Part 1 of aThree-Part Series
Part 1: Process Improvement Programs - Six Sigma?
Part 2: Lean Thinking for Process Improvement
Part 3: Theory of Constraints for Process Improvement
There are a lot of different process improvement programs on the market today and everyone has their favorite.
* Six Sigma
* Lean Thinking
* Theory of Constraints (TOC)
* ISO 9000 Quality Standards
* Total Quality Management (TQM)
* Toyota Production System (TPS)
* Just-In-Time (JIT)
* Benchmarking
I am sure you recognize a few of these programs. Have you ever wondered what the difference is between each of these? There are many consultants in the market that are advocating the use of one of these improvement methods to solve all of your organizational problems. But will all of these work in any situation? Or, are there specific situations that are better suited for a particular approach?
This month we are going to compare and contrast the first three improvement programs: Six Sigma, Lean Thinking, and the Theory of Constraints. We will explore the advantages and disadvantages of each one and the best way to use each method to realize improvement.
Six Sigma
In statistics, a 'sigma' refers to the standard deviation from the mean of a population. Standard deviation describes the likelihood of your next data point deviating from the mean of the whole data set. The sixth sigma refers to the likelihood that only 3.4 out of every 1 million data points will appear outside the sixth standard deviation. That translates into less than 4 errors per million transactions.
Six sigma is all about variance reduction. What do we mean by variance? We are talking about the amount of control you have over your processes. Another way to look at it is how good you are at predicting or forecasting the future outcomes of a given process.
For example, if we are talking about an accounts receivable process with a goal (effectiveness criteria) of collecting all receivables within 30 days, then we would measure the time variance of each individual receivable collected against the goal of 30 days as compared to the whole population of receivables collected. If your individual collections range from 25-90 days then we would say your process variance is high, which translates into a low sigma.
As we have seen in business metrics for results, variance is a symptom of waste. So, the higher the sigma, the greater the control you have over your process, which means greater forecasting accuracy and less error. Processes that exhibit a lot of variance mean they have a lot of waste.
The name six sigma tells us a lot about this particular improvement program. You can see that the six sigma approach involves a little advanced math, some statistical tools to understand the various fluctuations of a process, and a lot of data to run the calculations.
DMAIC
Six sigma is very problem focused. It uses a scientific approach called DMAIC to analyze a specific problem. DMAIC stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control, which is also known as the learning loop or PDCA.
Six sigma is ideal for scientific or numbers based organizations including: high technology manufacturing (semiconductors), high transaction businesses (check or postal processing), fast paced research and development (electronics, pharmaceuticals), or environments where errors are extremely expensive (surgical operations, space exploration, aircraft takeoff and landings).
Motorola and General Electric are two high technology companies that have helped to popularize the six sigma concepts. Motorola developed the methods back in the 1980's to improve manufacturing yields. However this method is not ideal for low transaction situations (most small businesses) or mature industries with simple manufacturing processes (like baking).
Six sigma requires a rigorous application of DMAIC and statistics that may not be suited to many organizations. It is also highly problem focused, which works well for big problems but can lead to sub-optimization when applied across an entire organization. That is one department or process being optimized at the expense of another.
A lot of process improvement programs are available on the market today. If you are in a high technology, high transaction, or expensive error environment then six sigma will work real well for your organization. If not, then perhaps Lean Thinking (waste reduction) or the Theory of Constraints (throughput improvement) would work better. Next week we will discuss these next two and see how they can work for your organization.
To learn more about using process improvement programs for your organization attend the next How to Align a System of People and Processes for Results class. If you are eager to learn more about creating more order out of the chaos you are feeling at work then the How to Create Well-Defined Processes class is right for you. ISO 9000 Quality Auditor classes are forming now for Internal Auditor or Lead Auditor.
About the Author
Chris Anderson is the founder and CEO of Bizmanualz, Inc., which specializes in empowering organizations to continuously improve compliance, control and customer satisfaction using effective management policies, procedures and processes.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Electronic discount coupon book
Why to pay full money? Just use free electronic discount coupon book to save lots of money on your electronic purchase. With an online electronic discount coupon book, you can always get a great deal. With online electronic discount coupons one can save tons of money.
One can easily find an electronic discount coupon book in stores or take a help of online sites. Number of online sites provides you a wide range of free discount coupon which one can easily bring in use and can take a printout of it. This helps you to save small amount of money on your big purchase.
Online sites includes printable coupons, cod e of coupons, links to discount offers, tips of saving money on big purchase and many more which will help you to save your lots of money.
Number of online sites gives you large number of discount coupon and a big range of products, these sites allow one to search by stores, products, areas, product categories, brands name, expiry date, and popularity of nay products in the market. All this thing make your shopping easy and entertaining with saving a lots of money in your hand at the end of the day.
Every one of us has many electronic items at our home which helps to live a more comfortable life. but some time its wont possible for middle class family to buy an comfort items as it very expensive, but now one can easily buy all those comfort items to live an luxuries life. it is better to try out a few services and find out how it all works, and whether you get quality with savings.
Some of the categories where discounts are offered are - electronics, computers, toys and games, garments, food and grocery, tickets, etc. The coupon could be related to products or a particular store. And if you are visiting a discount coupon website, make sure to visit any pages that are marked FAQ or commonly asked questions. You can get various finer points cleared and understand the nature of the deal being offered.
