Compare and Contrast the Emergent and Intended Approach to Strategic Literature review

Compare and Contrast the Emergent and Intended Approach to Strategic - Literature review Example The authors have been carrying out research for over ten years on the topic and the intended audiences are the entrepreneurs and organization leadership. The topic has meet my expectations because it compares and contrast the intended strategy together with realized strategy in a diagram form, hence distinguishing deliberate strategies realized as intended from emergent strategies patterns realized in spite of intentions. The special features of the work that were helpful was the identification of different types of strategies and everyone embodying different degrees of what is called deliberateness. The authors are of high integrity; Henry Mintzber is heading the faculty of management at McGill University while James Waters is a lecture at York University in the faculty of administration studies. The authors concluded that strategies are tending towards being more deliberate in tightly coupled, centrally controlled institutions and more emergent in decentralized loosely coupled ones . According to my conclusion, strategy formation walks in two forms, deliberate and emergent.... since it contain the information on the school design context and contribution, four strategic management conditions that encourage an institution to move towards design school are explained. The helpful work was in the explanation of premises underlying the school of design since each premise explains the process of strategy formation. Mintzber who is the author is a man of high integrity and he is heading the faculty of management at McGill University. The authors concluded that the school has provided significant information on the discussion of grand strategy and it has given the notion that underlies all prescription in the field of management. I concluded that there is concurrence between external opportunity and internal capability in the field of strategic management. Ansoff, H., (1991). Critique of Henry Mintzberg's 'the design school: reconsidering the basic Premises of strategic management,' Strategic Management Journal, Vol.12 (6), PP.449-461 The main focus of this articl e is to critique the work done by Mintzberg's (1990) on design school of emerging strategic management. The design is evaluated using two criteria’s, methodological soundness and factual veracity, after the evaluation, it was found that the critique has deficiency by both methods. The problem of Mintzberg's work is associated with lack of logics in his presentation, his definition on strategy differs from the current practice in management and he failed to differentiate prescriptive and descriptive statement. In this critique, the author emphasis on methodological deficiencies and factual contradictions between Mintzberg's and real world of strategic management. Full description of Mintzberg's model was presented by the author and he found some valid contexts in Mintzberg's work. These

Is there a relationship between service delivery to customers from Essay

Is there a relationship between service delivery to customers from different cultural backgrounds and the issues arising from cr - Essay Example â€Å"Firms compete and create value in differing ways: transforming inputs into outputs solving clients problems and mediating between customers in a value network, and there are implications for critical activities, drivers and strategy† (Weaver, 2001). Hospitality management strategy can also employ customer segmentation to identify those groups who are most likely to stay at a moderately-priced hotel and convince them that the main sources of their previous dissatisfaction at other chains would be remedied at the current firm. â€Å"When determining the strategic objectives pursued by their collaborative strategy, international hotel chains should make no compromises to the standards of the product they offer and/or to their product positioning, but stay focused on the strategic objectives determined in advance† (Fyall and Spyriadis, 2003). In looking at cross-cultural strategies, programs are not necessarily geared towards helping businesses keep payroll costs at a minimum and job security a prize, and this situation often works out in reality, along with an insidious sort of pity on the part of the business that seeks to sidestep the bottom line. Discrimination may also be a problem in a scenario in which inhabitants of the firm’s native country are sent into expatriate conditions. However, individuals can influence the system at large by creating microcosms in which diversity is encouraged and respected and cultural equality is the rule rather than the exception. â€Å"The way managers think about diversity has evolved and changed over time. In the 60s and 70s, EEO laws focused managers’ attention on the task of eliminating race and sex discrimination in the workplace†¦ managers began to understand the importance of creating a workplace that is great for everyone† (Hellriegel et al., 2005). In the case of intercultural concepts, the vision or guiding principle or goal is looked at in an inclusive way. That is, the concept is inclusive to the culture in this construction, and bears communication across cultural barriers and boundaries to a greater understanding of the positive side of communication. Multicultural signifies a respect for diversity and individuality in the organizational environment, rather than a platform that is based on assimilation or the unitary non-acceptance of cultures other than one’s own. Organizational culture, also defined in the context of the hospitality industry, is more about the shared vision of individuals within a certain organizational environment, which is often supported by the environment itself. â€Å"We have unlimited demand out there. There are so many companies out there on an assignment basis. We're finding out the number of stays over seven nights at hotels to see if they would stay in corporate apartments if they knew about it† (Walsh, 2001). Remaining adaptable to new circumstances is an important part of cultural integration. Cross c ultural management shows, the most effective organizations are those that are able to create a strong internal culture that unites rather than divides the employees and managers in the organization. But this is not always easy to achieve in reality, because many individuals differ in their goals and expectations, and cannot be reasonably assumed

Discovery learning and math teaching

