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In my previous post, I noted the importance of the renaissance of RFID across industry verticals and what this means for pharmaceutical supply chains in terms of elevating their current level of performance. In this post, I want to focus on another emerging supply chain trend that seems to be gaining significant traction by allowing companies to increase operational responsiveness and flexibility. This area, known as supply chain analytics, hopes to allow for supply chains to quantitatively segment multiple data points to make fact based predictive decisions as a means become "data driven" and improve operational performance.
Supply chain analytics, a somewhat nascent yet growing business intelligence platform, led by companies such as Teradata, is proving to be a powerful force. While most companies across industry verticals measure supply chain performance based on what has occurred solely in the past through metrics, this approach will no longer be sustainable in the future. By contrast, analytics ties future and predictive performance together by analyzing trends based on millions of data points gathered from operational transactions in real time throughout the globe.
The idea of analytics utilized within supply chain management becomes even more important as companies look towards cost containment and freeing up working capital, risk management, sustainability, and increased visibility within their supply chains. Therefore, automating the entire supply chain through advanced modeling and predictive performance is not only here for today, but very well may be the way of the future.
The promise of supply chain analytics allows for "intelligent systems" to learn and adapt to how a particular supply chain is run and then make adjustments accordingly through advanced simulation and complex algorithms. For example, this avant-garde system allows for predictive buying and selling patterns (i.e. what is the supply chain impact of a particular promotional event or seasonal trends) to coincide with the proper level of production, inventory, and distribution to more effectively align costs with revenues. In addition, some companies are even using supply chain analytics software as a competitive advantage, to adjust their supply chains based on market conditions, weather patterns, or customer segments. This ultimately provides the correct level of "end to end visibility" of the performance of each specific node within the supply chain in order to improve responsiveness, contain costs, and improve customer service. Sophisticated modeling and analytics software may also allow companies to uncover data that may be overlooked within traditional ERP and CRM systems.
So what does this mean for pharmaceutical supply chains? For one, it can allow for issues and risks to be predicted earlier, such as seasonal spikes in demand and optimizing inventory accordingly. Perhaps this could allow for these supply chains to finally increase inventory turnover and velocity. Or perhaps analytics could provide a catalyst for pharmaceutical companies to predict CMO or supplier performance, allowing pharmaceutical companies to work with their suppliers before problems arise. While this is just a theory the basic premise is sound, using analytics to make precise decisions with greater agility and speed while having a full understanding of why certain events may or may not happen.
Considering that this is still an emerging trend, we would like to know your thoughts on the future of supply chain analytics in the pharmaceutical industry. Is your company currently utilizing analytics to align supply chain goals with corporate objectives? If so, how is supply chain analytics software being incorporated into your existing technological infrastructure?
Jeremy Friedler
Raja Chandrashekar, VP of High-Tech Industry Strategies, JDA Software | January 24, 2011
Supply chain visibility has become one of those universal goals – like profitability or high service levels – that every organization wants to achieve. It is certainly easier for businesses to ensure supply chain efficiency if they have real-time visibility into every aspect of their networks – including detailed information on products, suppliers, distributors, carriers and customers worldwide.
In order to achieve a high level of supply chain transparency, companies must share their technology systems and data with the dozens – or even hundreds – of suppliers, distributors, transportation carriers and channel partners that bring their products to market. This information may be seen by thousands of employees in every corner of the world. While there are doubtless benefits to be achieved, increased data sharing also carries an inherent level of risk.
Recently, global media outlets have been extremely busy reporting on damaging information leaks at consumer electronics companies known for carefully staged product launches. In June 2010, a detailed Windows 8 planning document was leaked, following a forum that Microsoft scheduled with computer and hardware manufacturers. A couple of months later, a Verizon Wireless inventory screen shot was posted online, revealing a number of new SKUs with specific model numbers, product features and even order quantities. Blurry Android product photos showed up elsewhere on the Internet.
With today's competitive pressures, short product lifecycles and continuous innovation, companies cannot lose sight of one simple fact: information is power. A potentially game-changing new product design will not change anything if key competitors obtain classified knowledge. As such, it comes as no surprise that – along with broad visibility – secure information management is emerging as a core competency for supply chain leaders worldwide.
Leveraging S&OP for Secure Information Management
Just as supply chain technologies and associated business processes have enabled the broad collection and sharing of data, these same tools and processes can help to manage inherent risks that come with collaboration. Involving trade partners at the last possible moment though real-time demand sensing, decision postponement and inventory agility – all of which are foundational strategies for effective supply chain management – can help ensure the protection of sensitive information. But because many high-tech product components require six to 18 months of lead time, some companies must bring their suppliers on board early in the production process.
Supply chain leaders in every industry are demonstrating that data can be safely shared across multiple trading partners – as long as this occurs as part of a carefully controlled, tightly managed, collaborative sales and operations planning (S&OP) process that spans the global network. From the moment that new products are conceived and production planning begins, these leaders implement strategic S&OP activities that involve their trading partners. Technology supports well-managed S&OP processes by ensuring a high level of collaboration from key suppliers while controlling their access to sensitive information around end products, launch dates and sales forecasts.
Sharing POS Data to Strengthen Retailer Relationships
The balancing act to ensure that there is information flow, cross-company collaboration and supply continuity while keeping critical competitive information under wraps can be tricky. However, some businesses are emerging as leaders in successfully bringing innovative new products to market — both securely and profitably.
Due to its focus on identifying consumer needs at the individual store level, a leading consumer electronics manufacturer generates a wealth of demand and sales information every day. As part of a collaborative S&OP process it executes in partnership with its key retail partners, the manufacturer uses electronic data interchange feeds and other communication tools that provide store level point-of-sale (POS) information for all of its products. Data arrives daily and is reviewed weekly by the manufacturer. "Slicing and dicing" this information in various ways reveals demand trends across the company's entire product portfolio down to the product model, retail channel, geographic region and individual store levels. In turn, these insights drive intelligent optimization engines to determine the most effective replenishment and promotional strategies in support of collaborative S&OP. These consumer insights also fuel future product development.
With this incredible level of visibility, the consumer electronics manufacturer has gained a significant competitive advantage and strengthened its retailer relationships. Its deep level of POS information allows the business to anticipate market shifts and monitor trends in real time.
However, this huge volume of data also presents risks to the business. Information security is paramount as the manufacturer collects and analyzes this information, sharing it selectively with retail partners to demonstrate its knowledge of their own shoppers. To protect this highly detailed consumer data, the company uses a number of closed-loop business processes, software solutions and user protocols to ensure that the information remains secure at every step. Both the company's retail partners and employees are monitored closely to ensure that key data and insights are accessed only by those who have clearance to access this proprietary information. By building data security measures into its foundational S&OP processes, the manufacturer can safely collect and protect an enormous amount of sensitive market data.
Earning Customer Trust as a High-Tech Component Supplier
As a leader in providing premier power solutions to global electronics leaders – including Dell, Intel, HP, Samsung and Motorola – ON Semiconductor understands the complex security challenges of high-tech component suppliers. In addition to building its global supply chain for agility and implementing collaborative S&OP, which are essential when supporting consumer product launches, ON Semiconductor uses closed-loop business processes and secure technology to safeguard all component orders, delivery dates and other data that could be used by competitors to anticipate a product launch.
ON Semiconductor strives to meet the stringent demands of its high-tech customers. These companies value trust and collaboration as much as they value high-quality components and on-time delivery. Due in part to its robust, secure business processes, ON Semiconductor is a preferred partner of consumer products leaders and their global manufacturing partners – all of which rely on the company to safeguard their competitive information.
Maximizing Collaboration While Minimizing Exposure
Robust S&OP processes such as those used by the aforementioned supply chain leaders requires close partner collaboration and the secure exchange of valuable information. Organizations that want to adopt a similar approach should bear in mind these four suggestions to minimize risk when sharing supply chain information with their trading partners:
• Synchronize and align product development with the rest of the supply chain. While many companies manage product development as an isolated activity, this is an area of the business where ongoing governance is most needed. The business rules, predefined partner roles, and permissions and authentifications demanded by a tightly managed S&OP process ensure that launch information is as carefully controlled as the rest of the supply chain's sensitive data. In addition, the overall supply chain can be properly positioned to phase products in and out, which can otherwise create a great deal of stress on operations.
• When launching new products, minimize the number of partners who are directly involved. Product launches are exciting events and it's not surprising that organizations want to share information about their latest innovations with all of their trading partners in order to strengthen their relationships. However, most product launches require the active participation of only a few key partners — and going beyond that limited network exponentially increases the risk that proprietary information will be leaked.
• Limit the amount of non-critical information shared with suppliers. Even when suppliers must be involved in prelaunch activities, organizations can make strategic decisions about when and how much information should be shared. The more sensitive the information, the more suppliers should be operating on a "need to know" basis. Suppliers play a key role in meeting launch deadlines, but do not need to know every detail about product features, price points or sales forecasts.
• Maintain and enforce strict confidentiality agreements. Every company should manage its trading partner relationships via carefully conceived contracts that, in addition to spelling out roles and deadlines, should also include strict confidentiality clauses and penalties if they are violated. Such contracts remind partners that data security is a shared responsibility and that information access should be limited within their own businesses via passwords, authentifications and other security measures.
There is no question that new supply chain processes and technology have created enormous benefits. Today, information can easily and quickly be shared among a diverse, complex, geographically distributed network of trading partners around the world. Unfortunately, such speed and agility also create the possibility that sensitive information can be mishandled and shared with the world instantly – as shown in recent headlines. The "dual-edged sword" of visibility makes it imperative that organizations complement their speed and power with an equal measure of discipline and control.
Robert J. Bowman, SupplyChainBrain | March 07, 2011
The warning signs are there for all to see. Just last week, the price of oil topped $100 a barrel for the first time in three years. And, despite an upbeat message from Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 58 points at the end of February, with investors clearly worried about the impact of higher commodity prices. Even without fuel and food, the recent release of the Consumer Price Index saw some of the largest increases in recent history.
You don't have to look far to discover the causes. In addition to bad weather all over the globe, the remarkable series of popular uprisings across Northern Africa and the Middle East is threatening to topple any number of autocrats and aging dictators. And while that's good news for lovers of democracy, the situation creates massive uncertainties about the future price and supply of oil and other key commodities.
But perhaps "uncertainty" is the wrong word. Because one thing is certain: fuel prices are going up. Don't be shocked to see gasoline at $4 a gallon this summer, or crude oil passing the $100-a-barrel benchmark without slowing down.
In fact, oil is just one of many commodities that global businesses need to be worrying about right now. (Copper and cotton are also seeing big price increases.) The key to a successful supply chain used to lie in cheap manufacturing. Now it's all about how you cope with volatility in commodity markets.
Manufacturers are responding by beefing up stocks of commodities and raw materials, locking into current prices. That strategy, according to the Institute for Supply Management, has been driving up inventories for some time now. (February broke a seven-month streak of rising inventory levels, ISM reports. Companies are borrowing for that purpose – yes, banks are finally beginning to lend again – and the resulting infusion of fresh funds into the U.S. economy threatens to fuel inflation. Which, of course, gives consumer-goods producers yet another reason to jack up prices at the shelf.
At times like these – just prior to what appears to be a big leap in commodity prices – smart companies like to engage in hedging strategies. Southwest Airlines is well-known for its forward-buying of jet fuel in the early 2000s, a strategy that served it well when oil prices soared, then backfired when they declined. Paul Martyn, vice president of marketing with supplier-management expert BravoSolution, says this is a good moment to be thinking about such a move again.
"It's an interesting time to be hedging against long-term inflation, and at the same time keeping enough supply flexible in commitment to take advantage of ripe opportunities," says Martyn. The question, of course, always remains: are we at the peak of this particular pricing trend in critical materials, or is there room for further increases? When it comes to oil, I haven't heard anyone who believes the price is about to level off, much less drop.
Companies have paid the price of being too cautious in their inventory strategies before. Global demand for coffee fell off sharply in 2008 and 2009, Martyn notes, and suppliers reacted by cutting production. Then bad weather in Asia and Latin America caused a serious shortfall in supply, causing coffee prices to skyrocket. "An aggressive company could have gone in there and taken advantage by building up inventory," Martyn says. "It would have been a dominant strategy."
Which way to go now? Martyn says purchasing managers need to align themselves with finance and operations in order to assess the situation properly. Currency valuation is another possible area where hedging might be called for.
Whatever you decide, don't do it purely for the sake of speculation. The goal of hedging should be to take risk off the table, not increase it, says Jason Busch, managing director of Azul Partners. It's one thing for Apple Inc. to buy up most of the world's supply of flash memory or LCD touchscreens for its iPhones and iPads. That's to ensure that the company has enough capacity to meet demand, while squelching similar efforts by its competition. Or maybe a high-tech manufacturer has a chance to pick up extra supplies of a rare earth metal like tantalum, which is in perpetual short supply. But if all you're doing is playing the commodities market, "that's bad," Busch says. "Speculation is a game for traders, trading companies and investors."
Hedging also entails some accounting issues. Busch says the purchaser needs to mark an asset at its current value on a quarterly basis, which is fine if the locked-in price remains below market levels. But if the company's long-term cost begins to exceed the market rate, then the implications on its balance sheet can be severe.
In any case, there's more than one way to engage in the hedging of commodities. "The most important thing is creating transparency," says Busch. "It's critical to understand not only what you're buying, but what your suppliers are buying as well."
The answer might be as basic as solidifying long-term relationships with suppliers. Those who make the effort find themselves with access to key materials when stocks are low, says Martyn.
Right now, with commodity prices and consumer demand on the rise once more, the biggest risk for manufacturers is doing nothing. "History has shown that those that walk confidently and firmly are the ones that take advantage of these upswings and can launch their companies into a decade of success," Martyn says. "Those that sit on the sidelines as prices increase whittle away their advantage."
Young Chul Kim, Director of U.S. Product Management, TAKE Solutions | January 17, 2011
Cross-docking has emerged as a popular strategy for third-party logistics providers and organizations with extensive distribution networks. The practice of immediately converting inbound deliveries to outbound shipments offers significant financial and operational advantages. Specifically, it reduces inventory costs by eliminating intermediate warehousing activity. It also improves delivery times by making shipments instantly available for delivery — without the delays incurred by transferring shipments to and from a warehouse.
Effective cross-docking requires continuous real-time visibility of shipments as they move from the supplier to the end customer. Unfortunately, even with warehouse management modules supporting cross-docking installed, traditional enterprise resource planning technology doesn't offer the real-time visibility and accountability to optimize cross-docking efficiency. Because of their focus on the financial impact of business activity — including shipping, receiving and warehouse operations — ERP applications essentially overlook the importance of real-time visibility for efficient cross-docking of shipments. Furthermore, typical ERP systems string traditional transactions to be executed automatically to emulate cross-docking, without providing granular details specific to the cross-docking transactions.
Without the ability to track shipments on a real-time basis down to the level of individual parcels companies can lose control over inbound materials, increasing the potential for duplicate shipments, delayed shipments and other errors that can offset any gains in efficiency. This functional technology gap poses a significant challenge for 3PLs and distributors. Without tracking and tracing capabilities designed specifically for cross-docking, companies risk building up excess inventory and incurring the administrative overhead required to receive and process "rogue" shipments. Companies simply don't know the status of cross-docked items, which in turn means they can't fully control the flow of shipments from suppliers to customers or troubleshoot missing, duplicate or misdirected shipments.
Even with an existing ERP investment, organizations that want to achieve best-in-class performance in cross-docking will need to fill the gap with an additional supplier technology that addresses three key operational priorities for cross-docking activity:
• Visibility. Real-time shipment status, location and delivery time information available to customers, suppliers and third-party logistics providers.
• Traceability. Up-to-the-minute historical records of shipping activity, down to the individual parcel level, to isolate errors and bottlenecks, and simplify troubleshooting as it pertains to cross-docking.
• Compliance. The capability to enforce rules and standards that ensure shipment accuracy, timeliness and approvals.
Ideally, the solution should include an integrated combination of cross-docking components with real-time tracking and tracing capabilities to improve visibility, centralize receiving and distribution activities, and capitalize on the efficiency gained by consolidating shipments and optimizing delivery schedules. Consider the following "must-have" cross-docking solution checklist to help continuously improve key performance indicators and the customer experience:
