Guideline on How to Make a Manga

Guideline on How to Make a Manga How to Write a Manga Script Creating a manga script may seem too complex and formidable at first sight. However, it always proves to be absolutely worthwhile when you see the final product.   Manga is a Japanese style of a comic book, which appears in a smaller format and is featured by a distinctive drawing style. The most recognizable characteristics of manga are long, thin characters with huge eyes, eye-catching hair, and other extraordinary features. Even if you are not an adept at drawing, you can still make a contribution to this compelling visual medium by creating a script for an artist to work with. Guidelines That Help You to Make a Manga Script and Incarnate Your Characters in Drawing The Idea The first thing you need to take care of is to come up with a brand-new idea for your story. Some really brilliant ideas can germinate in your mind any time, so be ready to jot them down. Research Manga You should keep in mind that manga, with its own rules and conventions, differs from regular American comics. Thus, you need to familiarize yourself with its peculiarities and at the same time, focus on the genre of the story you want to create. While reading, be especially mindful of the format, pacing, character depiction and plot resolutions. Familiarize yourself with manga writing and art techniques On the Internet, you will find multiple information on how to write a comic. You can make use of this information since some of the rules in comic writing are also applicable in manga. In fact, you can benefit from any information on how to develop this visual art form. But other from that, you can research comic authors and artists and find their own websites where they share information about their own personal styles and techniques. Stick to publisher’s guidelines Visit the websites of manga publishers you intend to send your script to. As a rule, they contain precise information about the format, pacing, dialogue, as well as guidelines you need to stick to. Study these guidelines and thes they give. If you want your script to be published, you should offer the publisher exactly what they are asking for. Outline your plot Strangely enough, but writing by hand in early stages may boost your creativity. However, if working with a computer is more convenient for you, do so. Lay out your ideas, brainstorm crucial scenes. Create a rough outline. Create a separate note card for each plot part and dwell on it on its own note card. Calculate an approximate number of pages it may take to elaborate on this part. Put this number in the upper right-hand corner.  Lay these cards out on your table in the order you want your script to appear. This small trick will enable you to see the plot, and rearrange the elements to ensure a perfect flow of your script. Estimate the length of your manga Stick to the publishers guidelines on page requirements. If your script should not exceed 120 or even 50 pages, it will influence how much you will need to edit the script and how many details you are allowed to include. Break your script into three sections: the introductory part, main plot, and conclusion. If your required manga length is 100 pages, your script should contain 20 pages of the introductory part, 60 pages of the main plot, and 20 pages left for the conclusion. Break the cards down into these three categories. Add up the approximate page numbers, which you have put down on the cards. If your introductory part constitutes 22 pages, you will need to cut 2 pages or borrow from the allocated pages for your main plot.  As soon as you have the required number of pages for all sections, you can get down to your final outline. The Page Breakdown When having a more or less clear-cut plot, some writers also create the â€Å"page breakdown,† which contains information on how many pages the story may take and gives a brief description of the actions that take place on each page. This step helps to feel how the whole story will appear and what effect it might produce. Additionally, some writers create a â€Å"rough thumbnail sketch† – small drawings for each page, which they send to the artist to give the insight into how to visualize each page. How to Make a Manga Script Focus on the first few cards. Work up the general plot and dialogue for the first part. The most important rule is to keep your manga simple. Additionally, remember that in the case of manga, being concise is fundamental. Your dialogues should have a natural form while the action and expression of the characters should be central in your story. As a rule, manga has from four to six panels. A five-page section will thus include twenty to thirty panels. Work through your written scene and number the sections that will constitute the panels. If you eventually have a redundant or insufficient number of panels, edit them to satisfy the length requirements. Remember that big plot points should be described in larger panels, so you may have some pages, which will contain only one or two panels. Make use of blank paper and break down into sections.  Create a rough outline of your drawings to see how your panels will be located. To do this, you do not need to have any special artistic talents; stick figures will suffice. Visualizing the basic arrangements of characters and plot will help you to imagine how drawings and the script would go together. Additionally, it will help you to get rid of redundant sections and see whether there will be enough space to put both a dialogue and a drawing. Put the corresponding number on each piece of paper. Number the panels one by one. Provide a complete version of the script that the artist will be using. Stick to the publishers format guidelines. Make use of your notes and basic drawings to give the artist an insight into the action. Tips on Manga Script Writing Ensure clarity Give the artist guides as for how the characters bodies are positioned, where they are standing in relation to each other, the location of objects. Additionally, explain what the characters feel to visualize their feelings and emotions on paper. Add sound and emotion effects Depending on the publishers requirements, add the details that would convey the true atmosphere of the scene such as the screech of a cars tires, etc. Provide reference photos You can have a perfect image in your mind but the artist may have no clue of what you are trying to convey whatsoever. Elaborate descriptions are helpful, but if you are depicting a particular historical costume, try to find an appropriate photo on the web and include it in your script. Spell check and proofread your manga Ensure that script pages and panel numbers are coherent and that you have not left out any numbers or sections. Stick to the publishers guidelines before sending your script. As a rule, they require you to send a summary, outline, and elaborate character descriptions for the artist. Include photos for the character depiction when necessary. Tips The arrangements of the panels and portrayal of the action are the most difficult aspects of creating a manga. Here the familiarity with other manga comics will come particularly in handy. At times, just taking a look at how a similar situation or scene in another manga was developed may give you insight into how to present yours. If a particular scene is crucial but you cannot fit it into the allocated pages or panels, write your script the way it looks best. In case the publisher refuses to accept a longer work, cut those pages out of some other part of the story. As a rule, there are some redundant or unnecessary sections that you can put in a simpler way or cut out completely. Warnings Remember that repeating details in the script is necessary, even if they seem evident. For example, always mention that a particular character has a cigarette in his hand. Sometimes, artists can just follow your description and forget what happened before.

Great News Web Widgets for Your Blog or Website

Great News Web Widgets for Your Blog or Website So youve got your news blog or website up and running but you want to spice it up a bit. A web widget can do just that. What Are Web Widgets? Web widgets are simply little pieces of code that you can copy and paste into your website, blog or social networking site. There are thousands of widgets available for free online, focusing on virtually every topic imaginable. Why Should I Use Web Widgets? Web widgets can add interest to your website or blog by providing content that complements the material youve created. For instance, if your blog focuses on local politics, you can add a widget that focuses on state or national politics. If you cover high school sports, you can add a widget that follows the pro teams. Widgets can provide the kind of news content that would be difficult for a student or citizen journalist to cover. How Do I Use Web Widgets? You can find detailed instructions on using web widgets on-line, but usually, its just as simple and copying and pasting a bit of code into your website or blog. And while there are hundreds of ready-made news widgets to choose from, you can also customize widgets to fit the look of your site, or even create your own. Below is a list of sites where you can find news widgets. There are much more out there, so dont be afraid to search for what you need. General News CBS News - The network offers widgets in many categories. Associated Press - A widget from the U.S. wire service. The New York Times - Breaking news from the newspaper. CNN - News from the cable network. Fox News - Breaking news from the cable network. USA Today - A variety of widgets from the newspaper. Politics USA Today Politics CNN Political Ticker Politico Live Pulse - News from the politics website. Business and Economic News CNN Money - Business and financial information. Wall St. Journal Sports USA Today Sports Make Your Own There are also widget sites that host dozens of widgets in a variety of categories. You can pick pre-made widgets or even create and customize your own. Widgetbox - Search from this sites collection of hundreds of widgets, or make your own. Google - The search engine offers dozens of widgets in different categories. Wordpress - Widgets for those who have Wordpress blogs. Follow me on Facebook Twitter

Careers in Math Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Careers in Math - Essay Example This change in gas prices has been attributed to many things, including the war in Iraq, and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This is a real life example of the pre-calculus concept of functions. The problems with modeling this situation are obvious. There are so many factors that could be involved it is difficult to tell which is the actual cause of the change, and then there is the difficulty with the rate of change. Finally, there is the pesky problem of the spot price and the difficulties with assessing how spot prices affect retail prices. Retail prices usually follow the spot price shifts, but they sometimes lag behind (This Week in Petroleum 2005). These are the sorts of issues that must be analyzed and solved by mathematicians working out in the real world. One person who designs and runs numerous mathematical models for decision making purposes is Amanda Peterson, who works in the Operations Research department of the Dynamic Research Corporation. Often, decision problems can be solved using mathematical equations, but there are "cases when the situation is too detailed for a math model alone or the customer prefers a more visual product" (MAA Online 2005). Then she writes a computer program called a simulation model to simulate the different aspects of the problem. Decision makers can use this model to test different scenarios.

Why you want to be a teacher Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why you want to be a teacher - Essay Example For the rest, they simply want to get employed and follow whatever opportunities maybe presented to them. In my case, I want to be a teacher or an educator. Why is this so? Because as Henry Brooks Adams said â€Å"A teacher affects eternity, he can never tell where his influence stops†. I deeply believe what this man says for I have witnessed through the lives of others how much influence a teacher can wield to his students. I want to become a teacher because I want to inspire my future students. Nowadays, we often see a large majority of students losing interest in their academic obligations such as doing their homework. They are more likely to engage in watching television or playing console or PC games. In case they spend time doing some homework, it is often done as a burden that has to be accomplished. I want to become a teacher because I want to bring back the enthusiasm in learning. Students must be inspired to search for knowledge because life is a very interesting jou rney. In the field of sciences, teachers can inspire students to become researchers or scientists that can develop solutions to mankind’s problems. If I become a teacher, I would motivate my students to study because they can make a contribution to the world. A teacher always goes through the never-ending process of learning.