Discovery learning and math teaching Castronova, J. (2002). Discovery Learning for the 21st Century: What is it and How Does it Compare to Traditional Learning in Effectiveness in the 21st Century? Action Research Exchange 1 (1). The researchers in this article developed a technology tool of discovery learning which called web quest. They defined discovery learning as the technique to learn and can be assistance by teaching process. Also, try to discover the efficiency of a technology depended on discovery learning. Researchers agree that the effective learning should be active more than passive, learning procedures, and how failure and feedback both are very important. And the last one was the depth of understanding. The researchers show that to theories which they depend it of discovery learning such as John Dewey, Jean Piaget and Levvygot sky and the teacher center of attention on students refection and he answered the student questions but as indirect way and students will not be learn if they didnt make mistakes, so they have to make these mistakes to learn very well. Additionally, researchers indicated the basic architectures, which found in discovery learning 1) case based learning, 2) incidental learning 3) learning by exploring 4) learning by reflection and simulation based learning. Moreover, this article covers the main 4 idea of focus 1) motivation 2) relation 3) achievement, 4) transference. A-Web Quest is a educational tool of an inquiring oriented activity that uses recourses from internet to complete and finish their projects. I think this resource is a valuable, reliable, and its very important because it shows that a Web Quest is a good tool for teachers and useful for integrating the technology in classroom. Rieber, L.P. (2009). Supporting Discovery-Based Learning within Simulations. Cognitive Effects of Multimedia Learning. (pp 218-228). IGI Global:USA This study describes the visualization in education simulations and this article covers how are using different simulation representations and creative designs to the simulations interface. Furthermore, researchers showed that the theoretical carry for visualization in learning for example dual coding theory and mental models. Additionally, to integrate and combine discovery learning technology and design of simulations needing to teach the teachers to support the computer based simulations. The teaching of mathematics lessons will be more interactive and effective if these simulations applied very well and in the correct ways in the classrooms. For what I read, I found that, the positive effects of discovery learning on students achievement happen if the simulations are attractive. This article good and emphasizes to the teachers how they can design computer based simulations lessons. Zakaria,E., Nordin, N. M.(2008). The Effects of Mathematics Anxiety on Matriculation Students as Related to Motivation and Achievement Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science Technology Education, 4(1), 27-30. Retrieved from http://www.iwm-kmrc.de/workshops/visualization/rieber.pdf One of the aims of matriculation education was to develop students knowledge competency and interest in the subject area (Nordin Zakaria) 2007. The authors in this study try to investigate if there was a statistical difference between matriculation students motivation and achievement when they were can classified depending to math anxiety levels and if the discovery learning has effective in learning progress. The researchers applies this study on (73 females and 15 male) students, they selected by volunteer and they know it is will not affect in their grades during the semester. About the results if this study was emphasized that there was a relationship between anxiety and achievement. Thats mean if mathematics anxiety scores increase then the achievement scores decrease and vice versa.. In addition, there are teaching procedures, which decrease mathematics anxiety suggested by Woodard (2004) (1) Create an environment in which students do not feel helpless and allow them to relax and rest. (2) Use cooperative grouping in the class room. It helps students to understand that others have the same problems as they do. (3) Teach at a slow pace. It can help students better comprehend the material during taught. (4) provide extra teaching sessions so that they are not left behind academically. Therefore, I believe that the teachers should try to think that how they could get less anxiety on the students by preparing a good environment in their class and try to find the best ways for teaching mathematics. Duggan, M., Husman, J. (2007). Online Mathematics Achievement: Effects of Learning Strategies and Self-Efficacy Zeitschrift fà ¼r Pà ¤dagogische Psychologie, 4(1), 27-30. This Research showed that the increased independence of an online or web-based learning environment may support students motivation for learning and enhancing the discovery learning in learning. The purpose of our article was to investigate students learning strategies and motivation in the framework of an online developmental mathematics course. Moreover, the cores of this study to help teachers and be more efficient and be more convenience with this strategy. The researchers applied the experiment 511 students with 89 participants completed all the surveys they answered all the questions. There are limitations and margins of this study one of them was the number of the sample with 89 students cannot generalizing the results. The second one was the timing of the survey time problem, which collected the data at the end of semester. According to this article I believe that a good web-based learning environment will be more effect thats what the results indicated in this article, on the other hand this research is valuable and currency. Matsuda, T. (2008). Using instructional activities game to promote mathematics teachers innovative instruction US-China Education Review, 5(3), 24-30. ISSN1548-6613 The author completed a study which improves teachers professional competence and he indicated that the curriculum or the instructional method should be changed and it is difficult to change the curriculum so he chooses the instructional method. The change on the instructional method should be based on three types of scientific resources approach for solving problems in daily life. First approach uses experiments and observations, the second approach uses mathematical concepts and procedures and the last approach is computer based approach, which is easy to understand and utilize than other approaches. (Matsuda, 2008) However, the purpose of this study to develop a training system to improve teachers professional proficiency through the design of lessons and created which will develop students ability to solve problem sloving questions using ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in (Matsuda, 2008) So, this a case study which the researcher use the model and concluding a meaningful graphs and tables which show what researchers indicated. This article also, was written very well with many references that help us as teachers to be professional development.