Advanced Labeling. Suppliers must have the capability to generate labels meeting the requirements of the customer and the 3PL. The label should include a unique identifier — or parcel tracking number — that provides ongoing visibility of shipment status and history.
Distinct Tracking Database. Information on cross-docked shipments should reside in a distinct database that provides the audit trail on individual shipment status and a view of shipping activity spanning all suppliers.
Mobile Data Collection Devices. Because effective cross-docking requires the coordinated actions of a widely distributed team, mobile data collection technology is essential. Handheld devices should allow drivers and shipping and receiving personnel to scan inbound and outbound shipments slated for cross-docking. The handheld devices can communicate directly with the tracking database via a wireless connection or store-scanned information for batch uploads to the database at a later time. The devices should also feature the applications that enforce predefined receiving, delivery and cross-docking parameters designed to minimize shipping errors and subsequent returns.
Supplier Sweep Support. Cross-docking is focused on the receiving, staging and shipping of data in an optimal way from multiple suppliers. Often, 3PLs and organizations with extensive distribution networks want to extend the receiving process to their supplier to manage pickup to ensure just-in-time receipt to the cross-dock. Ideal cross-docking solutions support supplier sweep pickup of inbound materials to the cross-dock. While cross-docking is an appealing practice for companies looking to maximize supply chain efficiencies, it follows the same basic rule as other data-driven supply chain practices: You can't improve what you can't control. To achieve best-in-class cross-docking performance, companies must ensure visibility, traceability and compliance. Adopting this strategy delivers significant financial and operational advantages.
Milk Run Delivery Support. Many complex companies want to manage the delivery of cross-docked goods in the same system to synchronize the data and ensure traceability of each part. Cross-docking systems should support the ability to control part delivery and ensure delivery to the correct location and even, if applicable, the correct person.
Validation and Reporting. The cross-docking system must feature the search and reporting capabilities that allow a central administrator to perform end-of-day validation on materials on hand and delivered to help minimize any misdirected or duplicate shipments. The capabilities must support consolidation of information across suppliers and customers and allow the administrator to drill down to information on individual shipments.
Returns. The ideal cross-docking solution will also create a unique identifier that provides similar visibility and traceability for the returns process. Handheld data collection devices must also enforce compliance with agreed-upon returns policies.
While cross-docking is an appealing practice for companies who want to wring every drop of inefficiency out from their supply chains, it follows the same basic rule as other data-driven supply chain practices: You can't improve what you can't control. In order to achieve the utmost performance in cross-docking activity, organizations should complement existing ERP applications with integrated capabilities in the areas of visibility, traceability and compliance. Otherwise, expect to run the risk of multiplying the same inefficiencies that cross-docking is intended to address.
Source: TAKE Solutions
SupplyChainBrain | February 18, 2011
Analyst Insight: A remarkable number of executives attempt to manage large inventory investments with lots of data but very little information –just pages full of numbers, none of which is very meaningful without (often significant) effort. And, frequently, it's just data from the current period, minimizing the possibility of understanding whether performance is improving or declining except by working from memory at the very highest levels. The firm's owners, and the executives in charge, deserve much better.
–Ralph Cox, principal at Tompkins Associates
Surprisingly, in some very successful firms, the simplest questions are the most difficult to answer – basic questions regarding inventory cost and customer service performance. For example, reasonable questions, like the following:
"Are our order fill rates up for every safety stock class in each DC over the same time last year?" or
"Were our promotion lift forecasts more accurate for all product families this fall than they were last spring?"
If the answer is "no," the next question is sure to be "why?" Then the emails commence. Heaven forbid that the executive would want to understand to what extent each of the underlying driving forces or root causes contributed to any change.
The lack of easily accessible, meaningful information and the associated impediments to insight into inventory performance over time is a weak link, waiting to fail and hurt the bottom line. Selecting what to report and, perhaps more importantly, at what level of product, organizational and logistical aggregation to report and with what drill-down capability is an art.
Creative and thoughtful exploration of options – especially with the actual figures – can yield important possibilities. Having useful reports that provide quickly comprehensible performance change from season to season is a necessity for good inventory decision-making. The best reports are graphical and dynamic via the use of menus.
Business intelligence and data warehouse query tools have great potential for assimilating data and displaying just what is needed. The best of them are flexible and easy to evolve as events unfold – a crucial differentiator. However, the first step is recognizing the importance of viewing and understanding performance over 12 to 24 months to provide context. Then, expect clearer information from your systems and organization. The data is all there, but you need understanding – something infinitely more valuable.
Analyst Insight: As high-tech companies move forward into 2011, it is critical to develop a list of supply chain priorities for the year. Topping this year's list is a renewed focus on logistics and manufacturing outsourcing and an increased sense of urgency in developing the Chinese consumer market for new revenue. In addition, there is a growing need to create additional value from an often under-appreciated source – the service supply chain.
–Greg Hazlett, principal at Tompkins Associates
The past year's challenges have left high-tech companies with a new set of significant priorities for 2011. Below are the top 11.
Logistics and Manufacturing Outsourcing: Flexible organizational processes, technology and resources are becoming extremely important. Outsourcing provides the opportunity for high-tech companies to maximize results by focusing on core competencies, while delegating non-core processes and activities.
Globalization - China as a Consumer Market: Global business is looking to China not only for sourcing and production but for growth. Companies around the world are gearing up to begin selling or further ramp up sales capabilities into China's growing consumer market.
Reverse Logistics/ Service Supply Chain: The service supply chain helps companies differentiate themselves from their competitors while reducing costs and improving residual value recovery from their returned products. Transforming high-tech service supply chain organizations into profit centers will be a game-changer for companies in this industry.
Uncertainty: Today, uncertainty is certain. High-tech organizations must accept uncertainty and implement agile processes that allow them to move forward. The best strategy is to respond to uncertainty and make it an ally in achieving profitable growth.
Maximizing Supply Chain Flexibility: The primary factors driving this industry – frequent new product introductions, short product lifecycles, speed to market, new distribution channels, and changing consumer preferences – require more flexibility in supply chains than normal. Agility is an absolute requirement, while maintaining operational excellence.
Global Trade and Risk Management: Automating global trade processes will help high-tech companies enhance supply chain performance. Furthermore, effective global trade and risk management must address margin protection, brand integrity, and customer satisfaction.
Sustainability: In the U.S., nearly 70 percent of heavy metals in landfills comes from discarded electronics. Companies are fighting to be environmentally friendly and keep the costs of recycling, de-manufacturing and scrap at a minimum.
Tax-Effective Supply Chain Management: TESCM is the process of integrating tax planning into the overall management of the company's supply chain and is an important priority to be considered.
On-line Digital Content to Drive Product Innovation, Acceptance and Obsolescence: Audiences today can stream almost any digital content they want, at any time. Enhancements in digital delivery and usage, including cloud computing and mobile phone applications, are indications of market acceptance. How high-tech companies respond and innovate will determine what audiences embrace or reject.
Inventory Working Capital/Sales Optimization Planning: With demand returning, the "people, processes and technology" of Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning must be brought to a new level to enhance inventory turns while improving customer service.
Strategic Market Planning and Growth: M&A activity for technology companies is rising, due to recession pressures that created bargain prices for various technology companies. But risks persist, and success comes from gaining a leading and sustainable position in the served markets.
The Outlook
With these top priorities in 2011, high-tech companies have their work cut out for them. However, it is not as simple as completing one task and moving forward. High-tech companies will need to ensure that each of these areas are included in their continuous improvement strategies.
Analyst Insight: Research shows that more than 60 percent of organizations do not yet have an RFID tagging program in place. Many of the organizations that have implemented RFID have done so to satisfy customer compliance demands and have not used their RFID systems to enhance their own warehouse and logistics operations.
–Marisa Brown, director of APQC Knowledge Center, and Rob Spiegel, knowledge specialist
RFID is still in its early adoption stage, so should an organization consider devising a strategy to implement RFID? The logical question is "what are the benefits?" APQC's research on RFID tagging strategies found the most frequently cited benefit was improved distribution processes.
Working with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), APQC is able to bring additional information to light on the question of the benefits of RFID. Research co-sponsored by CSCMP, the Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Solutions Association, and the University of Arkansas found that RFID used at the pallet and case level shows benefits in reduced stockouts and improved inventory accuracy, which is one of the keys to an efficient and effective supply chain.
In one instance in the CSCMP research, inventory accuracy in a retail store using item-level RFID, relative to a control store without item-level RFID tags, improved by 17 percent. In addition to the overall effectiveness of RFID for inventory counting (close to 100-percent accurate), the research showed that the time savings for counting inventory – especially when compared to other methods such as bar-coding – is significant. In one instance, an activity that took only seven seconds for items using RFID tags required nine minutes when bar-coding was used.
The co-sponsored research highlighted another benefit of RFID: it is able to eliminate "frozen" inventory. In some out-of-stock situations the system "thinks" ample product is available when it is not. The inaccuracy could cause the system to not place a re-order for the product. Consider an example where the system thinks it has six units of inventory, the re-order point is five units, and the store actually has none. Since the store can't sell what it doesn't have, the number in the system will not get checked, e.g., it's frozen, and no re-orders will be placed.
This is the ultimate out-of-stock situation – the store has no product and will not order any product because the system thinks it has more than the re-order point. In the retailer in this study, after implementing RFID, the number of frozen items dropped to zero and stayed there. With RFID, in this case, all occurrences of frozen out-of-stocks have been eliminated.
The Outlook
The use of RFID in the retail space has potential benefits for customer service. Accurate and timely information about product order, delivery, location, and stock level help retailers to have the products their customers want when they want it.
With economic times remaining uncertain, more retailers and manufacturers are investing in reverse logistics systems to help maintain their margins and reduce returns costs. Most enterprise resource planning systems will provide some returns management capabilities. However, a more specialized reverse logistics solution will provide the functionality necessary for running a best practices returns process, ultimately reducing returns costs, improving process control and increasing efficiency.
–Derek Singleton, ERP market analyst at Software Advice
U.S. companies spent more than $100bn processing returns in the last year alone. An organization's capacity to profit despite these losses is largely based on the efficiency of their reverse logistics management. Reverse logistics software can improve the returns management process and reduce losses. In some cases, organizations may even be able to turn their returns process into a revenue generating activity.
While each industry will face unique reverse logistics challenges in 2011, we think there are three common obstacles most will encounter:
Tracking goods as they travel through the returns process - Poor product visibility in the reverse supply chain creates inefficiencies and allows for costly mistakes like the misplacement of a returned item. The issue becomes more difficult when products are not in their original packaging or when products have a short shelf life and need to be transported quickly (e.g., transporting a DVD title from a poorly performing store to another store that is selling out of the same item).
Companies need some kind of track-and-trace capability to gain better visibility into where a good is in the reverse supply chain process. For starters, companies can use bar-coding and radio frequency identification to tag items before moving back through the supply chain. Enhancing the visibility of inbound returns allows businesses to adjust staffing levels according to inventory fluctuations. This enhanced visibility also helps maximize the value of returned merchandise by creating inventory alerts when products are ready for resale.
Complying with government regulations - Businesses should expect environmental regulation around parts and product disposal to continue to tighten. This trend will be strongest for the recycling and disposal of e-waste, the nation's fastest-growing source of waste. In 2010, seven states added e-waste recycling laws to their books, and more such legislation is coming. With more states passing regulation laws, it will be more important to document compliance with regulations.
Reverse logistics software addresses this issue by automating compliance reports to prove that government regulations were followed. A reverse logistics system captures product data at each stage of the technical process and then produces compliance documentation in a customer report. Automating compliance reports eliminates documentation errors and reduces staffing requirements to produce compliance reports.
Adjusting to increased customer pressure - Customers are beginning to expect businesses to take back products regardless of the reason. Research indicates that customers will stop shopping with retailers and manufacturers if the returns process is a hassle. To avoid losing customers because of an unwillingness to accept returns, reverse logistics operations will have to become more customer oriented.
Reverse logistics software can move businesses toward that end by automating the return process. When a customer returns a product, reverse logistics software can automatically create a customer tracking code. With this code, customers can stay up to date with the returned product's status and location. This significantly reduces call center inquiries about returned merchandise and improves satisfaction. Systems further improve the customer experience by automating the credit process and reducing the time between the return and refund payment.
The Outlook
We expect more companies to implement reverse logistics software in 2011 as they recognize the competitive and strategic value of effective returns management.
Analyst Insight: With encouraging signs emerging of a moderate global economic recovery, many companies are preparing their global supply chains to resume a flow of goods that will enable business growth. Taking this change of pace into account, 2011 will be much different than 2008 and previous years.
–Gene Tyndall, executive vice president, Tompkins Associates
The complexities of managing global supply chains are becoming more prominent. During the unprecedented growth years prior to 2008, top issues surrounded volumes, lead times, and securing container space to meet delivery dates. During the economic downturn, companies were focusing more on costs, volume reductions and inventories. Now, as some growth is coming back, supply chain managers are discovering that recovery is not as simple as returning to the way things were in the past.
First, capacities are reduced. Ocean liner companies have decreased or relocated capacity, and even air cargo space is limited. As North American exports are increasing, positioning of containers and ports of call are not easily aligned with shippers' new needs. Until supply can catch up with demand, achieving efficient international freight flows will be challenging.
Second, multinationals are searching and finding new and emerging markets. China, India, Southeast Asia, Central and South America, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East/Africa are becoming more attractive locations to sell goods. This is challenging supply chains to extend into geographies that were not previously served.
Third, sourcing has been diversified. Many companies have spread out their strategic sourcing locations over the past few years, as their total delivered costs from China became better understood and increases in labor compensation and taxes became reality. Few have abandoned China for sourcing, but some have diversified to other Southeast Asian countries and/or to Latin America, among others. Just as with distribution, global supply chains are being stressed from new sourcing points.
Fourth, there has been a renewed focus on cost, speed and quality. Providing better information on the total costs, more emphasis on meeting just-in-time or delivery windows, and a higher focus on service quality all contribute to pressure on global supply chain managers to not only move the goods but to get them moved cheaper, faster and better.
Last, and certainly not least, is the increasing risk involved in global supply chains and the corresponding need for flexibility. Goods in motion for 8 to 12 weeks can create numerous opportunities for risk – security, weather, labor actions, and others. These can cause serious supply chain disruptions that impact suppliers and customers.
The Outlook
These five factors translate into new challenges for global supply chain managers in 2011 and beyond. Uncertainties are here to stay, and the challenges are different today. Back to the future will not mean business as usual. Global supply chain managers need to plan for the changes and contingencies, based on the new realities of their business objectives. The old ways will not meet the new requirements of today's global supply chains.
nalyst Insight: APQC has worked with a number of leading-edge organizations to learn how they design and implement responsive, cost-effective and efficient channels for the backward flow of returns. One aspect of successful reverse logistics is the strategic design of the returns function. The critical elements are gaining stakeholder support, identifying and solving the reasons for returns, and developing a sound disposition plan.
–Marisa Brown, director of APQC Knowledge Center, and Rob Spiegel, knowledge specialist
Failure to implement effective reverse logistics can result in numerous problems, including: higher and unnecessary costs; higher customer-service administration costs; greater finance, accounting, and credit issues; habitual product quality problems; messy, inefficient warehousing; and increased numbers of dissatisfied and lost customers.
Raising awareness is key to designing a successful reverse logistics program. The best-practice organizations APQC studied recognize the importance of reverse logistics initiatives in meeting the organization's goals. They implemented and continue to execute their returns programs in order to accomplish common goals such as increased profitability, increased customer responsiveness, and maximized asset recovery.
Cross-functional support for reverse logistics is also critical. Best-practice organizations create cross-functional alliances among the reverse-logistics team and finance, sales, procurement, manufacturing, and customer service. The alliances were involved in setting reverse-logistics and returns management policies.
Another important process is analyzing returns information to minimize returns. Reason codes – shorthand explanations for customer dissatisfaction – were developed to communicate returns information. The goal is to identify and correct counterproductive internal processes that lead to returns.
Finally, best-practice organizations make disposition part of the reverse logistics strategic design. The organizations work with customers and suppliers to predetermine disposition business rules to minimize handling and improve asset recovery. Innovative disposition avenues were sought not only to remain compliant with environmental regulations and minimize risk, but also to recover the most value from returned product.


