Saturday, August 31, 2019

Virtualization

The author displayed this by implementing his into an existing infrastructure and recording the results of the changes with several stress tests done to the new infrastructure. The platform used for this experiment was Oxen desktop. (Gang 2010). The author is credible because he holds a doctorate in Computer science and is a professor at the Korea advanced Institute of science and technology. He also holds a Masters in computer science with a specialization in POP, grid computing, network optimization and operating systems.This article is credible because the research is presented as a case study in which they test out the efficiency of he new brutalized infrastructure on one of the main hypocrisies used in fertilization technology. The evidence used in this article is relevant and the authors experimentation is the support that backs up this evidence. The researchers also supported by the Korea science and engineering foundation grant funded by the Korean government.The information is article would be used to highlight the advantages of fertilization in a big network setting. Shout T. S. (201 1). Development of an intrusion detection and prevention course project using fertilization technology. International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology, 7(2), 46-55. According to an article written by Chou (2011) a virtual network lab was constructed at East Carolina University to help students work and practice on intrusion detection and prevention.This was done because a virtual lab gave the students and network administrators a much more user-friendly and efficient environment. The virtual network environment allowed the students to each have their own workspace that replicated a network, thus giving them a real-world environment for them to experiment in. Chou 2011). The author is credible because he holds a doctorate in electrical engineering from Florida international University. He is currently an assistant professo r at Indiana State University specializing in digital communication.The article is a quality source of information because the international Journal of Education and Development using Information Communication Technology is a valued E Journal in the technology and communication field. The study is a quality source Of information about the advantages that fertilization brings different types of settings. The information found in this article will be used to highlight the scalability that fertilization brings in how its efficiency over physical machines is an improvement. Chou 2011). You, S. (2012). Economic analysis of cloud-based desktop fertilization implementation at a hospital. BMW Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 12(1 1 9), Retrieved from http:// www. Biomedical. Com/1472-6947/12/119 According to an article written by You (2012) a hospital in Korea implemented a virtual desktop infrastructure into their facility and they conducted a 5 year economic analysis to see how he fertilization could possibly end up saving them money.The author presents the information for statistical analysis and graphs that show how much money they can save based on the amount of virtual machines they choose to implement. (You, 2012). The publication is a good source of information because the BMW Medical Informatics & Decision Making journal is a highly regarded peer-reviewed journal that only publishes work deemed coherent and sound by its many peers. The article is a quality source of information because it highlights the efficiency and financial impact that fertilization can bring in such a huge setting.The information's article be used to highlight the money saving aspects of implementing a fully virtual environment in a short and long-term perspective. (You, 2012). Cue, L (2012). Energy performance assessment of fertilization technologies using small environmental monitoring sensors. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 12, 6610-6628. According to an artic le written by Lu (2012) power consumption is a major issue when it comes to server infrastructures in data centers and the study was done to monitor power consumption of physical servers compared to virtual servers.Small sensors ere used to monitor power consumption in temperatures of both types Of servers. (Lu, 2012). The author presents the information through an experiment in which they use both physical and virtual servers and put them through different processor workloads to monitor how the temperature and power consumption are under different loads of stress. The multidisciplinary Digital publishing Institute is a good source of information because they are publisher of many open access scientific journals with a good portion of them being covered by web science.The article is a good source of information cause it highlights the advantages that fertilization brings to the data centre in the sense of power consumption. The information article will be used to help show how ferti lization brings advantages over physical servers when it comes to power consumption. (Lure 2012). Walters, J. P. (2008). A fault-tolerant strategy for brutalized HIP clusters. The Journal Of Supercomputing, 50, 209-239. According to an article written by Walters (2009) fertilization improves the usage of computing capability, especially in data centers where resource allocation is a top priority.A study as done comparing the overall performance and scalability of different virtual machine platforms. Also present information through a study in which he compared Ovenware server, Oxen, and Open VS.. (Walters, 2008). They measured 3 categories: full fertilization, Para-fertilization, operating system-level fertilization. The article is a good source of information it shows the many different ways that computing resources can be consolidated and the advantages that they bring.The Journal of supercomputing is a good source of information because they are a journal that publishes articles and studies based on all aspects of supercomputing. The information in the article will be used to show the versatility of fertilization and how you can tailor it to your needs. (Walters, 2008). Engine, M. (201 1). High availability using fertilization. International Transactions in Applied 195-200. According to an article written by Engine (2011 ) fertilization technology needs more ways to Introduce high availability to its infrastructure to ensure a seamless experience in the decanter.He is a big proponent of having a proven failover mechanism being implemented into physical servers being used to virtual machines, this will ensure a secure environment where management and backup lotions are of the highest priority. (Engine, 2011). The author is a good source of information because he is a research scholar at JOT University, a University in India specializing in education related to object oriented programming and technology.The publication â€Å"international transactions and ap plied sciences† is a good source of information because they are Journal that publishes many articles in the fields of mathematical modeling and optimization. It is quarterly journal that is frequently read by researchers and computer science, physics, chemistry, applied sciences, etc†¦ The article is a good source Of information because the researchers presented not only the advantages Of fertilization but also the points that were fertilization can see improvement.The information is article be used to show were fertilization has some holes and how some of the newer technology that is out now helps to improve on high-availability and stability. (Engine, 201 1) Keening, Y. (2012). Performance combination evaluation from single virtual machine to multiple virtual machine systems. International Journal of Numerical Analysis & Modeling, 9(2), 351-370. According to an article written y Keening (2012) fertilization technology can bring many bottlenecks when it comes to high-pe rformance computing and decanter usage.The goal of this article was to experiment and evaluate where these bottlenecks are in single and multiple virtual machine systems. The author is a good source Of information could he IS currently working on his PhD in computer science at both Jagging University and the University of Sydney. He received his bachelors in software engineering from Jagging University and currently specializes in fertilization and cloud computing, is also member of the SPEC search group and ERG cloud working group.The publication is a good source of information because the international Journal of numerical analysis and modeling is a journal that dedicated to the wide spectrum of numerical methods in science and engineering. It only publishes high-quality papers pertaining to all fields of numerical analysis and mathematical modeling (including scientific computing). The article is a good source of information because the study shows the different capabilities of s ingle and multiple virtual machine systems and where bottlenecks happen that may cause performance issues possibly.The information is article be used to highlight where fertilization can be utilized the best to avoid bottlenecks that can cause performance issues. (Keening, 201 2) Sheriff, M. (2012). Power-efficient distributed scheduling of virtual machines using workload-aware consolidation techniques. The Journal of Supercomputing, 61 , 46-66. According to an article written by Sheriff (2012) power consumption is a major issue in data centers, especially in those where many clients are expecting to be using the system with little to no response time.The author goes through four different models to display the preferences in power consumption and server utilization. He then proposes an energy efficient approach that can consolidate energy used. The authors is a good source of information because he holds a PhD in computer science with a sofa;are concentration and was a professor at the Victoria University of Manchester and is currently professor at the Iran University of science and technology. The Journal of supercomputing is a good source of information because they are a journal that publishes articles and studies based on all aspects Of supercomputing.The article is a good source Of information cause it's a research-based study that shows how the models differ when it comes to their power consumption and then when he introduces the proposed model the results display the advantages of a more energy aware approach to the decanter. The information is article be used to explain that even though fertilization can be implemented, there are still many ways to improve upon it that can help from a business aspect. (Sheriff, 2012). Mansard, M. (2013). Towards fertilization in cloud computing.International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science, 4(8), This article, written y Mansard (2013) discusses cloud computing and its applications in today's technolog ical landscape. He discusses grid computing relation to cloud computing and how fertilization plays a key role in the functionality of cloud computing. The author is a good source of information because he currently works at the computer engineering department at Islamic Sad University and has written many articles pertaining to the sciences.The publication is a good source of information because it is an online open access in peer- reviewed journal with many articles on computer science and relevant fields. This article is a good source of information because it introduces cloud computing and how fertilization is one of the building blocks of how cloud computing works. The information is article will be used to display the power and simplicity that fertilization can bring over networks and how that brings ease to users. (Mansard, 2013). Claudia, M. (2009). Romulus: Disaster tolerant system based on kernel virtual machines.Annals of DAM for 2009 & Proceedings of the 20th Internation al DAM Symposium, 20(1), 1671-1672. This article, written by Claudia (2009) alas about disaster tolerance in computer systems and how fertilization technology brings a slew of new ways to keep computer systems up and running even in times of emergency or accidents. He introduces a new algorithm (Romulus) for disaster tolerance that allows for optimum failover for a VIM cluster. The author is a good source of information because he's had more than 10 years Of professional experience in the field and is currently a software engineer at twitter.The DAM International World Symposium is a good source of information because traditionally DAM is an association for international scientific and academic cooperation in relation to intelligent automation in modern production. They have a yearly symposium were professionals in the field discuss the latest developments. This article is a good source of information because it focuses on the different techniques in which you can keep a virtual net work infrastructure intact when disaster strikes.The information is article be used to highlight how failsafe mechanisms can be implemented to keep a virtual machine network intact. (Claudia, 2009). Ferguson, S. (2008, September 22). Ovenware takes the long view. Www. Seek. Mom, According to an article written by Ferguson (2008) Ovenware began to take a long-term approach when it comes to implementing the virtual data centre. They introduced a new fertilization platform (VOID- SO) and many new software that are going to change the functionality of the data centre and how it interacts with different devices.The website is a good source of information because it routinely posts news and upcoming developments in the technology field. The article is a good source of information because it shows how companies are looking to innovate and continue to bring change to fertilization. The evidence in the article is relevant to fertilization because the very things that Ovenware introduced back in 2008 are now being used regularly by many businesses to take their optimization Of the data centre to the next level now.The information article will be used to show how Ovenware implemented a plan to change how fertilization works for data centers and how far they've come since introducing their new software initiative. (Ferguson, 2008) Rose, R. (2004). Survey of system fertilization techniques. In www. Robertson. Com. This article, written by Rose (2009) takes a look at the two main ways in which retaliation is implemented into computers. He takes a brief look at the history of fertilization and how full fertilization and Para-fertilization work on different chippies.The author is a good source of information that he is currently a director of flight software at Spaces, a rocket and spacecraft manufacturer. He also previously worked at Boor 3-D and Sony computer, he also has a degree from Oregon State University. Rose's website is a good source of information because its a blo b that he keeps up-to-date in which he discusses various topics in the IT industry and new happenings in the business. Rose is an experienced professional the field and provides a lot of good insight to other IT professionals.The article is a good source of information because the information about fertilization is broken down from its early history and then transitioned to the very specifics of its inner workings and the differences in its operation on different chippies. The information in this article will be used to explain the early beginnings Of fertilization and the main differences be;en full fertilization and Para- fertilization and how each of them have their advantages. (Rose, 2004) Pedal, P. (2007). Performance evaluation of fertilization technologies for server consolidation.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Sociological Approach to the Study of Religion

