about Steiner curriculum specifically on science. Conducted a group interview with students from 2 different schools in Petaling district. Analyzed data gathered. 3.4 Sampling Strategy A sample in a research study is the individual or group on which information is obtained (Fraenkel Wallen, 2006). Another opinion, a sample consists of a group of individuals drawn from the population where the sample is actually a fraction from the whole population (Holmes et al, 2008). A group of sample can be very small or maybe quite large depending on the number of population as the sample drawn is actually supposed to represent the entire population. There are two major types of sampling which is probability sampling and non-probability sampling. For this research, the researcher chose purposive sampling and convenience sampling when conduct this research. A convenience sample is group of individuals who (conveniently) are available for study while purposive sample is chose based on the researcher judgment where the sample is believed could give useful information for the research (Fraenkel Wallen, 2006). On the other perspectives, Holmes et al (2008) in his book stated that purposive sampling is a way where the researcher, in choosing sample, considers the subjects that belong to a specific group. Basically this method is appropriate for a topic that has not been studied much before while convenience sampling is a means studying of whomever or whatever is available. In attempt to study on Malaysian and Steiner Waldorfs science curriculum, the researcher was actually blended the method in sampling. Even though the sample might involve personal networking of the researcher, there were few aspects that the researcher gave due consideration and judgment. That is why the researcher chose to use purposive and convenience sampling. In order to understand a phenomenon from perspective of participants, the researcher chose sample who gave more useful information. In addition, the researcher also look at the participation, willingness and cooperation of the sample to involves with the research so that it will made much easier for the researcher. 3.5 Sample 3.5.1 Sample for Malaysian Science Curriculum The samples that the researcher chose to gather useful information regarding Malaysian science curriculum can be divided into three categories, namely as; expert (lecturer with science education background), practitioner (teacher) and students. 3.5.2 Sample for Steiner Waldorf science curriculum The samples that the researcher chose to understand about Steiner Waldorf education and its science curriculum also can be divided into three categories, namely as; expert (lecturers with Steiner education background and Steiner science education background), practitioner (teacher) and students. 3.6 Data Analysis Data analysis is one of the important parts in any research. It requires systematic procedures to manage the data gathered and the ability to analysis the data critically and thoroughly. However, to carry out the analysis, researcher will use the research questions and research objectives that constructed earlier as the guide. He believes that, it will help the researcher to shows the right direction of the exploration of the data. As the researcher employed observations, interviews and document analysis as the methods to gather the data, each method will undergo different levels of analysis at one point and later will be combined as a rich data that will be able to answer the research questions. Any notes that made by the researcher during his observations, informal interviews, transcript of email interviews, videos recorded, journals, and any publications related were organized accordingly into its own category. Next, the data were analyzed in order for the researcher to look at any existing patterns or themes and help the researcher to identify basic features of the data. This will help the researcher to develop and document a database structure and on the same time to describe about the data extensively by using qualitative software. The software will allow the researcher to code, retrieve and analyze data which could make the rich data become more organized and useful. 3.7 Summary The framework of this research took place within qualitative procedures since the aim of this research is compare the Malaysian and Steiner Waldorf science curriculum. Interviews conducted with the teachers, lectures and students from both systems as well as the observation that the researcher carried out in Malaysia and Britain were the main research tools. The information gathered was supported by the analysis of documents such as journals, articles, official publications and several ministry documents related to science education. The data transcribed with the aid of qualitative data analysis software helped the researcher to come out with the findings of the research.

