Tuesday, October 29, 2019
What Is Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
What Is Philosophy - Essay Example The actual meaning of the word 'philosophy', however, is such that neither interpretation can truly be said to be wrong. On the other hand, neither interpretation is truly correct on its own, either. This being the case, the question of what philosophy is should first be answered. The word 'philosophy' actually derives its origins from the Greek words 'philo' and 'sophos', which respectively mean 'love' and 'wisdom' - thus, the word can be translated as 'love of wisdom' (Online Etymology Dictionary, 2012). Philosophers tend to concern themselves with problems, especially those with concepts such as existence, knowledge and values (Teichmann and Evans, 1999). They then proceed to try and answer these questions as logically, rationally and systematically as possible. One of the more notable things said of the field of philosophy is that it revolves around the creation of concepts. This is actually a rather accurate description; for instance, the subcategory of metaphysics concerns itse lf with explaining the nature not only of the world, but of the human existence (Geisler, 1999). Those who specialize in this branch of philosophy search for knowledge with the aim of helping others attain greater understanding of the world, as defined by its fundamental notions such as existence, causality, ontology and possibility. ... This is not necessarily a bad thing, though - as the legendary Bruce Lee once put it, all knowledge ultimately leads to self-knowledge (Little, 1996). Interpreting any given subject will inevitably require the use of one's logic - of one's rational capabilities to try and make sense of the subject at hand. And as Popkin and Stroll (1993) explain, this in turn requires that one is capable of reasoning things out in a valid manner, based on the body of knowledge involved. For instance, one need not be a lawyer or a law student to know the law. However, the only way to truly understand the intricacies of the law is to unlearn everything one has been taught to think of it, and to try and understand the law as lawyers do. Joe Hyams (1982) quotes no less than Bruce Lee himself when he emphasizes the need to let go of one's preconceived expectations and notions. For one to properly study a subject requires that he be willing to let go of everything he has been taught to think about that sub ject, and to approach it with a clean slate, as if for the first time. In connection with this, it has often been said that lawyers are not truly after the truth, but what can be proven. As most lawyers and law students know, this can and often is a problem. For one thing, evidence can, in fact, be fabricated, and besides that, even the evidence at hand can be misinterpreted such that it heavily favors a particular interpretation of events. This can be very frustrating, especially to those who took to heart the lawyer's oath to uphold justice and truth seriously Furthermore, evidence can be admitted or dismissed depending on the methods used to obtain it,
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Rational Choice Theory: Death Penalty
Rational Choice Theory: Death Penalty The death penalty has been debated over and over with no clear solution to whether it should be continued or be abolished. One thing is clear and to provide an argument for the death penalty can be made with the rational choice theory (RCT)/deterrence theory (DT). In their model, Cornish and Clark (1986) understood that people are not empty vessel when they approach a situation in which a crime might be committed (Lilly, Cullen, Ball, 2007, p. 276). Environmental, psychological, and biological factors create the motivations to commit crimes. The rational choice theory is advancement towards the causation of crime because it looks beyond the background factors and looks more at conscious decision makers who weigh options and act with a purpose (Lilly, Cullen, Ball, 2007, p. 277). The basic idea of the rational choice theory is that individuals or criminals engage in some intelligent thought before choosing to commit a crime (OConnor, 2007, para. 2). This means that the individual is already thinking of the risk, consequences, and possible rewards if they continue on with the thought of committing a crime. The other side of the RCT is the DT. As RCT would explain, individuals make a personal choice on whether they will commit a crime or not. The RCT suggests a more promising approach to reducing crime: situational crime prevention. By studying how offenders make decisions to commit criminal acts certain steps may be taken to reduce such opportunities for these offenses to occur (Lilly, Cullen, Ball, 2007, p. 277). By installing such things as alarm systems could prevent a potential burglary on your own but this is also a purpose of the deterrence theory. With regards to the death penalty, the assessment of action weighs the benefit of killing someone (for financial gain, revenge, etc.) against the threat of death and a possible result is that offenders would not make a choice to murder someone because of the threat of dying themselves at the hands of the government. Both the rational choice theory and deterrence theory work together when answer the call to murder and whether the death penalty is a rational punishment for committing a murder. Once again, the rational choice theory is explained by the personal choice made by