Outline and assess one of the main approaches to the study of religions. Religion and ‘The Study of Religions’ has many approaches which try to investigate the core of what religion is and what it means to the people who practice it. Sociology is one such approach that this essay will be looking at through its founding fathers Emile Durkheim, Max Weber and Karl Marx. Sociology in general looks at people’s dynamics and explains a group’s influence. It demonstrates how religious belief and practices have become so important over time and emphasises their role and significance throughout. Each of these three sociologists has a link to these ideas which will be the main thesis in this essay. Emile Durkheim looks at religion from a functionalist perspective in the sense that he assumes that religion has a positive role in society, as it acts as an important socialisation process for all members. The theory is largely based on the Arunta tribe in Australia, where he discovered objects worshipped which he calls ‘totems. ’ These totems according to him were an important factor in the society; seeing that the objects became a symbol of the group’s identity and unity. These objects he claims are â€Å"collective representation† (Fish, Jonathan S. 2005: 30) as they have reinforced the importance of integration into the community via the worshipped objects. The worshipped object have an emotional significance to them as the â€Å"totems serve as evocative device for reminding individuals of their initial feelings long after the assemblies† (Fish, Jonathan S. 2005:51) therefore evidently it becomes more about the idea and symbolism of the object rather than the object itself that unites all. Thus making the idea of rituals of greater significance as it generally binds people together which for Durkheim is always a positive thing. On the other hand, Durkheim does not offer a real explanation on why some deviate from such society’s e. g. Islamic fundamentalists such as the Taliban. Perhaps his theory generally works on a tribal base rather than bigger societies, where conflicts and divides are more common; in a smaller community less people are likely to go against the status quo. Moreover, to say that religion only plays a positive role is absurd. How can one explain the atrocities that occur on the name of religion for instance? For this reason I find Durkheim’s theory limiting as it does not look at all aspects of religion or religious life but merely draws a quick conclusion to it. Also according to this perspective religion instils the same norms and values for everyone, making it a regulatory function in society. Religion for Marx then becomes a form of social control which provides guidelines through religious texts e. g. 10 commandments. These norms which are shared gives people the opportunity to unite to what may be seen as morally incorrect or sinful. This can be vital in a society as it can allow social stability. Durkheim argument is plausible as there has been a significant rise in New Religious Movements. This evidently shows that people still require religion in their life. Moreover, the recent increase on religious fundamentalists can be a point that strengthens Durkheim argument as it can be evidence for people being threatened by a weakening society. Karl Marx similar to Durkheim starts with the assumption that religion is in fact a product of society. Importantly, however, he disagrees with Durkheim as he does not see religion as beneficial for the whole of society but argues it benefits only the ruling class or what he calls the ‘bourgeoisie’. Religion, according to Marx only transmits bourgeoisie ideologies to convince the working class or ‘proletariats’ that inequality is natural and fair phenomena in the world. Making religion as a whole a â€Å"collective smoke-screen† (Connolly, P. 1999:100) as it distorts reality which gives explanation for inequality as being of religious significance i. e. sin. For Marx this is the core idea behind religion making it a tool for oppression and a form of social control. Religion is claimed to be the â€Å"opium of the people† (Hamilton, Malcolm B 2001:81), making it a drug which is used by people as an illusion to hide or cover up the real causes of suffering, which for Marx is primarily capitalism. Capitalism covers up religion and manages to help the bourgeoisie greatly, as it becomes a â€Å"comforting illusion† (Hamilton, Malcolm B 2001:80) as the proletariats do not question the status quo due to their belief in getting a greater reward in the afterlife. Religion itself is used to justify hierarchy in the world, a verse in a hymn such as the following are used, â€Å"the rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate, god made them. Highly or lowly, and ordered their state†. This stresses Marx’s point that as it’s believed to be sanctioned by God it is unlikely to be challenged by anyone. The Marxists perspective generally makes many valid arguments which society can relate to even today. The idea of caste system is still relevant in many Hindu traditions (although generally frowned upon). Buddhism has the idea of karma meaning if you are a poor person in this life then it’s to do with your own bad karma in the previous life. Therefore Marxism is correct in this aspect, that religion is used in order to justify inequality. Another key piece of evidence for the Marxists perspective is the fact that the Catholic Church is arguably allowing the spread of aids due to its stance against contraception. As a result of this, there is a continuation of social deprivation especially in Africa which further illustrates that religion is generally used to keep social inequality. Marxism disagrees that religion can bring about social change, this, however can be disputed. This is mainly due to the fact religious leaders have challenged the status quo in order to bring about change in their societies. Two main examples being Father Camillo Torres Restrepo and Martin Luther King whose works brought about a vast amount of change to Colombia and America respectively. Evidently this contrasts to the Marxists view as it shows that religion can in fact bring about social change and consequently allow for equality. Personally, I feel that the Marxists view limits human nature as it assumes they will simply follow rather than stand up to injustice. More importantly sociology in general claims to work in an objective and scientific way but I cannot see how it is possible with Marxists ideas such as on the religion being a drug and comforting as these ideas are impossible to measure. Max Weber is regarded as a social action theorist due to his claim that religion can shape and define society. He argues that religion can indeed bring about social change; he bases his argument on a Christian group named the Calvinists whom according to him brought about a form of western capitalism. This form of â€Å"ascetic Protestantism† (Johnstone, Ronald L. 2004:196) allows for the growth of capitalism because of their belief on disciplined hard work which to them emphasised the Glory of God. This â€Å"spirit of capitalism† (Furseth, Inger and Pal Repstad 2006:36) did not allow for the accumulation of wealth but actually encouraged reinvestment back into the society according to Weber. The so called Protestant ethics approach leads him to believe that this led to social change as society turned to mass producing mechanised industries. Another way the Calvinist were able to bring about social change, was thorough the apprehension people had. Calvinists believed in predestination which led to the belief that having a good business or being successful could have indicated that you were one of God’s chosen people. This gives the perception that people were competing over heaven and failure was not an option for people. However, Weber does not limit the growth of capitalism to the Calvinist alone as he is aware of other factors. Weber’s argument must be treated with a degree of caution. Evidence suggests that Protestant nations were not always capitalistic and vice versa. Also many believe that Catholic countries were already flourishing before the breakaway from Catholicism occurred. The study of Religions deal with many wide and opposing issues some of which have been covered in this essay through the works of Durkheim, Marx and Weber. Although, each sociologist does give a good account of explaining the dynamics within a religious group but with each case a very simplistic and generalised view was given by the sociologist about religion. It is plausible to argue that religion brings people together through rituals but is it not a natural thing for people to unite whilst doing something together? In this view then perhaps anything can be said to have religious significance as long as it brings people together. Additionally, the idea of a greater reward in the afterlife is not the only justification given about inequality. In the greater sense inequality within religion can be about anything from the roles of men and women to dress code. Therefore once again this idea has been limited to it being about capitalism. Religion is said to be able to bring about social change which arguably is a factor but for it to be the only thing is for me far fetched. It is an inherent thing for people to fight when they are being wronged. It is about something within rather than it being about religion.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Case Study Treating An Ischemic Brain Attack Nursing Essay