Meaning of life essay Essay Example for Free

Meaning of life essay Essay What is the meaning of life? Many agree that the answer depends on the person asking the question. When Albert Camus and Richard Taylor decide to answer this question, they must take an in-depth look into the real and mythological worlds to arrive at a concise answer to this question that has baffled so many. Both have similar views with subtle differences however Taylors view is the more accurate of the two. When looking into the biological world, Taylor clearly describes how much of it can be identified with the Greek tale of Sisyphus. His first of two examples take an in-depth look into glowworms. They go through this cycle like Sisyphus did with his rock and ultimately they have nothing more to show for it than reproducing. They are condemned to this fate and like the rock that Sisyphus rolls up the hill, once they fall down, the burden is passed onto the next generation of worms, making their existence ultimately pointless. The story is the same with migrating birds, as they seasonally migrate across the planet just to do the exact same thing the next year (Klemke, 2008). The effort put into this, like the effort Sisyphus puts into rolling the rock up the hill, ultimately accomplishes nothing and in the end is futile. The birds are condemned to a meaningless task that has no meaning, but gives them purpose. Taylor states The point of any living things life is, evidently, nothing but life itself (Klemke, 2008), something that Sisyphus himself endures as he rolls the rock throughout eternity, with the only difference between him and the biological beings being that instead of each organism doing the same repetitive task for eternity, they pass on their mundane tasks to the next generation. Taylors solution to the meaning of life is a complicated one since he truly sees absolutely no meaning to it. Everything in this world is contingent and as a whole is seemingly meaningless. This is what he calls objective meaning. He went on to say that life has no end goal and that what you do can never be more than you, something similar to what Sisyphus went through. At the same time, he went on to say how life also has subjective meaning, meaning that life matters to the person living in that world in that period of time. As Sisyphus was rolling the rock up hill hill for eternity, Taylor asks what if the gods had made it his eternal desire to roll that rock up that hill, and what if he enjoyed nothing else more than rolling that rock for the rest of his life (Klemke, 2008). The same can be said about those that do what they love, and even though that has no objective meaning as a whole, it could have subjective meaning to the individual performing the task since there is nothing else they would rather do. He went on to say that as time passes A curious eye can in imagination reconstruct from what is left a once warm and thriving life, filled with purpose. (Klemke, 2008). This was in reference to looking back at an old barren wasteland, where although now it has no meaning, it once had subjective meaning to others and even though something has no end goal, that does not mean that it is meaningless, since in that moment in time it had meaning. He sees the meaning of life as nothing but life itself, and that the only way to live a full and meaningful life is to do something that has meaning to you. The end goal does not matter as long as what you are doing has meaning to you, and one thing does not have greater meaning over another. His solution involved projecting meaning onto our own lives by embracing our struggles, even if they accomplish nothing lasting and worthwhile (Cengage, 2013). Camus had a slightly different solution to the meaning of life. He truly saw no meaning to life and questioned why anyone would ever want to live in it (Klemke, 2008). He questioned peoples motives and why all individuals would never commit suicide when they know that they saw the world they lived in. He sees the world as absurd and the fact that we can accept that as surprising. Rational beings live in an irrational world, where people who are obsessed with reason cannot find it. He sees that the there is absolutely no meaning to the world. When he relates human lives to Sisyphus, he considers our everyday lives as pushing a rock up a hill and pushing it back down in a never-ending cycle until death. The tragedy of it is that we are never truly conscious of the absurd, and in those moments when we are conscious of the absurd, we experience the greatest moral downfall imaginable. The only way to live in this world is to live in contradiction. Once we can accept that the world we live in is absurd, we no longer need to live for hope or have this dying need for purpose (Tomo, 2013). It means not only accepting it but also being fully conscious and aware of it, because that is the only way we can enjoy the freedoms of life as long as we abide by a few common rules (Lane, 2013). He sees this as being the ultimate way to embrace everything the unreasonable world has to offer us. This is known as absurd freedom, when you are conscious of the world you live in and are freed from the absurdity. You can then reach a point of acceptance where you can feel truly content with your own life (Lane, 2013). He considers Sisyphus as being the absurd hero, since he performs a meaningless task because he hates death, and so he does this meaningless task to live to the fullest. He embraces his destiny and one could truly believe that he is happy with it. The meaning of life also does not matter about what are the best moments of living, or doing what is meaningful to the individual, but who did the most living. This can be further explained with Camuss reference to Sisyphus, where the only thing differentiating our lives from his is that his is eternal. As humans, we will eventually deteriorate and die off, and in a world where nothing has meaning and everything is repetitive, the one who has lived for the longest period of time has truly made the most of it. Out of the two solutions, it is clear why both Camus and Taylor thought the way they did. One solution was based on doing things in general while the other focused on living as long as physically possible. In my opinion, although both have strong footings, I must say that although Camus position is slightly stronger logically, Taylors position has much better emotional traction. When Camus states that the world is completely absurd and that none of it has any meaning, his argument makes sense. We live in a world where even though we are creatures that demand reasoning and meaning for everything, there is none in the world we are currently in. Taylor agrees to a certain extent, but then introduces his idea of different kinds of meaning: subjective. He tries to give meaning to tasks that give us fulfillment true subjective meaning, but these same tasks have no objective meaning since they have no end goal. Logically, such tasks can have no meaning because they have no lasting value, something that Camus himself tried to explain, ultimately making Camuss position stronger logically. Emotionally, the case is quite the opposite. Camus tells us we should accept our fate and just try to live on this planet for as long as we can, something only an atheist would willingly accept with grace. He goes on to say as long as there is no end goal in life; there is no meaning in life. However, many that live their every day lives do not think on such an emotionless level. Taylor on the other hand gives the position of there being two different kinds of meanings, and although objective meaning doesnt exist, subjective meaning can give each one of us our own definition of what meaning is, which in this case is something to do. Even though the culmination of these events will ultimately lead to nothing, it doesnt mean that they were a complete waste of time since they gave us something to do (. The same can be said about the birds and the glowworms. Their lives have no end goal as their lives were nothing but a never-ending cycle, but it gave them something to do in life no matter how meaningless it may seem to someone looking from the outside in. The most important point Taylor makes is that the tasks we do can have meaning to us, but another individual looking in could see the exact same task as being meaningless, and that is to be expected. Subjective meaning depends on the exact moment in time, which relates to such expressions as live in the moment or Carpe Diem, because after that moment has passed, all the meaning that is associated with it disappears. People like to believe that what theyre doing will always have meaning in one form or another, and as long as they believe in that, they are in a better state of mind than believing that everything in life is meaningless and that we should only strive to live as long as we can. This can be seen as living in denial, but emotions are something humans unlike many animals live with on a minutely basis and must be accounted for. Furthermore, although Camus position makes logical sense, it makes little to know emotional sense since it does not account for the human aspect of life. CITATIONS Barnett, Richard. An absurd faith: Camus and The Myth of Sisyphus. Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. http://web. archive. org/web/20071012140207/http://www. geocities. com/a_and_e_uk/Sisyphus. htm (accessed March 19, 2013). (Only for research purposes) Lane , Bob. The Absurd Hero. Vancouver Island University, Degree Programs Canada Master Bachelor Education Degrees Canada | VIU. http://records. viu. ca/www/ipp/absurd. htm (accessed March 19, 2013). Klemke, E. D. , and Steven M. Cahn. Albert Camus: The Myth of Sisyphus. In _The meaning of life: a reader_. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. 72-82. Klemke, E. D. , and Steven M. Cahn. Richard Taylor: The Meaning of Life. In _The meaning of life: a reader_. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. 134-143. The Meaning of life: Richard Taylor. Cengage. www. cengage. com/philosophy/book_content/1439046948_feinberg/introductions/part_5/ch19/Life_Taylor. html (accessed March 19, 2013). Tomo, Ramirez. Camus, Sisyphus Taylor, The Meaning of Life. Deanza. edu. www. deanza. edu/faculty/ramireztono/phil01/camustaylornotes. pdf (accessed March 19, 2013).

Kant: The Pursuit of Fundamental Freedom Essay -- essays research pape

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are the signs that all men deserve a fundamental freedom. The fact that man has the ability of reasoning calls for the need of a self-government. Reasoning will help the world progress towards an ideal society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mankind declares its independence from other species of animals through the use of reason. The mind of man creates all the difference as he is able to choose his own way of life. However, with this gift from nature comes a negative factor that each individual human must face. As discussed by other philosophers, man is a self-interested creature. If every man does whatever he wants in life, society would be destroyed. In order to keep society away from chaos, a government needs to be enforced in order to keep m...

