Hardware and Software Selection Essay

Accounting Cycle Description Paper An organization’s accounting information system includes collecting information then dividing the information into cycles. This paper will identify the five accounting cycles and specifically how Riordan Manufacturing uses the expenditure cycle. The strengths and weaknesses of the internal controls related to the expenditure cycle will be examined. This paper will explain how to integrate the expenditure cycle into an enterprise-wide accounting information system. The various types of information systems necessary to achieve this integration will be illustrated. Lastly, this paper will demonstrate the flow of accounting information through Riordan Manufacturing. Accounting Cycles The five accounting cycles are the revenue, expenditure, financing, fixed-asset, and conversion cycles. Each has its specific function within the accounting system. Almost every company uses the first four accounting cycles, not all will use the conversion cycle. As a company grows, it is important for management and employees to understand the reasons for each accounting cycle and ways the information needs to flow. The accounting cycles build upon each other. Without the revenue cycle, none of the other cycles would come into play. Once a company has revenue producing activities, the expenditure cycle is necessary to pay the bills incurred in producng the goods required for the revenue cycle. The financing cycle is necessary to give the company availability to purchase the necessary buildings and machinery for production along with making sure there are funds for the shareholders. The fixed-asset cycle records depreciation on the buildings and machinery along with the disposal of said items. The conversion cycle is important to manufacturing companies who use cost accounting to determine production costs. Table 1 (UOP, 2009),  explains each phase of the accounting cycle and what documents and ledger accounts are affected by that cycle. Source: University of Phoenix Week 1 â€Å"Read Me First† Riordan Manufacturing uses the expenditure cycle by generating purchase orders and receiving reports to track their purchases. Riordan then uses these documents to request payment for the purchases. Riordan uses HRIS to keep track of employee hours, pay rates, vacation and holiday time then uses this information to generate payroll checks. The company also has sales personnel who submit expense reports for reimbursement of expenses incurred during sales calls. Riordan Manufacturing uses purchasing and payroll records to determine the amount of taxes necessary to pay for sales tax, FICA, FUTA, SUTA and any other taxes due. Internal Controls In order to meet goals and objectives, organizations such as Riordan Manufacturing, establish internal controls. Internal control is the plan of organization and methods a business uses to safeguard assets, provide accurate and reliable information, promote and improve operational efficiency, and encourage adherence to prescribed managerial policies, laws, and regulations (UOP, 2009). In looking specifically at the expenditure cycle, Riordan Manufacturing has both strong and weak internal controls. Strengths include internal controls in operations and quality control. To ensure consistency of operations and quality control, Riordan Manufacturing manages receipts of raw materials, tracks product, and accounts for finished goods inventories. Internal controls include the sales department  completing the sales orders and entering them into customer shipping and billing system. Shipping then loads the sales orders and inventory clerk updates the inventory system based on those shipping documents. Another example is the production reports. They include a project name, document history including the revision date, approvals, and distribution. Project history data is archived in an approved location. However, weaknesses in Riordan Manufacturing’s human resource department are abundant. Employee files are kept by individual managers instead of by human resources in a central employee file area under lock and key. Changes to personal information such as name, marital status, and exemptions are submitted by employee managers which should be requested by employees not their managers. A third-party provider keeps its own records of employees on workers’ compensation but Riordan does not. Excel spreadsheets which include training and development records, applicant information, and individual compensation decisions are kept in unsecure areas and accessible to anyone . Enterprise-wide In order to integrate the expenditure cycle into an enterprise-wide accounting information system, Riordan management should examine the human resource department method of handling employee records. For instance, in an enterprise-wide system, the accounting information system should focus on four objectives including strategic, operations, reporting, and compliance. In order for a business process management system to be implemented, the managers of the company need to evaluate certain criteria of the human resource department which can affect the expenditure cycle. First, management needs to identify the objectives of the human resource department in regards to employee records. This has a direct impact on the strategic objective of the enterprise-wide system. Secondly, the input function needs to be reevaluated. For instance, since the company has four different branches, all input data should be on one method of input. This analysis and pending action would increase the operations function. Thirdly, output time would radically increase for all four branches. The types of output Riordan should consider are the compliance and reporting objectives of the enterprise-wide system. Furthermore, to have the expenditure cycle  implemented, this would decrease the amount of time that Riordan is taking to report expenses. Necessary Information Systems for Integration The various types of information systems necessary to achieve this integration would include analyzing the following: hardware, software, data, people, and procedures (Bagranoff, Simkin, and Strand, 2008.) Three types of controls necessary to keep in mind include preventive, detective, and corrective. The company has already established computer hardware for each of the four branches. In order to determine a software accounting program, the company needs to establish policies and procedures in regards to source documents. This has a direct impact on the data that is accumulated for the company. In order for payroll processing to take effect, personal action forms and employee payroll deduction authorization forms should be established. Riordan should consider a SOX Assurance and Compliance Application. Additionally, only managers should have access to company records. All records, electronic or hard copy should be kept in one central location, thus the use of privacy management information software. Furthermore, policies and procedures for all departments should be retained with a records management system. Flow of Accounting Information The flow of accounting information regarding inventory begins with a log of raw materials and shipping documents which are supervisor approved and taken to an inventory clerk who enters the information into the inventory system. Once entered into the inventory system, accounting personnel can pay supplier invoices. An inventory usage form is provided by the manufacturing staff to the inventory clerk to be entered into the inventory system which tracks raw materials and subassemblies. Manufacturing also provides the inventory clerk with an inventory form accounting for subassemblies and final products when added into the inventory system. In the final product shipping process, sales orders are created and entered into the customer shipping and billing system. Shipping prepares the loads according the sales order information generated and ships accordingly. Then accounting can prepare the invoice after matching the sales order with the inventory system which illustrates the goods shipp ed. Each of the three operating entities of Riordan Manufacturing has their own accounting system. Therefore the systems are not compatible which makes the consolidation of information at the corporate office difficult and labor intensive. Much information is conveyed via email and spreadsheets. Employee personal information changes are requested through a written form and are entered into the system by the payroll clerk. Conclusion The five accounting cycles in an organization’s accounting information system and specifically how Riordan Manufacturing incorporates the expenditure cycle into its system was explained. Strengths and weaknesses of Riordan’s internal controls related to the expenditure cycle were commented on. This paper explained how the expenditure cycle could be integrated into an enterprise-wide accounting information system. The various types of information systems necessary to achieve this integration were illustrated. Finally, the flow of accounting information through Riordan Manufacturing was demonstrated. References Apollo Group, Inc. (2006). Riordan Manufacturing. Accounting Information System 1 – overview. Retrieved March 11, 2009. ACC340-Accounting Information Systems Processing. https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/Business/Riordan/RioMfgHome002.htm Bagranoff, N., & Simkin, M., & Strand, C., (2008). Core Concepts of Accounting Information Systems (10th ed.) [University of Phoenix Custom Edition E-text]. New York, NY: Wiley. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, ACC/340 Accounting Information System 1 Web site. University of Phoenix (2009). Week five overview. Retrieved March 12, 2009, from University of Phoenix, Week Five, rEsource. ACC340-Accounting Information Systems 1 Course Web site. University of Phoenix (2009). Week one overview. Retrieved March 12, 2009, from University of Phoenix, Week One, rEsource. ACC340-Accounting Information Systems 1 Course Web site.

