Leadership Theories Essay

There are many leadership theories that have oriented and contributed for the leaders in management. One of them is the â€Å"Situational Approach† theory, which was found by Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard (1979). In this task, we will evaluate the usefulness of the leadership styles mentioned in the theory, then compare and contrast with some of the other styles. 1. Evaluate Four leadership styles include: Directing, Coaching, Supporting and Delegating. According to Seth Godin (2012, Situational Leadership by Kenneth Blanchard and Paul Hersey), when Style 1 (Directing) said that leaders closely supervise followers and give the recommendation and decisions themselves; Style 2 (Coaching) showed that the leaders still take responsibility in supporting and making decision but there is more two-way communication between them and the employees. Supporting Style (S3) indicated that the followers now do not need too much motivations and support and they can equally make decisions with the leaders, whereas for Delegating Style, the followers control and fully take responsibilities of their work without the leaders’ help. From our perspective, these leadership styles are very helpful for the managers. They are easy to follow and help the manager to figure out which one is mostly appropriate to apply for their employees in every specific situation. For example, Directing Style is applied for â€Å"people who lack competence but are enthusiastic and committed† (Godin, 2012) while Delegating Style is suitable for employees who are highly-skilled and also, can independently do their jobs without others’ support. By selecting correct leadership styles for each worker, the managers may easily divide them into every working development level and give them their best suitable jobs. Once the employees are able to do their appropriate work, they can give their best performance and improve their own abilities more. 2.  Compare and contrast with some of the other style The theory of Hersey and Blanchard (1969) concentrate on leadership in situation and followers. It is said that the manager evaluates the competence and commitment of his subordinates to choose the best management style. For example, in a handicraft company, a superior usually focus on his employees to rate them by two criteria: capacity and commitment. Then, he finds the suitable style to direct and support them in work. He doesn’t pay attention to the desired outcome when he applies this theory in his leadership. Therefore, the theory has a drawback when it does not concern to the task/production. Meanwhile, Blake and Mouton’s managerial Grid(1964) talks about the relationship between task and people. This theory said that when a manager has a high rate in both â€Å"concern for people† and â€Å"concern for production†, the organization will achieve a high performance (BPP, p. 177). Apparently, it is useful to appraise the manager’s performance but did not point out how the manager direct or support his workers. On the other hand, the leadership styles of Goleman (2000) seems to have the most comprehensive overview and covers most of factors which have influence on leadership: leaders, contingent, followers and desired outcome. It has 6 distinctive styles applied in each specific situation with specific types of employees and detail desired outcomes. The newest style can be the best choice to put into the reality and help leader improve not only the organization’s performance but his performance as well. When the organization creates a change, there are some people who agree or disagree with the change.  In the respect of people disagreeing, six solutions were made by Kotter and Schlesinger in 1979 in order to help the leaders to persuade the staffs disagreeing. In the scope of the assignment, we will mention three techniques: education and commitment, facilitation and support, participation and involvement. To begin with education and commitment, the leader will announce the change to the staffs before operation and explain the employees to understand the benefit of the change. The solution is used when the workers misunderstand information or their information is imprecise. For example, if the company has a plan moving worker A from Marketing department to Administration department, they will give the advantage of the moving such as an easier work or higher bonus and convince the staff A before giving the announcement. This will bring the pleasure to help the staffs accept the change but the leader will lose time to explain with the workers Moreover, facilitation and support is known that the manager will assist the people suffering the adversity of change about the feeling and matter. The technique is referred when there are too many complaints from the workers about the change. For instance, when the company moves the place from the center of the city to the suburb, the workers will complain about the long road they must go to work and they will spend too much time to go to work. In the situation, the manager will support the transportation or increase salaries for the workers. Although the company lose the expenditure, they will keep the satisfied of staffs and create the comfort for the employees in order that the workers will accept the change and concentrate on working better. On the other hand, â€Å"participation and involvement† gives people chance to help design and execute the changes. The advantages are that it can add information to change planning and builds commitment to change. However, if a company do not make right plan to overcoming resistance, they will take risk with their employees. If someone has important information and/or power to resist, the organization have to make a clearly strategy so that they can select the right person who they need. If they got mistake in their plan, the wrong person will get the wrong participation and it will give nothing to the company and make that person feel uncomfortable. They will be disappointed and depressed; lead to it is their performance will down.

Outline the concepts of just war and pacifism Essay

Outline the key concepts of Just War and Pacifism. A01 [21] The Just war theory maintains that war may be justified if fought only in certain circumstances, and only if certain restrictions are applied to the way in which war is fought. The theory that was first propounded by St Augustine of Hippo and St Ambrose of Milan ( 4th and 5th centuries AD) attempts to clarify two fundamental questions: ‘when is it right to fight?’ and ‘How should war be fought?’. Whereas Pacifists are people mainly Christians who reject the use of violence and the deliberate killing of civilians but claims that peace is intrinsically good and ought to be upheld either as a duty and that war can never be justifiable. However, Realists agree that, due to the nature of humans, force is a necessary action to be used to maintain a just and ordered society. Therefore, since the Second World War, people have turned their attention to Just War again establishing rules that can serve as guidelines to a just war- the Hague and Geneva conventions. Many Christians had taken the view that war may be justifiable under certain circumstances, and only if fought observing certain rules of conduct. Wars against the Muslim control of Jerusalem in the 11th-13th centuries were sometimes seen as holy wars which were popularly regarded as Crusades. Some philosophers based their justifications on the stories in the Bible. For example, St Paul in Romans 13:4 wrote that rulers are servants of God ‘†¦for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil’. In the 13th century, Thomas Aquinas gave an outline (the first three criteria of a just war) on the Justification of war and the kinds of acts that are allowed in a war in Summa Theologica. His ideas became the model of later scholars such as Franciso Suarez and Francisco de Vitoria. The first three conditions necessary for a just war were listed by Aquinas which included right authority, just cause and just intention. These and the three additional conditions that were later included, were referred to as ‘Jus ad Bellum’-rules about when it is right and just to go to war. Aquinas asserted that just authority meant that war could only be started by legitimate authority: ‘the authority of the sovereign by whose command the war is to be waged’. He wrote that sovereign authority which has been elected legitimately has the sole authority to declare war. This meant that, there can be no private armies of individuals who can start a war and, equally, an incompetent government or sovereign does not have the authority  to initiate war. Just cause, is considered to be one of the most important conditions of jus ad bellum. Aquinas once stated that, ‘†¦those who are attacked, should be attacked because they deserve it on account of some fault’. It was considered that self defence against physical aggression was the only sufficient reason for just cause. Finally, Aquinas wrote that the war fought with just intention, was to be for ‘the advancement of good, or the avoidance of evil’. Kant once said that sovereigns could not fight wars for immoral intentions only for good motives. During a state of conflict, right intention should mean for peace and reconciliation. Therefore, soldiers cannot use or encourage a hatred of a minority in war. Their intentions must always be virtuous. In the 16th and 17th century, Suarez and de Vitoria added three additional conditions: proportionality in the conduct of war, only entering war as a last resort, and only fighting when there is a reasonable chance of success. Hence when dealing with proportionality, a state should never wage war that causes relatively more suffering and destruction than the actual wrong done by the enemy. Therefore, in any case, excessive violence, death and damage should be avoided. For example, it was not proportionate for the atomic bombings of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan that were conducted by the United States during the final stages of World War II in 1945. Additionally, all peaceful attempts at resolution must have been exhausted before violence is used. War cannot be chosen as a first response but as the last resort. Also, there should a reasonable chance of success during a war. It’s immoral to enter into a hopeless war, thus magnifying the suffering and loss for no constructive reason. There have always been rules of conduct in war, although such rules have often been ignored. In Christian tradition, there are conditions of conduct that limit the degree of destruction and who may or should not be killed. These conditions were referred to as Jus in Bello- rules governing how war should be fought. The principles include: only legitimate targets should be attacked, proportionality and that, agents of war should be responsible for their actions. An act of war aimed indiscriminately using chemical/biological weapons at the entire cities or of extensive areas along with their populations, is not only a crime against God but one against humanity and should be condemned. Also, it is unfair and unjust of attack non-combatants (civilians, or innocents) because it is against their right  and therefore they cannot be justly attacked. However, the Just war theory comes under criticism from those who advocate pacifism. They maintain that war is always wrong. Pacifism is described to be the opposition of all forms of violence as a means of settling disputes, either between individuals or between countries. The Christian argument for pacifism is based on Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount where he rejected the option to use physical force even in defence of himself against unjust aggressors. An example includes the incident at Gethsemane where Jesus ordered Peter to drop his sword and not to resist the authorities (Matthew 26:52). Mennonites and Quakers are two groups that emphasise pacifism. Members of this group conscientiously object to violence and have been often persecuted as a result. They believe that Just war theory ignores the essential pacifist stance taken by Jesus. An absolute pacifist claims that it is never right to take part in war, even in self-defence. They believe that peace is intrinsically good and should be upheld whether as a duty or on that it is better for humans to live at peace than war. They think that the value of human life is so high that nothing can justify killing a person deliberately. These pacifists claim that they would prefer to die rather than raise their fists to protect themselves. This is because; killing in self-defence is ‘an evil that makes the moral value of the victim’s life less important than our own’. They rely on the fact that there can be no justification for killing which stems from the scriptures of the bible ‘thou shalt not kill’ (Exodus 20:13). Absolute pacifists usually hold this view as a basic moral or spiritual principle, without regard to the results of war or violence, however they could logically argue that violence always leads to worse results than non-violence in other words, there can never be any good that comes out of war or violence. On the other hand, Conditional Pacifists offer a more flexible approach which allows the use of violence under certain circumstances. Pacifism is a word defined by Martin Caedel to describe those who prefer peaceful conditions to war but accept that some wars may be necessary if they advance the cause of peace. Conditional pacifists usually base their moral code on Utilitarian principles – it’s the bad consequences that make it wrong to resort to war or violence. These pacifists accept that sometimes our duties to uphold peace and non-violence may conflict with the duty to save or defend lives against aggression.  Utilitarian pacifists claim that wars generally do not produce favourable results but in certain circumstances, they can be acceptable. Such examples may include wars to protect people from genocide. To conclude, the Just war theory accepts that human nature is evil and most often use force to maintain a just and ordered society. Therefore, past philosophers and the present generation have offered moral guidelines that serve as justifications for the act of war. Whereas, pacifism which firstly originated from Christians believe that war and the act of violence is intrinsically evil and that peace should be the resolution of all conflicts in the society. Comment on the views that a pacifist can never accept the principles of Just war A02 [9] Pacifism can never accept the principles of Just war due to their firm belief that, all violence or force should be forbidden. Additionally, some pacifists would argue that the advantages of the just war theory does outweigh the disadvantages simply on the ground that there is no morality towards violence and that there is no place for ethics in war. Firstly, the criteria for a just war is considered to be unrealistic and pointless because, once the combatants have gone into battle the results of the war are unpredictable and such soldiers are unlikely to adhere to any conditions of a just war making the moral guidelines irrelevant. Pacifists argue that the results of war will always be bad since there can never be any positive outcome in war because; it leaves more damage on peoples’ lives. For example, the holocaust that occurred during the Second World War left more harm on the victims rather than the justice the so-called Nazis were supposed to achieve. A pacifist would argue that it will be inhumane to the point of cruelty to suggest such an incident like the Holocaust was just to serve for the greater good. Therefore a pacifist would argue that war is a waste of resources given by God, a cause of immense suffering, including suffering of innocent people and they believe that war encourages greed, hatred and prejudice. Secondly, Pacifists believe that life has an absolute value. They argue that the indiscriminate mass destruction brought about by the use of nuclear and biological weapons violates the sacredness of human life. It is though that the social and moral damage caused by war is too great, and that it should be abandoned. They maintain that non-violence and non-resistance will change the minds of, or disarm those who use violence. Hence, Pacifists encourage non-violence  resistance will goes against the principles of a just war. However, the deontological objection to a just war is favoured by absolute pacifists. Similar to Reihnold Neibuhr’s (1932) claim; it is inevitable that humans are prone to violence or the act of violence simply because , human nature is evil(imperfect). This means that most Pacifists are most likely to have a consequential approach towards the matter. Jeff McMahan once pointed out that Pacifism is difficult to maintain as it places extraordinary limitations on individual rights and self-defence which, in an era of weapons of mass destruction and the practice of genocide, may ultimately appear unacceptable. For this reason, Pacifists may claim that wars generally do not produce more favourable results, in specific examples. They can be acceptable. Additionally, most Pacifists accept that if someone is threatened by a dangerous person then the use of violence can be permitted since it would be considered to be self-defence. Therefore, due to the inconsistencies evident in Pacifism, most Christians still accept that the use of violence can be justified in the society. To conclude, Pacifists do believe that the weaknesses of a just war theory does outweighs its strengths simply because, it lacks purpose and morality. However , others do have different views; which means that they actually accept the principles of the just war theory.

