Monday, January 27, 2020

Causes and Solutions to World Hunger

Causes and Solutions to World Hunger Michael Sylvester Why is Feeding the Hungry Proving to be Such a Difficult Challenge? In 2012, it was estimated that 868 million people in the world were undernourished.[1] That’s 868 million people out of the 7,065,410,436[4] people that make up the world’s population going hungry on a daily basis, that’s over 12%. This is a shockingly large number; a number that I feel can be lowered considerably. Feeding the hungry is a problem shared globally, however the effects of this problem are more severe in less economically developed countries (LEDCs). Money plays a large part in power today and I believe those with money and power should lead the way in showing those without to help eradicate the problem, for example: if each MEDC (More Economically Developed Country) gave 1% of their GDP to fund a food program for those without food in LEDC countries, it would make a considerable difference. Causes of hunger: Finance: If people can’t afford to buy food, then they simply don’t eat enough; often forgoing meals so their children can eat. Lack of money usually arises from un or underemployment. Those in poorer, less economically developed countries such as Ethiopia (Africa) struggle to gain jobs for steady income due to lack of education and/or lack of job availability. With little to no income, families in Ethiopia, for example, struggle to provide food and other essentials needed to sustain life. With this in mind, families may be left with the impossible choice of what they spend their money on. (For example: Spending money to feed an ill person who will most likely die without treatment is money wasted. Equally paying for medical treatment but not being able to feed them at the same time makes paying for medical treatment useless, as the person is only going to become ill again.) The way people choose to spend their money will affect whether they are able to afford the correct amount and quality of food. More commonly in MEDC’s such as the United Kingdom families ‘waste’ their money on unnecessary items rather than the necessities to maintain a healthy life. The country’s level of economic development plays a part. A country with a lower GDP will not be able to aid its people as effectively/at all whereas one with a higher GDP will be able to. However, this is not always the case and we must be careful to avoid over-generalising as in some poorer countries, the rural dwellers have got together to form farming co-operatives and these have proved surprisingly powerful and sustainable in The Gambia [9]. Other factors such as corruption can affect whether a country is willing to help itself or if it is going to rely on the help of others. In some places, there is an excess of food. It is estimated that globally we waste 1.3 billion tonnes of food a year. The food thrown away is not only enough to feed all of the undernourished people in the world (Approximately 870 million people [1], 852 million in developing countries (LEDC/NIC’s)) [2] is enough to save 1/3 of the world’s food banks. Wasting food is a huge issue for everyone, especially for those who aren’t even receiving a proper meal daily. It costs money, resources and time to produce food all, of which is wasted in most cases. Producing food has many effects. For example: Agriculture has an effect on global warming, due to high rates of greenhouse gas emissions. 10% of MEDC greenhouse emissions come from producing and transporting food that never gets eaten. [3] Country Continent MEDC/LEDC? Food Waste /Per capita per year (Approx.) United Kingdom Europe MEDC 7.2 tonnes United States of America North America MEDC 40 tonnes France Europe MEDC 5.6 tonnes Ethiopia Africa LEDC Unknown Effects of hunger Hunger has a direct impact on those without food, obviously, however very few undernourished people die from outright starvation. They die from common illnesses such as malaria and diarrhoea because their bodies that have been weakened by hunger, cannot cope. Hunger can increase the severity of simple illnesses because it weakens the immune system. Not only does hunger increase the vulnerability of a person to common illnesses, it increases the risk of infection, meaning the illness has a wide-spread effect. Hunger can have an economic impact also. It creates a vicious circle that is almost impossible to escape. People are poorly paid due to the limited economic status of the country, this then limits what food they can buy as well as other things such as medicine, people become ill (often common illnesses contracted due to lack of food) and therefore cannot attend work or are less productive in their job (If the person works) meaning they can’t earn as much/any money or pay taxes to their government. This circle then repeats and the overall effect is that the country makes less money and its people earn less money and are unable to buy essential items to survive. Solutions ‘World hunger is extensive in spite of sufficient global food resources. Therefore increased food production is no solution. The problem is that many people are too poor to buy readily available food. Therefore measures addressing the poverty problem are what are needed to solve the world hunger problem.’ As suggested in the quote above, simply producing more food is not a solution. Producing even more food will result in more food going to waste, and that’s already a huge problem globally. The challenge we are left with is to supply safe and nutritious food in a sustainable way, globally. If food was made much more affordable it would help reduce hunger levels. Even those in poorer countries would be able to afford it despite their low incomes. However this may promote food waste since people will be able to afford much more food than they usually would, food which will never get eaten. I think MEDC’s should give short term aid to LEDC’s to help reduce the number of undernourished people in their countries, although I feel that giving money aid isn’t the best solution as the country may use it for something else. MEDC’s should educate other countries and nurture them but not allow the country to become dependent on them. ‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime’ Anne Isabella Ritchie (circa 1885) – this quote stresses the need to teach to be self sufficient as opposed to being dependent. There is also another idea that could help to reduce the amount of food we waste yearly. The ‘Pig Idea’ [10]is an idea that we should feed our waste food to pigs. This would be effective as the food wouldn’t be wasted since it’s feeding the pigs. ‘Humans have been recycling food by feeding it to pigs for thousands of years’ – this now has the added bonus of helping british pig farmers who are struggling to make ends meet, as a result of the economic climate. Charities and Aid organisations already operate in areas where there is a hunger is a big problem. Farm Africa has worked in Ethiopia since 1988 and continues to help the people there by educating them, and showing them how to grow crops as well as giving them food and water. Case Studies. U.K In the United Kingdom the causes of hunger are problems like food waste and food affordability. The wealthier people living in the U.K contribute significantly to the amount of food that is wasted annually, because they can afford to buy large quantities of food regardless of the price. However those with lower incomes cannot afford to buy as much food so their food waste is considerably lower. But for some, food affordability is a huge problem. Families can’t afford to buy enough food to feed them due to its ever growing price. Ethiopia In Ethiopia the causes of hunger are different to that of the U.K. It is producing the food and distributing it to the people that are the problem. Due to climate difficulties producing food can be difficult, since soil qualities are affected. Also difficult climatic conditions (Flood and drought) can damage crops and reduce productivity. Lack of education in the country also adds to this, since poor farming practises are undertaken, which can further ruin the land being used for farming which then eventually will render it useless more than 31 million Ethiopians don’t have enough nutritious food to eat 5]., with annual costs associated with child malnutrition accounting for 15.5% of Ethiopia’s GDP. Farm Africa is currently working in parts of Ethiopia to try and help their situation. In the Tigray region of Ethiopia Farm Africa [12] are trying to increase food security via pastoral farming. The project is working directly with 2,950 women and 400 landless youths, providing them with crops and livestock as well as training [5]. They are also training farmers and giving them equipment to produce barley of a high quality meaning farmers will receive 10% more than the local rate for the barley they produced. They have also helped link farmers to Diageo (An international business that brews beer). Farm Africa is also helping communities find new ways of earning a living using the forest’s natural resources eg making bamboo furniture and harvesting wild coffee. They are also collaborating with the government to design a pilot project to protect 500,000 hectares of forest. This means Ethiopia could benefit from important work to preserve the forest, avoiding further emissions of carbon, and slowing climate change. Future Scenario: I feel that if this work continues, although it may take time, it will greatly help reduce the amount of undernourished people in Ethiopia and create sustainable life there. Not only do I think it will help reduce malnutrition statistics but I think it will help Ethiopia grow economically and increase their level of understanding and education which in turn will benefit the country greatly. Kenya In Kenya the causes for hunger are mostly physical ones, with climatic effects playing a large part in it. Two-thirds of Kenyans depend on the crops they grow and the animals they keep for their livelihoods and survival [6]. However, with prolonged drought killing livestock and withering crops, nearly four million people are at risk of serious hunger, especially in the northern and Rift Valley regions. This leaves small scale farmers and pastoral nomadic tribes-people vulnerable to hunger. Farm Africa is working with these vulnerable groups to help them find a way out of the spiral of poverty. They are teaching farmers techniques to help conserve water and soil, and by introducing drought-tolerant crops to them. New methods for capturing rainwater are being introduced by NGOs. Those trained can then disseminate these techniques throughout their community and this knowledge passed on to future generations. Selected farmers are provided with high-quality seeds for drought-tolerant crops. These seeds then produce healthy crops and farmers collect and store seeds from the harvest to use the following season. The more widely available these become, the more reliable and food secure communities can become too. Future Scenario: I believe that if this work continues it will greatly help reduce the amount of undernourished people in Kenya. The continuation of the help will ensure food security for all, regardless of climatic changes. Global Scenarios If global hunger isn’t managed further, as our world’s population