Research Proposal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research Proposal - Assignment Example 4-5). This means that HR has broadened its function from the administrative work to the payroll processing, training and development and various others. This has led the managers and supervisors think about how to utilize maximally the employees with their competence that can significantly contribute to the accomplishment and flourishing of the overall enterprise (Mathis  & Jackson, 2011, pp. 1-3). Therefore, the hypothesis statement with respect to this research proposal is "The effect of HR management on the success of organization", since it is one of the most imperative aspects to measure. Brief Literature Review The human capital for any organization is the amalgamation of the skills set that they have attained from the duties and responsibilities, their attitudes, knowledge, training and experience (past and current) that sets the value of the employee within the marketplace. Therefore, the human management is not only a function, as the role of workforce has become vital in the contemporary times that add the competitive advantage for the enterprise. This has come under numerous research and investigations (Sims, 2002, pp. 2-5). According to one of the empirical studies, it has come to notice that those organizations have been more successful and thriving that value their employees (HR), in contrast to the enterprises, which have not given much importance to their employees and have considered them of negligible worth. This is because when the employees feel that their participation and involvement towards a particular task is being recognized, the level of motivation amongst the employees boost, thus they tend to be more productive and efficient in producing the outputs, which facilitates in accomplishment of the company goals and missions (Sims, 2002, pp. 2-5). In fact, few of the research studies have concluded that the organizations that are generating more profits practice various universal things that include providing job security to the employe es, having active participation from the workers, involving them in self-managed teams, training and educating the new and current staff. Creating a collective organizational culture, sharing of sufficient company information with the members are also few of the aspects that the successful organization practice as their routine procedures (Pynes, 2009, pp. 23-26). Studies also indicate that the traditional role that the HR personnel enlightened was the acquiescence and fulfillment of the rules set by the organizational executives, where they kept the tracking of the records of the employees through simple matrices such as number of hired workforce, number of training hours completed by the employees and so forth. However, this traditional role of HR transformed and now they have a broader vision and focus on outcomes and results of the employees and not just figures and compliance, which have come under evidence in the current researches. Indeed, investigations indicate that HR prof essionals also pursue the employees’ skills sets that they are using to the achievement of the company goals that can provide success and benefit to the overall organization and to their own personalities as well (Storey, 2008, pp. 153-156). To put it in nutshell, the organizations

Is Eurozone sustainable for the UK to join Literature review

Is Eurozone sustainable for the UK to join - Literature review Example Over the past few years, there has been a considerable debate about the stand that the United Kingdom has taken towards Eurozone. This study explores the topic, ‘Is Eurozone sustainable for the UK to join’. By taking a detailed look at the reasons because of which UK did not join and the reasons due to which the other countries joined, this study would try to analyze the perspective of the UK with regards to Eurozone. A Brief History of Eurozone For many decades, European leaders and diplomats have discussed and debated the concept of a monetary integration of European countries. The arguments were multiple, while some thought that the common currency could prove to be an alternative to the US dollar, some other felt that a single currency would provide many different advantages (Zimmerman, 1995). For some leaders, it meant political symbolism and for some others, it meant the rise a new and improved economic model (Vujic, 2004). After a long era of discussions and debates, the Eurozone came into existence in1999 and the Euro became the legal currency for the member nations (Kleimeier and Sander, 2002). The adoption of a single currency would mean that all the member countries would have a single monetary policy, and would not continue to have separate policies. To regulate this, the European Central Bank came into existence which lays down the Europe wide monetary policies and handles decisions related to interest rates, exchange rates and so on. (Salvatore, 2002). Therefore, if any particular country wants to introduce a separate economy policy, it has to rely on the policies of the European Central Bank as it has become the sole authority of Eurozone. Having a single currency has both advantages and disadvantages and the existence of the Eurozone over the ten years has proved this. The Euro has seen success during the period of 2003-2005, where as it suffered from the loss of its stand during the economic recession that happened during 2008-2009. In recent times, there have been some apprehensions about the stability of the Euro, in the light of the results of the recession where some members of the Eurozone saw major economic crises. Why did the UK Not Join Eurozone? The United Kingdom is one of the most prominent nations of the European Union. Yet, it took a stance on not joining Eurozone. The currency of the United Kingdom continues to be pound sterling and the possibilities of its joining Eurozone look bleak in the near future (Layard, 2002). The Maastricht Treaty (The treaty on European Union) saw the negotiation of an ‘opt-out’ from the common currency (Leblond, 2004). The government that came into power post the 2010 election in the United Kingdom also decided that it would not join the Euro as long as it was in governance. In addition, the UK also has carried out many public opinion polls to take a stance on the whether it should join the Eurozone and the polls in 2005, 2008 and 2009 also demonstrated the opposition to joining the UK. The past three governments of the United Kingdom also took strong stand on not joining the Eurozone. Pr ime Minister Tony Blair set forth ‘five economic tests’ (tests that would help in determining criteria such as the currency

Direct-sequence spread spectrum

Direct-sequence spread spectrum Direct-sequence spread spectrum Direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) is a modulation technique used in telecommunications. In this modulation technique, as with other spread spectrum technologies, more bandwidth is occupied by the transmitted signal than the information signal that is being modulated. In Spread spectrum modulation technique the carrier signals occur over the full bandwidth (spectrum) of a devices transmitting frequency and that is where the name Spread Features of Direct-sequence spread spectrum Ø In DSSS a sine wave is pseudo randomly phase-modulated with a continuous string of pseudo noise (PN) code symbols called chips. Each of these chips has a much shorter duration than an information bit. In effect information signal is modulated by chips sequence which is much faster. Therefore, the chip rate is much higher than information signal bit rate. Ø In DSSS the chip sequences produced by the transmitter to modulate the signal is known at receiver end and receiver uses the same chip sequences to demodulate. As same sequence chips are used at transmitter and receiver, both have to be in sync with respect to chip sequence. Transmission method of Direct-sequence spread spectrum In Direct-sequence spread-spectrum transmissions the data being transmitted is multiplied by a noise signal. The noise signal used is a pseudorandom sequence of 1 and −1 values. Also the frequency of noise signal is much higher than that of the information signal. In effect we can say that the energy of original data is spread to a much higher bandwidth than the bandwidth of information signal. We can say that the resulting signal will look like white noise, like an audio recording of static. But this noise signal will be used to reconstruct the original data at the receiver end where it will be multiplied with pseudorandom sequence of 1 and −1 values which is exactly the same sequence which was used to modulate the data signal. As 1 Ãâ€" 1 = 1, and −1 Ãâ€" −1 = 1 so multiplying two times the data signal with pseudo random sequence will restore the original signal. The process of multiplying the signal at receiving end with same chip sequence used at transmitter end is known as de-spreading. In De-spreading a mathematical correlation of the transmitted PN sequence with the PN sequence at receiver is constituted. As it would have been clear by now that to reconstruct data at receiver end, transmit and receive sequences must be synchronized. It is done via some timing search process. This requirement of synchronization of transmitter and receiver can be considered as drawback. But this drawback gives a significant benefit also. If we synchronize sequences of various transmitters, the relative synchronization which we will do for receiver can be used to determine relative timing. This relative timing can be used to determine receivers position if transmitters position is known. This is used in many satellite navigation systems. Process gain is effect of enhancing signal to noise ratio on the channel. The process gain can be increased by using a longer PN sequence and more chips per bit. But there is a constraint here that physical devices which are used to generate the PN sequence have practical limits on attainable processing gain. If a transmitter transmits a signal with a PN sequence the de-spreading process give a process gain if we demodulate it with same PN sequence. It does not provide any process gain for the signals transmitted by other transmitters on the same channel but with a different PN sequence or no sequence. This is the basis of for the code division multiple access (CDMA) property of Direct-sequence spread spectrum. This property allows multiple transmitters to share the same channel. But this is limited by cross-correlation properties of PN sequences. We can consider the transmitted signal will be roughly a bell shaped enveloped centered on the carrier frequency (same as in AM transmission) but the noise which we add causes the distribution to be wider. As this description suggests, a plot of the transmitted waveform has a roughly bell-shaped envelope centered on the carrier frequency, just like a normal AM transmission, except that the added noise causes the distribution to be much wider than that of an AM transmission. If we compare frequency-hopping spread spectrum with Direct-sequence spread spectrum then we will find that frequency-hopping spread spectrum pseudo-randomly re-tunes the carrier, instead of adding pseudo-random noise to the data. This retuning of carrier results in a uniform frequency distribution whose width will be determined by the output range of the pseudo-random number generator. Benefits of Direct-sequence spread spectrum Jamming resistance for intended or unintended jamming. A single channel is shared among multiple users. Interception is hampered due to reduced signal/background-noise level. Relative timing between transmitter and receiver is determined. Uses of Direct-sequence spread spectrum Used by European Galileo satellite navigation systems and The United States GPS systems DS-CDMA (Direct-Sequence Code Division Multiple Access) is a multiple access scheme based on Direct-sequence spread spectrum, by spreading the signals from/to different users with different codes. It is the most widely used type of CDMA. Used in Cordless phones operating in the 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz bands Used in IEEE 802.11b 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, and its predecessor 802.11-1999. (Their successor 802.11g uses OFDM instead) Used in Automatic meter reading Used in IEEE 802.15.4 (PHY and MAC layer for ZigBee)