Case Study Treating An Ischemic Brain Attack Nursing Essay J Sparrow, a 70-year-old patient, presents to the emergency department 4 hours after experiencing an ischemic brain attack confirmed on the CT of the head without contrast. The patient is a candidate for intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy to dissolve the blood clot causing the significant stroke symptoms. The patient is scheduled for the emergent cerebral angiogram with possible intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy. The nurse provided patient and family education and received the informed written consent from the patient’s spouse. The patient has intravenous normal saline at 100 mL/hr infusing into the right forearm with an 18-gauge angiocath, which is patent. Interpretations and findings done by the group: Most books have cited the importance of the â€Å"3-hour window† for administration of thrombolytic therapies. This is to adhere to the fact that irreversible brain injuries usually take place after 3 hours from the onset of stroke, and any intervention to reverse t he condition would be deemed useless. But recent studies show that the 3 hour window was extended to 4.5 hours, and was proven to still be therapeutic if the drug was administered up to this time. In the patient’s case, even if it was 4 hours after the onset of stroke, he was still allowed to undergo possible Intra-arterial Thrombolytic therapy following a cerebral angiography since this was indicated for stroke patients with onset of symptoms for more than 3 hours. CT scan of the head without contrast was done as a differential diagnosis as to what type of stroke patient JS had experienced. This was an important test to determine further interventions needed, and to reduce risks for any complications if the client’s stroke was classified as hemorrhagic. Cerebral angiography was ordered to identify the exact area of occlusion, so that immediate administration of the thrombolytic drug can be done. Before patient JS became a candidate for thrombolytic therapy, several cr iteria for eligibility were assessed since not all stroke patients can have this kind of therapy. What labs should the nurse assess before the procedure and why? Patient JS is about to undergo cerebral angiography, wherein a contrast dye is to be injected to view the area of occlusion. Before the procedure, certain laboratory tests need to be assessed and reassessed as a standard protocol, and for further procedures which requires it. The cerebral angiography test is done to locate the area of occlusion or infarction to determine the area of administration of Thrombolytics. Since the client is about to undergo EMERGENT cerebral angiography, only the most significant laboratory tests are to be assessed. Blood tests Complete blood count with Platelet Count Hemoglobin count is important to determine the amount of oxygen in the blood. Low oxygen in blood aggravates the condition of the patient (in which a part of the brain is deprived already of oxygen), by depriving other parts of the brain or body of proper oxygen. Hematocrit can also determine if the client experiences alterations in fluid volume, especially within the blood vessels. Assessing these values can determine further interventions needed to be done before the procedure, such as administration of oxygen and increasing the rate of administration of fluids.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Looking Backward Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Looking Backward - Essay Example The benefits of the evolution of this industrial system have been manifest. This has made other governments like Europe to emulate the same mode of a single system of control because of the economic underperformance experience in the decentralized industrial control system. The government has considered the efficiency, which streams from the application of scientific forms of production. Additionally, supply of products is linked to the demand of the various products produced. Logistics have been introduced to ensure that the bureaucratic structures put in place are beneficial. Bellamy also analyzes the aspect of equality of labor in the novel, ‘Looking Backward’. In this regard, shared labor has been construed to be the driver of social order and scientific socialism. According to Bellamy, human welfare and equality can be fostered by a society, which is efficiently managed (47). This is because the humanity aspect is indispensable in the search of equality at work. The social order has made people co-exist in every aspect to an extent that it is impossible for any person to alienate himself from the society for any course. Bellamy remarks, â€Å"†¦Our entire social order is so wholly based upon and deduced from [compulsory national service] that if it were conceivable that a man could escape it, he would be left with no possible way to provide for his existence. He would have excluded himself from the world, cut himself off from his kind, in a word, committed suicide†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Bellamy, 59). Equality in social labor is mandatory fo r any person to be on equal footing with the rest of the community. Bellamy asserts that synergistic effort helps in the fostering of unity in the industrial setting rather than the fear of retribution (37). Citizenship is correlated with work. Through this work equality is achieved by all the citizens. The women are not

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Media Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Media Analysis - Essay Example nts such as the tempo, rhythm, harmony, modality, among others, are crucial as they participate in the process of disseminating message in the media production to its intended audience. This essay discusses how music influences media production in both the positive and negative ways, if there is any. When music is used as an accompaniment in high-definition slide sets, television, motion pictures, and films productions, both the media producers and commercial producers accept and recommend this. In this case, music will be in the form of background, or mood music. However, there has been a debate whether this kind of music in media production results in increased motivation, enjoyment, and more learning for the people receiving the message in the media production (Seidman WEB). Some people believe that if the media production is meant exclusively for learning or education purposes, then the inclusion of background or mood music is unnecessary. This is because it lowers the concentration of the audience, and instead of paying attention to the educative material in the media, most will concentrate on the music alone. Various experimental evidence also point to this fact. Other scholars have argued against use of music in educational media because music produces different moods on the people, therefore, their mood of learning might be messed up, such that they will not benefit from what was meant to be an educative media session. This includes both instructional films and educational television programs. However, in media productions with other goals apart from educational goals, it is right to use the music. These include entertainment media productions, where people have entertainment as their sole purpose. Whether they concentrate or not, it will not cost them much, as music is also meant for entertainment (Seidman WEB). There are different roles music plays in media productions. For instance, in movies, background music gives the audience some relaxation and

Monday, August 26, 2019

Fire Engineering Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9250 words

Fire Engineering - Literature review Example The study explores the role of these consultants in ensuring building design, development and sustenance for adherence to fire safety to understand the extent to which fire safety engineering solutions are important in fire engineering today. As buildings codes exist, so do the need for inspection for compliance and for adherence to fire safety which is usually overlooked by concerned administration or engineers in the respective departments. A building is a complex system with fire safety design being a part or inter-related sub-system of this complex system design. Two parameters: fire load density FLD (in MJm–2) and occupant load factor OLF are key in assessment of local fire codes in Hong Kong. A survey of private buildings in Hong Kong in February 1998 revealed that just 11 percent of the buildings were in satisfactory conditions in terms of fire safety. The survey was conducted by Fire Services Department (FSD) for provision and compliance with fire service installations and equipment (FSI) for fire prevention, detection and protection in the buildings. Incidents of fire in domestic and commercial buildings and rail and road tunnels have attracted criticism from the public as well as from other quarters and there have been constant changes in the building ordinance for fire safety to protect life and property. A framework for fire safety exists, based on which it is learnt that various countries including Hong Kong and Australia have developed a regulatory system for fire safety in buildings. The framework provides goals, objectives, performance requirements and means of compliance for building fire safety (Code of Practice for Fire Safety in Buildings, 2011). Factors determining fire safety in buildings, codes of practice for fire safety, design and performance of fire safety framework, compliance issues by segment, health and safety of building occupants and the insights into fire fighting industry in general in Hong Kong will be covered in this chapter. As buildings codes exist, so do the need for inspection for compliance and for adherence to fire safety which is usually overlooked by concerned administration or engineers in the respective departments. The role of these consultants in ensuring building design, development and sustenance for adherence to fire safety will also be explored to understand the extent to which fire safety engineering solutions are important in fire engineering today. Building occupancy Considering that Asian cities are becoming more urban with most of the population residing in high-rise buildings can be useful in studying the fire engineering solutions being employed to protect the life of the occupants and also the property. A study of the differences in structures shows that compartmentalized and non-compartmentalized structures with isomorphic and non-isomorphic floor plans can be assessed for fire safety (Livesay and Donegan, 2003, p 64.1) using different models like flame spread model, hea t transfer model, etc. (Bong, 2000). Hong Kong has a building control mechanism as shown in Figure 1 which includes design for fire safety mechanism as per codes of practice laid by two different legislative bodies, Buildings Ordinance (BO) and the Fire Services Ordinance (FSO), the compliance for which is overlooked by an Authorized Person (AP) acting as the project co-ordinator. The AP ensures that the building design, construction and management are in compliance with the BO in terms of fire engineering approach and performance (Lo et al, 2007, pp 133,134). Figure 1: Building control mechanism in Hong Kong. Source: (Lo et al, 2007, p 134). Building fire safety control mechanism takes into account the route complexity owing to the topological network of rooms and the passages that connect the rooms and floors to the exit space. Information theory and entropy are studied to formulate a mathematical model in Artificial Intelligence (AI) to evaluate the complexity of egress (or means of escape) based on route complexity. Building type comparisons are carried out by considering building plans as networks with the habitable compartments considered as the nodes of the network while the defined links between nodes or the connected passages between rooms and floors are considered as arcs or information steps. Using this information and the behaviour of fire using the different models, the egress

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Instructional Guide Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Instructional Guide - Assignment Example From this study it is clear that the primary target audience for these instructions are the fresh college students who have little knowledge and experience of what it takes to register for college classes. However, college students at advanced levels of study at the college that are not conversant with the registration procedure can rely on the instructions. The high probability based on previous evidence that many fresh students do not register for college classes in time with others not registering at all makes them a special interest group. The instructions were organized in a bullet list to make them user-friendly and easy to read. The cautions that are included in the instructions are that one cannot register for classes if they are not properly enrolled, they must have an active student account. An important caution is that one must ensure that they have gone through the registration checklist to ensure that they have duly accomplished all registration requirements. Finally, re gistration is completed online through the student portal.This essay stresses that a  successful search shall make a display on the computer screen the available classes for the selected course. Classes shall be identified by the days and time, the meeting dates, the room and the instructor. To add a class to your list, you shall click on the option of Select Class.  The search shall make a display of the class details including the other components that need to be taken with the class or the number of seats yet available.

