Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Why Fracking Is Not Be The Most Exciting Process - 1450 Words

Fracking may not be the most exciting process to learn about nor is it something many people want to get involved in but it s much more important than any of those people think. Fracking is the process of extracting fossil fuels by shooting a liquid into the ground that contains known and unknown chemicals. Just reading the description of the process of fracking can be a little freaky for some people and rightfully so. If one major oil company such as Chevron Corporation made the decision to find a realistic alternative to fracking it could start the process of other major oil companies following in their footsteps. There are three steps Chevron Corp can take to start the process of putting fracking behind us and focusing on the future of†¦show more content†¦There have been multiple reports of people agreeing to let fracking companies operate on their land and regretting it immediately. From the same article stated earlier this paragraph there was a story on the Micelles fa mily from northeastern Pennsylvania. The Micelles family experienced the dangers of fracking and it started with agreeing to let a company conduct fracking on their land in hope of relieving some of their financial burden. It wasn’t even a full week before Elizabeth Micelles noticed a sweet odor and a metallic taste in her mouth. By the second week of allowing fracking on their land Elizabeth and her husband along with her three children were all feeling fatigue, dizziness, vomiting, headaches, and nosebleeds. The family visited the doctor and had some tests done and those tests actually revealed that each family member had measurable levels of benzene in their blood which is a known carcinogen to humans (â€Å"Fracking, the Environment, and Health†). The Micelles family is a prime example of why oil companies like Chevron need to start working toward getting rid of this harmful process called fracking. Chevron and other major oil companies may initially disagree with this step and state that the economic gains are too substantial to just drop fracking. What those big companies need to understand is that just because fracking is good for the economy now,Show MoreRelatedFracking: Greenhouse Gas and Water1429 Words   |  6 PagesWhats the Fracking Problem? W hy does everyone care so much about natural gas? Why is it such an essential part of modern culture? Sure, its an exciting and up and coming technology, which is fuel for the technological generation that weve grown up in, but we need to take a closer look to see the methods and impacts that could affect generations after us. Water is one of our important resources that were given to us by mother nature. We see water as a source for survival and many more advantagesRead MoreThe Theory Of The Germ Theory1122 Words   |  5 PagesThe Germ Theory a) The first response of the germ theory was unfavorably look upon, most people thought that diseases a bad seeds in the air known as miasma. Anthony Van Leeuwenhoek made one of the earliest microscopes this lead to the discovery of micro-organisms which he called animalcules. Joseph Lister developed the microscope in 1830. Louis Pasteur put forward the germ theory in 1861 this consisted of micro-organisms cause decaying matter. Pasteur never showed the link between bacteria andRead MoreThe Future Of Natural Gas And Crude Oil4009 Words   |  17 Pageslow prices on energy, we can make projections for the future of natural gas. Shale production and fracking methods have opened a whole world to the oil and gas industry. Just like the nuclear power, oil and â€Å"shale gas† are being used in wide varieties such as: vehicles and energy. Furthermore; natural gas and oil are used in a wider range than nuclear power. We need more and more gas, which is why scientists and engineers are trying to figure out better ways to get more and more of the natural gasRead MoreOil Boom in North Dakota5022 Words   |  21 Pageseastern Montana and Saskatchewan, and likely many billions more. In recent years, new technology and high prices have made that oil both easier to get at and more valuable to sell. Today the race to pump it out--via a complex process known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking--is running at an Olympic pace. As a result, North Dakota s economy is the hottest in the U.S. Unemployment there was just three per cent in March, the lowest in the country. In neighbouring Montana, where oil explorationRead MoreWhy Do Business Decide to Go Green2716 Words   |  11 Pages 1) Research Question Why do Durban businesses choose to â€Å"go green† ? 2) Introduction Going green means reducing the overall environmental impact of your business. This term going green† involves a few objectives such as improving the efficiency and reducing the energy consumption of the business, using sustainable materials and eliminating waste, complying with environmental regulations and buying green products, equipment and services. Global warming, if unchecked will ruin our planet. I believeRead MoreThe Sustainable Century By Design Or Disaster9705 Words   |  39 PagesEmerging Markets ............................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. The Happy Abyss: 10 Reasons Emerging Market Companies are Ready for Sustainability Strategy and 10 Reasons Why They are Not .... Error! Bookmark not defined. vi How Sustainability Mangers Succeed in a Low Migraine Economy* (or nine ways to succeed as a sustainability manager in a skeptical environment)Error! Bookmark not defined. 1 Preface The day I turnedRead MoreThe Sustainable Century By Design Or Disaster9705 Words   |  39 PagesEmerging Markets ............................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. The Happy Abyss: 10 Reasons Emerging Market Companies are Ready for Sustainability Strategy and 10 Reasons Why They are Not .... Error! Bookmark not defined. vi How Sustainability Mangers Succeed in a Low Migraine Economy* (or nine ways to succeed as a sustainability manager in a skeptical environment)Error! Bookmark not defined. 1 Preface The day I turned

Monday, December 16, 2019

A Long awaited Holiday Free Essays

Gary Duckworth is the name he always was proud of. Listening to the alarm he opened his eyes, waking up to the bright sunny day ahead. He was more than happy to have the day off today as it was a business day for most of the world around. We will write a custom essay sample on A Long awaited Holiday or any similar topic only for you Order Now It was such an inner twist in which he was assigned to meet Miss. Siena for an interview. He has set everything ready at the office for him to be away from the desk. Gary came to the living room, his hands ached very energetic from the work out he had for his biceps last evening. Spending time at the gym was something he always longed for. He just flexed his biceps to have a look at them in the mirror and was extremely happy with the huge budges. He enjoyed the caresses of admiring curious eyes along with words and phrases of admiration as he move about in the crowed. He went to the phone and dialed the number of Siena; he needed to conform once again that she would be available at 9. 30 in the morning at parker’s office in down town Manhattan. Parker’s office is in one World Trade Centre on 95th floor. He has been there quiet few times, always with Siena. The thought of Siena made him glad and gave him a sense of fulfillment. The relationship which has started as just a friendship very soon found itself with a lot of new meanings. Very soon both couldn’t help seeing each other and started to miss each other more than anything. As their romantic life grew Siena grew towards being an organization than a person in the music industry. Gary chose the best attire he always thought was the white shirt with black pants and the suite. He took the train to down town Manhattan. The train ride was rather calm and easy. Very few souls were found seated in the train as it was already past the rush hour. In about twenty minutes he would be at John street subway station and can walk over to the world trade centre. 2 He was walking out of the John street station when he thought of the day ahead though it was an official meeting the rest of the day e is going to be with Siena, he was going to make sure that this is going to be a holiday in all its sense. He was walking up the stairs when he noticed that all the people out at the street were looking upward in shock or rather in curiosity. He came out and found one of the twine towers were on fire. The first thing came to his mind was that there might be an arsenal accident in one of the offices. He did not want to waist the time standing on the ground and watching the fire. He wanted to go fast and meet Siena as soon as possible. She might be worried. He heard some one saying ‘might have been an accident’; it made no sense again to ask what is it. As he walked, there was the big bang, the earth shook, Gary just could not realize what was it but he could recognize the roar of people following the big noise and he could make out some thing from the crowed that ‘it is on purpose’†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ‘some on is doing it’†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ‘they are targeting us’. Who are they? Gary never knew. It was not the safest and joyful downtown any more. Gary in no time found himself in a Warfield of innocent civilians running for life not knowing in the concrete jungles where to hide. Gary became one of them in number, ran for his life and stumped up on some thing soft†¦wasn’t it a girl fallen on the street †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ho knows. Run, run and run with the crowds. The objects with fire are flowing from the towers, wind taking them all around even worse that is targeting us? What are they doing? Do they want me to be dead? Who do the want to terminate? What are they up to? Will there be yet another explosion and one of these high raisers may fall on me too? My God where is Siena? He looked up to the burning towers and saw the birds flying out from there but those black and white birds did not fly off. Rather just shot themselves down and splashed on the floor in red. He needed answers where is †¦.? How to cite A Long awaited Holiday, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

The Culture Industry Manufactured Emotions and Democracy Essay Example For Students

The Culture Industry: Manufactured Emotions and Democracy Essay The culture industry: Manufactured Emotions and DemocracyIn the past section, I demonstrated how emotions play a significant role in viewing political satire by presenting a basic outline of the theory of emotion. In addition, I presented how humor could assist in encouraging the democratic process by showing both sides of the extreme points of view in an argument, and encourage political knowledge acquisition. Despite the amount of evidence that support this position, a clear disconnect arises between viewing these shows and the intent of these shows to spark discussion. In the next two sections, I hope to highlighq this disconnect between political viewing and political action. In this section, I will show how Max Horkheimer and Theodore Adornos work on the culture industry can highlight corporate interest in maintaining a apathetic demos. In the next section, I will point out that political humor, like opinionated news reporting is subject to the same levels of confirmation bias. Though, it is understandable to connect both the culture industry and pre-cognitive bias together in the same breath, I will treat them separately, even though, I will tie everything together at the end. The culture industry, as I have defined in previous work is, â€Å"Art or any of its components as a commodity or a path to commodification.† For example, on South Park Studeo’s official website, they have a shop that contains South Park memorabilia including t-shirts, bobbleheads, hand towels, etc. So South Park is a path to commodification. Likewise, South Park airs on Comedy Central, which is owned by Viacom, so South Park in and of itself is a commodity of Viacom. This is why Viacom needs to market shows like South Park to a particular audience. . .per, because of potential corporate interests from elsewhere as well as a cathartic moment that it is difficult to take on the American status quo, political humor serves as, â€Å"A mere dose of comedy and then we moved on about our business.†Ã¢â‚¬  In tying everything together, the influence of the culture industry, the effect of corporatism on the demos, as well as interpreting individuals and statements to bolster our political identity can be linked together into a political system known as, â€Å"Inverted Totalitarianism.† In which the mechanism used to establish this theoretical system is known as systematic democracy or as Sheldon Wolin calls it, â€Å"Managed democracy. † This mechanism ties the culture industry’s influence on the demos and explains how corporate capitalism can subdue and manage democracy and democratic actions by rerouting us to false freedom and choices.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle free essay sample