continues to grow, the problem will become so big that I don’t think it could be managed solved. Scenario Benefit Explanation If nothing is done to try to manage the hunger problem. Nothing. As the global population grows, so does the number of malnutrition. It is going to become even more difficult to manage this problem and the effects it has on people. We simply cannot keep up with the amount of illnesses that will be caused because of malnutrition, making death on an enormous scale inevitable even more so in LEDC’s. If we were to lower the price of food More people would be able to afford more or a better quality of food, which would certainly improve the hunger problem. However, lowering the price of food may create more problems than solutions. For example, in most LEDC’s such as Ethiopia where agriculture accounts for 46.6% of the country’s GDP lowering the price of food is going to hinder the country’s economic development. Since farmers will be getting less money for the crops they sell meaning they have even less income for essentials things for themselves and their families. Conclusion Ensuring that every person in the world is fed is an absolute must, arguably more so than educating them although to some extent the two are inextricably linked. This issue has had global prominence since the year 2000 and the millennium development goals and although we have made great strides there is still a long way to go, indeed one in eight people still go to bed hungry, despite major progress. [7] Unfortunately the causes of hunger are wide spread and complex so there is no one quick way of fixing the problem. That said, if we can promote a reduction in food waste by those that have more than enough and supply and educate those that are lacking, we will be heading in the right direction. From investigating this topic I now have a personal goal to reduce the amount of food that I and those around me waste. I plan to visit local restaurants such as that of my school to investigate how much food is wasted, what is done with that waste food and help them to consider ways which might help them to lower it. I will be looking to find local pig farmers/smallholdings who might be able to make use of such waste food. I have also realised how fortunate I am never to have been truly hungry, even though I often claim to ‘be absolutely starving’, especially when on last lunch at school! 2096 words excluding titles, sub-headings and tables Bibliography. [1] worldhunger.org [2]lovefoodhatewaste.com [3]feeding5k.org [4]galen.metapath.org [5] http://www.farmafrica.org/ethiopia/ethiopia [6] http://www.farmafrica.org/kenya/kenya [7] http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/mdgoverview/mdg_goals/mdg1/ [8] http://www.jatrophabook.com/public/image/__world_hunger_map.jpg [9] http://www.actionaid.org/gambia/stories/how-farming-cooperatives-transformed-community [10] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/10467298/Whats-the-Pig-Idea.html [12] https://www.farmafrica.org/ethiopia/ethiopia

Sunday, January 19, 2020

American Impress credit card Essay

1. Betty is married to Abel, a successful engineer. They have a joint account which gives them both an American Impress credit card, which they have had for years. They have always made the payments on time and over the years the credit limit has gone up and up. Abel has a skiing accident and dies. A month later, Betty gets a notice that her American Impress card has been cancelled. To make matters worse, the fact that her card has been cancelled is reported to a credit reporting company, which hurts Betty’s credit score and makes it harder for her to get credit. Does the law provide any protections for Betty? What can she do? No, the law does not provide protection for Betty because when a credit card account is a joint account and one spouse dies, the responsibility of handling that account will fall on the surviving party. Betty can protect herself by contacting the credit card company, or pay off the balance on the credit card account and close it, or transfer the account to her name and pay off the remaining balance. If she decides to transfer the account to her name, the credit card company may alter the terms of the original agreement. 2. An elderly lady with poor health and poor eyesight is approached by a door to door salesman. He tells her that if she buys a sectional greenhouse from his company, she can make lots of money raising and selling flowers. She gives him a check for several thousand dollars, way more than she can afford, and signs a contract promising to make monthly payments. He delivers to her house a bunch of greenhouse sections, which have to be assembled. Can she get out of the contract and get her money back? Are there other facts which if known would help you answer this question? No, she cannot get out of the contract if she meets the three main elements that are needed for a contract to be enforceable, they are: Offer: Which must be clearly stated and presented to the offered, this can be in either an oral or written form. Acceptance: Acceptance must be acceptance for the exact offer which was stated, any deviation may count as a counter offer and lead to the contract being unenforceable Consideration: Something of value given by both parties to a contract that induces them to enter into the agreement to exchange mutual performances. There are also other elements to a legally binding contract such as expressed and implied terms of the contract. Implied terms can consist of terms implied by law e. g. The Statute of Frauds requires the sale of land to be in writing etc. , these laws change from jurisdiction to jurisdiction so you would have to contact an attorney in your area to find out more. For a contract to be concluded, performance must be followed down to the letter of what was contracted for, courts give very little leniency in this area. It’s also worth checking out the law surrounding Duress, Misrepresentation and Undue Influence to fully cover you in the event of a breach by either party.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Strategy and Operations Revision