Anna Josephs is a freelance journalist having experience of many years writing articles and news releases on various topics such as pet health, automobile and social issues. She also has great interest in poetry and paintings, hence she likes to write on these subjects as well. Currently writing for this website {a href=" http://www.borders-couponbook.info/"} Borders Coupon Book . For more details please contact at annajosephs@gmail.com
About the Author
This article is written by Anna josephs, writer of the website {a href=" http://www.borders-couponbook.info/"} Borders Coupon Book . This article is published only for the educational and information purpose
One can easily find an electronic discount coupon book in stores or take a help of online sites. Number of online sites provides you a wide range of free discount coupon which one can easily bring in use and can take a printout of it. This helps you to save small amount of money on your big purchase.
Online sites includes printable coupons, cod e of coupons, links to discount offers, tips of saving money on big purchase and many more which will help you to save your lots of money.
Number of online sites gives you large number of discount coupon and a big range of products, these sites allow one to search by stores, products, areas, product categories, brands name, expiry date, and popularity of nay products in the market. All this thing make your shopping easy and entertaining with saving a lots of money in your hand at the end of the day.
Every one of us has many electronic items at our home which helps to live a more comfortable life. but some time its wont possible for middle class family to buy an comfort items as it very expensive, but now one can easily buy all those comfort items to live an luxuries life. it is better to try out a few services and find out how it all works, and whether you get quality with savings.
Some of the categories where discounts are offered are - electronics, computers, toys and games, garments, food and grocery, tickets, etc. The coupon could be related to products or a particular store. And if you are visiting a discount coupon website, make sure to visit any pages that are marked FAQ or commonly asked questions. You can get various finer points cleared and understand the nature of the deal being offered.
Anna Josephs is a freelance journalist having experience of many years writing articles and news releases on various topics such as pet health, automobile and social issues. She also has great interest in poetry and paintings, hence she likes to write on these subjects as well. Currently writing for this website {a href=" http://www.borders-couponbook.info/"} Borders Coupon Book . For more details please contact at annajosephs@gmail.com
About the Author
This article is written by Anna josephs, writer of the website {a href=" http://www.borders-couponbook.info/"} Borders Coupon Book . This article is published only for the educational and information purpose
Tips for Getting The Best High Speed Internet Provider
After trying a few different companies and looking into my options when it comes to my cable and computer hook-ups, I have come to one conclusion. Cable High Speed Internet is above and beyond my favorite Internet service provider. The connection is lighting fast and it really spoils me for other options. I hate working on other people's computers because I just do not have the patience. If a person has dial-up, I just wait until I get home to check my email and I never offer to hop on her PC to look up information on the Web. Cable high speed internet connection is much quicker than dial-up and I find the process of waiting for a connection unbearable.
Dial-up is not the only connection that gets me down. My cable provider has me so spoiled that I grimace when I am faced with a computer that works with DSL. I do not know why on earth anyone would opt for these Internet service providers when they can have a cable hookup. Now that I have been using my current service, I am way too impatient for other options. I also will not settle for anything less when it comes to my telephone and television. My cable company provides all of my home's services for a very reasonable price. I have quality and efficient service in each of these three areas. Moving is never fun and I really hated the idea of possibly losing my service when I was recently uprooted. I was thrilled to discover that my current high speed internet provider, cable and telephone services would move with me. I did not have to change my number and the hookup was ready and waiting for me when I arrived at my new home.
Most cable companies will transfer your phone, Internet and television cable services to your new residence. All you have to do is set up an appointment for set up an installation. The time and date is at your convenience and you can have things up and running in no time at all. Very few of us like to wait while others of us absolutely hate it. Most cable high speed internet really lives up to its name and that name is really appealing to anyone who does not have the patience for anything less. Time is important and it is great to know that a company has worked so hard to develop quick service and convenience for its customers.
Ralph Jarvis runs his own mail order business as well as running several shopping based websites. His particular speciality is electronics and computers. Visit his website which is full of Discount Computer Equipment resources or check out these great Broadband Internet Providers reviews and articles.
http://www.discount-computer-equipment.com/Broadband-Internet-Providers.html
About the Author
Ralph Jarvis runs his own mail order business as well as running several shopping based websites. Visit his website which is full of Discount Computer Equipment resources or check out these great Broadband Internet Providers
Dial-up is not the only connection that gets me down. My cable provider has me so spoiled that I grimace when I am faced with a computer that works with DSL. I do not know why on earth anyone would opt for these Internet service providers when they can have a cable hookup. Now that I have been using my current service, I am way too impatient for other options. I also will not settle for anything less when it comes to my telephone and television. My cable company provides all of my home's services for a very reasonable price. I have quality and efficient service in each of these three areas. Moving is never fun and I really hated the idea of possibly losing my service when I was recently uprooted. I was thrilled to discover that my current high speed internet provider, cable and telephone services would move with me. I did not have to change my number and the hookup was ready and waiting for me when I arrived at my new home.
Most cable companies will transfer your phone, Internet and television cable services to your new residence. All you have to do is set up an appointment for set up an installation. The time and date is at your convenience and you can have things up and running in no time at all. Very few of us like to wait while others of us absolutely hate it. Most cable high speed internet really lives up to its name and that name is really appealing to anyone who does not have the patience for anything less. Time is important and it is great to know that a company has worked so hard to develop quick service and convenience for its customers.