A happy farm life, tragic heart break, traitorous family, and of course dogs: the marvelous components that make The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski a true classic. Within this brilliant novel there are of course many memorable moments that leave the reader filled with shock, sympathy and deep sadness. The most intense moment in the novel to me, though, was the death of Edgar’s father, Gar. The strong relationship between father and son as well as Edgar’s muteness makes this moment a pivotal point in the novel, and the sympathy felt by the reader brands this part of the novel as the most memorable and influential moment in the book. First, Gar’s death is by far the most memorable moment in the novel because of how it affects Edgar. In the moment, Edgar is alone and finds his father lying motionless on the ground. He frantically tries to sign to him but there is no reply so he quickly runs into the house. We will write a custom essay sample on The Story of Edgar Sawtelle or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There, he makes a very unsuccessful phone call to try and save his father, and while on the phone he tries to â€Å"force the sound from his mouth† (Wroblewski 123) by hitting himself repeatedly in the stomach. He finds there is nothing he can do and frustratingly smashes the phone to pieces and pounds furiously with his fists on the barn walls to get someone’s attention. During this part of the novel the initial reaction of the reader is pure shock and sympathy, the audience knows that his efforts are useless. It is by far the most important and memorable section of the book because Edgar now has to deal with life feeling that his flaw of being mute is the only reason his father died, and he is constantly feeling guilty and responsible for Gar’s death for the rest of the book. The scene is also very well written by the author, Wroblewski, and the descriptions of Edgar’s attempts at talking are completely impossible to read without feeling empathetic towards Edgar’s situation and wanting to help. Second, the scene of Gar’s death is a pivotal moment in the plot during this novel. Gar is a very influential character in the novel. He represents a strong, stable, life for his family, a role model for Edgar, and the good hero who keeps any evil forces, like Claude, out of their family’s lives. Also, his death is the beginning of a tumultuous fall of the farm and Edgar’s life. Once Gar’s protection is gone, it is just Edgar and his mother left, both broken and trying to figure out how to keep the farm running. Gar was in charge of paperwork and the business of raising the Sawtelle dogs, so without him not only the household, but the business slowly starts to crumble. This also sets off the need for Claude to come in to the story, whose presence causes many problems including ultimately the death of Edgar. Third, Gar’s death haunts Edgar throughout the novel. He always replaying the memory and feeling terrible that he couldn’t save his father, even though it was out of his control. Also, later Claude tries to blame Edgar for Gar’s death, saying it was â€Å"strange, the way [Edgar] just†¦found him† (Wroblewski 435). Gar’s death in the book has a great relationship to the novel because of how it affects the plot and characters throughout the rest of the story. This scene is very effective when being read because of its strong influence on the rest of the novel. First, there is a great amount of sympathy felt by the audience while Edgar makes his discovery and phone call. All the reader wants to do is reach out with their voice to help out this poor boy who can’t speak into the phone. Also, to watch such a traumatic experience unfold as an outside party is absolutely heart wrenching. Second, Edgar’s character flaw comes into play in this moment. This is the main part in the book where the fact that he is mute is a big factor to the novel’s plot. The whole center to the conflict of his father’s death is that he is alone and is left in a situation where his voice was the only hope of saving Gar’s life. Knowing this as a reader makes the scene so much more powerful and meaningful, as well as influential to the rest of the book. This scene is necessary to the plot, because without the conflict between Claude and Gar and Gar’s sudden death, there would be no reason for several other big moments in the novel. For example, Edgar later sees his father as a â€Å"figure in the rain† (Wroblewski 235). This is a major plot twist, because this is when he finds out that Claude is responsible for the murder of Gar. Also, Claude’s relationship with Trudy would not have kindled without the death of Gar. These other moments help to connect the main plot with the plot of Hamlet, a very important connection that Wroblewski wanted to make clear, as well as add the general conflict of the plot of the novel. The death of Gar is the most memorable part of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. It is the most pivotal part of the novel, the part where everything shifts and begins to go downhill. His death increases conflict in the novel and is necessary in order for other main parts to play a part in the plot. Edgar’s character development is also based on this death scene, and the moment ties his character flaw of being mute into the plot. When the actual moment in the book is being read, the audience is left in utter shock and sympathy for Edgar and the position the situation throws him in. The descriptive work of Wroblewski is powerful, and a permanent image of Edgar hitting himself in the stomach with the Sawtelle’s shattered phone lying on the kitchen counter will be forever embedded into any reader’s mind.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

The Meaning of Libre in Spanish

The Meaning of Libre in Spanish Libre is the most common Spanish adjective for free- but it isnt used to refer to something that is available without charge or cost. For that, the word to use almost always is gratis. Instead, libre, related to words such as liberate and liberty, usually refers to being free in the sense of being free of restraints or sometimes in the sense of being available. Some examples of its use: En 2016, Argentina celebra 200 aà ±os del surgimiento de una nacià ³n libre y independiente. (In 2016, Argentina celebrates 200 years of the springing forth of a free and independent nation.)Soy hombre libre. No dependo de nadie. (Im a free man. I dont depend on anyone.)Serà © libre cuando mis padres no està ©n aquà ­. (I will be free when my parents arent here.) ¿Dà ³nde encontrar cosmà ©ticos libres de crueldad animal? (Where can I find cosmetics made free of animal cruelty?)Dejaron libres a los cinco presos. (They freed the five prisoners.)No habà ­a asiento libre a la vista. (There was not an available (or free) seat in sight.)Hay una diferencia de actitud entre la traduccià ³n libre y la traduccià ³n literal. (There is a difference in attitude between a free translation and a literal translation.)Todos tienen derecho a respirar aire libre de humo. (Everyone has the right to breathe smoke-free air.) Phrases Using Libre An abundance of phrases and idioms use libre. Among the most common: absolucià ³n libre - verdict of not guiltyaire libre, al aire libre - outdoorsamor libre - free lovecaà ­da libre - free falldar và ­a libre - to give permissiondà ­a libre - day off work or other obligationslibre de impuestos - tax-freelucha libre - wrestlingmercado libre - free market (an economics term)paso libre - something free of obstaclesprensa libre - free presspuerto libre - free portsoftware libre - open-source softwaretiempo libre - free timetiro libre - free throw (as in basketball), free kick (as in soccer)trabajar por libre - to do freelance work Words Related to Libre The two verbs most closely related to libre are  liberar and librar. Liberar is the more common and usually means to liberate, to release, or to let a person or a animal go free. Librar has a variety of seemingly unrelated meanings including saving someone from danger, drawing a check (monetary instrument), fighting ,and revealing. There are also several related compound nouns including librecambio (free trade), librecambista (advocate of free trade), and librepensador (freethinker). Other related words include librado (someone who draws or writes a check), liberal (liberal), and libertad (liberty). Etymology Libre comes from the Latin liber, which had a similar meaning to libre. From liber came the Latin verb liberare, meaning to set free or liberate. Its past participle, liberatus, became the source of English words such as liberate and liberation. Other Words for ‘Free’ The other adjective frequently used for free is gratis, meaning without cost. As in the third example, gratis can also be used as an adverb. Note that the singular and plural forms of gratis are the same. Este martes la cadena de comida rpida te da desayuno gratis. (This Tuesday the fast-food chain is giving you a free breakfast.)Prà ©stamos de sillas gratis para los bebà ©s. (Loans of free baby seats.)Aquà ­ puedes aparcar tu coche gratis. (Here you can park your car free.) The phrase exento de, although usually translated as exempt from, can sometimes be used instead of libre de for free of: El soporte debe estar limpio y exento de grasa. (The support should be clean and free of grease.)Éste papel no est exento de cido. (This paper isnt acid-free.) Finally, it is extremely common to translate the suffix free using the preposition sin, meaning without: En el mercado puedes comprar un amplio surtido de infusiones sin cafeà ­na. (In the market you can buy a large assortment of caffeine-free herbal teas.)La leche deshidratada sin grasa y la leche descremada en polvo son muy similares. (Fat-free dehydrated milk and powdered skim milk are very similar.)Espero que puedas vivir sin ansiedad. (I hope you can live worry-free.) Key Takeaways Libre is the typical translation for free when it used as an adjective for meanings other than being without cost.Gratis is used when referring to something that has no cost.Libre is derived from the verb librar, which is related to the English verb liberate.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Field Day Activities for Elementary Students