the individual to commit a crime. The deterrence theory is the answer to that personal choice to commit a crime or for the purpose of this explanation; murder justified by the death penalty should suffice an effective deterrent to committing murders. To many this sounds good, you commit yourself to following through on a murder; you receive the death penalty but as it common knowledge that death penalty is not given to individuals all of time for committing murders. Therefore, the rational choice theory and deterrence theory immediately receives criticisms for a solution to preventing murders. Why does this happen? Our justice system pretty much tells us that for example, killing your wife because you just found out she was having an extra-marital affair does not necessarily mean you will get the death penalty. You have expert lawyers and then poorly constructed juries that defeats ideas of the rationa l choice and deterrence theories. Rational choice and deterrence theories are supposed to provide quick, swift, and certain death to offenders who commit murders but as mentioned before, this is not always the right or correct answer. Though both theories serve to the answer the question of whether or not a murder is a rational choice made by an individual and the quick answer to it, they also unfortunately lay down the issues with rational choice and deterrence as a solution to committing a murder. The problems within our justice system allow those who are on death row to extend their time alive because of appeals thus defeating both theories. According to Montaldo (2006), The U.S. Supreme Court has issued two rulings that make it easier for death row inmates to file additional appeals to avoid execution, extending the appeals process for many of the 3,300 inmates on death row and delaying justice for the families of their victims (para. 1). Final thoughts on the rational choice and deterrence theories as solutions to murder have issues but both can work and for the death penalty to serve the purposes of both, the justice system must make some changes. Death penalty cases are expensive from the court time sentencing to the actual execution can last for years because of the number of appeals for possible mishaps in the case or any other problems the individual could have with their case for example, rights violations, arguments for cruel and unusual punishment can all bring up points for new case. Unfortunately, this does happen and a death penalty sentence may get reduce to life in prison and most of the time without parole. However, some instances, individuals do get parole and release back into society and commit more crimes. To limit things like that, the rational choice theory and deterrence theory could be utilized to limit such instances. Right now, the death penalty cannot be used as deterrent in our current justi ce system because of some of the mentioned. If the theories were used, they could really provide a deterrent to murder. How would conflict theory explain the phenomenon of racial profiling in America? The conflict theory is based on an assumption that criminal behavior is delivered from the social and economical forces imposed on individuals. The criminal justice system and criminal law are thought to be operating on behalf of rich and powerful social elites, with resulting policies aimed at controlling the poor (Conflict, 2005, para. 1). The hierarchy falls as follows: High class society, Middle class society, Lower class society. The rich and powerful has always had the upper hand when establishing policy for the country. Much of that power came from capitalism. As stated by Lilly, Cullen, Ball (2007), capitalism was considered to be at the root of the conflict because it was taken to be the source of the unjust inequality (p. 151). In many opinions, capitalism makes the rich people richer while the rest are left behind thus defeating the 2nd Bill of Rights proposed by former President Roosevelt. In his State of the Union Address to Congress, FDR proposed a 2nd Bill of Rights b ecause of the capitalism had over run the country. The highlights of FDRs speech are the 5 specific Bill of Rights and they are provided for Woolley Peters (1990): Therefore, in order to concentrate all our energies and resources on winning the war, and to maintain a fair and stable economy at home, I recommend that the Congress adopt: (1) A realistic tax law-which will tax all unreasonable profits, both individual and corporate, and reduce the ultimate cost of the war to our sons and daughters. The tax bill now under consideration by the Congress does not begin to meet this test. (2) A continuation of the law for the renegotiation of war contracts-which will prevent exorbitant profits and assure fair prices to the Government. For two long years I have pleaded with the Congress to take undue profits out of war. (3) A cost of food law-which will enable the Government (a) to place a reasonable floor under the prices the farmer may expect for his production; and (b) to place a ceiling on the prices a consumer will have to pay for the food he buys. This should apply to necessities only; and will require public funds to carry out. It will cost in appropriations about one percent of the present annual cost of the war. (4) Early reenactment of the stabilization statute of October, 1942. This expires June 30, 1944, and if it is not extended well in advance, the country might just as well expect price chaos by summer. We cannot