Ralph Jarvis runs his own mail order business as well as running several shopping based websites. His particular speciality is electronics and computers. Visit his website which is full of Discount Computer Equipment resources or check out these great Broadband Internet Providers reviews and articles.
http://www.discount-computer-equipment.com/Broadband-Internet-Providers.html
About the Author
Ralph Jarvis runs his own mail order business as well as running several shopping based websites. Visit his website which is full of Discount Computer Equipment resources or check out these great Broadband Internet Providers
Comparing High Speen Internet Promotions
Feel free to reprint this article in newsletters and on websites, with resource box included. If you use this article, please send a brief message to let me know where it appeared: kara@karathecomputertutor.com
Comparing High Speed Internet Promotions by Kara Glover kara@karathecomputertutor.com
Are you shopping around for high speed internet and getting totally confused? $12.95 for 6 months, or $14.95 for 3 months? Upload speeds of 128 kbps or download speeds of 768 kbps? What does kbps stand for anyway? Hopefully this article will help you make some sense of all the promotions out there.
I compared the promotions (as of May 2006) being offered by most of the primary DSL and cable modem providers in Southern California. It's hard to fit a giant Excel spreadsheet into a text article, but see if you can use the information I provide to at least try to compare apples to apples. The two main criteria I focused on are price and speed.
A few points to clear up first so you can be more educated in your choices: kbps: kilobits per second
mbps: stands for megabits per second. A megabit is 1,000 times faster than a kilobit. So 1.5 megabits is equal to 1,500 kilobits.
download speed: The download speed is for downloading web pages, software, etc. and is what you probably use most of the time.
upload speed: The upload speed is used, for example, when you might upload photos to the internet (for instance to Snapfish or sending an attachment to an email), or if you have your own website and upload your own pages. Since you are only downloading most of the time, high speed internet companies focus primarily on download speeds, which are invariably faster than upload speeds. You might want to focus primarily on download speeds as well, depending on your type of usage of course.
Also, the general consensus is that the typical download speed for home DSL (before all these promotions started coming out recently) is about 1.5 kbps. So it is worth a word of caution that the cheapest promotions may or may not be the best for you.
Several companies are offering very good prices for 768 kbps of download speed. I have been told that this speed is adequate for people who mainly use email and do light web surfing. So you have to think about how much you use the internet. Do you download music? Are you a web surfing addict?
One thing I'll tell you is that if I, as a computer consultant, had an internet speed of 768 kbps, I'd probably be rather unhappy. But if you're a light user, you'd probably be fine. OK, now you can read about the different offers and see for yourself:
AT& T (formerly SBC):
Their lowest promotion prices are $12.99 per month and $17.99 per month. You also have to pay a $12.95 shipping and handling fee. (And you have to pay $49.99 up front for a modem, but you get a mail-in rebate of $49.99 as well.) The $12.99 price is for download speeds of 384 kbps - 1.5 mbps. The $17.99 price is for download speeds of 1.5 - 3.0 mbps.
Those prices are good for a 1-year contract, but beware. If you don't call AT&T before the year is up (I believe they send you a letter to remind you), the price goes up to $50/month. Once you call, though, AT&T will offer you whatever promotion they have at the time. There is a $99 termination fee if you break your 1-year contract.
Summary of AT&T prices: Lower speeds: $12.99 Faster speeds: $17.99 Other fees: $12.95 shipping and handling, $99 termination fee.
Verizon: This company is offering a base price of $14.95 for download speeds of up to 768 kbps and upload speeds of 128kbps. The first month is free, however there is a $19.95 shipping and activation fee. This $14.95 offer is good only if you order via the internet though (a little Catch 22 there). If you call and speak to a live person instead, it'll cost you $17.99 a month. Ha!
For heavier internet users, Verizon has another, slightly more complicated promotion. For download speeds of up to 1.5 mbps, you get the first month free. Butttttt, for the second and third months it will cost you $21.95, and $29.95 for months 4-12. (Where'd they come up with that plan?) Upload speeds are about 384 kbps. These Verizon promotions come with one-year contracts and a $79 termination fee if you break it. You also need to call before your term is up to get decent rates for the next 12 months. (for the second offer you can stay at $29.95.)
Summary of Verizon prices: Lower speed: $14.95 Faster speed: $21.95-$29.95 Other fees: $19.95 shipping and activation fee. $79 early termination fee.
AOL: AOL doesn't have its own high speed infrastructure per say. It provides AOL service but uses AT&T or Verizon to deliver it in the Southland. The price is $25.90 per month for a one-year term. After that year, Verizon customers are still charged $25.90 per month, while the service with AT&T goes up to $29.99 per month. The speeds are generally 768 kbps for download and 128 kbps for upload. With Verizon there is a shipping and handling fee of $19.95 and a $79 early termination fee, just as if you'd went with them without AOL. AT&T (as shown above) asks for a $99 early termination fee.
Summary of AOL fees: $25.90 for 768 kbps download speed ( for other fees see AT&T or Verizon fees.)
Earthlink: Earthlink: This company is offering a promotion of $12.95 for the first six months in certain regions of the country, with a price of $29.95 after that. This promotion is for decent speeds: 1.5mbps for download speeds and 128 kbps for upload speeds. They also charge a $19.95 shipping fee, and $149.95 if you break your 1-year contract. (So I'd guess you'd better be sure you want to stay with them!)
Summary of Earthlink prices: Faster speed: $12.95-$29.95 Other fees: $19.95 shipping fee, $149.95 early termination fee.