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Happy trails indeed!
This little quilt-in-the-making is destined for a brand new little baby boy who lives in the UK. A second baby for our dear friends who are now firmly entrenched in Surrey.
Seeing as I made quilts for their first baby L, it's only fitting that baby E gets one too. What's even better is that we get to deliver it in person later this year!
Added to the mix are a number of other bits from the stash in blue, red, yellow and green and some solids in co-ordinating colours to create some reversed out maverick stars. I cut 3.5" squares with 2.5" squares for the triangle points. Each block is around 9" and I'v worked on a 5 x 6 block layout which will finish at a nice little cot size of around 45" x 54". Yee-hah cowboy!
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Happy trails....
Labels: Happy Trails by Benartex, maverick stars
3 comments:
By the time you get there this baby might get two quilts as well..ReplyDelete
I love it!! :o)ReplyDelete
It's gorgeous! I found your quilt on Pinterest and realized that this is just the pattern for my son's quilt. The splash of stars add just the right pizzazz!ReplyDelete
I was wondering ... I've already cut out all my squares for a nine patch to 2 1/2 inches. Do you know what size I would need to make the squares for my points? 1 1/2 inches? Just thought I'd ask since I'm a bit new to working without a pattern. Thank you!
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subset: commoncrawl


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San Antonio Residence and Rehabilitation Center
is rated 5-stars in health inspection, staffing, and quality measures
by the official US government site for Medicare.
San Antonio Residence and Rehabilitation Center offers the highest standard of care in our state-of-the-art facility. Whether a long-term resident or a short-term rehab patient, all our clients feel good about calling San Antonio Residence & Rehabilitation Center "home." We make every room and common area inviting for our residents and guests. The cheerful, warm staff and comfortable environment make our facility feel like home.