Viral Marketing: Effectiveness and Implementation

Word-Of-Mouth Marketing: Effectiveness and Implementation Submitted by: Spandana Araga Marketing II Term Paper How it works Advertising agencies and marketing experts get paid big money to create ads that are unforgettable. But getting those ads seen and getting people to talk about them are two of the biggest challenges facing any advertiser these days. It is a common misconception that memorable marketing campaigns require big budgets. Somewhere along the line, marketers came up with a brilliant solution: let the customers spread the word themselves.Word-OfMouth Marketing(WOM), also known as Viral Marketing consists of advertising campaigns and messages that depend on peer to peer forwarding. WOM plays on the common sense that when a person likes something, they want to talk about it. They create a potential for exponential growth like a â€Å"virus†, and hence the name. Trusav et al (2009) in a study of WOM versus traditional marketing found that WOM referrals have a strong impact on new customer acquisition. The long-term elasticity of signups with respect to WOM was estimated to be . 3. The elasticity for WOM is approximately 20 times higher than that for marketing events and 30 times that of media appearances Effectiveness of WOM According to the article, â€Å"Word-Of-Mouth Marketing will change your business† by Hedges and Chung word-of-mouth marketing â€Å"gives brands a powerful and influential way to engage their target audience. The article talks about how consumers are very vocal about their views especially when it comes to personal care products like cosmetics.Projections by eMarketer predict 72 million U. S. adults will regularly give WOM advice about products or services in 2011, up from 65 million in 2006. There are 3. 5 billion WOM conversations occurring daily in the U. S. , according to the Keller Fay Group. Though 92% of these conversations are through off line means- face to face or phone- a vast majority of the influencer s depend on the internet to get more information and make decisions.From plain old word of mouth, now with the use of social networking sites such as facebook, youtube and twitter, the effects of viral marketing campaigns can be amplified. For example Barack Obama got the youth to vote, a task many thought impossible, by utilizing social networking sites. He accomplished this by strategically tapping into nearly every major social media outlet. At the time of Obama's inauguration in January 2009, the President had 3 million friends on facebook, 3000 videos on Youtube and several followers on twitter and myspace.Implementation Though most marketers will agree that WOM is an effective marketing tool, surprisingly, not many choose to utilise it. A CMO Council survey found 56% of senior marketers saying their companies have no programs to track or propagate positive WOM. Marketers would benefit by keeping track of what is being said about their product and learning ways to infiltrate, i nfluence and spark conversations about their products. Word of Mouth Marketing Association outlines some positive WOM guidelines. The first is creating communities and connecting people.This can be in the form of creating user groups and fan clubs, supporting independent groups that form around your product, hosting discussions and message boards about your products. Avon hired Communispace to create a private online customer community, where the company can develop and maintain relationships with its brand advocates. Another guideline is motivating brand advocates and evangelists to actively promote a product by providing recognition and tools to active advocates, recruiting new advocates, and teaching new advocates about the benefits of the products and encouraging them to spread the word.For example WOM services such as SheSpeaks and BzzAgent are a great way to recruit new brand advocates and engage them into the brand. The initial conversation starter is product sampling, but lo ng-lasting relationships can be formed. It is of outmost importance to engage in transparent conversation. WOM campaigns work best when the marketer can engage in two-way conversation with consumers. Some simple ways to execute include creating blogs and other tools to share information or participating openly on online blogs and discussions.For a brand to build an impactful WOM online or off -line campaign some touch-points need to be defined. First the marketer needs to identify who the â€Å"Talkers† are-the ideal brand advocates who will tell their friends about the brand. This target group has to be defined and then be wooed to become true advocates for the brand. Next, the â€Å"Tools† have to be identified- the campaign mediums or resources through which the message can travel (online, off-line or integrated).An effective tactic to make the message spread faster is to disguise the message as something which is entertaining and interesting enough that it begs to be passed around. It needs to be remembered that viral marketing is not about the product but about the message. Next it is to be decided how the brand owner will be â€Å"Taking Part†- how the marketer should directly or indirectly join the conversation while being careful not to be heavy-handed and giving thousands or millions of potential customers a platform to interact. An important final step is â€Å"Tracking†.It has to be decided on how the research will be collected, analyzed, disseminated and utilized to best impact the brand. A mistake many marketers do is rushing into a WOM campaign without a clear strategy or vision. There is a dangerous flipside to WOM- in the absence of an authentic, wellconstructed brand message, consumers will unleash their own impressions which could be positive or negative to fill the void, and today’s speed of light communication platforms enable those homemade brand messages to travel at lightening speed.Brands must fiercely protect the brand assets and remain loyal to the core brand identity in order to gain the respect of the masses. Profitable brands can be built on deploying WOM smartly. The online success of the beauty brand e. l. f. Cosmetics is a good example. Joseph Shamah, the brand’s CEO says that WOM has been very effective for them and more than 80% of their customers say they heard about the brand from a friend.

TEXT Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

TEXT - Article Example In order to implement this marketing concept, the target market is identified first and segmentation is carried out on the basis of psychographics, geography, behavior and finally the product mix is applied to satisfy and build long term customer relationships. Product mix is comprised of four P’s of marketing namely product, pricing, placement and promotion. A product could be any physical product or a service that meets the demands of the customers. Pricing is carried out on the techniques of marketing skimming or penetration so that market share is grabbed by the company by setting initially higher and lower prices respectively. Distribution of products to the customers involves a supply chain of activities where the raw materials are provided by the supplier, assembled at the manufacturer’s plant, stored in the warehousing and then sent to the retailer for making it available for customer’s purchase. In order to create awareness among the customers about the product/service the company offers, techniques of advertising, personal selling and maintaining public relations are regarded significant. Customer relationship management is considered vital for any organization’s success because satisfied customers yield more profits. Every product has to go through a cycle where is it first introduced in the market, then it sees a phase of growth where the focus is on generating sales, then the product stabilizes or becomes mature in the market and generates good profits. Lastly, when competition becomes intense or the marketing efforts to maintain the product’s image fails, it goes through the declining