Introduction to Strategy and Operations Management| Operations Strategy| Product Design| Process Design| Supply Networks| Layout and Flow| Scientific Management and Job Design| Introduction to Quality – A Choice Paradigm| Operationalizing Strategy| Review and Examination Preparation| Operations Strategy Strategic decisions Widespread in their effect, define the position of the organisation relative to its environment and move the organisation closer to its long term goals * A strategy has content and process Operations is not the same as operational * Operations – resources that create products and services * Operational – opposite of strategic. Day-to-day and detailed Content and Process * Content – specific decisions and actions * Process – method that is used to make the specific ‘content’ decisions 4 Perspectives Top Down – the influence of the corporate or business strategy on operations decisions * Bottom-up – the in fluence of operational experience on operations decisions * Market requirements – the performance objectives that reflect the market position of an operations products or service, also a perspective on operations strategy * Operations resource capabilities – the inherent ability of operations processes and resources; also a perspective on operations strategy. Products * Tangible Are used after purchase Services * Intangible * Used at the time of delivery TOP DOWN PERSPECTIVE Views strategic decisions at a number of levels Corporate strategy – the strategic positioning of a corporation and the businesses with it Business strategy – the strategic positioning of a business in relation to its customers, markets and competitors, a subset of corporate strategy Functional strategy – the overall direction and role of a function within the business; a subset of business strategy BOTTOM UP PRESPECTIVE Sees overall strategy as emerging from day-to-day operational experience Emergent strategy – a strategy that is gradually shaped over time and based on experience rather than theoretical positioning MARKET REQUIREMENTS PERSPECTIVE -Satisfy the requirements of the market Competitive factors – the factors such as delivery time, product or service specification, price etc. hat define customers’ requirements Order-winning factors – the arrangement of resources that are devoted to the production and delivery of products and services Qualifying factors – aspects of competitiveness where the operation’s performance has to be above a particular level to be considered by the customer Less important factors – competitive factors that are neither order winning nor qualifying, performance in them does not significantly affect the competitive position of an operation Product/service life cycle – a generalized model of t he behaviour of both customers and competitors during the life of a product or service; it is generally held to have four stages, introduction, growth, maturity and decline. OPERATIONS RESOURCES PERSPECTIVE Resource-based view (RBS) – the perspective on strategy that stresses the importance of capabilities (sometimes known as core competences) in determining sustainable competitive advantage. Intangible resources – the resources within an operation that are not immediately evident or tangible, such as relationships with suppliers and customers, process knowledge, new product and service development. PROCESS OF OPERATIONS STRATEGY Process – procedures which are, or can be, used to formulate those operations strategies which the org. should adopt. IMPLEMENTATION 5 P’s of operations strategy formulation * Purpose * Point of entry * Process * Project management * Participation TRADE-OFFS The extent to which improvements in one performance objective can be achieved by sacrificing performance in others. PROCESS OF OPERATIONS STRATEGY GUIDES THE TRADE OFFS B/W PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES Operations strategy – Should address the relative priority of the operation’s performance objectives * Influences the trade-offs b/w an operation’s performance EFFICIENT FRONTIER Like in economics – convex line. Useful approach to articulating trade-of fs and distinguishes b/w repositioning performance on the efficient frontier and improving performance by overcoming trade-offs. FOCUS AND TRADE-OFFS Operations focus – dedicating each operation to a limited, concise, manageable set of objectives, products, technologies or markets, then structuring policies and support services so they focus on one explicit task rather than on a variety of inconsistent or conflicting tasks. Operation-within-an-operation – allows an org. to accrue the benefits of focus without the considerable expensive of setting up independent operations. Design DESIGN ACTIVITY To conceive looks, arrangement and workings of something before it is constructed. Happens before construction. PROCESS DESIGN AND PRODUCT/SERVICE DESIGN ARE INTERREALTED Treated separately but are interrelated. Process design and product/service design should be considered together PROCESS DESIGN OBJECTIVES Point of process design is to make sure that the performance of the process is appropriate for whatever it is trying to achieve. Process design should reflect process objectives Micro’ performance