DSL Extreme: DSL Extreme offers a promotion of $12.95 per month for customers with SBC phone service. That promotion offers speeds ranging from 384 kbps - 1.5 mbps for download, and 128 - 384 kbps for upload. Those with Verizon can expect to pay a little more, $14.95 per month. Speeds with Verizon are 768 kbps for download and 128 kbps for upload. These prices don't include $15.43 for the shipping and handling of the modem. As with the others, you're in for a 1-year contract. But if you renew before it expires, you can lock in the price DSL Extreme is offering returning customers at the time. That price is not yet determined: Watch out, though. The early termination fee if you decide to end the 1-year contract is a whopping $250!
Summary of DSL Extreme prices: Lower Speeds: $12.95-$1495 Other fees: $15.43 for shipping and handling of modem, $250.00 early termination fee. I also talked to a couple of companies that offer cable modem: Comcast: The prices for cable modem tend to be a bit higher, but the two cable companies I called offered faster speeds than the DSL promotions I looked at.
Comcast is offering a promotion of $26.95 for the first three months with download speeds of 4mbps and upload speeds of about 386 mbps. But after your honeymoon the price goes up to $45.95 if you have cable TV with them or $56.95 if you don't. One good thing - there is no contract, so that means there's no early termination fee.
You also have to either buy a cable modem at an electronics store (Comcast doesn't sell them) or rent one for $3 a month. So be sure to include that fee in your calculations! Adelphia: To begin with, Adelphia offers a basic package which happens to be very basic. Both its upload and download speeds are 256 kbps (kinda slow if you ask me). This package's price is $24.95 per month. The company also offers a more reasonable package that costs $24.95 for the first three months, then goes up to $43.95. The speeds with this package are pretty fast - 4 mbps for download speeds and an upload speed of 384 mbps. As with Comcast, Adelphia's packages are month-to-month, with no contract and no termination fee. But, also like Comcast, you have to either purchase your own modem or rent one for $3. Also, you don't need to have Adelphia TV cable service to get those prices. The prices are the same for both cable TV and non-cable TV customers alike. ©2006 by Kara Glover
Kara Glover is a Computer Tutor and Troubleshooter. You can find her free tips, articles, and tutorials at her website: http://www.karathecomputertutor.com
About the Author
Kara Glover is a Computer Tutor and Troubleshooter. You can find her free tips, articles, and tutorials at her website: http://www.karathecomputertutor.com
Comparing High Speed Internet Promotions by Kara Glover kara@karathecomputertutor.com
Are you shopping around for high speed internet and getting totally confused? $12.95 for 6 months, or $14.95 for 3 months? Upload speeds of 128 kbps or download speeds of 768 kbps? What does kbps stand for anyway? Hopefully this article will help you make some sense of all the promotions out there.
I compared the promotions (as of May 2006) being offered by most of the primary DSL and cable modem providers in Southern California. It's hard to fit a giant Excel spreadsheet into a text article, but see if you can use the information I provide to at least try to compare apples to apples. The two main criteria I focused on are price and speed.
A few points to clear up first so you can be more educated in your choices: kbps: kilobits per second
mbps: stands for megabits per second. A megabit is 1,000 times faster than a kilobit. So 1.5 megabits is equal to 1,500 kilobits.
download speed: The download speed is for downloading web pages, software, etc. and is what you probably use most of the time.
upload speed: The upload speed is used, for example, when you might upload photos to the internet (for instance to Snapfish or sending an attachment to an email), or if you have your own website and upload your own pages. Since you are only downloading most of the time, high speed internet companies focus primarily on download speeds, which are invariably faster than upload speeds. You might want to focus primarily on download speeds as well, depending on your type of usage of course.
Also, the general consensus is that the typical download speed for home DSL (before all these promotions started coming out recently) is about 1.5 kbps. So it is worth a word of caution that the cheapest promotions may or may not be the best for you.
Several companies are offering very good prices for 768 kbps of download speed. I have been told that this speed is adequate for people who mainly use email and do light web surfing. So you have to think about how much you use the internet. Do you download music? Are you a web surfing addict?
One thing I'll tell you is that if I, as a computer consultant, had an internet speed of 768 kbps, I'd probably be rather unhappy. But if you're a light user, you'd probably be fine. OK, now you can read about the different offers and see for yourself:
AT& T (formerly SBC):
Their lowest promotion prices are $12.99 per month and $17.99 per month. You also have to pay a $12.95 shipping and handling fee. (And you have to pay $49.99 up front for a modem, but you get a mail-in rebate of $49.99 as well.) The $12.99 price is for download speeds of 384 kbps - 1.5 mbps. The $17.99 price is for download speeds of 1.5 - 3.0 mbps.
Those prices are good for a 1-year contract, but beware. If you don't call AT&T before the year is up (I believe they send you a letter to remind you), the price goes up to $50/month. Once you call, though, AT&T will offer you whatever promotion they have at the time. There is a $99 termination fee if you break your 1-year contract.
Summary of AT&T prices: Lower speeds: $12.99 Faster speeds: $17.99 Other fees: $12.95 shipping and handling, $99 termination fee.
Verizon: This company is offering a base price of $14.95 for download speeds of up to 768 kbps and upload speeds of 128kbps. The first month is free, however there is a $19.95 shipping and activation fee. This $14.95 offer is good only if you order via the internet though (a little Catch 22 there). If you call and speak to a live person instead, it'll cost you $17.99 a month. Ha!
For heavier internet users, Verizon has another, slightly more complicated promotion. For download speeds of up to 1.5 mbps, you get the first month free. Butttttt, for the second and third months it will cost you $21.95, and $29.95 for months 4-12. (Where'd they come up with that plan?) Upload speeds are about 384 kbps. These Verizon promotions come with one-year contracts and a $79 termination fee if you break it. You also need to call before your term is up to get decent rates for the next 12 months. (for the second offer you can stay at $29.95.)