Jose’s Authentic Mexican Restaurant Essay

Problem Statement: Jose’s Mexican restaurant is a small yet popular spot. Lately they have been losing customers and profits due to service issues. In order to improve the restaurant, Jose’s Mexican Restaurant must provide service that is top-notch, in other words fast, efficient, great testing, convenient and heartwarming. What must the restaurant do in order to improve service? Areas for consideration: Quality at Jose’s restaurant should be defined by service, value, reliability of the experience and overall customers’ satisfaction. The quality of a product is defined as whether it fulfills its stated specifications. Customer satisfaction should be at the top priority for the restaurant. Customer satisfaction is the measurement of a product or service that meets or exceeds customer’s expectations. Therefore, the restaurant should focus on its customers’ needs and requirements, and strive to exceed their expectations. ` The factors that affect the quality of the service are conformance to specification, value, fitness for use, support and even psychological standard impression. Food should be delivered and served as to be what is promised on the menu. Also, the food should be cooked and prepared properly, to be fresh, clean, and to have exactly the ingredients and flavors that are ordered. Service staff should be neatly dressed and greet customers with a smile; personnel should be experienced and trained to accommodate the customer. Atmosphere is another important area of quality. At Jose’s, keeping with the Mexican themed decor creates the atmosphere for the Mexican prepared dishes. The overall establishment should maintain a level of cleanliness. Waiting areas for customers should be clean and comfortable during the peak times when a waiting to be seated is necessary. The service and meals should be dependable and consistent. Food should be prepared with the best available ingredients, and served quickly and correctly. Wait staff should provide prompt service, serving in the time promised, and make the customers feel unique and special. What are the restaurant’s costs of process failures? – Because of the lack of a waiting area and reservations Jose’s is losing customers that could have been accommodated better. According to the survey conducted an average of 20% of the customers are unsatisfied. Also due to the wait time for the food to be prepared over 30% of the customers are not satisfied. Even a whopping 14% of customers are not happy with how the food tastes, this is maybe due to the ingredients the cook was complaining about. Even the servers have problems a large 12% complained about their servers. When it all comes down to it a whopping 20% of these customers say that the dining experience was not worth the cost. What does this mean? It means that 20% of the customers are not coming back. So as we can see Jose’s Authentic Mexican Restaurant really needs an overhaul. When a process fails to satisfy a customer, the failure is considered a defect. The more servers the easier it becomes to serve the customers. The more space, the less need for waiting to be seated in fact we may place a cozy waiting area for our guests. Renovations also mean you get to have the media evaluate your place again, meaning you’ll get on the paper, which means free advertising. Also a renovation will spark interest in your regular customers and the general public. People will talk about it. They will want to experience the new place. Disadvantages (Weaknesses and Threats) The expansion of space will take a long time, first a space has to be purchased. We are not even sure if the establishments around Jose’s will want to sell space. Then there comes the finances. Is Jose’s Authentic Mexican Restaurant capable of shelling out large enough capital. New employees may be hard to train and not always needed thus accumulating more cost than what is desired. Also what if the renovation and space expansion takes too long and a new Mexican restaurant owned by someone else opens up? Will Jose’s customers remember it, or will they be satisfied with the new-one’s service? All these things must be put into consideration for even an assumed small weaknesses or threat maybe underestimated and can result or turn into a fatal error. Alternative 2 Use a Six Sigma Improvement Model (DMAIC) Six sigma, which relies heavily on the principles of TQM is comprehensive and flexible system for achieving, sustaining, and maximizing business success by minimizing defects and variability in processes. Although Six Sigma Improvement Model is a five step procedure that leads to improvement in process performance, the model can be applied to projects involving incremental improvement to process or to project requiring major changes including redesigning an existence process. The following steps comprise the model: The DMAIC project methodology has five phases: * Define  the problem, the voice of the customer, and the project goals, specifically. * Measure  key aspects of the current process and collect relevant data. * Analyze  the data to investigate and verify cause-and-effect relationships. Determine what the relationships are, and attempt to ensure that all factors have been considered. Seek out root cause of the defect under investigation. * Improve  or optimize the current process based upon data analysis using techniques such as  design of experiments,  poka yoke  or mistake proofing, and standard work to create a new, future state process. Set up pilot runs to establish  process capability. * Control  the future state process to ensure that any deviations from target are corrected before they result in defects. Implement  control systems  such as  statistical process control,  production boards, and  visual workplaces, and continuously monitor the process. Let us use the Six Sigma Approach: 1- Define. Determine the characteristic of the process output that are critical to customer satisfaction and identify and gaps between these characteristics and the process’s capabilities. Get a picture of the current process by documenting it using flowcharts and process charts. At Jose’s, some of the concern are stated at the survey about customer satisfaction from the service they receive at Jose’s. The survey shows that 20% of the customers were not happy, and don’t consider the service they receive worth the money they pay. Look into the problem thoroughly and see if there are cracks in the system, for example we noticed that Jose’s does not take reservations. 2- Measure. Quantify the work the process does that affects the gap. Select what to measure, identify data sources, and prepare a data collection plan. In Jose’s case, the survey covers all the major issues that could have direct effect on the business performance. 3- Analyze. Use he data on measures to perform process analysis, applying tools such as Pareto charts, scatter diagrams, and cause-and-effect diagrams, and statistical process control (SPC) tools to determine where improvements are necessary. Jose’s should analyze the data from the survey in order to address the problem. 4- Improve. Modify or redesign existing methods to meet the new performance objectives. Implement the change. The Jose’s team should observe the positive achievement in the operation, and should stop the process if there were mismatching. 5- Control. Monitor the process to make sure that high performance level are maintain. Once again, data analysis tools such as pareto charts , bar charts scatter diagram, as well as statistical process control tools can be used to control the process. The selected operational procedure should be revised, and needs to be documented and this process must be firmly held by Jose’s operational team. In the operation processes, continuous improvement need to be find out for the more better performance from Jose’s in general and over all catering services. Advantages (Strengths and Opportunities) The Six Sigma Image Model is a thorough study of the problem. Through using this Jose’s will get down to the roots of the problem and maintain the system functioning well. It takes less time and resources to accomplish. It can be started immediately and the results are effective. This approach is not only cost effective but keeps the guessing-game out of the picture. Since this approach is cost-effective the money saved may then be invested in other things such as equipment, advertising or a totally new business depending on the owners judgment. Disadvantages (Weaknesses and Threats) I don’t really see any major flaws here except that it may be too tedious for the less-active folk. A threat can be that another restaurant may be able to use this system better and come out with better results than Jose’s Authentic Mexican Restaurant. Conclusion and recommendation: Alternative 1 – may indeed spark interest and increase sales for an unknown period of time after the restaurant re-opens. However, this method is not cost-effective and will take too much time, effort and capital to set in motion and complete. And it does not take an in-depth look at the problem but only gives a superficial or shallow solution to the problem. With the information collected by Jose’s Authentic Mexican Restaurant it is possible the restaurant is ready to take the Six Sigma Image Model approach. I therefore conclude that Alternative 2 which is to take an in-depth search of the problem through the Six Sigma approach originally developed and made popular by Motorola, USA can be most helpful to solving the problem with service at the said restaurant. This alternative takes a deep meaningful search of the problems, solves it and maintains it. This approach meets the objective of the study, which is to solve the service problem of Jose’s Authentic Restaurant. The importance of investing in a Six Sigma approach are the in-depth research, answers, information and system maintenance that will be available after this approach is completed. After all, it is a proven system that has been used by countless successful businesses. Aside from the research valuability, educating your employees with this approach may increase their self-esteem by providing them with information and a tool for success in life. Happy and confident employees result in a better work-ethic, which will then dramatically improve the service performance of Jose’s Authentic Mexican Restaurant.

Porter Five Forces Starbucks Essay

Starbucks, a cofee stores chain, serving million of coffee lovers worldwide every week, highlights ‘humanistic approach in doing business, value system of the company’ for its huge success. The company featuring ‘one of the best 100 companies to work for’ in Fortune Magazine several times speaks on its own about the satisfaction of the employees contributing towards its all time success. Providing a great work environment and treating every employee equally with self respect and dignity will take care of employee motivation according to Friedrick Herzberg’s Two factor theory, a content theory of Motivation, where ‘Hygiene’ and ‘Motivator’ factors are kept intact for employee to work and focus upon. By creating a culture of challenging employees to do their best, the company encourages employees in participating in setting goals, where as difficult goals extracting best performance at times, and specific goals extracting guara nteed performance according to ’ Goal setting Theory’ by Edwin A. Locke, a process theory of Motivation. The company’s motivational program for its employees consists of â€Å"a special blend of employee benefits† and a work / personal life program that focuses on the physical, emotional, mental and creative aspects of each individual which covers the salient features of Motivation theories by Abraham Maslow – Hierarchy of Needs of different levels as well as by Clayton Alderfer’s ERG theory (explaining about needs for existence, relatedness and growth). The company always seeks from its employees what they want individually, and attempts to give work / life solutions and this upholds Motivation process theories Vroom’s expectancy theory and J.Stanley Adams Equity theory as employees put effort as per expectations and objectives and for clear and quantified material benefits. Starbucks trusts all employees, gives freedom of expression, openness, participation and contribution towards the goals of self as well as for company realising the positive aspec ts of Motivational theory by Mc Greg or – Theory x & Theory Y – which ultimately aims at delight of internal customers, i.e., employees (called as partners) and keeps going and growing.

Hire With your Head Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Hire With your Head - Essay Example Additionally, there are also legal costs and ethical considerations any organization might face due to a poor hiring process. It, therefore, is imperative to make the process as perfect as possible through asking the right question, testing the correct skills and ascertaining the best qualifications. In ordinary situations, finding good people that match expectations prove difficult. As a result, most organizations stumble to the ground despite having qualified individuals (Alder 178). All these problems point back to the hiring process, which might be expensive with regards to opportunity and money. In this light, the paper takes a deep insight at chapter 6 of Lou Alder’s book Hire with your head. †¢ Evidently, Lou Alder is a senior corporate executive experienced in finding, evaluating, hiring and assimilating new employees into the work environment. Through his book Hire with your head, a systematic approach prevails for discovering and bringing on board new employees of exceptional skills and productivity. Notably, the hiring process is complicated by Alders book simplifies the continuous process. †¢ Interviewers often mistake the first candidates and approve them for the strategic positions. In essence, Alder regards, these simple mistakes as serious hiring problems that retain the wrong candidates while the right candidates face expulsion. The first interview is an avenue for collecting information and not a decision-making platform. Any interview that induces choice of options at the first stage stagnates or change the hiring process.

Impact of import and export on the economic growth of Sweden Literature review

Impact of import and export on the economic growth of Sweden - Literature review Example Sweden, also sometimes known by the name Holland is located in North West Europe. Trade, energy sector and services industry are some of the major contributors to the Swedish GDP. Sweden also enjoys the honor of being the 16th largest economy in the world. Moreover, the total annual GDP of Sweden stands to be 4 percent higher than the average European GDP. Sweden favors an open trade policy and happens to be one of the top ranking free market economies in the world. Sweden accrues roughly 66 percent of its revenues through foreign trade. Import and export constitute the primary engine of economic growth in Sweden. Sweden is a very small nation that has an economy that is predominantly dependent on import and export for its sustenance. Going by the pivotal role of the import and export in the economic setup of the nation, the Swedish government had made it a point to design and administer the requisite, supportive trade policies and infrastructure. Over the last two decades, Sweden has tried its best to evolve into a net exporter of goods. Hydropower, engineering goods, iron ore and timber constitute the primary Swedish exports. Besides, Sweden also imports to its trade partners, cars, pharmaceuticals, telecommunication and IT products and services. A large number of Swedish companies responsible for a good chunk of imports and exports have managed to establish themselves as global leaders and top brands the like of Electrolux, Volvo and Sony Erickson. A majority portion of the trade and industry in Sweden are manage d by private concerns. It is largely owing to the highly professional and competitive approach of these private stakes in the Swedish economy and trade that Sweden is garnering an impressive and more or less stable economic growth. As per the World Economic Forum 2008, Sweden happened to be the fourth most competitive country in the world. One major reason responsible for the success of Swedish exports in the global markets is the impressive investment Sweden makes in research and development. Thus the products exported by Sweden do have an inalienable technological edge tagged to them, which sets them apart from other competitors. A fair estimate of Swedish panache for competitiveness in imports and exports can be judged from the fact that in 2007, Sweden invested roughly 3.5 percent of its GDP in research and development initiatives. To sustain its industrial and trade framework, Sweden also needs to import a variety of goods and services. One salient reason behind the economic po tential of Sweden is that it suffered a severe recession in the early 90s. At that time, the Swedish government decided to place international trade at the core of its economic recovery plan. So, no doubt, import and export have a central and crucial role to play in the overall economic growth of Sweden. In the current times marred by recession and economic slowdown, Sweden with its trade setup, backed by apt import and export policies and favorable infrastructure, is more likely to chart a smooth course as compared to other developed economies. The trade sector in Sweden is quiet robust and relatively less vulnerable to global