The Repentant Lieutenant in Othello Essay -- Othello essays

The Repentant Lieutenant in Othello  Ã‚        Ã‚   Othello, a William Shakespeare classic, sees the attempted ruination of the general’s right-hand man on more than one occasion by the insidious and jealous ancient. Let’s achieve a better understanding of the lieutenant’s case in this paper.    Cassio’s biggest fall is with the Iago-schemed incident of inebriation. In The Riverside Shakespeare Frank Kermode explains the total meaning of the loss which Cassio’s drunkenness cost him:    Cassio, cashiered, thinks he has lost what Othello is soon really to lose, his reputation: â€Å"I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial† (II.iii.263-64). (We must think of â€Å"reputation† as meaning not merely the good word of others, but that self-respect which is indispensable to social beings, and without which they cannot function well in private or public life. Without it, a man is no more than a beast.) (1200)    Cassio is a blend of good and bad elements, a potpourri of positive and negative features. Kenneth Muir, in the Introduction to William Shakespeare: Othello, explains the ins and outs of Cassio’s personality:    Cassio is defined partly by the exigencies of the plot, which require him to have a poor head for drinking and to have a mistress; but his chivalric worship of Desdemona, his affectionate admiration for Othello, which enable him even at the end to call him ‘Dear General† and to speak of his greatness in heart, and his professional reputation, which only Iago impugns, build up a complex portrait of an attractive, if flawed, character. In spite of his weaknesses, we can understand why Iago should be envious of the ‘daily beauty in his life’ and why Desdemona should speak so warmly ... ...d, a little later, in his sincere regret about the loss of his reputation after he has partaken of the wine which Iago has forced upon him. (85-86)    WORKS CITED    Bevington, David, ed. William Shakespeare: Four Tragedies. New York: Bantam Books, 1980.    Bradley, A. C.. Shakespearean Tragedy. New York: Penguin, 1991.    Coles, Blanche. Shakespeare’s Four Giants. Rindge, New Hampshire: Richard Smith Publisher, 1957.    Kermode, Frank. â€Å"Othello, the Moor of Venice.† The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1974.    Muir, Kenneth. Introduction. William Shakespeare: Othello. New York: Penguin Books, 1968.    Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.    The Repentant Lieutenant in Othello Essay -- Othello essays The Repentant Lieutenant in Othello  Ã‚        Ã‚   Othello, a William Shakespeare classic, sees the attempted ruination of the general’s right-hand man on more than one occasion by the insidious and jealous ancient. Let’s achieve a better understanding of the lieutenant’s case in this paper.    Cassio’s biggest fall is with the Iago-schemed incident of inebriation. In The Riverside Shakespeare Frank Kermode explains the total meaning of the loss which Cassio’s drunkenness cost him:    Cassio, cashiered, thinks he has lost what Othello is soon really to lose, his reputation: â€Å"I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial† (II.iii.263-64). (We must think of â€Å"reputation† as meaning not merely the good word of others, but that self-respect which is indispensable to social beings, and without which they cannot function well in private or public life. Without it, a man is no more than a beast.) (1200)    Cassio is a blend of good and bad elements, a potpourri of positive and negative features. Kenneth Muir, in the Introduction to William Shakespeare: Othello, explains the ins and outs of Cassio’s personality:    Cassio is defined partly by the exigencies of the plot, which require him to have a poor head for drinking and to have a mistress; but his chivalric worship of Desdemona, his affectionate admiration for Othello, which enable him even at the end to call him ‘Dear General† and to speak of his greatness in heart, and his professional reputation, which only Iago impugns, build up a complex portrait of an attractive, if flawed, character. In spite of his weaknesses, we can understand why Iago should be envious of the ‘daily beauty in his life’ and why Desdemona should speak so warmly ... ...d, a little later, in his sincere regret about the loss of his reputation after he has partaken of the wine which Iago has forced upon him. (85-86)    WORKS CITED    Bevington, David, ed. William Shakespeare: Four Tragedies. New York: Bantam Books, 1980.    Bradley, A. C.. Shakespearean Tragedy. New York: Penguin, 1991.    Coles, Blanche. Shakespeare’s Four Giants. Rindge, New Hampshire: Richard Smith Publisher, 1957.    Kermode, Frank. â€Å"Othello, the Moor of Venice.† The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1974.    Muir, Kenneth. Introduction. William Shakespeare: Othello. New York: Penguin Books, 1968.    Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.   