have stabilization by wishful thinking. We must take positive action to maintain the integrity of the American dollar. (5) A national service law- which, for the duration of the war, will prevent strikes, and, with certain appropriate exceptions, will make available for war production or for any other essential services every able-bodied adult in this Nation. These five measures together form a just and equitable whole. I would not recommend a national service law unless the other laws were passed to keep down the cost of living, to share equitably the burdens of taxation, to hold the stabilization line, and to prevent undue profits. (p. 1) Though this was a dream of FDR, it never came to pass but if it did chances are that the separations between the classes may not have ever occurred. Unfortunately, a separation did occur and created why as to the reason in which the conflict theory exists. Inequality is now a part of our society and will stay that way until the people want change. In the United States, the competitions for decent paying jobs are overloaded with applicants vying for jobs that would provide a decent living for their families. Those at the lowest level of the socio-economic ladder often find themselves working jobs with poor pay and using that little money to pay for insurances e.g. life, health, etc. Even with the Civil Rights Act, Affirmative Action, and other things meant to help there still lies the shadow of inequality in the United States thus leaving most individuals in poverty for their entire existence. In the United States, our poorest people are minorities including African Americans and Hispanics and it is easy to be placed into a group and most of the time those particular groups are targeted by police as bad seeds that want to upset the balance of the rich and powerful or the upper class of society. Trying to get a piece of the pie falls short and therefore commits crimes making it easier for racial profiling to occur. In other words, police are able to target whole groups of people that are minorities in order not to mess up the way of life for the upper class of society. The constant harassment makes the minority people feel fear of rebellion and maintains the inequality that benefits the upper level of society. By being the top of the pyramid, these people are able to dictate the rules to the lower masses and are doing so by implementing (or trying to implement) racial profiling. If a group of society is always in fear of being accused of crimes they did not commit, they are unlikely to find a common and loud voice of protest but by still having the ability to vote maybe there could be a change in the thought process of societys upper class. It is truly unclear on whether President Barack Obama can keep his promise of change alive but many people in the lower socio-economic classes believe that the change can and will happen. Also, there is no guarantee that if the classes were equal that crime would not exist because even those with all the money still commit crimesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦hence Bernard Madoff. Can the concept of rational choice involve passionate crimes? Explain and defend your answer. Yes, because the rational choice theory blames the crime on the personal decision of the individual. The belief that human nature was predicated upon the search for pleasure and the avoidance of pain, and that human action was consequently organized around calculative strategies aimed at utility maximization (Hayward, 2007, p. 233). The deliberate acts done in passion crimes are calculated in short periods of time. Many times the actions in passion crimes are usually at a moments notice and therefore are judged as ill advised, if not foolish (Lilly, Cullen, Ball, p. 277). The rational choice theory ultimately teaches that people make decisions to act or not to act based whether the actions would satisfy the main objective. Crimes of passion is a term used to define a crime which is committed by an individual in the form of assault or murder against a spouse or a lover out of jealousy or heartbreak and is not a preplanned crime. The thinking process is based on the limited amount of information available to the individual but it is common knowledge that the brain reacts faster than the body can process the signal and therefore even if in a split second to stop the first blow it may not be stop in time. So, when a person says they cannot stop themselves from acting what they are truly trying to say is that there is no need to suffer the pain or difficulty it would cause them from carrying out the criminal act. The most common example of a crime of passion is when a husband discovers his wife is having affair with another man and out of jealousy he can murder her. Peoples brain can make the choice to eliminate the pain of a breakup by covering it with anger, frustrations, and pain. With enough pain built up, there is usually a lot of trouble for the one who caused it. The choice being made is one that is rationalized. I believe that most courts in the United States understand crimes of passion and incarceration is the end game because though it was choice or decision it is understood that the act happened without a clear thought. However, it is still a poor decision, but a choice that brings instant satisfaction and delays pain. Therefore, explaining that the decisions in crimes of passions can be understood with the use of the rational choice theory.