The Legislative Department (United States Goverment) Research Paper - 1

The Legislative Department (United States Goverment) - Research Paper Example The House contains of four hundred and thirty five members who are elected from fifty states of the country. In addition to that there are also six other members with non-voting rights. The person presiding the House proceedings is the Speaker of the House who is chosen after an election between the representatives (Tocqueville, Alexis & Goldhammer 2004). The House of Representatives are brought into power following an electoral process. Elections take place in all fifty states of the country and they decide who will make it to the House and who will lag behind the race to make it to the Congress. As a general rule, all members of the House of Representatives are elected every two years. Moreover, they should be at least twenty five years old at the time of election. Also, it is a pre requisite that they must hold the citizenship of the USA for a period of at least seven years alongside being a resident of the State that they wish to represent (US Congress 2007). As far as the Senators are concerned, the Congress comprises of one hundred of them, of which two represent each State of the country. They are also elected by the people of their respective states for a period of six years. They are elected in such a manner that one third of the Senators have to be re-elected after every two years. Moreover, it is a must that the Senators should be at least thirty years of age, residents of the State they wish to represent and citizens of the United States for a period of at least nine years (Quirk, Paul & Binder 2005). As mentioned above, the Legislative Branch consists of two organizations which together make up the Congress of the United States of America. Those two organizations are known as the Senate and the House of Representatives. These together are responsible for carrying out the legislative process that is required to maintain proper running of the economy. One of the many

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Diabetes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Diabetes - Essay Example It was observed that the patient was obese. It was reported that he suffered Head and neck-mild bleeding of gums with tooth brushing. The patient’s chest and abdominal examination was conducted. It was found that his chest and abdominal examinations were normal. The patient was not suffering from any genital problems. At his feet his skin was dry with calluses on the medial side of the big toes. The nails of the patient were normal. His pulses measured were strong and equal. Sensation was normal to 10g monofilament. History of Present Illness Alvin Floyd began to feel weak and fatigued two months ago. Very little work tired him. He used to urinate two to three times at night. The patient admitted that he feels thirsty more than usual and whenever he feels thirsty he drinks a glass of water. The patient had been a member of football team at his school. His weight was normal throughout his school life. After leaving school, gradually he weight gradually increased. Although his a ppetite was healthy and nutritious but now he was losing weight. Alvin Floyd often suffered from pain in his feet. He felt as if the pain was burning his feet and sometimes his toes felt numb. The tingling and numbness in his fingers was causing obstructions at his work. His vision was blurry sometimes especially in the afternoons. Past History Alvin Floyd never suffered from any chronic illness. He had surgical removal of the vermiform appendix in 1972. He had not visited his dentist since 6 years. Both parents of the patient were dead. A huge stroke was the cause of his father’s death when he was 69 years of age. His mother had been found to be a patients suffering from diabetes when she was 48 years old. She died at age 62 from end-stage kidney disease. His weight was 10 lb 2 oz at birth. Both of his parents and his siblings are overweight. Among his siblings two are diabetic. Social History and Habits At present, the patient is married father of three adult children. He i s not a smoker but drinks beer occasionally. He does not make medicines, nutritional supplements or herbal remedies. Diabetes Definition and/or description of diabetes Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease. The condition of hyperglycemia in diabetes results into defects in the secretion of insulin, action of insulin, or both. Further effects include long-term damage, dysfunction, and failure of the pancreas, eyes, heart, blood vessels, nerves, and kidneys (Medicine Net, 2011). Pancreas   The pancreas is the organ responsible for producing insulin. Islets of Langerhans are tiny tissues found inside the pancreas. There number is around 100, 000. The islets constitutes a variety of cells. Beta cells manufacture the insulin also store it until the body has a need for the insulin. (Bashoff & Beaser, 1995). The pancreas also produce a hormone called glucagon responsible for elevating blood sugar. Insulin and glucagon keep the blood sugars within a normal range. Destruction of beta ce lls leads to decreased amount of insulin in the body (Kahn, 2003). Eyes   Diabetes is responsible for blurry visions. Once a person gets diagnosed with diabetes and he begins treatment, blurry vision corrects itself in a matter of a few weeks, provided the person keeps his blood sugar under control. Retinopathy is one of the most serious eye problems

Friday, August 23, 2019

Airports and ground handling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Airports and ground handling - Essay Example Various studies suggest that privately owned firms can realize higher levels of operating efficiency compared to state owned firms (Megginson et al., 2004). In the UK, there are various ownership structures of airports which include complete private ownership, local government ownership and public-private ownership. While there are several airports which are individually owned, there are also many airport operator groups in the UK. The privatisation of the UK airports is not an isolated case since the move has been embraced by other governments globally. For instance, Austria commercialised and privatised the Vienna International Airport; Australia privatised Melbourne or Tullamarine (Baird, 1996) while New Zealand privatised the ports of Wellington and Auckland international airports. Ideally, many governments globally have leased out their airports on a long-term basis to private entities to operate them to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness (Assaf, Gillen, & Barros, 2012). It is also crucial to note that this kind of arrangement has been extended to the management of sea ports and terminals across the world to enhance efficiency by easing congestion in the port facilities. A good example was the privatisation of nine UK ports in 1983 that formed the Associated British Ports (Haarmeyer, &Yorke, 1993). The privatization enabled the ports to increase capital investment, diversify assets and adopt effic ient practices (Haarmeyer, &Yorke, 1993). Thus, it is evident that privatisation of government owned entities is crucial in improving their operational efficiency and effectiveness. It is important, however, to note that privatisation of airports has not taken place in all parts of the UK and the world. Some airports such those in the Islands of Scotland, which are not busy or desirable are usually funded by the state to facilitate the movement of people

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Contracts Business Law Essay Example for Free