Abolition of the Death Penalty

Jeremy Brooks Suzanne Gerbasi Coms 101-37 10/30/12 Persuasive Speech Topic: Abolition of the Death Penalty General Purpose: To Persuade Specific purpose: To persuade my audience that we should abolish the death penalty in California. Central Idea: The death penalty should be abolished because of the inefficiency of the legal system, its high economic cost, and its moral implications. I. Introduction When I joined the current debate team in high school, I knew I would have to learn to respect and accept points of view different than my own.Arguing both sides of a hot topic taught me to value the merit of my opposition’s points. With much research and an open-mind, I even came to change my opinions on many issues—including my support of California’s death penalty. After getting down to brass tacks and really looking at the facts, I concluded that the negatives far outweigh any positives of the death penalty. Along with the extremely high costs, it uses up countless hours of court time and often discriminates against certain groups of people.While other countries have moved forward and outlawed this practice, we remain clinging to an idea that is no longer practical or ethical in today’s world. California needs to abolish the death penalty and save our time, tax dollars, and innocent people’s lives. You would think that keeping someone alive for the rest of their life would be a greater financial burden then simply condemning them to their death, right? Wrong. In this counter-intuitive situation, executing a person is a much more complicated process than it seems.When you add up the costs of pre-trial legalities, the actual trials themselves, appeal court cases, and the necessary incarceration of convicts in maximum-security prisons, the total has robbed Californians of an exorbitant amount of money. Exactly how much is that? Well, a study by Judge Arthur Alarcon and Prof. Paula Mitchell  concluded that the death penalty in Cal ifornia has cost us more than $4 billion since 1978. Furthermore, according to the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice, the death penalty policy is currently costing our state at least $137 million each year.Now compare this to the cost of a life without parole system-which would only cost the state $11. 5 million a year. Do the math; a switch to this kind of system would save more than $125 million dollars annually- that isn’t mere pocket change. Now let’s take a look at how well the death penalty works in practice. To give you a picture of how inefficient California’s death penalty system is, according to the Death Penalty Information Center- 86% of inmates die from other causes before they can be executed.This is because inmates spend their time appealing, finding expert witnesses, and looking for loopholes in the system to drag out the court process. This takes up the valuable time of our limited resources of qualified judges and lawy ers. By switching to a system that gives convicted felons life without parole, we would bring inmates to a similar standard of other prisoners convicted of serious felonies. This would restore valuable court time to judges and lawyers while still making sure that the lawbreakers are given the punishment they deserve.So what happens when it actually comes to executing people? The death penalty has proven to be unfairly biased in many ways by the human rights organization Amnesty International. First of all, it is racially biased. Amnesty International’s research has found that, â€Å"Since 1977, the overwhelming majority of death row defendants (77%) have been executed for killing white victims, even though African-Americans make up about half of all homicide victims. † Secondly, the death penalty doesn’t take mental illness into account. Therefore, dozens of prisoners have been executed despite their disabilities.Third, most people sentenced to death cannot affo rd to hire their own attorney. This means the state has to provide them with an unmotivated lawyer who will not likely present his best case possible. In addition, political factors, chance, and location can all decide whether a person lives or dies. Do we really want to make such an important decision- condemning a person to death- when such arbitrary conditions are present? Take into account that I have not even mentioned up to now the many times we have gotten it wrong and executed or had to release innocent victims.Amnesty reports that more than 140 people have been cleared from crimes after being sentenced to die. I certainly don’t want that hanging over my conscience. To be fair, since I have said why we should abolish the death penalty I suppose it is fair to give the two main arguments in favor of the death penalty a chance. One main reason I hear people say they support the death penalty is because it is a deterrent that scares people into cooperating. However, there is no evidence to suggest that this is true. In fact, there is evidence to support that opposite.FBI data shows that the states without a death penalty have lower homicide rates on average. Also, most homicides happen on a whim- meaning the killer probably isn’t clearly thinking through the consequences of his or her actions at the time of the crime. The other argument I hear is that it is cheaper to kill someone than take care of him or her until they die. Based on the data I provided earlier we know this is false. With a strong case for the abolition of the death penalty in California, it is time to let you know what you can do to make this happen.Besides educating your friends, protesting the death penalty, and joining nonprofit organizations like Amnesty International, the most effective step you can take today to stop the death penalty is mark a yes on your ballot next to Proposition 34. Prop 34 would change our flawed policy to the life without parole option I mentione d. This would save valuable court time, taxpayers’ dollars, and ensure that we aren’t being racially biased or murdering innocent people. Any way you look at it, the death penalty needs to die.

