Q1: Should robots replace humans in dangerous jobs?

In my view, I think robots should replace humans in dangerous jobs. There are three reasons for it. Firstly, dangerous jobs like: tunneling, metallurgy, construction, etc can kill the workers anytime if lack of protective measures. It won't happen with robots which don't have emotion. I mean nobody will care if a robot is broken but when a worker dead, their relatives can sue that corporation. Secondly, some types of robots are equipped with advanced self-protection functions that humans do not have. So letting robots do dangerous jobs is more reasonable. And the last one is to increase the work efficiency. Some dangerous jobs have to go through many stages to ensure safety. But when robots replace humans, these stages can be abridged or completely omitted. However, replacing humans by robots could take away job opportunities for workers and the economy can be in the crisis.

Q2: Are electric cars better than petrol cars?

From my perspective, I think electric cars are better than petrol cars. There are two reasons for it. Firstly, electric cars can help reduce environmental pollution. Electric is clean and renewable energy. It means that it won't harm the environment as heavy as the petrol one. Secondly, electric is cheaper than petrol at all. Electric is renewable energy.

Different from a fossil energy like petrol which we can only get it from the mineral mines, we can get electric from many sources such as: Sun, wind, water, exercises, etc. On the other hand, it takes us too long to charge it. Not like petrol, which takes us only a few minutes.

Q1: From my perspective, I think robots could replace humans in dangerous jobs. There are some jobs that require working with saw blade or radioactive X-rays like carpenter or nuclear power plant worker, which can potentially cause harms to humans. Also, robots can work faster than average human, which could reduce the time and the work needed to spent. However, robots can sometimes cause more money than humans do, and since technology still hasn't developed that much, robots are not flawless yet, which could lead to a lot of operating loss.

Q2: When it comes to cars, I think electric cars is better than petrol cars. As far as I know, fossil fuels are now much rarer compare to before since it is a non-renewable energy. On the other hand, electric is renewable since it's man-made, which can resolve that problem. Moreover, petrol cars produce carbon dioxide, which leads to global warming. Petrol price is also not very fixed and can be unstable. Electric is much cheaper and more environmental friendly. On the other hand, petrol cars only take at most 5 minutes to charge, but electric cars take longer, even at least 3 hours.

Reasons:

+) Firstly is because of the flexibility and the adaptability: Humans can problem-solve in real time, adapt to unexpected situations, and innovate beyond programmed instructions. Humans handle complexity and nuance better than the repetition of machines.

+) Secondly, quality and craftsmanship is really important in many industries such as luxury goods, food production, or precision engineering. It benefits from the unique touch, judgment, and creativity of skilled workers. That thing shows us that: humans always make higher-quality control than robots do.

+) Thirdly, automatic robots are programmed to do everything, it can be dangerous for supervisors. Sometimes, it can encounter some risks like:
    Device/Software/Sensor Failure:

• Sensor fails to detect person or obstacle.

• Robot axis/motor failure.

• Control software fails, resulting in unpredictable behavior.

=> So we can see that robots shouldn’t be the priority in modern manufacturing because they are not as good as humans. Moreover, they have the ability to bring us many risks which are very dangerous for humans. It can even kill humans anytime.

In history, there are many accidents in manufacturing which caused by the robots:

+) Killer Robot at Volkswagen Factory (Germany, 2015):

A robot killed a contractor at one of Volkswagen's manufacturing plants in Germany, the automaker said Wednesday. The man died on Monday at the plant in Baunatal, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Frankfurt, VW spokesman Heiko Hillwig said. Hillwig said the 22-year-old was part of a team setting up the stationary robot when it grabbed and crushed him against a metal plate. He said initial findings suggested human error was the cause, rather than a problem with the robot, which can be programmed to perform a variety of tasks during assembly. He said it typically operates in a limited area at the plant, grabbing and manipulating car parts. Hillwig said another contractor was present when the incident occurred but was not injured. He declined to provide any further details about the incident, citing the ongoing investigation.

+) Amazon – robot crashes into pepper spray can in New Jersey warehouse (2018)

According to Fururism, a malfunctioning robot in an Amazon warehouse in New Jersey ripped off a bear spray canister, sending 24 workers to the hospital last Wednesday. "Amazon's automated robots have repeatedly put employees in life-threatening situations," Mitch Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, told ABC News. "The richest company in the world cannot continue to put hardworking people in danger." The pepper spray that sent 24 Amazon employees to the hospital turned out to be a malfunctioning robot. Like pepper spray, bear spray is often made from extremely hot peppers. Amazon sells a variety of sprays, often intended to repel aggressive bears — but within the confines of the warehouse, it endangered more than 20 of the company's workers. A local official said an Amazon worker is in critical condition after the Robbinsville accident. However, workers affected by bear spray are discharged within 24 hours. Despite growing into a global retail giant, Amazon has been criticized for poor working conditions and poor safety in its warehouses.