Contracts Business Law Essay Contracts are often viewed as unnecessary in the eyes of the public. Most people think that they live their lives doing what they want, when they want with little regard for contractual law. In reality, contracts bind the decisions that most people make on a regular basis. By writing this article I will demonstrate the usefulness of contracts and how they relate to everyday life. I also intend to provide a reasonable idea of what would happen if we did not have contracts guiding decisions made. Because without contracts, the law would not know who to rule in favor of should the need arise, which happens on a daily basis all around the world. The basic definition of a contract is an agreement between two or more parties. This definition encompasses a great many things. If you take a look at the life of an average consumer, from the beginning of their day to the end of it, they make decisions based on factors that have been put in place by contracts. Our consumer wakes up in his home, which was bought from K. Hovnanian, a company that is well known for the designing homes and making people’s dream homes come to life. That house was built by contractors. By definition a contractor is a person or firm who contracts to build things. Electricians, carpenters, stonemasons, plumbers, home audio technicians, Sheet-rockers, painters, and floor specialists are all examples of contractors that were involved in making the consumers dream home come to life. However, K. Hovnanian does not have a contract with each of these types of contractors. Instead, they have a contract with a general contractor, who has agreed to hire each of the other types of contractors to complete the work necessary to make the house come to life. Our consumer works out a deal with K. Hovnanian for a certain price, which becomes the binding contract that K.  Hovnanian agrees to build the house for. The trademarks that K. Hovnanian uses to define who they are, is bound to them by a trademark agreement with the United States. According to the Legal Information Institute of Cornell University, A trademark is defined as â€Å"Any word, name, symbol, or design, or any combination thereof, used in commerce to identify and distinguish the goods of one manufacturer or seller from those of another and to indicate the source of the goods. † By registering this trademark our consumer is able to safely say that it is K. Hovnanian they are dealing and not someone who is pretending to be them. Once the home is completed then, the consumer would then bring in a third party, to the agreement: Bank of America. Bank of America has entered into an agreement with our consumer to pay K. Hovnanian for the home built. In turn, the consumer must pay back Bank of America over the next twenty years at a fixed interest rate the amount of money borrowed. This becomes a mortgage contract. According to the Legal information institute at Cornell University, â€Å"A mortgage contract, involves the transfer of an interest in land as security for a loan or other obligation. this is the most common method of financing real estate transactions. The mortgagor in this case K. Hovnanian is the party transferring the interest in land. The mortgagee, Bank of America, is the providing the loan given in exchange security. â€Å"Normally, a mortgage is paid in installments that include both interest and a payment on the principle amount that was borrowed. † Now that our consumer has bought his home and is moving in, a decision is made to buy items for the home that will be necessary for the consumer to live comfortably. Our consumer goes to Kmart and uses their Visa credit card to pay for a number of items such made by brand name companies such as Martha Stewart Living or Craftsman, the bill of sale, otherwise known as the receipt, is an agreement to pay the store for the amount of goods purchased. However, that is only the basics of the idea. The long process of agreements that we do not see and probably do not think about is there is a contract for every minor detail, allowing this transaction to happen. The consumer uses their Visa to purchase these goods up to a pre-determined dollar amount. Therefore, a request was made by the consumer to purchase the merchandise being sold by Kmart using Visa and, in turn an agreement was made with Visa to pay back in due time the amount for the goods purchased, plus interest of course. In turn, Kmart has agreed to honor Visa as per their contract with Visa. They worked out an agreement before hand to accept Visa, which would increase their sales and Visa would be allowed to keep a small percentage of the sale for the ability to use their services. However, to use the services provided by Visa, Kmart must have an agreement with a company that allows them to go beyond their store via electronic communications. The use of services through a company such as Verizon would be necessary. Verizon provides high speed internet as well as telephone services to companies like Kmart to allow them to access outside of the walls of the business. Therefore, Kmart enters into a binding contract with Verizon, for a pre-determined amount of time and a pre-determined amount of money allowing Kmart to use the services Verizon provides. Now that Kmart has the means to reach the outside world, they must purchase equipment, such as MagTek equipment, that would allow Kmart to use the Visa card allowing consumers to make a purchase on credit for goods that Kmart Provides. According to MagTek’s Website, â€Å"MagTek is a manufacturer of electronic devices and systems for the reliable issuance, reading, transmission and security of cards, checks, PINs and other identification documents. † Among the electronic devices, is a magnetic strip reader allowing consumers to use Visa credit cards to make purchases. Kmart also has an agreement with Omnimedia, the owning entity of the Martha Stewart living products, and Craftsman, a company that makes tools for everyday use. This type of agreement is known an exclusive dealing arrangement. According to the Legal Information Institute at Cornell University, â€Å"Exclusive dealing arrangements are, essentially, requirement contracts in which a seller agrees to sell all or a substantial portion of its products or services to a particular buyer, or when a buyer similarly agrees to purchase all or a portion of its requirements of a product or service from a particular seller. This means that Kmart buys all of its tools from craftsman or all of its household items from Omnimedia. The reverse to this, is that Craftsman or Omnimedia may have an exclusive dealing arrangement in which they agree not to sell their products to competing companies or franchises. As you can see, there is much more going on in behind the curtains of a typical day, so that the consumer is able to live their life. These are only a handful of examples of what parts of our lives contracts have an impact on. There are many more out there. The opposite of having a life filled with contracts, is having one without them, which would likely be a life filled with chaos. Imagine the same scenario in the last few pages, but without contracts binding the many parties involved. Our consumer would set out to buy a home which they decide to do business with K. Hovnanian. On a handshake and a smile K. Hovnanian agrees to build the home, but changes things that the consumer specifically said he wanted to alter the price of the home. After a couple of weeks K.  Hovnanian contacts our consumer to let them know that they were able to secure the land, but the price will be higher. Reluctantly, the consumer agrees, after all this is a dream home that is being built. Another two weeks goes by, and K Hovnanian calls and says construction is right on schedule and that the house will be completed within the next couple of weeks. K Hovnanian and our consumer come to an agreement of money and the consumer has his bank give the money to K. Hovnanian as agreed. After a couple of Months of communication silence, the consumer gets agitated and goes to the lot where his house was being built. There is no house and no construction crew. He goes to the location where K. Hovnanian was only to find out they have closed their doors and left. After contacting some sources to find out the whereabouts of K. Hovnanian, the consumer finds out that the company he has been dealing with was not K. Hovnanian at all, just someone taking advantage of people using the K. Hovnanian name to get money for free. The one contract in all of this that our consumer did setup was with Bank of America for his Mortgage, which is now legally binding. The consumer cannot pay the mortgage and therefore his credit gets destroyed because of a failure to pay and a foreclosure on a home he never saw, which makes it so he never had a Visa card to pay for the purchases from Kmart. Because there was no contract, there was no crime. The company doing business as K. Hovnanian was not wrong because there is no copyright or trademark contract protecting the K. Hovnanian name. The consumer gave them money even though nothing had been in writing and no formal contract was made. In the end, this consumer was taken advantage of because contracts for the situation did not exist. The United States has placed many laws to protect the rights of companies and the trademark they possess. â€Å"Section 1127 Construction and definitions; intent of chapter,† is the chapter in US Code that defines the parameters in which a company may define or lose definition of their trademark. In turn, â€Å"The Lanham Act† protects the owner of a federally registered trademark from anyone not authorized, to use it (http://www. gpoaccess. gov/uscode/). Also under United States Code under section 1454, is the protection of consumer’s rights when making purchases of land by obtaining a mortgage. These rights are put in place to protect the Bank issuing the mortgage, as well as, the consumer. All in all, Contracts are a part of our everyday lives whether we want it to be or not. They may not always be seen nor the effects of it so obvious, but they are there, and their purpose is to protect all parties involved from entering an agreement without understanding and respecting the rights of the other parties of the contract.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