Summary of Verizon prices: Lower speed: $14.95 Faster speed: $21.95-$29.95 Other fees: $19.95 shipping and activation fee. $79 early termination fee.
AOL: AOL doesn't have its own high speed infrastructure per say. It provides AOL service but uses AT&T or Verizon to deliver it in the Southland. The price is $25.90 per month for a one-year term. After that year, Verizon customers are still charged $25.90 per month, while the service with AT&T goes up to $29.99 per month. The speeds are generally 768 kbps for download and 128 kbps for upload. With Verizon there is a shipping and handling fee of $19.95 and a $79 early termination fee, just as if you'd went with them without AOL. AT&T (as shown above) asks for a $99 early termination fee.
Summary of AOL fees: $25.90 for 768 kbps download speed ( for other fees see AT&T or Verizon fees.)
Earthlink: Earthlink: This company is offering a promotion of $12.95 for the first six months in certain regions of the country, with a price of $29.95 after that. This promotion is for decent speeds: 1.5mbps for download speeds and 128 kbps for upload speeds. They also charge a $19.95 shipping fee, and $149.95 if you break your 1-year contract. (So I'd guess you'd better be sure you want to stay with them!)
Summary of Earthlink prices: Faster speed: $12.95-$29.95 Other fees: $19.95 shipping fee, $149.95 early termination fee.
DSL Extreme: DSL Extreme offers a promotion of $12.95 per month for customers with SBC phone service. That promotion offers speeds ranging from 384 kbps - 1.5 mbps for download, and 128 - 384 kbps for upload. Those with Verizon can expect to pay a little more, $14.95 per month. Speeds with Verizon are 768 kbps for download and 128 kbps for upload. These prices don't include $15.43 for the shipping and handling of the modem. As with the others, you're in for a 1-year contract. But if you renew before it expires, you can lock in the price DSL Extreme is offering returning customers at the time. That price is not yet determined: Watch out, though. The early termination fee if you decide to end the 1-year contract is a whopping $250!
Summary of DSL Extreme prices: Lower Speeds: $12.95-$1495 Other fees: $15.43 for shipping and handling of modem, $250.00 early termination fee. I also talked to a couple of companies that offer cable modem: Comcast: The prices for cable modem tend to be a bit higher, but the two cable companies I called offered faster speeds than the DSL promotions I looked at.
Comcast is offering a promotion of $26.95 for the first three months with download speeds of 4mbps and upload speeds of about 386 mbps. But after your honeymoon the price goes up to $45.95 if you have cable TV with them or $56.95 if you don't. One good thing - there is no contract, so that means there's no early termination fee.
You also have to either buy a cable modem at an electronics store (Comcast doesn't sell them) or rent one for $3 a month. So be sure to include that fee in your calculations! Adelphia: To begin with, Adelphia offers a basic package which happens to be very basic. Both its upload and download speeds are 256 kbps (kinda slow if you ask me). This package's price is $24.95 per month. The company also offers a more reasonable package that costs $24.95 for the first three months, then goes up to $43.95. The speeds with this package are pretty fast - 4 mbps for download speeds and an upload speed of 384 mbps. As with Comcast, Adelphia's packages are month-to-month, with no contract and no termination fee. But, also like Comcast, you have to either purchase your own modem or rent one for $3. Also, you don't need to have Adelphia TV cable service to get those prices. The prices are the same for both cable TV and non-cable TV customers alike. ©2006 by Kara Glover
Kara Glover is a Computer Tutor and Troubleshooter. You can find her free tips, articles, and tutorials at her website: http://www.karathecomputertutor.com
About the Author
Kara Glover is a Computer Tutor and Troubleshooter. You can find her free tips, articles, and tutorials at her website: http://www.karathecomputertutor.com
Honing in on Vertical Marketing
Rockaway, NJ, June 05, 2006 - Today's B2B users are presented with many simultaneous options during their research and buying phase online. Users might start a query with a general search engine such as Google or Yahoo or directly access a vertical search engine such as ReedLink.com. Alternately, as demonstrated at a panel moderated by ReedLink at the 2006 National Manufacturing Week Conference held in Chicago, vertical, industry-specific search engines can complement general engines in the Internet ecosystem, and vice versa.
Since its launch in 2005, ReedLink (www.reedlink.com) has continued to uncover and address the special needs of today's B2B users, giving them every possible opportunity to find precisely what they are looking for. Recently, for example, ReedLink added filtering capabilities to its product search results pages, so users can now more quickly and easily find relevant information on products by type or other attributes such as size or width, and by location in the United States and internationally. Next in the pipeline is a section to create user generated content (UGC).
Owned by Reed Business Information (RBI), ReedLink is an integrated online platform with industry articles, product specs, directory information, newsletters, and contextual advertising in the manufacturing, science, construction, electronics, cable, and other industries. ReedLink's strength lies in its extensive database of millions of custom product specifications, up- to-date supplier information, and product features and articles from various media brands, including Food Manufacturing and Product Design and Development.
ReedLink is marketed to 3 million subscribers tied to various publications and newsletters, and 800,000 unique emails in mailing lists.
Featuring a simple keyword search interface, ReedLink provides its users access to the highly detailed and relevant information needed to make informed purchase decisions. It incorporates the latest in online product search such as filters, product comparison charts, white papers, request for information/quote, and product announcements.
"ReedLink provides a great service to B2B professionals and product suppliers," says Todd Baker, VP of ReedLink. "As a result, ReedLink.com has been rewarded with exceptional growth in user activity, site traffic and advertiser interest."