Achieving Food Security in Saudi Arabia with Sustainable Foreign Research Paper

Achieving Food Security in Saudi Arabia with Sustainable Foreign Direct Investment - Research Paper Example The climate of the country is very hot dry in summer and mild cold in winter. The country is blessed to have the biggest oil reserve in on earth, offering its citizens high living standards to enjoy a comfortable living. Nevertheless, the water resources in the country are insignificant making it very hard to the government to be independent in agriculture particularly with the fast population increase. As Saudi Arabia was always relies on imported food, it is untrustworthy particularly with today’s politics between laws and countries. In addition, Saudi Arabia cannot spend in local agriculture because of water shortages. Therefore, Saudi Arabia sought to put their funds in foreign nations for agriculture. A lot of these investments in deprived nations are not sustainable because of extreme poverty, bad infrastructure and political unsteadiness in some nations particularly in Africa which can put Saudi’s agricultural investment at a high risk. This study is rooted in pr evious analysis and studies, which were carried out in the field of food security in Saudi Arabia through looking at significant academic resources on the topic of FDI, and some cases concerning agricultural investments in deprived nations, which specified on the matter of neo-colonialism and land grabbing. This article investigates agricultural investments overseas and its objective to make agricultural investments further sustainable. It can be used by agricultural bodies and investors to evaluate the risk of FDI in agriculture and also give solutions concerning sustainability to grant food security. This article is split into eight parts. First, it will talk about the global food crisis. Secondly, it will talk about the food security in Saudi Arabia. Thirdly, it will talk about the concept of FDI and its uses on agriculture. Fourthly, it will talk about the challenges of FDIs. Fifth, it will discuss Neocoloniasm and then the Negative aspects of FDI. Finally, it will give the reco mmendations as per the findings along with the conclusion. Global Food Security Over one billion individuals, almost a sixth of the globe’s populace, suffer from chronic (severe) hunger (Heady & Fan, 2010). It is a disaster with devastating and extensive effects. Lack of food weakens the immune system and also slows down a child’s development. 50% of all cases of children’s death are caused by hunger (Heady & Fan, 2010). Under nutrition, as well as chronic hunger, mainly arises from widespread poverty. Individuals who are poor cannot afford to buy food. Hungry households use more than half of their income to purchase the food they require to survive with. Food cannot travel from excess to shortage areas across and within a country due to barriers at the border, poor roads, as well as checkpoints along the way (Heady & Fan, 2010). Without adequate food, grownups struggle to work and children, on the other hand, endeavor to learn, making sustainable financial deve lopment tough to attain. The global society normally uses the phrase "food security" to explain not just the availability of food, but also the capability of purchasing food. Food security refers to having a dependable source of food and adequate resources to buy it. A family is regarded to be food-secured when its members do not live in fear of starvation or hunger. Guarantying worldwide food security will only become more complex in the future as the need for food is projected to go up by 50% over the next two decades (Heady &

Enterprise Risk Management at Google Research Paper

Enterprise Risk Management at Google - Research Paper Example Google has emerged as the front-runner in the market through its search engine and despite the present recessionary trends, the Company reported gross revenues for the third quarter of 2008 of $5.4 billion, which reflects an increase of 3% compared to the second quarter of 2008 and an increase of 31% compared to the same period last year (www.google.com/ financial release). But the Company also faces an increasing level of challenges on grounds of privacy and cultural issues on its websites.   ERP has been defined has been defined as â€Å"the discipline by which an organization in any industry assesses, controls, exploits, finances, and monitors risks from all sources for the purpose of increasing the organizations short- and long-term value to its stakeholders.† (www.casact.org, p 10). Before many of the accounting scandals such as the one at Enron erupted, risk assessment standards were considered a separate niche from regulating and auditing standards. But this has now been made a part of corporate governance, which is important in ensuring the economic health of corporations. Including risk assessment as a part of corporate governance provides investors the opportunity to periodically assess any potential risks that may arise. The Treadway Commission (COSO) issued a landmark report, in which it identified internal control measures that were necessary to ensure financial accountability and transparency in corporate governance. The three primary objectives of internal control according to this report are: 1) efficient and effective operations, (2) accurate financial reporting, and (3) compliance with laws and regulations.     

Project Management Scenario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Project Management Scenario - Essay Example These reports are a type of written communication those can be utilized in order to assess the project status and analysis of the activities and tasks those were not completed according to scheduled time. In addition, Janet can also use the oral communication technique. In this scenario, she can use the facilities of live meetings or remote phone calls. In this scenario she can make use of internet VoIP technology for her target stakeholders, mission, project completion plan and strategy, as well as other relevant information distribution and acquiring (Smith). In order to manage SEITZ Corporation project, Janet can use a conflict management strategy to solve conflicts between Clark, Downs and Pokorski. In this scenario the main and fundamental issue that I have assessed is the about the political issues. In scenario of this project a lot of groups are involved, thus there is the possibility of power game and vested interests; those can come in the way of dialogue. In such types of t he political conflicts, overall project working and operations can be disturbed. Here another issue is about the differences in expectations. In this scenario, Janet needs to make sure that everybody associated with the project has a frequent set of prospect in terms of what is to be delivered. However, to achieve this outcome, project synchronization among all team members is really essential.

Artist Statement (Describe the photographies) Assignment

Artist Statement (Describe the photographies) - Assignment Example He has adopted a classic ruminating pose. In Math Problem (05_lee.jpg), we have the clear case of a student apparenetly solving a math problem in the library. He is taking help from an online source via a laptop, as well as referring to his notebook for writing the solution. He seems tired. Care has been taken to include as much of the setting as possible. In Group Session (06_lee.jpg), we have the case for a frontal photo representation of a group of students that appear to be working on a joint problem or in a group. They are looking at their laptops, which are a ubiquitous symbol of American life and indeed of education and the youth. An everpresent Pepsi lies on the table for refreshment. In Photograph 8 (08_lee.jpg), the emphasis shifts outside in the open air, as our subject is a female student sitting crosslegged in a public park, her schoolbag tossed by her side. The angle of the photography is rather unique and accentuates the lights in the park among the trees, as well as in the spectacles worn by the subjet. She seems hard at work and is apparently a nature lover or prefers the quiet of this venue compared to a noisy and closeted library. In Photograph 9 (09_lee.jpg), we see another image of the same subject. She has been interrupted and looks up with surprise. She seems a little taken aback, although there is a glimpse of a smile as her picture is being taken. It is obvious that she was not ready for this. In Photograph 10 (10_lee.jpg), we see a very happy student near the door of a dormitory or study area in a college or university. He has turned to face the camera. It is obvious that he has heard some very good news and we can only wonder what it is as there are no other visual cues. We can imagine that he has got A grades in one or more exams. In Photograph 11(11_lee.jpg), we have the camera looking down towards many subjects in the library area. It is just to show a new focus from a new angle. The subjects are doing different things,

Fast food industry Essay Example for Free

Fast food industry Essay Fast food industry has been in existence for the past years. The growing popularity of the industry gave way for many businessmen to put up many branches or chains in different parts of the country. This leads to the birth of fast food chains, by which Jollibee, McDonalds, KFC, Mang Inasal, Chowking, WOK Express and Greenwich are few examples. People prefer to go into fast food chains not just because of their food preference but because they serve their customer in a quick manner. Since their products are in demand to the customers, they need to maintain a specific level of inventory in order to respond to the needs of their customers. Because of the unpredictable demand of customers, management of fast food chains is struck in a dilemma of ordering the right level of their raw materials for production. That is why it is important that fast food chains know the policies in determining their inventory level or size. The size of inventory stocked by fast food chains depends on forecasted requirements and product popularity as demanded. Inventory shortage or erratic delivery of ingredients for production can prevent the manufacturer from completion of its finished products. The importance of the study includes knowing if low or high level of inventory will have great effects on production of fast food industry. Studying the inventory levels of fast food chains and their effects on production will allow the researchers to venture more into the depth of the inventory process of each business.