Michael Kordas defining Success :: essays research papers

Michael Korda's "Defining Success" From reading " Defining Success " by Michael Korda, I agree and also disagree with Michael on his way of defining success. The first indicator of success comes when one is making more than one is spending. There are few things that he has left out on how to becoming a success. The things are if you are from a rich family, how well you are educated and who you know. Of course, if you aim at a dream that is so far beyond your reach then you would bound to fail. I agree with this but it also depends on a person. If that person has a low income then their dreams should not be so far of their reach. But, if that person's dream is so far then sometimes it could inspire them to go for it. If they only have a small dream then it could lead to laziness and they wouldn't want to stress out because of a small outcome on success. Another thing is that if that person is from a rich family then their dreams is most likely beyond their reach. This is because they have capitol and capitol can almost buy dreams. Why have a small dream. Education also plays an important role in success. Not unless they got lucky on becoming a movie star or on a cover of a magazine because they were noticed or spotted by some important person. Without education then you wouldn't have any ideas where to start on how to become successful. Also, you wouldn't have any confidence because you would be afraid and wouldn't know how to face obstacles that might be in the way of your dream. Education would at least give you ideas on where to start and how to prosper. Education makes you a more excellent person. It helps you to socialize better with other people. It takes more than just a common sense. Last thing is that the person you know could make you become successful. It's like connection. If you know an important person such as a movie director, actor, actress or even managers, this person could help in a big way. An important person will know another important person if they can't help. If you become successful by these people then you got the easy way out. It is actually the best way because you got the most support. No matter how big your dream is you can still reach it even though it is Michael Kordas "defining Success" :: essays research papers Michael Korda's "Defining Success" From reading " Defining Success " by Michael Korda, I agree and also disagree with Michael on his way of defining success. The first indicator of success comes when one is making more than one is spending. There are few things that he has left out on how to becoming a success. The things are if you are from a rich family, how well you are educated and who you know. Of course, if you aim at a dream that is so far beyond your reach then you would bound to fail. I agree with this but it also depends on a person. If that person has a low income then their dreams should not be so far of their reach. But, if that person's dream is so far then sometimes it could inspire them to go for it. If they only have a small dream then it could lead to laziness and they wouldn't want to stress out because of a small outcome on success. Another thing is that if that person is from a rich family then their dreams is most likely beyond their reach. This is because they have capitol and capitol can almost buy dreams. Why have a small dream. Education also plays an important role in success. Not unless they got lucky on becoming a movie star or on a cover of a magazine because they were noticed or spotted by some important person. Without education then you wouldn't have any ideas where to start on how to become successful. Also, you wouldn't have any confidence because you would be afraid and wouldn't know how to face obstacles that might be in the way of your dream. Education would at least give you ideas on where to start and how to prosper. Education makes you a more excellent person. It helps you to socialize better with other people. It takes more than just a common sense. Last thing is that the person you know could make you become successful. It's like connection. If you know an important person such as a movie director, actor, actress or even managers, this person could help in a big way. An important person will know another important person if they can't help. If you become successful by these people then you got the easy way out. It is actually the best way because you got the most support. No matter how big your dream is you can still reach it even though it is

A Critical Analysis of Par Fabian Lagerkvist’s “My Father and I” Essay

The short story, â€Å"My Father and I† mainly revolves around the journey of a father and son into the countryside on a fine sunny day. The journey that they went on to took until darkness set in and the view that they saw during daylight shifted from beautiful sceneries to a horrible, at least in the eyes of a child, dark collage of figures. The story showed how beauty can turn into fear once one element went out, in this case, the light. It also shows the difference in the way of thinking between the father and the child wherein the child was so terrified while the father was as calm as he is.   This is evident in the part wherein both of them were passing through the stream where the child was as puzzled as to why his father acted as if he felt nothing while the child was very much afraid. The child went on to realize in the end of the short story that, like he has, his father also has fears: only that the fear that it is the fear of the things that his father does not know. The author made his point by taking the point of view of a little child who is naturally curious of the things that go around him. In the short story, the son is the one that narrates the whole story and it is his thoughts that the audience sees. This made him as the main focal point that the author used. This way, the curiosity that is evident in every child is played upon by the author to effectively deliver a point of realization wherein the boy itself answered much of his questions. The father on the other hand is the one the author used to depict the natural concern that every parent has with their children. The actions of the father show him being protective and a motivator when his son was getting terrified of the darkness. The father also plays a major part in the climax wherein he himself felt fear for his child after a train came in and almost hit them. The faith that he has in God somehow is the factor that also made the child calm yet puzzled. Lagerkvist efficiently made use of descriptive ways in painting out the scenes in the short story. The narration of every detail was intricately laid out in order to obtain the proper intention in every part of the short story. His descriptions were so vivid that the reader may feel as though he was actually walking alongside the father and son on the railroad tracks all throughout the story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The structure and the plot of the short story are pretty much divided into two specific and distinctive scenarios. First is the image of the railroad track and the environment around it. The author describes every detail that is necessary in order to picture out the place and how the place is lit up by and also the manner it reacts to the sunlight. It basically describes for the reader to appreciate the beauty of the countryside and the harmony of the world they both are in evident with the first train scene wherein his father knows that the train who’d passed by was a colleague of his. All this was changed after darkness set in at the countryside and the father and son went their way back home wherein the second main scene sets in. In this particular scene, all the main components that were described by the author during the first main scene met its opposite as the amount of light that was present before went gone and the effect made a gloomy picture that is terrifying for the child. The mood in this story then on went from calm during the first scene to become tense at the second scene especially in the part wherein an unknown train from absolutely nowhere popped out of the scene and even terrified the father.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In general, the short story is an effective manifestation of the unconditional concern of parents for their children. The bond that was formed out of the situations in the short story made the child to realize the purpose of everything that happens around them and that the greatest fear that anyone has is the fear on things we do not know. Reference: Lagerkvist, Par. The Marriage Feast and Many Others. Chatto and Windus. 1955.