Inventory Control Essay

INVENTORY CONTROL Inventory is any stock of economic resources that is stored for future us e it is commonly used to store materials, in process packing materials, spares etc, stocked in order to meet respected demand or distribution in the future. Although inventory of any materials is an idle resources the sense, it is not meant for immediate use. It is necessary to maintain some inventories lot the smooth functioning f the organization. Inventories are essential: The following is the list of the major reasons for maintaining Inventory a) Protect against irregular demand: Inventories are kept to meet fluctuating demand. b) Protect against irregular supply: a strike by the suppliers employees is one reason why deliveries may not teach on time. Lacks of materials at supplier’s level, strikes in transportation network are other possible reasons for delays in supply. Inventory is used as buffer that can be used until late deliveries arrive. c) Protection against inflation: Inventories are often kept as a hedge against inflation. In this case inventories are building up in anticipation of price increase. This speculative practice is common in commodity markets. d)Benefits of large quantities purchasing quantities of an item often entities the buyers to a discount. Similarly in case of manufacturing large production lots, the utilization of make efficient automotive equipment can be equipment can be justified by reducing the per unit manufact uring cost. e)Saving the order cost: ordering in large quantities reduces the number of time the order must be placed and processed. Since the fixed cost of ordering will be. f) Other reasons: Inventories are kept for several other reasons; an Inventory may improve the bargaining power of firm with a supplier (or with its own employees) by making the company less dependent on them. Inventories are also kept so that machine can be shut down for overhear. THE STRUCTURE OF THE INVENTORY SYSTEM The Inventory system involves a cycle process, which is assumed to run over several periods, whose major characteristics are: a) Inventory level: an item is stocked in a warehouse, store or any other storage area. This stock continues an Inventory. The size of the Inventory is called the Inventory level (or Inventory on Hand). b) Depletion: the Inventory is depleted as demand occurs. Assume that one starts with an  Inventory of 100 units. As time passes the Inventory is reduced. The rate of demand can be constant (e.g three units every day). A constant demand reduces the Inventory leveling equal steps. c) Recording: to rebuild an inventory, the item is replenished periodically. When the inventory level is reduced to a certain level called the record point, a replacement order is placed. The time between reordering and receiving is called lead-time. d) Replacement, shortages and surpluses: in most basic inventory models, it is assumed that the reorder is scheduled so that the replacement will arrive exactly when the inventory level reaches zero. Such an assumption holds if the demand is constant. However if the demand fluctuates and the lead- time varies, the shipment may arrive either before or after stock is completely depleted, that is the depletion and replacement and replacement does not coincide. In such a case a surplus or shortage will occur. If the shipment arrives after depletion, then the demand cannot be met and shortage will occur. When the shipment arrive prior depletion, an inventory level larger than zero or surplus exists. e) Safety stock: shortage can be eliminated or reduced by deliberately building up a safety stock. It is extra inventory held against the possibility of stock out. f) The average inventory: the balance of inventory on hand in case of constant demand, it is about half the maximum inventory. g) Basic inventory decisions: the major decisions the management makes in the inventory area are: âž ¢ How much to order at one time (what order quantity should be) âž ¢ When to order this quantity (what the reorder point should be) âž ¢ Should safety stock be build up? How large should it be? INVENTORY CARRYING COSTS Inventory carrying costs refers to the cost of handling stocks. The following elements constitute the Inventory carrying costs a) Capital cost is an important item in determining the pest of carrying inventory. Capital cost is either the cost of borrowing capital or the cost of diverting companies finds to invest in inventories. The former means the interest rate the later implies the foregone opportunity cost. There are thus two methods of determining capital cost. The first method is to use the bank lending rate, if the money were to be borrowed. The other method is to  consider the opportunity cost of the money (the return that the money will yield if invested elsewhere). b) Storage cost; includes cost of storage (i.e. annual rent or depreciation), cost of preservation i.e. rust preventive oils and ‘eases), cost of record keeping, and cost of periodic/annual stock verification etc. c) Deterioration and. obsolescence: deterioration is the loss, from reduction in the inventory value due to one or more of the following reasons: The part/item/material may have limited shelf life and hence may deteriorate if stored for a long time, e.g. rubber parts may crack after approximate six months life, and for example, ammonia sheets may spoil if stocked beyond three months. The items also deteriorate when the storage conditions are inadequate, unsatisfactory or both. Some of the parts may also get damp, dried up, or spoiled Deterioration can also result from poor handling of the stores. Some of the fragile items may collide with other and break. This process of deterioration, thus, reduces the value of the stocks and they may not be now worth the value recorded in the accounts book. Obsolescence is the loss from reduction in inventory value of the items/ components rendered unusable by the company due to changes in design or due to development in the field. The risk of Obsolescence varies from industry to industry and is obviously greater than those industries where modifications are frequent and new, developments are regular. The problem is still severe in industries producing fashion goods. That is why many progressive business firms tend to get rid of theft surplus stocks which otherwise would become obsolete by some sort of periodic action such as clearance sales etc. d) Insurance cost: inventories, like other assets, are covered by insurance cost is thus the premium paid or payable to cover the company against loss due to unforeseen across such as fire, theft etc. PROCUREMENT COST: Procurement cost is also called ordering cost, replenishment cost or recumbent cost is the cost incurred to replenish the stock of an item. It is in fact, the cost incurred at different stages of the procurement function &  is obtained by dividing the cost of activities like requisitioning order writing, orders follow up, receiving and inspection, records keeping and bill payment per period by the number of orders processed during the period. Procurement cost, therefore , represents average cost to be expended to place an order and execute the delivery once. . Basic elements of procurement cost are as under: (a) Paper work cost: The procurement function is built around paper work since all orders, small or big, need paper work. Purchasing function sets out with paper work (materials requisitions) pushes through paper work (enquiry forms, purchase order forms goods receipt notes, inspection notes stores’ receipt notes) and ends up with paper work (cheques to pay suppliers invoices). The requirements of this paper v vary directly with the order frequency and its cost is considered as one of the elements of procurement cost. ‘ (b) Postage cost: Postage cost is the cost expended to mail documents necessary to the business transaction. Purchase orders are sent to authorize vendors to supply the goods, delivery schedules are mailed communicate immediate as well as future requirements, amendments to purchase orders are issued to alter modify quantity, price or other terms, goods inspection notes: are posted to acknowledge receipts of materials & inform inspection results, discrepancy notes are sent to highlight shortage in the quantities received, cheques are dispatched to settle suppliers bill etc. Postage cost is also incurred for the exchange of statement of accounts; debit notes credit notes & other documents required in the transaction. , (c) Follow up cost; Follow up cost is the function of seeing that the suppliers affect deliveries on time. The Follow up function nowadays has become the foremost function of the buyers. Vendors be it small manufacturers, traders or a supplier at a distance takes little initiative in delivering the goods on time. Major portion time of the buyers, therefore, is spent in purchase follow up; pre delivery follow up & shortage chasing. Telephones, trunk calls, telegrams & telex are the aids commonly used by the buyers for the pre-delivery follow up as well as for shortage chasing. The costs on such communication Medias is yet another major element of procurement cost. (d) Costs of visits to the vendors plants: Follow up with the vendors at times requires visits by purchase personnel & therefore costs of such visits are considered towards procurement cost. (e) Expediting cost: Follow up with the vendors enables buyers to secure advance information of expected delays. Pre-delivery follow up enables buyer: > To make alternates arrangements (i.e. request other suppliers for early delivery), > To decide expedited routing of goods from suppliers. For the single-source items, the buyers in the event of delaying may have no choice but to dire expedited routing of goods. The difference between the expedited routing costs and order routing costs, if borne by the buyer too forms a part of procurement cost. (f) Operating cost of vehicles; Vehicles are employed for collection & delivery of materials from/and to the vendors, collection materials from transporters I railways godown etc. The operating cost of such vehicles should be considered (if the vehicle is exclusively used by the materials department for buying materials for local market, to chase vendors and / or to bring goods to the plant). As yet another element procurement cost. (g) Inspection &.testing: Inspection & testing costs include costs of destructive test. Too frequent purchases increase inspection costs. (h) Administrative costs; Purchase is a major function & it requires performance of number of activities. Indents are to inform the purchase department of the impending need, inquiries are floated, .quotations received, rates are compared, terms of payment are looked into and then an order is placed suppliers whose terms are attractive, progress on the order is reviewed and follow up with supplier done wherever necessary materials on arrival are checked for quantity & inspected for quality suppliers invoices are received, verified and paid for. All these activities add — up into big expenses, the salaries  being the main expense. Other related expenses of these activities are indirect wages, gratuity, bonus ESIC provident fund, depreciation on office equipment etc. SELECTIVE CONTROL: Selective control means variations in method of control from item to item based on selection basis. The criterion used for the purpose may be cost of item, critically, lead to consumption, procurement difficulties, or something else. Various classifications are employed render selective treatment to different types of materials, each classification emphasizes in of particular aspect. For example, ABC analysis emphasizes usage value (Le. consumption of items in terms of money), VED analysis considers critically, HML employs prize criterion and 8DB analysis is based on procurement difficulties. Selective control can be divided into 8 types as per table: |Classification |Criterion Employed | |1.ABC analysis |Usage value (i.e consumption per period x prize per unit) | |2. HML analysis High-Medium-Low |Unit price (i.e it doesn’t take consumption into account) | |3.VED analysis Vital-Essential- Desirable) |Critically of the item (i.e loss of production) | |4.SDE analysis (Scarce- Difficult-Easy) |Procurement difficulties. | |5.GOLF analysis (Government-Ordinary- local-Foreign) |Source of procurement | |6. SOS analysis (Seasonal-OFF-Seasonal) |Seasonal | |7. FSN analysis (Fast-Slow-Non Moving) |Issue from stores | |8. XYZ analysis |Inventory investment | ABC ANALYSIS ABC analysis underlines a yen important principle ‘vital few trivial many’. Statistics reveal that just a handful of items account for bulk of annual expenditure on materials. These items are called ‘A’ items, therefore hold the key to business. Are numerous in numbers but their contribution is less significant. ABC analysis thus tends segregate all items into three categories: A, B and C on the basis of their annual usage .The categorizations made enables us top ay the right amount of attention as merited by the items. A-items: It is usually found that hardly 5 to 10 % of the total items account for 70 to 75% to total money spent on the materials. This items required detailed and rigid control and need to be stock in smaller quantities. These items should be procured frequently, the quantity occasion being small. A healthy approach ,however, would be to enter into contract with the manufacturer of this items and have their supply in stagger lots according to pre determine programme of the buyer. This however will be possible when the demand is steady. Alternatively, the inventory can be at minimum by frequent ordering. B-items: This item are generally 10 to 15 % of the total items and represent 10 to 15% of the total expenditure on the materials. These are intermediate items. The control on this item need not be as detail and as rigid as apply to A items C-items: These are numerous (as many as 70 to 80% of the total items), inexpensive (represent hardly 5 to 10% of total annual expenditure on materials), and hence insignificant (do not required loose control) items. The procurement policy of these items is exactly the reverse of A items. Items should be procured infrequently and in sufficient quantities. This enables the buyer to avail price discount and reduce workload of the concern department. Conducting ABC Analysis To conduct ABC analysis following 6 steps are necessary: 1) Prepare the list of the items and estimate their annual consumption (units) 2) Determine unit price (or cost0 of each item. 3) Multiply each annual consumption by its unit price (or cost) to obtain its annual consumption in rupees (annual usage) 4) Arrange items in ascending order of their annual usage starting with the highest annual usage starting with the highest annual usage down to the smallest usage. 