Field Day Activities for Elementary Students The school year is coming to an end how will your class celebrate? With a school field day, of course! Here you will find the top 8 field day activities for elementary students. Each of these activities is easy to set up and will provide hours of entertainment. Note: The activities listed below are for a small group or a whole group setting. Each activity may require special materials. Egg Toss This isnt the classic game you may be thinking of. This egg toss game requires a variety of different colored plastic eggs. Randomly divide students into groups and assign each group a color egg. Set up a bullseye type target and label with points. The outer hole is 5 points, the inner hole is 10 points, and the center hole is 15 points. The object of the game is to get the eggs in the hole. The team with the most points wins. Dress up Relay This is a unique spin on the classic relay race. Divide students into teams of two and have each team stand one behind another in a straight line. Choose one person from each team to stand at the opposite end of the room. On your go, students will take turns running to the end of the line to put one piece of silly clothing on their classmate. (By silly, think a wig, clown shoes, dads shirt etc.) The team who has their classmate completely dressed and are all standing back in line, wins. Hula Hoop Dance Off This field day activity is pretty self-explanatory. Each student is given a hula hoop and at your go, must dance while hula hooping. The person who dances the longest while keeping up the hula hoop wins. Balance Beam Egg Walk For this field day activity, you will need a balance beam, spoon, and a few dozen eggs. You can either divide students into teams of two or have each student play for themselves. The object of the game is to carry the egg on the spoon across the balance beam without falling off. Tic Tac Toe Toss Tic Tac Toe Toss is among one of the most popular field day activities for elementary students. This game requires nine Frisbees, which you flip upside down and use as the tic tac toe board. It also requires Popsicle sticks, (which you glue together to form an x) and butter lids, (which will be used as the o). To play the game, have students toss their x or o onto the Frisbee to see who can get tic tac toe. The first one that gets three in a row, wins. Mystery Bowls Do you want to creep out your students? For this field day activity, students will have to guess what they are feeling while blindfolded. In a small fish bowl place objects such as cold pasta, peeled grapes, gummy worms, and jello. Have students take turns trying to guess what they touched. The first team to guess the most jars wins. (It is best to divide students into teams of two for this game.) Stack Them up Relay Children are naturally competitive and love relays. For this game, all you need is paper cups and a table. Divide students into teams of two and have them stand in a relay line. The object of this field day game is to be the first team to stack their cups into a pyramid. To begin, one person from each team runs to the table across the room and places their cup on the table and runs back. Then the next team member does the same thing but they must place it in a position that a pyramid can be formed by the last person. The first team to stack their cups into a pyramid wins. Then the next team member does the same thing but they must place it in a position that a pyramid can be formed by the last person. The first team to stack their cups into a pyramid wins. Go Fish Spelling No field is complete without a fishing game. Fill a baby swimming pool with words students have learned throughout the school year. Make sure to place a magnet on the back of each word. Then adhere a magnet on the end of a fishing pole or yardstick. Divide students into teams, and have each team compete against each other to create a sentence. The first team to create a sentence with the words they fished out in three minutes wins.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Scripture Inerrancy Thesis Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Scripture Inerrancy - Thesis Proposal Example (The CRI Voice, 2006) From the era that such reservations were raised, Christian scholars and even ordinary historians have come clear with findings, facts and proof that try to confirm the perfection of the bible. Scripture inerrancy therefore has to do with the belief that the bible is free from any errors. The justifications given as far as accuracy of the scriptures is concerned are varied. For example Rhodes (2004) uses several instances of Jesus’ view of the bible to explain why the bible could be regarded as accurate. Some of his defense has to do with Divine Inspiration: Matthew 22:43; Indestructibility: Matthew 5:17-18; Infallibility: John 10:35; Final Authority: Matthew 4:4,7,10; Historicity: Matthew 12:40; 24:37; Scientific Accuracy: Matthew 19:2-5; Factual Inerrancy: John 17:17; Matthew 22:29; Christ-Centered Unity: Luke 24:27; John 5:39; Spiritual Clarity: Luke 24:25; Faith and Life Sufficiency: Luke 16:31. The research design to be employed for this study will be survey research. Research Connections (2011) explain that â€Å"Survey research is a commonly used method of collecting information about a population of interest.† In this study, the population of interest will be Christianity; whereby scripture inerrancy shall be bought under strict scrutiny. The sample population shall be a group of Christian scholars, historians and critics of scripture inerrancy. These three categories of participants will help in ensuring fairness and balance in data collection and presentation of facts in the study. This is to say that the inclusive of critics is necessary in bringing about fairness in the line of argument. There shall be two major data collection procedures, which will be primary data collection and secondary data collection. Secondary data collection will deal with the collection of data from existing literature on

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Novel of John Cheever The Bullet Park and The Five Forty Eight by John Essay

Novel of John Cheever The Bullet Park and The Five Forty Eight by John Cheever - Essay Example The great thing about John Cheever was his capacity for invention. (Donaldson,1998).He merges compassion and wit while maintaining the absurdity of the surroundings’ and pointlessness of their behaviors and actions, his stories hold out the hope of redemption in love and sense of revenge and unforgiving attitude Such as in the story â€Å"Five-forty-Five† and his novel† The bullet park†. John Cheever was a complex person himself and during the course of his life he was saddled by the habit of alcoholism and infidelities but he presented himself so earnestly as a Man in Brooks’ brother suit, his life was as contradictory as his characters and so his writing is not neat and raises so many questions and answer’s very less.(The guardian,2009).  Cheever rightly described himself near the end of his life, in a heartbreaking sentence: "I am one of those old men; I am like a voyager who cannot remember the streams he has travelled." (Gottlieb,2002). Vengeance and conflict due to spiritual and moral emptiness is evident between contradictory characters. In the novel â€Å" The Bullet Park†, author portrays an array of well kept houses and more than well mannered people of the town the Bullet Park but Cheever’s characters always has a double meaning to them and an unobserving reader might fail to see the crouching beast dangerously hidden behind those well kept houses. The story unfolds as a fateful intersection of two men the innocent Eliot Nailles and his nemesis, Paul Hammer, whose object is to murder his neighbor's son, takes place. The novel has an aura of retribution from the beginning. For example the chosen names for the characters are Hammer and Nailles, which show the exact opposite of each other and every quality of hammer is lacked in a nail. It is the first impression of reckless and conflicting situation between the two characters and the author tried to expose their rivalry for each other by his blunt , quite witty and creative writing.(Shannon,1998) Cheever’s view of rivalry and revenge is also seen in the description of his characters as the two main characters’ were exactly opposite of each other, in short the characters are also in the state of conflict, not just in their names but also in their defining characters as well. In the beginning the complete description of Elliot Nailles is given as person, who is responsible, loving and caring in short a good man but incomplete because he is a simple minded optimist who keeps his expectations to the sky no matter what befalls him. He is a simple man so uncomplicated that the intricacies of life disgust him. According to him anything but action should be taken in demanding situations or emotions should not be valued so much in front of responsibilities. Elliot’s son Tony is another one of his dilemmas, as he refuses to leave his bed just because he feels sad and Nailles is stumped the plight of his son. On the other hand Hammer is everything Nailles is not, a bastard son of a mother and absent father. With his dashing looks Hammer represents instability, restlessness and irregularity of his character. Where Nailles was utterly simple, Hammer is so complex that he is unable to understand himself. His sinful life became a reason for depression and he takes decision to sooth his conscience with sacrifice. Now here what is notable, is lack of logic behind the planned murder. There is no explanation of why and what. In Cheever’

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Case Analysis - Allied Electronics Essay Example for Free