Friday, October 25, 2019
John Steinbeck’s The Leader of the People Essays -- essays research pa
â€Å"The Leader of the People†     In John Steinbeck’s â€Å"The Leader of the People,†a theme that is portrayed throughout the story is that of the contrast between dream and reality. In the story, Grandfather cannot come to grasp that his dreams of the West and moving across the plains are over and that reality has set in. Another story that contrasts dream and reality is Ambrose Pierce’s â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.†In this story, Farquhar cannot tell the difference between dream and reality until the very last second, when he is hanged.      The plot in each of the stories is completely different, but both add to the theme of the contrast between dream and reality. In â€Å"The Leader of the People,†Grandfather returns to his daughter’s farm, where he is disliked by his son-in-law for his story telling. This is where he is dreaming of the past and what a great time he had. However, after hearing his son-in-law badmouth him, he comes to the realization that his dream is over and reality has set in. In â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,†Farquhar is dreaming when he is escaping from the Union soldiers, however his dreams crash down when he is thrown over the bridge and dies.      There is a strong contrast in character in â€Å"The Leader of the People.†Carl is the reality that is trying to bring Grandfather back down to earth to see clearly. Carl is                                                   thinking about the future and not dreaming of the past. Grandfather on the other hand still wishes he was with the Indians and was leading the people across the plains, as he tells in his stories. He does not want to give up on that until he hears Carl talk about him behind his back. This seems to bring him into reality once he realizes that no one cares about his adventures anymore. He portrays this when Jody suggests that he too lead the people. Grandfather simply responds that there is nowhere left to explore and that he should not lead the people. In â€Å"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,†Farquhar is a character that does not give up easily. He wants to escape and when he dreams he does, he believes it. He is hard to bring out of his dreams. The character that brings him into reality are the Union soldiers who hang him. They are they ones that take his hopes and dreams away from him.      The setting in â€Å"The Leader of the People†is in the West after ... ...ir lives in the past. Grandfather only speaks of the times he had while crossing the plains, fighting with the Indians, and leading the people. He is also critical of people who believed that being a hero and leader was being able to fight the Indians, but Grandfather comes to the realization that he was a real leader when the people he was with trusted him. Pierce’s                                                   tone in the story was a very serious one in which he championed the fight shown by the South and there struggle to fight for what they believed in, only to be taken down by the Union. These tones both add to the theme because the attitude taken by the author to the story they are writing tells what they are trying to portray.      Both Steinbeck and Pierce were writing about the contrast between dreams and realities in their modern worlds. Grandfather wishes for when he was on top of the world and Farquhar wishes to be back at home, safe and sound with his family. Both men are brought back into reality by the characters around them. They accept the facts that they will never again be able to back to where they were on top and ruling the world, in their minds.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Buddhist Religious Traditions: Sacred Elements and Meanings
Buddhism, as a religion, has a set of beliefs and practices. Although there are many doctrinal divisions, also known as Buddhist schools, there are several concepts common to them. These sacred elements characterize Buddhist religious traditions as a whole: Gautama Buddha All Buddhist schools accept the Buddha as their teacher and founder of Buddhism. Siddhartha Gautama is generally recognized as the Supreme Buddha and his teachings are considered sacred.Middle Way, Dependent Origination, Four Noble Truths, and Noble Eightfold Path These are practices common to all Buddhist schools. The Middle Way (also Middle Path) is their practice of non-extremism which means â€Å"moderation away from extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification and toward the practice of wisdom, morality and mental