Philosophy Of Literacy Instruction Essay -- Teaching Education School

Literacy Defined Literacy embraces reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Integrating all of these into a literacy program is key. Teachers must provide endless and ongoing opportunities for their student to read, write, listen, and speak. There are many components that make up literacy. In order to effectively teach students these components the teacher must model the concept for the students. As teachers, we can't expect or assume that the student already knows what we expect of them. Modeling gives students a basis of what to go by. Modeling is the first and most important step in order for the students to gain mastery of a concept. A teacher must also undergo guided practice with the students. A teacher should always provide as much guided practice that is needed. Students should never move on to independent practice until it is evident that they are ready. For example, I was teaching a guided reading lesson in my EDU 218 classroom, in which my peers were posing as students. The lesson involved the students to complete a story map on a book that they read. Although I knew that the students would be slightly familiar with a story map I still modeled the use of it for them. I modeled the use of the story map based on a book that I knew the students were familiar with. So when the students set out to complete the story map on their own they could recall and look back to the story map that I had modeled for them. It is also important to note that not all students grasp the material at the same time. One student could be ready for independent practice, as another may still need a vast amount of guided practice. There is no need to caution if students are not at the same level, unless of course if there is a real developmental delay. Literature is a key component when speaking of literacy. Teachers need to provide students with endless amounts of practice experiences in reading to build their fluency rate. This should be done with different genres of texts and different levels. Reading a wide variety of literature help children develop rich vocabularies. Phonemic Awareness is very important part of literacy. Phonemic awareness includes sounds of a word, the breakdown of words into sounds. It includes rhyming and alliteration, isolation, counting words in sentences, syllables and phonemes, blending words, segmenting, and manipulating. Pho... ...on my students work so that they know how they are progressing. I will always be sure to hit my instructional focus on the children?s strengths before working on an area of development with the children. I will teach to the objectives and I will teach to the standards. I will make sure that my lessons are hitting on as many standards as possible. Working With Children with Special Needs In my classroom I will make sure that the children with special needs are benefiting from instruction. I will pair this student up with someone who is capable of helping. The student will be getting my instruction as well as help from one of their peers. I will be aware that this student is a learner with special needs and I will teach this student at a level in which he/she is comfortable. I will make sure I am aware of everything that I can about this student?s special needs. I will be in a tight contact with the student and his/her parent/guardian so I can be aware that they are working with him/her at home. If this isn?t the case then I will pair this student up with another student after school, with myself, or with someone else that would be willing to give this student extra time.

Developing Approaches of Supply Chain Management Systems

296 The International Arab Journal of Information Technology, Vol. 5, No. 3, July 2008 Developing Approaches of Supply Chain Management Systems of Enterprises in Pakistan Danish Irfan1, 2, Xu Xiaofei1, and Deng Sheng Chun1 1 School of Computer Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, China 2 Department of Computer Science, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Pakistan Abstract: This paper identifies the problems of pakistani enterprises concerning supply chain networks and orders solutions to improving its overall performance and competitiveness.Seldom, a non-trivial amount of research efforts has been made in emergent nations to improve and enhance supply chain management paradigm. Our survey comprised nine enterprises; among them four are successfully modelled and presented. The detailed supply chain structure and study is also made. The paper concludes by suggesting and adopting modelled approach to the corporations in their move towards implementing supply chain management strategies. Keywords: Supply chain, supply chain management, supply chain networks. Received October 14, 2006; accepted April 25, 2007 1. Introduction Supply Chain Management (SCM) has gained ignificance as one of the 21st century’s manufacturing technology and innovative paradigms for improving organizational competitiveness. SCM has been considered a competitive strategy for integrating suppliers and customers with the objective improving response time and flexibility [6]. Competitiveness in today’s marketplace depends closely on the ability of a firm to grip the challenges of reducing lead-time, cost estimation, increasing customer service levels and improving product quality. Conventionally, sourcing, production, distribution and marketing have been working independently. Unfortunately, although they seem to be working owards a common goal, the organizational units have different objectives. Nowadays, the focus is shifting toward digitally integra ted demand and Supply Chain (SC) configurations that are built around establishing networks of relationships between the firm, its suppliers, customers and partner entities. In our paper, we explain the work of different enterprises of pakistan considering their abilities and the SCM key challenges faced in developing their SCM approach. The data utilized for different SCM systems in this paper are derived from large, nationwide and cosmopolitan pakistani corporations, mong them four of which we refer to as enterprises A, B, C and D. Section 1 gives a brief introduction of the four enterprises from SCM perspective. Section 2 describes the related work in SCM. In section 3, we study existing systems and propose the SCM models for each enterprise. Section 4 concludes the study and presents future directions and strategies. 