Training for Statesmanship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Training for Statesmanship - Essay Example However, the base-superstructure parameter of the Marxian precept is not what exactly Kennan talks about. In his opinion, the American people are in general conscious of the need to accept a multicultural environment, without a state centre having to exert power on them to think on terms of the greater common good. This innate accommodative sense of the American public that leads to progress is the most interesting point Kennan makes in this passage. The generalization that the American sentiments regarding national progress and general peace can be related to the concept of the American Dream where all those who came to the land and considered themselves as Americans were willing to work towards the common goal of building a paradise on the face of the earth. However, this common mission that Kennan tries to talk about had already been challenged during the World Wars and the Cold War years, due to the uncontrollable dimensions of ethnic diversity that made the America that we talk about now. Years of legal and illegal migration from many parts of the world to the American mainland has made many cultural collisions inevitable. The various ethnic and religious communities that settled in America for various reasons made it impossible to have a shared viewpoint on progress and peace. The fact that America gained immense amount of power in the international scenario through economic development has in fact led to a situation where the opinion of Kennan would seem like a joke. America is now seen by many other nations as exerting power even outside its administrative boundaries to gain and sustain more power. Its interference in the Palestinian issue and the the antagonistic relations with Iran and other Muslim nations have in fact made America notorious for using its military force for its selfish gains. Similarly, the American internal affairs are also much beyond the comprehensive and cooperative attitudes that Kennan talks

Science and Religion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Science and Religion - Research Paper Example What are, for instance, the fundamental characteristics of science and how do those characteristics differ from those of religion? These kinds of central questions, dealing with both metaphysics and epistemology, are incredibly relevant to modern society, which is increasingly realizing the importance of science’s contributions to quality of life. Nevertheless, while progress in scientific discoveries is being made, religion remains in the background, still likewise central to people’s lives. The questions of science’s relationship to religion have, for all intents and purposes, existed since the classical ages when the first scientific methods were being developed. With this background in mind, it is crucial to remember that these sorts of questions have inspired lively debate for centuries, with the weight of many strong arguments behind them. The purpose of this paper is to draw the landscape of these arguments, their theoretical force, and how to resolve them . The argument is whether science is in fundamental conflict with religion, or whether there is a degree of concordance between the two realms of human knowledge. Those who believe that religion is fundamentally different think that the scientific method is the defining feature of a scientific state of knowledge, which is a feature that is not shared by religion (Dawkins, 2003). Religion, which largely focuses on the value of knowledge derived from revelation and authority, does not take trial-and-error learning as the true method of knowledge. For those who believe there is concordance between the two, the argument relies primarily on the notion that divine creation that underwrites the empirical character of modern Western science and its greatest minds in history (Ratzsch, 2009). The best-defended position in this debate is that there is no conflict between religion and science, but that there is no agreement between them either. Basing a concordance between religion and science on the observation that many of the earliest heroes of science were Christian (including Galileo, Boyle, and Kepler) is fallacious. Many of these early scientific heroes often experienced deep philosophical and political conflicts between their religious beliefs and their scientific theories. For instance, the well-known case of Galileo’s trouble with the religious authority over his scientific findings is a commonly given example of a scientific figure being persecuted because of that essential conflict. Likewise, one could also argue that the religious authority that persecuted Galileo based on his scientific findings were not acting on behalf of a genuine religious belief. The Church, which had established its own scientific conclusions through centuries, took measures to enforce those scientific conclusions through coercive force. The thought there is that a religious authority can adopt science and enforce that science in the name of God, which separates it from a religi ous belief (Ratzsch, 2009). The reason that this position is best defended is because it is difficult (a) to define what exactly constitutes science and religion, and (b) to define what exactly constitutes conflict and agreement. An example of the difficulty with (a) is Behe (1996)’s arguments for the theory of intelligent design based on the concept of â€Å"irreducible complexity.† Intelligent design, which is based on a theological theory of the origin of species, is taken to be the antithesis of evolutionary theory in biology. However, the arguments are written in such a way that they are presented as scientific evidence, even though they are based on theological premises. This seeming mixture of science and relig

Causes of the Mexican-American War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Causes of the Mexican-American War - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that the present Texas – a land that was said to be similar to Germany in terms of size – was formerly a part of the Mexican Republic, until its residents, then known as Texicans or Texans, revolted against the Mexican government. Settlers from different parts of the United States were said to have populated Texas during the 1820’s up to the 1830’s, when the Mexican government encouraged them to reside in the northern part of Mexico which was then unpopulated. And in 1821, the first Anglo-American colony led by Stephen Fuller Austin was established in Texas. However, the settlers were not contented with the way the city government of Mexico was running the province. The Texans were furious with the plan of Mexico to bring the country under the control of a single authority. It further aggravated their anger when a government proclamation concerning the abolition of slavery was implemented.This study outlines that  the Texans w ere a kindred people whose natural place was under the American flag. For a third reason, they feared that Great Britain might intervene in Texas and try to establish a protectorate. And finally, pocket motives were at work. Northerners wished to sell farm products and manufactured goods in Texas; shipping owners saw that their vessels could make profitable voyages to Galveston; Yankee mill owners wished to have cheap Texas cotton spin. Many Southerners wanted to migrate and yet were unwilling to leave the American flag.

Write a paper on the environment and the damages that humans have done Research

Write a on the environment and the damages that humans have done to it - Research Paper Example Human activities lead to different impacts on various components of the ecosystem such as land, biodiversity, and aquatic, terrestrial, marine and the atmosphere. Humans are inherently selfish and want the best for themselves without caring about the impacts of their activities to other members of the ecosystem. Global warming is the most critical problem facing the globe today. Global warming is described as the rise in the average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere and the oceans. This increase was noted to have started in the 19th century and is anticipated to continue rising. Goudie (22) notes that since the beginning of the 20th century, global temperatures have risen by about 0.8o C with approximately two thirds of this increase happening since 1980. Global warming is attributed to increased concentration of greenhouse gases which include carbon dioxide, methane and ozone. However, carbon dioxide is the most significant greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases lead to global warming by trapping infrared radiations emitted from the earth’s surface in the lower atmosphere thereby causing the temperatures to become warmer. These gases, however, allow radiations from the sun to get to the earth surface but absorb them as they absorb short wave radiations when re-emitted coming fr om the land. Greenhouse gases are important to maintain warm temperatures with the earth surface, but increased concentration of these gases can lead to devastating impacts on the environment, as explained by Goudie (22). Human activities are the most significant causes of increased carbon dioxide levels. Goudie (23) observes that since industrial revolution, the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has increased significantly. He notes that carbon dioxide and methane concentration has risen by 36 and 148 percent respectively from 1750 levels. Burning of fossil fuels is attributed for more than

Green Street Hooligans Film Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Green Street Hooligans Film Review - Essay Example The first setting is the university, Harvard University. This college offers educational services to students. It is portrayed as a respectful environment that encourages students to be morally upright. This would be the reason that made Matt be expelled from the institution. He was found in possession of a classmate’s drugs. He is 'therefore' expelled wrongly. Harvard University portrays the learning institutions as being a decent place that mold characters of various students. This place is strict, and any breaking of rules would lead to expulsion. This was made Matt be expelled wrongly even without proper investigation to determine the source or the owner of the drugs. This act would be an example of a loophole that exists in institutions that have strict rules and regulations. In an effort to run away or avoid his parents, Matt takes flight to London to visit his sister who is married to Steve. This gives the film its second setting. This setting is based in London. Moreov er, the London setting encompasses a wide range of settings. From home, Matt goes to the pub where he drinks with colleagues. He goes on to watch a football match and later finds himself in the streets of a city in London where he is involved in a serious fight. This setting in London would be classified into three, the pubs, the football pitch and the streets where fighting occurs. In London that Matt joins a ‘Crew’ that are gangs which would be unofficial and are associated with various football teams. Matt joins new friends who drink a lot, smoke and use vulgar language. This would be associated with football fans in England in support of their teams (Rhodes). The pub where Matt goes to drink indicates a social place where people gather to drink or have their time just before going for football matches. The pubs within England are portrayed as being harbors of hooligans. It would also be reflected as an immoral place that encompasses chaos and evil company. This make s Matt a different person from what he was during his college time. He would now sing rousing within the streets of London. The other setting is the football pitch where fan gather to support their teams. This portrays a football culture in England where fans support their teams. This reflects a culture that is acceptable and has been practiced in England for a long time. The event itself is legitimate or moral, but the activities associated with it thereafter may be ugly. This is what happened in the case of Matt after the football match ended. The enemy team fans were up in arms against each other. This led to serious fights that involved Matt within friends against the fans of the enemy team in the streets. The football game is portrayed as an activity that aggravates hatred and hostility among team fans. Fans drink before going to the pitch to get psyched up so that they can cheer their teams. At times, cheering would affect the result of the game, and this would lead to shoutin g at each other. The result would be a serious fight as in the case of Matt and friends. Although he was initially afraid of violence, through drinking he soon becomes desensitized to Elite gang (Rhodes). The streets have been portrayed as places where fighting takes place. They are evil places that involve blood shedding. In this context, they would reflect dangerous area associated with hooligans, shouting, vulgar language, and painful experiences. This would be the reason why Shannon, her sister is worried and her husband

Physics paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Physics paper - Essay Example Another area of research will be determining the different between resistance and current. The distinct properties of resistance and current will be considered in order to identify various types of resistance in conductors of electricity. Resistivity and conductivity are also studied in this research; the factors which influence the conductivity for instances temperatures are also studied.in addition to exploring various types of applications which has high resistance and current consumption the knowledge of electric generation will be featured (S. Knight). For further understanding of resistance and current, an experiment is performed in the laboratory in order to analyze the effects of resistance and current in electricity transmission. The following apparatus and materials required while carrying out the experiment (S. Knight). In the above set up, while the electrons are passing through thin metal filament of the lamp, the electrons face more opposition because the filament is thinner when compared to the wire used in the experiment. The opposition to electric current depends on the type of material, cross-sectional area and its temperatures (Jeong). Basically it can be said the conductors have low resistance while insulators have low resistance. The resistance reduces amount of current through the circuit and the bulb will glow depending on the amount of electrons passing through the wire. When electrons are moving against the same direction it causes friction, this is manifested in form of heat.at the same time the readings of ammeter changes. The concentration of heat in filament will force the bulb to glow. In the cases of short circuit, the bulb will stop glowing because there is no complete flow of electrons. There will be any resistance because the circuit is incomplete. When we use batteries in the above set up, the battery will run short of the charge because the