flow objectives are used to describe flow performance: * Throughput rate – rate which units emerge from the process * Throughput time – the time for a unit to move through a process * Work in process – number of units in the process is an average over a period of time * Utilizatio n- the ratio of the actual output from a process or facility to its design capacity ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE DESIGN Life cycle analysis – a technique that analyses all the production inputs, life cycle use of a product and its final disposal in terms of total energy used and wastes emitted. PROCESS TYPES – THE VOLUME VARIETY EFFECT ON PROCESS DESIGN High volume = food canning factory Low volume = major project consulting engineers Low variety = electricity utility High variety = architects practice Low volume – high variety and vice versa Volume variety positions PROCESS TYPES Process types – terms that are used to describe a particular general approach to managing processes In manufacturing these are generally held to be project, jobbing, batch, mass and continuous processes, In services they are held to be professional services, service shops and mass services PROJECT PROCESSES – processes that deal with discrete, usually highly customized, products. JOBBING PROCESSES – processes that deal with high variety and low volumes, although there may be some repetition of flow and activities. BATCH PROCESSES – processes that treat batches of products together, and where each batch has its own process route. MASS PROCESSES – processes that produce goods in high volume and relatively low variety CONTINUOUS PROCESSES – processes that are high volume and low variety; usually products made on continuous process are produced in an endless flow, such as petrochemicals or electricity. PROFESSIONAL SERVICES – service processes that are devoted to producing knowledge-based or advice-based services, usually involving high customer contact and high customisation, examples include management consultants, lawyers, architects etc. SERVICE SHOPS – service processes that are positioned between professional services and mass services, usually with medium levels of volume and customization. MASS SERVICES – service processes that have a high number of transactions, often involving limited customization, for example mass transportation services, call centres etc. PRODUCT-PROCESS MATRIX A model derived by Hayes and Wheelwright that demonstrates that natural fit between volume and variety of products and services produced by an operation on one hand, and the process type used to produce products and services on the other. Natural diagonal – most operations stick to this. PROCESS MAPPING Describing the processes in terms of how the activities within the process relate to each other (aka process blueprinting or process analysis) PROCESS MAPPING SYMBOLS PMS – The symbols that are used to classify different types of activity; they usually derive either from scientific management or information systems flow charting High-level process mapping – an aggregated process map that shows broad activities rather than detailed activities THROUGHOUT, CYCLE TIME AND WORK IN PROCESS Work content – the total amount of work required to produce a unit of output, usually measured in standard times Throughput time – the time for a unit to move through a process Cycle time – average time b/w units of output emerging from a process Work-in-process – number of units within a process waiting to be process further LITTLES LAW Throughput time = work-in process x cycle time THROUGHPUT EFFICIENCY % Throughput efficiency = (work content/throughput time) x 100 PRODUCT AND SERVICE DESIGN WHY IS DESIGN IMPORTANT? -Enhances profitability WHAT IS DESIGNED? * Concept – outline specification including nature, use and value of p/s * Package – Core p/s – fundamental to the purchase and could not be removed without destroying nature of the package * Supporting p/s – Enhance the core * Process – designing a way in which the ‘ingredients’ will be created and delivered to customer DESIGN ACTIVITY IS ITSELF A PROCE SS -The design activity is one of the most important operations processes -Producing designs for products is itself a process STAGES OF DESIGN 1. Concept generation – a stage in the product and service design process that formalizes the underlying idea behind a product or service 2. Screening – to see if they will be a sensible addition to its p/s portfolio 3. Evaluation and improvement – can it be served better, more cheaply, more easily? 4. Prototyping and final design CONCEPT GENERATION IDEAS FOR CUSTOMERS -Marketing – focus groups etc. LISTENING TO CUSTOMERS -Complaints –suggestions IDEAS FROM COMPETITORS Reverse engineering – the deconstruction of a p/s in order to understand how it has been produced IDEAS FROM STAFF Know what customers like etc. IDEAS FROM RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT R&D – the function in the org. that develops new knowledge and ideas and operationalizes the ideas to form the underlying knowledge on which p/s and process design are based. CONCEPT SCREENING Assessing the worth or value of each design option, so a choice can be made. * Design criteria – 3 broad categories of design criteria† 1. Feasibility – the ability of an operation to produce a process, product or service 2. Acceptability – the attractiveness to the operation of a p/s 3. Vulnerability – the risks taken by the operation in adopting a process, p or s THE DESIGN ‘FUNNEL’ A model that depicts the design process as the progressive reduction of design options from many alternatives down to the final design. PRELIMINARY DESIGN SPECIFYING THE COMPONENTS