2. Related Work Unfortunately, there is no explicit narration of SCM or its activities in the literature [2]. The ultimate success of firms will depend on managemen t’s ability to integrate the company’s intricate network of business relationships, allowing improved decision making and onsequently, reducing cost and customer response time. SCM is not only this but much more and beyond. SCM concerns neither to minimize nor to maximize but rather to optimize (integration, coordination, variability, uncertainty management and control) processes for the enterprise. An efficient and responsive SCM aims to move from a simple SC Figure 1 (a) to a well structured and extended SC Figure 1 (b). (a) Simple supply chain. (b) Extended supply chain. Figure 1. Supply chain type. Developing Approaches of Supply Chain Management Systems of Enterprises in Pakistan Literary summary shows the SCM concepts as ollows: centralized vs. decentralized control, business process re-engineering strategies, information distortion, detrimental effect of bullwhip factor, SCM for suppliers and firms performance, incorporating model between supplier and retailer; benefits, impact, influence, activities, challenges to integrated SCM, need for performance measures for support of global supply chain improvement; value of information in a two level SCM; modelling the complexity and dynamics; design and management for SC systems; information sharing; and applications of lean thinking to manufacturing operations [3].Supply chain strategy assessment including sourcing, development of inventory planning and management processes, benchmarking and SC Key Performance Indicators (KPI) collectively approach improvement of SC performance. It combines a strategic approach with practical tactical solutions that save time and money for the consumers. Nowadays, few enterprises are in commencement to adopt SCM to improve their performance and to address their unfavourable inter-organizational purchaser-supplier relationships and disjointed processes. Although SCM in erection is still in its infancy, there is a need for SCM adoption to date and o scrutinize whe ther its maturity matches the key features of such a class of improvement. SCM featuring market saturation driven, operationally agile, consumers customized, logistics optimized and trade focused prioritization are accenture’s successful supply chain strategies which are widely varied but are equally successful [1, 5]. In [4] the SCOR reference model captures the â€Å"as-is† state of the business process with the objective of achieving the desired â€Å"to-be† future state of PTC, pakistan. In the next section we proceed with the modelled SCN schema of the following enterprises. 3. Typical Enterprises Concerning SCM inPakistan In this section, we describe the enterprise structure one by one. Firstly, enterprise ‘A’ describes the SCM phase inspection of certain Vehicle (V). Secondly, enterprise ‘B’ gives proposal of Business to Consumer (B2C) model for development of electrical appliances. Then, enterprise ‘C’ discusses SCM for design and manufacture segments of communication equipment and lastly, enterprise ‘D’ shows the SC mechanism at a research oriented enterprise. We refer to appendix A for acronyms used in this paper. 3. 1. Enterprise ‘A’: SCM Phase Inspection† of Certain Vehicle (V) In this enterprise study, we only focused on the SCM hase inspection of certain Vehicle (V). Its key 297 segments are forecasting, planning, scheduling, demand of components and procurements. The purpose of this phase inspection is to access and evaluate: †¢ Usage of vehicle ‘V’. †¢ Calendar based inspection schedule staggered so as to assure the SC procurement. †¢ Induction of vehicle for inspection in the presently available time. The hierarchy of phase inspection in the enterprise ‘A’ concerning SCM is shown in Figure 2. In Charge Engineering Branch Control Branch Sub Engineering Branch Phase Inspection Branch Figure 2. Hierarchy of phase in spection in enterprise ‘A’.If vehicle usage is more than the specified time then inspection time held is decreased, i. e. , from 10 months to one year. The types of phase inspection as described by OEM along with its codes are shown in Table 1. Table 1. Types of phase inspection as described by OEM. Inspection Code M1 M2 M3 M4 Time (Days) 20 21 22 25 The ‘premeditated maintenance’ branch views the item’s checklist. It receives the current stock levels for a variety of stock types required for inspection and monitors the flow of materials in and out of inventory. All the items are prerequisite before phase inspection’s induction starts.The control branch takes responsibility and forecasts to keep living items recorded and tracks them for timely replacement. It forecasts the processes on three-monthly, six-monthly, yearly and bi-yearly basis. The demand process is initiated by the user and a query is sent to the logistics department. Jet warehou se takes