Statistics & Trends

+) According to OSHA reports, from 2015-2022 there were 77 serious accidents caused by robots (stationary robots were the main cause) with many cases of lost fingers, broken bones.

+) In US statistics (1992-2010), deaths caused by machinery (both mobile and stationary) still account for a large part of machine-related work accidents, although they have decreased over time.

+) A Korean study found that areas with high robot use have a lower rate of serious work injuries, but incidents still occur and risks still exist.

SOURCES AND CREDIT:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003687024001017?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/business/banking-finance/20230227/robots-can-reduce-workplace-injuries-by-8-report?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4711279/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

+) First, I disagree that robots can do the same job as doctors, although they are capable of doing it with high precision and efficiency. Because robots can make mistakes in the process of working and thereby, can cause serious consequences for the victims.

+) Second, you say human labor is expensive, but in my opinion, robots are more expensive. Because after all, humans are still the main human resource in factories. If robots are not as expensive as humans, why don't they replace humans with robots because of the efficiency of robots that you mentioned above.

The sky is changing colors rapidly due to the new technology that the citizens might have installed. The vivid buildings around me shoot through the clouds up in the sky and seems to kind of moving around very slow. They've used flying cars that run on plastic as a way to protect the environment.

Since the technology is growing expeditiously, almost everyone is working at home except for some jobs like firefighters. Outside, many people are on a conveyor belt and in front of them, there is a glowing screens that can control many things like the house or the belt. The delivery service is now faster thanks to drones that can fly up to 2479km/h.

I think it is so amazing that the human technology has come very far and it is making life much more convenient. However, not many people interact with each other anymore because they only talk to machines, which feels isolated and sad.

I suddenly see the same emerald green trains and trams flying backwards from the morning. Workers are heading back home. As the sun sets, the city falls into a stunning but also lonely picture.

1. Managing my time better

2. Improving my English skills

3. Developing a daily reading habit

4. Taking better care of my health

5. Practicing self-reflection regularly

6. Learning a new useful skill

• Spend more time to do Art homework

• Learning how to write and write essays more to practice

• Do better in exams in class to increase the semester's average grad

1. Set clear daily priorities

• Every evening, write a to-do list for the next day.

• Choose 3 most important tasks and do them first.

2. Use a fixed daily schedule

• Wake up and go to bed at the same time every day.

• Divide the day into study time, rest time, and free time.

3. Reduce distractions

• Put your phone away or use Focus / Do Not Disturb mode while studying.

• Study in a quiet place and avoid multitasking.

4. Use the Pomodoro method

• Study for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break.

• After 4 sessions, take a longer break (15–20 minutes).

5. Review and adjust weekly

• At the end of each week, review what worked and what didn’t.

• Adjust your schedule to be more realistic.

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Treasurer Scott Morrison announced the deal after it was signed off by Cabinet on Tuesday, saying the backbench committee pushing for the changes was also satisfied. "As one said, they were a pig in mud when it came to the changes that I'm about to announce now," Mr. Morrison told reporters in Canberra. The move comes within weeks of the Government's backtrack on superannuation, again following intense backbench pressure. Queensland Coalition backbencher George Christensen was one of the main protagonists in pushing for both policy changes, but is not claiming total responsibility. "I'm one of many, we all have a say, I'm having my say all the time, and other people are having their say too." "This is not something that I'm going to go out saying that I scored a win on, it was a collective win." Opposition leader Bill Shorten said Mr. Christensen's influence was broader than he was letting on. "We've just seen this latest backflip from the government on this backpacker tax, there's no doubt that George Christensen and the right wing of that party are spelling out the song that Mr. Turnbull has to sing," Mr. Shorten said. Tourism lobby fears "cash cow" treatment by Anna Vidiot and Anna Henderson While many farming and industry lobby groups expressed satisfaction with the deal, the Tourism and Transport Forum said it was furious the lower tax would be offset by an increase in the Passenger Movement Charge (PMC). The Government's original tax plan was expected to recoup $500 million from the backpacker tax. To offset the lower tax rate, it will increase the passenger departure tax by $5. The PMC was first introduced in 1995 and is currently set at $55. It is usually bundled into the cost of transport for passengers departing Australia. Tourism and Transport Forum chief executive Margy Osmond said the lower backpacker tax rate was "some improvement" but the PMC increase showed the tourism industry was being treated as a "cash cow". "This is a iong way from fixing the problem, effectively it's a blatant grab for cash by the Government," she said. The Government has announced a $10 million fund for the tourism sector to market jobs to backpackers.