ACM ICPC Regional Problem

ACM ICPC Regional Problem Siti Nazihah Binti Sarpin (L) Nurul Aini Binti Mohd Hisan Table of Contents (Jump to) Introduction Problem Description Problem Statistics Problem Details ACM ICPC Regional Problem Reason to Choose This Problem Preliminary Analysis Mathematical Modeling Test Case 1 (Sample input and output from the problem) Test Case 2 (New input and output) Possible Algorithm Design Technique Brute Force Dynamic Programming 0-1 Knapsacks References Introduction Problem Description Bessie has gone on a trip, and she’s riding a roller coaster! Bessie really likes riding the roller coaster, but unfortunately she often gets dizzy. The roller coaster has a number of distinct sections that Bessie rides in order. At the beginning of the ride, Bessies dizziness and fun levels are both at 0. For each section of the roller coaster, Bessie can either keep her eyes open or keep them closed (and must keep them that way for the whole section). If she keeps her eyes open for a section, her total fun increases by a Fun factor for that section, and her dizziness increases by a Dizziness factor for that section. However, if she keeps her eyes closed for the section, her total fun will not change, but her dizziness will decrease by a value that’s constant for the entire roller coaster. (Note that her dizziness can never go below 0.) If, at any point, Bessies dizziness is above a certain limit, Bessie will get sick. Write a program to find the maximum amount of fun Bessie can have without getting sick. Input There will be several test cases in the input. Each test case will begin with a line with three integers: N K L Where N (1 ≠¤ N ≠¤ 1,000) is the number of sections in this particular roller coaster, K (1 ≠¤ K ≠¤ 500) is the amount that Bessie’s dizziness level will go down if she keeps her eyes closed on any section of the ride, and L (1 ≠¤ L ≠¤ 300,000) is the limit of dizziness that Bessie can tolerate – if her dizziness ever becomes larger than L, Bessie will get sick, and that’s not fun! Each of the next N lines will describe a section of the roller coaster, and will have two integers: F D Where F (1 ≠¤ F ≠¤ 20) is the increase to Bessie’s total fun that she’ll get if she keeps her eyes open on that section, and D (1 ≠¤ D ≠¤ 500) is the increase to her dizziness level if she keeps her eyes open on that section. The sections will be listed in order. The input will end with a line with three 0s. Output For each test case, output a single integer, representing the maximum amount of fun Bessie can have on that roller coaster without exceeding her dizziness limit. Print each integer on its own line with no spaces. Do not print any blank lines between answers. Sample Input 3 1 2 2 1 3 1 5 2 10 5 1 20 2 12 4 3 3 10 6 20 3 19 9 19 7 1 500 15 5 4 2 0 0 0 Sample Output 7 0 Problem Statistics According to ACM-ICPC archive website, the total submission of this problem is 2226. There are 183 users have solved this problem while 246 users that tried this problem (last update on 10 Dec 2014). This problem can be found at https://icpcarchive.ecs.baylor.edu/index.php?option=com_onlinejudgeItemid=8category=410page=show_problemproblem=2871. Problem Details ACM ICPC Regional Problem Region: ACM ICPC Regionals 2010 North America Southeast USA Year: 2010 Problem: H, 4870 – Roller Coaster [4.500 seconds] Link:https://icpcarchive.ecs.baylor.edu/index.php?option=com_onlinejudgeItemid=8category=410page=show_problemproblem=2871 Source Code: https://github.com/depstein/programming-competitions/blob/master/problems/04-10-14%20intro/4870%20(Roller%20Coaster)/rollercoaster.java Programmer: N/A. Reason to Choose This Problem This problem is chosen to fulfill a requirement of CSC750, Advance Algorithm and Analysis that needed the problem that can be solved using Dynamic Programming. This problem belongs to 0-1 Knapsack problem which require us to find the maximum amount of fun can Bessie have without making her sick. Preliminary Analysis This problem is to obtain the maximum amount of fun Bessie can have when riding a roller coaster without getting sick, in which case without exceeding her dizziness limit. The constraints of the problem include: The roller coaster has a distinct number of sections that Bessie rides in order. Bessie’s fun and dizziness levels are both at 0 at the beginning of the ride. For each section, Bessie has two options either to keeps her eyes open or close and she must keep them that way for the whole section. At any section, when Bessie keeps her eyes open, her total dizziness increases by a dizziness factor and her total fun also increases by a fun factor. * At any section, when Bessie keeps her eyes closed, her total dizziness will be subtracted by a value that is constant for the entire roller coaster, but her total fun is maintain. * Bessie’s dizziness can never go below 0. Bessie will get sick if her dizziness is above a given limit. * * Tricky constraint. The parameters for this problem are listed as below: N (1 ≠¤ N ≠¤ 1000), the number of sections in a particular roller coaster. K (1 ≠¤ K ≠¤ 500), the amount that Bessie’s dizziness level will be subtracted if she keeps her eyes closed on any section of the ride. L (1 ≠¤ L ≠¤ 300,000), limit of dizziness that Bessie can stand. F (1 ≠¤ F ≠¤ 20), the increases to Bessie’s total fun if she keeps her eyes open on that section. D (1 ≠¤ D ≠¤ 500), the increases to her dizziness level if she keeps her eyes open on that section. 000, the c fixed command line for stopping the test cases. This problem belongs to 0-1 Knapsack problem. This is due to the same properties this problem had as with a Knapsack problem in which it contains; a set of items where each item consists of weight and value, the total weight must be less than or equal to the given limit, and a maximum total value (in which case it must consider the given limit of the sack can carry) [1]. Thus, for this Roller Coaster problem, the properties listed below have adapted the knapsack solution: The item in this problem consists of Bessie’s dizziness level (weight) and fun level (value). Her dizziness is how much she can carries in her sack (total weight of the items she carries in the sack). Her fun is what she would like to maximize (total value of the items she carries). Now, we want to get the maximum total fun she could have without making her too dizzy (maximum total fun = maximum total value in her sack) (limit of dizziness = weight limit for the sack). Furthermore, this problem is tied with another tricky constraints in which it affected the dizziness level and fun level at each distinct section, in which case Bessie has two options either to open or close her eyes during riding that roller coaster (in Knapsack problem, whether an item is in the sack or not). If she keeps her eyes open, both dizziness and fun level will increase. Meanwhile, if she keeps her eyes close, her fun level will remain the same as with the previous section, but her dizziness level will increase. In conjunction with these tricky constraints, it can be broken down into many sub-problems [2], hence the Knapsack solution to this problem does not have to perform backtracking or recursion. This is because the previously solved sub-problems are stored in tables and can be used again instead of re-computing the solution each time [2]. In summary, this Knapsack problem is more suitable if it is solve by using Dynamic Programming technique compare with brute force algorithm. Mathematical Modeling Input: The number of sections in a particular roller coaster. The amount that Bessie’s dizziness level will be subtracted if she keeps her eyes closed on any section of the ride. The limit of dizziness that Bessie can stand. The increases to Bessie’s total fun if she keeps her eyes open on that section. The increases to her dizziness level if she keeps her eyes open on that section. The fixed command line for stopping the test cases. Output: The maximum amount of fun Bessie can have on that roller coaster without exceeding her dizziness limit. Let, the number of sections in a particular roller coaster = N, where N ≠¥ 1 and N ≠¤ 1000, the amount that Bessie’s dizziness level will be subtracted if she keeps her eyes closed on any section of the ride = K, where K ≠¥ 1 and K ≠¤ 500, the limit of dizziness that Bessie can stand = L, where L ≠¥ 1 and L ≠¤ 300000, the increases to Bessie’s total fun if she keeps her eyes open on that section = F, where F ≠¥ 1 and F ≠¤ 20, the increases to her dizziness level if she keeps her eyes open on that section = D, where D ≠¥ 1 and D ≠¤ 500, and the fixed command line for stopping the test cases = 000. To mathematically model this problem, it uses array tables to obtain the maximum total fun Bessie could have without getting sick [4]. It is important to make sure total dizziness (DTotal) can never go below zero and must not exceed the given limit. Hence, DTotal ≠¥ 0 and DTotal ≠¤ L. Moreover, depending on Bessie’s eyes’ condition (either open or close), it will affect each of the total fun and total dizziness. Hence, FOpen = F + F[fun at nth section], DOpen = D + D[dizzy at nth section], FClose = F[fun at nth section], DClose = D[dizzy at nth section] K, where FOpen, DOpen, FClose, DClose N. Thus a solution for the problem is to find the minimum dizziness Bessie could have with the maximum fun [4]. DP[N][F] is the minimum dizziness Bessie can have, with fun = F. DP[N][F] = max(DP[N 1][F (fun at the nth section)] + (dizziness at the nth section), DP[N 1][F] K). First table is to store the section’s number [N] and the other one is to store the total fun [F]. Note that both initial arrays of fun and dizziness level are set to 0.The track of the roller coaster must pass all section meaning to move to the next section both table will become [N-1] [F Fun[N]]. By using those tables, for each section, we can obtain the maximum fun Bessie can have. When move to the next section, it just retrieves the previously stored result in order to get the new result for the new section. Test Case 1 (Sample input and output from the problem) Sample input Sample output 3 1 2 2 1 3 1 5 2 7 Table 1 Sample input and output of test case 1 Table 2 illustrates the optimal solution for test case 1 from the sample input given by the Roller Coaster problem. This roller coaster track has a total of 3 sections, the amount that Bessie’s dizziness level will be subtracted if she keeps her eyes closed on any section of the ride is 1, and the limit of dizziness that Bessie can stand is 2. The maximum total fun Bessie could have without getting sick is 7 and her dizziness is 2. During riding that roller coaster, Bessie had her eyes open in section 1 and 3, and close her eyes in section 2. Eyes’ Condition Level of Fun Dizziness Initial 0 0 Open Section 1 2 1 0 + 2 = 2 0 + 1 = 1 Close Section 2 3 1 2 1 – 1 = 0 Open Section 3 5 2 5 + 2 = 7 0 + 2 = 2 Table 2Optimal solution for test case 1 from sample input Roller Coaster problem Test Case 2 (New input and output) Input Output 12 3 8 5 4 3 2 8 2 6 1 12 5 18 2 12 3 10 4 15 2 16 5 10 3 6 1 80 Table 3 input and output from test case 2 This roller coaster track has a total of 12 sections, the amount that Bessie’s dizziness level will be subtracted if she keeps her eyes closed on any section of the ride is 3, and the limit of dizziness that Bessie can stand is 8. The maximum total fun Bessie could have without getting sick is 80 and her dizziness is 6. During riding that roller coaster, Bessie had her eyes close in section 2 5, 8 and 10, and open her eyes in other sections. Meanwhile, Table 4 shows how the solution is achieved. Eyes’ Condition Level of Fun Dizziness Initial 0 0 Open Section 1 5 4 0 + 5 = 5 0 + 4 = 4 Close Section 2 3 2 5 4 3 = 1 Open Section 3 8 2 5 + 8 = 13 1 + 2 = 3 Open Section 4 6 1 13 + 6 = 19 3 + 1 = 4 Close Section 5 12 5 19 4 – 3 = 1 Open Section 6 18 2 19 + 18 = 37 1 + 2 = 3 Open Section 7 12 3 37 + 12 = 49 3 + 3 = 6 Close Section 8 10 4 49 6 – 3 = 3 Open Section 9 15 2 49 + 15 = 64 3 + 2 = 5 Close Section 10 16 5 64 5 – 3 = 2 Open Section 11 10 3 64 + 10 = 74 2 + 3 = 5 Open Section 12 6 1 74 + 6 = 80 5 + 1 = 6 Table 4: An example of input for Roller Coaster problem Possible Algorithm Design Technique Roller coaster problem can be solved using brute force technique or dynamic programming. There is no doubt that this problem can be solved using brute force and it can produce the correct output but it will caused an exponential time to the program. Therefore, Dynamic Programming is the better approach to solve Roller Coaster problem. Brute Force Brute force technique is not recommended to solve this problem because it will result in an exponential solution [3] as we have to modify the condition (either Bessie’s eyes open or close) and compare each result every time in order to obtain the optimal solution. In addition, if the number of test cases is getting bigger, it is quite impossible to get a short period of time taken as to calculate every sub-problem. Since there is no limit on the test case, user can state their input as much as they want. Let’s take sample test case 1 as an example shown in Table 1. 3 1 2 2 1 3 1 5 2 3 1 2 N = 3, K = 1, and L = 2. 2 1, 3 1, and 5 2 F = 2, 3, 5 and D = 1, 1. Table 5: Sample test case 1 from the Roller Coaster problem Brute force algorithm will test all the possibilities of Bessie’s eyes condition, either she had her eyes opened or closed. Eyes’ Condition Level of Fun Dizziness Initial 0 0 Open Section 1 2 1 0 + 2 = 2 0 + 1 = 1 Open Section 2 3 1 2 + 3 = 5 1 + 2 = 3 Open Section 3 5 2 5 + 5 = 10 3 + 2 = 5 Table 6: First condition The first condition fails because Bessie’s dizziness level exceeds her limit even though she got so much fun. Eyes’ Condition Level of Fun Dizziness Initial 0 0 Close Section 1 2 1 0 0 Open Section 2 3 1 0 + 3 = 3 0 + 1 = 1 Open Section 3 5 2 3 + 5 = 8 1 + 2 = 3 Table 7: Second condition The second condition also fails because her dizziness level exceeds her limit. Eyes’ Condition Level of Fun Dizziness Initial 0 0 Open Section 1 2 1 0 + 2 = 2 0 + 1 = 1 Close Section 2 3 1 2 1 – 1 = 0 Open Section 3 5 2 5 + 2 = 7 0 + 2 = 2 Table 8: Third condition The third condition is a success because of her dizziness level does not exceed her limit and she got so much fun. Eyes’ Condition Level of Fun Dizziness Initial 0 0 Open Section 1 2 1 0 + 2 = 2 0 + 1 = 1 Open Section 2 3 1 2 + 3 = 5 1 + 1 = 2 Close Section 3 5 2 5 2 – 1 = 1 Table 9: Fourth condition Even though this condition can be considered as a success because of Bessie’s dizziness level does not exceed her limit but the fun she got is not much. Eyes’ Condition Level of Fun Dizziness Initial 0 0 Close Section 1 2 1 0 0 Close Section 2 3 1 0 0 Open Section 3 5 2 0 + 5 = 5 0 + 2 = 2 Table 10: Fifth condition Even though this condition can be considered as a success because of Bessie’s dizziness level does not exceed her limit but she does not have much fun. Eyes’ Condition Level of Fun Dizziness Initial 0 0 Open Section 1 2 1 0 + 2 = 2 0 + 1 = 1 Close Section 2 3 1 2 1 – 1 = 0 Close Section 3 5 2 2 0 Table 11: Sixth condition Even though this condition can be considered as a success because of Bessie’s dizziness level does not exceed her limit but she does not have much fun. Eyes’ Condition Level of Fun Dizziness Initial 0 0 Close Section 1 2 1 0 0 Open Section 2 3 1 0 + 3 = 3 0 + 1 = 1 Close Section 3 5 2 3 1 – 1 = 0 Table 12: Seventh condition Even though this condition can be considered as a success because Bessie’s dizziness level does not exceed her limit but she does not have much fun. Eyes’ Condition Level of Fun Dizziness Initial 0 0 Close Section 1 2 1 0 0 Close Section 2 3 1 0 0 Close Section 3 5 2 0 0 Table 13: Eighth condition This condition fails because Bessie’s does not have fun at all. Therefore, Table 8 which illustrates the third condition is the most optimal solution where it satisfies as the maximum amount of fun Bessie can have when riding a roller coaster without getting sick. Dynamic Programming 0-1 Knapsacks The key idea to solve this problem is by adapting the Knapsack solution in which total amount of dizziness as the total weight she carries in her sack without exceeding the given limit and maximum fun as the maximum total value carries in that sack. To obtain the most optimal solution, we have to select the most maximum of total fun. However, in selecting the maximum total fun, we need to consider the total amount of dizziness because if it exceeds the limit, Bessie will get sick and thus we should avoid it. References [1] Knapsack Problem, http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knapsack_problem [2] Slide #4 in Dynamic Programming 1, CSC752 Advanced Algorithms Analysis, Syed Ahmad Aljunid. [3] Brute Force Search, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brute-force_search [4] Southeast Regionals 2010 – Solutions, https://sites.google.com/site/ubcprogrammingteam/news