Assistant Accountant at Mefic Capital company Assignment

Assistant Accountant at Mefic Capital company - Assignment Example nd Corporate Governance Mechanisms in Saudi Arabia I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background In this study the capital structure and the mechanism of corporate governance in Saudi Arabia would be discussed. The motive behind choosing Saudi Arabia is that I did my internship from MEFIC Capital Saudi Arabia, so it would be an added advantage for me in investigating the financial environment of the country. Moreover, my major is in Finance, which is why I have chosen to focus and explore the capital structure and governance mechanism. Discussion on corporate governance and capital structure has always been a challenge for the academic researchers in finance and accounting. 1.2 Research Objective The objective of this research study has been developed keeping in mind the issues to be considered for the study, learning outcomes and stream of study. 1. To identify diverse capital structure in Saudi Arabia and their implications 2. To identify the relationship between diverse capital structure and cor porate governance in the firms in Saudi Arabia. 1.3 Research Question What is the relationship between the capital structure of firms in Saudi Arabia with the external and internal corporate governance? II: LITERATURE REVIEW In this research paper, the discussion would be related to the capital structure decisions of the firms in Saudi Arabia and its association to the external and internal corporate governance system, which is generally considered to be one of the primary drivers in decisions related to capital structures. Various researches prior to this suggest that the capital structure is based on corporate governance decisions. Theories suggest that the size of the firm and profitability is negatively related to the debt equity ratio of the firm. These findings are in line with the... Various researches prior to this suggest that the capital structure is based on corporate governance decisions. Theories suggest that the size of the firm and profitability is negatively related to the debt equity ratio of the firm. These findings are in line with the agency theory, transaction cost theory or pecking order theory. It was found that the there is a negative relationship between debt equity ratio and market to book ration in case of assets, which also reveals that it is conflicting with the agency theory. On the other hand, in European countries tangibility has a positive relationship with the choice of capital structure and it is consistent with the agency theory. This study aims at discussing and analysing the capital structure with regards to corporate governance in Saudi Arabia. A quantitative analysis would be done to identify the relationship between capital structure and corporate governance, so as to identify an accurate association between these two major aspec ts in financial environment of Saudi Arabia. For this purpose a multiple regression analysis would be done for this study. A sample of 5-8 firms in Saudi Arabia in the securities market would be considered to conduct the study.

On September 11th 2001 the world was forever changed Essay Example for Free

On September 11th 2001 the world was forever changed Essay On September 11th 2001 the world was forever changed. The horrific events, which occurred at the World Trade Centers in New York, the Pentagon in Washington and on Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania, have forever altered the way Americans view their safety. Every household in the U.S. tuned in to the news on TV, radio, or Internet to see how the world was being twisted in front of their eyes. These events dramatically proved that the United States, the greatest nation in the world, was no longer safe from outside threats. . The stock market crash of 1929, which led to the depression, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and the terrorist attacks of September 11th were all unexpected events that no one could have predicted but had such dramatic effects that they can never be forgotten. All three events seem to be categorized together for a few simple reasons. To the average American citizen these horrendous events were unforeseen, but noted historians would beg to differ. They believe in such instances as Pearl Harbor, The stock market crash of 1929, and September 11th, that the government and many political figures were forewarned. If they had taken their admonitions more seriously and acted upon them, historians believe that they could have at least made the consequent effects minimal. There were several proceedings that should have elicited American retaliation. It is said that Bin laden himself declared war on America in 1996. In the early 90s, The World Trade Center was car bombed, and Osama Bin Laden was the primary suspect for this assault. Even after that incident no one saw Bin laden as a serious threat and didnt think his dangerous ways could jeopardize our countries well being as a whole. After the attack of September 11th it seems the unification of the American people became so strong its virtually indissoluble. Our previously fragile society became a link so strong we believe it cant be touched by the outside perils of the world. The rise in Nationalism came about in a wave of red white and blue colors. It seemed every face in America was painted with the stars and stripes of our grand old flag. Our countries banner was now the latest fashion; closets were overflowing with the celebrated colors of our patriotic nation. Every news station put American flags on their lapels, and waving red, white and blue graphics were put on most channels. Many well-known Hollywood figures and successful businesses put together charities benefiting the victims and families affected by September 11. September 11 mended our nations pride and restored our dignity. Such a strong sense of nationalism can easily be compared to that of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, when East and West Germany celebrated their reunion as one, after being isolated for so long. Subsequent to September 11, the United States faced many abrupt transformations as far as pastimes, lifestyles, and entertainment goes. There were a few noticeable differences from the changes following WWII, to those of September 11th. For example, Baseball, the great American pastime was brought to a standstill after September 11, where as Roosevelt motivated people to go to baseball games, and had baseball play a part in the healing of the country. Another difference from 9-11 was that after Pearl Harbor, and the crash of 1929, there were severe cut backs and limitations on how much of certain commodities, such as gasoline and sugar, the average American could use. The difference now is that we are currently at war with the oil capitals of the world. The gas prices are booming and dont appear to be coming down any time soon; however, this does not stop the typical egotistic American from buying a brand new fuel consuming SUV. Racism is another topic that has been significantly affected by September 11th .In WWII we knew who the enemy was, it was strictly the Japanese and Germans, however, now its a pin the tail on the donkey1 mentality. After Pearl Harbor many Japanese men were put into internment camps to be interrogated for information and kept there, that did not happen after 9-11 however, many Arabs were questioned and racial profiling became a major issue. There was also a great deal of hate crimes aimed at the Arab race and people who had the visual characteristics of the middle-eastern inhabitants. The U.S. was unsure of which persons were solely responsible for the crimes, therefore no individual has the right to go pointing their fingers at any particular group, But the stereotyping and profiling still persists. . Exactly one year after Pearl Harbor the stock market had climbed up to almost where it was before (within 10%) now we are suffering a recession because of 9-11. Another fact is that before Pearl Harbor, the country was just coming out the depression and wasnt even fully out. The war effort boosted production. 9-11 happened right when the US was at its prime in the economy and the attack destroyed industry and commercial enterprises. Also the government suspended a monopoly trial against GE so that it would not hurt the war effort. After 9-11 the government focused on companies such as Enron and WorldCom. Noticeably there are numerous features of September 11th that could be considered. However, It would be virtually impossible to cover all the aspects and phases of such an important date. September 11th, 2001 was a horribly significant date in not only American history but in world history as well. It brought back horrific memories of such instances as The Bombing of Pearl harbor and can even be compared to the hardships and struggles of The Stock Market Crash of 1929. As a result, the American people came together as one in a battle we like to call the war on terrorism 2. It is obvious this war may be infinite but it is worth the struggle, just knowing, in the future we may perhaps avoid such devastating events. As James Baldwin once wrote A country is only as strong as the people who make it up and the country turns into what the people want it to becomewe made the world were living in and we have to make it over. 3 I think we should all recollect on the events step by step of September 11th, and take into mind, the advice that Baldwin has given us. Someday our country can completely overcome all of its vulnerability and end any chances of a date like this form reoccurring. Bibliography: www.time.com/archives/911 www.encarta.com/911 www.bostonherald.com/911/media www.bostonherald.com/911/race www.american-history.com/history/september11.mgi www.alternet.org/story.html ENDNOTES: 1. Lauren mills, a noted historian currently attending B.H.S. September 15th 2002. 2. George W. Bush Jr., AlterNet: One Year Later: Unintended Consequences of 9/11 and the war on terrorism. War against Iraq pg 3 3. James Baldwin, AlterNet: Before and After Septemeber11 True courage pg. 5