Case Analysis Allied Electronics Essay Robert Venter, second-generation Chief Executive (CE) of family-owned Allied Electronics Corporation Ltd, considered the pros and cons of more clearly linking the firms compensation system to sustainability performance. In June 2011, Altron, a multinational headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, controlled more than 200 companies in Africa, Europe, the US, the UK, Australia, and the Far East. More than 14,000 employees designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed a range of telecommunications, electronics, power electronics, and information technology systems and products. Having made a clear commitment to sustainable development, Venter was confident that the commitment was shared across the senior management team. However, there appeared to be a higher acceptance in the operating units for meeting financial targets than for meeting sustainability targets. There was a clear difference between Venter and his predecessor, Dr. Venter. Dr. Venter adopted a value-based culture in the company, ensuring that the mission and vision of the company were followed and reviewed after every year. The codes of ethics were maintained and that the company responded quickly to changing external forces and trends. Dr. Venter was mostly the sole decision maker at that time and whatever his decision was, was accepted by the organization. At the time Dr. Venter was in charge of the company, it was mostly bottom-line drive; focusing mostly on profits. No doubt that with the family oriented approach that Dr. Venter had and the sole responsibility that he had undertaken for all decision making made the company soar to new heights. But with the global changes in the corporate world took place and the way corporations did business shifted, a change was needed to handle this change. This was the perfect time that Robert Venter took over the company. He differed from his father in many ways, the biggest being; he concentrated more on sustainable development. He believed that the company should be more transparent and everyone’s views mattered. He created a more participative decision-making process that involved a process by which the idea would float and if the ideas clicked on each level of the process, it would be implemented. This not only empowered employees, but lead to more ideas being generated. Carbon Footing: Even though Venter focused more on the sustainability goals of the company, most of the senior managers were still focused on the financial bottom line. With the new process for feeding new idea to the company, Johnston came up with a business case for a carbon footprinting concept. The main idea of this concept was to link the end-goal of a sustainable goal with a tangible success. Johnston set-up to develop a case on the shift from bottom line to sustainable goals and how they were suppose to implement this. The following considerations and steps were performed: * Why they needed the change * Culture of the organization * Risks facing the change * Whether they had the proper systems and the structure for the change * How they would bring about the change in the organization and how to educate the employees about the change The carbon footprinting brought a change for the greater good in the company, the reporting system became more transparent and numbers and reports were being shared and used in different decision making processes. This led to better decision making and found out where the company lacked how proper steps could be followed to make the company having a better standing in its operations. This system also led the company to incorporate broad-based black economic empowerment, which gave a good image to the company in the eyes of the public as well as the government. A compensation plan was drawn up which was based on key performing indicators, this was linked to the annual performance bonuses. After the success of the carbon footprinting across Altron, it was evident that if a proper research, methodology and the respective steps were followed they could bring about a change in the organization and change its structure, the way they did their work and better efficiency in their operations. King III and the How Altron embraced change With the new legal requirement, known as King III, in South Africa required organizations to publish their integrated reports, Altron had an edge on its competition since it had already started publishing its report a year before the legal requirement. As mentioned in the case, Venter, chief executive of Altron, find this to be satisfying since it put the company in a proactive position. Altron was able to adapt with the new legal requirement faster than the other companies. This adaptation to the evolving reporting environment led Altron to come up with a new, better and a more integrated corporate strategy. There was an increase in the strategic themes from 8 before the new reporting system to 11 with the implementation of the new reporting system. Even though most of the strategic themes of the company were the same, they were now looked upon with a broader perspective. Along with the 8 existing themes revitalized and broadened, three important themes were added which were essenti al for the growth and sustainability of the company. These themes include: * Human capital * Environment * Corporate governance Venter believed these new themes were critical for future sustainability of the organization. All three themes were essential to give the company an edge on the competition as well as show the public the greener, environmental friendly and public friendly the company was. If these three factors were incorporated properly in the company strategy it would lead the company to new heights in the eyes of the employees and the public. With the new strategy that was being implemented in Altron, a lot of different changes were to be made and Altron faced different challenges in designing the new corporate strategy keeping in mind the 11 new strategic themes. Also, they had to come up with a payment policy aligned with the strategy of the company based with the individual performance of the employee. There were mixed reviews about the change in the compensation policy of the company, some employees were reluctant to the change of the already existing compensation policy while others were ques tioning the existing policy and looking forward to the change. Embracing Change As mentioned in the case, the King III regulation was an opportunity for Altron to rethink its strategy and closely incorporate sustainability into its strategy, something that Venter had wanted since he had become the CE of the company. Yet again, Johnston steeped up to the task to come up with a case that would allow the company to embed sustainability into the company’s strategy. For this purpose he assembled a team and carried a research on the different aspects that are already mentioned in the above section (why they needed change, risk involved in the change, manpower and organizational culture etc.). Altron was one of the first companies to start the integrated reporting and the following quote explains why Venter thought it was important for them to do so: â€Å"Integrated reporting focuses management and others on looking forward rather than only backwards, which has historically been the case with most reporting. It creates a complete and accurate picture of the company.† â€Å"Not necessarily more detail, but greater insight into the strategy, risks and value creation of a company.† – Robert Venter (Reference: http://www.kpmg.de/docs/20110912_Integrated_Reporting.pdf). As the quote above explains that the research led Johnston and Venter to identify various risks, value creation factors and the strategy that is being used. It put everything Altron was doing in perspective and evaluated where the company stood, locally and globally. After the evaluation of the research and the decision to broaden their strategic themes, to embed sustainability into their strategy, they came up with the 11 new strategic themes. Not only that but they also; * Defined targets * Timeframe, for every task to be done and operations to take place * The measure of performance of an employee that was going to take place on the basis of the 11 strategic themes An analysis of the Compensation Strategy With the changes taking place and sustainability being implanted into the strategic goals of the company, Venter was uncertain about the incentive structure and what kind of message it would send about the sustainability-oriented corporate strategy that they had come up with. With the already existing compensation plan focusing on rewarding consistent long term individual, it drove employee’s energies and activities towards key business goals, creating a competitive and a challenging work environment. This also led to the alignment of shareholders interest with the; * Operational requirement * Strategic direction * Business-specific value drivers of the employees 5 compensation policies were introduced in Altron that focused on: * Attracting talent * Motivating employees * Rewarding employees on their work * And retaining the high-caliber people The 5 policies that Altron came up with were supposed to be transparent and were to link the compensation plan with the sustainability of the company. These 5 policies were explained in details so that employees and managers to sure about the factors they had to follow in order to get a high compensation in a year. Although the compensation plan was a good one, there were a lot of managers and employees that were not happy with this new plan which led Venter to ponder on the effectiveness of the compensation plan with the new sustainability approach the company had took. Analysis: With the company being a market leader and one of the most successful and highly respected companies in South Africa, this new change from focusing on bottom-line to sustainable growth was an important because of the developing markets around the world and the increasing competition. Altron had the right attitude and the right pace to maintain the market leader status because of the efficiency in their work pattern and them doing work according to the rules and regulations that they had come up with. Not only that, but Altron considered both the internal and external factors before bringing forward a new idea or a change. With the new change that was being implemented and the broadening of the strategic themes of the company, Venter had to consider the sustainability drivers and how they were going to implement that change. In the case the highlight is on the compensation plan of the employees and the managers, this maybe because Venter feels that one of the biggest assets the company has is its employees. No doubt in the market that companies exist in there are very minute difference in products and services and it all comes down to the people that work for the company create a difference between one company to the other. In our view, the better the more motivated the employees are the better they would perform and bring forth and change in the company. Venter believed that the employees working for Altron were going to bring a change in the strategy of the company due to which he had to align the compensation plan with the new strategic themes they had come up with. These compensation policies that he had come up with had different criteria’s that an employee or a manager had to fulfill in order to get a good bonus. This involved individual performance and the performance of a certain departmen t. Even though these policies were carved wonderfully, there were employees and managers that were not happy with them. Statistics from exhibits show that even though the company was maintaining a good financial position, employee turnover had increased. This could result in a problem for Altron. With the 11 new strategic themes focused on different areas, Altron realized the importance of having strategic themes for the employees and the customers. Overall we think that these policies were necessary and would bring a change in the working environment of the company and help people work efficiently in order to get a bonus. Although employees were reluctant to the change there were some pros and cons in the policies: * Adopted a total cost of employment policy. * Performance evaluation of employees twice a year, which would lead to detecting problems earlier and whether the goals of the company were being met or not. * Feedback to the employees, which is essential in the growth of the company and the employee. * Aligning interests of the employees and managers with the interests of the company and the stake holders. | * The 70/30 ratio for the financial and non financial KPIs was a bit high. * The performance evaluation and group evaluation at an 80/20 rate, respectively, as high as well. * | Recommendation and Conclusion Although we are in favor of the new policies being implemented because they take in account all the aspects that are needed for the company to grow and different evaluation techniques that should be used in order to come up with the compensation and bonuses that the employees should get, we recommend that: The financial and nonfinancial KPI ratio is lowered, so that people don’t only worry about the financial outcome of the task they perform but also focus on the nonfinancial work they do. In fact there would be departments such as the customer complaint department, which would not know how their financial outcome would be determined since there suppose to interact with the customers rather than increase the sales or make profits. Each department should be given their own set of KPIs that would be used to evaluate their performance. One of the biggest concerns we have is the 80/20 ratio that Altron is thinking of incorporating. This would mean that employees would rather work on their own than work with each other. Department synergy would be destroyed because everyone would rather work to get a better evaluation that his colleague. This ratio should be kept at 50-50 because with the new integrated report system Altron is using it is very important for departments and employees to work together rather than just focus on their individual performance.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Powerful Message of Jubilate Agno :: Jubilate Agno Essays

The Powerful Message of Jubilate Agno        Ã‚  Ã‚   Jubilate Agno is Christopher Smart's poem which illustrates at first glance a testament to his religious obsession and his deteriorated mental state. The other side of this poem shows a man trying to keep his sanity in an insane place. William Stead sees the work as "a spiritual diary of his thoughts, memories, and prayers, during the darkest years of his life" (Stead 17). Jubilate Agno focuses on God with daily occurrences weaving their way into the poem. Smart's work "reflects what was . . . his life work: the praise of God through poetry" (Anderson 54). Smart writes about what he knows from the Bible to animals to the alphabet; most contain God themes [?]. In his tribute to his cat, Jeoffry, Smart shows the cat's particular connection to God, and how Jeoffry is the ideal servant of God. Is an insane Smart writing about an imaginary cat's servitude to God? Or is the intellectual Smart merely paralleling human life to cat life to show how each of us can ser ve God?    Jeoffry became more than a pet to Smart in the years of his confinement. Dr. Sherbo contends that "he had a cat, a real one, not the product of his distressed imagination" (qtd. in Dearnley 155). Smart, being particularly religious, felt that his companion was a good illustration of serving God in his ways. Jeoffry is aware of God, "For he knows that God is his Saviour" (134) just as we should. Smart refers to Jeoffry working for God, "for when his day's work is done his business more properly begins. / For he keeps the Lord's watch in the night against the adversary" (Smart 133). Jeoffry strives to serve God so much that after each full day of activities he can still be a servant to God. With the detailed descriptions of Jeoffry's daily routines, Smart sees the holy connection in them. "For at the first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his way. / For this is done by wreathing his body seven times round with elegant quickness" (131). A morning stretch for a feline symbolizes a morning prayer for a person.