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Government says deal is fair by Anna Vidiot and Anna Henderson Mr. Morrison said the package protected the integrity of the budget, and addressed concerns from the sector. It is understood legislation will be required to enact the new tax arrangements.

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Regional Coalition backbenchers had become increasingly confident Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Mr. Morrison would give ground on the issue. Earlier this year, Nationals backbencher Andrew Broad first proposed a 19 per cent tax rate. Labor has refused to say what it would do if legislation came to Parliament. The Greens are opposed to any change in backpacker taxes, and have committed to vote against any increase. It is a significant backdown for the Government, which first proposed the change in the 2015 budget, after the tax commission ruled backpackers should not be eligible for the tax-free threshold. The issue split the Government, with National and Liberal backbenchers calling for a rethink, while Mr. Morrison and Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce said any unintended negative consequences would be dealt with if and when they arose. Increasingly dismayed farmers, tourism operators and regional communities said a 32.5 per cent tax on backpacker labor would be a "disaster" at harvest time. Backpackers make up 25 per cent of the farm workforce each year. In the Northern Territory, they represent 85 per cent of farm laborers. - Adapted from Vidot & Henderson (2016) -

Yours faithfully, Vũ

I am writing this letter to express my dissatisfaction regarding the recent order I placed with your company. Unfortunately, the order was not supplied correctly, so I am looking for a clear explanation as to what happened and how it will be fixed.

On June 28th this year, we ordered 20 laptops from your company. but when it arrived, it was discovered that 3 of them were unable to turn on and the screen broke.

We had been trying to contact the supplier by email for a whole hour, but no reply was sent back. We had also tried to call the customer service department, but no one responded.

This has put our company in a difficult position, since we needed to prepare those for the excellent employees' gift, and the deadline is at hand.

We sincerely hope that this situation can be solved by collecting the damaged one back and exchanging it with new and usable ones. If the problem is not solved immediately, we shall be forced to make you withhold the payment.

Yours faithfully,

Vanessa Edwards

I am writing to formally complain about the significant and unexplained delay in publishing the results of the School Based examination held on January 8th; as of today, more than a month has passed beyond this deadline with no scores available on the student portal, no prior notice of any extension or technical issues, and no communication from your office whatsoever, causing serious inconvenience and stress to students like myself who depend on these results for course registration, scholarship applications, and further planning – I therefore demand the immediate release of the results, a clear explanation for the delay, and confirmation of preventive measures moving forward, with a response and updated timeline within the next 5 working days, failing which I will escalate the matter to higher authorities.

Yours sincerely,

Vũ

I am writing this letter to express my dissatisfaction regarding the recent purchase I placed with your company. Unfortunately, the order was not supplied correctly, so I am looking for a clear explanation as to what happened and how it will be fixed.

On September 13th this year, we ordered a crate of 12 noodle packages from your shop, but when I opened it to eat, it was discovered that a package was out of date, so I checked the others and they were all expired.

We sincerely hope that this situation can be solved by collecting them back and exchanging it with safe ones. Otherwise, you should give me my refund back.

Yours faithfully,

Minh Vũ

Why are profits falling even though sales increased?
Profits are falling despite increased sales because of rising operational costs driven by inconsistent product quality (leading to defects, rework, and rejected shipments), delayed deliveries (causing warehouse backups and overtime), unstable production processes, frequent supplier changes, and short-term cost-cutting measures like using cheaper materials or skipping maintenance, which result in higher long-term expenses.

Which problem do you think is the most serious? Why?
The most serious problem is the sharp rise in customer complaints about inconsistent product quality and delayed deliveries, as it directly threatens client relationships, market reputation, and revenue sustainability—internal issues like poor communication or HR challenges can be addressed over time, but losing customers due to unreliable products could lead to immediate and irreversible sales declines.

What do you think is the root cause of these problems?
The root cause appears to be leadership blind spots and a culture of reactive decision-making, where management prioritizes short-term sales growth over addressing systemic issues like unstable processes, inadequate training, and poor inter-departmental coordination, allowing problems to compound rather than being proactively resolved.

What is one solution the company should apply immediately?
One immediate solution is to implement standardized communication protocols for production schedule changes, ensuring all departments (procurement, quality, logistics) receive real-time updates via a centralized system like shared software or daily briefings, to reduce fragmentation and prevent cascading errors in materials, inspections, and deliveries.

What might happen if the company does nothing?

If the company does nothing, the performance gap will likely widen, leading to further profit erosion, loss of key clients due to ongoing quality and delivery issues, escalating staff turnover and morale problems, potential regulatory or legal challenges from defective products, and ultimately a risk of market share decline or even business failure as competitors capitalize on Northway's weaknesses.