5) Calculate cumulative annual usage and express the same as cumulative usage % so express the number of item into cumulative item percentage. 6) Plot cumulative usage percentage against cumulative item percentage and segregate the item to A, B, C categories. ABC Analysis can be applied almost to all aspects of material management such as: a) Purchasing b) Receiving c) Inspecting d) Store keeping and e) Issue of store f) Verification of bills g) Inventory control and h) Value analysis etc. Purpose of A-B-C Analysis: i. To separate the pre dominant few from vast majority of items whose annual consumption is very low. ii. To avoid to cost iii. To give selective control iv. For better purchase policy to give maximum attention to A items v. For better pre-design and pre purchase analysis vi. Effective value analysis vii. Realistic market research viii. Reliable source development and ix. Better follow up |A |B |C | |Very tight control on inventory |Moderate Control |Loose Control | |Only exact requirement to be procured |More or less exact requirement |On estimated usage | |Posting of individual issues in stores card |Individual postage |Collective posting | |Continuous check on production schedule and |Broad check |Hardly any check | |revision of delivery deals | | | |Very low safety stock if possible not at all |Low safety stock Bi-Monthly ordering or quarterly|Fairly large safety stock by Ordering | |Regular expediting and follow up & reduction in |Some follow up |No follow up necessary | |lead time | | | |Very Strict consumption control |Past consumption is the base |Desirable consumption comes with less attention | |Accurate material planning needed with respect to|Past consumption is the base |Rough estimate | |forecasts. Data base should be accurate & up to | | | |date | | | |Concerted effort of cost reduction |Moderate attempts are enough |Annual Review suffices | HML ANALYSIS H-M-L Analysis is similar to ABC analysis, except for the difference that instead of usage price criterion is used, The items under this analysis are classified into three groups) which are called high, medium and low. To classify, the items are listed he descending order of Unit price the management for deciding the three categories then fixes the cut of lines. For example, the management may decide that all items of unit. Price above RS.1000 will be category, and those having unit price between Rs 100 to R. 1000 will be of ‘M’ category, and having unit price below RS. 1 00 will be of ‘L’ category. HML analysis helps to # Assess storage and security requirements e.g. high priced items like bearings, worm wheels etc. (required to be kept in cupboards). # To keep control over consumption at the departmental head level e.g. indents of high medium priced items are authorized by the departmental head after careful scrutiny of the consumption figures. # Determine the frequency of stock verification, eg. high priced items are checked more frequently than low priced items. # To evolve buying policies to cntro1 purchases. e.g. excess supply than the order quantity may be accepted for ‘H’ and ‘M’ groups While it may be accepted for ‘L’ group. # to delegate authorities to different buyers to make petty cash purchases, e.g ‘H’ and ‘M’ may be purchased by senior buyers and L’ items by junior buyers. VED Analysis VED analysis represent classification of items based on criticality. The analysis classifies the item into three groups called Vital, Essential and Desirable. Via1 category encompasses those items for want of which production would come to a halt. Essential group includes items whose stock out cost is very high and desirable group comprises of items, which d not cost any immediate loss of production. The stock these items entail nominal expenditure and cause major disruptions for a short duration. VED analysis is best suited for spare inventory. Inflict it is advantageous to use more than 1 method. E.g. ABC & VED analysis together would be helpful would be helpful for inventory control of spares. SDE – ANALYSIS SD E analysis is based on problems of procurement namely: # Non-availability # scarcity # longer lead time #Geographical location of suppliers and # Reliability of suppliers etc, S-DE analysis classifies the items into three groups called ‘Scares’, ‘Difficult’ and ‘Easy. The information so developed is then used to decide purchasing strategies. ‘Scarce’ classification comprises of items which are in short supply, imported chanalised through government agencies. Such items are best to procure once a year in lieu of effort and expenditure involved in the procedure for import. ‘Difficult’ classification includes those items, which are available indigenously but are not easy to procure. Also items which come from far off distance and for which reliable source do not exist fall into this category. Even the items, which are difficu1t to, manufacture arid only one or two manufacturers are available belong to this group. Supplies of such items require several months of advance notice. ‘Easy’ classification covers those items which are redily available. Items produced to commercial standards, items where supply exceeds demand and others which are locally available fall into this group. The SDE analysis is employed by the purchase department: (i) To decide on the method of buying. E1g. Forward buying method may be followed for some of the items in the ‘Scare’ group) scheduled buying and contract buying for Easy group. (ii) To fix responsibility of buyers. E.g.  senior buyers may be given the responsibility of ‘S and ‘D’ groups while items in ‘E’ group may be handled by junior buyers or even directly by storekeeper. G-NG-LF ANALYSIS /GOLF ANALYSIS The G-NG-LF analysis (or GOLF analysis) like SDF analysis is based on the nature of the suppliers, which deteiir1ine quality, lead-time, and terms of payment, continuity or otherwise of supply and administrative work involved. The analysis classifies the items into four groups namely G, NG, L and F. ‘G’ group covers items procured from ‘Government’ suppliers such as the STC, the MMTC and the public sector undertakings. Transactions with this category of suppliers involve long lead-time and payments in advance or against delivery. ‘NG’ (0 in GOLF analysis) group comprises of items procured from Non-Government (or Ordinal Suppliers. Transactions with this category of suppliers involve moderate delivery time, end availability of credit, usually n the range of 30 to 45 day. ‘L’ group contains items bought from ‘Local supplier the items bought from local suppliers are those which are cash purchase or purchased on blank orders.. ‘F’ group contain those items, which are purchased from ‘Foreign suppliers’. The transactions will such suppliers, # Involve a lot of Administrative and procedural work. # Require initial clearance from government agencies such as DGTD. # Necessitate search-of foreign suppliers. # Require opening of letter of credit. # Require making of arrangement for shipping and port clearance. S-OS ANALYSIS S-OS analysis is based on seasonality or otherwise of the items. The analysis classifies the item into two groups: SOS (I.e. seasonal) and OS (off scasona1). The analysis identifies items, which are: (i) Seasonal items are available only for a limited period. For example agriculture products like  raw mangoes raw material for cigarette and paper industries, etc are available for a limited time and therefore such items are procured to last the full year. (ii) Seasonal but are available throughout the year. Their prices however are lower during the harvest time. The quantity of such items requires to be fixed after comparing the cost saving due to lower prices against higher cost of carrying Inventories. (iii) Non-Seasonal items whose quantity is decided On different considerations. F-S-N Analysis F-S-N analysis is based on the consumption figures of the items. The items under this analysis are classified into three groups: F (Fast moving), S (Slow moving) and N (Non moving). To conduct the analysis, the last date of receipt or the last date of issue whichever is later taken into account. and the period usually in terms of number of months that has elapsed since the last movement is recorded. Such an analysis helps to identify: (i) Active items which require to be reviewed regularly. (ii) Surplus items whose stocks are higher than their rate of consumption and (iii) Non moving items which are not being consumed. The last two categories arc reviewed farther t decide on disposal action to deplete t stocks and their stocks and thereby release companies productive capital. Further detailed analysis is made of the third category in regard to their year-wise stocks and the items can be sub-classified. As non-moving for 2 years, 3 years, 5 years and so on. XYZ ANALYSIS X-Y-Z Analysis is based. on value of the stocks on hand (i.e. inventory investment); Item whose inventory values are high are called X items while those whose inventory values are low are called Z items, Y items are those, which have moderate inventory stocks. Usually X-Y-Z analysis is used in conjunction with either ABC analysis or HML analysis.; ‘.X-Y-Z analysis when combined with- ABC analysis is used as under. |Class of Item |A |B |C | |X |Efforts to be made to reduce stock to Z|Effort to be made convert them to Y |Steps to be taken dispose of surplus | | |category. |category |stocks | |Y |Efforts to be made to convert to Z | |Control may be further tightened | | |category | | | |Z | |Stocks levels may be reviewed | | Basic (Wilson) EOQ model with infinite replenishment rate. Assumptions underlying the EOQ model: 1. The demand of the item occurs uniformly over the period at the known rate. 2. The replenishment of the stock is instantaneous. 3. The time that elapses between the placing a replenishment order & receiving the item into stock, called lead-time is zero. 4. The price per unit is fixed & is independent of the order size. 5. The cost of placing an order & process the delivery is fixed & does not vary with the size. 6. The inventory carrying charges vary directly & linearly with the size of the inventory as is expressed as a percentage of average inventory investment. 7. The item can be produced in quantities desired there being no restriction of any kind. 8. The item is fairly long shelf life, there being no fear of deterioration of spoilage. Nowadays an EOQ technique is not much in sue because an open order with delivery schedule can be placed on a supplier for all future periods. This keeps down the purchasing cost. With the availability of computer links (networking techniques/email etc.) between the buyer & the supplier there is no need to physically raise a purchase order, avoiding major purchasing cost. At the same time computer helps in ensuring Just-In-Time inventory. Limitations of EOQ The assumption listed above may not come true in real life situations, thus limiting the use of model. Price of material may not remain same throughout the year. Availability of materials is another constraint material will have to be purchased at the same time at which is available. There can be delay in real situation in placing orders since many times the calculated EOQ is an inconvenient number and some time is wasted in taking decision for rounding off this number. In real situations suppliers receive in irregular. Availability of materials is another constraint material will have to be purchased at the time at which is available. There can be delays in real situation in placing orders since many times the calculated EOQ is inconvenient number and some time is wasted in taking decision for rounding off this number. In real situations suppliers  receive an irregular stream of orders since the use of EOQ usually leads to orders at random points. If suppliers are allowing discounts and if quantities are purchased above a particular level, the discount will also have to be taken into consideration for fixing the ordering quantity. Also purchasing costs are nowadays reduced to a great extent because of computer links between buyer and seller. So in practice purchasing cost and inventory carrying cost are not exactly opposite to each other. Often the inventory carrying cost and purchasing cost cannot be identified accurately and sometimes cannot be even identified properly. Replenishment Systems: One of the jobs of the materials department is to ensure uninterrupted supply of materials to the production department. To accomplish this task, the materials department has to monitor the stock levels and place order regularly. Two questions that arise are- 1. When to place an order? & 2. What quantities to order? Two main systems are followed for the same. 1. Fixed order quantity system 2. Fixed order interval system Each system has certain conditions, which govern the circumstances of its use. Fixed order quantity system (Q-system of Inventory): Here the quantity to be ordered is worked out as the economic order quantity (EOQ), and the minimum stock level is also worked out. When the stock in hand reaches this level, an order is placed for a quantity equals to the EOQ. Features of fixes-order-quantity system: a) Reorder quantity is always the same, which is equal to the EOQ. b) The time interval between the orders varies. c) Reordering is done when the stock in hand is equal to safety stock plus the lead time consumption (this is known as the reorder level). d) Average inventory is equal to safety stock + Q/2. e) Maximum inventory will be equal to the safety stock + Q. f) Minimum inventory equals the safety stock. g) This system is normally used for items of lower value where orders are placed infrequently and the lead time average consumption etc. is fairly constant. To operate this system it is necessary to post the receipts and issues on the material card and a book stock worked out regularly. The reorder level is normally shown on the top right hand corner of the card; so that the book stock comes down to this level an order can be initiated. To simplify this system many firm use a two-bin system one is the main-bin & the other is reserve-bin. The stock in reserve bin equals the reorder level. When the main bin is empty it indicates an order has to be placed for the said item. Important formulae: 1. Fixed order quantity system: Reorder level = safety stock + lead time consumption Reorder