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In a pre-emptive strike against the expected announcement of a smaller iPad in the new few weeks, Amazon yesterday unveiled a series of new Kindles in both e-reader and tablet form. Must be nice to have a marketing machine so powerful that it forces all of your competitors to show their hands before you even publicly acknowledge the existence of a rumored new product.
Here's a quick run-down of what's new:
Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ and Kindle Fire 8.9″ 4G: Slightly smaller and lower-res screens than an iPad. Basically non-existent app selection, but Amazon Prime members get streaming movies and TV shows and Kindle e-books. Then again, so do iPad owners, via Amazon's iPad apps. The $499 4G model is too expensive for what amounts to a mobile video and reading gadget, but the $299 Wi-Fi model will hit the sweet spot for many folks, especially those who are tired of having their iPads hijacked by the kids for games and movies. Note that all the new Kindle Fire models are ad-supported (blech), which, combined with Amazon's admission that they're selling these basically at cost, would explain the low prices.
Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD: You can ignore the $159 Fire – if you're shopping in this category, you might as well pony up for the nicer screen on the $199 Fire HD. The Fire HD will challenge the Nexus 7 for title of best 7″ tablet, at least until a 7″ iPad is released and lays waste to the market.
Kindle Paperwhite: This will be the biggest hit of the bunch this holiday shopping season. An all-new Kindle e-reader with a better screen and a built-in light. The 3G model is $179, but I don't see the need for most people, since Wi-Fi is commonly available almost anywhere you go these days. Thestandard Kindle without a light has dropped to $69.