HRM Strategic Interventions Overview

HRM Strategic Interventions Overview Although human resource management is a phrase which has been in use for over 40years, it did not come to the fore as a distinctive approach to managing people until the mid 1980s, when it became generally known as HRM. The vocabulary for managing the employment relationship has undergone a change. Personnel Management has increasingly given way to human resource management (HRM) or, better still to strategic human resource management (SHRM). It was charted/noticed in the writings of US academics and managers (for example, Tichy et al., 1982; Fombrun et al., 1984; Beer et al., 1985; Walton and Lawrence, 1985; Foulkes, 1986). This was, however, taken up by both UK managers (for example, Armstrong, 1987; Fowler, 1987) and UK academic (for example, Hendry and Pettigrew 1986; Guest, 1987; Miller, 1987; Storey, 1987; Torrington and Hall, 1987). By the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s it became a common term. Strengthening this change was the emergence, in 1990, of two new academic journals Human Resource Management Journal and International Journal of Human Resource Management. It heralded the pushing-aside of personnel-management and the solidification of HRM. Perhaps the most important reason why HRM emerged as the dominant philosophy for managing people in the 1980s is that chief executives, prompted by economic and business trends, and the view of a number of influential writers such as those mentioned abov e and Kanter (1984), at last began to appreciate that competitive advantage is achieved through their employees i.e. the people who implement the corporate plan, and that they must do something about seeing that it happens in their own organisation. Porter (1985), another highly influential writer captured this view when he wrote: HRM is an integral part of the value chain at firm level. The impact of global competition, complexity, technological change and shifts in employee values have affected UK as well as US chief executives, and it has been said by Fowler (1987) that HRM represents the discovery of personnel management by chief executives. For years, chairmen in their annual reports have been paying lip-service to the message people are important. Now, however, competitive pressures from one-culture, high-commitment firms, and changes in employees expectations have indicated the need for action instead of words to obtain fuller use of their human resources. Having said all these I intend to discuss HRM in perspective, its various strategic interventions (SHRM) and analyse/focus more on Performance Management. I will also highlight the challenges and benefits of this strategic intervention using a particular model and how it truly improves an organisations effectiveness. Understanding HRM A common theme within the human resource management (HRM) literature in recent years has been the adoption of HRM practices designed to achieve high levels of employee performance, flexibility and commitment. Here, human resource (HR) practices are placed in a much more direct relationship with organisational policy making and performance issues than traditional approaches to personnel management (Bach and Sisson, 2000). In the 1980s, original writers in the area of human resource management (HRM), Beer et al. (1984), stressed that in the face of increasing international competition, organisations had to focus on the value of investments in human resources as a major source of competitive advantage. The transition from personnel management to HRM reflects this emerging organisation-wide commitment to human capital development. The change, however, has activated considerable discussion within the academic literature about the successful strategic positioning of, and responsibility for , HRM (Beer, 1997; Dyer and Holder, 1988; Guest 1987; 1989). The effective use of diverse/different people seems to be the primary assets of any organisation aside from its financial, technological and physical resources therefore it has to be managed effectively and strategically. What then is HRM? There are quite a few descriptions : Beer et al (1984) Human resource management involves all management decisions and actions that affect the relationship between the organisation and employees its human resources. Pettigrew and Whipp (1991) Human resource management relates to the total set of knowledge, skill and attitudes that firms need to compete. It involves concern for and action in the management of people. Bratton and Gold (2003) Human resource management is a strategic approach to managing employment relations which emphasizes that leveraging peoples capabilities is critical to achieving sustainable competitive advantage, this being achieved through a distinctive set of integrated employment policies, programmes and practises. As you can see, the emphasis is, first, on the interests of management, secondly, on adopting a strategic approach, thirdly, on obtaining added value from people by the processes of human resource development and performance management and, finally, on gaining their commitment to the objectives and values of the organisation. We can therefore identify the following as basic characteristic features of HRM: It is a top-management driven activity; The performance and delivery of HRM is a line management responsibility; It emphasizes the need for the integration of business and personnel strategies; It involves the adoption of a comprehensive and coherent approach to employment policies  and practises; Importance is attached to strong cultures and values; It places emphasis on the attitudinal and behavioural characteristics of employees; Employee relations are unitarist rather than pluralist, individual rather than collective, high trust  rather than low trust; Organizing principles are organic and decentralised with flexible roles and more emphasis on  teamwork; Rewards are differentiated according to performance, competence or skill. It is however important to note that these characteristics will be applied in many distinctive ways in different organisations. HRM as practised in America, UK, India, Nigeria or anywhere else will have features which will be affected by economic and political environment, and the industrial relation climates and practices of the country. HRM as practised in any country will depend on the culture and tradition, structure, technologies, products and markets of these countries. Drawing on Squires (2001) work, these practises suggest three basic questions: (1) what do HRM professionals do? (2) what affects what they do? and (3) how do HR professionals do what they do? Firstly, to understand what HRM professionals do we can identify 8 key HRM functions, policies, programmes and practises designed in response to organisational goals and contingencies, and managed to achieve those goals. These functions contain alternatives from which managers can choose. The functions are: (1) Planning; (2) Staffing; (3) Developing; (4) Motivation; (5) Maintaining; (6) Managing relationships; (7) Managing change and (8) Evaluating. Secondly, to identify what affects what they do, we must understand that HR activities that managers undertake vary from one workplace to another. These variations may be due to the following: (a) external effects (economic, political, legal regulations, social aspects,etc) (b) strategy and (c) organisation (size, work and structure, technology,etc). Lastly, how do HR professionals do what they do? This points to the means or skills by which they accomplish their managerial work. These could include technical, cognitive, and interpersonal skills and processes according to Squires (2000) work. Thus far, I have tried to analyse the origin of HRM and its meaning. I have also shown how it contributes to the functioning of work organisation. Now, this is the important part of my discourse the defining features of HRM the theoretical perspectives. Practice without theory, they say, is blind, Hyman (1989). Models of HRM Like I pointed out before, the extent to which HRM is applied, and how it is applied, will vary considerably according to the type of organisation and the environment in which it operates. This will be governed by the policy goals of the enterprise and may be hard or soft depending on the philosophy of top management. But we can identify five major HRM models ( The Fombrun, Tichy and Devana model: developed by the Michigan school ( Fombrun et al, 1984); The Harvard model: the analytical framework of the Harvard model offered by Beer et al. (1984); The Guest Model (David Guest , 1989,1997), The Warwick Model (Hendry and Pettigrew, 1990) and the Storey Model (Storey, 1992) that seek to demonstrate analytically the qualitative differences between traditional personnel management and HRM. These models fulfil at least 4 important intellectual functions for those studying HRM: (1) they provide an analytical framework for studying HRM ( like stakeholders, situational  factors, strategic choice levels and notions of competence and commitment) (2) they legitimate certain HRM practises/interventions (3) they provide a characterisation of HRM that establishes variables and relationships to be  researched and (4) they serve as a heuristic device something to help us discover and understand the nature  and significance of key HR practices/interventions. The Fombrun, Tichy and Devana model For my discourse here, I shall be applying the above model, (Fig 1), which emphasizes the interrelatedness and coherence of HRM activities/practises or interventions. They introduced the concept of strategic human resource management by which HRM policies are inextricably linked to the formulation and implementation of strategic corporate and/or business objectives (hence the name matching model). This HRM cycle in their model consists of four key constituent components: selection, appraisal ( performance management), rewards and development, these four human resource activities aiming to increase organisational performance. The strength of the model is that it expresses the coherence of internal HR policies and the importance of matching internal HR policies into the organizations external business strategy. What makes the model particularly attractive for many personnel practitioners is the fact that HRM assumes a more important position in the formulation of organisational policie s. This model ultimately introduced the concept of strategic human resource management (SHRM) (Fig 2). A strategic orientation provides the framework within which a coherent approach can be developed to the creation and installation of HRM policies, system and practises or interventions. SHRM is concerned with those decisions which have a major and long-term effect on the employment and development of people in the organization and on the relationships which exist between its management and staff. It will highlight how the organization intends to manage its human resources. These intentions provide the basis for plans, developments and programmes for managing change Hendry and Pettigrew (1986) amplify this with the following: use of planning; a coherent approach to the design and management of personnel systems based on an employment policy and manpower strategy, and often underpinned by a philosophy; matching HRM activities and policies to some explicit strategy; seeing the people of the organisation as a strategic resource for achieving competitive advantage. Guest (1992) argues that such a coherent approach to human resource management policies can also lead, via the generic HRM outcomes of strategic integration, commitment, flexibility/adaptability of the workforce and quality (all necessary ingredients when developing a competitive edge), to the following benefits to the organisation which has adopted SHRM: High job performance; High problem solving, change and innovation; High cost-effectiveness; and Low turnover, absence, grievances. Storey (1992) adds to this list attitude and behaviour changes amongst the workforce, resulting in highly desirable increases in competitive performance. Grant (1991) sums up a now-widely-held view that capabilities are the main source of a firms competitive advantage. SHRM aims to provide the framework within which these key characteristics can be fostered. In essence, SHRM requires a holistic approach, with not only an internal integration between HR practices/interventions(recruitment, selection, rewards mechanisms, appraisal performance management), but also an integration between those practices/interventions summarised in an HR strategy and the organisations strategy overall. Thinking holistically about HRM may lead to a greater degree of success simply because changes envisaged in one area of an organisation (e.g. structures) are more likely to work because all the knock-on effects of such a change have been considered (e.g. recruitment, selection and induction policies). Summarily, SHRM ensures that the culture, style and structure of the organisation, the quality, commitment and motivation of its employees, contribute fully to the achievement of business objectives. HR Strategic Interventions Based on the model I am discussing on I shall look briefly at the practises/interventions: recruitment/selection, rewards, human resource development but focus more on performance management. Selection: This is one of the major practices carried out by any organization in ensuring the selection of the right people to join its workforce (IRS, 1999a). The selection(recruitment) process is concerned with identifying, attracting and choosing suitable people to meet an organisations human resource requirements. While recruitment is searching for and obtaining potential job candidates in sufficient numbers and quality so that the organisation can select the most appropriate people to fill its job need (Dowling and Schuler, 1990); selection is concerned more with predicting which candidates will make the most appropriate contribution to the organisation now and in the future (Hackett, 1991). There has been correlational data, Terpstra and Rozell (1993) supporting the conclusion that organisations using a wide variety of selection procedures (such as interviews, cognitive ability test, bio data and the evaluation of recruiting sources, etc) had higher levels of overall performan ce, annual profit, and growth in profit. Rewards: Reward management is the process of developing and implementing strategies, policies and systems which help the organisation to achieve its objectives by obtaining and keeping the people it needs and by increasing their motivation and commitment, Armstrong and Murlis (1991). It is also central to the effective management of the employment relationship. It is not just about money but also concerned with intrinsic as well as extrinsic motivation; with non-financial, as well as financial rewards. This motivates and leads directly or indirectly to the satisfaction of many needs. It can act as an incentive to improve performance and as a way to recognise success in a highly tangible way. Human Resource Development: Human resource development comprises the procedures and processes that purposely seek to provide learning activities to enhance the skills, knowledge and capabilities of people, teams and the organisation so that there is a change in action to achieve the desired outcome. It incorporates traditional views of training and development but seeks to extend attention to learning throughout an organisation as a strategy to cope with change. The idea of learning at work has become an obvious good thing, and this has led to growing interest in HRD as a profession and its theoretical development, although there are continuing debates about the meaning of HRD. There is evidence to suggest that learning has an impact on an individuals earning power and employment prospects. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT Performance management can be defined as a strategic and integrated approach to increasing the effectiveness of organisations by improving the performance of the people who work in them and by developing the capabilities of teams and individual contributors, and also can be seen as a continuous process involving reviews that focus on the future rather than the past . (Baron and Armstrong, 1998: 38-39). Performance management, unlike the performance appraisal or annual evaluation process, is an ongoing assessment of employees in a manner geared to match their goals to the organizational goals. It also makes strong use of goal-setting and metrics to identify progress and areas of individual strengths. It is important to point out here that employees, as well as supervisors, are often confused by the differences between performance management systems and performance appraisals. Performance appraisals, also called Performance evaluations are tools used to measure the effectiveness of an employee; most organizations conduct performance appraisals once a year during an annual evaluation process. A performance management system, however, is much more dynamic. It can use the performance evaluation tool but also incorporates other elements into the performance management cycle. The overall aim of PM is to establish a high performance culture in which individuals and teams take responsibility for the continuous improvement of business processes and for their own skills and contributions within a framework provided by effective leadership. History and Evolution of Performance Management and Appraisal Performance management systems, in various forms, have been employed for nearly two millennia. In the third century AD, the Chinese were not only using performance appraisal systems but were critiquing each others biases in their evaluations of their employees (Murphy and Cleveland, 1995; Evans, 2004). During the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century, factory managers became aware of the importance of their employees performance on their production outputs (Grote and Grote, 1996; Murphy and Cleveland, 1995). The development of the philosophy of performance evaluation systems in America has been attributed to such researchers and philosophers as Peter Drucker and Douglas McGregor, who developed ideas of management by objectives (MBOs) and employee motivation (Evans, 2004; Murphy and Cleveland, 1995). Spreigel reported in 1962 that by the early 1960s more than 60% of American organizations had a performance appraisal system. The systems popularity stemmed from the Armys implementation of a performance management system for its officers (Murphy and Cleveland, 1995). Since then, researchers have continued to develop theories of how different performance evaluation methods can contribute to the success of the organization. Elements of Performance Management Armstrong (2006) identifies the five elements of performance management as agreement (of employee, unit, and organizational goals), measurement, feedback, positive reinforcement and dialogue (contingency management). These ensure that the performance management process is positive, successful and a boost to employee improvement. Continued feedback and assessment is key to the performance management process as shown in the performance management cycle (Fig 3). There are four main elements of the planning portion of the performance management cycle: role creation and development, objective planning, assessment and development planning. The first step, role creation and development, is important because an employee must understand his or her role in the organization before the performance of that role can be fairly assessed. By first defining the employees goal, a supervisor can then align the employees objectives with the organizational goals. In performance management, employers provi de continuous appraisal through feedback and re-alignment of goals based on performance. Unlike the annual evaluation process, most performance management systems are designed to meet the changing needs of both the organization and the employee. The following are the aims of PM as expressed by a variety of organisations (source IRS, 2003): Empowering, motivating and rewarding employees to do their best. Armstrong World Industries Focusing employees task on the right things and doing them right. Aligning everyones individual goals to the goals of the organisation. Eli Lilly Co Proactively managing and resourcing performance against agreed accountabilities and objectives. ICI Paints The process and behaviours by which managers manage the performance of their people to deliver a high-achieving organisation. Standard Chartered Bank Maximising the potential of individuals and teams to benefit themselves and the organisation, focusing on achievement of their objectives. West Bromwich Building Society The organizations that have chosen to use a performance management process have often done so because the annual evaluation process has failed to meet their appraisal needs. The constant communication loop of performance management enables organizations to meet both the goals of their organization and the development and feedback needs of their employees. In contrast, the  annual evaluation process, which is retrospective in nature, provides no formal opportunity for employees to receive feedback about their performance, request development to increase their efficiency or ask for new goals during the year. Role Creation and Development In order for performance management to be effective, an employee must have a clear understanding of his or her organizational role and responsibilities. Armstrong says that the role profile defines the role in terms of the key results expected, what role holders are expected to know and be able to do and how they are expected to behave in terms of behavioural competencies and upholding the organizations core values. Defining the core competencies for each employee is one step in effective goal creation because it allows the supervisor to communicate personalized feedback. Effective and SMART Objectives Creation There are many different kinds of objectives in an organization. Armstrong identifies that effective objective-setting results in an agreement on what the role holder (employee) has to achieve and is an important part of the performance management processes of defining and managing expectations and forms the point of reference for performance reviews. He also identifies the following types of objectives: 1. ongoing role or work objectives: based on the job description 2. targets: quantifiable goals that should be met 3. tasks/projects: specified results or product 4. behavioural expectations: outlines desirable and undesirable behaviours 5. values: outlines the values of the organization 6. performance improvement: areas that need improvement 7. developmental/learning: provide specific areas to meet improvement needs Luecke (2006) notes that effective objectives are recognized as important, clearly written in specific terms, measurable and framed in time, aligned with organizational strategy, achievable but challenging and supported by appropriate rewards. Armstrong provides the SMART mnemonic, to help set effective objectives S = specific/stretching M = measurable A = achievable/achievable R = relevant T = time framed The creation of appropriate, measurable objectives is key to the performance management process; they provide a framework for assessment and, without them, the performance management system would fail. Assessment of Goal Achievement After defining roles and setting goals, the manager and the employee must determine whether the employee had been successful during the assessment period. If the goals are SMART, then assessing the employees performance will be simple: if the employee met the specific goal within the time frame designated, then the assessment would be a positive one. The most important aspect of the assessment is the performance review. There are many ways to conduct performance reviews. Some organizations conduct reviews at certain intervals throughout the  year; others create a timeline based on the goals developed. Many organizations have employees conduct a self-evaluation prior to the evaluation meeting; Aguinis (2007) identifies that self-appraisals can reduce employees defensiveness during an appraisal meeting and increase employee satisfaction with the performance management system, as well as enhance perceptions of accuracy and fairness and therefore acceptance of the system. Both employees and employers have historically disliked the performance review process. Armstrong reports that most appraisals have existed in a vacuum, with little or no relation to the workplace: employees have resented the superficial nature with which appraisals have been conducted by managers who lack the skills required, tend to be biased and are simply going through the motions. In order to have a productive, positive performance review, Aguinis identifies six recommended steps: 1. Identify what the employee has done well and poorly by citing specific positive and negative behaviours. 2. Solicit feedback from your employee about these behaviours. Listen for reactions and explanations. 3. Discuss the implications of changing, or not changing, the behaviours. Positive feedback is best, but an employee must be made aware of what will happen if any poor performance continues. 4. Explain to the employee how skills used in past achievements can help him overcome any current performance problems. 5. Agree on an action plan. Encourage the employee to invest in improving his performance 6. Set up a meeting to follow up and agree on the behaviours, actions, and attitudes to be evaluated. After creating goals and assessing progress, the employee and employer have identified areas that can be improved; the action plan for this improvement is called development planning. This development plan ensures that employees will continue to meet the needs of the organization through the identification of their weaknesses and the opportunity to address them through workshops, classes, and other educational channels. Quantitative and qualitative advantages The literature findings suggest that the introduction of SPM has a positive impact in terms of revenues, sales and net profit. Various studies (Malina and Selto, 2001; Sim and Koh, 2001; Braam and Nijssen, 2004; Neely HYPERLINK #idb49et al.HYPERLINK #idb49, 2004;) identified that organizations implementing and using SPM systems were able to achieve an increase in revenue, an increase in profit, a reduction in costs, and a higher ROA. These studies also indicate that organizations that initially used an SPM system suffered decreased results when they reverted, for whatever reason, to traditional measurement systems. Other studies (Kald and Nilsson, 2000; Sim and Koh, 2001; Neely HYPERLINK #idb49et al.HYPERLINK #idb49, 2004;) showed that organizations using an SPM system experienced a myriad of qualitative benefits, such as improvement in internal communication of the strategy, closer collaboration and better knowledge sharing and information exchange between organizational units, stre ngthened focus on what is important for the business, more focus on the achievement of results, higher quality of performance information, better strategic alignment of organizational units, higher operational efficiency, improvement of management quality, better understanding by people of the organizational strategy, higher commitment of personnel to the organization, more clarity of people of their contribution towards achievement of the strategy and organizational goals, higher innovativeness, better achievement of organizational goals, more pro-activity, more clarity for people about their roles and goals, more effective management control, higher employee satisfaction, stronger process orientation, strengthened reputation of the organization as a quality firm, and a better strategic planning process. Quantitative and qualitative disadvantages Literature findings also show that PM systems are not without disadvantages. Various studies (Kald and Nilsson, 2000; Sim and Koh, 2001; IOMA, Business Intelligence at Work, 2005; Neely HYPERLINK #idb49et al.HYPERLINK #idb49, 2004;) stated that organizations experienced disadvantages after the implementation and subsequent use of SPM but only in non-financial performance terms, no quantitative disadvantages were found in the literature. Disadvantages reported are: too many performance indicators; not enough strategic information in the system; too much internal competition; too expensive and too bureaucratic; performance indicators too subjective and therefore unreliable; performance information too aggregated; too much financial information; and too much historical information. Because of these incredibly negative effects that an improperly conducted performance management system can have on an organization, the system must be implemented thoughtfully and executed consistently. Conclusion Performance management, unlike traditional annual evaluation, provides employees with feedback throughout the year. The system allows constant re-evaluation of goals, progress and performance. This process requires more interaction between the supervisor and supervisee and encourages the professional development of the employee to meet the organizations changing needs. While this more dynamic evaluation process is time-consuming, the increased  productivity levels resulting from performance management have proven to be valuable to many organizations. Lord Kelvin once said: When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you will know something about it [otherwise] your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind; it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely in thought advanced to the stage of science (cited in Fisher, 1990). So I believe that performance management (which also details performance measurement) is a very vital HRM strategic intervention.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Yee Lee Corporation Bhd group Financial Study