Managerial Accounting In Business Essay

Managerial Accounting is known as the tongue of business. Formalization of data and numbers in such a manner so as to help to arrive at decision making and financial planning is the main object of accounting process. While book keeping is mainly concerned with organizing and keeping records, i.e. books of accounts but managerial accounting are employed to examine the data of information for taking major business decisions. Managerial reports are prepared from Managerial accounting statements. Managerial accounting assists managers to plan and manage an organization’s operations. Budgets are prepared to convey management’s goals in financial terms by measuring, identifying, analyzing, accumulating, communicating and interpreting accounting and financial information. Over a period, performance reports are prepared to evaluate the actual results with that of budgeted one. With the help of cost accountants, the management keeps watch of how much it costs a company to manufacture a product or to provide the service. (Horngreen, Stratton & Sundem, p.5) Managerial accounting does not require complying with rules and procedures of the GAPP. An organisation can develop its own internal accounting system that will suit most to the needs of the company. Managerial report is a devise for using a financial metric (dollars) as a normalizing mechanism for taking decision about different choices and alternatives. For instance, a managerial report helps you to come to a conclusion whether it is better to add 1000 customer account advocates in a call centre in UK, against staffing a user experience and technical writing department in California and investing in billions in intuitive products, Managerial reporting helps to take decisions and to do right thing. The practice of financial analysis   germinate from the budgeting and accounting reports of an organisation and thus directs to generation of managerial reports that explain into the firm’s overall strategic decision making process. Hence the quality of the report at all level is more significant. The financial statement should reflect the true fiscal position of the organisation and it should not be an obscure. Financial and managerial reports should disclose a factual picture of the organization’s performance, making it to the outsiders and financial analyst to interpret financial results on their own. MAKING MANAGEMENT DECISIONS THROUGH APPLICATION OF FINANCIAL DECISIONS: In this chapter, let us view how financial analysis and reporting are processed and is being used as efficient financial tools. For all decisions made in an organisation must be based on prudent financial information and careful analysis. Can we open a new branch? How many hours per week can we afford to operate our factory? How productive is our employees? How much money is being lost on workers idle time? How cost effective was the training intercession? Can we prolong our services at current costs?   To answer to all the above questions, a manager needs financial and managerial input mainly accounting data’s. (Wertheim Paul, 1993) A prudent financial analysis may help to diagnose the deficiencies in other management areas like project or program management, human resource management, the availability and use of technology or the organization’s leadership. As a curative measure, a manager may have to review his organization’s management strategies, resources, structures, internal and external information needs and capabilities. This broad view may help to enlighten manager’s perspective on how financial management contributes to one’s organisation. Thus this will induce the manager to suitably design or change the chart of accounts, reports, improve financial reforms and databases and train staff to efficiently employ financial information on continuous basis. 2.1. Deciding on Labour and Staffing patterns: Employee cost will disclose the hours worked, cost of staff time and this will help the manager to analyse the labor, compensation issues and staffing matters. One can evaluate from good financial data to study how overtime pay and leave pay accrual are influencing labor costs or employee cost of the organisation. This financial analysis can reveal which actions are most labour oriented which may guide you to restructure management processes and control the level of effort of employees of an organisation. (Hake, E. R., 2005). 2.2 Fixing fees for services and other fees: Cost to provide a particular service can be derived from financial data’s of an organisation as this will help the management to take critical decisions like estimating prices for any products or services , developing budgets , bidding for new projects or business or planning in reduction of costs. If the cost per service of an organisation is arrived at, then it will be easy to take into other factors such so as to come to a decision how to offset these costs. 2.3 Determing the combination of services: Cost per unit of production, cost per unit sold of different services and their cost effectiveness can be derived from financial data of an organisation and this can be utilized to decide to which services to provide, emphasize, promote or subdize. Further information’s like clientele, catchments’ population, service utilization and service volume are also needed for this purpose. By monitoring the services which are rarely used or often lose money, a manager can conclude how best to apply appropriate changes. 2.4 Estimating future supply costs and inventory: From the financial data of an organisation we can infer the price fluctuations, consumption patterns, the costs of keeping supplies in stock which includes transportation, logistics, personnel and facilities management. A manager can use this information for taking decisions such as which supplier to select, which supplier has to be renegotiated, to purchase inventory on a seasonal basis so as to reap the benefit of price advantage through out the year. A manager has also to decide whether the costs of spoiled and expired stock need to be controlled or contained. 2.5 Analysis of Variance: A variance analysis is an exhaustive assessment of disparity between actual and planned results. The main three part of variance analysis are assessment of the actual cost with that of budgeted cost (expenses), assessment of the intended quantity of an activity or procurement with the actual quantity and valuation of the actual output with the planned output. (Kohl beck, M., 2005). 2.6 Budget: It can be explained as a detailed financial plan revealing expected future income and expenses. As an effective controlling tool, it helps to scrutinize current operating environments of an organisation. Immediate corrective action can be resorted by analyzing  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   and on reviewing and reacting variances between expected and actual expenses once variance is reported. 2.7 CASH FLOW STATEMENT: It signifies how cash was engendered and how it was used up for the business purpose. It discloses the incoming   and outgoing of cash in an organisation and it reports various types like cash flow from financial activities, cash flow from operating activities and cash flow from investing activities. It is being deployed by financial managers to assess whether there will be sufficient cash on hand to meet expenditure requirements. RISK MANAGEMENT: A prudent manager can manage the risky conditions by constant examining of financial status of his organisation. Certain happenings may bring potential impairment to the organisation. For instance, a sudden increase in repair costs and sharp decline in sales revenue may leave the organisation without enough funds to provide services and fulfill objectives. A manager must review likely risk and to shun or control perilous situations like failure to meet quality, performance, budget objectives. Financial data’s are the immense source in risk management process which will help to quantify the risks by resources type like inventory, employees, cash, facility or receivables. Finance managers normally apply two techniques for handling risk mitigation and contingency planning. Risk alleviation guarantee strategies and procedures to control, prevent, or reduction of impact of the risk event if it transpires. For instance, if there is risk of fall in sales revenues, a mitigation technique would be to add more products or diversification of business so that the decline in sales of a particular product may not be detrimental. Like wise, a contingency plan would be to add up a reserve fund that could be used to supplement the fall in sales revenue due to competitors strategy or depression. (Kristy James E., 1994) PRUDENT MANAGEMENT DECISIONS FROM FINANCIAL DATAS: One of the critical financial management aspects is to build good financial decisions. Since financial management influences all parts of management, it is better to recognize and realize the sound financial management and discover how to use sound financial information. One of the best ways to compare the financial performance is to look into the competitor’s performance. For instance, a hospital may look into the hospital wide financial reporting which helps to understand how they have performed and to analyse the reasons for poor performance if any. Comparing the gross and net margin with the other hospitals will help to fix the loophole. Further comparison of actual with that of budgets will also assist to know whether revenue and expenses are with in the budgeted range and if there is a variance, the reasons for the same. A hospital may keep a strict eye on its margins and various means to measure the level of profitability by having close watch on emergency department visits, inpatients admissions, surgeries, revenues from scan and x-rays and blood testing etc. This information will help a hospital to manage its cost either on monthly or periodical basis. Admission rates, costs and gross revenues may act as best performance indicators. For example, if the number of outpatient department visits at a particular facility is trailing back, then CEO will talk to physician to know the reasons. Thus managerial report helps to take a decision for the discontinuance of a poorly performing product line.[1] CASH FLOW RATIOS CAN BE EMPLOYED TO FIND REASONS FOR BUSINESS FAILURES: Cash flow information can be utilized to find out the success or failure of the business in advance as it has been evident from the previous empirical studies like Gentry, 1984, Bernard and Stober, 1989, Carslaw and Mills ,1991 , BarNiv 1990. Most of these studies have found that the level of cash inflows and outflows from various activities are highly interconnected and a failure of any part of the system to function may jeopardize or cause the entire firm to fail. (Glover, J. C., 2005) The key ratios are [2] Current ratio:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2 to 1, Quick ratio  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1 to 1 Liquidity ratio  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   0.40 to 1 Equity / debt ratio  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     1.65 to 1 Return on Equity  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   14% If you apply the above ratio and can find out the 80% of the financial health of any company. For instance, if unusual increase in accounts receivable may lead to conclusion that accounts receivable are being managed very badly and may result in high bad debts. But if you have at closer look, you may find out that the company may have introduced a new product or a new market where such receivables are considered to be rational and the new product may elevate the company to soaring heights later or vice-versa. Financial Ratio’s can foretell warning signs: Companies in distress offer difficult analytical problems for analyst. Financial problems like problem in meeting obligations like equity deficiencies, liquidity problems, funds shortage and debt default. Operation problems may result in prospective revenues may be doubtful, ability to operate in danger, consistent failure in operational success, inefficient management, poor control over business operations. Special indicators like incurring operating losses , initiation of liquidity process , a waning allocation of product market , delaying payments to short term creditors , skipping of dividends , bond default and rating changes , bank account excessively overdrawn , insufficiency of cash flows . (Barker, R., 2004). The major disadvantages of the financial ratios include the timeliness of the financial statements, location within the trade cycle, the lack of consideration of the business sector and the overlook of accounting policies. The financial ratios are the best indicators for further examination and not to be construed as a means themselves. CONCLUSION: Thus, management reports are very key elements of the business world. Most of the companies have some form of each type of accounting knitted into their business operations. By adopting appropriate standards for each, the company will be able to successfully keep track of their financial standing for internal as well as external objectives. Banks and financial institutions which have vested interest in borrowing firms should ascertain that the borrowers have to adopt policies regarding requiring customer to prepare the financial reports as per the guidance of Generally accepted accounting principles ,auditor rotation , necessary information on off balance sheet items . Financial analyst should view corporate financial statements and pay special attention to accountant’s opinion letter, management discussion, and the notes to the statements and analysis on public companies and also consider the implications of management’s decisions relative to accounting policies. A financial analyst should also review the company’s latest form 8-k, which is filed with SEC which records the occurrence of any material events or corporate changes of importance to investors or lenders like any disagreement the firm has had with the auditors, any of late changes in the constituent of audit firm.( Saatci, E,2004) By diligent financial analysis, one can identify the accounting irregularities from the financial and managerial reports of an organisation and thus avoid doing business with the management of questionable integrity. Likewise, benchmarking surveys and best practices reviews are beneficial tools for detection of problems, finding out ways to improve and signaling positive changes. Though benchmarking and best practices are modern tools for business improvement but they will not cure everything that is ailing a company. Benchmarking and best practices initiatives are most triumphant when they are advanced with an open mind and the belief that they symbolize an education process. Cash flow information can be utilized to find out the success or failure of the business in advance as it has been evident from the previous empirical studies like Gentry, 1984, Bernard and Stober, 1989, Carslaw and Mills ,1991 , BarNiv 1990 Operation problems may result in prospective revenues may be doubtful, ability to operate in danger, consistent failure in operational success, inefficient management, poor control over business operations. Special indicators like incurring operating losses , initiation of liquidity process , a waning allocation of product market , delaying payments to short term creditors , skipping of dividends , bond default and rating changes , Bank account excessively overdrawn , insufficiency of cash flows . Thus this study proves that the company’s managerial report and internal report are excellent tools for the measurement of efficacy and financial achievement and also a diagnostic tool to detect the perils in advance to undertake correctional measures. A company may overcome its negative factors by undertaking timely correctional methods through its managerial and financial ratios or else it has to remain as an old dog which never learns new tricks.       BIBILIOGRAPHY:    Horngreen C.T, Straton, W.O & Sundem, G.L, Introduction to Management accounting (12th ed,), Prentice Hall, New Jersey. Montgomery, H., Lipshitz, R., & Brehmer, B. (Eds.). (2005). How Professionals Make Decisions. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Cocheo, S. (2005). The Efficiency Ratio: How Good a Tool? ABA Banking Journal, 97(6), 10+.          [1] ‘Are you keeping an eye on your organization’s financial pulse? Healthcare financial Management, Dec 2005. [2] Kristy James E., ‘Conquering financial ratios: the good, the bad and the who cares? –Business Credit, Feb, 1994.