cultivation. †The doctrine of Dependent Origination (also Dependent Arising) states that phenomena arise together as part of a gigantic web of cause and effect.The most fundamental te achings in Buddhism are the Four Noble Truths. These are: The Nature of Suffering (Dukkha), Suffering’s Origin (Samudaya), Suffering’s Cessation (Nirodha), and The Way Leading to the Cessation of Suffering (Marga). The noble eightfold path is the way to cessation of suffering and achievement of self-awakening. Nirvana Buddhist religious traditions all point their life to buddhahood, which is considered to be the highest attainment as a Buddhist.Nirvana, which literally means â€Å"to cease blowing†, is used by Buddhists, particularly Theravadins, to describe the enlightenment and liberation of Gautama Buddha. References: â€Å"An Introduction to Buddhism. †Retrieved June 24, 2008, from http://webspace. ship. edu/cgboer/buddhaintro. html â€Å"Essentials of Buddhism: Core Concepts. †Retrieved June 24, 2008, from http://www. buddhaweb. org/ â€Å"The Religion of Buddhism. †Retrieved June 24, 2008, from http://www. religioustolerance. org/bu ddhism. htm
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Thicketwood Ltd
Management of Organizations COMM 1006 Operations Thicketwood Ltd Problem Statement The current production process that Thicketwood Ltd is utilizing can no longer keep with the demand of custom kitchen cabinets. Management must implement a new step to the production line to increase efficiency; however, they must also maintain quality as the customers that are purchasing these cabinets expect top quality for the amount of money they are paying. Problems/Sub problems/IssuesIn the Thicketwood Ltd case there are a few problems and issues that need to be addressed immediately in order to keep up with demand. The current process that involves strictly human labor is no longer efficient as the demand for cabinets continues to increase. The current process has 5 steps which include cutting, drilling, routing, assembling, and finishing the cabinets. The third step in this process takes the longest amount of time to complete and also has the highest number of employees working on it.This step causes a bottleneck and everything is becoming backed up at this stage. Management needs to implement a change in order to try to become more efficient and meet demand but also continue to make quality cabinets. The company has come across an option that they believe will eliminate the bottleneck and allow the supply to meet demand. The option the company believes would be the most beneficial is a Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) router. The decision that must be made is either to purchase the new machine or the old machine.Each machine has a different price and different life expectancy. By purchasing and implementing this machine to the production process it would also eliminate jobs on the production line, which may result in employees being transferred to different areas or may cause some layoffs which as a result can have a negative impact on the relationship between workers and management which is currently very good as a result of wages and benefits and there have been very few layoffs in the past. Analysis For Thicketwood Ltd, the quality of their cabinets is the most important aspect.Their target market is individuals or families of higher income that are willing to spend more money for a specialty product which is the custom kitchen cabinets. When people are out shopping for the custom products, price is generally not of big concern in comparison to quality and service. Thicketwood Ltd needs to ensure quality, ensure that their service is top notch, ensure that the quantity of cabinets produced meets the forecasted demand for that and lastly, price. As previously stated, the current system that the company uses includes five steps and all the steps are performed by hand.Although performing by hand is a good way to ensure quality, the human labor cannot keep up with the forecasted demand in all five steps. The current process is as follows: (Per Cabinet) Step 1: (1 employee) 4 cuts per part X 3feet per cut X 20 parts = 240/10ft per minute = 24min. St ep 2: (1 employee) 60 holes per cabinet X 1. 2 minutes per hole = 72min. Step 3: (4 employees) 4 employees routing 1 part each of the 4 required parts = 96min. Step 4: (1 employee) 1 worker assembling 1 cabinet = 90min. Step 5: (2 employees) 2 employees finish the cabinet = 20min.With this current process, Thicketwood Ltd cannot reach the forecasted demand of 2000 cabinets per year in all categories. Even if the company was operating at 100 percent efficiency, due to the bottleneck in step 3, the maximum amount of cabinets that can be produced in one year is 1250. 