One Day

Bich Ngoc Tran(Julia) Graded Reader Assignment #2 â€Å"ONE DAY† by Helen Naylor Plot Summary Moreland road is a street in the city of Bath, England. Some of people live in this road are Jason- a seventeen year old boy and his mother, Nina Sen-works in bank and her husband-David works in a restaurant, Maggie and another one is Sam-work on a newspaper. Jason’s father left him when he was five and he lives with his mother. He wants to study at art school. He felt so sad because his girlfriend says goodbye with him because she loved another person. Nina works at bank and her boss asks her to be the manager of bank at Newcastle.If she says yes, her husband and her son must change work place and school, but they love their work place and school. However, they decided go to Newcastle with her. Maggie loves a man call Xavier when she went to vacation at Chile last month. Her friend loves him too but Xavier only loves Maggie. She didn’t have any news about Xavier after s he finished her vacation and she thinks Xavier is not a good boyfriend. Sam- the men who works in a newspaper, has money problems. His job didn’t get enough money for his family and he worried about that.He needs money for his daughter goes to Norway with her class. He asks his brother to lend him money but his brother wants Sam find another job, a better job and he didn’t lend him money. Sam decided sell jewellery his mother gave him before she died. One thing he didn’t know, an old friend of him just died and he wrote in his will he wants to leave 50,000$ for Sam. The secretary of lawyer wrote a letter to Sam and took the letter to the post office. But there was an accident, and fire was lost two big bags of letters, some of them were four very important letters for some people in Moreland road.The school of art sent Jason a letter to offer him, Jason didn’t receive the letter and he called for school, they said he could take a place on next year. Paren t of Nina’s husband wrote a letter said they bought a restaurant for him. David and their son stay in Bath and Nina goes to Newcastle, she goes home on weekend. Xavier was sent Maggie a letter and he told he must leave Chile and coming to England to gets away from some problems and he has done nothing wrong but she never receive the letter. After three months Sam got a letter about 50,000$ and life began to look a lot better for Sam and his family. Character analysis:My favourite character in this story was Sam. He didn’t have enough money for his daughter to travel and he decided sell jewellery his mother gave him before she died to gets money for his daughter. He did everything for his family, he was a nice husband, a nice father. Lessons from the Reading: I really don’t learn any lesson from this book. I don’t understand what meaning of this book. Opinion: I will recommend this book for my friends. Maybe they can explain meaning of this book for me. Co mmon Suffixes Noun Suffixes| Suffix| Meaning| Example| -acy| state or quality| privacy, legacy| -al| act or process of| refusal, approval| ance, -ence| the action or state of| maintenance, eminence| -dom| the condition, the rank of (tr? ng thai, c? p d? )| freedom, kingdom| -er, -or| one who (danh t? ch? ngu? i)| trainer, protector| -ism| doctrine, belief (h? c thuy? t, tin ngu? ng)| communism, heroism| -ist| one who (danh t? ch? ngu? i)| chemist, psychologist| -ity, -ty| quality of| veracity, nationality| -ment| the action or result of| argument, agreement| -ness| state of being| heaviness, carelessness| -ship| the status, position, group of (tu cach, v? tri, h? i)| citizenship, fellowship, partnership| -sion, -tion| state of being| concession, transition|Verb Suffixes| -ate| become| eradicate, meditate| -en| become| enlighten, strengthen| -ify, -fy| make or become| terrify, pacify| -ize, -ise| become| civilize, popularize| Adjective Suffixes| -able, -ible| capable of being| edible , presentable| -al| pertaining to (thu? c, g? n v? i)| regional, hormonal| -esque| reminiscent of (g? i l? i)| picturesque| -ful| notable for| fanciful, beautiful| -ic, -ical| pertaining to| musical, mythic| -ious, -ous| characterized by (co tinh)| nutritious, portentous| -ish| having the quality of (gi? ng)| fiendish, childish| -ive| having the nature of| creative, imaginative| less| without| endless, careless| -y| characterized by| sleazy, sleepy| Adverb Suffixes| -ly| in the manner indicated by the root (theo ham y nghia t? g? c)| peacefully, heavily| -ward| in the direction of (whatever the root indicates – theo hu? ng c? a t? g? c)| eastward, homeward, backward| We hope you will enjoy this article! BICH NGOC TRAN (Julia) In lecture â€Å"8 secrets of success† Richard St. John told us characteristics lead to success. If you want to success you have to have passion, work hard, good practice, focus, push yourself, serve, have new ideals and persist.It mean you have t o love your work because if you love your work, you will have passion with it. You will work hard , good practice and focus because you love it. For success you also have to push yourself, it mean don’t be shy and selfconfident. You shouldn’t only serve youself, try to persist and create new ideals. For example, Bill Gate had an ideal about computer company. In my opinion, passion is the most important. I really like this lecture because it told me how to success. I agree with Richard St. John and I will try them. 1/Marco Tempest: The magic of truth and lies 2/Adora Svitak: What adults can learn from kids

Prison Overcrowding