Monday, November 11, 2019

”Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes Essay

Often times, people encounter problems in their lives and need advice and inspiration in order to maintain a sense of optimism. By utilizing figurative language and imagery, Langston Hughes’s poem, â€Å"Mother to Son,† illustrates the theme that regardless of the struggles individuals may encounter in their lives, he or she should possess the will power and strength to live resiliently and persevere through adversities with dignity and courage. The speaker’s nurturing tone further compliments the theme, as the mother in the poem is teaching her son a vital message that he must understand and fully integrate into his mindset if he wants to succeed in life. In the first stanza, the speaker is reflecting on her life and the difficulties that she encountered in her lifetime. Discussing how her life â€Å"ain’t been no crystal stair† exemplifies how she experienced stressful situations in order to reach a comfortable place in her own skin, as the crystal stair represents an unproblematic and straightforward path to affluence. The word â€Å"crystal† is particularly used to allow the audience to visualize the lavishness and clarity of this path. She contrasts this path with the coarse one she undertook, which included a myriad of obstacles such as the â€Å"tacks† and â€Å"splinters† she mentions that she had to overcome. Words like â€Å"tacks† and â€Å"splinters† are usually given a negative connotation. Additionally, the â€Å"carpet on the floor† represents protection from these obstacles, since carpet is soft and provides individuals with comfort. Unfortunately, she was deprived of this luxury, and had to face them â€Å"bare† with no comfort whatsoever. Also, based on the time period in which the poem was written, it can be assumed that she experienced racial discrimination which further contributed to her hardships. This creates the image of woman in a cold, unfamiliar world, and depicts the isolation she must have felt, as well as the misfortune that plagued her life, yet she persevered and carried on.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Superhero, a moral example

What images will come into your mind when you are thinking about Superhero? People usually image superheroes as men that with extraordinary powers. And they are secret identity that would like to protect other people from dangerous but never ask for reward. Superheroes are famous to people since Superman debuted in 1978. Today, millions of dollars has spent on Superhero movie in Hollywood because more and more people become a superhero fan to identify with the heroes, sharing not only their special powers, but also their adventure stories.In the Hollywood movies, a superhero usually is a white man with extraordinary powers and abilities that beyond normal human beings. Superheroes devote themselves to fighting crime or evil without expectation of reward. The superheroes usually consider as the moral code, however, different people hold different attitudes toward superheroes that some people do not agree that superheroes are moral examples. They believe that superheroes are a kind of selfless heroism but they have done so by their self-interest. And superheroes usually break laws in their actions which are against our society.Moreover, a lot of people seem to think that superheroes will use their super power to destroy our world in the future. Thus, superheroes cannot be considered as moral examples. Even though self-interest influences superheroes’ heroism, superheroes are moral examples because their actions are lead to be greater good than evil. People usually doubt about a superhero like superman is a kind of selfless heroism but he has done so by â€Å"acting in his own self-interest† (Waid, 10). Superman acts this because his natural instincts, so we can argue that superheroes do this because their self-interest make them like to do this.Loeb and Morris point out that, some people think about Superheroes and their actives that â€Å"they do it because they like to do it† (13). However, Waid point out that â€Å"in helping others, Supe rman helps himself. In helping himself, he helps others† (10). When helping other people, superheroes are helping themselves. They are using their power to help people and not doing evil thing, as long as they are doing good, their actions are lead to be greater good and nothing evil. The symbol of Superman gives American people a lot of hope.For example, during the Great Depression, America, the most powerful country in the world, was not as strong as before. Therefore, the Americans imaged that the Superman could come and lead them toward a new world. They respected Superman because they believed that Superman could help them regain the confidence and give them good expects for the future life. The symbol of Superman made them feel hopeful in such despair. In addition, during the Vietnam War, many young people such as â€Å"hippie† in the United States rebelled the society by having long hair, using drugs, embracing sexual revolution and so on ( Hippie).This was total ly against the value of the Americans. At that time, people are looking for a man to save these young people, but who could come and save them? The answer is Superman, the alien from other planet with extraordinary power. In the movie, Superman, Clark Kent, is a reporter working for the Daily Planet. However, he is completely different from the American young people at that time. He doesn’t smoke, lie, or cheat. And he is very different from Hippie. Superman has a kind heart; he is helping others who are in need. As a result, Superman sets a moral example for the American young people during the Vietnam War.And Americans believe the image of Superman is the good example for the young Americans, and Superman will stop young people from doing evil things and lead them to a healthy and positive life. Therefore Superheroes are famous to all Americans. It was obvious that Superheroes are such a kind of people that have super powers and abilities that different from normal people. And they are the person helping those people who cannot help themselves from evil, and make the evil end with greater good. Many people insist that superheroes such as batman are not the moral example.Batman breaks some of the laws when he is fighting against criminals which are against our society. It may be true that Batman is a law breaker, but it doesn't mean that Superheroes like batman are not moral examples for us. For example, Batman’s emotions forced him into his role. He felt that it was his duty to avenge his parents by fighting against every evil thing that he meets. He considers Gotham City, which he lives in, as a city with criminals around every corner. Batman takes great pleasure in cleaning up all evil criminal around the whole city.He never worried about whether it is against the law. Because Batman knows that when he breaks some of the laws, he is going to capture the real criminals who are acting against more important laws, and to protect the law-abiding citizens of the city from these real criminals. For Batman, â€Å"laws may be unjust, politicians may be corrupt, and the legal system may actually protect the wicked† (Skoble 32). But none of these will stop him from becoming crime-fighting vigilantes. He insists that â€Å"Evil must be punished† (Skoble 37). Therefore he will keep on cleaning up the evil in his city.It is natural to believe that Batman is a â€Å"dangerous† and â€Å"fascist reactionary† (Skoble 31), but we shouldn't ignore that he has always been â€Å"cautious† and â€Å"measured† (Skoble 33) when using his extraordinary powers. Moreover, Batman has consistently using his extraordinary powers when he is fighting against criminals only. Although the nature of Batman’s violence makes him break some of the laws, there is no evidence to suggest that it is wrong for Batman to fight crime and keep innocent people safe by using his extraordinary powers.In addition, Super heroes’ actions force us to rethink our roles in this world. The terrorism continues in our world, and there are crimes happen all over the world every day. We all need justice and peace, but most of us do not want to take our responsibility to protect our world, we just looking for ways to feel better about ourselves. By contract, Superheroes are fighting a never ending battle for truth, for justice, for peace. They keep playing their roles as everyone’s protector; they devote their lives to fighting crimes.Sometimes, we may think about the law and morality when we value what superheroes have do for us. We may find out that, superheroes may do something against law and consider not morality. However, superheroes keep playing their roles as everyone’s protector; they devote their lives to fighting crime that inspired many people to become masked â€Å"crime-fighters† (Skoble 34). It was obvious that superheroes force us to rethink our views about law and social order, and ask us to use them as a mirror to see ourselves more clearly that lead us to take our responsibility to protect our world.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Yeahh Essays

Yeahh Essays Yeahh Essay Yeahh Essay This farm stays in the family. Its a question of blood. The text shows that even the strongest family relationships are threatened by the question of inheritance. Discuss. In the Australian play Inheritance, directed and written by Hannie Rayson, racism and prejudice are main themes discussed throughout the novel. The Delaneys and Hamiltons are explored throughout the text and are seen as a strongly bonded family at the beginning of the novel but slowly lose their bond and relationship due to struggles and complications of the family farm. Nuggets exclusion from inheriting his fathers farm and his relationship with his father, Farley. Nuggets relationship with his father Farley is fairly strong. to my son Nugget was read by William from Farleys will. William and Dibs discussed about inheriting the farm and how Nugget shouldnt be allowed to inherit the farm. This shows that the family becomes destructive to one another and prejudice started to show within the characters. The bond with one another during the beginning of the novel was weakened when money and the decision of inheriting the farm was involved. Although the farm stays in the family, Nugget was not given the farm. The will left by Farley clearly stated that he let Nugget inherit the farm. Dibs reveal to the family that Farley left the farm to Nugget. Girlie asks why they took Nugget in, and Dibs reveals that it was her idea after she found out about Farleys affair, but she said I will not be giving Nugget a single handful of this dirt. After the death of Farley, Nugget imagines himself talking to Farley, confronting Farley about not telling people the truth. This shows although Nugget is blood related to Farley who is part of the family, the others do not accept him as family. In conclusion to this event, the family struggled and argued over the farm. The Hamiltons and the Delaneys struggle both financially and mentally over the farm. This puts a corruption between relationships within the family. At the end of the novel, Dibs said I dont like William, and Julia has raised Felix to be a wuss. This shows that true emotions had came out of people over the farm. The text Inheritance shows that even families like the Delaneys and Hamiltons which were a

Monday, November 4, 2019

Calometry Lab

Volume of water in the calorimeter:| 26. 0 mL| 26. 0 mL| 26. 0 mL| 26. 0 mL| Initial temperature of water in calorimeter:| 25. 3 Â °C| 25. 3 Â °C| 25. 3 Â °C| 25. 3 Â °C| Temperature of hot water and metal in hot water bath:| 100. 5 Â °C| 100. 5 Â °C| 100. 5 Â °C| 100. 5 Â °C| Final temperature reached in the calorimeter:| 31. 6 Â °C| 34. 8 Â °C| 33. 1 Â °C| Â  34. 5 Â °C| Part I: Part II: Metal:| Metal A| Metal B| Metal C| Mass of metal:| 15. 262 g| 25. 605 g| 20. 484 g| Volume of water in the calorimeter:| 24. mL| 24. 0 mL| 24. 0 mL| Initial temperature of water in calorimeter:| 25. 2 Â °C| 25. 3 Â °C| 25. 2 Â °C| Temperature of hot water and metal in hot water bath:| 100. 3 Â °C| 100. 3 Â °C| 100. 3 Â °C| Final temperature reached in the calorimeter:| 27. 5 Â °C| 32. 2 Â °C| 28. 0 Â °C| Part 12: Part I: 1. Calculate the energy change (q) of the surroundings (water) using the enthalpy equation qwater = m ? c ? ?T. We can assume that the specific heat capacity of water is 4. 18 J / (g ? Â °C) and the density of water is 1. 00 g/mL. qwater = m ? c ? ?T m = mass of water = density x volume = 1 x 26 = 26 grams T = T(mix) T(water) = 38. 9 25. 3 = 13. 6 q(water) = 26 x 13. 6 x 4. 18 q(water) = 1478 Joules SPECIFIC HEAT: qmetal = -205 J = 15. 363 g X c X (27. 2 100. 3 C) c = 0. 183 J/gC PART2. Using the formula qmetal = m ? c ? ?T, calculate the specific heat of the metal. Use the data from your experiment for the metal in your calculation. q(water) = q(metal) q(metal) = 1478 Joules q(metal) = m ? c ? ?T m = 27. 776 g ?T = T(mix) T(metal) ?T = 38. 9 100. 5 = 61. 6 C = q(metal) / m x ? T C = -1478 / (-61. 6 x 27. 776 ) C = 0. 864 J / (g ? Â °C) Part 3: 12: For #1 theres a specific heat of 0. 864 J / (g ? Â °C) and that is closest to the specific heat of aluminum. So, for this experiment, lets call your metal aluminum. Now, the percent error formula is this: |experimental actual value divided by actual value| x 100 (|0. 864 0. 900| / 0. 900) * 100 = 4. 00 % For #2, you got 0. 183 J/gC. Comparing it to my list, I would recommend some sort of tin or cobalt meltal. 3. 9(. 39-. 39)x100%)/. 39 = 0% So there is a 0% error. It makes sense, given that the experimental results were THE SAME as the known value. Its the same. There is no error. 4. The easiest error reason is that the calorimeter wasnt a perfect insulator. This is because you must have opened the calorimeter when you added the cold water. Thus, heat was lost not only to the cold water but to the surrounding environment. Also, you might not have waited long enough for the thermometer to read, so the temperature of the hot water was lower than it really was, or the temperature of the cold water was warmer than it really was. Another possible source of error is the increase in heat by stirring due to increased kinetic energy.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) Policy Simulation Paper Essay