Book Report Essays

Book Report Essays Book Report Essay Book Report Essay The century between 1890 and 1990 is a year when the maritime power of the USA came to be and became one of the most influential tools in the US policy. George Baer, an author of â€Å"One Hundred Years of Sea Power: The U. S. Navy, 1890-1990† begins the book stating that â€Å"before 1890 few Americans thought that the United States was a maritime nation dependent for its security and its prosperity on control of its sea approaches or that the country needed an offensive battleship fleet†. [p. 1] And indeed, the XX century saw the raise of America as naval superpower. The whole book of Baer is devoted to description of how the Grand Fleet of the USA developed and how Americans moved from disregard of maritime power to becoming an absolute leader at seas. The story begins in the age of armor-plated ships and great colonial empires and ends in the age of aircraft carriers and post-colonialism, after going a long way through war with Cuba, World War I, World War II, wars in Korea and Vietnam, as well as the Cold War. He includes a description of naval doctrines proposed in different times and for different purposes, as well as analysis of outside factors, which influenced the development of American navy. The basic idea of the book is to explain why the nation needs a navy and how the nation can benefit from having a big navy even if there is no obvious threat at the seas. Baer begins in the period, when Navy has not been of paramount importance for the nation. The interests of the USA in the seas were mostly commercial and the country required only â€Å"the modest navy to serve the modest needs† [p.1]. The US has been satisfied with the policy of the United Kingdom, which took great care of â€Å"keeping seas open† top support their trade routs. So America might have not worried about it’s own commercial routs. By 1889 the United States had only the twelfth navy in the world. The country largely used it’s geographic position, which granted relative security from attack from the sea and needed no navy to protect itself. The attitude towards navy has started to change in the last years of the XIX century, after first attempts of the USA to position itself as a colonial power. The defensive maritime doctrine could no longer satisfy the United States. War with Spain of 1898 was the first military conflict, in which the Unites States of America strived for interests far outside of America homeland with another collapsing colonial superpower. The war has clearly demonstrated, that in order not only to obtain, but to support new territories the country would need a new fighting fleet. By 1890 Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan has developed a concept of offensive sea control by battleship fleet. He believed that the interests of the United States laid in the seas and control over global trading routs. In order to protect colonies and dependent territories and to support sea trade the United States would need a fleet of a new type – an attacking fleet able to gain sea superiority in any point of the globe within short terms. Potentially such navy must have been stronger, than navies of any potential opponents. Even in times of piece the navy would not be a useless burden. From an instrument of war it would turn into an instrument of politics. Mahan relied on battleships as an ultimate weapon of his time. However, the doctrine itself is still applicable in our days, when outdated battleships are replaced by aircraft carriers. The Unites States managed to learn lessons of early XX century wars, including the war between Japan and Russia of 1904-1905 in creating their navy. Before building battleships the nation concentrated on building   shipyard and establishing industry necessary to support a mighty navy, as well as training experts in the naval field This later allowed to   start massive shipbuilding without overloading the economy – a typical mistake made by many countries. The way of the US fleet to the status of the most powerful navy of the world, however, was not always straight. American battleships did not take part in the decisive naval battles of World War I as the British navy, which caused talks about their uselessness. Limitations of military shipbuilding, agreed at the Washington conference in 1922, as well as decline of interest to war needs in times of peace, combined with financial hardships of the Great Depression have put the navy into unfavorable position in the state system. There was no enemy at sea whether current or potential, and the navy seemed to be nothing less, than an expensive toy. Perhaps it is only due to president’s Roosevelt effort, that the navy remained a formidable force by 1941. The war at the Pacific has quickly demonstrated, that battleships do not longer play a major role in naval combat. Loss of the battleship fleet in Pearl Harbor did not prevent America from effective resistance to Japanese aggression and only few aircraft carriers managed to defeat a huge enemy fleet in the battle of Midway. The doctrine has changed accordingly, and top priority has been given to building aircraft carrying ships instead of battleships. World War II has demonstrated outstanding shipbuilding opportunities of the United States. They could build huge amounts of vessels and train huge mount of sailors, to replace losses so that this ability to regeneration was a key factor in the battles of the Pacific war. After the war Mahan’s idea of battleship fleet seemed to be outdated. However, navy officials quickly came to understanding that the old idea could be applied using new technology. The navy avoided transformation into a merely transport and attacking force and retained it’s independent role as an offensive power. Ability to attack coast areas with aviation, including nuclear bombers, as well as ability of maritime corpse to invade and control those areas allowed the navy to play a key role in the wars of Korean and Vietnam, as well as to promote American interests at Granada, Somali, etc. In the times o Cold war the navy had an own nuclear attacking force of nuclear submarines. Those could attack Soviet military bases and industrial centers with ballistic missiles much faster, than the Soviets could respond. Fearful of American Navy the Soviet Union started creating it’s own Grand Fleet in 1960-1980s, but happily the United States navy never had to face it in combat. Soviets did not posses necessary technology and industrial capabilities to create a modern navy and their attempts only speeded up the collapse of their economy. So the mere existence of American navy helped the USA to defeat it’s opponent. By late 1980-s the navy has once again found itself in the situation when there is no enemy to defeat. All other navies of the world taken together would be weaker than American. So Mahan’s principle, that the key objective of the navy is to defeat enemy at sea had to be forgotten once again by 1990. The navy moved to doctrine of expeditionary littoral warfare. In other words, the navy is to become mostly a transport and support tool for marines again. Sea control is already American, so the navy is to guarantee this control and help the US policy. Operations in the Persian Gulf and former Yugoslavia is a new warfare for the navy in which it has no direct enemy, so it is to help those American forces, who have to face the enemy. And this situation will hardly change in the XXI century. Baer is, undoubtedly, a man to write exactly such type of book. Being a historian with Strategy and Policy Department of the Naval College in Newport, Baer is very well familiar with the subject. The book is closely related to author’s institutional affiliation. The book is well written and easy to read. Baer managed to combine accurate investigation and great amount of factual material with perfect style of writing. The book is addressed to a broad audience of readers. Politicians and military theoreticians would benefit learning factors of naval development and analysis of it’s activities and usual readers would get an insight into history of American Navy and learn why the nation needs a navy and how the navy serves the nation.

Newspaper Sections and Terms

Newspaper Sections and Terms Many people become interested in reading the newsaper as young adults. Students may be required to read the newspaper to search for current events or to research sources. The newspaper can be daunting for beginners. These terms and tips can help readers understand the parts of a newspaper and help them decide what information could be helpful when conducting research. Front Page The first page of a newspaper includes the title, all the publication information, the index, and the main stories that will capture the most attention. The major story of the day will be placed in the most prominent position and contain a large, bold-faced headline. The topic could be of a national scope or it could be a local story. Folio The folio includes the publication information and is often located under the name of the paper. This information includes the date, volume number, and price. News Article A news article is a report on an event that has taken place. Articles may include a byline, body text, photo, and caption. Typically, newspaper articles that appear closest to the front page or within the first section are those that editors consider to be the most important and relevant to their readers. Feature Articles Feature articles report about an issue, person, or event with added depth and more background details. Byline A byline appears at the beginning of an article and gives the writers name. Editor An editor decides what news will be included in each paper and determines where it will appear according to relevance or popularity. The editorial staff determines content policy and creates a collective voice or view. Editorials An editorial is an article written by the editorial staff from a specific perspective. The editorial will offer the newspapers view of an issue. Editorials should not be used as a main source of a research paper, because they are not objective reports. Editorial Cartoons Editorial cartoons have a long and fascinating history. They offer an opinion and convey a message about an important issue in an amusing, entertaining, or poignant visual depiction. Letters to the Editor These are letters sent from readers to a newspaper, usually in response to an article. They often include strong opinions about something the newspaper has published. Letters to the editor should not be used as objective sources for a research paper, but they could prove valuable as quotes to demonstrate a point of view. International News This section contains news about other countries. It may address relationships between two or more countries, political news, information about wars, droughts, disasters, or other events that impact the world in some way. Advertisements Obviously, an advertisement is a section that is purchased and designed for selling a product or idea. Some advertisements are obvious, but some can be mistaken for articles. All advertisements should be labeled, although that label might appear in small print. Business Section This section contains business profiles and news reports about the state of commerce. You can often find reports about new inventions, innovation, and advances in technology. Stock reports appear in the business section. This section could be a good resource for a research assignment. It will include statistics and profiles of people who have made an impact on the economy. Entertainment or Lifestyle The section names and traits will differ from paper to paper, but lifestyle sections typically offer interviews of popular people, interesting people, and people who make a difference in their communities. Other information concerns health, beauty, religion, hobbies, books, and authors.