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Revenue and Regulatory Assessment Reporting
Water and wastewater utilities collect Regulatory Assessment Fees from retail customers. These fees were first authorized in 1993 to finance state regulatory programs. Investor-owned utilities, water districts, water supply corporations, and certain counties are required to collect the assessment from retail customers and send the amount collected to the TCEQ.
See an explanation of Regulatory Assessments Collected by Retail Public Utilities (RG-199) .
New Online Reporting Tool
TCEQ has transitioned Regulatory Assessment Fee (RAF) reporting from a paper report, with manual fee calculation, to remittance through the online Single-Use Non-CROMERR Submission System (SUNSS).
SUNSS offers utilities:
- online revenue reporting,
- auto calculated fee, and
- seamless transition from online reporting to online payment with credit card or electronic check (ACH) through TCEQ's ePay, or invoice by mail for those who prefer to pay by mail.
For instructions on using the new online system, download the RAF SUNSS User Guide .
Report your revenue and remit payment: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/goto/sunss/
For Calendar Year 2017, utilities will have the option to use paper reports or the online reporting system.
Starting for 2018 Calendar Year, TCEQ will no longer be using paper RAF reports. Payment is due January 30th of the following year.
Although supervision of public water utilities has transferred to the Public Utilities Commission, the TCEQ will continue to collect regulatory fees on behalf of the PUC.
For questions, please email email@example.com or call 512-239-4691 and ask for RAF
Yearly Financial and Annual Reporting
- Financial Reporting Requirements for Districts and River Authorities (RG-378)
- Water District Financial Management Guide (RG-080)
Please feel free to contact us for assistance.


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From the Netherlands:
My brother has become a father last week, and unfortunately, the baby has a blood sugar problem with his level, which was down to zero when they rushed him to hospital. I have searched the Internet especially for newborn babies with this kind of problem, but have not been able to find it. Do you know where I could find this specific information on the Internet?
You should go with your brother to your nephew's doctor and discuss this directly with them if your brother cannot answer your questions, of course. It is likely you are talking about a condition where the newborn pancreas makes too much insulin or is without the ability to generate sufficient sugar for energy needs. There are many different possible causes, one of which is a disarray of the pancreas insulin production called nesidioblastosis. All these reflect either too much insulin being produced -- a faulty thermostat, if you will or insufficient energy stores to provide glucose for the baby's energy needs. Thus, the resulting hypoglycemic emergency. Neonates with such problems sometimes have prolonged periods of times with hypoglycemia and so there is a significant relationship with untreated or prolonged neonatal hypoglycemia and brain damage seizures etc. In any case, you should get your information and specifics for this child from the doctors involved.
Additional comments from Dr. Donough O'Brien:There are several reviews at PubMed if you search under "neonatal hypoglycemia."
Original posting 6 Sep 2001
Posted to Hypoglycemia
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Last Updated: Tuesday April 06, 2010 15:09:26
This Internet site provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other health care professional.
This site is published by T-1 Today, Inc. (d/b/a Children with Diabetes), a 501c3 not-for-profit organization, which is responsible for its contents. Our mission is to provide education and support to families living with type 1 diabetes.
By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use, Legal Notice, and Privacy Policy.
© Children with Diabetes, Inc. 1995-2018. Comments and Feedback.


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Jerry Hicks, representative for free agent center Kurt Thomas, said his client is playing now solely to win a championship and feels the Bulls are closer to that goal than the Knicks.
"Kurt thinks Chicago has the pieces to win a championship,'' Hicks told The Post. "And that's the only reason Kurt is still playing — to win a championship. The Bulls have those pieces. Are the Knicks there? Do they have all the pieces? I don't know.''
Thomas, the NBA's oldest player at 39, had strong moments with the Bulls, who want him back. Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau was a Knicks assistant when Thomas played for the Knicks.
Desperate for a defensive center, the Knicks appear to be long shots. Thomas has spent the lockout in his hometown Dallas, where the world-champion Mavericks also may have interest in the TCU grad.
* Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul will be in Brooklyn together today, giving a basketball clinic and handing out 800 meals to Brooklyn families at a charity event to make up for the canceled Izod Center charity game, which had been set for Dec. 10. Today's event also will benefit Anthony's foundation.
Anthony and Paul will be joined by the Heat pair of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. The quartet's four-city Homecoming Tour was called off because of the tentative agreement to end the lockout. Anthony and Paul have spent a lot of time together this summer, on the basketball court in charity games, in New York, even in China.
The Knicks are so sure they can land Paul with their cap space in 2012 they only are offering one-year deals now. The Knicks realize they don't have the young pawns/draft picks to land Paul in an extend-and-trade, as their tradeable assets were shipped away in the Anthony deal. The Knicks would have been better off had the clause been taken out of the CBA, assuring Paul's free agency. Anthony told The Post in October, "If it works out and he comes here, you'll see a smile from ear to ear.''
* Teams reportedly will play two preseason games against the same team, geographically based. Figure the Knicks to face the Nets.


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These volumes contain the Approved FY06 Operating and Capital Budgets and amendments to the FY05-10 Capital Improvements Program for Montgomery County. In accordance with law, the County Council, after receiving the recommendations of the County Executive and the advice of interested parties through public hearings and other means, approved the budgets on May 27, 2005, for the fiscal year that began on July 1. These budgets reflect the judgment of the County Executive and the County Council on how best to provide a level of services and capital investment commensurate with the expectations of Montgomery County residents at affordable and fair levels of taxation.
The total FY06 Operating Budget from all sources of funds is $3,561,986,208, up $240,546,232 or 7.2 percent from the Estimated FY05 Budget. Because Capital Budget appropriations can be made for multiple fiscal years, comparisons from one fiscal year to the next do not provide useful information.
The County Charter provides for a biennial Capital Improvements Program (CIP). The biennial CIP permits the development of a six-year program only in even-numbered years. In the odd-numbered calendar years, like 2005, the County Executive recommends and County Council approves only a limited number of CIP amendments, in this case amending the FY05-10 CIP. Because it is a State agency, the CIP for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) is developed annually. In every year, the development of a Capital Budget for all agencies is required.
The Operating Budget continues our educational investments for our county's students at all levels. Once again, the largest portion of the Operating Budget is targeted for educational programs. For this fiscal year, Montgomery County Public Schools funding is increased by $112.5 million, or a 7.0 percent increase above the estimated FY05 budget. This supports the enrollment of 139,477 students, with an average investment of $12,287 per student. This budget sustains the initiatives of the past four years, including the expansion of full-day kindergarten to an additional 20 schools, class size reduction and curriculum improvements. For Montgomery College, total funding is increased by $29.7 million to $196.7 million, with the County's contribution to the College increased by $6.5 million to $76.3 million. This increase supports staffing at the new Takoma Park Student Services Center and the expansion of the College Institute Program.
The Operating Budget sustains the investments in programs and services begun in previous budgets, while funding a select array of initiatives. Ride On fares are maintained at FY05 levels, and service is expanded in selected areas. A countywide Gang Prevention Initiative offers programming within the schools, at selected community and neighborhood centers, and at the new jointly funded Crossroads Youth and Community Opportunity Center in the Takoma Park/Langley Park area. The Police begin implementation of a staffing plan, adding 34 new positions, of which 29 are sworn officers. Fire service improvements at multiple stations will improve response time serving our citizens and businesses in Germantown, Clarksburg, central Rockville, Laytonsville, Damascus, Potomac and neighboring environs. For our most vulnerable populations, this budget provides more than $19 million to acquire and rehabilitate affordable housing. A $3 million expansion of the Montgomery Cares Health Care Program begun last fall continues our county's commitment to provide access to health care. Funding for subsidy programs is increased. To reaffirm our county's commitment to seniors, a strategic plan and inventory of senior programs and services will be developed.
This budget, approved at the County Charter limit on property taxes, is balanced through a combination of expenditure restraint and revenue adjustments while providing our citizens with significant tax relief. A continuation of the Fuel Energy Tax scheduled to sunset at the end of FY05, the withdrawal of $30.0 million in PAYGO funding from the Capital Improvements Program, and new fees and selected fee increases cover rising program costs and modest improvements. A four cent reduction in the property tax rate provides tax relief, coupled with one-time rebates partially offsets rising property assessments for all our residents. An increased level of targeted tax relief is available for those on limited and fixed incomes. Adequate undesignated reserves are provided for unforeseen contingencies.
You are invited to read the contents of these volumes for a description of the Approved Capital and Operating Budgets and the descriptions of amendments to the FY05-10 CIP. Please call the Office of Management and Budget at (240)777-2800 for further information. This information is also available on the Internet on the Montgomery County home page at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/omb.
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Pastry Chef
Pastry Chef Hope Waggoner has loved cooking for as long as she can remember. She never outgrew her love for sweets, or for hands-on projects, so when faced with the decision of what to do after high school, she went straight to culinary school. Having grown up outside Washington DC, she knew she wanted to stay in a big city but also dreamed of travel, so she headed to Le Cordon Bleu in London. After graduation, she moved to the Bay Area to immerse herself in the ingredient-focused, slow-food movement. Her first job was at One Market, where she learned to put her education to work in a high-pressure, high-volume setting under the leadership of Patti Dellamonica-Bauler. From One Market, Waggoner developed her skills at 20th Century Café and Spruce before joining the Daniel Patterson Group. At Haven, Waggoner has developed an innovative bread program for the restaurant's signature "Breaking Bread" service, in addition to creating fresh, seasonal desserts that complement the daily menu.