PRESS CONTACT: Kesang Sherpa, Marketing Analyst www.reedlink.com 100 Enterprise Drive Suite 600, Box 912 Rockaway, NJ 07866 973-920-7000 (7064) reedlinkpr@reedbusiness.com
About the Author
http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=211834
Since its launch in 2005, ReedLink (www.reedlink.com) has continued to uncover and address the special needs of today's B2B users, giving them every possible opportunity to find precisely what they are looking for. Recently, for example, ReedLink added filtering capabilities to its product search results pages, so users can now more quickly and easily find relevant information on products by type or other attributes such as size or width, and by location in the United States and internationally. Next in the pipeline is a section to create user generated content (UGC).
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http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=211834
Signal-Noise and Dynamic Range
Introduction
Hi-fi equipment specifications tend to include the terms ‘signal to noise ratio’ and ‘dynamic range’, both of which are confusing and best avoided. Noise has to be measured with reference to something, but the only sensible reference point is ‘alignment level’ (see article on this). Signal to noise ratio has no real meaning as audio signals are constantly changing so there is no such thing as ‘signal level’. Dynamic range is an ambiguous term that is commonly used in three different ways. To audio professionals it refers to the ratio of maximum to minimum levels in a recording or programme. It can also mean the difference between maximum permitted level (clipping level or full-scale digital) and noise level, but maximum level is often hard to define, for example on analog tape recordings, and the term has become corrupted by a tendency to refer to the dynamic range of CD players as meaning the noise level on a blank recording with no dither, in other words just the analog noise content at the output. This is not particularly useful; especially since many CD players incorporate automatic muting in the absence of signal to make them appear even quieter!
Subjectively Valid Noise Measurement
Professionals measure noise in dB below alignment level, which is a reference point above which ‘headroom’ exists up to maximum permitted level. Professionals often allow 18dB of headroom, as recommended by the EBU (European Broadcasting Union), so a noise level of –60dB ITU-R 468 would represent a dynamic range of 78dB, which if measured A-weighted might come out 11dB better at 89dB. A noise level of -60dB AL would be considered reasonably good by professionals, with –68dB representing the best attainable from 16-bit digital audio (noise shaped), and more than good enough for most purposes (see article 'Analysing Programme Levels').
The 96dB Myth
Audiophiles may talk in terms of 96 to 120dB dynamic range, but they often fail to refer to any measurement standard, making the figures meaningless. Attempts to calculate the dynamic range of digital audio on the basis that 16 bits represents a ratio of 65000:1 or 96dB are invalidated by the fact that the full digital count represents the peak possible level, rather than the rms equivalent of the maximum possible sinewave, while the minimum count of one has little to do with the noise level, which depends on the type of dither (or noise-shaping) used. They also fail to take any account of weighting for subjective validity. Marketing men are loath to quote the proper meaningful figures though because they look so much worse than the big numbers they are used to.
http://www.lindos.co.uk/cgi-bin/FlexiData.cgi?SOURCE=Articles&VIEW=full&id=18
Hi-fi equipment specifications tend to include the terms ‘signal to noise ratio’ and ‘dynamic range’, both of which are confusing and best avoided. Noise has to be measured with reference to something, but the only sensible reference point is ‘alignment level’ (see article on this). Signal to noise ratio has no real meaning as audio signals are constantly changing so there is no such thing as ‘signal level’. Dynamic range is an ambiguous term that is commonly used in three different ways. To audio professionals it refers to the ratio of maximum to minimum levels in a recording or programme. It can also mean the difference between maximum permitted level (clipping level or full-scale digital) and noise level, but maximum level is often hard to define, for example on analog tape recordings, and the term has become corrupted by a tendency to refer to the dynamic range of CD players as meaning the noise level on a blank recording with no dither, in other words just the analog noise content at the output. This is not particularly useful; especially since many CD players incorporate automatic muting in the absence of signal to make them appear even quieter!
Subjectively Valid Noise Measurement
Professionals measure noise in dB below alignment level, which is a reference point above which ‘headroom’ exists up to maximum permitted level. Professionals often allow 18dB of headroom, as recommended by the EBU (European Broadcasting Union), so a noise level of –60dB ITU-R 468 would represent a dynamic range of 78dB, which if measured A-weighted might come out 11dB better at 89dB. A noise level of -60dB AL would be considered reasonably good by professionals, with –68dB representing the best attainable from 16-bit digital audio (noise shaped), and more than good enough for most purposes (see article 'Analysing Programme Levels').
The 96dB Myth
Audiophiles may talk in terms of 96 to 120dB dynamic range, but they often fail to refer to any measurement standard, making the figures meaningless. Attempts to calculate the dynamic range of digital audio on the basis that 16 bits represents a ratio of 65000:1 or 96dB are invalidated by the fact that the full digital count represents the peak possible level, rather than the rms equivalent of the maximum possible sinewave, while the minimum count of one has little to do with the noise level, which depends on the type of dither (or noise-shaping) used. They also fail to take any account of weighting for subjective validity. Marketing men are loath to quote the proper meaningful figures though because they look so much worse than the big numbers they are used to.
http://www.lindos.co.uk/cgi-bin/FlexiData.cgi?SOURCE=Articles&VIEW=full&id=18
Audio Facts and Fallacies
1 Introduction
The term '''audio power''' is used in the specification or measurement of audio amplifiers or loudspeakers. A meaningful and reliable measure of the power output of an audio amplifier, or the power handling of a loudspeaker is ''continuous sine wave power'', or more strictly 'continuous average sine wave power'. Such a figure will often be found in advertising literature referred to as "true RMS power", but this is quite incorrect. Although there is such a thing as RMS (root mean square) power, it is neither useful as a measurement nor what is intended by those who use the term. The sine wave power is found by averaging the instantaneous power output over a long period of time (or one complete cycle), so it is actually the ''average power'' or ''mean power''. The term RMS is used mistakenly due to the fact that the mean power is calculated from the RMS voltage and current (or one of them and the impedance); power being proportional to the square of voltage or current.