quantity = Q Maximum inventory = Q + safety stock Minimum inventory = safety stock Average inventory = Q/2 + safety stock Total cost of ordering = no. of orders x cost per order = Annual consumption x cost per order Cost carrying inventory = average inventory x cost per unit x inventory carrying cost Total cost of managing the inventory = cost of ordering + cost of carrying. Fixed order interval system (P-system of Inventory): Under this system the stock in hand is reviewed at periodic intervals and an order is placed for which vary with the stock in hand, the review period is decided by the management and the consumption during this review period, and lead time consumption is worked out. The quantity ordered is decided depending on the stock in hand, so that the order quantity and the stock in hand will take care of the requirements till the next review period plus the lead time consumption plus the safety stock. Features of fixed-order-interval system: a) The interval between two orders is fixed. b) The maximum level (basic parameters of the system) is equal to review period consumption. Lead time consumption + safety stock. c) Reorder quantity equals the maximum level (as worked out above) minus the stock in hand plus stock on order. d) Average inventory equals safety stock + lead time consumption/2. e) Maximum inventory equals safety stock + lead time consumption. f) This system is used for high consumption value items (A category) needing a strict control. Reestablishment where large numbers of items are produced and a continuous sale is made as to follow such a system. Important Formulae: Maximum level (basic parameters) = Review period consumption + lead time consumption + safety stock. Reorder quantity = Max level – (stock in hand +stock on order). Maximum inventory = safety stock + lead time consumption. Average inventory = safety stock + lead time consumption/2 Total cost of managing the inventory = cost of ordering + cost of carrying. Problem based on fixed order interval system: The monthly consumption of a unit costing Rs. 400 the order cost is Rs. 36, and the inventory carrying cost is 1.5% p/m. if the review period = lead time = one month and the safety stock maintained is half the review period. 1. Fix the necessary parameters to operate a fixed order interval system. 2. What will be reorder quantity if the stock during the first reviews of 650 units. 3. What will be the reorder quantity if the stock during the second review is 200 units and also it is given that the order placed earlier has not yet been received. Given: Review period = lead time = 1 month. Review period consumption = lead time consumption =400 units. Safety stock =  ½ month’s consumption = 200 Necessary parameters (maximum level) = review period consumption + lead time consumption +safety stock = 400 + 400 + 200 = 1000 units. During the first review, The reorder quantity = maximum level – stock in hand =100 – 650 =350 units. During the second review, The above ordered quantity is still not received, hence Reorder quantity = maximum level – (stock in hand + stock on order) = 100 – (200 + 350 ) = 1000 – 550 = 450 units. Factors that influence the level of safety stock: a) Category of item: In case of ‘A’ category items where a better control is exercised it may not be required to keep a high level of safety stock. In addition to this a high level of safety stock and high value of consumption item will also increase the inventory carrying costs. b) Lead-time: Normally longer the lead time more is the chances of fluctuation and hence more is the requirement of safety stock. c) Number of suppliers: In case there are a number of suppliers available for an item, it is not necessary to keep high level of safety stock as any stock out situation can be handled easily from alternate sources of supplies. d) Criticality of an item: Safety stock for critical items needs to be high e.g. in case of packing materials the safety stock need to be high as stock cut in packing material will affect the delivery of finished goods to the customers, but in case of lubricants where lubrication can be delayed safely by a few days a lower safety stock can be maintained. e) Availability of substitutes: Lesser safety stock can be kept for items where substitutes are available easily. f) Possibility makes the item in-house: If it is possible to make an item in-house at a short notice on case of emergency. A lower safety stock will suffice. g) Risk of obsolescence or deterioration: It is better to have lower safety stock for items where the cost of deterioration is higher than the cost of no stock situation. h) Space restrictions: Restrictions in the storage space is another factor influencing the safety stock levels. i) Stock out cost/management policy: The cost of stock out and the management’s decision to allow stoppage of production due to no stock situation (depending upon the market and company’s financial conditions) also influence the decision on the safety stock levels. Service level The amount of safety stock needed to determine by the service level desired by their company. The service level id probably that amount of inventory had during the lead time is sufficient to meet expected demand – i.e. the probability that a stock out will not occur, a service level of 90% means their id’s 90 probabilities that demand will be met during lead time. Service level (SL) is the ratio of the no. The units delivered without the delay to the no. of units demanded. Thus, SL = No. of units delivered without delay / No. of units demanded. SL = No. of units demanded – No. of units short / No. of units demanded. SL Range: 0 < SL < 1 I.e. SL = 0 means complete delivery failure. SL = 1 means 100% service (No shortages) SL is expressed as a%. i. Percentage of stock outs = SL = No. of order periods when stocks were zero / Total No. of order periods x 100 This is indicative of the probability of being out of stock while awaiting a supplier’s delivery and is, therefore independent of the order size. ii. Percentage of stock outs = SL = No. of working days in which stocks were zero / Total no. of working days x 100 This ratio is a measure of the probability of being out of stock during the year. iii. Percentage of stock outs = SL = No. of units / No. of units demanded x 100 This ratio would show the average potential sale lost. Service Level is a target specified by management defined in terms of, a. Order Cycle Time b. Cash Fill Rate c. Line Fill Rate d. Order Fill Rate e. Any Combination of These. a) Order Cycle Time (Performance Cycle of Lead Time): The performance cycle is the elapsed time between the release of a purchase order by a customer and the receipt of the corresponding shipment. b) Case Fill Rate: It defines percentage of cases or units ordered that can be shipped or requested e.g. a 95% case fill rate indicates that, on average, 95% cases out of 100 could be filled from available stock. The remaining 5 cases would be back – ordered or deleted. c) Line Fill Rate: It is the percentage of order lines that could be filled completely. Each line on an order is a request for an individual product. So at order may have multiple lines e.g. when a customer order is received requesting 80 units of product A and 20 units of product B, the order contains 100 cases and two lines. If there are only 75 units of product A available and all 20 of product A, the case fill would be 955 (75 +20) / (80 + 20) and the line fill would be 50%. d) Order Fill Rate: It is the percentage of customer orders that could be filled  completely. In the example above, the order could not be completely filled, so the resulting order fill would be zero. The inventory function is a major element of the logistics process that must be integrated to meet service objectives. While a traditional approach is achieving a higher service level is to increase inventory, other approaches include use of faster transportation modes, better information management to reduce uncertainty, alternative sources of supply. While it is the task of overall logistics management to meet the prescribed service objectives inventory management plays a particular key role. Inventory Policy: Inventory policy consists of guidelines concerning †¢ What to purchase or manufacture †¢ When to take action †¢ In what quantity It also includes decisions regarding inventory positioning and placement at plants and at distribution centers. E.g. †¢ Some firms may decide to postpone inventory positioning by maintaining stock at the plant. †¢ Other firms may choose to place more products in local distribution centers i.e. nearer to market. Another inventory policy element concerns inventory management strategy. One approach is to manage inventory centrally. This requires more coordination and communication. Average inventory: Average inventory consists of the materials, components, work in progress and finished products typically stocked in logistical facilities. From a policy viewpoint, the appropriate level of average inventories include:- a) Cycle inventory or base stock or lot size stock: It is the portion of average inventory that results from replenishment process. At the beginning of a performance cycle, stock is at a minimum level. Daily customer demands â€Å"draw off† (consumes) inventory until the stock level reaches zero. Prior to this, a replenishment order is initiated so that stock will arrive before a stock-out occurs. The replenishment order must be initiated when available inventory is greater than or equal to the customer demand during the performance cycle time. The amount ordered for replenishment is called the order quantity. The average inventory held as a result of the order process is referred to as Base Stock considering only the order quantity: Cycle inventory or base stock or lot size stock = Order Quantity / 2 b) Safety Stock Inventory: The second part of the average inventory is the stock held to protect transit the impact of uncertainty on each facility. This portion of inventory is called safety stock. It is used only at the end of replenishment cycles when uncertainty has caused higher than expected demand or longer than expected performance cycle times. Average Inventory = Order Quantity + Safety Stock / 2 c) Transit Inventory or Pipeline Inventory: It is the stock that is either moving or awaiting movement in transportation vehicles. Transit Inventory is necessary to achieve order replenishment. From a logistics management perspective, transit inventory introduces two sources of complexity into the supply chain. i. It represents real assets and must be paid for even though it is not accessible or usable. ii. There has typically been a high degree of uncertainty associated with the transit inventory because shippers were unable to determine where a transport vehicle was located or when it was likely to arrive. Increase focus on small order amounts, more frequent order cycles. JIT strategies have resulted in transit inventory becoming a larger percentage of total inventory assets. Ownership of Transit Inventory †¢ If transferred at destination: It is not owned by consignee. †¢ If transferred at origin: It is owned by consignee. Just In Time (JIT) JIT is a Japanese management philosophy, which has been applied in practice since the early 1970’s in many Japanese manufacturing organizations. It was first developed and perfected within the Toyota manufacturing plants by Taiichi Ohno as means of meeting consumer demands with minimum delays. Taiichi Ohno is frequently referred to as the father of JIT Toyota was able to meet the increasing challenges for survival through an approach that focused on people, plants and systems. Toyota realized that JIT would only be successful if every individual within the organization was involved and committed to it, if the plant and processes were arranged for maximum output and efficiency, and if quality  and production programs were scheduled to meet demands exactly. JIT manufacturing has the capacity, when properly adapted to the organization to strengthen the organization’s competitiveness in the market place substantially by reducing wastes and improving product quality and efficiency of production. There are strong cultural aspects associated with the emergence of JIT in Japan. The Japanese work ethic involves the following concepts. †¢ Workers are highly motivated to seek constant improvement upon that which already exists. Although high standards are currently being met, there exist even higher standards to achieve. †¢ Companies should focus on group effort, which involves the combining of talents & sharing knowledge, problem-solving skills, ideas & the achievement of a common goal. †¢ Work itself takes precedence over leisure. It is not unusual for a Japanese employee to work 14 – hour a day. †¢ Employees tend to remain with one company throughout the course of their career span. This allows the opportunity for them to hone their skills & abilities at a constant rate while numerous benefits to the company. †¢ These benefits manifest themselves in employee loyalty, low turnover costs & fulfillment of company goals. From above it is very clear what it needs to implement JIT successfully. In fact it also suggests the critical reasoning behind the fact that why in India JIT is not 100 percent followed. One more significant thing to be considered here is the correct interpretation of JIT. JIT is more of a manufacturing & waste elimination philosophy than commodity purchasing technique. It originally referred to the production of goods to meet  customer demand exactly, in time, quality & quantity, whether the customer is the final purchaser of the product or another process further along the production line. It has now come to mean producing with minimum waste. Waste is taken in its most general sense & includes time & resources as well as materials. There are seven types of waste namely: †¢ Waste from overproduction †¢ Waste of waiting time †¢ Transportation waste †¢ Processing waste †¢ Inventory waste †¢ Waste of motion †¢ Waste from product defects Elements of JIT System Successful JIT system is the logical outgrowth of the combination of the following practices: †¢ Continuous improvement †¢ Attacking fundamental problems – anything that does not add value to the product †¢ Devising systems to identify problems †¢ Striving for simplicity – simpler systems may be easier to understand, easier to manage & less likely to go wrong †¢ A product – oriented layout produces less time spent in moving of materials & parts †¢ Quality control at source – each worker is responsible for