Climate Change And The Disaster Environmental Sciences Essay

Climate Change And The Disaster Environmental Sciences Essay Climate change and the disaster of the environment have driven the planet in a crucial state. Although it is irreversible, countries all over the world have entered a route of mitigating this disaster. In this essay we are going to talk about how Hamburg, one of the largest cities in Europe and one of the largest and busiest ports worldwide, have managed to solve in a big percentage, regardless of its big population, issues, among others, like reduction of CO2 emissions and management of waste disposal and recirculation. We are also going to see one environmental issue that hasnt been solved yet and we are going to explore the various impacts of this as well as what Hamburg is planning to do about it in the future.2 The city of Hamburg and the importance of its port The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg is a city state and the second largest city in Germany with 1,7 million of inhabitants. It is a cultural and a commercial center for Northern Germany, its metropolitan region consisting of approximately 4 million people. Hamburg municipal area is equal to 755,3 km2 and embraces 14 districts around the City of Hamburg.(HPA,2011) It is the third biggest industrial area In Germany after Ruhr and Berlin, with business related to aircraft and ship building industry, automotive industry and mineral oil processing. However the highest importance is the industry that is related to the harbor and all its activities. The port of Hamburg is the largest port in Germany, the third largest port in Europe and one of the ten largest ports worldwide. Only the port by itself employs around 75,000 people and more than 133,000 jobs are directly or indirectly related to the port due to its high importance as it is one of the most important trading centers in Northern Europe. As for this reason Hamburg sustainability has become very topical as environmental protection has turned into a major factor for business decisions. 3 Environmental issues solved 3.1 Reduction of CO2 emissions Hamburg has gone too far investigating and researching new methods of contributing in the mitigation of climate change. One major issue that has been solved at a considerable percentage is the reduction of CO2 emissions. The efforts are great considering the scale of energy demand, the citys population and the ports traffic. The government itself has gone into an ECO-partnership with the commercial sector, encouraging companies to go beyond statutory requirements regarding CO2 emissions. As for the port, Hamburg has established the Automated container taxis which in fact eliminates the transportation of containers via trucks and instead containers are transported from one terminal to the other, through long distance railway. (New European Economy, 2012) In the city, again Hamburg gives the example, having many cleaner means of transportation for short and long ranges. Not only the worlds biggest fleet of hydrogen-fuelled buses, but also an exclusive bicycle network exists in the city, with additional bike lanes and cycle-hire schemes. (European Union, 2011) Last but not least Hamburg has in many places around the city heating plants which provide district heating. This system produces and provides heating to some districts using, as basic energy consumption renewable energy such as solar energy, wind energy and biomass, combined with fossil fuels. All these have a huge impact on the environment and people because it has a considerable reduction in CO2 emissions, great noise reduction, less need for fossil fuel consumption, so that means, a healthier and greener way of life. 3.2 Waste water management Sustainable waste water management has been a top priority is Hamburg for more than a decade. Mainly the Public Sewage Company HSE but also other organizations have invested a considerable amount of money so that Hamburg will reach a satisfactory percentage of prevention of waste water to go to lakes and waterways. The key issues that were achieved were the storage of waste water in tanks, the treatment of waste water, which actually is the dehydration of the waste water, the separation of ammonia in the waste water (de nitrification) and the energy production from the separated sludge. Especially in the energy production from the sludge, HSE has done a great job, equipping all the treatment plants with a new chain process which exploits energy resulting from the treated sludge. So as a result of this sewage gases are transformed to electric energy, further decreasing CO2 emissions that stated before. (European Union, 2011) C:UsersPanosDocumentsenviromental engineering Sources2012_04_26_Abb Konzept mit Garrest_eng_skaliert.jpg Also there is a concept to come into force from the HWC company in the near future that will be a great innovation. According to that concept every residence will be able to manage, treat, and recycle the waste water disposal and also convert it to energy. All of the above have as a result the creation of a better environment for the flora and fauna in the lakes and waterways, the recycling of the evaporated water which comes in terms of rain and the increase in the oxygen expulsion. 4 Issue that has not been yet solved Since there isnt any city, state or country in the world that has solved all the environmental problems, same goes for Hamburg that has one critical environmental problem that troubles scientists and researchers for long time now and that goes with river Elbe. Due to Hamburgs location and topography there is a need for dredging of accumulating sediments. Since 1990s, it was decided that the deepening of river Elbe was a critical matter since it was found that the sediments were highly contaminated and they needed to be treated before they could go into disposal. 4.1 River Elbe River Elbe is the third largest river in Central Europe after Danube and Rhine and in terms of length it covers a distance of 1091 km (727 km in Germany, 364 km in Czech Republic). Its catchment area goes through Prague, Dresden, Berlin and Hamburg. Especially around the city of Hamburg, where the port of Hamburg is allocated, river Elbe is influenced by the tide. 4.2 Environmental problems on River Elbe As we mentioned before river Elbe is influenced by the tide. This has as a result to have several sediments staying at the bottom of the river, and following that, the level of the seabed of the river is rising through time. In order to sustain the trade of the harbor by having free passage to ships, as well as keeping the harbor fully operational, the depth of river Elbe and thus the depth of navigation needed to be assured. Constant dredging was the answer to the problem to achieve that depth. At the beginning of the idea, the sediments that were dredged from river Elbe were used again for agriculture. However it was found that the dredged sentiments were contaminated with heavy metals (As, Cd, Hg, Zn) and organic contaminants (PCB, Dioxins, PAHs) which had great negative impacts to the environment (Heise, 2005). This pollution was a result of upstream industrial activities in the former GDR (German Democratic Republic) and Czech Republic such as pharmaceutical, chemicals from mini ng, pulp and paper, and leather-processing industries (Netzband et al., 2002). Until 2000 there were some measures that were taken in order to reduce this contamination, such as the treatment of the dredged sediments. This system was aparted from two sections. The first section was the pre-treatment which was the separation of the sediments into sand and contaminated silt fraction, and the main treatment was the dewatering process followed by the environmentally safe disposal of the silt. Both treatments were carried out by one large scale plant named METHA (Netzband, 2002). Since 2000 the sediments have been increasing 3 to 4 million m3 per year (HPA, 2005b). This is of great importance to Hamburg and its environment because from one point the sediments have to be dredged more quickly, due to the current needs of the harbor area and from another point the capacity of METHA has already been exceeded. As it is understandable the continuously dredging of river Elbe destroys its morphological environment, and from at the part of the pollutants we already have a decrease in oxygen, combined with the existence of contaminants we have a progressive destruction of the environment. Especially the summer time the oxygen depletion of river Elbe is great which results in a large number of fish kills. 4.3 Possible solutions Although the dredging of river Elbe is an issue that troubles researchers for over two decades, the impacts are not irreversible. Since the reason for deepening river Elbe is solely financial, it is suggested by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, that a second port should be opened as a deep water port, located at Wilhelmshaven and acting as a hub (HA, 2004a). This is one of the best ideas if it will be financially supported, so that the need of 24 hour navigation on river Elbe, regardless of the tide, will be eliminated as well as the need for dredging. Apart from that, the European WFD (Water Framework Directive) implements new quality standards for chemicals used in agriculture.