This paper will discuss prison overcrowding and what type of numbers have come about over the years when it comes to inmates being imprisoned. It will discuss the cost of a prisoner annually as well as the decision to add verses build when it comes to new facilities. The overcrowding in one particular prison will be touched on as well as whose responsibility it is for upkeep. It will discuss how funding plays a role in overcrowding as well as the â€Å"three strikes† rule in California and how big of an impact it has made on the prison system.Lastly, society’s choice to vote will be touched on as how large of a determining factor it is in overcrowding prisons. State and Federal Prisons housed approximately 1. 3 million inmates in the year 2000, not to mention the jails had an estimate of 600,000 as well. Ten years previous the prisons housed 700,000 inmates and jails were at about 400,000. At that rate, the population of people being incarcerated almost doubled from 1. 1 million to 1. 9 million inmates. The last count in 2008 jumped again to an astonishing 2. million imprisoned within the country (Diiulio, Jr. , J. , 2010, March). Factors that contribute to prison and jail overcrowding is that so many people are incarcerated each year, funding, upkeep of a facility, the three strikes rule and tax payers are unwilling to pass levees. One of the largest reasons prisons are overcrowded today is that it is reported that one out of every 99. 1 adults are currently in prison or jail. This is the largest number in nation’s history and seven times the inmate rate from 1973.Amazingly ninety-five percent of prisoners are released back into communities to continue living their lives. They are not thrown to the wolves; they are released â€Å"with a basic education, job training and preparation, improved pro-social pattern of thinking, adequate life/social skills, and a lowered risk for substance abuse, anger and self esteem issues† (Boehm, D. P . , & Lampert, R. O. , 2008, October). If an inmate needs continued treatment once released, they are provided the assistance and resources to make the transition as successful as possible.Even when a prisoner was on a psychotic medication when released they are hooked up with a regional mental health and substance abuse center to make their reentry as flourishing (Boehm, D. P. , & Lampert, R. O. , 2008, October). At 157 percent capacity, San Quintin State Prison, a maximum security prison is no doubt overcrowded and it costs about $49,000 each year for an adult inmate to be housed in the San Quintin State Prison (Sterngold, J. , 2008, July/August). Taxpayers are unwilling to pass levees to build facilities to house prisoners which lead to an overcrowding prison.The criminal justice system needs to have stronger sentences for crimes to deter people from offending to begin with and not release inmates early due to overcrowding. Inmates are being released early because there are not e nough beds to hold all of the criminals. In the end it leads to a higher crime rate because the inmate’s count of being released early and they are not being reformed. A way to reduce funding problems is to have inmates take care of their own facilities like they would their homes.Cleaning supplies can be handed to the inmates and it can be their job to clean the showers. It should not be the responsibility of the prison staff to keep the facility clean, the inmates should be given duties and be held accountable or forced to live in the conditions they allow for themselves. Funds should not be taken from the taxpayers to pay someone to clean up after the inmates, the taxpayers’ funds could be used for security and building to prevent additional overcrowding. The problem with many jails and prisons today is the upkeep.Most facilities today do not have the funding to build a brand new facility but what needs to happen is to make the additions and upgrades more efficient. Replacing a furnace or air conditioning system for a place a huge as a prison could be extremely time consuming and expensive especially if the newer model is not the most efficient and then has to be replaced again and again prematurely. The best way to spend the taxpayers’ money is to buy the most energy efficient and best model and not replace it as often. As the age old saying, â€Å"you get what you pay for. The same goes for other materials when doing an addition or fixing an existing structure, the administrators need to take the time to research and see what the best materials are for longevity and spend money wisely (Lucas, R. , 2009, November/December).As Robert Lucas (2009) said, â€Å"Money spent well at the beginning of a project may save the facility from spending more in the future. † Like California, many other states have the â€Å"three strikes† rule and one of every nine of the inmates who are on their third strike get 25 to life sentence (H aerens, M. , 2010, May 15). This rule contributes to the vercrowding issue which an individual is taking up more space in jails and prisons. For example, if a person is charged three times with felony drug trafficking and is convicted that would be the third offence and would serve twenty-five year to life in jail. A violent offender, like a murderer, could that the place of that individual and rot in jail and make the community safer, it is the lesser of two evils. There are many factors that contribute to prison and jail overcrowding, funding, upkeep, three strikes rule, taxpayers not wanting to pass levees and the fact that so many people each year are incarcerated.Funding can be redirected if the upgrades were made more efficiently around the prisons. To help save money, inmates can do daily duties and have responsibilities around the prison and jail grounds. The three strikes rule needs to be revised to focus on violent crimes. Tax payers need to stop complaining about criminal s in the community unless they are willing to pass the levees to build jails and prisons to lessen the likelihood of overcrowding.References Boehm, D. P. , & Lampert, R. O. (2008, October). Thinking Outside the Cell: Expanding Safety and Security Beyond the Perimeter. Corrections Today, 70 (5). p. 4-61, Retrieved from Academic Search Premier Resource Center. Diiulio, Jr. , J. (2010, March). Prison Breakout. America,202 (6). p. 11, Retrieved from Academic Search Premier Resource Center. Haerens, M. (2010, May 15). California’s â€Å"Three Strikes† Law Is Fair. † Opposing Viewpoints: Mandatory Minimum Sentencing. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, Retrieved from Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Lucas, R. (2009, November/December). To Build or Not To Build? American Jails,23 (5). p. 4&93, Retrieved from Criminal Justice Periodicals Index Resource Center. Sterngold, J. (2008, July/August). Worst of the Worst. Mother Jones, 33 (4). Prison Overcrowding This paper will discuss prison overcrowding and what type of numbers have come about over the years when it comes to inmates being imprisoned. It will discuss the cost of a prisoner annually as well as the decision to add verses build when it comes to new facilities. The overcrowding in one particular prison will be touched on as well as whose responsibility it is for upkeep. It will discuss how funding plays a role in overcrowding as well as the â€Å"three strikes† rule in California and how big of an impact it has made on the prison system.Lastly, society’s choice to vote will be touched on as how large of a determining factor it is in overcrowding prisons. State and Federal Prisons housed approximately 1. 3 million inmates in the year 2000, not to mention the jails had an estimate of 600,000 as well. Ten years previous the prisons housed 700,000 inmates and jails were at about 400,000. At that rate, the population of people being incarcerated almost doubled from 1. 1 million to 1. 9 million inmates. The last count in 2008 jumped again to an astonishing 2. million imprisoned within the country (Diiulio, Jr. , J. , 2010, March). Factors that contribute to prison and jail overcrowding is that so many people are incarcerated each year, funding, upkeep of a facility, the three strikes rule and tax payers are unwilling to pass levees. One of the largest reasons prisons are overcrowded today is that it is reported that one out of every 99. 1 adults are currently in prison or jail. This is the largest number in nation’s history and seven times the inmate rate from 1973.Amazingly ninety-five percent of prisoners are released back into communities to continue living their lives. They are not thrown to the wolves; they are released â€Å"with a basic education, job training and preparation, improved pro-social pattern of thinking, adequate life/social skills, and a lowered risk for substance abuse, anger and self esteem issues† (Boehm, D. P . , & Lampert, R. O. , 2008, October). If an inmate needs continued treatment once released, they are provided the assistance and resources to make the transition as successful as possible.Even when a prisoner was on a psychotic medication when released they are hooked up with a regional mental health and substance abuse center to make their reentry as flourishing (Boehm, D. P. , & Lampert, R. O. , 2008, October). At 157 percent capacity, San Quintin State Prison, a maximum security prison is no doubt overcrowded and it costs about $49,000 each year for an adult inmate to be housed in the San Quintin State Prison (Sterngold, J. , 2008, July/August). Taxpayers are unwilling to pass levees to build facilities to house prisoners which lead to an overcrowding prison.The criminal justice system needs to have stronger sentences for crimes to deter people from offending to begin with and not release inmates early due to overcrowding. Inmates are being released early because there are not e nough beds to hold all of the criminals. In the end it leads to a higher crime rate because the inmate’s count of being released early and they are not being reformed. A way to reduce funding problems is to have inmates take care of their own facilities like they would their homes.Cleaning supplies can be handed to the inmates and it can be their job to clean the showers. It should not be the responsibility of the prison staff to keep the facility clean, the inmates should be given duties and be held accountable or forced to live in the conditions they allow for themselves. Funds should not be taken from the taxpayers to pay someone to clean up after the inmates, the taxpayers’ funds could be used for security and building to prevent additional overcrowding. The problem with many jails and prisons today is the upkeep.Most facilities today do not have the funding to build a brand new facility but what needs to happen is to make the additions and upgrades more efficient. Replacing a furnace or air conditioning system for a place a huge as a prison could be extremely time consuming and expensive especially if the newer model is not the most efficient and then has to be replaced again and again prematurely. The best way to spend the taxpayers’ money is to buy the most energy efficient and best model and not replace it as often. As the age old saying, â€Å"you get what you pay for. The same goes for other materials when doing an addition or fixing an existing structure, the administrators need to take