Analyzing the accountability, systems and efficiency of demand planning processes in a consumer products environment

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering; in conjunction with the Leaders for Manufacturing Program at MIT, 2006.Includes bibliographical references (p. 101-103).As consumer products companies like P&G strive to achieve a consumer driven supply network, the value of forecast accuracy comes into question. Many companies push for faster cycle times and shorter supply chains, driving towards make-to-order production. These trends may appear to reduce the importance of forecasts. However, a closer look into P&G and their business reveals that sales forecasts are still very important and have a far reaching impact stretching from the supply network through to Wall Street. This thesis evaluates the forecasting process in a company like P&G. The thesis delves into the accountability around sales forecasts and proposes a top-down, statistical process for creating and tracking forecast accuracy which was implemented across P&G's global organization. Another analysis is conducted on the evaluation of a new demand planning system which provides more granular input data for generating forecasts, and the implications from this trial on the demand planning process. Finally, an assessment on the efficiency of current systems is also detailed.by Christy A. Prilutski.S.M.M.B.A

Athena MIMOS II Mossbauer spectrometer investigation

Mössbauer spectroscopy is a powerful tool for quantitative mineralogical analysis of Fe-bearing materials. The miniature Mössbauer spectrometer MIMOS II is a component of the Athena science payload launched to Mars in 2003 on both Mars Exploration Rover missions. The instrument has two major components: (1) a rover-based electronics board that contains power supplies, a dedicated central processing unit, memory, and associated support electronics and (2) a sensor head that is mounted at the end of the instrument deployment device (IDD) for placement of the instrument in physical contact with soil and rock. The velocity transducer operates at a nominal frequency of 25 Hz and is equipped with two 57Co/Rh Mössbauer sources. The reference source (5 mCi landed intensity), reference target (alpha-Fe2O3 plus alpha-Fe0), and PIN-diode detector are configured in transmission geometry and are internal to the instrument and used for its calibration. The analysis Mössbauer source (150 mCi landed intensity) irradiates Martian surface materials with a beam diameter of 1.4 cm. The backscatter radiation is measured by four PIN-diode detectors. Physical contact with surface materials is sensed with a switch-activated contact plate. The contact plate and reference target are instrumented with temperature sensors. Assuming 18% Fe for Martian surface materials, experiment time is 6–12 hours during the night for quality spectra (i.e., good counting statistics); 1–2 hours is sufficient to identify and quantify the most abundant Fe-bearing phases. Data stored internal to the instrument for selectable return to Earth include Mössbauer and pulse-height analysis spectra (512 and 256 channels, respectively) for each of the five detectors in up to 13 temperature intervals (65 Mössbauer spectra), engineering data for the velocity transducer, and temperature measurements. The total data volume is 150 kB. The mass and power consumption are 500 g (400 g for the sensor head) and 2 W, respectively. The scientific measurement objectives of the Mössbauer investigation are to obtain for rock, soil, and dust (1) the mineralogical identification of iron-bearing phases (e.g., oxides, silicates, sulfides, sulfates, and carbonates), (2) the quantitative measurement of the distribution of iron among these iron-bearing phases (e.g., the relative proportions of iron in olivine, pyroxenes, ilmenite, and magnetite in a basalt), (3) the quantitative measurement of the distribution of iron among its oxidation states (e.g., Fe2+, Fe3+, and Fe6+), and (4) the characterization of the size distribution of magnetic particles. Special geologic targets of the Mössbauer investigation are dust collected by the Athena magnets and interior rock and soil surfaces exposed by the Athena Rock Abrasion Tool and by trenching with rover wheels

Hermeneutics of Ritual From Habitual to Sacral

The article represents an attempt to analyze peculiarities of the formation and development of the discourses of ritual. Author describes the results of semiotic and hermeneutic researches of ritual which are based on the concept of genetic connection religious ritual and sentences in natural language. The purpose of the study is, to identify features perpetrated of everyday actions that affect its ritualization. Ritual text is considered as inter discursive space in which situationally present a diff erent levels of values. Author uses the philosophical understanding of the concept of habitual and its linguistic expression. The article deals basic conditions which there should correspond the ritual text, and analysis of the connection between habitual action and perception of sacredness appropriate ritual. As an illustration, author used in the article any modern data of studies of religious. Studies carried out in the framework of semiotic and hermeneutic approaches. The author uses the elements of discourse analysis and comparative historical studies. Results of research are relevant to contemporary religious study, philosophy of religion and theology