National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) Policy Simulation Paper -Counterintelligence - Essay Example In this battle which has social, budgetary, political, and political and also military sizes – the potential outcomes of counterintelligence disappointments could be quick and destroying, putting in risk our countrys crucial data, base, military powers and an extensive variety of US investment, innovations and faculty far and wide (Goldman, 17-23). In 1978, an arrangement of informal trade visits between US atomic weapons specialists and their Peoples Republic of China (PRC) partners started. The PRC authorities endeavoured to grow close associations with specific US specialists. Over the consequent 23 years, as a consequence of this trade, the PRC made real strides in the improvement of atomic weapons, including the neutron shell. Starting in 1998, US media sources started reporting about continuous examinations of four instances of suspected Chinese surveillance against the United States going over to the 1980s. The most genuine case included Chinas claimed securing of key data about our countrys most developed (The Central Intelligence Agency). US atomic warhead, the W-88, and additionally genuine security breaks at the Department of Energys (DOE) Los Alamos Laboratory between 1984 and 1988 Early in 1998, Congressional center turned to US satellite fares to China. A US Department of Defence grouped report reasoned that researchers from Hughes and Loral Space and Communications, included in concentrating on the 1996 accident of a Chinese rocket propelling a Loral satellite, gave experimental skill to China that prominently enhanced the dependability of Chinas rocket propel capabilities. After this data was distributed in the US media, an extraordinary House Select Committee and various Senate panels researched US innovation exchange approach regarding China. The effect was the arrival of the Report of the Select Committee on U.s. National Security and Military/commercial Concerns

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Significance of the Rose in Human Societies around the World. The Research Paper

Significance of the Rose in Human Societies around the World. The origin, kinds and meaning of roses - Research Paper Example For over thousands of years, the rose has been used to signify innocence, adoration, and most essentially, love in different societies. It is one of the most important commercially grown flowers around the globe with tons of rose flowers being imported and exported around the world for various reasons, key among them for aesthetic purposes (Board 638). Another use of the rose flower in the contemporary society is the abstraction of rose essence, which is used in the making of beauty soaps, lotions, and beauty treatments. Another product derived from rose flowers is rose water, which is used in artificial additives to create a rose flavor in confectionaries and various foods from around the globe (Board 638). 2. The origin of roses In retrospect, there are reportedly over 120 different species of the rose flower, which are thought to have existed long before humankind. According to Board, in Oregon and Colorado in the United States, anthropologists reportedly located fossils approxima ted to be close to thirty million years of age (638). The University of Illinois extension states that the gardening of roses is thought to have started roughly 5,000 years ago (illinois.edu). While the different species of rose flowers are scattered across the earth’s northern hemisphere from America to Africa, their farming is thought to have originated in China. Roses were widely cultivated in the Middle East during the Roman era, and were used for aesthetic purposes, for ancient treatments, and as a fragrance (University of Illinois Extension illinois.edu). The art of rose flower gardening was perfected in Rome according to the University of Illinois Extension, where the noble class created extensive rose gardens for the public, particularly in the south (illinois.edu). 3. Different Kinds of Roses and their Different Meanings Different types of roses are culturally associated with different meanings. According to Shannon, red roses are used in human societies to signify l ove for each other, as well as respect (ask.com). They are mostly exchanged during days and occasions associated with passion such as Valentine’s Day, wedding anniversaries for loved ones and other occasions attributed with romance. They are known all over the world to espouse true love. White roses on the other hand are used as an embodiment of spirituality and religion. Straight from traditions, white roses are associated with religion and are deemed as signifying innocence, purity, admiration, and modesty (Shannon, ask.com). White roses have also been accepted over time to indicate loyalty, honesty, and awe, all of which are essential attributes in enduring friendships (Shannon, ask.com). Yellow roses are culturally deemed to be embodiments of friendship and a nature of amiability. Over time, this outlook of yellow roses has grown to include a perception of the flowers signifying the happiness and bliss that is present among friends (Shannon, ask.com). While in the Victori an times, it was regarded as a representation of jealousy, in the contemporary society, yellow roses are exchanged between friends on special occasions such as baby showers, graduation, birthdays, and work related events (Shannon, ask.com). Pink roses are deemed to symbolize femininity, elegance, tenderness, perfection, and cultural fulfillment in various human societies (Shannon, ask.com). These flowers bear a further meaning that is expressed in the deepness of the hue of the flower. A rose flower that is a deep pink for example is an emblem of thanksgiving and admiration; on the other hand, a pale pink colored rose flower suggests sympathy, tenderness, grace, and elegance (Shannon, ask.com). Orange roses bear the attribute of warmth and enthusiasm

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Design for the project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Design for the project - Essay Example It is a type of static structure diagram that describes the structure of a system by showing the classes of the system, their attributes,   methods, and the relationships among objects. They describe the object and information structures used by an application, both internally and in communication with its users.It is a type of static structure diagram that describes the structure of a system by showing the classes of the system, their attributes,   methods, and the relationships among objects. They describe the object and information structures used by an application. (i) It helps to organize the project for everyone to identify the project overall theme and then the interlocking parts of research or activities that relate to the overall theme.If it is a demonstration project then one identifies the different sections of the demonstration and how they go together and the most important parts.A data dictionary refers to the descriptions of data items in a database.  In developi ng programs that employ the use of a data model, a data dictionary shall often be consulted to point out where a data item fits in the structure, its values and what it means in the real world.Why it is Used.(i) It is an important fundamental since it illustrates all the entities and their properties in a data model.(ii) It aids in the implementation of a database because of entities. (iii) It reduces data redundancy. The data dictionary also allows controlling the addition of new data elements and thereby avoiding duplicates.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

The Emergence Of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems Information Technology Essay