action on demand via Automatic Logistics Management System (ALMS). The demand is processed to the depot for accomplishment; otherwise the item is put on demand from source abroad in consultation with the head office of the department. The SC in phase inspection of the vehicle is shown in Figure 3.It includes procurement agencies, depot Ware Houses (WH), logistics, jet stores, material control and the users. Table 2 shows demand priorities over the lead times of the phase inspection. The ‘designator priority system’ of current enterprise is based on historical assumptions, experience, system log-in, log-out time, intercontinental and local logistics 298 The International Arab Journal of Information Technology, Vol. 5, No. 3, July 2008 in-between lead times and depot area. Here the consumption is based on usage value. Table 2. Demand priorities over the lead times. Demand Priority Code Lead Times (Days) 03 06 13 2 – 13 16 – 17 69 – 84 Alterin g the item criteria for phase inspection is defined as: †¢ Mandatory change items as specified by OEM are forecasted, procured and kept as a kit. †¢ Conditional change items are demanded if the bench checks fail. Firstly, items are sent for Local Repair (LR) and issues Dead-Line-Date (DLD). If it succeeds, items are sent back to procurement department; otherwise a query is placed to the Local Manufacture (LM) department. Automated Logistics Management System – ALMS Automatic inventory management system – AIMS Deport automated inv. management system – DAIMS DAIMS financial management systemAIMS financial management system Purchase order management system – POMS Local purchase management system – LPMS Clothing exchange management system – CEX Catalogue management system – CMS Stowage tracking system – STS Transportation management system -TMS Preservation data collection & analysis system – PDCAS Serialized parts management system – SPMS Calibration management system -CMS Worker training system – WTS Figure 4. Automatic logistics management system. Figure 3. SCM phase inspection of a certain vehicle (V). In the proceeding section we discuss ALMS, an automated system adopted by enterprise ‘A’. 3. 1. 1.Automatic Logistics Management System Automatic Logistics Management System (ALMS) is an interactive, fully automated, incorporating data processing, knowledge base and effective support to all operational units in the organization. It is a family of software implemented on an IBM 3090 machine. Its main functions are inventory and maintenance management. Mainly, it contains a maintenance and supply module as shown in Figure 4. The ALMS characterises the SCM phase which make the whole system. SC modules of ALMS are comprised of Automatic Inventory Management System (AIMS), Deport Automated Inventory Management System (DAIMS), Purchase OrderManagement System (POMS), Loc al Purchase Management System (LPMS), Clothing Exchange Management System (CEX), Catalogue Management System (CMS) and Transportation Management System (TMS). These components results in: †¢ Featuring the whole SC of phase inspection of the enterprise. †¢ Online requisitioning and feed back status. †¢ Auto requisitioning based on demand level. †¢ Assets visibility to all authorized users. †¢ Repairable asset control through Stowage Tracking System (STS). Essential supply reports are made daily on a document register and submitted to higher authorities for completion indication of this phase. Here it oncludes the SCM of phase inspection of Vehicle (V). 3. 2. Enterprise ‘B’: Proposal of Business to Consumer Model for Development of Electrical Appliances Enterprise ‘B’ gives a SCM model for proposal of B2C development of electrical appliances. The main objectives include: †¢ Multiple vendor development for large scale production. †¢ Efficient demand and supply management system. †¢ Self driving automated network. †¢ After sales support network for production support services like spare parts and repair. †¢ Awareness of SC actors. The first objective explains the contingency plan, i. e. , not depending on a single vendor and must have eliable supplier/s. The Main SCM activities of the B2C model for electrical appliance growth are shown in Figure 5. Depending upon product status and type, the customer interaction with the SC can be categorized into three parts. First, in case of complex products e. g. , ship. Customers have to directly contact the manufacturers or the OEM. Second, e. g. , in case of a car, the customer can contact a repair factory and the repair factory or agent can contact the manufacturer. Last, in the example of a desktop computer, the customer contacts with the sales distributors, who further link with the regional suppliers and so on.Developing Approaches of Supply Cha in Management Systems of Enterprises in Pakistan Figure 5. SCM activities flow and coordination in B2C model for development of electrical appliances. Figure 6 describes the use case diagram of the characters of the â€Å"as is† schema of current enterprise. Our main characters include national and regional suppliers, manufacturer, local shop and the customer. 