Content Based Image Retrieval System Project

Content Based Image Retrieval System Project An Efficient Content-based Image Retrieval System Integrating Wavelet-based Image Sub-blocks with Dominant Colors and Texture Analysis ABSTRACT Multimedia information retrieval is a part of computer science and it is used for extracting semantic information from multimedia data sources such as image, audio, video and text. Automatic image annotation is called as automatic image tagging or automatic linguistic indexing. It is the process in which a computer system automatically designates metadata in the form of keywords or captioning to a digital image. This application is widely used in image retrieval systems to locate and organize images from database. In this paper we have proposed efficient content based image retrieval (CBIR) systems due to the availability of large image database. The image retrieval system is used to retrieve the images based on color and texture features. Firstly, the image is partition into equal sized non-overlapping tiles. For partitioning images we are applying methods like, Gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM), HSV color feature, dominant color descriptor (DCD), cumulative color histogram and discrete wavelet transform. An integrated matching scheme can be used to compare the query images and database images based on the Most Similar Highest Priority (MSHP). Using the sub-blocks of query image and the images in database, the adjacency matrix of a bipartite graph is formed. INTRODUCTION: Automatic image annotation is known as automatic image tagging or automatic linguistic indexing. It is the process in which a computer system automatically designates metadata in the form of keywords or captioning to a digital image. This application is widely used in image retrieval systems to locate and organize images from database. This method can be considered as multi class image classification with a large number of classes. The advantage of automatic image annotation is that the queries that can be specified by the user. Content based image retrieval requires users to search by images based on the color and texture and also is used to find example queries. The traditional methods of image retrieval are used to retrieve annotated images from large image database manually and which is an expensive, laborious and time consuming in existence. Animage retrieval system is a computer system for searching, browsing and retrieving images from a largecollectionofdigital images. Most common and traditional methods of image retrieval use some methods of adding metadata such as captioning or descriptions and keywords to the images so that the retrieval can be performed over the annotation words. Image searchis used to find images from database and a user will provide a query terms as image file/link, keywords or click on some image and the system will return images similar to that query image. The similarity matching is done by using the Meta tags, color distribution in images and region/shape attributes. Image Meta Search: searching the images based on associated metadata such as text, keywords. Content-Based Image Retrieval  (CBIR):- This is the main application of  computer vision  to retrieve the images from image database. The aim of CBIR is used to retrieve images based on the similarities in their contents such as color, texture and shape instead of textual descriptions and comparing a user-specified image features or user-supplied query image. CBIR Engine List: This is used to search images based on image visual contents as color, texture, and shape/object. Image Collection Exploration: It is used to find images using novel exploration paradigms. Content Based Image Retrieval: Content based image retrieval is known asquery by image content(QBIC) andcontent-based visual information retrieval(CBVIR) and it is the application ofcomputer vision techniques to retrieve the images from digital image database. This is the image retrieval problem of finding for images in large image database. Content-based image retrieval is to provide more accuracy as compared to traditionalconcept-based approaches. Content-based is the search that analyzes the contents of the image instead of metadata such as keywords, tags, or descriptions associated with that image. The term content in this context means textures, shapes, colors or any other information about image can be derived from the image itself. CBIR is popular because of its searches are purely dependent on metadata, annotation quality and completeness. If the images are annotated manually by entering the metadata or keywords in a large database can be a time consuming and sometime it cannot be capture the keywords preferred to describe its images. The CBIR method overcomes with the concept based image annotation or textual based image annotation. This is done by automatically. Content Based Image Retrieval Using Image Distance Measures:- In this the image distance measure method is used to compare the two images such as a query image and an image from database. An image distance measure method is used to compare the matching of two images in various dimensions as color, shape, texture and others. Finally these matching results can be sorted based of the distance to the queried image. Color This is used to compute image distance measures based on color similarity. This is achieved by computing the color histogramfor each image and that is used to identify the proportion of each pixel within an image which is holding a specific values. Finally examine the images based on the colors, which contains most widely used techniques and it can be completed without consider to image size or orientation. It is used to segment color by spatial relationship and by region among several color region. Texture Textures are represented as texels and are then located into a number of sets based on a lot of textures and are detected in the images. These sets are used to define texture and also detect where the textures are located in images. Texture measures are used to define visual patterns in images. By using texture such as a two- dimensional gray level variation is to identify specific textures in an image is achieved. Using texture, the relative intensity of pairs of pixels is estimated such as contrast, regularity, coarseness and directionality.Identifying co-pixel variation patterns and grouping them with particular classes of textures like silky, orrough. Different methods of classifying textures are:- Co-occurrence matrix. Laws texture energy. Wavelet transforms. LITERATURE SURVEY: In this paper a multscale context dependent classification algorithm is developed for segmenting collection of images into four classes. They are background, photograph, text, and graph. Here, features are used for categorization based on the distribution patterns of wavelet coefficients in high frequency bands. The important attribute of this algorithm is multscale nature and is used to classifies an image at different resolutions adaptively and enabling accurate classification at class boundaries. The collected context information is used for improving classification accuracy. In this two features are defined for distinguishing local image types in image database according to the distribution patterns of wavelet coefficients rather than the moments of wavelet coefficients as features for classification. The first feature is defined for matching between the empirical distribution of wavelet coefficients in high frequency bands and the Laplacian distribution. The second feature is de fined for measuring the wavelet coefficients in high frequency bands at a few discrete values. This algorithm was developed to calculate the feature efficiently. The multscale structure collects context information from low resolutions to high resolutions. Classification is done on large blocks at the starting resolution to avoid over-localization. Here, only the blocks with extreme features are classified to ensure that the blocks of mixed classes are left to be classified at higher resolutions and the unclassified blocks are divided into smaller blocks at the higher resolution. These smaller blocks are classified based on the context information achieved at the lower resolution. Finally simulations shows that the classification accuracy is significantly improved based on the context information. Multiscale algorithm is also provides both lower classification error rates and better visual results [1]. This paper proposed content based image retrieval technique that can be derived in a number of different domains as Medical Imaging, Data Mining, Weather forecasting, Education, Remote Sensing and Management of Earth Resources, Education. The content based image retrieval technique is used to annotate images automatically based on the features like color and texture known as WBCHIR (Wavelet Based Color Histogram Image Retrieval). Here, color and texture features are extracted using the color histogram and wavelet transformation and the mixture of these two features are strong to scaling and translation of objects in an image. In this, the proposed system i.e. CBIR has demonstrated a WANG image database containing 1000 general-purpose color images for a faster retrieval method. Here, the computational steps are effectively reduced based on the Wavelet transformation. The retrieval speed is increases by using the CBIR technique even though the time taken for retrieving images from 1000 of images in database is only a 5-6 minutes [2]. This paper presents content based image retrieval scheme for medical images. This is an efficient method of retrieving medical images based on the similarity of their visual contents. CBIR-MD system is used to facilitate doctors in retrieving related medical images from the image database to diagnose the disease efficiently. In this a CBIR system is proposed by which a query image is divided into identical sized sub-blocks and the feature extraction of each sub-block is conceded based on Haar wavelet and Fourier descriptor. Finally, matching the image process is provided using the Most Similar Highest Priority (MSHP) principle and by using the sub-blocks of query and target image, an adjacency matrix of bipartite graph partitioning (BGP) created [3]. In this paper a content based image retrieval (CBIR) system is proposed using the local and global color, texture, and shape features of selected image sub-blocks. These image sub-blocks are approximately identified by segmenting the image into small number of partitions of different patterns. Finding edge density and corner density in each image partition using edge thresholding, morphological dilation. The texture and color features of the identified regions are calculated using the histograms of the quantized HSV color space and Gray Level Co- occurrence Matrix (GLCM) and the combination of color and texture feature vector is evaluated for each region. The shape features are computed using the Edge Histogram Descriptor (EHD). The distance between the characteristics of the query image and target image is computed using the Euclidean distance measure. Finally the experimental results of this proposed method provides a improved retrieving result than retrieval using some of the exis ting methods [4]. An efficient content based image retrieval system plays an important role due to the availability of large image database. The Color-Texture and Dominant Color Based Image Retrieval System (CTDCIRS) is used to retrieve images based on the three features such as Dynamic Dominant Color (DDC), Motif Co-Occurrence Matrix (MCM) and Difference between Pixels of Scan Pattern (DBPSP). By using the fast color quantization algorithm, we can divide the image into eight partitions. From these eight partitions we obtained eight dominant colors. The texture of the image is obtained by using the MCM and DBPSP methods. MCM is derived based on the motif transformed image. It is related to color co-occurrence matrix (CCM) and it is the conventional pattern co-occurrence matrix and is used to calculate the possibility of the occurrence of same pixel color between each pixel and its nearby ones in each image, which is the attribute of the image. The drawback of MCM is used to capture the way of textures but not the difficulty of texture. To overcome this, we use DBPSP as texture feature. The combination of dominant color, MCM and DBPSP features are used in image retrieval system. This approach is efficient in retrieving the user interested images [5]. In this paper content based image retrieval approach is used. It consists of two features such as high level and low level features and these features includes color, texture and shape which are present in each image. By extracting these features we can retrieve the images from image database. To obtain better results, RGB space is converted into HSV space and YCbCr space is used for low level features. The low level features are to be used based upon the applications. Color feature in case of natural images and co-occurrence matrix in case of textured images yields better results [6]. OBJECTIVE: To retrieve images more efficiently or accurately. To improve the efficiency and accuracy by using the multi features for image retrieval (discrete wavelet transform). Image classification and accuracy analysis. Time saving. Robustness. METHODOLOGY: Discrete Wavelet Transform. Conversion to HSV Color Space. Color Histogram Generation. Dominant Color Descriptor. Gray-level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM). ARCHITECTURE: This architecture consists of two phases: Training phase Testing phase These two phases of the proposed system consists of many blocks like image database, image partitioning, wavelet transform of image sub-blocks, RGB to HSV, non uniform quantization, histogram generation, dominant color description, textual analysis, query feature, similarity matching, feature database, returned images. In training phase, the input image is retrieved from image database and then the image is being partitioned into equal sized sub-blocks. Further, for each sub-block of the partitioned image, wavelet transform is being applied. Then the conversion from RGB to HSV taken place preceded with non uniform quantization, inputted to histogram generation block where a color histogram is generated for the sub-blocks of the image. Then the dominant color descriptors are extracted and texture analysis of each sub-block of the image is done. Finally the image features from the feature database and the input image features are compared for the similarity matching using MSHP principle. Then the matched image is being returned. In testing phase, the processing steps are same as training phase, except the input image is given as the query image by the user not collected from the image database. OUTCOMES: It provides accurate image retrieving. Comparative analysis and graph. Provides better efficiency. CONCLUSION: To retrieve images from image database, we can use discrete wavelet transform method based on color and texture features. The color feature of the pixels in an image can be described using HSV, color histogram and DCD methods, similarly texture distribution can be described using GLCM method. By using these methods we can achieve accurate retrieval of images. REFERENCES: [1] Jia Li, Member, IEEE, and Robert M. Gray, Fellow, IEEE, â€Å"Context-Based Multiscale Classification of Document Images Using Wavelet Coefficient Distributions†, IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, Vol. 9, No. 9, September 2000. [2] Manimala Singha and K.Hemachandran, â€Å"Content Based Image Retrieval using Color and Texture†, Signal Image Processing: An International Journal (SIPIJ) Vol.3, No.1, February 2012. [3] Ashish Oberoi Deepak Sharma Manpreet Singh, â€Å"CBIR-MD/BGP: CBIR-MD System based on Bipartite Graph Partitioning†, International Journal of Computer Applications (0975 – 8887) Volume 52– No.15, August 2012. [4] E. R. Vimina and K. Poulose Jacob, â€Å"CBIR Using Local and Global Properties of Image Sub-blocks†, International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology Vol. 48, November, 2012. [5] M.Babu Rao Dr. B.Prabhakara Rao Dr. A.Govardhan, â€Å"CTDCIRS: Content based Image Retrieval System based on Dominant Color and Texture Features†, International Journal of Computer Applications (0975 – 8887) Volume 18– No.6, March 2011. [6] Gauri Deshpande, Megha Borse, â€Å"Image Retrieval with the use of Color and Texture Feature†, Gauri Deshpande et al, / (IJCSIT) International Journal of Computer Science and Information Technologies, Vol. 2 (3) , 2011, 1018-1021. [7] Sherin M. Youssef, Saleh Mesbah, Yasmine M. Mahmoud, â€Å"An Efficient Content-based Image Retrieval System Integrating Wavelet-based Image Sub-blocks with Dominant Colors and Texture Analysis†, Information Science and Digital Content Technology (ICIDT), 2012 8th International Conference on Volume:3 .