Babel-Fish Earbud Translators

Babel-Fish Earbud Translators Abstract This paper explores published articles from online resources (internet) that depict a probable solution to near real-time language translation in support of targeting, situational understanding, and/or information collection. As technology shrinks the distance between nationalities and cultures, language remains a barrier that still prevents a shared understanding between the pair. This paper will examine how emerging technology can be leveraged to address language barriers in urban and isolated areas where a translator may not be available. Keywords: Babel-Fish (the first online translator) Emerging Technology: Babel-Fish Earbud Translators The purpose of this paper is to address a problem that most intelligence units face concerning targeting, situational understanding, and information collection. Most intelligence units have 35 series military occupational specialties (MOS) that either require a language or have the ability to learn a language at the Defense Language Institute (DLI), Monterey, California. Intelligence Soldiers in these MOS use their languages for various intelligence tasks to produce and disseminate timely, relevant, accurate, predictive, and tailored intelligence to decision-makers. Cryptologic Linguists (35P) are responsible for identifying foreign communications using signals equipment. Their role is crucial as the nation’s defense depends largely on information that comes from foreign languages. Many Cryptologic Linguists are assigned to units who do not have the correct coded billet for their specific foreign language. An impact to mission command could be a degrade in timely reporting as reports would need to be transmitted to an inorganic unit for processing. Human Intelligence Collectors (35M) are responsible for information collection operations. They provide Army personnel with information about the enemy force’s strengths, weaknesses, and potential battle areas. Their role is often dependent on the use of a foreign language. Human Intelligence Collectors are often deployed abroad to locations outside their respective foreign languages. An impact to mission command could be a reliance on interpreters to assist Human Intelligence Collectors and a degrade in timely reporting. Interpreter/Translators (09L) are responsible for interpreting and preparing translations between English and a foreign language. These Soldiers are more likely to be assigned to an area abroad where their foreign language would be of benefit. However, they often struggle with varying dialects. An impact to mission command could be from interpreters misinterpreting intent and meaning from key-leader engagements and/or communicating with foreign allies. Additionally, any Soldier abroad may require the use of a foreign language in order to accomplish their mission. Often, these Soldiers do not have the necessary language to do so. An impact to mission command again could be from misinterpreting intent and meaning from key-leader engagements, communicating with foreign allies, providing humanitarian assistance, etc. The problem that is ever apparent is having the correct language for every mission. Units are now deployed to or support operations in various countries utilizing Soldiers who do not have the correct language for that region and/or country. Currently, there are no technological solutions within the Intelligence Warfighting Function (IWfF) to address this issue. However, with advances in technology this could be a problem of the past. Babel-Fish Earbud Translators. Google and various smaller companies unveiled new products between fall 2017 and spring 2018 that could be adapted to address current language barriers Soldiers currently face abroad during their operations. These products consist of a set of Bluetooth earbuds that use babel-fish software that assists in translating between 15 to 40 different languages depending on the company. All of these products have a conversation feature, on both iOS and Android, and let two users speak as the software automatically translates the spoken languages and allows each user to respond to their counterpart. Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence are working behind the scenes in making the systems more intelligent by creating huge databases with possible word fragments to reduce processing time. Current issues with this technology consist of background noise interference, current language database, and conversational coloquisms. While these are apparent issues, soft ware engineers are making advances in order to improve this product. This technology is still in its infancy and will require additional development until it can be used abroad in austere environments. Analysis on the Problem. Military units with required language billets are not always filled with Soldiers possessing the correct language for that billet. Crytologic Linguists and Human Intelligence Collecters are prime examples of this. Additionally, interpreters run into dialect issues due to differences in slang or the pronunciation of words on mulitple occasions. Further, Soldiers throughout the world operating in various countries do not always have access to Soldiers or interpreters with the necessary language to assist them in their missions. Ultimately as intelligence professionals, we strive to improve intelligence support to situational awareness, information collection, and targeting. Often, intelligence support to these tasks require data translation. This translation is often slow and does not support timely decisions for a commander. Babel-fish earbud translators could be used in future austere environments to assist 35 series Soldiers (35P and 35M) or interpreters translate data in near real-time on the battlefield without necessarily having the correct foreign language or dialect. Soldiers who require language skills to translate data into intelligence could use this device and/or software in these austere environments to translate that data in near real-time and disseminate that information in order to assist in intelligence support to targeting and situational awareness. Additionally, MOS 09L could utilize this device/software to assist in their role as a translator. Further, any Soldier could use this device/software to support their mission through intelligence support to information collection, targeting, and situational understanding. Ultimately, this device/software would speed up processing time for analysts as they would receive the reports from the field at a faster rate. Thus, commanders at all echel ons could target the enemy faster, decreasing processing time between sensors and shooters. Additionally, this would assist in the overall situational understanding not just from an enemy perspective but also in regards to working with multinational partners. Voice data could then be translated in multiple languages assisting unit commanders at all echelons. Further, intelligence collectors could use this emerging technology to derive enemy intent at a quicker rate providing the commander necessary time to process the information and make decisions. Conclusion This paper explored published articles from online resources (internet) that depicted a possible solution to language barriers that Crytologic Linguists, Human Intelligence Collectors, interpreters, and Soldiers face every day throughout the world in various situations and countries. This challenge is often apparent in the IWfF where successful intelligence criteria requires timely, relevant, accurate, predictive, and tailored data. Data in its raw form is often delivered in a foreign language. When language capabilities are sparse, this data is transmitted to outside organizations for translation. This process is far too slow and requires a solution. The babel-fish earbud translator could be the Army’s solution to this problem. Recommendations. The unit should reach out to the private sector, particuarly the companies who produce babel-fish earbud translators, including Google, Company, Company, and Etc for further information. Addtionally, the unit should request hardware and software demonstrations. The unit could submit an ONS for the best product determined from unit requirements and the previous hardware/software demonstration. Further, the unit IWfF should engage TCM-F with their requirements in order to elevate their needs to the Army.

Ethics and Employees Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Ethics and Employees - Research Proposal Example There is also the general awareness that corporations have to look after all stakeholders that eventually curbs unethical practices. It has been concluded that leaders have a major role to play in creating conditions where the employees are not coerced into unethical practices that are in any case not acceptable by either the law or the society at large. The Objective of Business is to earn profits for its owners, the shareholders. But does it mean an open license for managers to serve their employers without regards to those who help them to achieve the profit motive they work for? Do ends justify means? Are there not other stakeholders; suppliers, employees, consumers and indeed the society which offers them the opportunity to work for profit? With ever present conflicts the managers need to perform a balancing act to satisfy all stakeholders. However the role of the employees is crucial in performance of their obligations, hence a special relationship is required to be developed. Without the trust of the employees and their involvement the business objectives cannot be achieved. Leaders at all level have to be conscious of the fact that they have to set examples of behaviour that will be emulated by their sub-ordinates. These actions have to in consonance with the company’s objective and at the same time have to be balanced right. This balancing is based on principles or ethics. It is becoming evident to business in America that ethical values need to be upheld and become institutionalized (Sims 1991) as this is the desired status by society in general. However the dilemma is squarely faced by the individual manager. He perceives his primary role to be looking after shareholder value (Vogel 1991) in preference to other stakeholders. Therefore they justify the moral result or implication of their unethical behaviour and

The Jet Engine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Jet Engine - Essay Example Fuel and air is mixed and ignited inside the cavity of the engine. However, jet engines are different for other type of internal combustion engines, as they have no pistons. Jet engines have lesser moving parts as compared to the piston based internal combustion engine. The main parts of the jet engines or gas turbine engine are turbine, compressor, fuel ignition system and a connection rod that connects turbine and compressor. The compressor, ignition system (burner) and the turbines are the core of the jet engine. The word gas generator refers the core of the jet engines as hot gases are produced within the core of the jet engines. The compressor compresses the air inside the engine. The compressed air is mixed with fuel and ignited. Due to the ignition, the fuel burns rapidly in the presence of air and hot gases rush out of the engine through the turbine. The turbine rotates as the hot gases rush out of the engine due to the aerodynamic energy (Birch 2001, p.74). Turbine and compressor are connected with a same shaft. The rotation of the turbine rotates the compressor that compresses more air into the engine. Jet engine output is evaluated with respect to the thrust it produces. Each jet engine in the aircraft produces thrust that makes the aircraft to move forward (Soares, 2008, p.67). The motion in the aircraft verifies Newton’s third law that states, â€Å"For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction† (Holzner 2011, p.45). The thrust of the engine is in the backward direction that produces an opposite and equal amount of force in the airplane and airplane moves in the forward direction. Forward momentum allows the locomotive having jet engine to move in forward direction. Forward momentum depends on the net thrust. Net thrust of a jet engine makes the airplane or any other locomotive to move in the forward direction. However, in case when there is no forward momentum, the

Double Jeopardy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Double Jeopardy - Research Paper Example Double jeopardy is regarded as an abuse of process because the same person is brought to the court based on the same facts. The rule of double jeopardy has received dramatic attention in the past few areas and critics are constantly calling for upgrading the rule because of its failure as it is causing injustice in the society. A classic reason often quoted for advocating the rule of double jeopardy and is often cited in academic literature and law cases was made by Black J in the case of Green v United States (US Supreme Court 187). The idea behind the statement which he believed is ingrained in the mind of American system of jurisprudence is that the State should not be allowed to make multiple attempts to allege a charge to convict a person for an offence, thereby subjecting him into incur unnecessary expenses, making him disgraceful in the society, and it causes the individual to suffer from embarrassment & mental turmoil. This compels him to live a life full of anxiety and insecurity, and also increases the chances of the individual to be declared guilty even though he might be innocent. Double jeopardy is recognized as a constitutional right in several countries. The fifth amendment of constitutions of United States of America states: â€Å"nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb† (AFA para. 3). ... Double jeopardy is recognized as a constitutional right in several countries. The fifth amendment of constitutions of United States of America states: â€Å"nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb† (AFA para. 3). In addition to that, it is also recognized in international laws. For instance, the Article 14 (7) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states that â€Å"No one shall be liable to be tried or punished again for an offence for which he has already been finally convicted or acquitted in accordance with the law and penal procedure of each country† (ICCPR 14). In United Kingdom, this principle is famously known as ‘Connelly principle’ after the case of Connelly v Director of Public Prosecutions as it was regarded as an abuse of process. Lord Pearce in this case stated that a man should not be tried for a second offence which is clearly inconsistent on the facts with either a previous conviction or acquittal. The court should apply judicial discretion under such circumstances as without such a process, injustice will prevail (Johns 3). In Australia, the High Court’s decision regarding R v Carroll triggered a reform about the rules of double jeopardy (Johns 7). The case was concerned with a murder of an infant girl named Deidre Kennedy in 1973, for which Raymond Carroll was prosecuted for the case by the court. The girl was strangled in Queensland and her body was found with bruises on left thigh which were identified by medical experts as marks of human teeth. Carroll defended himself by swearing an oath and claiming that at the time of murder he was attending a course at RAAF base in South Australia. The defendant