OF THE PACKAGE Component structure – diagram that shows the constituent component parts of a product or service package and the order in which the component parts are brought together (aka components structure) REDUCING DESIGN COMPLEXITY Simplicity is a virtue STANDARDIZATION The degree to which processes, products or services are prevented from varying over time COMMONALITY The degree to which a range of p/s incorporate identical components (aka parts commonality) If multiple p/s are based on common components, the less complex it is to produce them MODULARIZATION The use of standardized sub-components of a p/s that can be put together in different ways to create a high degree of variety. I. e. Art attack. Many languages, 60% scenes the same DEFINING THE PROCESS TO CREATE THE PACKAGE Examine how a process could put together the various components to create the final p/s. DESIGN EVALUATION AND IMPROVEMENT See if preliminary design can be improved before the p/s is tested in the market. Many techniques (3 main ones): 1. QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT A technique used to ensure that the eventual design of a p/s actually meets the needs of its customers. QFD matrix – how company sees relationship b/w requirements of customer and the design characteristics of p/s 2. VALUE ENGINEERING An approach to cost reduction in product design that examines the purpose of a p/s, its basic functions and its secondary functions. 3. TAGUCHI METHODS A design technique that uses design combinations to test the robustness of a design I. e. Telephone – should still work when has been knocked over. Pizza shop – cope with rush of customers PROTOTYPING AND FINAL DESIGN Prototype can be clay model, simulations etc. Virtual prototype –a computer based model of a p/p/s that can be tested for its characteristics before the actual p/p/s is produced Computer-aided design (CAD) – a system that provides the computer ability to create and modify p/p/s drawings BENEFITS OF INTERACTIVE DESIGN Interactive design – the idea that the design of p/s on one hand, and the processes that create them on the other, should be integrated Can shorten time to market SIMULTANEOUS DEVELOPMENT Sequential approach to design – one stage completed before another is started * Easy to manage and control * Time consuming and costly Simultaneous/concurrent approach to design – overlapping these stages in the design process so that one stage in the design activity can start before the preceding stage is finished, the intention being to shorten time to market and save design cost PROJECT-BASED ORGANIZATION STRUCTURES Functional design organization Product design organization Range of org. structures = Pure functional to pure project forms. Task force Matrix organization LAYOUT AND FLOW WHAT IS LAYOUT? -How its transforming resources are positioned relative to each other and how its various tasks are allocated to these transforming resources. – Layout decision is relatively infrequent but important What makes a good layout? – Inherent safety – Length of flow – Clarity of flow – Staff conditions – Management coordination – Accessibility – Use of space – Long-term flexibility – Layout is influenced by process types BASIC LAYOUT TYPES 4 basic layout types: FIXED-POSITION LAYOUT -Locating the position of a product or service such that it remains largely stationary, while transforming resources are moved to and from it I. e. Motorway construction, open-heart surgery (patients too delicate to be moved). FUNCTIONAL LAYOUT * Conforms to the needs and convenience of the functions performed by the transforming resources which constitute the processes. Similar resources or processes are located together * I. e. Hospitals, supermarket CELL LAYOUT * Transformed resources entering the operation are pre-selected to move to one part of the operation in which all the transforming resources, to meet their immediate processing needs, are located. * I. e. Maternity unit in a hospital, lunch products in a supermarket * Shop-within-a-shop – display area selling specific thing. I. e. sports shop – sports books, sports shoes, etc. PRODUCT LAYOUT Line layout – a more descriptive term for what is technically product layou t Involves locating the transforming resources entirely for the convenience of the transformed resources. I. e. Automobile assembly Self-service cafeteria – sequence of customer requirements (starter, main, dessert, drink) is common to all customers, but layout also helps control flow of customers. MIXED LAYOUTS Combination of layouts I. e. 1 kitchen serving 3 restaurants (cafeteria, buffet and sit down) VOLUME-VARIETY AND LAYOUT TYPE -The volume and variety characteristics of an operation will influence its layout – When volume is low and variety high, flow is not a problem SELECTING A LAYOUT TYPE -Volume-variety characteristics narrow down choice -Influenced by understanding advantages and disadvantages (see p198) – Cost implications DETAILED DESIGN OF THE LAYOUT DETAILED DESIGN IN FIXED POSITION LAYOUT Location of resources based on the convenience of transforming resources themselves. DETAILED DESIGN IN FUNCTIONAL LAYOUT Combinatorial complexity – the idea that many different ways of processing products and services at many different locations or points in time combine to result in an exceptionally large number of feasible options; the term is often used in facilities layout and scheduling to justify non-optimal solutions Flow record chart – a diagram used in layout to record the flow of products or services between facilities Relationship chart – a diagram used in layout to summarize the relative desirability of facilities to be close to each other.