Online Cinema Reservation System

Online Cinema Reservation System This assignment title for Introduction to Software Engineering assignment is to do a research and analysis of a software project. The topic chosen for this assignment is Online Cinema Ticket Reservation System. Following are the tasks need to be done of the assignment. To identify the requirements for cinema online ticket reservation system. To identify the design principles and concept and produce the design based on the mentioned concepts. To identify the testing strategies and techniques for the software and how it can be carried out. To identify the implementation strategies for the software Online Cinema Ticket Reservation System is an Internet based application that can be accesses throughout the internet and can be accessed by anyone who has an internet connection. This application will automate the reservation of tickets and enquiries about availability of the tickets. This application includes email confirmation for the tickets. Currently, this system is widely use by airline, cinema, and other sector of company. For the system, the methodology chosen to develop the software is Rapid Application Design (RAD). The Following will state the advantages of RAD and the description of RAD with timeline to develop an online cinema ticketing reservation system. Increased speed of development through methods including rapid prototyping, virtualization of system related routines, the use of CASE tools, and other techniques. Lower costing as rapid development saves time. Low complexity, emphasis on simplicity and usability. Before cinema online ticket reservation is created, the way that customer make ticket reservation is through phone reservation. However, using phone reservation has some problems. Following will discuss about the problems before the system is created and how the system solve the problem. Prank Call The most common problem occurs is prank call. In the past, there are no member login is required, therefore, anyone able to make a reservation. In the situation, many people will take advantage to make a prank call. They will make reservation for many times without collect the ticket. Solution: System required customer to register and login to their account before they can use the system. If the customer cannot collect the ticket after make the reservation, customer required to cancel the reservation 1 hour before movie start showing. Otherwise, the customer account will be blocked from using for certain period if they repeated the same action for more than 3 times. Phone line traffic The second problem occurs is phone line traffic. Customer will make phone call to enquire the movie show time and they will spend some time to choose movie section. In the other hand, other customers try to make phone call reservation. Therefore, phone line traffic will occur. Part of the customer unable contacts the phone call center. Solution: The online reservation system should be designed that able to check the movie show time and make reservation via internet. Therefore it can reduce the problem of phone line traffic. Operator The third problem is similar case with second problem. The company needs to hire a lot of operator to able all the call of customer. However, there is not always many phone call will call in. Therefore, those operators will have nothing to do. This would be a waste of financial resource if the man power is not fully utilized. Solution: By using the system, customers able to get all information about movie show time. Therefore, mostly customers prefer to use the system. It can reduce dependency of phone call reservation. Meanwhile, company can reduce the number of operator and avoid the problem of operator complain by customer. In fact, there is similar system on the internet, but there is cancelation method found in the existing system. This problem cause the members that make reservation have to collect their ticket 30mins before the movie start showing, and they have wait at least 30mins until the movie start showing. Solution: The new system developed allow member to cancel their reservation tickets in 2 hour advanced before the movie start showing. If a member did not cancel the tickets and did not collect the ticket, the member account will be banned for certain period. Requirement Analysis There are 2 types requirement available in software engineering research method, there are functional requirement and non- functional requirement. Functional requirement defines functions available in a system. Functional requirements are supported by non- functional requirements. It drives the application architecture of a system. Functional requirements can be technical details, calculations, data processing and manipulation and other specific functionality that defines the system and the functional of the system supposed to accomplish. Non-functional requirements also know n as quality requirements. It drives the technical architecture of a system. It is a requirement that specifies criteria that can be used to judge the operation of a system. Non- functional requirements can be category into 2 categories which is execution qualities and evolution qualities. Execution quality is observable at run time. Example of execution quality is security and usability. In the other hand, Evolution quality is embodied in the static structure of the software system. The example of it is maintainability, testability, scalability, extensibility and many others. Functional Requirement There are certain functional requirements that need to be carrying out by cinema online ticket reservation system. Cinema hall need to have a website that allows any user of internet access to the webpage. Besides that, there should have other functionality can be perform by the system. For example, a user able to do following activity in the system: Login to the system through the first page of the application. Change the password after logging into the system. Able to modify their own information after login. Able to create a new login for the accessing the reservation facility. View movie now showing list after login. Reservation can be making three day before the show. View his current reservations with the details. Able to choose the seats which can are available for a certain class. Cancel reservation Figure above show that activity that able to perform by customer The system need to respond to the activity done by user. The following is the activity should be performed by the system: A new password send to the user though email if the user forgotten about his or her password. A mail will be send to the concerned person about the confirmation of the ticket to the specified email address after user make a reservation ticket. Show the fare for the corresponding shows and amount of money needs to be pay for selected seats. The login ID and password should be sent to the mentioned email address if a new account is created. However, the same customer always makes ticket reservation but did not collect the ticket. The particular customer will block from using the online ticket reservation system for certain period if repeated the action for more than 3 times. Reservation ticket will automatically open for sales if the ticket has not collect 15 minutes before the show. It gives more time for customer that make online reservation to collect the ticket. Figure above show that activity that perform by system automatically Non Functional requirement Each system also consists of non-functional requirements. In this case, when a user makes a reservation via online, the database needs to make a record of it. It is consider as execution quality. All the information need to be update in real time. The system will compatible with the ticket selling system in ticket selling point. Following is different type of non functional requirement need to include in the system. Usability known as user friendly, the system should have the user guild of the system and cannot allow complex interface design Response time -System also needs to have a good response time. It needs to respond in the shortest time after customer click a button. Platform compatibility -System need to able to perform in different platform such as Linux, Window, and Mac OS. Privacy -It also should keep of customer and do not review any information of customer to other people without agreement of the particular customer. Supportability -system should able to perform in any type of web browser. For example is Windows Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google and etc. Maintainability System able to updated time by time. In this case, when a new movie released, cinema able to update the movie information to the system. Design The design concept use to develop the online cinema ticketing reservation is software architecture. It is the overall structure of the software and the ways in which that structure provides conceptual integrity for a system. In order to design the system, there is some hardware and software required. The following is the tools for design the software. Hardware requirements No. Description Alternatives (If available) 1 PC with 2 GB hard-disk and 512 MB RAM Not-Applicable 2 Server Not-Applicable Software requirements No. Description Alternatives (If available) 1 Windows 95/98/XP with MS-office Not Applicable 2 MS-SQL server MS-Access 3 Linux Not Applicable 4 Oracle database system POSTgres 5 Adobe Dreamweaver Microsoft FrontPage After the system architect equip with the tools, he will start design the interface, functionally of the system and database according the system requirement. The Following are the flowchart of the system. Once a customer enter the system webpage, the customer able to perform the activities such as login, view movie show times, register and request a new password if member forgot about his password. If the customer wants to check the movie show times, customer needs to enter the cinema or movie with watching date. Then the system will display the movie shows time. Meanwhile, if the customer wants to become a member, the customer needs to submit his personal information and automatically he will register as a member. Once a member login, he can make movie reservation, cancel movie reservation and modify his personal information. In case a member forgot about his password, he can request a new password send to his personal email account. The following will display the design of the webpage and database design. The diagram above shows the main webpage of the online cinema ticket reservation system. Customers able to login, view show times, select movie description and other action in this webpage. The webpage above is the page after a member login. The page will show all the reservation has made. Member can cancel reservation, make reservation and modify personal information at this page. Member need to select the movie, cinema and enter number of seat before proceed to the next step. Member can choose the seat for reservation purpose. After the reservation made, a reference number will send to member email. The webpage also will shows the reference number If a member forgot about his password, the member can request a new password and the password will send via email to the email account registered. The webpage above shows the screen of the movie shows time. The webpage above allow user enter his personal information to become a member. Member also can update his personal information on the same page. The database of customer personal information The database of customer reservation The relationship diagram of customer information and customer reservation Testing The system will be tested using component testing. Component testing is test the system individually. Test will be caring out for ensure the system able to meet the function requirement include functional and non- functional required. The following are the test plan need to carry out to ensure the system work properly. Test Procedure / Input Expected Result Customer able to register as a member and save all the personal information in database. Customer enter all his personal information include name,, phone number, email address, and etc. All the information store in database Customer able to view movie show times without login as member. Customer select movie, cinema, or day to view to movie. The movie show time schedule for particular information will show. Member able to login into the system. Member enter ID and password Member able to use the online reservation system service Member able to update personal information in database. Member enter new personal information New information will updated in database. Member able to make reservation and the reservation information will update in database. Member select movie, cinema, show time, and seat for reservation All the information store in database, member able view the information Member able to cancel reservation and the reservation will remove from database. Member select the reservation that wish cancel The selected reservation will be remove from database. Member able to request new password and the password will send to member email account. Member request a new password The new password will send to the member email account based on the email provided when register System able to perform in different platform System test in different operation system System able to perform in different operation system Able to perform at different web browser System test in different web browser System able to perform at different web browser Information able to update anytime Staff enter the new movie show time list New movie show time list able to store in database, and member able to view it Implementation For implement the propose system, hardware and software are needed. The following table shows the minimum hardware and software needed to implement the system. Hardware requirements No. Description Alternatives (If available) 1 PC with 2 GB hard-disk and 512 MB RAM Not-Applicable 2 Server Not-Applicable Software requirements No. Description Alternatives (If available) 1 Windows 95/98/XP with MS-office Not Applicable 2 MS-SQL server MS-Access 3 Linux Not Applicable 4 Oracle database system POSTgres Manpower requirements The estimation of the manpower required is 2 to 3 students for complete the system in 2 à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 3 months if they work fulltime on it. Implementation process In order to implement the system, company need to register a domain name. According to www.exabytes.com.my, it will cost RM650 to register a .com.my domain name for 10 years. After register the domain, software engineer will upload the system to the internet and link it with the server. Testing will be carry out to ensure to system show to error. Conclusion After the research is caring out, there are some advantages toward the company and customer. Company does not need to hire extra staff as mention at the problem definition section. It can improve the cost efficiency of the company by installing the online cinema ticketing reservation system. Besides that, it can attract more costumer as internet used by many people at current era. From the point of customer, they do not need to worry about all the ticket sold out if they have made the ticket reservation earlier. They also do not have long queue to purchase ticket. Besides that, they can make ticket reservation anytime. Therefore, company estimate can gain more profit if they implement the online ticket reservation system.