Organ Transplant Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Organ Transplant - Research Paper Example In the U.S alone over 28,000 patients under transplant surgeries and over half of these surgeries are kidneys transplants while a quarter are liver transplants. Process of Organ Transplantation Organ transplantation calls for therapeutic usage of organs to replace a non-functional organ. However, the medical process is quite complex since organ transplantation comes with its own bag of complications and challenges. Keeping aside the legal issues and paperwork involved, the first step i.e. procurement of a healthy donor is a mammoth task since it care should be taken that the blood types of the recipient as well as the donor matches since â€Å"fate of a graft depends not only on excellent surgery with avoidance of damage to the organ in the process, but, as indicated above, the degree of HLA matching of donor and recipient is crucial in any approach to tolerance† (Calne, 2005, p1979). One a suitable candidate is found the healthy organ is harvested carefully and the damaged or gan in the recipient’s body is surgically replaced with the new healthy organ. Post-surgery, the newly replaced organ is kept under observation to detect rejection by the recipient’s body. Immunosuppressant drugs are administered to help the body accept the new organ and gradually integrate it in the patient’s body as its own. ... Such phenomena lead to organ rejection or blood transfusion reaction. Heavy immunosuppressant drugs are therefore administered after a transplant surgery. Therefore, it is necessary to match the donor and receiver’s blood so that the organ acceptation by the receiver’s body is smoother. The rejection mechanism of allograft kidney transplantation was studies and it was seen that â€Å"the most common form of acute allograft rejection is initiated when donor alloantigens are presented to the T lymphocytes of the recipient by antigen-presenting cell (APC’s) â€Å"(Schwartz, 2010, p1453). A new study shows that Jagged2 plays an important role in accelerating heart transplants or cardiac tissue grafts since its signaling affects the acceptation rate of graft by regulating interleukin-6 (Riella et al, 2013, 1449). Ethics and Importance of Organ Donation Becoming a donor is a tough choice for many. There are 2 types of donor-living donor and deceased donor. Organ dona tion is an important choice that can save a lot of lives however, organ donation, in many parts of the world, has rapidly emerged into a trade. For example, poor people sell one of their kidneys to the rich and since The risk involved in nephrectomy is not in itself high, and most people regard it as acceptable for living related donors (Radcliffe, 1998, p1951). However some people find the procedure too invasive and thereby refuse the whole idea of organ transplantation (NHMRC,1997,P12). Brain death and organ donation Organs are procured from cadavers however brain dead individuals provide fresher organs for harvest. This, stirs up an ethical issue since complete loss of brain function needs to

Mental Damages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mental Damages - Essay Example First, the elements of negligence should be established. They are duty, breach, causation, damages. According to Caparo v. Dickman [1990] UKHL 2, if the harm that occurs is reasonably foreseeable, there is a degree of proximity between the tortfeasor and the victim, and if it would be just, reasonable and fair to impose liability, then the duty prong of the negligence analysis is satisfied. In this case the harm was reasonably foreseeable – Maria could foresee that something could go wrong if she defied orders, in that she might be incapacitated, which would leave the children essentially unattended. This is exactly the harm that happened, so this harm is reasonably foreseeable. Proximity is also established, in that the children were in Maria’s care.... Maria did not act as a reasonable person, as a reasonable person would have obeyed the rules set forth by the New Horizons regarding employees acting only with trained support staff. Therefore, breach is established. Causation is the next element. The court’s typically use the â€Å"but-for† test – would the damages have occurred but-for the tortfeasor’s actions? (Barnett v. Kensington & Chelsea NHS Trust [1968] 1 All ER 1068). In this case, the actions of Maria were the cause, because but-for her choosing to drive without supervised help, the damages would not have occurred, because there would have been a trained person to help the children on the bus. Damages are next – do Bonita and Ben have compensable damages? After all, they were physically unhurt, but apparently suffered some type of emotional damage from the incident. In this case, the court would look to the case of Page v. Smith [1995] UKHL 7. In Page, the plaintiff was physically unhurt in a minor traffic accident. However, he suffered other damages, which was that he had myalgic encephalomyelitis, and this disease recurred, although it was previous in remission. The court found that Page was a primary victim, which means that the primary victim must only show that personal injury would have been a foreseeable consequence of the tortfeasor’s actions. If this is established, that the victim was unhurt would not preclude the victim from collecting from some kind of nervous shock or psychiatric injury. Further, another case that establishes that primary victims may recover for nervous shock, if they are in danger of being injured, is Alcock v Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police [1992] 1 AC 310. Therefore, even though the two

In Preventing a Brave New World (pp. 317-329), Leon Kass concludes Essay

In Preventing a Brave New World (pp. 317-329), Leon Kass concludes that reproductive and therapeutic cloning of human embryos - Essay Example He points out that â€Å"revulsion† (Kass, 2001) is not the basis of his argument as he points out that â€Å"repugnance† (Kass, 2001) of the past is silently accepted in the present. He moreover observes that disgust is not something that is emotional and hence he is not being emotional when he criticizes the cloning of the human embryos but it is a deep thought into the matter makes him talk against the mechanism. He compares cloning with the incest relationships and other unethical activities like disfigurement of corpse or feeding on human flesh. Kass observes that as murder, rape or bestiality cannot be ethically justified, in the same manner reproductive and therapeutic cloning of human embryos stands unjustified on the ground of ethics. Kass (2001), in his composition, says that cloning is resisted not only because it is strange to take up something like this but because he â€Å"intuit† that it is not novel and cloning for him is the violation of things t hat he dearly holds. In the book he criticizes cloning on the grounds of unethical experimentation, threatening the identity of human being and his or her individuality, transforming the essence of procreation into manufacturing. He also argues against it on the ground of despotism that it heralds on the children, thereby becoming the harbinger of parenthood perversion. He makes sure he is not misinterpreted when he is arguing against cloning. He points out that he is against the creation of reproductive cloning and not against the cloning that is used for the research work (Kass, 2001). On ethical grounds Kass argues that the cloning experiment has an adverse and unethical effect on the child to be born. Its not that they would be only affected adversely on the ethical grounds there can serious dangers to their life, as the experiment of cloning has failed mostly among the animals. Incidents of fetal deaths and the deaths of the stillborn infants cannot be avoided in the process of cloning. He also points out that the so called proclaimed successes are actually failure. It has also been revealed very recently that there remains a high chance of disability and deformity among the cloned animals that lives after birth. He justifies his argument by citing examples of clone crows which has heart and lungs problems and cloned mice which develops pathological obesity later on in its life span. It has been also observed that a cloned animal fails in attaining normal development milestones. Though he argues on the ethical grounds of relationships and the associated problem that would arise from cloning he actually argues on a strong scientific and logical terms. His argument against cloning stands justified on the basis of the facts and figures that have been provided by him (Kass, 2001). He also puts forward an argument on the basis of identity and individuality crisis. It will be like a dilemma for the person who has been cloned, as not only will he have concerns a bout his distinguishing characteristics but also that he will have an identical appearance as his father or mother. This would lead to serious identity crisis. He indicates the adverse effect that a homey case can have if engaged in infra familial cloning. Cloning of the husband and the wife gives birth to a twin parent child relation. Eventually no parent will be competent to take care of the clone of himself or herself as one treats his or her own child. This creates a series of perplexity in the relationship, the way they are perceived. Like if the daughter is the clone of

Mental Damages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mental Damages - Essay Example First, the elements of negligence should be established. They are duty, breach, causation, damages. According to Caparo v. Dickman [1990] UKHL 2, if the harm that occurs is reasonably foreseeable, there is a degree of proximity between the tortfeasor and the victim, and if it would be just, reasonable and fair to impose liability, then the duty prong of the negligence analysis is satisfied. In this case the harm was reasonably foreseeable – Maria could foresee that something could go wrong if she defied orders, in that she might be incapacitated, which would leave the children essentially unattended. This is exactly the harm that happened, so this harm is reasonably foreseeable. Proximity is also established, in that the children were in Maria’s care.... Maria did not act as a reasonable person, as a reasonable person would have obeyed the rules set forth by the New Horizons regarding employees acting only with trained support staff. Therefore, breach is established. Causation is the next element. The court’s typically use the â€Å"but-for† test – would the damages have occurred but-for the tortfeasor’s actions? (Barnett v. Kensington & Chelsea NHS Trust [1968] 1 All ER 1068). In this case, the actions of Maria were the cause, because but-for her choosing to drive without supervised help, the damages would not have occurred, because there would have been a trained person to help the children on the bus. Damages are next – do Bonita and Ben have compensable damages? After all, they were physically unhurt, but apparently suffered some type of emotional damage from the incident. In this case, the court would look to the case of Page v. Smith [1995] UKHL 7. In Page, the plaintiff was physically unhurt in a minor traffic accident. However, he suffered other damages, which was that he had myalgic encephalomyelitis, and this disease recurred, although it was previous in remission. The court found that Page was a primary victim, which means that the primary victim must only show that personal injury would have been a foreseeable consequence of the tortfeasor’s actions. If this is established, that the victim was unhurt would not preclude the victim from collecting from some kind of nervous shock or psychiatric injury. Further, another case that establishes that primary victims may recover for nervous shock, if they are in danger of being injured, is Alcock v Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police [1992] 1 AC 310. Therefore, even though the two

International Business Entry Case Study Essay Example for Free

International Business Entry Case Study Essay High turnover. Small companies tend to have a small structure, then job opportunities are few, which force employees to change job. Poor customer service. Distributors mostly only care about selling off a product, then they direct customers with Microsoft. The main problem is that Microsoft Customer service is focused on developed countries, where the needs and tools are greatly different. In some cases the technical service is non-existent, heavily hurting the image of the company, not the distributor. Poor input for further developing products. If all the deployment and input is being done and received by a distributor, then it is most likely that the information will never reach Microsofts engineering department. Without that knowledge products will stall for that particular market in a short period of time, inflicting loses in the long run for the company. 2. Are there countries where Microsoft’s strategy might not work? Why? Small countries with an unique language possibly are the toughest. Microsoft strategy mean that while local partners are relied to market the products, Microsoft is still in charge of the code and language. In that regard Microsoft is very vulnerable to small IT companies that develop solutions for their language. With small partners, it is easy for local developers to attract those distribution channels for their own product, therefore using Microsofts resources and know-how to make profit out of other products, making Microsoft lose money. 3. What other kinds of businesses might find Microsoft’s strategy to be effective? Please explain. Car manufacturers. They basically operate the same scheme with distributors. When a cars manufacturer enter a new country most times they give the concession to sell the cars to a local person or company. Almost entirely those distributors operate in a very small area. The manufacturer covers Marketing and promotion, while the distributor has to develop their sales only in their area. 4. How might Microsoft need to change its strategy once it has established a strong position in a foreign market? They need to deploy a strong services net. They need to be in constant contact with customers in order to assure that they meet their current and future needs. They need to deploy training facilities for their products in order to have a strong pool of expertise from where enterprises can nurture in order to keep fidelity with the products. They need to partner with high profile local companies to develop solutions in order to gain traction in the country. 5. Describe how host governments might react to Microsofts entry strategy? Governments usually react in a good way. The way Microsoft do business benefit host countries a lot, since it creates a lot of jobs for the locals. Nonetheless there might be some countries who could think that Microsoft is a danger for their local IT industry. In those cases their strategy also soften their position a lot, since the entry in indirect. Reference Glusing, J. (2006, June 1). The third world goes high-tech: The dirt road to the information superhighway. Spiegel. Retrieved from http://www. spiegel. de/international/spiegel/the-third-world-goes-high-tech-the-dirt-road-to-the-information-superhighway-a-419034. html