2 ‘Music Power' - the Real Issues
The term ''"Music Power"'' has been used in relation to both amplifiers and loudspeakers with some validity. When live music is recorded without amplitude compression or limiting, the resulting signal contains brief peaks of very much higher amplitude (20 dB or more) than the mean, and since power is proportional to the square of signal voltage their reproduction would require an amplifier capable of providing brief peaks of power around a hundred times greater than the average level. Thus the ideal 100-watt audio system would be capable of handling brief peaks of 10,000 watts in order to avoid clipping (see Programme levels). Most loudspeakers are in fact capable of handling peaks of several times their continuous rating (though not a hundred times!), since thermal inertia prevents the voice coils from burning out on short bursts. It is therefore acceptable, and desirable, to drive a loudspeaker from a power amplifier with a higher continuous rating several times that of the speaker, but only if care is taken not to overheat it, which is difficult, especially on modern recordings which tend to be heavily compressed and so can be played at high levels without the obvious distortion that would result from a 'real' recording when the amplifier started clipping.
Music power is a less valid term when applied to most amplifiers. Most power amplifiers can give more output on brief bursts than their continuous rated output, but not usually to an extent that is relevant in the context of the above. There are three reasons for the enhanced short-burst power.
Most amplifiers do not have regulated power supplies but rely on a full-wave rectifier and large smoothing capacitor to provide a reasonably steady supply voltage. This charges to its peak voltage on quiet passages where little current is being drawn, but 'sags' to around 10% less under heavy current demand. Since 10% voltage drop corresponds to 20% power drop, the steady-state power output of the amplifier, which has to be quoted is always some 20% lower than the brief power capability. A 100-watt amplifier is therefore likely to handle brief peaks of up to 120 W without clipping. This might sound good in a specification, but it should be noted that it is only 1 dB, which is a change in level not usually even detectable by the human hearing system! It is also usually only available for some 10 milliseconds, which is too short to be of much benefit in real programme material. The term peak music power, in this context, is of no real significance.
It is possible to take a cost-effective approach to power amp design by reducing the size of the heat sinks on the output devices below that needed to avoid overheating on continuous sine wave drive at maximum output. Such an approach was once valid, as it recognised that fact that on 'real' recordings there is no need to provide for continuous full output as the gross distortion caused by clipping on brief peaks will result in the user turning down the volume before damage is done. On modern amplifiers it is possible to take such an approach without risk of damage, using integrated amplifier chips, which tend to incorporate 'thermal protection'. However, the trend towards heavy compression and limiting on commercial recordings in recent years means that people expect to play these at high volume without clipping, and so the validity of the 'peak music power' approach to amplifier design has mostly been removed.
While the above is true for most 'domestic' amplifiers, it need not be so, especially in relation to monitoring, and uncompressed reproduction. Some professional amplifiers, and 'active' speakers, incorporate sophisticated electronic thermal protection circuits which integrate the power delivered to the speaker and take account of its thermal capacity properly. This enables them to handle peak power levels safely while limiting the continuous power that can be applied in a way that makes sense.
3 Power Handling in 'Active' Speakers
Active speakers often use two or three power amplifiers, each handling only part of the audio frequency spectrum. The main benefit of this approach is that it enables complicated crossover filters to be used on the low level signal, and eliminates the bulky and awkward inductors and capacitors normally used in crossover networks. There is, however, another big advantage that is not usually recognised. When two tones are reproduced simultaneously, a single amplifier normally has to handle the peak power that results when both are at their crest. Because of the square-law relationship, this means that two tones each generating 10 watts result in a power handling requirement of 40 watts. With multiple amplifiers, the two tones can be handles separately, by 10 watt amps. Thus a 'bi-amped' system can handle peaks of up to twice the combined rating of its amplifiers, and a 'tri-amped' system, on three tones, gains even more! This is of course because the signal has a high 'crest factor'. In practice, music peaks often consist of percussion riding on top of bass notes, and so the benefit is very real, as these are each always handled separately. This is a benefit that would cost a lot to realise if the single amplifier approach were taken, making 'bi-amping' a very cost-effective approach.
4 US Market Regulations
In the US on May 3, 1974, the Amplifier Rule CFR 16 Part 432 (39 FR 15387) was instated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requiring audio power and distortion ratings for home entertainment equipment to be measured in a defined manner with power stated in RMS terms. This rule was amended in 1998 to cover self-powered speakers such as are commonly used with personal computers (see examples below). This regulation did not cover automobile entertainment systems, which consequently still suffer from power ratings confusion. However, a new regulation called CEA 2006 includes car electronics, and is being phased into the market as slowly as possible by many manufacturers.