Yee Lee Corporation Bhd group Financial Study Yee Lee Corporation Bhd group (YLC) is a holding company which is the edible oil repacker in Malaysia in 1968.Through its subsidiaries, it operates in four segments which are manufacturing, plantation, trading and others which related to tourism services and investment holding. YLC not only manufactures cooking oils and also as a marketing and distribution company which helps to do marketing on beverages and distributing to customers. Its direct subsidiaries are Yee Lee Trading Co.Sdn.Bhd., Yee Lee Palm Oil Industries Sdn.Bhd., Yee Lee Edible Oils Sdn.Bhd., South East Asia paper Products Sdn.Bhd., Canpac Sdn.Bhd., Intanwasa Sdn.Bhd. and Yee Lee Marketing Sdn.Bhd. In 1993, YLC was listed on the KLSE. PEST analysis Political Factors In order to increase the demand of using palm oil, Malaysia government provides subsidies for that domestic use only since the cooking oil crisis in January 2008. This situation encourages more Malaysian to use cooking oil that produced by palm oil. During the shortage time, government negotiates with cooking oil manufacturers to increase their production capacity by using palm oil to produce cooking oil. Because of this, it encourages those housewives who prefer palm oil than others. Therefore, this has created an opportunity for Yee Lee Corporation Berhad to produce cooking oil in low cost. This also beneficial to YLC Berhad because using palm oil to produce cooking oil can reduce the cholesterol in the food while cooking. Hence, their products are the first choice for those who want cook with low fat oil. Economic Factors Malaysia had gone through two recessions and two sharp slowdowns since 1970s. Each had its own causes and characteristics. The first downturn was in 1975 triggered by the 1973-74s oil shock, followed by the 1985 recession, which was dragged down by a sharp slowdown in global growth. The third was a steep recession in 1998 which caused by the Asian currency crisis, followed by the downturn in 2001, which was hit by the bursting of the dotcom bubble and terrorist attack on the US. The GDP also dropped about 45% since the crisis. So, in order to encourage more people to use palm oil cooking oil, government launched a campaign Palm Oil Reduces Cholesterol to encourage people to use more cooking oil that made by palm oil. Besides, government also provides the subsidies for those low income families who are using this cooking oil. By doing this campaign, people can learn about the importance of the GDP growth and also the economy will be recovered as a whole. Social Factors Malaysia is considered one of the most developed among the developing country. There are many exported goods originated from Malaysia, especially palm oil. Palm oil is one of the worlds most popular vegetable oils. In Malaysia, almost 80% palm oil is exported to other country. Recently, there are some issues about the oil industry which resources are limited. Due to the limited oil, local government encourages Malaysian buy the cooking oil which is made by palm oil. Therefore, YLC produces the cooking oil by implementing the concept of palm oil-made cooking oil. Besides that, producing cooking oil with palm oil are more cheaper than those are not using palm oil. So, YLC also uses this opportunity to target those housewives who want to buy cheaper cooking oil. Technological Factors Due to the improvement of technology, oil industry in Malaysia has used the most and efficiency machinery to produce cooking oil. Therefore, YLC has introduced AUM cooking oil machinery which is suitable to extract and produce cooking oil. Besides that, one of the YLC subsidiaries products which are gloves, are produced with multiple uses together with the state-of-the-art technology and stringent in-house quality assurance procedures. By using this new technology, the gloves that are produced are non-sterile, ambidextrous, and disposable. PORTERS 5 FORCES The rivalry between existing sellers in the market In todays industry, many companies have increased their sizes in order to competitively fit. When they are competing among each other in term of sizes, they are still competing in term of their brands image, product quality, pricing or market share. This would result in a high rivalry and threats Lee Yee Corporation Bhd. Since LYCs competitors like Lam Soon Group and PPB Group have a well-established brand names, so YLC has to provide good services and good pricing strategy in order to reduce the rivalry and threat as well as increase their market share in Malaysia. The power exerted by the customers in the market The switching cost for Yee Lee is low because their products price doesnt have big differences compared with their competitors. Cooking oil is concern about how good quality it has and how useful it is. Therefore, Yee Lee has to do more RD and put some new raw material in order to increase the usage. The impact of the suppliers on the sellers The power of suppliers has influences in all the industries. It also can affect the cost of producing a product for particular firm. Lam Soon and PPB has own suppliers so they can control the cost and get a good price to buy the raw materials. So Yee Lee has to establish its own suppliers in order to lower the cost of production. Purchasing raw material from other suppliers is difficult to get lower prices because they are selling based on market price and the prices also affected by the demand-supply customers. The potential threat of new sellers entering the market The degree of barriers entry is important to a firm in a market share. It can restrict other firm to come into this market. In order to maintain a market share, Yee Lee, Lam Soon and PPB has established a well know brand name. This brands also recognized by all the people in Malaysia. Besides that, they also have a good relationship with their suppliers and the most important is their product differentiation. So this is very difficult for a new firm to come into this market The threat of substitute products becoming available in the market The threat of substitute products is one of the concerns for all the industry. It can help to keep a product in long time in a market. If the level threat of substitute product is high, means the products easily to substitute by others product. Like nowadays, many cooking oil industries are using palm oil to produce cooking oil. Palm oil is easily to get and it has many usage for us. Not only palm oil, some firm also use corn to produce cooking oil. All of this materials are healthy to people. So the threat of substitute product in this industry is low. Strategic Group Map Competitors Lam Soon Group Lam Soon Goup is a group of companies which operates in plantations, detergent and soap manufacturing, marketing and distributing branded consumer product. It was incorporated in August 1950 by Ng Keng Soon. In 1995, his sons Whang tar Choung and Whang Tar Liang took over the management after his death. Its operations not only in Singapore and also in overseas like Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Hong Kong. However, its main operation is in Singapore which operates in manufacturing of cooking oil and laundry soap. Lam Soons cooking oil has about 40 % to 45% market share in Malaysia. It also has its own factory in Malaysia which produces cooking oil and soap. The strengths possessed by Lam Soon are it has a well design and strong value on its brand like Knife was awarded as the best brands in consumer cooking oil in 2010. Besides that, Bio Home, one of the Lam Soons brand, was awarded as a good design in household care categorys brand. PPB Group Berhad PPB Group Berhad starts its core business with the initial business of sugar cane cultivation and refining in 1968. It also includes in manufacturing edible oil, marketing and distributing consumer packaged goods, as well as be a dominant player in the grains trading, flour and animal feed milling processing. PPB Group has its operations in China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and Singapore. The strengths of PPB Group Berhad are it has well-established brand names like Neptune for cooking oil and Seri Murni food processing as well as a stable market for food industry in Malaysia. It also becomes a leader in sugar refinery, flour milling and film exhibition. However, the weaknesses of PPB Group Berhad are the earnings are affected by the prices of CPO, raw sugar and wheat. Since the sugar and flour are controlled items in Malaysia, it is very difficult for PPB Group Berhad to sustain the increasing of cost in those controlled items. This will has some impacts during the econom y downturn. Based on the strategic group map, we can know that Lam Soon has a high market share in the industry because it has highest level of brand awareness among these three brands. So, the prices for Lam Soons cooking oil are also very high. For PPB, it has moderate brand awareness compared with Lam Soon and Yee lee. Therefore, the prices of PPBs cooking oil are cheaper than Lam Soon. However, Yee Lee has lowest brand awareness in the industry so the prices for its cooking oil are lower than Lam Soon and PPB. Recommendations and conclusion The one of Key Success Factors (KSFs) of Yee Lee are its products quality. Yee Lee manufactures cooking oil with good quality and it was awarded Certificate Excellent by International trade and Minister Industry. For example, Red eagle was voted as a Trusted Brand Gold by the readers of Readers digest because it is more stable compared to others brand and is able to withstand high heat when after the food is heated and it can be remained safe and healthy when consumption. Red eagle is considered as healthy cooking oil which is cholesterol-free and naturally rich in Vitamin E. Another factor that Yee Lee can successful in its business is its pricing strategy. Many housewives like to buy Yee Lees cooking oil is because the price is cheaper than others brands and customers can have similar functions by using their cooking oil. Besides that, Yee Lee has a good advertising in its own product. For example, Lee Yee has its own marketing and distributing channel in its business. By having own marketing and distributing channel, Yee Lee can save a lot of cost in term of finding advertising company or hiring salesman to promote its products. Furthermore, the innovation of technology brings a lot of benefits for Yee Lees company. This technology helps the company to produce its product in efficiency and effectively way and at the same time it can help in cost reduction. By having these benefits, Yee Lee can compete with its competitors in the business.