299 In the current system, SCM comprises three main departments: sales and marketing, production and planning control, and procurement and inventory management which serve as the backbone of the SC. The planning phase goes through MRP which checks hat, for whom and how much to order. Capacity planning overviews the additional investment (if any) to meet the targets. Then production planning looks for facilities, technical and transportation phases. Sourcing makes the order scarification. In Bill Of Materials (BOM) it shows the item source code from local and foreign production within the enterprise and then assembles. I t lacks in maintaining a standard of vendor evaluation. The enterprise ‘C’ schema is shown in Figure 7. Figure 6. Case diagram of â€Å"as is† process. The time frame of implementing SCM activities flow is shown in Table 3. The current enterprise chema lacks in customer relationship phase. Regional suppliers must be expanded to give a broader scope for its customers and local retailers. Table 3. Time frame of implementation for different phases. The goal to eliminate the vast majority (costs of receiving, shipping, expediting, data entry, data processing, accounting, and error follow-up) of regional suppliers need Just-In-Time (JIT) interaction with the manufacturer for enhancement of effective SC. 3. 3. Enterprise ‘C’: Design and Manufacture Segments of Long Message Equipment Enterprise ‘C’ discusses design and manufacture segments of long message equipment with the bjective to acquire and develop a sophisticated technological base for long message systems and to enlarge and expand production of components. Durable AS400 system support is available for its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Supply Chain Network (SCN). Figure 7. Design and manufacturing framework for enterprise ‘C’. For ordering, quotations are called and regarding the minimum amount quotation the order is placed. The steps include: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Quotations call/ float. Cost comparison statements. Selection of potential customers. Order placement. The Receiving/ storing section receives the items in orm of Semi Knock Down (SKD) and Completely Knock Down (SKD). Right from the main entry of the goods in the enterprise, a receipt is generated against the goods received. The phases include Incoming Good Inspection (IGI), Incoming Goods Forwarding (IGF), Incoming Goods Receiving (IGR), allotting code No’s to items and updating inventory in the system. The Quality Control (QC) of the engineering department ensure s the quality of the received products. The receipts along with the inspected goods are frontward to the store department. Here an inventory code is generated for each item. The make/ deliver ensure alue addition and quality inspection. The question arises why to have an inventory? Our requirements fulfil the answer for the question. First, we want to meet anticipated demand and smooth production requirement. Second, we want to have a buffer of items and avoid stock out. It also takes advantage of the order cycle and hedges against price increase. The business nature of the under discussed 300 The International Arab Journal of Information Technology, Vol. 5, No. 3, July 2008 enterprise can be categorized as â€Å"make-to-order† and â€Å"engineer-to-order†. The customer tells specification and the RandD of the enterprise works on the required emand of its customer. The main work in current enterprise ‘C’ is made on â€Å"inventory turn over† or â₠¬Å"turnaround time calculation†. For this, let inventory turnover be Q, inventory I, sales S, cost C and time taken t for the system. Then Q is defined as number of times a company is able to convert its inventory I into sales during the course of a year. It is calculated by dividing cost of sales by average inventory. Q= C( t ) I( t ) (1) Turnaround time= Cost of goods sold from stock sales during one year (2) Average inventory investment during one year past Table 4. Annual inventory turnover. Year Annual Cost ofGoods Sold ($) Inventory ($) Investment Annual Inventory Turnover 2000 – 01 85692 12312 2001 – 02 2002 – 03 2003 – 04 2004 – 05 77600 99356 50000 65000 14923 21981 9766 15330 6. 96 5. 20 4. 52 5. 12 Average 4. 24 5. 21 Table 4 shows the annual inventory turnover which converts inventory into saleable goods for this product. Most of the inventory is pilled up which also checks sales vs. inventory. The disadvantage of annual inventory turnover shows the block up inventory of the enterprise which could be used for some other purposes in the enterprise. Some of the reasons for the pilling up of inventory show that: This analysis of inventory has revealed the cases for increase in inventory over the years. †¢ Some stock is held to cater for after sales support during the warranty period as well as for providing repair services against invoices. †¢ For items where backup support from the main supplier has been stopped, the enterprise has to keep some inventory to provide backup support to its customers. †¢ In order to meet the spare requirement for customers under the contractual obligations, a certain stock of modules is kept. †¢ Pre-ordered materials that are not converted into sales also add up to stock up inventory. Some items are pilled up due to Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) requirement. The imperfections found in the system are tribulations to manufacturing. First, there is demand of items but no traceability. Demand section is unable to predict the items to fulfill the demand. Second, there is no entry of lead times showing the absence of items from inventory physically. 3. 3. 