The Emergence Of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems Information Technology Essay Many organizations have initiated Enterprise Resource Planning systems, using such packages as SAP, Peoplesoft and Oracle. The ERP market is one of the fastest growing in the software industry. In a research conducted by APICS, 34.5% of the companies with revenues over $1 billion planned to purchase or upgrade in ERP system. This research is relevant to indicate that the ERP market may reach $ 1 trillion by the year 2010 (Umble et al., 2005). Enterprise resource planning systems are a major investment. Companies have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in ERP software. Its implementation promotes a variety of business justifications which include replacement of numerous legacy systems, reduction in cycle time from order to delivery, and reduction in operating costs. Also, the on-line, real-time operational data that ERP systems enable managers to make better decisions and improve responsiveness to customer needs (Gyampah, 2004). There is evidence that organizations are satisfied with ERP. Based upon a sample of 117 firms in 17 countries, the Conference Board reports that 34% of the organizations were satisfied with ERP, 58% were somewhat satisfied, 7% were somewhat unsatisfied, and only 1% were unsatisfied (Al-Mashari, M., Zairi, M., 2009). Organizations have a business justification for implementing ERP systems. The business benefits of ERP include improved accessibility of information, real time access to data across the organization, improved cycle time for orders, decreased financial closing time, reduced operating costs, and lowered inventory levels. In addition ERP systems provide an opportunity to re-align business processes with best practices and to integrate enterprise-wide information supporting financial, human resources, manufacturing, sales and marketing functions. Evolution of ERP It was in the Sixties that the concept of resource planning was first introduced by software packages that dealt with inventory control capability. Material Requirements Planning (MRP) systems were later introduced in 1970s and these contained a master production schedule and a bill of materials file with list of materials needed to produce each item. MRP systems were enhanced by adding tools for sales planning, customer order processing and capacity planning that provided input production scheduling, known as closed loop MRP. In the 1980s, MRPII systems incorporated financial accounting system along with manufacturing and materials management systems. MRPII led to an integrated business system that was used to create a database of material and capacity requirements for production and this system then translated these requirements into financial information. By 1990s ERP systems provided seamless integration of all information flows in the company- Financial Accounting, Human Resources, Supply Chain Management and Customer Information (Rondeau Litteral, 2001). Challenges of ERP System ERP system projects involve considerable time and cost not only in terms of investment but also for realization of benefits from their implementation. Research by Standish Group illustrates that 90% of ERP projects are late over budget. Meta Group survey data, based on 63 companies, showed that average implementation cost of ERP was $ 10.6 million and took 23 months to complete (K. Siau, 2004). A successful implementation of ERP requires a multi-stage approach (Jones M. and Price L., 2004), and the benefits of ERP may not occur until later stages. Jones et al., propose three stages: the project phase, the shakedown phase, and onward and upward phase. ERP software is introduced during project phase and is implemented into firms operations during shakedown phase. It is not until onward and upward phase, during which ERP modules are successfully integrated with operations, that the organization can achieve actual business results, such as inventory reduction (Motwani et al., 2002). However, Spathis et al. identify four phases for implementation of the same. The phases are: a planning phase, a re-engineering phase, a design phase, and a configuration and testing phase (Spathis et al., 2003). They indicate that re-engineering business practices around the ERP software is critical to successful implementation. In their stage analysis, Rondeau et al. (2001) suggest benefits of ERP occur when ERP modules are implemented successfully and when organizations can use the ERP foundation to add advance modules such as customer relationship management. A company has to make sure that its ERP investment fetches increased profitability. The key challenge is not in managing technology, but in managing people. An ERP system changes the way people work, and for the system to be effective, the change must be dramatic. It promotes efficient business processes with the requirement of fewer people than before ERP implementation or up-gradation. This implies that some employees will be asked either to change their day-to-day activities or their services would no longer be needed. Managing human behavior aspects of organizational change also known as organizational change management (OCM) cannot be underestimated in importance of this part of the implementation process. One of the keys to managing OCM is to realize that people tend to defy changes associated with their work related activities. If the ERP implementation is a project that is being forced on the employees, then they will instinctively resist it. However, if it is viewed as a chance to make the company more efficient and effective by improving business process, and consequently these process improvements will make the company more profitable and ensure job security to employees, then there is a greater likelihood that the employees will wholeheartedly support the implementation efforts. The best way to improve a business process is to delegate the task to develop process improvement ideas to people who are most familiar with the process using their experience and creativity. Sometimes, a company is not ready for ERP. In many cases, ERP implementation difficulties result when management does not fully understand its current business processes and cannot make implementation decisions in time . In order to obtain benefits from an ERP system resulting in reduction of costs needs an organization to streamline its business processes. However, if a company is not prepared to change its business process es, it will find a large bill for software and consulting fees with no improvement in organizational performance. ERP packages imply, by their design, a way of doing business, and they require users to follow that way of doing business. Some of business operations, and some segments of its operations, may not match the constraints inherent in ERP. Therefore, it is imperative for a business to analyze its business strategy, organization, culture and operations before choosing an ERP approach. Review of Literature Companies implement Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems in order to achieve better responsiveness to the needs of customers through real-time information provided by the system, to link customers and suppliers into a complete supply chain, to provide high degree of cross functional integration, to reduce the costs and to provide the foundation for effective e-commerce (Vollmann et al., 2005). The pressure to survive in the new world order and align with the new paradigm for organizational success, namely, speed, flexibility, integration and innovation, further drives organizations towards adopting integrative software approaches like ERP. It is also a well known fact that information technology affects the organization structure (Bhattacherjee, 2000). Hence, ERP implementation would impact the structure, but this impact has not been elaborately investigated. It is often supposed that IT creates a flatter structure (Stevens, 1998). The flat structure speeds up decision-making p rocess, shortens lines of communication and aids in savings (Klein, 2001). ERP implementation benefits are not realized quickly as expected and the process is lengthy and expensive (Siau, 2004). Many organizations world over and particularly in the fast developing countries are traditional hierarchies and managing changes in structure offering challenges. As ERP implementation is an enterprise wide venture of change.It is important to understand how to manage impact on the organization structure. Two research objectives were central to this research project. ERP implementation influences the structure of the organization. Management of the change to the new structure. This paper is an attempt to examine the ERP implementation experience in a company. It drew on Organization Theory and Change Management theory to understand the transition between structures and to provide the explanations (Amoako-Gyampah, 2004). ERP represents a comprehensive software approach and information technology effects on the organization structure (Kurup, 2004) and ERP implementation success involves change management of techniques, the change management theory (Paton and McCalman, 2004) prove useful in explaining the outcomes of the case study . IT and Organization Structure The organization structure defines how the tasks are to be allocated, who reports to whom and the formal coordinating mechanisms and interaction patters that will be followed (Robbin, 1990). Organization structure has three components: Complexity, Formalization and Centralization. These components are described below and impact of IT on these components is expressed and applied to case analysis to aid in investigation of the influence of ERP on organization structure. Complexity Complexity refers to the degree of differentiation that exists within an organization. This includes the degree of specialization or division of labour, the number of levels in the organizations hierarchy, and the extent to which the organizations units are dispersed geographically (Klein, 2001). With introduction of this component of organization structure, it is possible to have wider span of control with more knowledgeable and empowered employees. Companies with IT can reduce the middle management layers and widen span of control and thereby flatten the organization structure. However, removing layers might create new challenges. New mechanisms for coordination might be needed or new process of governance might be necessary. According to the model proposed by Klein (2001), IT results in wider spans of control, fewer levels, fewer people, easier collaboration and communication. In other words, IT lowers the complexity. Formalization Formalization refers to the degree to which an organization relies on rules and procedures to direct behavior of employees. Evidence exists to indicate that developing detailed guidelines of appropriate operating procedures enhances coordination and is suitable in a stable environment (Martin, 2009). Formalization, however, is negatively associated with adoption and implementation of innovation in organizations (Ahadi, 2004) and hence it is negatively related to the ERP implementation because it tends to boast deleterious effects on the work attitudes. Centralization The decisional control in organization could be centralized or decentralized. In traditional hierarchies the decisional control is usually centralized. Research indicates that IT tends to make the decisional control more decentralized with no commensurate loss of control by the top management (Robbin, 1990). It is possible that the centralization component is related to the size of middle management although there are conflicting findings. IT results in a decrease in the size of the middle management workforce in organizations with centralized decision authority and with an increase in the number of middle managers in organizations where the authority is decentralized. Change Management The change management when linked to ERP implementation has been more focused on process change (Davison, 2002). The other type of change namely organizational restructuring provides specifics related to moving from one structure to another. The objective of restructuring is based on the companys long-range plan and the intention is to set up a structure that enables a company to be ready for new activities. However, changing an organizations structure can be difficult and successful restructuring depends on three conditions: sound planning, effective leadership and organizational commitment (Witzel, 2002). To examine organizational change in a traditional hierarchical organization, consideration is given to: Human element and informal organization. Necessity of strong management actions and inspirational vision. Sustainability of an initiative. None of available models considers all the three aspects. Informal Organization INPUT Strategy Formal OUTPUT Resources, Organization Individual Environment team, Performance Managing Change Transformation Process Figure -1 In traditional organizations, manager had to solve problems by directly communicating with the employees and was related to power and values. However, in ERP implementation much of the learning process comes from hands on use under normal operating conditions after the implementation period is over. Thus power is then transfered to individuals who are able to operate the ERP system better and utilize Work People the system resources efficiently (Aladwani, 2009). ERP affect on nature of work and training is an important part of change management practices. ERP requires users to understand that they are no longer working in isolation, and whatever they do now impacts someone else. This can create resistance that comes from a fear of the unknown and from the need of stability. There are two fundamental sources of resistance to innovations like ERP: perceived Risk and Habit. The habit of keeping the routine practices prevalent in hierarchies has to be tackled using appropriate strategies. Spathis and Constantinides (2003) have proposed a planned change model and this model assumes that change can be defined and moved in a planned way. Unlike other planning models, the four phases suggested in this model are linear and irreversible. This model satisfies the requirement of well-controlled change and strong management actions. Four phases that have been suggested are: Exploration, Planning, Action and Integration. Implementation of ERP Information technology leads to a tremendous impact on productivity of both manufacturing and service organizations. Companies have implemented systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), MRP, EDI, over time for improving their productivity. ERP systems have received attention lately due to more effective decision-making capability. Many companies are implementing ERP as a means to reducing operating costs, increasing productivity and improving customer services (Martin, 2009; Pliskin and Zarotski, 2000). ERP system can cripple a company, if not implemented properly. There are horror stories concerning implementations gone astray (Laughlin, 1999; Bancroft et al., 1998). Implementing ERP system successfully calls for strong leadership, a clear implementation plan, and a constant watch on the budget (Wagle, 2008). From a project managers point of view, most