the time to research and see what the best materials are for longevity and spend money wisely (Lucas, R. , 2009, November/December).As Robert Lucas (2009) said, â€Å"Money spent well at the beginning of a project may save the facility from spending more in the future. † Like California, many other states have the â€Å"three strikes† rule and one of every nine of the inmates who are on their third strike get 25 to life sentence (H aerens, M. , 2010, May 15). This rule contributes to the vercrowding issue which an individual is taking up more space in jails and prisons. For example, if a person is charged three times with felony drug trafficking and is convicted that would be the third offence and would serve twenty-five year to life in jail. A violent offender, like a murderer, could that the place of that individual and rot in jail and make the community safer, it is the lesser of two evils. There are many factors that contribute to prison and jail overcrowding, funding, upkeep, three strikes rule, taxpayers not wanting to pass levees and the fact that so many people each year are incarcerated.Funding can be redirected if the upgrades were made more efficiently around the prisons. To help save money, inmates can do daily duties and have responsibilities around the prison and jail grounds. The three strikes rule needs to be revised to focus on violent crimes. Tax payers need to stop complaining about criminal s in the community unless they are willing to pass the levees to build jails and prisons to lessen the likelihood of overcrowding.References Boehm, D. P. , & Lampert, R. O. (2008, October). Thinking Outside the Cell: Expanding Safety and Security Beyond the Perimeter. Corrections Today, 70 (5). p. 4-61, Retrieved from Academic Search Premier Resource Center. Diiulio, Jr. , J. (2010, March). Prison Breakout. America,202 (6). p. 11, Retrieved from Academic Search Premier Resource Center. Haerens, M. (2010, May 15). California’s â€Å"Three Strikes† Law Is Fair. † Opposing Viewpoints: Mandatory Minimum Sentencing. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, Retrieved from Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Lucas, R. (2009, November/December). To Build or Not To Build? American Jails,23 (5). p. 4&93, Retrieved from Criminal Justice Periodicals Index Resource Center. Sterngold, J. (2008, July/August). Worst of the Worst. Mother Jones, 33 (4). Prison Overcrowding This paper will discuss prison overcrowding and what type of numbers have come about over the years when it comes to inmates being imprisoned. It will discuss the cost of a prisoner annually as well as the decision to add verses build when it comes to new facilities. The overcrowding in one particular prison will be touched on as well as whose responsibility it is for upkeep. It will discuss how funding plays a role in overcrowding as well as the â€Å"three strikes† rule in California and how big of an impact it has made on the prison system.Lastly, society’s choice to vote will be touched on as how large of a determining factor it is in overcrowding prisons. State and Federal Prisons housed approximately 1. 3 million inmates in the year 2000, not to mention the jails had an estimate of 600,000 as well. Ten years previous the prisons housed 700,000 inmates and jails were at about 400,000. At that rate, the population of people being incarcerated almost doubled from 1. 1 million to 1. 9 million inmates. The last count in 2008 jumped again to an astonishing 2. million imprisoned within the country (Diiulio, Jr. , J. , 2010, March). Factors that contribute to prison and jail overcrowding is that so many people are incarcerated each year, funding, upkeep of a facility, the three strikes rule and tax payers are unwilling to pass levees. One of the largest reasons prisons are overcrowded today is that it is reported that one out of every 99. 1 adults are currently in prison or jail. This is the largest number in nation’s history and seven times the inmate rate from 1973.Amazingly ninety-five percent of prisoners are released back into communities to continue living their lives. They are not thrown to the wolves; they are released â€Å"with a basic education, job training and preparation, improved pro-social pattern of thinking, adequate life/social skills, and a lowered risk for substance abuse, anger and self esteem issues† (Boehm, D. P . , & Lampert, R. O. , 2008, October). If an inmate needs continued treatment once released, they are provided the assistance and resources to make the transition as successful as possible.Even when a prisoner was on a psychotic medication when released they are hooked up with a regional mental health and substance abuse center to make their reentry as flourishing (Boehm, D. P. , & Lampert, R. O. , 2008, October). At 157 percent capacity, San Quintin State Prison, a maximum security prison is no doubt overcrowded and it costs about $49,000 each year for an adult inmate to be housed in the San Quintin State Prison (Sterngold, J. , 2008, July/August). Taxpayers are unwilling to pass levees to build facilities to house prisoners which lead to an overcrowding prison.The criminal justice system needs to have stronger sentences for crimes to deter people from offending to begin with and not release inmates early due to overcrowding. Inmates are being released early because there are not e nough beds to hold all of the criminals. In the end it leads to a higher crime rate because the inmate’s count of being released early and they are not being reformed. A way to reduce funding problems is to have inmates take care of their own facilities like