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The Oneida Daily Dispatch (http://www.oneidadispatch.com)
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Rome, N.Y. >> NASA and the Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance have joined forces to grow the drone industry in Central New York and the Mohawk Valley.
The agreement formalizes a partnership in support of two elements of the state's Unmanned Aerial Systems strategy: the launch of the world's first 50-mile Unmanned Traffic Management Corridor and creation of NUSTAR, the most comprehensive UAS test facility in the nation.
"With this groundbreaking partnership and our $30 million investment for the most advanced drone testing in the country, we are establishing Central New York and the Mohawk Valley as the premiere destination for businesses at the forefront of innovation," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "By investing in this cutting-edge technology, we are creating a pathway to grow the upstate economy and create good-paying, quality jobs in the industries of the future."
The development of the drone corridor is expected to unlock a trillion-dollar global industry and attract businesses development and new drone technology to the state, specifically in Central New York.
Dividends are already paying off, as regionally based SRC Incorporated plans to initially hire 50 engineers following its announcement of a $65 million contract with the U.S. Army to develop a system to detect and defeat small drones.
Additionally, the company plans to add up to 1000 new hires over the next five years thanks in large part to the state's investment in the UAS industry, which is working to create an ecosystem that will attract companies to Central New York.
There are nearly 200 companies from across the world exploring investment opportunities in the region.


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This back support will provide the ultimate support for the hardest workers and most active athletes. It will help lower back pain by supporting the spinal cord and preventing additional strain from lifting and other activities. May also help treat symptoms of Lordosis, Sciatica, Scoliosis, and Herniated Disc.
Measure at the smallest point of waist:
***The contents of the Painreliever.com website are for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. You should not use the information on this web site for diagnosing or treating a medical or health condition. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the Painreliever.com website. Read Full Disclaimer***
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Here's a little of what we've been up to...
- At least once a week we've been going to the Library. We don't want our brains to fry over the summer and not remember anything when fall comes around. My son has been on a Star Wars kick. He discovered he can read level 4 books and is very excited and proud of that fact! We were able to join and complete a summer reading program which was great motivation. I was able to read 1 book....but, it was a long one so, maybe it could count as 2.
- We went on vacation! A 5 day tent camping trip. Cape Cod is only about an hour and a half away from where we live so, we decided what better (cheaper) way to visit the beach, than to camp. Camping with kiddos is a lot of work and preparation but, so worth it and so fun. I highly recommend. We were able to do some wonderful sightseeing, visited an aquarium, and of course the beach! We also were able to see some friends visiting family in the area, and that was a blast! They both grew up in that area and were able to take us to some local treasures...including a yummy seafood restaurant. I can never pass up seafood. We came home tanned, tired, and full of memories.
- We've been visiting some different parks around the area with spray fountains and that has kept us cool and occupied.
- We've been checking off our summer to do list. We were able to combine "having dessert for dinner" and "make banana splits" into one! This was K and A's first time having a banana split. I made them a little different than traditional but, they were still very delicious.
- I missed the "Best Fireworks in the country" and I only live a mile away. Still regretting that one. I will spare you the details but, let's just say I'm sure watching them on tv qualifies as extremely pitiful when you live this close.
- Lots of play dates. Though, it seems like the play dates have been rather heavy on the girly side. My poor son has kindly expressed his dislike and I promptly contacted a friend to set up a boy play date. Why do most of the ladies I know only have girls...or tiny boys?
- I've discovered The Boston Public Garden. Why has it taken me two years to go to this place? It is gorgeousness in the middle of the city.
I think I will stop boring you know. I hope to resume (somewhat) regular blogging. I hope you have been having spectacular summers!
What has been the highlight of your summer so far?
*title taken from the song title "Hot Fun in the Summertime" by Sly and the Family Stone.


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After losing by two points in its season opener Tuesday, the Laney boys basketball team was able to earn its first win of the season Thursday night and give Nathan Faulk his first win as the new head coach, defeating South Brunswick 59-47.
What proved to be the key factor to the win was the Buccaneers' downfall on Tuesday: free-throw shooting. The Bucs knocked down seven free throws in the final period to seal the victory.
"We shot better at the free-throw line, not exactly sure why we did, but you have to hit free throws. We did at the end," Faulk said. "It wasn't a pretty game, but it's a game you grind it out and win. I'm proud of our guys, proud that we stayed with it and got a win."
Sophomore Kirby Kealon and senior Ty Balcombe led the way for Laney with 11 points apiece.
Laney also won the battle on the boards, gaining 40 by night's end, including 17 from senior forward Tevin Jones.
After gaining his first win as head coach of Laney, Faulk is pleased he can now focus on the task at hand.
"Good to get it over with and move on," he said. "Obviously it's been in the back of my mind, taking the place of a legend in Fred Lynch, you want to get that first win as quick as possible."
laney 60, south brunswick 8
It took a while for the Laney girls team to get in gear, but once it did, South Brunswick stood no chance.
Behind Brianna Baham and Paulette Addison, who finished with 15 and nine points, respectively, the Buccaneers rolled over the Cougars.
After only leading 5-0 at the end of the first quarter, coach Sherri Tynes wanted her squad to relax and play their game.
"We played really tight," Tynes said. "We just have to find a rhythm offensively, but we had a difficult time with that tonight. They were very scrappy defensively, hats off to them on the defensive end. Fortunately, we came out in the second half, started our full-court pressure and half-court pressure and got a few steals and layups."
While the Buccaneers' offense was not at its best, the defense completely shut down the Cougars. All eight of South Brunswick's points were scored in the second quarter.
Nevertheless, the Buccaneers know they can still get better as the season progresses.
"We have to execute," Tynes said. "This team (South Brunswick) struggled a little bit with our pressure, but that's not always going to be the case. You have to be able to score with the half-court offense, and we struggled with that tonight."
Laney boys seal first win of season
After losing by two points in its season opener Tuesday, the Laney boys basketball team was able to earn its first win of the season Thursday night and give Nathan Faulk his first win as the new head coach, defeating South Brunswick 59-47.


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Home » M.S. in Education: Deaf & Hard of Hearing Education
M.S. in Education: Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education
Designed for:
Future educators who would want to teach children that are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
To start, you need:
- A bachelor's degree
- Pre-requisite courses
- ASL coursework
Get the details on admission requirements, processes, and timelines
Finishing will take:
- 2 years
- 68 credits
- Research Project
Begin your MSEd in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education program:
- Fall term 2019 (online)
- Our Fall 2018 cohort is full
Where you will take classes:
- Online/distance
- Hybrid
- Campus
Technology you will need:
- Computer
- Internet connection
Where this degree can take you:
- Teaching K-12
- Preparation for doctoral programs
What you will learn:
The masters degree in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education will instill the educational knowledge that benefits children, families, and communities.
Learning outcomes:
- Develop and apply foundational knowledge and theories of educational thought, including various epistemological frameworks to the implementation of their teaching practice.
- Analyze various linguistic, social and cultural perspectives in Deaf Education, and how they contribute to cognitive and academic development of students.
- Collaborate effectively in various educational settings with other service professionals who are involved in the education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students.
CONTACT USYou can rely on the people behind the M.S. in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education to help you grow into a mentor or teacher and take on leadership in the field of Deaf Education. Ask us questions—about the process, about the field, or about your career. We look forward to your contributions to this field.
Ready to get to know us better? Request more information or start the application process