The main problem is the company has experienced a noticeable decline in overall performance, profitability has steadily fallen, and management has struggled to explain the gap between higher revenue and weaker financial results.

2.

Profits are falling because temporary and mainly caused by global economic conditions or deeper internal problems are being ignored.

3.

The most serious problem is inconsistent product quality, because it leads to additional inspections on the customer side and, in some cases, rejected shipments.

4.

The root cause is management’s focus on short-term sales growth while ignoring systemic internal issues. The text shows that leadership treats problems as isolated incidents, delays training, ignores preventive maintenance, and lacks long-term strategic planning.

5.

The company should address unstable production processes by improving coordination and standard procedures across departments, especially in production planning, quality control, and maintenance, as highlighted by the repeated internal warnings.

6.

If the company does nothing, the gap between its potential and actual performance will continue to widen. Customer dissatisfaction, employee turnover, operational inefficiencies, and declining profitability will likely increase, threatening the company’s ability to sustain growth.

I am writing this letter to express my dissatisfaction regarding the recent service I experienced with your company. Unfortunately, the service was not too good for me, so I am looking for a clear explanation as to what happened and how it will be fixed.

On March 13th this year, 25 other people and I went to your amusement park along with a guide of yours. However, he had a rude and unprofessional attitude towards us. He appeared very bored at us and usually ignored when we had a question.

We sincerely hope that this situation can be solved by talking to him and finding the most suitable way to solve it. We look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Minh Vũ

Production and operations management

Production, the creation of products and services, is an essential function in every firm. Production turns inputs, such as natural resources, raw materials, human resources, and capital, into outputs, which are products and services. Managing this conversion process is the role of operations management.

Production and operations management involve three main types of decisions, typically made at three different stages.

Production planning. The first decisions facing operations managers come at the planning stage. At this stage, managers decide where, when, and how production will occur. They determine site locations and obtain the necessary resources.

Production control. At this stage, the decision-making process focuses on controlling quality and costs, scheduling, and the actual day-to-day operations of running a factory or service facility.

Improving production and operations. The final stage of operations management focuses on developing more efficient methods of producing the firm’s goods or services.

All three decisions are ongoing and may occur simultaneously.

Types of production processes

In production planning, the first decision involves which type of production process—the way a good or service is created—best fits with company goals and customer demand. An important consideration is the type of good or service being produced, because different goods may require different production processes.

In general, there are three types of production: mass production, mass customization, and customization. In addition to production type, operations managers also classify production processes in two ways: (1) how inputs are converted into outputs and (2) the timing of the process.

One for All: Mass Production

Mass production, manufacturing many identical goods at once, was a product of the Industrial Revolution. Henry Ford’s Model-T automobile is a good example of early mass production. Each car turned out by Ford’s factory was identical, right down to its color. If you wanted a car in any color except black, you were out of luck.

Canned goods, over-the-counter drugs, and household appliances are other examples of goods that are mass-produced. The emphasis in mass production is on keeping manufacturing costs low by producing uniform products using repetitive and standardized processes.

Just for You: Customizing Goods

In mass customization, goods are produced using mass-production techniques, but only up to a point. At that point, the product or service is custom-tailored to the needs or desires of individual customers.

For example, American Leather, a Dallas-based furniture manufacturer, uses mass customization to produce couches and chairs to customer specifications within 30 days. The basic frames in the furniture are the same, but automated cutting machinery precuts the color and type of leather ordered by each customer. Using mass-production techniques, they are then added to each frame.

Customization is the opposite of mass production. In customization, the firm produces goods or services one at a time according to the specific needs or wants of individual customers. Unlike mass customization, each product or service produced is unique.

For example, a print shop may handle a variety of projects, including newsletters, brochures, stationery, and reports. Each print job varies in quantity, type of printing process, binding, color of ink, and type of paper. A manufacturing firm that produces goods in response to customer orders is called a job shop.

Adapted from OpenStax

Mass customization combines mass production with individual customization. Products are first produced using standardized, efficient methods (like assembly lines), and then certain features are adjusted to meet individual customer preferences. This allows companies to offer some variety while still keeping costs relatively low and production fast.

In contrast, customization means that each product is made entirely according to a specific customer’s requirements from the beginning. There is little or no standardization, and each item is unique. This process is usually more time-consuming and expensive because products are created one at a time rather than in large quantities.

In short, mass customization balances efficiency and personalization, while customization focuses fully on uniqueness and individual needs.

On the other hand, mass customization uses technology and modular designs to offer personalization at the high efficiency and low cost of mass production. By using a standardized base, companies can produce thousands of individualized items at competitive prices. This shift effectively bridges the gap between the uniqueness of a handmade item and the affordability of a factory-made one.

Overall, traditional customization relies on manual craftsmanship, while mass customization relies on scalable technology.