The Pros And Cons Of Each Approach

The Pros And Cons Of Each Approach The project management team at Parallel Services is having a debate about how to define tasks in the work breakdown structure used to construct a Gantt chart. Ann, the project manager, wants to break tasks down into the smallest possible units. For example, she objected to a broad task statement called Develop a training schedule. Instead, she suggested three subtasks: (1) Determine availability of training room, (2) Determine availability of attendees, and (3) Select specific dates and training times. Karen, another project team member, disagrees. She feels that the broader task statement is better, because it allows more flexibility and will produce the same result. Karen says that if you break tasks into pieces that are too small, you risk over-managing the work and spending more time on monitoring than actually performing the tasks. (a) Discuss the pros and cons of each approach. Breaking down tasks into smaller and manageable units, makes the inter relationship between those units clearer, effectively helps the planning process, easier to revise and update plans when needed, assign work packages to appropriate skill groups, which makes it easier for the project manager to macro manage the project. Tracking the progress of work packages is more accurate because the timeline feature of Gantt chart carries over to WBS. Smaller tasks also carry some disadvantages like need for excessive communication, unending status reporting, loss of productivity and more. For example, the below figure shows that a project that is twice as large will be much more than twice as complex. Only one interaction among team members exists in Project A. In Project B, as many as six different interactions can take place. Unless carefully coordinated, multiple interactions can lead to misunderstanding and delays. Large work packages (Broader tasks) can be unclear as team members may not be sure of what they are supposed to do. There are chances that your team members could assure you about meeting the delivery date of the large chunk of work and approach you for schedule extension just when you thought the work would have been done. In addition below are some more disadvantages of large/broader tasks. You receive less feedback to overcome this, smaller tasks are better because people can learn sooner if the tasks are smaller and provide better feedback. Work might expand after the initiation of a project. Large tasks usually have long due times. Hence there might be no sense of urgency which leads to low motivation. Tasks fail if they are big After spending half of the budget, you discover that resources are not enough to finish the task on time. The only solution would be fight with neighbor projects to find more resources which is again expensive because you cannot just cancel the project after spending half of the budget. So, your task would drag on forever, and consume even more resources. (b) Explain which approach you would advocate and justify why. I would like to support smaller tasks. Project manager plans, monitors and tracks the work done by the team members, so tasks should be small and manageable. Trying to manage a project as one large task would be impossible. Instead, i would like to break the project down into many smaller tasks that can be easily managed. People who procrastinate often comment that when they wait to the last minute to complete a project, they often feel overwhelmed, and the task seems insurmountable. Breaking the task into smaller units and setting priorities, the work would be more manageable and less intimidating. Finding the correct size for the work packages is very important when planning on work breakdown, not too big, not too small, but just correct size. If the tasks were smaller we always have option to increase it later if needed. However the opposite is always not possible. Work breakdown structure would help assigning tasks to individuals, monitor the work status on a regular basis and also hold people accountable for the work assigned to them. Preparing the work breakdown structure properly, you can easily maintain your schedule and people will be responsible for their part of work (tasks assigned to them). A project task can be represented by one or several team members. In a workgroup, to complete a task, the workgroup leader should consult with the workers in order to develop the task list. A task should be broken down in to a level where an individual is able to do a task without further breaking it down into smaller units. The project task list does not necessarily describe task sequence, but the task leaders will often think in these terms. It is important for the project manager to keep in mind that these tasks must be broken down into smaller, discreet, independent work units, and that none are left out. Breakdown is satisfactory when individu als are identified who can determine exactly what has to be done, how long it will take, and who will do it. If, on one unit of effort, several groups are each working independently of each other, the unit needs even further breakdown. Each autonomous team should have its own task. Below is a simple example of work breakdown structure. Question 2 Point value: 10 Many companies are undergoing server virtualization. This is the concept of putting multiple virtual servers on to one physical device. The payoffs can be significant: fewer servers, lower electricity and cooling costs, lower infrastructure and administrative costs, increased flexibility, more effective use of space, and lower maintenance costs. The costs of doing so include licensing virtualization software, labor costs in establishing the virtual servers on to a physical device, costs of updating tables, and access. However, determining return on investment can be a challenge. Some companies have lost money, while others claim that they have gained a positive return on investment. (a) Suggest ways in which a company could determine its actual return on investment from server virtualization and how this would be accomplished. Server virtualization increases the rate of investment for an organization. Below are some of the ways in which server virtualization can help the organization to increase their ROI. 1. Reducing server maintenance, storage and networking costs 2. Reducing growing power, cooling and costs pertaining to facilities 3. Increased IT productivity 4. Reduce business risks Server virtualization allows an organization to save money on hardware, floor space and resources. Virtualization uses existing servers to provide better performance without adding additional capacity, which results in savings from hardware. For example, deploy three virtual servers on one physical machine and it saves the need to buy three separate machines, which may be used less frequently that too at full capacity. When the physical number of servers in an organization is decreased, this means less storage space is required. Office rents are a major expense for any business, so less space is definitely a plus. It is necessary to calculate the money to be spent on the licenses for virtualization products. Buying more RAM and software licenses are more feasible than buying new machines. In the long run virtualization can save money because it reduces energy consumption. Server virtualization makes an organization more effective by making use of the existing infrastructure in a better way. Migration is easier in virtualized environment. With virtualization we can just deploy an image of the existing or a new system or solution on the present server without a need for a new server deployment. (b) Discuss whether this is a type of project in which a systems analyst would become involved and why. A systems analyst would be involved in this type of project. Though server virtualization is a great choice there are factors to consider prior to the implementation of product. The analysis and planning phase should be done properly to avoid any type of virtualization failure. A systems analyst should have better understanding of server virtualization concepts before trying to implement it in an organization. The leading virtualization solutions are easy to deploy and user friendly however might require close inspection based on the requirements of the organization. This doesnt mean that you shouldnt consider virtualization, but you should look carefully at the numbers and run a test bed before committing to the idea. Below are some of the notable factors that a systems analyst needs to consider before deciding on server virtualization idea. Single point of failure When failures occur on a server on which all the virtualization solutions are hosted and running, when the virtualization solution itself fails, the system crashes. Need for powerful machines Virtual servers demand powerful hardware. It is still possible to deploy virtualization solutions with less powerful systems; however the performance decreases greatly if there is no sufficient RAM and CPU power on the main system. Lower performance Issues Problems show up after the application has been virtualized. Application performance would differ when it experiences lot of stress from different processes running on the same server. Performance issues cannot be predicted in advance. Not always possible There are applications where virtualization is not possible or not feasible. One practical example is database, since databases require frequent disk read and write operations, virtualization, which takes time to perform is not at all suitable for the database environment. Security Security configurations and concerns must also be considered when analyzing a virtualization solution. It is the job of systems analyst to carefully weigh the pros and cons while considering to go for a virtualization solution. Question 3 Point value: 15 The vice president of accounting says to you, the IT director, This systems development life cycle stuff takes too long. She tells you that her people know what they are doing and that all systems requests coming from her department are necessary and important to the organization. She suggests that the IT department bypass the initial steps for any accounting department request and immediately get to work at the solution. (a) Justify your departments use of the SDLC and the consequences of omitting stages of the lifecycle in systems analysis. The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a conceptual model that describes the stages involved in a system development project starting from Identifying problems, opportunities and objectives through maintenance of the application. There are several models developed to guide the process involved. Documentation is crucial regardless of the type of model chosen for any application and is usually done in parallel with the development process. Success of a project depends on how closely the plan was followed and implemented throughout the project development. During the initial phases, systems analyst is concerned with correctly identifying the problems, opportunities and objectives. The success of the rest of the project depends on this because if the problem is not identified correctly at the initial stages or skip this stage then the rest of the team would be addressing the wrong problem. The cost of fixing a defect in the early stages of the project is very less when compared to fixing a defect at later stages of the project development because it would cost a lot to fix the defect when project is in production stage. Below is a simple graph of cost and time graph that can explain the cost of change as we progress in the project. http://www.ambysoft.com/artwork/costOfChangeCurve.jpg (b) Explain to her the alternative design methodologies used in systems analysis, how they are similar to and how they differ from the SDLC, and the appropriateness of each for different types of projects. Agile methodology and object oriented methodology are the other two alternative methodologies used in systems analysis. Agile methodology is an approach based on values, principles and core practices. Agile methodology not only reduces the risk of misunderstanding, it also minimizes the cost of addressing any defect. Object oriented best suits situations where complex systems undergo continuous maintenance, adaptation and redesign. Understanding the organization, budgeting time and resources, developing a project proposal, gathering information and sampling data from existing reports are the activities that are common in all the three methodologies (SDLC, Agile and Object Oriented methodologies). SDLC and object -oriented approaches require extensive planning and diagramming. The Agile and object-oriented approach allow subsystems to be build one at a time until the entire system is complete. The agile and SDLC approaches are concerned about the way data logically moves through the s ystem. SDLC approach can be used when there are adequate resources and time to complete the full SDLC. Agile methodologies can be used when applications need to be developed quickly in response to a dynamic environment. Object-Oriented methodologies can be used when organization supports the UML learning and when systems can be added gradually, one subsystem at