the quality of their own output †¢ Poka-yoke – full proof tools, methods, jigs etc. to prevent mistakes †¢ Total productive maintenance – ensuring machinery & equipment functions perfectly when it is required, & continually improving it †¢ Good housekeeping – workplace cleanliness & organization †¢ Set up time reduction – increases flexibility & allows smaller batches †¢ Ideal batch size is 1 item per batch, i.e. single piece flow †¢ Multi-process handling – a multi-skilled workforce has greater productivity, flexibility & job satisfaction †¢ Leveled/mixed production – to smooth the flow of products through the factory †¢ Kanbans-simple tools to ‘pull’ products & components through the process †¢ Jidoka (Autonomation) – providing machines with the autonomous capability to use judgment, so workers can do more useful things than standing watching them work †¢ Andon (trouble lights) – to signal problems to initiate corrective action Benefits of JIT Systems JIT system has a number of benefits, few major are mentioned below: †¢ Reduced levels of in-process inventories, purchased goods, & finished goods. †¢ Reduced space requirements †¢ Increased product quality & reduced scrap & rework †¢ Reduced manufacturing lead times †¢ Greater flexibility in changing the production mix †¢ Smoother production flow with fewer disruptions †¢ Worker participation in problem solving †¢ Pressure to build good relationships with vendors †¢ Increased productivity levels & utilization of equipment’s It can be said in summary that JIT is the management philosophy, which emphasizes on the waste elimination as well as vendor integration to create certainty in the material planning process, which ultimately results into no inventory, & hence inventory control means to follow JIT. VENDOR MANAGED INVENTORY (VMI) VMI can be defined as: It is a streamlined approach to inventory & order fulfillment. With it, the supplier & not the retailer, is responsible for managing & replenishing inventory using an integral part of VMI, i.e. EDI, by electronic transfer of data over a network. It can also be seen as a mechanism where the supplier  creates the purchase orders based on the demand information exchanged by the retailer/customer. Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) is basically evolved to facilitate the operations at retail stores. It involves a continuous replenishment program that uses the exchange of information between the retailer & the supplier to allow the supplier to manage & replenish merchandise stock at the store or warehouse level. In this program, the retailer supplies the vendor with the information necessary to maintain just enough merchandise stock to meet customer demand. These enable the supplier to better project & anticipate the amount of product it needs to produce or supply. The manufacturer has access to the supplies inventory data & is responsible for generating purchase orders. VMI was first applied to the grocery industry, between companies like Procter & Gamble (supplier) & Wal-Mart (distributor). But if applied properly, VMI can provide the benefits of smoother demand, increased sales, lower inventories & still reduced costs of lost sales to the other industries. JUST IN TIME (JIT) – II VMI results into outsourcing of the inventory planning activity to the suppliers whereas JIT-II goes a step ahead where supplier manages the complete production plans. LANCE DIXON ther father of JIT 2 describes it as-: â€Å"This is the ultimate partnership program for the compatible customers and suppliers, because it is the next logical step in the application of the management cycle to the value cahin through management of time within the supply chain. It represents the use of alignment and mobilisation of strategies with suppliers using in-plant vendor representatives to achieve breakthrough changes†. JIT systrem was based upon the synchronised planning between the buyers needs and suppliers porduction capabilities.JIT 2 can be reagrded as a major catalyst for the productive change across organistions and qualifies a key component of the macro logistics management model.In other words, we can say that JIT system assures the uninterrupted incoming material supply as per demand , whereas the JIT 2 ensures the uninterrupted production from manufacturing lihnes. Infact JIT-2 eliminates the need for the sales planning activities for sipplier organisation and the puirchasing and planning actrivities from the buyer organisation,which were carried out independently. Bioth activitiea are carried out simultaneously in JIT-2 environment this results into more integrated and realistic plans to enable achieving targets It is based upon a mutual trust realtionship where the supplier represenataive is empowered to use the company’s purchase oreders to place orders, which in theory replaces the purchaser and the supplier’s sales person .In practice the supplier representative is brought into the plant on a full time basis. This person is allowed to attend any product design meetings for his product and has full accesss to all relevant facilities, personnel, and data. Purchasing staff is freed up from all the paper work and administartive tasks, allowing them toi cultivate other skills such as negotitiating and sourcing. PO placements and communication is improved;time is saved; material cost reduction is realized. JIT-2 provides a natural foundation for the EDI, effective paper work and administrative savings. Material costa re reduced on an ongoing basis. Supplier personnnel work onsite and perform various planning and buying aswell. Because supplier personnel interface daily, increased insight leads to fewer schedule change surpirises. This results in reduced inventory as the supplier plans directly from the customers MRP system on real time basis. JIT-2 brings considerable technical knowledge and support onsite involves purchasing to design and engineering. Supplier inplant reperesntatives aer empowered with the combined authority of the materials planner, buyer and supplier, resulting in a uniquely effective and empowered support role. Another advantage of JIT-2 to the supplier is that they usually get â€Å"EVERGREEN CONTRACT† which means n o end dates and rebidding.Coupled with EDI links and information technology exchanges, which arfe a p[art of the overall logistics packages, the JIT-2 concept can offera supplier a very serious strategy advantage. BENEFITS OF EDI: †¢ Increased internal productivity through faster information transmission as reduced information entry redundancy. †¢ Better accuracy by reducing the number of times and individuals involved entry. †¢ Improved channel relationships. †¢ Increased external producvtivity. †¢ Increased ability to compete internationally. †¢ Decreased operating cost through: a)Reduced labour and material costs associated with printing,mailing, and paper based transactions. b)Reduced telephone,fax, and telex communications. c)Reduced clerical cost. PERSONAL COMPUTERS: Pcs are influencing logistics management in three ways: 1. Low cost and high portability wih a capability of bringing accurate information to the decision maker whether in offfice at he warehouse. âÅ"“ Which markets to serve âÅ"“ Which product to pick next in thw warehosue âÅ"“ Driver reporting and delivery information. âÅ"“ Reporting vehicle location âÅ"“ Identifying lowest-cost fuel stop. 2)Repsonsiveness and flexibility offered by decentralised PCs enable more for service capabilities. The use of local area networks (LANs) wide arear network (WAN) and client/server architecture offers benefits of decnetralized responsiveness, flexibility, and redundacy while providing data integrated throughout the enterprise. LAN is a network of PCs that use phone lines or cable to commuinicate and resources such as storage and printers. LAN is resticted to relativiely geographical locations such as an office and warehouse, WAN operates across a wide geography; while the architecture uses the decnetralized processiing  power of PCs to provide LIS operation flexibility. Server is a large computer that allowes commom data ot be shared by a numvber of users. Client implies network of PCs that access the data and manipulate them in different ways to provide extensive flexiblity. The client/server network can globally track inventory in motion, provide shipment informatio to the customers when desired and also facilitate decisions regarding facility location, invenrotry analysis, routing and scheduling. ARTIFICAIL INTELIGENCE (AI): AI descrivbes technologies aimed at making computers imitate human reasoning and are concerned with symbolic reasonings rather than numeric processing. The applications of AI are : ââ€" ª Carrier selection. ââ€" ª International marketing and logistics ââ€" ª Inventory Management ââ€" ª Information system design COMMUNICATIONS: Historically logistics activities had a distinc disadvantage since they involved movements in either a transport ot material handling vehicle or were very decntralized. But nowadays information technology has significantly enhaced logistics perofrmance through faster and widespread communication. Applicatgion of Radio frequency (RF), satellite communcaitions, and image processing technologies has overcome the problems caused by porduct movement and geographical decentralization. RADIO FREQUENCY TECHNOLOGY: RF technology is used within relatively small areas, such as ditribution , to facilitate two-way information exhange. The applications are in: âž ¢ Real time communications with material hanlders such as forklift drivers and order selectors. âž ¢ Updating instructions and priorities to forklift drivers on real time basis. âž ¢ Two-way commuincations of warehouse selection instruction, warehouse cycle count verifaiction and label prinintg for guiding package movement. Satellite Commuincations: Satellite communication is used for providing a fast and high – volume channel for information movement around the globe. THE applications are as follows: âÅ"“ Communications dishes on the top vehicles allow commuinations between drivers and departures. âÅ"“ Provides uptodate infoormation regarding location and delivery and allows departures to redirect trucks in repsonse to need or traffic congestion. âÅ"“ Used by retail chains to transmit quickly daily sales bac to the headquarters that help in activating store replenishment and also to provide input to marketing regarding local sales pattern. POOR INVENTORY MANAGEMENT: It Exhibits the following characteristics: 1.An increase in the number of back-orders,indicating too many stockouts. 2.A constant number of back orders,but rising inventory investment. 3.A higher than normal customer turnover. 4.A increasing number of cancelled oreders from customers or intermediairies. 5.Insufficeicnt storage space for too much inventory. 6.An increase in the number and RUPEE value of obsolete products. All these symptoms have a large finanical impact on the firm | | |INVENTORY PLANNING METHODS | |FAIR SHARE ALLOCATION | |DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENT PLANNING (DRP) | Fig7 .2 Inventory planning methods FAIR SHARE ALLOCATION: It is a simplified inventory management method that provides each ditribution facility with an equitable or fair share of available inventory from a common source such as a plant warehouse. Fig 7.3: Fair Share Allocation The figure under reference indicates current inventory level, and daily requirements for three distribution centres served by a common plant warehouse. Using fair share allocation rules, the inventory manager determines the amount of inventory that can be allocated to each distribution centre from the available inventory at the plant warehouse. Assume that from a total inventory units of 600, (see Fig.7.2) it is desirable to retain 100 units at the plant warehouse; therefore 500 units are available for the allocation. The calculation to determine the number of day’s supply is done as shown below. DS= A + I/O where DS= No. of days supply for distribution centre inventories. A= Inventory units to be allocated from the warehouse. I= Inventory in units for distribution centre J. D= Daily demand for distribution centre J. In the above example, DS = 500 + (50 + 100 + 75 )/ (10 + 50 + 15) = (500 + 225 )/ 75 = 9.67 days Thus, the fair share allocation means that each distribution centre should be brought unis to 9.67 days stock. The amount to be allocated to each distribution centre is determined by the expression: A = (DS – I/D) x D Where A= Amount allocated to distribution centre J DS = Day’s supply that each distribution centre is brought up to. I= Inventory in units for distribution centre J. D = Daily demand for distribution centre J. Thus the amount allocated to distribution centre 1 in the above example will be: A = (9.67 – 50/ 10 ) x 0 = (9.67 – 5) x 10 = 4.67 x 10 = 46.7 (rounded 247 units) The allocation for distribution centers 2 and 3 can be determined similarly as 38 and 70 units respectively. The key feature of  the fair share allocation method is that it coordinates inventory level across multiple sites. It’s limitation lies in the fact that it does not consider site specific factors such as difference in performance cycle, time , economic order, quantity or safety stock requirement. Hence, the major limitation is the inability to manage multi stage inventories. DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENT PLANNING: DRP is the logical extension of manufacturing requirements planning ,MRP determined by production schedule that can be controlled by the enterpreise and generally operates in a dependent demand situation. DRP is guided by customer demand which are not controllable by the ebetrprise and operates in an independent environment where uncertain customer demand determines inventory requirements. Manufacturing requirements planning coordinates to scheduling an integration of materials into finished products. DRP takes over the responsibility of coordination once the finished goods are received in the plant warehouse. Constraints to the effectiveness OF INVENTORY PLANNING: 1. Requires accurate and cordinated forecasts for each distribution centre. 2. Requires forecasts for each distribution centre and SKU as well as adequate lead time to allow product movement. 3. The errors in forecast may exist because of prediction of demand at wrong location ———————– Distribution Centre 1 Inventory- 50 units Daily use- 10 units Plant Warehouse : Inventory-600 units Distribution Centre 3 Inventory- 75 units Daily use- 15 units Distribution Centre 2 Inventory- 100 units Daily use- 50 units