Nike, Inc vs. Toys R Us Essay -- essays research papers

NIKE, INC VS TOYS R U Page LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.2 INTRODUCTION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.4 Procedures†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..4 COMPANIES.........†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...4 COMAPARISONS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 GROWTH†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..9 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..11 REFERENCES†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..12 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Comparisons Chart- "The Company" †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦... 8 2. Growth Chart- NIKE, INC†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9 3. Growth Chart- TOYS R US, INC†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦10 4. Revenue Chart†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...11 Investigation 4 INTRODUCTION EC=2 Consultants was contracted to locate and research two companies for purchase or takeover by the XYZ Investment Syndicate. EC=2 has a solid reputation in the Eastern United States for providing this type of service. For the XYZ Investment Syndicate, EC=2 has identified NIKE, INC... ... 12 REFERENCES Yahoo: Finance. Income Statement http://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s (April 2005) Yahoo: Finance. Quotes and Info http://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s (April 2005) Reuters: Ratios. Valuation Ratios http://reuters.com (April 2005) NASD: Investor Information http://www.nasd.com/ (April 2005) NIKE: Company Information http://nike.com (April 2005) TOYS R US: Company Information http://nike.com (April 2005)

Expansion On The Recent Discoveries Concerning Nitric Oxide :: essays research papers

Expansion on the Recent Discoveries Concerning Nitric Oxide as presented by Dr. Jack R. Lancaster   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nitric Oxide, or NO, its chemical representation, was until recently not considered to be of any benefit to the life processes of animals, much less human beings. However, studies have proven that this simple compound had an abundance of uses in the body, ranging from the nervous system to the reproductive system. Its many uses are still being explored, and it is hoped that it can play an active role in the cures for certain types of cancers and tumors that form in the brain and other parts of the body.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nitric Oxide is not to be confused with nitrous oxide, the latter of which is commonly known as laughing gas. Nitric oxide has one more electron than the anesthetic. NO is not soluble in water. It is a clear gas. When NO is exposed to air, it mixes with oxygen, yielding nitrogen IV dioxide, a brown gas which is soluble in water. These are just a few of the chemical properties of nitric oxide. With the total life expectancy of nitric oxide being from six to ten seconds, it is not surprising that it has not been until recently that it was discovered in the body. The compound is quickly converted into nitrates and nitrites by oxygen and water. Yet even its short-lived life, it has found many functions within the body. Nitric oxide enables white blood cells to kill tumor cells and bacteria, and it allows neurotransmitters to dilate blood vessels. It also serves as a messenger for neurons, like a neurotransmitter. The compound is also accountable for penile erections. Further experiments may lead to its use in memory research and for the treatment of certain neurodegenerative disorders. One of the most exciting discoveries of nitric oxide involves its function in the brain. It was first discovered that nitric oxide played a role in the nervous system in 1982. Small amounts of it prove useful in the opening of calcium ion channels (with glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter) sending a strong excitatory impulse. However, in larger amounts, its effects are quite harmful. The channels are forced to fire more rapidly, which can kill the cells. This is the cause of most strokes. To find where nitric oxide is found in the brain, scientists used a purification method from a tissue sample of the brain. One scientist discovered that the synthesis of nitric oxide required the presence of calcium, which often acts by binding to a ubiquitous cofactor called calmodulin. A small amount of calmodulin is added to the enzyme preparations,

Implementing a Wearable Computer ID Card System Essay -- Security and

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Background ï  ® In order to improve the time & attendance and security of Global Products LLC a wearable based ID card system has been proposed ï  ® We have considered up to date time and attendance systems, different types of wearable technology and scanning technology ï  ® The option in this business case was suggested due to the advantages to the companies quality, safety, productivity and cost saving systems Strategic Alignment ï  ® This proposal is aligned with discussions with HR and senior management ï  ® The purpose of this proposal is to gain approval for installation of computer based identification card system and security system. ï  ® If the proposal is unsuccessful the company will continue to experience challenges in its time sheet recording system. CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 Wearable Computing ID cards at Global Products LLC 4 What are Wearable Computing based ID cards 4 How can Wearable Computing be utilized 5 Associated risks 6 Infrastructure 6 How we manage wearable cards 7 BUSINESS CASE 8 Overview of activity 8 Consultation 8 Financial Model 9 SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS 11 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 15 REFERENCES 16 â€Æ' Wearable Computing ID cards at Global Products LLC What are Wearable Computing based ID cards †¢ Computing based ID cards also known as RFID †¢ Radio frequency identification, or RFID, is a generic term for technologies that use radio waves to automatically identify people or objects †¢ Direct line of sight is not needed for reading †¢ More than 1 card can be read at a time †¢ Information is stored on the card that communicates with a reader (see attached picture) †¢ Information from the card can be stored in the reader for quick access or on a net... .../mobile/mobile-applications/how-enterprises-can-plan-for-wearables/d/d-id/1127827. [Accessed 21 March 14]. RFID Journal. 2014. Frequently asked questions. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.rfidjournal.com/site/faqs. [Accessed 22 April 14]. Office of the privacy commissioner Canada. 2008. RFID in the workplace. [ONLINE] Available at:https://www.priv.gc.ca/information/research-recherche/consultations/2008/rfid_e.asp#Part1-1. [Accessed 04 April 14]. Sage HRMS. 2013. Punching in for Improved Workforce Management: The Top Seven Benefits of an Automated Time and Attendance System. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.dresserassociates.com/pdf/whitepapers/Sage-HRMS-Top-Seven-Benefits-of-Automated-Time-Attendance-System.pdf. [Accessed 04 April 14]. Rawlinsons, RP, 2010. Rawlinsons Australian Construction Handbook. 28th ed. Osborne Park, WA: Rawlinson Publishing

How would Xerox define diversity? Essay

Xerox defines diversity as a priceless resource and a key to their success. It more than just race or gender. By incorporating in a company like xerox different cultures and ways of thinking it expands the mind set of the company and leads toward creating innovative solutions and business opportunities (Xerox). How has the definition of diversity changed over the years? We live in a world where, because of the Internet and the Web, we can communicate with someone in Africa or Asia as easily as we can communicate with someone in the office next door. A company like Xerox represents businesses all over the world, and the diversity of its employees is a big plus. Acknowledging our differences and using them as a value-added for any clients needs is one of the keys to a companies success. The economic problems that the world economy is experiencing has only added greater emphasis to our beliefs in the importance of diversity. We are all in this economic situation together. It certainly is not the time to retreat from our strong belief that diverse perspectives are essential to prospering in today’s world. What are the seven reasons why Xerox should be motivated to diversify their workforce? Illustrate how Xerox shows its values workplace diversity. Wider Talent Pool More talent will be employed at Xerox if employees of all cultures and race are hired. More Knowledge Sharing Employees can share cultural traits , market demographics and help develop companies develop robust knowledge management and market intelligence systems. Enhanced Productivity By processing varied skills , competencies and capabilities of different races and cultures, Xerox can increase its productivity worldwide (Xerox). Reduced Discrimination At Xerox woman and minorities make up for 52% of the workforce and 42.5% of Xerox senior executives are women or people of color or both (Xerox).