Animal Farm And The Russian Revolution Essay -- Animal Farm Essays

George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm is a great example of allegory and political satire. The novel was written to criticize totalitarian regimes and particularly Stalin's corrupt rule in Russia. In the first chapter Orwell gives his reasons for writing the story and what he hopes it will accomplish. It also gives reference to the farm and how it relates to the conflicts of the Russian revolution. The characters, settings, and the plot were written to describe the social upheaval during that period of time and also to prove that the good nature of true communism can be turned into something atrocious by an idea as simple as greed. This essay will cover the comparisons between Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution. It will also explain why this novel is a satire and allegory to the Revolution that took place in Russia so long ago. First and foremost Manor Farm itself represents Russia with its poor conditions and irresponsible leaders. Mr. Jones plays one of those leaders, Nicholas the Second or The Czar as people called him in those days. Mr. Jones beats his animals, forgets to feed them and treats them badly. His actions are portrayals of the actions of The Czar. Old Major is representative of Karl Marx. Marx had a dream of a better Russia and created the doctrine of communism to aid in distribution of wealth, and to bring the people to a place were they would all be equal, but what he didn’t realize was that under the wrong rule the good intentions of communism would become...

The Net Neighborhood :: Online Communities Internet Web Essays

The Net Neighborhood â€Å"After all†¦I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.† The above is my favorite quote from a movie. I have never really thought about my favorite movie quote until I ran into the question on the teen forums website. I thought the best online community for me to join would be one that I was interested in. I was attracted to the teen forum website which was created by the student center. I picked a message board that I knew I could participate in so that I could actively analyze the interactions between people. Therefore, I picked the movie message board which discusses anything from new movies to favorite movie kiss. The choices are pretty much endless. The name of the website is http://teenforums.studentcenter.org. The boards are set up so that you can choose topics you are interested in. Once you have done that you can read and respond to them. It is a great way to converse with people who love movies. I believe that people use online communities such as this one for comfort, support, or informational reasons. I visited the website every day, sometimes more often then that. As I did this, I observed certain things, for example, what kinds of questions people asked one another. I found it interesting how often people would write and respond to each other. From what I observed, questions were answered within minutes. The reason why responses were answered so quickly is that people contributing to the message board just want people to talk to. For example, someone asked â€Å"What is everyone’s favorite movie?† Specifically, I noticed that I talk on the message boards when I had a lot of time on my hands or if I felt like talking to people. So right away I realized why online communities serve as a comfort. I created a diary for every time that I checked the online message board. I studied and analyzed certain aspects that probably would not strike the common person who uses the online community. The diary is as follows: Thursday February 13th, 6:48 p.m. – I first checked the website during class. I looked at all the topics that people were talking about under the movie message board. The Net Neighborhood :: Online Communities Internet Web Essays The Net Neighborhood â€Å"After all†¦I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.† The above is my favorite quote from a movie. I have never really thought about my favorite movie quote until I ran into the question on the teen forums website. I thought the best online community for me to join would be one that I was interested in. I was attracted to the teen forum website which was created by the student center. I picked a message board that I knew I could participate in so that I could actively analyze the interactions between people. Therefore, I picked the movie message board which discusses anything from new movies to favorite movie kiss. The choices are pretty much endless. The name of the website is http://teenforums.studentcenter.org. The boards are set up so that you can choose topics you are interested in. Once you have done that you can read and respond to them. It is a great way to converse with people who love movies. I believe that people use online communities such as this one for comfort, support, or informational reasons. I visited the website every day, sometimes more often then that. As I did this, I observed certain things, for example, what kinds of questions people asked one another. I found it interesting how often people would write and respond to each other. From what I observed, questions were answered within minutes. The reason why responses were answered so quickly is that people contributing to the message board just want people to talk to. For example, someone asked â€Å"What is everyone’s favorite movie?† Specifically, I noticed that I talk on the message boards when I had a lot of time on my hands or if I felt like talking to people. So right away I realized why online communities serve as a comfort. I created a diary for every time that I checked the online message board. I studied and analyzed certain aspects that probably would not strike the common person who uses the online community. The diary is as follows: Thursday February 13th, 6:48 p.m. – I first checked the website during class. I looked at all the topics that people were talking about under the movie message board.

Isaac Asimov: Envisioning the Future of Our Own Humanity

â€Å"If it brings me humanity, that will be worth it. If it doesn't, it will bring an end to striving and that will be worth it, too. † (The Bicentennial Man 22). Isaac Asimov, a dreamer who with humble beginnings pushed science fiction into the beginnings of reality. There is no one quite like Asimov. He has written more on more subjects, and better on more subjects, and more unexpectedly on most subjects, and in more ways on more subjects, than anyone else in the field. He writes poetry, limericks, short stories, novels, essays, articles, nonfiction books, trilogies, jokes and so on-more of them than anyone else could imagine (The Bicentennial Man 1). With all his intelligence, and all his heart, he fought for a world in which his ideas could become reality. His humanity was found in his struggle to educate us all, encouraging us to expand our horizons beyond our own lack of knowledge. This fact is alluded to in an article he wrote to Newsweek in the 1980s, â€Å"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge’† (â€Å"A Cult of Ignorance† 19). His view of the world included us understanding. His oppression was caused by our ignorance. Isaac Asimov was born sometime between October 4, 1919 and January 2, 1920 (In Memory Yet Green 1). His parents did not remember the exact date of his birth but claim it to be around that time. He himself celebrated it on January 2nd (In Memory Yet Green 1). He was born to Anna Rachel Berman Asimov and Judah Asimov, a Jewish Russian couple. At the age of three, his whole family immigrated to the United States to the city of Brooklyn, New York (Biblio). Asimov graduated high school early, starting college and writing his first published novel which he completed by the end of college (http://psu. edu). Asimov was a man who spent his entire life writing. His earliest writings were found in magazines. His friend and publisher John W. Campbell saw his early stories as rough but promising (http://psu. edu). The story that really launched his career was Nightfall. Nightfall was a simple story, written about how a society could potentially collapse if great change occurs even if that change is not inherently negative. In Nightfall and Other Stories, he writes, â€Å"The writing of ‘Nightfall' was a watershed in my professional career †¦ I was suddenly taken seriously and the world of science fiction became aware that I existed. As the years passed, in fact, it became evident that I had written a ‘classic'† (Nightfall and Other Stories). His career and fame continued to grow as the years passed. Beginning in 1942 and ending in 1945 he worked for the Philadelphia Naval Air Experimental Station (Biblio). During this time he started work on five novelettes and four novellas that are now known as the Foundation Trilogy. Of the trilogy, Charles Elkins of DePauw University wrote, â€Å"Among SF series, surely none has enjoyed such spectacular popularity as Isaac Asimov’s Foundation stories† (http://psu. edu). The Foundation series received numerous awards for its quality and content, eventually ending up in a Hugo award for Asimov (WorldsWithoutEnd). In the Foundation series, through the use of science fiction he tackled the issues he was passionate about. In his novel Pebble in the Sky he writes about racism. The story is written in the view of humans of other worlds holding a prejudice against Earth-dwellers because they â€Å"simply do not like the Earth† (http://psu. edu). He also tackled another issue that lays claim to how he lived his life. In book three of the foundation series, The Mayors, he begins to describe a religion that focuses on science (Foundation). As an atheistic humanist minority in a culture that was vastly overpoweringly theist, the best approach he took to tackling the issue of religion was through science fiction. As an educator at heart, he just wanted us to challenge the status quo with what we understand. In The Mayors, the religion of science worships a mythical galactic spirit. It is strikingly similar in some respects to modern religion, as this storybook religion had both a prophet, a story of how it all began, and a book of rules to live by (Foundation). His views on religion can be read inside the stories that he wrote. The life of Asimov cannot simply be summed up in a short phrase or story. He was an influential writer, attacking literature in many different writing formats. He fought for the rights of others, shaping our belief systems through the use of storytelling. He pushed for greater desire to learn in all of us, by writing of a robot that learned to become human (The Bicentennial Man 22). The call to be human and to remind us to be human was the goal of Asimov.