60/96 = 0. 625 X 8 hour shift X 5 days a week X 50 weeks a year = 1250 per year However, we cannot make the assumption that the company is operating at 100 percent efficiency as the employees need time to walk around and set up. To keep things more realistic we will calculate at 90% efficiency as well.Step 3 is not the only step that cannot produce 2000 cabinets a year. Here are the current numbers when the company is oper ating at 100 percent efficiency and 90 percent efficiency: Table 1. 1 | # of employees| Efficiency| Per Shift| Per Year| Step 1(24 minutes)| 1| 100%90%| 2018| 5,0004,500| Step 2(72 minutes)| 1| 100%90%| 6. 645. 976| 1,6601,494| Step 3(96 minutes)| 4| 100%90%| 54. 5| 1,2501,125| Step 4(90 minutes)| 1| 100%90%| 5. 3364. 8| 1,3341,200| Step 5(20 minutes)| 2| 100%90%| 2421. 6| 6,0005,400| | Total: 9| | | | Table 1. 1 represents 9 workers working 8 hours a day for 5 days a week and 50 weeks a year.As presented in table 1. 1, the line is unbalanced and is not meeting the quantity demanded. The CNC router can rout 1 part every 12 minutes and there are 4 parts that need to be routed so this step would now take 48 minutes as oppose to 96 minutes. The CNC router only requires 1 operator who would earn $20. 00 per hour resulting in an annually salary of $40,000. If the company were to implement the CNC router, it would allow other employees to be moved around but would also eliminate some jobs . Table 1. 2 represents the production process with the CNC router. Table 1. 2 # of employees| Efficiency| Per Shift| Per Year| Step 1(24 minutes)| 1| 100%90%| 2018| 5,0004,500| Step 2(36 minutes)| 2| 100%90%| 13. 3612. 024| 3,3403,006| Step 3(48 minutes)| 1| 100%90%| 109| 2,5002,250| Step 4(45 minutes)| 2| 100%90%| 10. 649. 576| 2,6602,394| Step 5(40 minutes)| 1| 100%90%| 1210. 8| 3,0002,700| | Total: 7| | | | Table 1. 2 represents 7 employees each working 8 hour shifts 5 shifts a week and 50 weeks a year. Although each step is now over 2000 cabinets per year, this would still not be desired for the company because some steps are still producing much larger numbers than other steps.In order to balance this line, each step will be operating at different efficiencies. We have also decided to produce 2,250 cabinets a year which will be beneficial if the forecasted demand is slightly off and if it is not we will have an additional 250 cabinets in inventory to be sold the following year . Table 1. 3 shows a balanced line. Table 1. 3 | # of employees| Efficiency| Per Shift| Per Year| Step 1| 1| 45%| 9| 2,250| Step 2| 2| 67. 37%| 9| 2,250| Step 3| 1| 90%| 9| 2,250| Step 4| 2| 84. 6%| 9| 2,250| Step 5| 1| 75%| 9| 2,250| Total: 7| | | | The line is now balanced; however, each step requires a different efficiency in order to produce 2,250. In step 1, the 1 employee will only have to work 3. 6 hours each of the 5 days for 50 weeks to complete 2,250 cabinets. In step 2 each employee will have to put forth 5. 44 hours. In step 3 the CNC router will be working all 8 hours with the operator spending his entire shift there. Step 5 requires both workers to work 6. 67 hours and step 5 requires the 1 employee to work 6 hours to complete his amount of 2,250 per year.Although they will not need to spend their entire shifts on the production line, the company is still not obligated to cut their hours down to part time. Each employee will be given miscellaneous tasks to complete onc e they are done their respective duties. Tasks will include helping load the truck, cleaning the warehouse etc. We will also need to take into consideration days where other employees are sick and cannot make into work, when and if this happens, the other employees will be forced to fill in at the respective step.Alternative Analysis There are only a few alternatives the company can choose in dealing with the problem. Before the company makes a decision they must take into consideration the pros and cons for each alternative, the incremental cost and benefits, the payback period if going with the router, and the employees. We can choose one of the following options: 1. Do not purchase the CNC router and leave the process as it currently is 2. Purchase the new CNC router 3. Purchase the used CNC routerIn choosing to not purchase the CNC router and leave the process as it currently operates would mean that we would not be able to keep up with demand, therefore this alternative is one that cannot be chosen. The new CNC router comes with a warranty of 3 years. If the company purchased the new CNC router it would cost $150,000 