Monday, August 19, 2019

remembering :: essays research papers

Home For the holidays When it comes to giving thanks for what you appreciate there is no better time than thanksgiving, what better way to celebrate than with family, food, and friends. Every year millions of people all across the country come together for a very special reason. This day is when you are to give thanks for all that you have been blessed with, and food is a big part of this day. Without mention this dinner usually includes succulent Turkey, cranberry sauce, spiced stuffing, and very creamy mashed potatoes with gravy. There is nothing like the rising chatter of your family members, or the sweet aroma that billows from behind the kitchen door each time it is opened to let you know you’re home for the holidays.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When you come from a family of Jamaicans you’re going to know how to party, holidays are the times when you look forward to rejoicing and catching up with kinfolk. My older cousins from New Jersey seem to always have energy enough to fill a ball room. Each and every conversation seems to be as exciting and bright as the one prior; it’s surprising they have time to have dinner with the family. My mother and most of the females often rejoice with each other while cooking or preparing the dinner, old hymns gleefully fill the air, reminding them of the isle they have left behind. When my sister and her husband bring my nieces & nephew to visit it’s always a sight for sore eyes, there presence often remind me of when they were born, so innocent, delicate, and precious, like a real white Christmas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Over the years the location of where we have our thanksgiving has changed drastically. As our family becomes larger and more united we have to find more space to accommodate the guests around this holiday. I can remember a couple of more important times when thanksgiving was extra special. In 1999 me and my most immediate family traveled all the way back to Jamaica to visit my mother’s mother and too spend the holiday with more than 3 generations of family. This was one of the most important times in my life because it gave me a chance to experience and interact with family I don’t see everyday. On a more recent note this year we spent dinner with my mom, and just my cousin.