a time. Question 4 Point value: 20 points FlexTime is a regional chain of fitness centers that provides workout facilities as well as a variety of fitness classes to its members such as aerobics, martial arts, yoga, Zumba, and kickboxing. The chain has 50 facilities located in the northeastern region of the United States. Each facility employs approximately 80 individuals including managers, personal fitness trainers, fitness instructors, receptionists, on-site physical therapists, and maintenance personnel. The owners of the chain would like to replace their antiquated database system with an integrated system that keeps track of payroll, employee and class scheduling, inventory, and membership dues at each of its facilities. They have asked your systems analysis team to conduct a feasibility analysis and to develop the system for them, assuming that it is feasible. (a) Explain how you would conduct the feasibility analysis for FlexTime. I would start with defining the potential impact of the integrated system which can help decision makers to determine whether or not to replace their antiquated database system with an integrated system. Feasibility study report should be prepared in such a way that FlexTime can decide about cost estimation, funding and important decisions which are very essential for them to be stable and run profitably. Systems analyst should analyze the current system with the proposed integrated system and prepare detailed report that contains information related to technical, economic and operational impact and will also include both pros and cons of both the current system and proposed system. Interviewing managers, personal fitness trainers, fitness instructors, receptionists, on-site physical therapists, and maintenance personnel, developing and managing questionnaires to interested sponsors, such as potential users of the information system, monitoring users of the current system and determi ne their requirements as well as their like and dislike with the current system, gathering, investigating, and analyzing documents, specifications, reports, procedures, user guides, and any other documentation relating to the operations of the current system, modeling, detecting, and simulating the tasks of the current system are some various methods a systems analyst can use to collect data. It pursues to determine the resources required to develop an information systems solution which includes the cost and benefits and the feasibility of the new solution (b) Provide three examples of why this project might lack technical feasibility. This project may lack Technical feasibility because Flextime doesnt have enough information technology staff to execute the project. The existing resources (hardware or software) might not be able to support the business needs. Lacks financial resources to support the proposed system. The organization might lack the expertise, time or personnel required to implement the new project. (c) Provide three examples of why this project might lack operational feasibility. This project is not adequate in terms of operational feasibility because the project might not be easy to operate. The users (managers, personal fitness trainers, fitness instructors, receptionists, on-site physical therapists, and maintenance personnel) of the project lack proper training or knowledge of the system. The project procedures might be too complex for the personnel as the system has integrations with multiple applications. (d) Provide three examples of why this project might lack economic feasibility. This project might lack economic feasibility because they might lack the finances required to wait for return on investment, so the project implementation might halt due to longer payback period. They can use the profits gained with this and reinvest in other technology. In addition, benefits and costs can both be intangible, hidden and/or hard to estimate. Alternative financing arrangements like renting or leasing or purchasing required hardware or software. When compared to existing system the proposed system would be integrated with many other applications, the organization may want to invest more on labor. Costs may have been underestimated (However, we did compare our costs to a comparable services startup costs). Furthermore, although we hoped to exhaust the potential list of project costs, there will likely be items that we must purchase. (e) Explain which of the systems development methodologies discussed in the text would you choose to use to develop the system for FlexTime and why. I would like to use SDLC to develop the system for FlexTime. SDLC model can answer questions like Do we have the hardware or software to handle the system?, Do our computers have enough memory?, Does the new proposed system do what it is supposed to do? and many more. SDLC is used to identify the need for the system initiation, ship out the new system to the user(implementation), and de support when no longer needed(Disposition) because if we dont have a clear plan for doing all these, then it can become an expensive mistake. As each phase of SDLC requires documentation, reporting and approval, it assures that a project does not go out of hand either by changing the direction or becoming a financial black hole. There will not be any surprises when the system is shipped to the user because the management is aware of every step and it is documented. In short because of the planning, approval, testing and documentation activities SDLC can assure that the system can, and will work as exp ected. Question 5 Point value: 45 points City College is considering introducing a new online system through which faculty and students will place textbook orders which will be implemented in fall 2011. As the systems analyst assigned to this project, you have been asked to obtain information from different user groups who will be using the new system. (a) Identify the different user groups that you would want to gather information from, and explain why. Administrators They are responsible for setup and maintaining user accounts, maintaining system, verifying whether all the hardware and software used are working properly, monitor system performance, creating backup and recovery policy to use whenever there is a disaster, setup security policies for users, monitor network communication. Librarians It is always important to collect information from librarians because they create records for library catalogs, process library materials for collection, assist users in locating materials, circulate library materials and handle overdue processes, managing user records, operating customer service points, in fact librarian is the person who would have knowledge of everything in the library. Students They use library more than any other user groups identified in this case so it is very important to gather information from students to build the new online system. Faculty/Reviewers/Evaluators/Teaching Assistants As most of these people use library for traditional printed resources, inter-library loan, electronic journals, and electronic databases/article indexes. Gathering information from them would help developing online system and provide all options they need. (b) Develop an interview protocol that you would use to interview members of the user groups. In doing so, identify the types of questions that you might ask as well as the appropriate structure for conducting the interview. When interviewing administrators and librarians I would like to follow the protocols that include open ended questions and then move on to closed ended questions to be more focused with the interview and finally with some open ended questions and appreciate the interviewee for taking time out of his/her schedule. I might even use general probes in interviews to enable the user being interviewed to be as informative as possible in their responses. I might ask questions like Is there anything else you would like to add?. I would like to use diamond structure for conducting the interview as this structure combines the strengths of the both pyramid and funnel structure. When interviewing students and faculty I would like to start with open ended questions and then narrow the possible responses by using closed ended questions. I might ask questions like How do you use the library resources?. I feel funnel structure best suits to conduct the interview for this users group. (c) Make a case for or against the use of joint application design (JAD) sessions to gather information. Joint application design (JAD) sessions to gather information would not suit because JAD sessions require commitment of a large block of time from all participants, JAD requires minimum of two to four day commitment where participants may not do any other activities concurrently. Inadequate JAD session preparations in any regard or if the follow-up report and documentation of specifications is incomplete. The necessary organizational skills may not be sufficiently developed to enable the concerted effort required to be productive in a JAD session. JAD may not be possible in our case as students may have their classes/exams going on or faculty may be busy teaching in class at the time of JAD schedules. (d) Develop a questionnaire that you would use to elicit information from members of each user group. Students Group Which Department are you in? What courses are you taking? What types of books are required for your course? What authors books do you prefer or are preferred by your instructors? Any specific publications? Is there anything else you would like to add? Faculty Group Which Department are you in? What courses are you teaching? What type of books do you propose to the students? Any specific authors? Any specific publications? Is there anything else you would like to add? Librarians Group Library catalogs? Any library material for collection? Any overdue processes? What books do you see students using/requesting most? Any new journals/magazines required? Any editions of books to be updated? What type of user records? Is there anything else you would like to add? Administrators Group Types of user accounts? What type of tools required to upgrade the search capabilities in the online library system? System performance monitoring options? What type of security policies? Is there anything else you would like to add? (e) Explain how the questionnaire might be distributed to members of each user group. Make sure to describe the benefits and drawbacks of each distribution method that you suggest, and provide a final recommendation with justification. I think we can distribute questionnaire to users in all groups via email and web survey because we can reach the users quickly. Cost of taking opinions from the groups with paper is completely reduced since the surveys are taken electronically and email is free, user privacy is maintained. Responses can be automatically collected and stored electronically at users convenience. Reminders can be sent easily and are inexpensive via email and by using software we can turn email data into data tables for use in spreadsheet. (f) Determine what sampling methodology you would use to distribute the questionnaire. Justify your selection. I would use stratified sampling methodology to distribute the questionnaire. To develop an online system for text book orders the data gathered should be effective and stratified sampling methodology is often essential in such cases. Using this sampling methodology a systems analyst can gather information from different group of users/people say for example you may want to use a survey to gather data from students, faculty but you might prefer to use personal interviews to gather similar data librarians and administrators. (g) Suggest a strategy for analyzing any existing documents that are used in the textbook ordering process. Explain why you would choose this strategy and why you would select certain documents (You can be general in specifying the types of documents.) Systems analysts should consider both quantitative and qualitative documents for analyzing. Quantitative documents include analyzing reports, records and forms to determine where the organization stands currently and what the vision for the proposed system is. Qualitative documents include email messages, memos, web pages, procedure manuals and policies because they contain details of the expectations of behavior, the ways in which users expect to interact with information technologies. Systems analysts can take help of guidelines to systematically approach to this sort of analysis. The focus of the document analysis should be a critical investigation, rather than a mere description, of the documents. The analysis should include questions about the educational purpose of the document; how librarians, faculty and students are using it, and how it is contributing to learning. Records provide periodic updates of what is occurring in the business, it can provide much useful information t o the analyst. Systems analyst should make a note of performance measurement. This measurement can help analyzing the actual and intended performance of the system. Analyzing policies allows the systems analyst to gain an awareness of the values, attitudes and beliefs guiding the organization.