Drone Usage in War-Time Tactics Essay

Since the introduction of drones in war, the NY Times claims that the â€Å"CIA have not committed one civilian fatality, while allowing the troop death rate to decrease dramatically.† During the constant bettering of machinery throughout the world, the use of technology has come to a halt when it comes to an unmanned aerial vehicle. Slowly proving to be more reliable than the average pilot, in the years progressing new found respect has been shown by doubting militaries. In a HALE UAV article written by Carlos Reyes he states that â€Å"drones can fly up to 60,000 feet, being able to steadily winds at 15 mph compared to 50 mph winds at 40,000 feet.†(Reyes) and are able to outdo a pilot by almost 10,000 feet, due to the -75 degree weather. Portrayed by the US State Department as drones being useless, the use of drones has relentlessly grown to underestimated levels. A drone is classified as being â€Å"a UAV that is able to be controlled and sustain flight for numerous amounts of time, by a remote control†. The art of flying an attacking airplane remotely has made a strong peace appeal to not only the military but the citizens of the United States as well. By allowing the use of Drones in war time tactics, the innovation through this â€Å"technological leap† will help decrease in civilian deaths as well as increase in terrorist fatalities. Historically, the first ever drone was used in the form of a balloon, back during the American Civil War and was aimed to land in the ammo depot and destroy any ammunition around. While the first ever (shooting) drone used in the military was back in 1960, where its main objective was to destroy. The Russians were proven to be the cause of this revolution. They had shot down a manned spy craft vehicle, without any firearms attached, patrolling the Russian border. Quickly upgrading in technology, showed to be vital in the way war was thought out and conducted. One Subsonic Target created in 1951 and that is still used today, is the Firebee. The USAF (United States Air Force) required a UAV that was a jet powered aerial target that was able to be used from ground – air as well as air – air combat. The primary objective of the Firebee was to â€Å"simulate tactical threats by enemy aircraft and missiles for defense readiness training, air-to-air combat training and the development and evaluation of weapon systems†. This is explaining that these UAV’s were used as test dummies for practice, but also helped better technology of other weapons. Since the beginning of UAV’s, there have been multiple advances not only in the way they are operated but as well in what they are capable of doing. With a variety of drones used now days, they have different classifications. There are ones from Reconnaissance drones (used for battlefield intelligence) to Combatant Drones (that provide attack capabilities in high risk situations). The use of all these various aircraft systems is to work together, to provide air support to the troops on the ground while eliminating the chance of a pilot dying. Using an article from the Chicago Sun-Times states that â€Å"Anwar al-Awlaki was followed by two United States predator drones, who watched him get into his vehicle and soon launched three hellfire missiles that obliterated him, explaining that no American was present during the attack.† (March)These drones are capable of eliminating any target as well as spying on anything for long periods of time. With the use of drones in war i t can ultimately: â€Å"reduce any battle fatigue felt by a pilot, reduce the cost of projecting power, and are able to apply more precise force† (Henning) Opposing the use of drones in war and using manned aircrafts, increases the actuality of killing an opposing target (any civilian) rather than hitting the intended target. Used as the main defense to their view, manned aircraft supporters claim that drones are taking away the number of job in the United States. This proves that the average person is showing to be clueless in the field of technology. While drones do take away a numerous amount of jobs, they also increase the job availability by almost triple what they took out. As stated later in my paper, over 180 people are used to evaluate the departure and return of just one aircraft (drone). These people are paid to oversee, protect, and fix any problems with the flying vehicle. This ultimately creates jobs for people in any fields of work to not only contribute to the use of them, while not only getting paid, but by helping out the United States military in the process. In the debate between the uses of drones, there is one major aspect that challenges drones in war-time tactics. These questions ask, are drones ethical? Drones prove to be ethical in many ways, but one that proves to be of the up most importance is the defense of our nation against the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Stated in the CQ Press â€Å"the Obama administration has already carried out at least 101 drone strikes, doubling the amount during Bush’s presidency.†(CQ Press) Many drone supporters argue that â€Å"these strikes are precise, limit collateral damage, as well as save the lives of United States soldiers.†(CQ Press) and a main idea that backs up the ethical use of drones, goes back to the weakening of Al Qaeda and his troops. Since the year 2004, 95 percent of all the killings made by a drone have been of either terrorists or militia. This proves that not only do drones precisely attack the person(s) targeted, but also save the lives of innocent people as well as the lives of United States soldiers. Another ethical issue that should be discussed asks, is the use of drones a technological tipping point in war? Thought to enhance decision makers to â€Å"resort to a policy far sooner than previously† multiple active and retired Air Force veterans state that the â€Å"aircraft brings in more decision-makers, better targeting data and more accurate delivery systems than fighter jets.†(Pincus). For every Predator (a type of drone) flown, there are 180 people there to oversee, protect, and enhance the plane at all times. Also, before any attack is made a â€Å"bug splat† report is read (the impact the missile would have) which helps protect innocent civilians who are in the line of fire. Nothing of this sort can be done with manned vehicles. Throughout this whole time, the person that will ultimately push the button to fire the missile will go through the same pre-mission routine that any Air Force Pilot would. This shows that even if technology is taking over war , the decisions and consequences will still be the same as the one who makes the decisions in a manned vehicle. The main Reconnaissance aerial drone used now is the Global Hawk. This Unmanned Aerial vehicle is used mainly by the United Stated Air Force and as well as the Navy. This drone has the same general concept as the Firebee but is much more technologically advanced. It is able to provide a Synthetic Aperture Rader (SAR) as well as an Electro Infrared (EIR). This SAR uses an antenna signal and its target area to provide a long-term signal. Its main use is on an aircraft of any sort, where it is mounted on, and can flash pulses of radio waves to show the direct location of the object. The EIR is an image that include long times of loitering over any target area and can survey as much as 40,000 sq. /miles a day. This aerial vehicle is the one that patrols the area and looks for enemy militia prior to the appearance of the Predator Drone. The attack drone used in today’s wars is called the Predator Drone. This is as well an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, but one that destroys. Even though the Predator Drone carries cameras and sensors on it for when it is needed to patrol a certain site; it also can carry and fire two â€Å"hellfire† missiles. A hellfire missile is â€Å"one that can be launched from multiple air, sea, or ground platforms. It is the main missile used by the United States Air Force. Since the early 2000’s, the Predator Drone is the dominant UAV used for any offensive operation conducted through the United States. Being one of the most reliable drones, it has seen combat in: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bosnia, Serbia, Iraq, Yemen and Libya. With the use of Drones bettering our war-time decisions, they also affect the way the United States conducts itself. There are numerous amounts of ways that drones help our society other than in war. From the help of drones fertilizing bigger areas of land in Agriculture, to the use of Weather Balloons to help out in environmental control in Weather Research. As well as finding resources under the sea in Marine Sources, to helping the Coast Guard control the borders in Coast Watch. Even though some of these drones are used to oversee governmental activities, drones will still be used in the Borders to help control crime and help decrease in drug distribution in the United States. By allowing the use of drones in war-time tactics, it allows the death toll for terrorists or other questionable sources to increase, whereas American soldier distribution can be favored in another area of the military. Not only does this â€Å"technology leap† show the major accomplishments that we have had as a country towards drones, but encourages Americans that even better things are to come in the future. Though the drones we use now are a compelling reason to agree with the use of drones in war, the creation of the â€Å"Dragon Eye† and â€Å"Shadow 2000† will help alter your undecided mind. These future inventions are supposed to be able to â€Å"detect nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, see into triple canopy jungles and provide low- cost and reliable communications and data relay across the battlefield. With the major leaps and bounds already achieved by the advancement of technology, shows that only good things are to come in the near future.