1. Recommendations for Improvement in Turnover Time of Inventory †¢ All items (sales stores as well as main stores) required after-sales-support during the warranty period may be shifted for the repair (R code) warehouse. The items lying in repair may be xcluded from inventory evaluation. †¢ After the completion of delivery against a project or near the closing of the financial year, if the bulk of the project is delivered, which ever is earlier, the sales and marketing department will transfer an appropriate quantity of modules for backup support during the warranty period to the repair warehouse. †¢ The cost of such items, as worked out by the finance department should be charged to the after sales support account. †¢ When the product is phased out and its backup support i s stopped by the main supplier to other collaborators, the balance of materials for that roduct may be zero valued. †¢ The responsibility of the issuance of material from the repair warehouse should rest with the customer services department. In order to realize some of the struck up funds in the preordered existing inventory of the enterprise, the same may be offered as discounted prices to prospective customers. †¢ Greater emphasis may be given on accurate forecasting to avoid losses resulting from failure to sell pre-ordered material. †¢ The purchase committee should also take care in placing orders against anticipated customer orders. If possible, an agreement should be made with the upplier where it will be bound to take back the materials if the expected customer order is not received. The exercise for obsolescence should be carried out regularly especially after every six months and the materials identified as obsolete should be disposed of to rationalize inven tory value as well as to free storage space. The above SCM study gives opportunity to gain knowledge about: †¢ Envisioning the whole SC and understand its impact on inventory †¢ Cost reduction for a better inventory control †¢ Differentiation between visualizing different ordering types in an enterprise like make to order, ake to engineer and assemble to order etc. , and the same, can be compared with current systems. †¢ Understand how a surplus inventory plays a vital role in lashing up the capital investment of an enterprise (turnover value). Developing Approaches of Supply Chain Management Systems of Enterprises in Pakistan †¢ Understand and calculate turnaround value and its benefits by considering the saved investment to be utilized in an additional business opportunity for the same enterprise. †¢ Understand the impact of ABC analysis on Economics Order Quantity (EOC). †¢ Understand the importance and various aspects of oftware utilization for a good inventory management through visibility and traceability of information. †¢ To use jargons of SC and inventory management effectively and confidently while discussing relevant issues in the current enterprise. 301 receives items from the supplier, called the incoming inspection department. Then items go through various phases from a vendor. The targets for incoming inspection are based on acceptance or rejection of the receiving goods. Specifications of the items like standard, grade, dimension, drawing etc. , are given by that particular department‘s program management which require particular components.A conformance report of the product with specifications acts as a base for rejection or acceptance of incoming items. If a regular obsession is bought then it only needs an OEM certificate. 3. 4. Enterprise ‘D’: SC Mechanism at a Research Enterprise Enterprise ‘D’ embraces the Planning and Production Control (PPC) department, logistics, supplier, log warehouse, QC and demand department for completion of its SCM. It adopts a Supplier Quality Management (SQM) system in the enterprise. Its significance concludes: †¢ The enterprise demands very high standards of its products and in-time delivery of the components. Failure of hardware or software in the business can be calamitous. †¢ Implementation of quality system model AS9100 Quality Management System (QMS) for quality assurance in design, development, production and installation. AS9100 QMS is being used for supplier support. For this, the enterprise provides modern equipment and training for its suppliers. AS9100 was formed to bring all of its vendors to one platform for production of a high standard product. SQM system starts with the implementation of the Master Production Schedule (MPS) of the enterprise. It maintains a database of all suppliers for supplier performance analysis.By communication, it makes a confirmation that synchronization exists betw een the production and supplier components, happening at component level by using cards. The components which are falling short or at production line are mentioned by the card. The components at assembly are measured by the operator who accordingly upgrades and passes it to the logistics department, manually or through the ERP system. The logistics department has visibility about components falling short or in excess. It sends orders to its suppliers whether they bring items internationally or locally. How does quality play an important role in SCM?The system not only ensures JIT delivery but also ensures the right quality of product has been delivered. The QMS works for Quality Control (QC), Quality Assurance (QA) and supplier evaluation system. The link to SC is built through the QC department which Figure 8. SCM pyramid for research enterprise. The focus on supplier control in AS9100 QMS machine gives globalization, diversity of regional requirements, challenges of assuring quali ty of products and suppliers throughout the world and intime delivery. Various vendors/ suppliers or tiers are distributed all over the world, so it is very difficult to align them at ne quality level. Figure 8 shows SCM pyramid tiers for this research enterprise. In the current enterprise, tier 1 produces the vehicle, tier 2 concerns in the software development and tier 3 deals with component assembly and so on. Now, how do we assure that all of these tiers are manufacturing products at a quality and attuned with the standards, or according to the pattern given by the organization? For assurance and conformation of the above scenario, we apply the demand-pull logic of JIT theory. For its deployment, multitasking is ensured, various components are being manufactured at various vendors nd they are required for final assembly. MPS is made commune to all vendors. Since the enterprise status is online, all the components are brought in time to final assembly and fabricated and then deli vered to customers. The current enterprise’s MPS is analyzed on the basis of orders, forecasting, and capacity. It depends upon the size of this period and ABC classification of the supplier. The demand planning shows the supplier visibility/ negotiation and the cumulative lead time of the system. The system SC cycle contains the works orders which are issued on the basis of MPS and orders. The job ards play an important role in this scenario. 