Unfortunately there are no similar laws in much of the rest of the world.
http://www.lindos.co.uk/cgi-bin/FlexiData.cgi?SOURCE=Articles&VIEW=full&id=15
The term '''audio power''' is used in the specification or measurement of audio amplifiers or loudspeakers. A meaningful and reliable measure of the power output of an audio amplifier, or the power handling of a loudspeaker is ''continuous sine wave power'', or more strictly 'continuous average sine wave power'. Such a figure will often be found in advertising literature referred to as "true RMS power", but this is quite incorrect. Although there is such a thing as RMS (root mean square) power, it is neither useful as a measurement nor what is intended by those who use the term. The sine wave power is found by averaging the instantaneous power output over a long period of time (or one complete cycle), so it is actually the ''average power'' or ''mean power''. The term RMS is used mistakenly due to the fact that the mean power is calculated from the RMS voltage and current (or one of them and the impedance); power being proportional to the square of voltage or current.
2 ‘Music Power' - the Real Issues
The term ''"Music Power"'' has been used in relation to both amplifiers and loudspeakers with some validity. When live music is recorded without amplitude compression or limiting, the resulting signal contains brief peaks of very much higher amplitude (20 dB or more) than the mean, and since power is proportional to the square of signal voltage their reproduction would require an amplifier capable of providing brief peaks of power around a hundred times greater than the average level. Thus the ideal 100-watt audio system would be capable of handling brief peaks of 10,000 watts in order to avoid clipping (see Programme levels). Most loudspeakers are in fact capable of handling peaks of several times their continuous rating (though not a hundred times!), since thermal inertia prevents the voice coils from burning out on short bursts. It is therefore acceptable, and desirable, to drive a loudspeaker from a power amplifier with a higher continuous rating several times that of the speaker, but only if care is taken not to overheat it, which is difficult, especially on modern recordings which tend to be heavily compressed and so can be played at high levels without the obvious distortion that would result from a 'real' recording when the amplifier started clipping.
Music power is a less valid term when applied to most amplifiers. Most power amplifiers can give more output on brief bursts than their continuous rated output, but not usually to an extent that is relevant in the context of the above. There are three reasons for the enhanced short-burst power.
Most amplifiers do not have regulated power supplies but rely on a full-wave rectifier and large smoothing capacitor to provide a reasonably steady supply voltage. This charges to its peak voltage on quiet passages where little current is being drawn, but 'sags' to around 10% less under heavy current demand. Since 10% voltage drop corresponds to 20% power drop, the steady-state power output of the amplifier, which has to be quoted is always some 20% lower than the brief power capability. A 100-watt amplifier is therefore likely to handle brief peaks of up to 120 W without clipping. This might sound good in a specification, but it should be noted that it is only 1 dB, which is a change in level not usually even detectable by the human hearing system! It is also usually only available for some 10 milliseconds, which is too short to be of much benefit in real programme material. The term peak music power, in this context, is of no real significance.
It is possible to take a cost-effective approach to power amp design by reducing the size of the heat sinks on the output devices below that needed to avoid overheating on continuous sine wave drive at maximum output. Such an approach was once valid, as it recognised that fact that on 'real' recordings there is no need to provide for continuous full output as the gross distortion caused by clipping on brief peaks will result in the user turning down the volume before damage is done. On modern amplifiers it is possible to take such an approach without risk of damage, using integrated amplifier chips, which tend to incorporate 'thermal protection'. However, the trend towards heavy compression and limiting on commercial recordings in recent years means that people expect to play these at high volume without clipping, and so the validity of the 'peak music power' approach to amplifier design has mostly been removed.
While the above is true for most 'domestic' amplifiers, it need not be so, especially in relation to monitoring, and uncompressed reproduction. Some professional amplifiers, and 'active' speakers, incorporate sophisticated electronic thermal protection circuits which integrate the power delivered to the speaker and take account of its thermal capacity properly. This enables them to handle peak power levels safely while limiting the continuous power that can be applied in a way that makes sense.
3 Power Handling in 'Active' Speakers
Active speakers often use two or three power amplifiers, each handling only part of the audio frequency spectrum. The main benefit of this approach is that it enables complicated crossover filters to be used on the low level signal, and eliminates the bulky and awkward inductors and capacitors normally used in crossover networks. There is, however, another big advantage that is not usually recognised. When two tones are reproduced simultaneously, a single amplifier normally has to handle the peak power that results when both are at their crest. Because of the square-law relationship, this means that two tones each generating 10 watts result in a power handling requirement of 40 watts. With multiple amplifiers, the two tones can be handles separately, by 10 watt amps. Thus a 'bi-amped' system can handle peaks of up to twice the combined rating of its amplifiers, and a 'tri-amped' system, on three tones, gains even more! This is of course because the signal has a high 'crest factor'. In practice, music peaks often consist of percussion riding on top of bass notes, and so the benefit is very real, as these are each always handled separately. This is a benefit that would cost a lot to realise if the single amplifier approach were taken, making 'bi-amping' a very cost-effective approach.
4 US Market Regulations
In the US on May 3, 1974, the Amplifier Rule CFR 16 Part 432 (39 FR 15387) was instated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requiring audio power and distortion ratings for home entertainment equipment to be measured in a defined manner with power stated in RMS terms. This rule was amended in 1998 to cover self-powered speakers such as are commonly used with personal computers (see examples below). This regulation did not cover automobile entertainment systems, which consequently still suffer from power ratings confusion. However, a new regulation called CEA 2006 includes car electronics, and is being phased into the market as slowly as possible by many manufacturers.
Unfortunately there are no similar laws in much of the rest of the world.
http://www.lindos.co.uk/cgi-bin/FlexiData.cgi?SOURCE=Articles&VIEW=full&id=15
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