text: Mint rare early Marlin model 70 papoose ... Marlin 70620 Semi-Automatic 22 Long Rifl... Marlin 60SN 22 LR 19" Barrel 70650 NIB 2... Marlin 60 NIB 22 Lr 19" Barrel SS 22lr 7... Marlin 60 NIB 22 Lr 19" Barrel 22LR 706... Guns Rifles Marlin Rifles Modern Semi auto Marlin Model W LR Rifle | 415 | 4 | Lc | 218.8893ms View Category Marlin Model 60W 22LR Rifle For Sale from Bradley Gun Works | Positive feedback: 100% View | Verified Seller | 3 Completed Sales View Sellers Items Description: This item is in very good overall condition, some wear of the painted surface on the receiver, a few minor scuffs on the stock and a small chip missing at the rear sling stud. Iron sights have been removed and are not included. Comes with a BSA 4x15 scope. Functioned perfectly during test firing. Standard 3-day inspection/return policy applies; returns must be preauthorized by obtaining an RMA number and refunds will not include shipping costs. Alabama residents are required to pay sales tax at the rate of 8%. Please email me with any questions. Read More Condition: See item description Caliber: .22 Long Rifle Location: AL Trades Accepted: No Read More Shipping Notes: Insured UPS with tracking number. This item must ship to a type 1 FFL holder. Read More Share Item Item #: 976967863 Bradley Gun Works Seller Since: Jun. 2007 Seller Level: Basic This seller is an FFL City: Brewton State: AL Price: SOLD Shipping: $20.00 (or Arrange local transfer) Accepted Payment Methods: Returns: 3 Days Your Recently Viewed Items


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HCMA, Kellogg School to offer marketing program
The Healthcare Communication & Marketing Association (HCMA) and Northwestern University's Kellogg Health Industry Management program will offer a strategic marketing executive program this October.
The program, according to release, will be led by Kellogg faculty, and will focus on "tracking trends, ideas and innovations that will reshape healthcare products," developing customer relationships, and analyzing brand building strategies, among other things.
"We are living in an era of big winners and big losers with careers hanging in the balance," said Mark Tran, HCMA's executive education committee chair, in the statement. "The HCMA and the Kellogg School of Business Management have designed this program to benefit marketing executives in the pharmaceutical, bio-pharma, diagnostics and medical device industries."


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This section contains 321 words
(approx. 1 page at 400 words per page)
The book begins in January with Dillard wondering where the tomcat is. A tomcat sometimes sneaks in through the open window in the summer leaving bloody paw prints on her chest and blanket. She cannot decide if the paw prints are a sign of a sacrifice or a sign of beauty. Now, in January when she hasn't seen the tomcat in many months she wonders where he is and if he is alive at all.
Dillard goes for a walk along the creek and notes her observations. She marvels at the water bugs, the dragonfly nymphs and mockingbirds. She then begins to think of other wondrous things in the world, like sharks. Her observations and ruminations begin to form around this question: "What do we think of the created universe, spanning an unthinkable void with an unthinkable profusion of...
(read more from the Heaven and Earth in Jest Summary)
This section contains 321 words
(approx. 1 page at 400 words per page)


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Part of the "Unwelcome Neighbors" series
On summer Sundays for more than 100 years, men from the small African- American community called Freetown would set up a tent on the riverside of the levee and wade out into the Mississippi. Taking care to pick up debris from the bottom and avoid sinkholes or eddies that might suddenly pull someone under, they would mark out the boundaries of a small area with long sticks wedged into the mud.
Then the baptisms would begin.
Women dressed in white with white headdresses, would accompany the baptismal candidates - usually children - to the water's edge. There, in that cordoned and sanctified square, the preacher would stand in the water and immerse each one.
River baptisms began in the era of slavery, continued through the years of Jim Crow, then through the turn of the 20th century. It was a decidedly modern twist that ended the baptisms in the 1960s in many of the communities up and down the river.
The combination of aggressive dredging and water pollution made wading out even a few yards into the river a hazardous proposition. River traffic -- big barges, tankers and cargo vessels -- ruined the quiet ambiance of the riverbank.
As a member of the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church congregation, Freetown resident Diane Honor was baptized in the Mississippi River in 1963. Her three children were baptized in a big tub at the church.
"Things have changed a lot," she said as she stood on the top of the levee across River Road from her trailer home, a rain shower dappling the water below. "We have lost a lot, and it's not coming back."
A sense of continuity and tension between the present and the past defines life in Freetown, where traditions are carried forward but tailored to accommodate modern restrictions and tastes. But in recent years the accommodations have weighed heavily on the 150 or so residents of Freetown. They live in an industrial zone, and industrial development is the official policy of the state and local governments. They fear their traditions and their homes have become anachronisms, either standing as obstacles to progress or doomed to be swallowed by it.
--- Caught in the wheels of progress ---
That fear is the key to understanding the anger and issues that have caused such political havoc over environmental justice in the small, unincorporated African-American communities that dot the Mississippi River and other places in Louisiana, wedged into the shrinking niches that remain between cane fields, chemical plants and piles of waste.
They once were all but ignored by government officials who made decisions on where to put polluting industries. Now Louisiana's historic African-American communities have become flashpoints for a controversy that is forcing a nationwide examination of the human effects of big building projects.
Their narrow streets bubble with conflicting attitudes and opinions, and are shadowed by a sense of desperation at sparse employment opportunities, anger over a decline in the quality of life and fear that a stray poison in the air may be the death of them.
"We are just trying to survive here, and keeping this up is one way to do it," said Dolores Simmons as she gathered with her family for a Sunday dinner in her driveway after church services one weekend last year, a regular custom. "But we know things are not the way they used to be, and we feel like we have lost our say over it. They are just rolling over us."
The area has become hemmed in by industrial development. At the end of Freetown, over the railroad tracks, is a large pile of gypsum waste put there by the nearby IMC-Agrico fertilizer plant. The American Iron Reduction plant is also nearby. The Shintech Corp. wanted to build a big polyvinyl chloride plant on cane fields just to the northwest. The controversy over it briefly turned Freetown into the focus of nationwide attention.
Family lore has it that Freetown was founded after the Civil War by a group of freed slaves from the Helvetia Plantation. They could make 50 cents a day planting, harvesting and processing sugar cane, and somehow they managed to cobble together $600 for a 180-acre strip of land perpendicular to the river. Such an arrangement was unusual for the time, when most former slaves lived as tenants on the edges of plantations.
Today, the land is held in trust for the hundreds of descendants of the original owners. The Youngs, the Dumases, Fettons, Esters and other families who still live in the area can all trace their lineage back to the original settlers. Many still live on the land, in houses or trailers. Others rent out their plots but live nearby and still return daily or weekly to visit. A few homes are abandoned, one burned out from a fire a year ago on New Year's Eve.
--- A harder, self-sufficient life ---
Longtime residents recall a past in which life was isolated and difficult, without much money to be had and few stores or services nearby. But they say the isolation carried certain pleasures of self-sufficiency and closeness to the land. They worked in the cane fields for a few dollars, but they could ply the river and nearby waterways for food.
"My family raised vegetable gardens, we had pecan trees, we used to pick blackberries and sell them," Simmons said. "Figs, we'd pick them off the trees. My father would cast a line and catch fish in the river, and my brothers would catch rabbits. We couldn't go to the store and buy meat, but we made do with what we found right here."
Residents raised cows, hogs and chickens. In the winter, sometimes they would slaughter the hogs and share the meat among the families on the street. Families focused their lives around the river. Simmons' relative Martha Young lived to be 116.
"She used to go over that levee to bring back wood on top of her head," said Alma Hayes, Simmons' older sister. "She could carry water and never spill a drop."
Young, who died in 1992, was the source of an oral history of the Pleasant Hill Baptist church that congregants wrote down, in biblical language, to honor the church's anniversary.
After the Civil War, Jim Crow laws and the harsh economic conditions kept former slaves in small settlements at the edge of cane fields along the Mississippi, scraping out a livelihood in exchange for backbreaking labor. But at the Helvetia Plantation, a group of recent converts to the Baptist church were determined to express their faith.
In 1886, "they started prayer meetings in the quarters of the home of one of those who called on God. It wasn't too long before they acquired a piece of land, some kind of material and sticks and built a tent behind the levee of the Mississippi River," the history says. "Because of the faith of devoted Christians, and their prayers to God, he moved in the heart of the boss and he told them that they didn't need to have church behind the levee anymore. He gave them a piece of land to be used for their building. When the news reached the other plantation workers' ears they rejoiced and went to work, gathering materials such as they could to start a building a little better than the tent."
The church has existed in several incarnations over the years. There were times, according to the history, when it ceased to exist altogether -- its building torn down, or when "Satan used his tool of discouragement" to divide the community one way or another.
Today, in its current incarnation, an unassuming brick building across the River Road from a levee in St. James Parish, the church comes to life every Sunday morning, led by the Rev. Virgil Scott. With a three-piece band and a sound system that fills every corner with a mixture of hymns and Christian music set to lilting R&B arrangements, its Sunday service is a mixture of reverence, personal exhortation and harmonies.
--- Problems of the outside, modern world ---
But congregants say the church has not been able to hold back a tide of economic and social changes. Always poor, the community today puts up with grinding unemployment that is as high as 50 percent. Drug use and alcoholism are common problems, residents say. Educational motivation is a problem.
"We don't have too many diplomas around here," said Mose Simmons, Dolores Simmons' brother. The family structure that defined the place has eroded as families moved out and more transient tenants moved in, and as mores changed.
"Any adult could whup you and nothing was said," Diane Honor said. "Today, you lay a hand on any of these children, or say, 'Don't,' and you're going to hear back from them on it. These children around here are not well-behaved."
As more modern subdivisions were built around Lutcher and elsewhere up and down the river, some of the more prosperous residents moved out. The residents who remain are people who love the place and don't want to leave, or people who can't afford to get out. At the same time, the nearby plants often draw their skilled workers from out of state.
"There are a couple of people from this area working in the plants, but that's about it," Dolores Simmons said. "I work in Lutcher, and every morning I go down Occidental Street at 7 a.m. The license plates I see are from Texas, Alabama. The money they generate is being sent out of here."
These stresses reached a breaking point in 1997 in the battle over the proposed Shintech plant, a fight that reverberated around the country as the Environmental Protection Agency investigated a civil rights complaint that residents made against the state Department of Environmental Quality for giving a permit to the plant. The fight divided the community on a house-by-house basis. While Dolores Simmons took the lead in opposing the plant, her neighbor a few doors up the street, Gladys Maddie, promoted it. The Simmonses view Maddie as an interloper, someone without a real history in the place; she has been living there since the 1960s.
"Look at this area now. This is a completely black neighborhood and it needs help," Maddie said. "If we had gotten a plant, it could have made a difference. But a group didn't want the plant. They said just keep your offer to help the people and go away. Some people here -- the ones in brick houses -- work in plants. They wanted it, but they were kind of complacent. They had a job, so they didn't care."
--- Bitter feelings linger ---
People along the street offer a mixture of bruised feelings, resentment and regret about the plant that never was. Some saw potential, albeit weak, for opportunity. Others said the chemical plants pollute the air and blot the landscape, and rarely hire people from the neighborhood.
"People are being misused in this parish," said one man, who gave his name as Warren. "It's a sin to treat people the way we are treated. Is it because we're minority ... black?"
Some residents talk about changing policies, luring other types of businesses -- firms that operate on a smaller scale, that don't pollute -- or putting a bigger emphasis on tourism in an area with such a rich history. But to any visitor the area is now primarily an industrial zone. There may be no going back.
A handful of other black communities along the river, with similar long histories and problems, have been bought out by their corporate neighbors.
"There's a good bit on welfare, and older people who are difficult to retrain, and education levels that are quite low for blacks as well as whites," local historian Norman Marmillion said. "They have tried to improve grammar schools, but the educational process serves as one of the forces to drive people out. If they don't have education, they stay. If they get one, they leave."
Diane Honor says she can't imagine leaving. But she wants her children to get out if they can. "I don't think anybody could pay me for my memories of the place and my family ties. This could not be bought," she said. "But if my kids can find opportunities, it won't be here. And they've got to go where the opportunities are."