and a training cost of $1,500. The router has a life expectancy of 5 years which translates into an annual depreciation of $30,000. The CNC router also requires one operator who will earn $20 per hour which results in an annual salary expense of $40,000 for the company.Additional electricity for the router would run $1000 per year and maintenance would be a total of $4500 per year. The new router will allow a reduction of 3 employees out of the 15 who earn $16 per hour which results in annual savings of $96,000. In order to determine the payback period you must take the initial investment and divide it by the incremental benefits minus the incremental cost. Therefore the payback period would be: Investment= 150,000 + 1,500 = 151,500 Incremental Benefit = 96,000 Incremental costs = $40,000 + 4,500 + 1,000 = 45,500 Payback period = 151,500 / 96 ,000 – 45,500Payback period = 151,500 / 50,500 Payback Period = 3 years With the payback period being 3 years, choosing to purchase the new CNC router would be an ideal purchase for the company as the routers life expectancy is 5 years. It is also beneficial that the warranty does not expire before the payback period in case of any possible malfunctions the router may experience. The company also must take into consideration that this is needed in the production line in order to meet demand and is made with state of the art technology which can ensure top quality.The con to implementing the router is that some jobs will be eliminated which can result in a negative impact on the relationship between workers and management which is currently very strong. There is also the slight chance that the machine may not last the expected 5 years, however there is a slight chance it may last longer as well, and finally, the company would be buying the router off of High-Tech Inc. which we have had no previous relationship with in the past. The used CNC router comes with a warranty of 1 year. If the company were to go with this option it would cost $60,000 and would also have the additional $1,500 training cost.The used router has a life expectancy of 3 years which translates into an annual depreciation of $20,000. The used CNC router would also require one operator earning $20 per hour which again results in an annual salary expense of $40,000 for the operator. Additional electricity for the used router is also $1,000 and regular maintenance of $4,500 plus additional maintenance of $1,000 which comes from projections assumptions that one maintenance worker would be required to complete one extra hour of maintenance each week of operations. The used router would reduce the line by 2. workers which would result in annual savings of $80,000. In order to determine the payback period we must follow the same steps we used to determine the payback period for the new CNC ro uter: Investment = 60,000 + 1,500 = 61,500 Incremental Benefit = 80,000 Incremental Costs = 40,000 + 4,500 + 1,000 + 1,000 = 46,500 Payback Period = 61,500 / 80,000 – 46,500 Payback Period = 61,500 / 33,500 Payback Period = 1 year and 10 months (1. 835 years) In choosing to purchase the used CNC router the company would be taking a risk as the payback period is 10 months longer than the warranty given.As a result of this, if the router experiences any problems after 1 year and Thicketwood Ltd is forced to pay for the repairs due to the warranty being expired, that will cause their payback period to be extended which results in losses for the company. The used machine however, is also believed to eliminate some jobs which again can have an impact on the worker and management relationship. On the positive side to purchasing the used CNC router, it would also increase demand and allow supply to meet demand.In the event that no complications occurred with the router it would be c heaper to implement in comparison to the new CNC router. The company has also dealt with TDL products Co. before and have a good relationship with the sales representative and was confident in her ability to ensure servicing of the router if required. Decision/Recommendation The final decision on behalf of Thicketwood Ltd is going to be implement decision 2, purchase the new CNC router. We chose this decision for various reasons beginning with it is brand new, state of the art technology and has a life expectancy of 5 years along with a warranty of 3 years.The payback period and the warranty both run 3 years which is crucial in the aspect that the payback period cannot be extended if the machine has any malfunctions within the first 3 years because all the repairs will be covered. It will also increase the number of cabinets we can