Effect of Change in an Organisation

www. MA-Dissertations. com Dissertation Writing Service Even though the positivist and phenomenological approaches seem to completely contradict one another, Bryman and Bell (2004) maintain that a researcher should not select one or the other but, instead, should weave the two together.In other words, for those aspects of the research problem which can be better served if explored through a scientific approach, the positivist methodology should be employed whereas those which require the researcher’s more active engagement or an analysis of the social environment, the phenomenological approach should be used. The implication here is that the two approaches can coexist within a single study and can be used to explore different aspects of the research problem (Bryman and Bell, 2004).Rather than select the one approach over the other, the selected research approach shall combine between the two. As such, the researcher shall engage in the objective analysis of tardiness behaviour through the analysis of attendance records while, at the same time, monitoring 20 students for a period of 12 weeks for the purpose of closer and more critical observation of the dimensions of the defined problem and the behavioural and situational variables which induce it. The effects of the corrective strategies which shall be deployed vis-avis these 12 students shall also be observed.To this extent, the research unfolds within a phenomenological framework. The research, however, is not restricted to the phenomenological approach as a thorough investigation of the problem also necessitates the adoption of positivist approach. Therefore, for a better understanding of the social and environmental factors influencing tardiness, the researcher will survey faculty members and homeroom teachers and interview the two school administrators responsible for the control of the problem.The researcher shall, in other words, explore the socio-environmental factors influencing tardiness. 16 ww w. MA-Dissertations. com Dissertation Writing Service 3. 2. 2 Quantitative versus Qualitative The data gathered shall be analysed from both the qualitative and quantitative approaches. As Punch (2000) emphasises, within the context of social science research, both approaches must be used in order to arrive at both an objective, measurable understanding of the phenomenon and a humanistic comprehension of its socio-environmental dimensions.While attendance records and the effects of the corrective strategies on the twenty students under observation shall be qualitatively analysed, the variables which influence tardiness rates, both increase and decrease, shall be qualitatively analysed as a strategy for uncovering the socioenvironmental factors influencing tardiness rates. In other words, both qualitative and quantitative data analysis approaches shall be used for the purposes of arriving at a more holistic understanding of the phenomenon. 3. 2. 3 Deductive versus Inductive Marcoulide s (1998) defines the deductive approach as a testing of theories.The researcher proceeds with a set of theories and conceptual precepts in mind and formulates the study’s hypotheses on their basis. Following from that, the research proceeds to test the proposed hypotheses. The inductive approach, on the other hand, follows from the collected empirical data and proceeds to formulae concepts and theories in accordance with that data (Marcoulides, 1998). While not disputing the value of the inductive approach, the research opted for the deductive approach, or the `top-down,’ as opposed to the `bottom-up’ method. 3. 3 Data Sources and Data Collection MethodsFor the purposes of this research and given that both primary and secondary data are needed, three data collection methods will be used. Apart from the desk-based data collection method traditionally associated with secondary data collection, primary data will be collected 17 www. MA-Dissertations. com Dissertati on Writing Service through the archival records (attendance sheets), interviews with two school administrators, a survey of faculty opinion, and the researcher’s own observations.. 3. 4 Credibility of Research Findings Ultimately, the data collected is used to inform the research findings.If the data is not verifiable, the implication is that the findings are potentially suspect. incumbent upon the researcher to validate his/her findings (Sekaran, 2003). Accordingly, it is 3. 4. 1 Reliability A study is reliable only if another researcher, using the same procedure and studying the same phenomenon, arrives at similar, or comparable, findings (Sekaran, 2003). Accordingly, it is important that the researcher maintain a comprehensive protocol of his study, in case others may be interested in checking its reliability (Sekaran, 2003).Even with the best of intentions in mind, the researcher is often confronted with a variety of variables which may impinge upon the reliability of his findings. Quite simply stated, if he is partly drawing conclusions on the basis of questionnaire and interview data, it could very well be that respondents were biased or, simply not in the mood to answer the questions with any degree of interest. It is not at all uncommon for respondents to simply tick of response options without reading or considering them (Sekaran, 2003).Accordingly, research scholars advise researchers to carefully select their respondents, ensure that they are, indeed, willing participants in the study and will answer the questions with the minimum degree of bias (Hair et al. , 2005). To ensure that this, indeed, is the case, when in-putting the questionnaire data, the researcher should carefully read through them to ensure that there are no logical flaws and that the responses given by any one respondent are not contradictory (Hair et al. , 2005).In addition, and to better ensure reliability, the researcher should schedule interviews at the respondent’ s convenience and, 18 www. MA-Dissertations. com Dissertation Writing Service further, when distributing questionnaires, should give participants several days to answer. By pursuing this advice, the researcher would, at least, be minimising the chances that the interview be rushed and the questionnaires blindly answered (Hair et al. , 2005). To enhance the reliability of the current research, the cited advice shall be considered and meticulously applied. 3. 4. 2 ValiditySaunders et al. (2000) contends that a research is valid only if it actually studies what it set out to study and only if the findings are verifiable. There are three methods for establishing validity. As Saunders et al. (2000) explains, construct validity entails the establishment of accurate operational measurements for the research’s core concept. This is done by establishing a chain of evidence throughout the data collection process; by verifying key information through the use of multiple sources of infor mation; and by presented informants with a draft of the study for review.Besides establishing construct validity, social science researches need also establish external validity by testing the applicability of the findings to external case studies (Yin, 1989). While conceding to the importance of external validation methods, they are beyond the scope of the current research. Consequently, the research shall seek the verification of its findings through construct validation. 3. 5 Conclusion As may have been deduced from the above, the research shall adopt a mixed methodological approach. The selection of the aforementioned and above explained ethodology was imposed upon the research by the nature of the phenomenon under investigation, the multi-layered nature of the research problem and the imperatives of satisfying the study’s diverse, but interrelated, objectives. 19 www. MA-Dissertations. com Dissertation Writing Service 4. 0 References Battisch, V. and Hom, A. (1997) The r elationship between students’ sense of their school as a community and their involvement in problem behaviors. American Journal of Public Health, 87(12), 1997-2001. Booth, A. and Dunn, J. F. (1996) Family-School Links: How Do They Affect Educational Outcomes?NY: Erlbaum. Bryman, A. and Bell, E. (2004) Business Research Methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chaker, A. M. (2005) Schools get tough on tardy students. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on 10 Jan. 2007, from http://www. post-gazette. com/pg/05321/607996. stm Conaway, H. W. (2006) Collaboration for Kids; Early Intervention Tools for Schools and Communities. Highland: Aha Process Inc. Cooper, D. R. (2003) Business Research Methods. London: McGraw-Hill. Cooper, D. R. and Schindler, P. S. (2005) Business Research Methods. London: McGraw-Hill. Creswell, J. W. 2003) Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Method Approaches. California: Sage Publications. Crosnoe, R. (2000) Friendships in childhood and ad olescence: The life course and new directions. Social Psychology Quarterly, 63, 377-371. ___ (2001) Academic orientation and parental involvement in education during high school. Sociology of Education, 74, 210-230. Dane, F. C. (1990) Research Methods. Cambridge: Thomas brooks. Fassett, D. L. and Warren, J. T. (2004) You get pushed back: The strategic rhetoric of educational success and failure in higher education. Communication Education, 53(1), 21-39. 20

Jack Welch

Jack Welch was a CEO and chairman at General Electric for twenty years. During his time at GE he was able to transform the company into a very efficient and powerful company. His four E’s of leadership: energy, energizers, edge, and execute are keys to what made his leadership style work. Another part of his leadership style was getting rid of the people who did not work hard enough or meet expectations. Overall, Jack Welch’s leadership style changed GE and companies around the world for the better.The first of Welch’s four E’s is energy. This is the characteristic which describes people who are always ready to go and to work hard at a moments notice. These are the people that are hate dull moments and prefer to always be busy. Normally these are good workers, which sometimes stray from their work because they are so energetic. The second E is energizers. These are the people that motivate others to perform. They are the ones that outline what is needed or wanted to succeed, and have other people carry it out.In most cases, energizers are selfless and care about others before themselves. They care that the group succeeds and are quick to take ownership over something when it goes wrong. However, when someone in the group succeeds, they make sure the credit is given to the person. The third E is edge. This type of people is those who are extremely competitive. They make sure they do everything possible to succeed in whatever they do. People with edge are not slow to make a decision they believe will be beneficial.For example, these people are usually the ones who have to make decisions like firing, hiring, and promoting. They also do not let anything stand in their way, no matter what the circumstance is. What it takes to succeed, they will do. The last E is execute. Without a person that is able to execute, the rest of the E’s will be of no use and will have no way of completion. Also, executers know the difference between act ivity and productivity. They realize a person can be working, but the work may be irrelevant to the betterment of the company.For example, a person could be doing lots of work, but in reality unless the work is bettering the company it is completely unimportant and is basically just busy-work. The E’s are vital to how Jack Welch made his company run and how he viewed people in his workplace. Welch had a way of figuring out how people functioned in the workplace called differentiation. In this way of thinking, Welch described how people should be evaluated in their work, such as that of a teacher when she evaluates her students.This model is used to â€Å"weed out† the twenty percent of workers that do not better the company. He knew nearly everyone worked hard at his company, but it was the people that accomplished productive work that he kept to work at his company. The bottom ten to twenty percent of people were actually hurting the company more than they were helpin g financially. This was a way Welch made his company successful. He did not make it successful by changing what was at the top and going right, he changed what was at the bottom and actually bringing the company down.In conclusion, Jack Welch has a leadership style which was unlike the normal way of viewing efficiency. He looked to the people that were at the bottom rather than the top. Most people have a different way of viewing productivity, where they try to improve a part of the company which is already productive. Jack Welch was able to make GE a powerful company from a different perspective than most other leaders. Internet Sources 1. http://www. epinions. com/content_4565540996? sb=1 2. http://www. refresher. com/! svbfoures. html