How to Ask Your Professor to Change Your Grade

How to Ask Your Professor to Change Your Grade At the end of every semester, professor’s inboxes are inundated with a barrage of emails from desperate students seeking a grade change. These last minute requests are often met with frustration and disdain. Some professors even go so far as to set their inbox to auto-respond and not check back until weeks after the semester ends. If you are considering asking your professor for a grade change, consider your actions cautiously and prepare yourself before making the request. Here’s your best chance: Step 1: Do everything in your power not to find yourself in this situation. A lot of requests come from students who have borderline grades. Just a point or two more, and their GPA would improve. However, being on the border isn’t usually an acceptable reason to ask for a grade change. If your grade is 89.22%, dont ask the professor to consider a bump to 90% in order to keep your GPA up. If you think you might be on the borderline, work as hard as you can before the end of the semester and discuss extra credit possibilities ahead of time. Don’t count on being â€Å"rounded up† as a courtesy. Step 2: Act before your professor submits his grades to the university. Instructors will be much more likely to change grades before they submit them to the university. If you were missing points or feel you should have been given more participation credit, talk to your professor before grades are due. If you wait until after submission, your professor will likely have to jump through a lot of hoops to meet your request. In some universities, grade changes are simply not permitted without a significant written explanation of the instructor’s error written by the instructor. Keep in mind that instructors are usually required to submit the grades to the university several days before they are posted for students to view. So, talk to your professor as soon as possible. Step 3: Decide if you really have a case. Review the syllabus and make sure your argument matches up with the instructor’s expectations. A reasonable grade change request might be based on objective issues such as: The instructor failing to count points you earnedA miscalculation on a particular examA problem with the online course’s learning management system that resulted in a point deduction A request might also be made based on subjective issues such as: You feel you should have been given more participation pointsYou believe your role in the group project was not adequately understood or appreciated Step 4: Collect evidence. If you’re going to make a claim, collect evidence to support your cause. Collect old papers, try to make a list of times you’ve participated, etc. Step 5: Discuss your case with the professor in a professional manner. Whatever you do, don’t be overly glib or angry with your professor. State your claim in a calm and professional manner. Explain, briefly, the evidence that backs up your claim. And, offer to show the evidence or discuss the issue in more detail if the professor would find that helpful. Step 6: If all else fails, appeal to the department. If your professor will not change your grade and you feel you have a very good case, you may be able to appeal to the department. Try calling the department offices and asking about the policy on grade appeals. Keep in mind that complaining about the professor’s decision may be viewed poorly by other professors and may have negative consequences – particularly if you are in a small, insular department. However, if you stay calm and state your case confidently, you will have a better chance of keeping their respect and getting your grade changed.

How Your Resume Speaks to Potential Employers

How Your Resume Speaks to Potential Employers How Your Resume Speaks to Potential Employers There are many reasons why you might want to update your resume. Perhaps you are seeking a promotion, or want to shift to another division of your company. Maybe the role and responsibilities of your current position aren’t what you expected, and you need to begin looking for a different job. Wherever you’re at in the workplace world, it’s essential to have a solid resume. Your resume is how you speak to potential employers. What is your resume saying about you? Here are six tips to consider when building your resume. To Embellish, or Not to Embellish In a study by Career Builder, over 2,500 hiring managers discovered applicants doing more than dress up a few things. 56% found applicants lying, with 54% taking liberties describing their responsibilities. A quarter caught people adding credits from companies for whom they had never worked! While it’s important to highlight your duties with a position, it’s vital to be straightforward when describing the scope of your responsibilities on your resume. Does Your Resume Reflect Career Progression? Your resume should be the story of your career; ideally one with an upward trajectory. Set the tone of the resume by including relevant experience or training for the job listing. Hopefully, your most recent job will fit; but if you’re still working on gaining career highlights, pull from another credit instead. If you’re switching career paths, or you already have varied work experience, it’s okay to structure your resume; for example, you might have one category outlining your research-based work, and a different group highlighting your people skills. Organizing your experience into categories allows you to present a fuller picture of your abilities. First Impressions are Important Many recruiters say that it takes them a mere six seconds to decide if they’re putting your resume in the â€Å"yes† or â€Å"no† pile. This is why first impressions are so crucial. You don’t need to use coloured paper or wild fonts, but you should give your resume some style. Remember, you aren’t trying to convince them of your design sense; you’re trying to avoid being tossed in the â€Å"no† pile after a cursory glance. Does your resume look original, and not based on a template? Even if you used a model to start, you can still give it a clean, polished look that doesn’t feel like a stark template. Are the length and overall appearance appropriate for the job? You want to make it easy to process with a quick look, as the person reading it might easily be looking at upwards of hundreds of resumes. Points to consider regarding appearance: Clear design with white space between sections Clean copy, with no typos or spelling errors Un-cluttered paragraphs Simple, effective bullet points Font Matters How you present your choice of words also matters. Font choice is such a vital part of displaying a favourable appearance that it deserves its own mention. The main point when choosing a font style is making your resume easier to read. There are a couple of essential points to be made regarding font choice: Choose a serif font for print Serif refers to those little tails or flags at the end of a letter - like this. Those tails are supposed to lead the eye forward to the next letter, making it easier to read, especially when you are reading a large number of pages. â€Å"Sans serif† means without a serif, meaning there are no added tails to the letters. Don’t be fashionable A common wisecrack is â€Å"Don’t use Comic Sans.† That’s because this niche font was momentarily very trendy and was vastly over-used. Know how it will be read Some fonts work better on paper; some fonts look better on screen. If you know how your resume will be read, then select a font that makes the most of that medium. If you’re not sure, fonts like Cambria work equally well in both media. Top Three Fonts for Print: Bookman Old Style Cambria Garamond Top Three Fonts for Online: Calibri Cambria Georgia If you want to delve deeper into it, there are many visually pleasing fonts that will assist in giving your resume some life and voice. Choose a font that is easy to read and pleasing to the eye, and your resume is likelier to end up in the â€Å"yes† pile for a second glance. Don’t Say Too Much It’s important not to bog down your resume with unnecessary details. Tailor make your resume to include specifics that make you a more desirable candidate. If a credit isn’t relevant to the job, remove it. There’s no need to clutter up your resume with experiences that don’t apply. Keep your resume clean; don’t add unnecessary flourishes. The same goes for introductions and cover letters. The ability to be concise will set you apart. Hobbies and Interests If your hobbies and interests are genuinely applicable to the job, by all means, add them. Be specific. Saying that you like music isn’t descriptive; saying that you have a membership to the symphony, or that you play with a band that goes to retirement homes is. Membership in groups like Toastmasters demonstrates a willingness for self-improvement, as well as an interest in public speaking. Bonus tip: Managing Your Online Presence Depending on your field, having an online presence could help you stand out. However, your online presence can also be a drawback. Companies and their clients don’t want to work with someone who will potentially bring them unwanted negative attention. Having a positive, work-relevant social media presence shows potential employers you know how to be professional. Always remember, anything that you put up online is trackable and could be noticed by the watchful eye of someone in your industry. Three ways to use social media positively: LinkedIn Make connections with business and colleagues Twitter Post relevant industry content on your @twitter account Facebook Have a separate Facebook account for work colleagues and your personal friends Follow these ideas and suggestions when you update your cover letter and resume. We’ve covered a lot, but taking it step-by-step will make the process less overwhelming. If your current circumstances leave you with little time, or you need help putting your best foot forward in print, can help. Whether you require basic editing assistance or are starting from scratch, our writing staff can help set you apart from other candidates. With over 200 professional, MA, MSc, JD, MBA Ph.D. accelerated writers, we can ensure that your resume is a step above the competition. You can contact toll-free at 1-800-573-0840, by email at sales@masterwriter.ca, or place an order online through our online service page.