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Conventional techniques for marketing technology products fail primarily because marketers do not truly understand their customers. Do you know what customers really think about your technology? Now, drawing on their award-winning research and case studies ranging from America Online to the Discovery Channel, marketing experts A. Parasuraman and Charles L. Colby demonstrate how the adoption of technology is influenced by unique beliefs that do not apply to conventional products and services. In the context of a general set of powerful techno-marketing strategies, Parasuraman and Colby introduce qTechnology Readinessq (TR), a groundbreaking concept that enables you to measure and assess a customer's predisposition to adopt new technologies. Employing their TR construct -- a psychological amalgam of fears, hopes, desires, and frustrations about technology -- the authors identify five types of technology customers: the highly optimistic and innovative qExplorers, q the innovative yet cautious qPioneers, q the uncertain qSkepticsq who need the benefits of technology proved, the insecure qParanoids, q and the resistant qLaggards.q Using this typology, you can customize your technology strategies by combining insights from your context-specific assessments with general marketing strategies presented in the book. Essential reading in technology companies will be the chapter devoted to Parasuraman's Pyramid Model, which explains the critical role technology plays in a marketing organization as a link between employees, the organization, and the customer. Finally, the authors have included a self-administered quiz so you can score your own Technology Readiness and a chapter on the qTechno-Ready Marketing Auditq to provide a framework for taking immediate action based on the precepts in this book.distance bill, pay their bill online, or sign up for serv- ice at their web site. ac Kaiser Permanente, a leading HMO, allows members to refill prescriptions through an automated telephone line. ac Marriott ... Perhaps the most profound role of technology is as a real-time channel of delivery. ... Verizon, a telecommunications giant and publisher of Yellow Pages directories, allows consumers to look up businessesanbsp;...
|Techno-Ready Marketing
|Charles L. Colby, A. Parasuraman
|Simon and Schuster - 2001-10-05
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At what point does our need to understand the horrific acts attributed to Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales deteriorate into a need to absolve?
It is natural to look at the photo of the earnest soldier, to read his biography, to listen to his friends and family and wonder how it could be the same man now accused of war crimes.
The 38-year-old Bales doesn't provide the cliches that allow many of us to think "no wonder," not like the former soldier who killed a park ranger at Mount Rainier or the Army psychiatrist who killed 13 and injured dozens more at Fort Hood. The former looked like a still from the movie "Natural Born Killers," the latter shouted jihadist phrases and had a medical record littered with mental health questions.
See? "No wonder." We shake our heads at the crimes but are satisfied that it all makes sense in a sick, disturbing way. Yet Bales does not present a package that can so easily be tied with a ribbon and put away. Too many loose ends. Too many disconnects.
So we keep trying to find an explanation, even though the exercise begins to look like a means of excusing what Bales is alleged to have done. In our search, we are at risk of finding a way to excuse him so we can excuse ourselves.
Some of the puzzle pieces raise legitimate issues, especially questions about how many times we can send soldiers, Marines and airmen into Iraq and Afghanistan and not expect it to affect them emotionally.
Once could change anyone. Three, four and five times would change everyone.
Bales saw combat. He saw dead soldiers and civilians. He saw horrific injuries and suffered at least two. Even when there was no fighting, he lived each day with the tension of knowing that death could come at any moment.
But tens of thousands of service members experienced what he did and more. None did what he allegedly did. None left a base in the Panjwai district of Afghanistan near Kandahar province and hunted down civilians he had recently been charged with protecting. None walked a mile and then moved from house to house in two different villages and attacked villagers as they slept. None murdered 16 civilians including nine children. None set some of the corpses on fire. None then calmly returned to base and surrendered.
Instead, nearly all Americans in these two hellacious combat zones do their duty as best they can and repeatedly answer calls to deploy. These are the real heroes, yet these are the men and women who will now face much more dangerous missions because of these murders.
Other excuses are less compelling. He'd been drinking. He might have been experiencing stress in his marriage and his finances. He'd recently been passed over for promotion. He'd spent years at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which will forever be known as "the most troubled base in the military."
The New York Times even blamed the gloomy weather in Western Washington, giving birth to the new medical condition a fellow newsie dubbed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder/Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Bales' family has hired one of the best defense attorneys around, and John Henry Browne is not a no-comment kind of guy. He called a news conference and went quickly to work casting a narrative most advantageous to his client – four tours, disappointment at being sent to Afghanistan after he thought he was done with such deployments, a past concussion, a fellow soldier's recent injury.
That's his job, and it was fascinating to watch him craft his defense strategy for the coming trial.
But others are viewing the rampage through the lens of their own causes, citing it as reason to leave Afghanistan or to increase services to traumatized military personnel. Those are valid points of view though it is a bit unseemly to use the murder of 16 civilians to further them.
In the end, no matter how many times Bales is described as a "good guy" and a "good soldier" who "just snapped," it must always be prefaced with the phrase "alleged war criminal."


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43rd wedding anniversary gift ideas
on September 13, 2015
Theme: Entertainment
Inspired? Create and share by tagging @hallmarkstores.
For spouses
Go see a performance at a venue you've never been to before.
Take in a Broadway show, rodeo, monster-truck rally or the opera—whatever they like best!
Surprise them with that fancy TV they've been talking about for a while.
For another couple
Give a gift card to a movie theater or put together a movie-themed gift basket complete with theater candy and popcorn.


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List of useful info, resources and documents available on other websites about IAS 20 – Accounting for Government Grants and Disclosure of Government Assistance.
- Summary of IAS 20 – IASPlus
- Full Text of the IAS 20 as at 31 December 2010 provided by IASB (You need to register)
- Other useful resources about IAS 20 (reading list, publications, links, other resources)
- IFRS List Discussions
- IAS 20 courses and training. As IFRSList member you can save 15% on these courses (View more)
- Useful & complete book


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