302 The International Arab Journal of Information Technology, Vol. 5, No. 3, July 2008 for quality, supplier training, seminar/ exhibition, supplier quality audit and supplier improvement strategies. Hence, we conclude adaptation of the most promising innovations enabled by the modern ITenhanced SCM systems. The modelled approach of the SCM system provides a foundation for future experimentation with prospect scenarios and strategies. Acknowledgments Anonymous reviewers are acknowledged. This work was supported by the National Key Techn ology R andD Program of China (Grant No. 2006BAH02A09) and the High Technology R and D Program of China (Grant No. 2006AA04Z165). PhD Scholarship for Mr. Danish Irfan is awarded by COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), Pakistan. Figure 9. JIT pull logic for customer demand. References [1] 4. Conclusions Our current exertion demonstrates that SCM can make a huge impact on the enterprise’s bottom line and customer’s satisfaction level. In the enterprise ‘A’ study, the schema needs design enhancement. Alteration of â€Å"lead time† and â€Å"cycle time† is desired to be minimized and optimized further.Enterprise ‘B’ needs to improve the customer relationships. Regional suppliers must be expanded to give a broader scope for its customers and local retailers. Regional suppliers also need JIT interaction with the manufacturer for enhancement of effective SC. In Enterprise ‘C’, we conclude that the SCM structu re can be made easy by categorization of the items, focused lead times for delivery, cost and quality to acquire and develop a sophisticated technological base for enlarging and expansive production of components. Delivery target of the product to customer is scheduled keeping the view main items in our designed SCM.Thus, it also enables managers to reduce their cost through more effective contract negotiations. Concerned managers now can direct that class A items may be reviewed frequently to reduce the average-lot size and to keep their inventory records accurate. In Enterprise ‘D’, SC targets its goals by making demand visibility through an online ERP system. It has compressed time and breaks down barriers for the top management/ leadership of the enterprise. It has also learnt the organization as working together and teamwork brings up an active SC domino effect. The effective SC has also lead the enterprise to break down arriers by efficient communication, initial planning meetings, communication during contract, partnership [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Tompkins J. , â€Å"Beyond Supply Chain Management,† Supply Chain Management Review, http://www. scmr. com/article/CA629657. html, 2000. Cooper M. , Lambert D. , and Pagh J. , â€Å"Supply Chain Management: More than a New Name for Logistics,† The International Journal of Logistics Management, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 1-13, 1997. Hurst B. and Jennifer J. , â€Å"A Network Based Methodology to Model Supply Chain Systems,† PhD Thesis, The University of Iowa, 2002. Irfan D. , Xiaofei X. , and Shengchun D. , â€Å"ASCOR Reference Model of the Supply Chain Management System in an Enterprise,† International Arab Journal of Information Technology, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 292-299, 2008. Saad M. , Jones M. , and James P. , â€Å"A Review of the Progress Towards the Adoption of Supply Chain Management (SCM) Relationships in Construction,† European Journal of Purchasing and Supply Manageme nt, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 173183, September 2002. Wu J. , Ulieru M. , Cobzaru M. , and Norrie D. , â€Å"Supply Chain Management Systems: State of the Art and Vision,† in Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Management of Innovation and Technlogy (ICMIT), pp. 59-764, 2000. Danish Irfan is a PhD scholar in School of Computer Science and Engineering at Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China PRC. His research interests include data clustering applications, business intelligence, and SCM. Developing Approaches of Supply Chain Management Systems of Enterprises in Pakistan Xu Xiaofei is a professor and dean of School of Computer Science and Engineering at Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China PRC. His research interests include computer integrated manufacturing system, database systems, supply chain management, agile virtual enterprises, management nd decision information system, and knowledge engineering. He has published more than 200 academic papers. He is the stand ing member of the Council of China Computer Federation, member of the Expert Group for Discipline of Computer Science and Technology in the Academic Degree Committee of China State Council. 303 Deng Sheng Chun is an associate professor in School of Computer Science and Engineering at Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China PRC. His research interests include computer integrated manufacturing system, supply chain management, business intelligence, and data mining applications.