Lenin had a greater impact on Russia’s economy and society than any other Ruler. How far do you agree with this view of the period from 1855 to 1964? Essay

Lenin had a capacious doctor on Russias thrift and community than whatever other Ruler. How out-of-the-way(prenominal) do you agree with this view of the finale from 1855 to 1964? Over the spot from 1855 to 1964, Russia proverb miscellaneous reforms and policies chthonic the Tsars and the communist leading that had ample reachs on its economy and society both(prenominal) unconditional and damaging. Lenin definitely implanted polices that changed society and the economy for example with war communism. provided whether his policies had the capaciousest furbish up is debatable and in this essay I will be assessing the view whether Lenin had the greatest feign on Russias economy and society than every other ruler betwixt the period from 1855-1964. The Russia economy in terms of manufacture fluctuated all over the period from 1855-1964. It is key to line of products that infra all the leaders, industrialisation and modernization was always seen as an essenti al scotch aim. Under horse parsley II, with Reutern as his parson of finance who adopted an approach that turn around go on railway construction, attractive feature of international expertise and foreign investment funds capital. As a result modernization and expansion occurred within the staples as vigorous as pertlyer industries which show the squeeze that horse parsley II made on constancy. Reutern achieved a s in timefold attach in the totality of railway and the capacity of railway to demand break bulk at secureness increase which gave a major cost increase to industrial widening Russia seemed to be at last moving towards industrialisation and defying up with the West. This approach was similar chthonic Nicolas II who also managed to suck up a great impact on Russias industrial economy. This was through the bailiwick of Sergei Witte whom at the prison term of his appointee the Russian economy even-tempered resolved predominantly around awkward deed fu rther present that chthonian Alexander II impacts was narrowed. Witte go along the appraisal of foreign expertise as headspring as taking out foreign loans, raising taxes and interest rates to wage hike on hand(predicate) capital for investment in labor.Another major development was the stance of the rouble on the gold measuring in 1897. The impacts of Wittes policies were great. Coal outturn doubled and that of iron and steel increased sevenfold while the total add together of railway track opened rose wine from 29,183 km to 52,612 km in 1901. a great deal of this stimulated the stupendous egress in capital abroad. there was an indication that income started to even catch up with other industrialised nations seen and incomeearned from industry rose from 42 jillion to 161 roubles by 1897. This period of industrial success has even been named the Great invent and the increase in industrial outturn of 7.5% far exceeded Russian achievement for any comparable period before 1914 which shows that Nicholas II had the greatest impact on the industrial economy than any other Tsar. This revolve about on heavy industry was keep beneath Stalin who implanted his five division plans industrialisation was to be stimulated through the setting production targets. The effects were great increase in industrial output which hard to toss offed estate specifically as often of the production figures were falsified. Khrushchev mostly keep Stains centralisation with greater diversion as he wanted to unwrap much consumer goods. There was as yet a slowdown in harvest-home chthonian Khrushchev but it wasnt a huge impact and illustrates a electro veto impact. This however didnt comp be to negative impacts seen under Lenin. By November 1917 Lenin stated apply War Communism by introducing state capitalism. This involved the state taking expel control over the economy until it could safely be handed over to the proletariat.communisation by itself did noth ing to increase production military needs were given priority so that resources to those industries not considered essential were denied. The site was made to a greater extent(prenominal) serious by the factories being deprived of manpower as a result of conscription. The problem for industry was deepened by hyperinflation. The governments insurance policy on continuing to print up-to-dateness notes effectively destroyed the value of funds and by the end of 1920 the rouble had travel to 1 per cent of its worthin1917. Although Lenins NEP started to impact industry coercively and indeed industrial output increased speedily it single if ever reached the level of output in 1914. Overall, the greatest positive impact on industry arguably is under Nicholas II. industrial output over doubled under him, railway construction expanded rapidly and his policies force the pack as intumesce battalion saw living standards increase unlike under Stalin that despite growth living standa rds actually deteriorated and Russia could eat up seen to be on its way to true industrialisation. Whilst under Lenin it is clear that he had the greatest negative impact on the industrial economy. There was no industrial growth and Lenin entirely benefited through tighter control of Russia through the economy. As well as impacts on industry it is also important to consider impacts on agri deliriumure. The issue of agri finishing ownership washstand be seen tobe handled differently under each leader. Alexander II, Lenin and Stalin all engage that effectively had negative impacts on agriculture. With the independence of the serfs in 1861 the peasants were free and no weeklong tied to the go through. The impacts however were reversal. Peasants were allocated poor role land and received less(prenominal) on average than they had been nation before emancipation.moreover peasants were superpowerd to pay redemption dues that were higher(prenominal)(prenominal) than what they co uld achieve. In the end, the impacts on the peasants were they were worse send off and able peasants had no incentive to produce surpluses and were reluctant to improve the land as decisions about what was to be produces and how crops were to be courteous were decided by the village Mir, which resulted in a slight fall in grain overall. These effects however were more severe under Lenin and Stalin as they want to increase grain production by coercion. While Lenin under War communism used grain requisitioning to forcefully hear peasant surpluses from them Stalin used collectivisation to force peasants to collaborate to produce as much provender as possible. Similarly in both cases the peasants refused to conform knowing that any surplus would be confiscated the peasant produced the barest stripped-down to feed themselves and their family and even less aliment was available for Russia. One of the greatest impacts were the famines that occurred in 1921 under Lenin where the gra in harvest produced less than half the marrow gathered in 1931 and Russia had international help from countries such as the USA. However these impacts were the greatest under Stalin. The amount of bread produced fell from 250.4 (kilograms per head) in 1928 to 214.6 in 1932. The impacts of collectivisation were at its switch in 1932-32 when occurred what more people describe as a self-made national famine. Stalins official silence of the situation meant it wasnt addressed and thus collectivisation killed between 10-15 million peasants and failed to increase unpolished output.though a similar devastating famine occurred under Alexander III in which he adopted the Peasant land banks to try and alleviate the impacts and encourage farming over again and in fact famines occurred over Russian history its severity was the worst under Stalin. Alexander IIs attempt to pacify the peasants to increase pastoral levels was as well adopted under Nicholas II through the reforms of Stolypin a nd further under Khrushchev. Stolypins wager on the backbreaking saw that in that period peasants were paying progressively higher taxes a signthat their new farming was producing higher profits. The purvey of land backs, abolition of redemption dues and being urged to exchange inefficient strip system created a wealthier group of peasants later labelled the kulaks by communist leaders signifying that Nicholas II enjoyed higher agricultural profits. The schemes for larger-scale voluntary resettlement of peasants are a continuation under Khrushchev whose saturated Land Campaigns encouraged the increase in the amount of land being complaisant. In 1950, 96 million acres of land were given over to the production of straw and by 1964 this increased to 165 million acres. His policies seem to surrender even impacted citizens as urban dwellers started to feel that their food requirements were at last being adequately met. Thus Khrushchev tail end be seen to return the greatest posi tive impact on agriculture as the Russian people had finally felt that the food was sufficient for them and the amount of land and grain cultivated increased. While the greatest negative impact was prominently under Stalin, his collectivisation was met by peasant unrest and grain and store destruction that lead to a beshrew national famine. two the Tsars and the Communist leaders had their impacts on the Russian society.Religion and the cerebration that the Tsar was Gods own appointed continued under all three Tsars, so there was no accepted impact by any on the tsars on devotion as they sought-after(a) to keep this religious through the aid of the Russian Orthodox Church the Russian people sincerely believed that the Tsar was appointed by God and referred to him as their little obtain. Despite Lenin coming into power and bare the decree on the separation of the perform and state which meant that the church building was no durable to have central organisation with berth over local organisations, religious teachings in schools being forbidden and the attempt to exterminate religion Peasants continued to pray and morality as their forebears had but they could no longer risk doing it so semipublicly.Hence showing the Tsars had a greater impact in terms of religion than the communist leaders as all their efforts to eradicate religion and enforce atheism effectively failed. Both the Tsars and the communist attempted to expand the provision of education at all levels. Alexander II is seen to make attempts that increased the sum up of Russians in education. In 1864 Alexander II introduced a major education reform. This had an prompt impact in the number of available school places, especially in more isolate places and raised the quality and potpourri of provision whichimproved.Such continuation sack be seen under Khrushchev who scrapped school fees and the macrocosm of specialist academies and the spread of correspondence courses sought to incre ase the quality of education in Russia. Nicholas II and Stalins educational policies can be seen as similar in that they both impacted society similarly by raising the number of students go to school. The number of uncreated schools rose from 79 one thousand in 1896 to 81 thousand in 1914 under Nicholas II ( work of the fourth duma) while in 1929 only 8 million pupils were attending primary school and in 1930 this rose to 18 million pupils. Furthermore under Stalin emerged the cult of personality that aimed to control all aspects of Russian biography. Censorship and propaganda increased drastically under Stalin however whether Stalin truly had an impact on the culture and the way of thinking is debatable. The cheers that greeted his every appearance in public is more likely to have been a matter of prudence than of real affection. In comparison to the leaders already point of reference Alexander III sought to limit university autonomy. Under him elections to the university cou ncils were scrapped and placed by an appointment system but nevertheless universities continued to flourish. Overall although Alexander II can be seen to have stimulated educational growth participation the greatest impacts were seen under Nicholas II and Stalin which participation increased immensely. Although the Communist leaders tried to eradicate the church from society many of the Russian community remained orthodox but secretly illustrating the strong impacts the Tars had over religion. In conclusion, it can be seen that different rulers had various impacts on many parts of the economy and society. Industrially Lenin did have the greatest negative impact as the Russia didnt see any real economic growth and saw a great famine. However under Nicholas II Russia enjoyed the great Spurt which arguably could have seen to have a greater positive impact as it even filtered to the Russian citizens that enjoyed better standards of living and many historians state that Russia was well on its way to industrialisation. Lenin again had a great negative impact on agriculture but that of Stalin was more severe and was worse on agricultural produce. Overall, though Lenin had great impacts of different aspects of life other rulers can be seen to have had a greater impact whether positive or negative and Lenin never truly managed to have a true impact on Russian society and culture though attempted.