important consideration is a clear implementation plan and a strategy, that should evolve through systematic consideration of companys requirements and its ability to manage changes called for under new circumstances. Some of the factors to be considered seriously at planning stage are: Information needs at the operational and managerial level for various functional areas. Feasibility of ERP system integration with the existing information systems Schedule for adaptation of the new system. An organization requires development of an implementation strategy. Such a strategy, will determine how the related changes can be successfully absorbed at various parts of the organization. It has been found that the organizations that had no SAP implementation strategic plan performed poorly compared to those who had a plan. ERP implementation from countries around the world demonstrates that success is essentially conditional on adequately managing complex context of the implementation, which necessitates change management across various key areas related to business processes, IT structure, and management systems (Al-Mashari and Zairi, 2009). This highlights practical issues associated with the implementation of ERP systems. For successful implementation three basic requirements are to be met: a clear business objective, comprehension of the nature of changes and understanding of the project risk. Strong leadership and constant watch on budget are the two other, yet equally significant requirements, as stressed by Wagle (2008). For an effective implementation of ERP system, particularly SAP R/3, an organization must take a holistic view of the process (Al-Mashari and Zairi, 2009). Various issues at strategic, managerial, and operational levels should be addressed in order to achieve optimum outcomes from an ERP system. For a successful outcome an organization must establish competencies in four core areas: Change Strategy development and deployment, Enterprise-wide Project Management, BPR integration with IT, and technical aspects of ERP installation. These competencies will enable managers to effectively manage changes and direct the organization to desired goals (see Fig.2). Fig. 2. Core competencies in effective implementation of ERP (adopted from Al-Mashari and Zairi 2009). Change management Strategy Changes in an organization are brought about through implementation of strategies. Kuruppuarachchi et al. (2002) examined the success (and failure) factors and implementation methodologies that contribute to change management strategy formulation in organizations. Fig. 3 presents a framework of the change management process, incorporating change agents and strategic considerations at various stages of ERP implementation, when viewed from an IT project implementation point of view. Meyers et al. (2009) analyzed about 130 research papers to find out factors influencing the implementation of new technologies for improved operational efficiencies. They classified implementation success factors as buyers characteristics, seller characteristics, buyer-seller interface, and environment. These factors are listed below: Human resources: greater education and training among personnel; positive motivation, attitudes, and commitment toward the innovation. Structure: an adaptive and flexible structure; strong communications mechanism and net work across structural boundaries. Decision processes: broad strategic, as opposed to narrowly and earlier involvement of technical goals; greater and earlier involvement of the operational workforce; top management support and commitment and the presence of a champion; cooperation among units; slow, gradual radical incorporation of the innovation. Technology fit: familiarity with the new technology and availability of relevant skills within the organization. Higher level of technical capabilities of the seller. Strong communications skills of the seller. Expertise in project management of the seller. Constructive cooperation between buyer and seller in implementation. Knowledge transfer: the buyer is involved in leaning, diagnosing, and shaping usage patterns of the buyer. Intensive networking within and across industries leading to greater exposure to innovations. Fig.3. Change management considerations (Source: Kuruppuarachchi et al., 2002). Case Study -I Pantaloon: ERP in Retail More than eight years after it forayed into the retail business, Pantaloon Retail decided to implement SAP to keep itself competitive in the rapidly growing Indian retail market. Store operations have never been as important to retailers as they were then. Successful retailers are those who know that the battle for customers is only won at the frontline, which in the case of a retail chain is at its stores. Pantaloon was regularly opening stores in metros and there was an urgent need for a reliable enterprise wide application to help run its business effectively. The basic need was to have a robust transaction management system and an enterprise wide platform to run the operations, says Rakesh Biyani, Director, Pantaloon. The Solution The company was looking for a solution that would bring all its businesses and processes together. After a comprehensive evaluation of different options and software companies, the management at Pantaloon decided to go in for SAP. Some of the qualities of SAP retail solutions are that it supports product development, which includes ideation, trend analysis, and collaboration with partners in the supply chain; sourcing and procurement, which involves working with manufacturers to fulfill order according to strategic merchandising plans and optimize cost, quality, and speed-variables that must be weighted differently as business needs, buying plans, and market demand patterns change; managing the supply chain, which involves handling the logistics of moving finished good from the source into stores and overseeing global trade and procurement requirements; selling goods across a variety of channels to customers, which requires marketing and brand management; managing mark-downs and capt uring customer reactions, analyzing data, and using it to optimize the next phase of the design process. In a Nutshell Aim To deploy a robust transaction management system and an enterprise wide platform to run its operations. Solution SAP retail solution Implemented by SAP team with the help of Novasoft, Singapore Number of users Around 1,200 Time taken About six months Cost of implementation A $ 10 million Implementation The implementation was outsourced to a third party. The implementation was done by the SAP team with help of Novasoft which is based at Singapore, says Core Team Member. This project was headed by Pantaloons Chief Information Technology Officer, Chinar Deshpande. Some people from Pantaloon assisted in the project and twenty four qualified people worked on the SAP implementation. Three Phases SAP implementation in Pantaloon was not a single phase process. The project was divided into three phases. The first phase of implementation involved blueprinting of existing processes and mapping them to the desired state. In this phase, the entire project team worked on current processes within Pantaloon Retail. The various existing processes were thoroughly analyzed and drafted. This blueprint was later used in the formation of new states of the solution. Since the SAP would combine all the processes, each and every one of these had to be evaluated. In the second phase, the SAP platform was developed with the help of Novasofts template which was predefined by SAP after evaluation of Pantaloons needs and expertise in retail solutions. The last phase in this project was for stores to switch over to the new system and for current data to be ported. Before the SAP implementation, all the data was unorganized. This data had to be migrated to the new SAP application. The project was flagged off on 15th June 2005 and took about six months to finish. It went live at the head office on 1st January 2006. The Pantaloon Retail stores used SAP from 1st January 2006 to 30th June 2006. Benefits and Challenges The key challenges in this project were not in the implementation. Rather, the difficulties were faced during the data migration and in managing the interim period when the project was underway for about six months. Migrating unorganized data to an organized format was a challenging task. SAP General Ledger gives Pantaloon a higher level of transparency into individual operations and helps it continually drive productivity improvements across the enterprise. For example, Pantaloon can now automatically split accounting line items per document for each company profit center. These transactions are handled by the software,and the company no longer needs to make period adjustments to balance sheet and profit and loss statements. With the document splitting tool, Pantaloon now has a real-time, complete picture of its accounts receivables and payables across all operational levels, which has enabled it to reduce receivables by up to 10%. In addition, it is now able to close the monthly books 20% faster, due to tight integration between financials and controlling components and real-time reconciliation capabilities. The application is currently being used by around 1,200 employees across the organization. For maintaining this implementation and its related applications, Pantaloon has an in-house team and it has outsourced ABAP resources. ERP system relied greatly on this in-house team for training its employees (at every level) and extracting benefits from ERP. The system runs on a HP Superdome server on HP UNIX 11 and the database is from Oracle. The cost of this project was about $ 10 million. Future projects After the successful implementation of SAP for its retail chain, Pantaloon plans to go ahead with IT projects such as implementation of WMS with RFID, Customer Intelligence and CRM. Inventory and Promotions Optimization are being pursued. Case Study II Ace Designers Ltd. ERP reduces manufacturing costs by 20% for Industrial Equipment manufacturer Overview Since 1987, Ace Designers Limited, Indias manufacturer of CNC lathes and auto lathes, has been exporting machines around the world, including Brazil, Germany, United Kingdom and the United States. With growth, their largely manual systems started breaking down. They had no centralized purchasing department and means of sharing information, so company groups were paying different amounts for the same parts from the same vendor. Delivery dates were missed because of a lack of inventory control, and top management had little visibility to manufacturing process. The Challenge Ace needed a complete information system built around an ERP solution that would help manage every aspect of their manufacturing process-from purchasing and inventory to manufacturing, planning and preparing for ISO certification. The Solution Ace commissioned a comprehensive survey of the ERP market and Intuitive was selected for four major reasons: A 100 percent Microsoft platform, an easy-to-use graphical interface, excellent support, and scalable open architecture features that permitted the addition of users at any time. The consultants who evaluated Intuitive ERP and its competitors for ACE Designers concluded: Intuitive ERP is easy to install, interface, customize and maintain. It can be integrated seamlessly into any manufacturing environment and has a good scheduling flexibility and versatile options. It also has a definite ISO 9000 facilitation orientation. Ace Designers Results Ace started module wise implementation of Intuitive ERP in four phases, which were completed in four months. Intuitive ERPs graphical interface and integration with Microsoft Office and Access made it easy for Aces staff, which prior to this had virtually no computer experience, to learn and use the new system. And using Microsoft SQL Server as the database engine delivered speed and robustness necessary for their mission critical applications. Hence, employees support was a crucial factor that added to achievement of success in ERP implementation in the organization. We transformed the company from a practically nil computer culture to a total computerized system, said V. Chandra, General Manager of Ace. The learning curve for Intuitive ERP is reduced to well below that of other manufacturing systems because of graphical and interactive flow charts and complete context sensitive online help. Implementing Intuitive ERP led to dramatic improvements in every operational area: Managers now have the most current inventory and costing models available to them at all times, and they can set competitive pricing that ensures profitability. They are able to monitor online status of work orders for components, sub-assemblies and final assemblies. Improved Planning: With the previous manual planning system, it was difficult to coordinate customer requirements and design changes with production and assembly functions to meet the manufacturing schedule. Now there is seamless coordination between all departments while significantly reducing planning headcount. Prior to Intuitive ERP, there had been virtually no inventory management at Ace; information on non-moving or slow-moving items and stock values was not available. With new tools in place, manufacturing inventory has been reduced by 20 percent. With reports such as Purchase Price Variance, there is visibility of the cost of every purchased item. This has resulted in better price negotiation with suppliers resulting in a 20 percent price reduction. Intuitive ERP provides accurate data for making manufacturing decisions through reports that include online machine utilization, online work order status monitoring, online WIP components costing, online WIP sub-assembly costing and online labor utilization. Case Study III ERP Implementation Failure at HP Stanford engineers Bill Hewlett and David Packard started HP in California in 1938 as an electronic instruments company. Its first product was a resistance-capacity audio oscillator, an electronic instrument used to test sound equipment. During the 1940s, HPs products rapidly gained acceptance among engineers and scientists. HPs growth was aided by heavy purchases made by US government during the Second World War. In the 1980s, HP emerged as a major player in the computer industry, offering a full range of computers from desktop machines to powerful minicomputers. This decade saw the development of successful products like the Inkjet and LaserJet printers. HP introduced its first personal computer (PC) in 1981, followed by an electronic mail system in1982. This was first major wide-area commercial network that was based on a minicomputer. HP introduced its HP 9000 computer with 32-bit super chip. HP became leader in workstations with the purchase of market leader, Apollo Computers, in 1989. In August 2004, HP announced that its revenues for the third quarter and it was identified that its Enterprise Servers and Storage (ESS) segment had gone down by 5% (amounting $ 3.4 billion) as compared to the same quarter the previous year. The company attributed this revenue shortfall mainly to the problems faced because of migration to a centralized ERP system at one of its North American divisions. The total financial impact of the failure including backlogs and lost revenue was pegged at $ 16