produce per year as a result the company will be able to meet demand even when operating at lower efficiency levels in some steps which means that if dem and happens to increase in following years the production line will be able to produce a larger number of custom cabinets.The most important aspect for Thicketwood Ltd is the quality of the cabinets and there is no better way of ensuring quality when using machines than bringing in new machines. Since the current forecasted demand is only 2000 and with the new CNC router it brings down the 9 employees needed on the production line to 7. As a result of this the company will have to lay off 2 workers which can have a negative impact on the relationship between workers and management but that is a risk the company must take in order to maintain efficiency at a controllable level.Since Thicketwood Ltd is a non-unionized company we will not have to follow any corrective steps in accordance to the layoff, however, to be fair to the other employees the layoffs will be based on seniority with the company. For the remaining employees on the production line, they will not be required to spend their entire 8 hour shifts on the production line; however, it is not in the company’s best interest to cut their hours. The following steps in table 1. 4 represent the amount of hours required by each employee on the production per shift: Table 1. | # of Employees| Hours Per Shift| Cabinets Per Year| Step 1| 1| 3. 6| 2,250| Step 2| 2| 5. 39| 2,250| Step 3| 1| 8| 2,250| Step 4| 2| 6. 77| 2,250| Step 5| 1| 6| 2,250| As a result of steps 1, 2, 4, and 5 not requiring the full 8 hour shifts to complete the demand will result in the other employees given miscellaneous tasks to fill in the remaining hours of their shifts. Duties will include cleaning the warehouse, helping load the trucks for delivery, keeping track of inventory and another possible option can be training the employee in tep 1 to make local deliveries in order to try to reduce some of the shipping costs. As previously stated, the company must also take into consideration that with the majority of the production li ne being human labor, there is a very strong possibility that there will be some sick days taken from some of the employees in which case the remaining employees will have to fill in for their co-workers in the respective step. In conclusion, implementing the purchase of the new CNC router is the best possible option and will be completed immediately.Executive Summary Thicketwood Ltd, a producer of custom kitchen cabinets is experiencing a bottleneck in their production line that will not allow them to produce the proper quantity to meet their increasing demand of their cabinets. The company must implement some new technology to the production line; however, they must also ensure quality as the cabinets the company produces are custom and more expensive than regular cabinets therefore the customers that buy these are expecting top quality.The company has explored a couple options including a Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) router which we will be exploring the pros and cons to eac h decision throughout the case in order to come up with the best possible alternative that would be most beneficial to the company. Calculations for the Tables 1. 1 and 1. 2 Table 1. 1 Step 1 (24 minutes) 60 / 24 = 2. 5 x 8 = 20 per shift x 5 x 50 = 5000 20 per shift x 0. 9 = 18 per shift x 5 x 50 = 4500 Step 2 (72 minutes) 60 / 72 = 0. 83 x 8 = 6. 64 per shift x 5 x 50 = 1660 6. 64 per shift x 0. = 5. 976 per shift x 5 x 50 = 1494 Step 3 (96 minutes) 60 / 96 = 0. 625 x 8 = 5 per shift x 5 x 50 = 1250 5 per shift x 0. 9 = 4. 5 per shift x 5 x 50 = 1125 Step 4 (90 minutes) 60/90 = 0. 667 x 8 = 5. 336 per shift x 5 x 50 = 1334 5. 336 per shift x 0. 9 = 4. 8 per shift x 5 x 50 = 1200 Step 5 (20 minutes) 60/20 = 3 x 8 = 24 per shift x 5 x 50 = 6000 24 per shift x 0. 9 = 21. 6 per shift x 5 x 50 = 5400 Table 1. 2 Step 1 (24 minutes) 60 / 24 = 2. 5 x 8 = 20 per shift x 5 x 50 = 5000 20 per shift x 0. 9 = 18 per shift x 5 x 50 = 4500Step 2 (36 minutes) 60 / 36 = 1. 667 x 8 = 13. 36 per shi ft x 5 x 50 = 3340 13. 36 per shift x 0. 9 = 12. 024 per shift x 5 x 50 = 3006 Step 3 (48 minutes) CNC router 60 / 48 = 1. 25 x 8 = 10 per shift x 5 x 50 = 2500 10 per shift x 0. 9 = 9 per shift x 5 x 50 = 2250 Step 4 (45 minutes) 60 / 45 = 1. 33 x 8 = 10. 64 per shift x 5 x 50 = 2660 10. 64 per shift x 0. 9 = 9. 576 per shift x 5 x 50 = 2394 Step 5 (40 minutes) 60 / 40 = 1. 5 x 8 = 12 per shift x 5 x 50 = 3000 12 per shift x 0. 9 = 10. 8 per shift x 5 x 50 = 2700
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