they would their homes.Cleaning supplies can be handed to the inmates and it can be their job to clean the showers. It should not be the responsibility of the prison staff to keep the facility clean, the inmates should be given duties and be held accountable or forced to live in the conditions they allow for themselves. Funds should not be taken from the taxpayers to pay someone to clean up after the inmates, the taxpayers’ funds could be used for security and building to prevent additional overcrowding. The problem with many jails and prisons today is the upkeep.Most facilities today do not have the funding to build a brand new facility but what needs to happen is to make the additions and upgrades more efficient. Replacing a furnace or air conditioning system for a place a huge as a prison could be extremely time consuming and expensive especially if the newer model is not the most efficient and then has to be replaced again and again prematurely. The best way to spend the taxpayers’ money is to buy the most energy efficient and best model and not replace it as often. As the age old saying, â€Å"you get what you pay for. The same goes for other materials when doing an addition or fixing an existing structure, the administrators need to take the time to research and see what the best materials are for longevity and spend money wisely (Lucas, R. , 2009, November/December).As Robert Lucas (2009) said, â€Å"Money spent well at the beginning of a project may save the facility from spending more in the future. † Like California, many other states have the â€Å"three strikes† rule and one of every nine of the inmates who are on their third strike get 25 to life sentence (H aerens, M. , 2010, May 15). This rule contributes to the vercrowding issue which an individual is taking up more space in jails and prisons. For example, if a person is charged three times with felony drug trafficking and is convicted that would be the third offence and would serve twenty-five year to life in jail. A violent offender, like a murderer, could that the place of that individual and rot in jail and make the community safer, it is the lesser of two evils. There are many factors that contribute to prison and jail overcrowding, funding, upkeep, three strikes rule, taxpayers not wanting to pass levees and the fact that so many people each year are incarcerated.Funding can be redirected if the upgrades were made more efficiently around the prisons. To help save money, inmates can do daily duties and have responsibilities around the prison and jail grounds. The three strikes rule needs to be revised to focus on violent crimes. Tax payers need to stop complaining about criminal s in the community unless they are willing to pass the levees to build jails and prisons to lessen the likelihood of overcrowding.References Boehm, D. P. , & Lampert, R. O. (2008, October). Thinking Outside the Cell: Expanding Safety and Security Beyond the Perimeter. Corrections Today, 70 (5). p. 4-61, Retrieved from Academic Search Premier Resource Center. Diiulio, Jr. , J. (2010, March). Prison Breakout. America,202 (6). p. 11, Retrieved from Academic Search Premier Resource Center. Haerens, M. (2010, May 15). California’s â€Å"Three Strikes† Law Is Fair. † Opposing Viewpoints: Mandatory Minimum Sentencing. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, Retrieved from Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Lucas, R. (2009, November/December). To Build or Not To Build? American Jails,23 (5). p. 4&93, Retrieved from Criminal Justice Periodicals Index Resource Center. Sterngold, J. (2008, July/August). Worst of the Worst. Mother Jones, 33 (4).

The Price of Glory essays

The Price of Glory essays Historian Alistair Horne's book, "The Price of Glory" is one of the most well known and admired books on the Battle of Verdun. Early on, he gives his own perspective on the battle when he writes, "A small affair; [the battle] yet out of it grew what those who took part in it considered to be the grimmest battle in all that grim war, perhaps in History itself" (Horne 1). Verdun was one of the deadliest battles of the war, and Horne zeros in on it because of its importance to the entire war, and the magnitude of the losses there. He maintains that before the battle, Germany still had a chance to win the war, but as the battle continued, their chance trickled away (Horne 1). Thus, the battle was a great turning point in the war, and this is why he concentrates on it, and why he wrote his book. He also maintains that Verdun still influences France today, and certainly had influence over the way the French fought the Germans during the Second World War, which is why Germany so easily overthrew France with their Panzer divisions (Horne 2). Clearly, Horne's thesis embodies the importance of the battle, not only on World War 1, but also far beyond. Horne presents some compelling evidence throughout the book to support his thesis, and simply to illustrate just how devastating this ten-month long battle was to both sides. Not only does he give graphic details of the bloody and gruesome battles, he gives insight into the motivation on both sides that held them in the trenches. For example, he writes of the taking of a French village, "Up came the Pioneers with their flamethrowers, and the last brave defenders were consumed in their remorseless fire" (Horne 86). The book is full of chilling accounts such as these, which make the extreme horrors of battle even more understandable to the reader. Discussing the tactics of both side, Horne shows how no one really ...

Fall of Saigon in the Vietnam War

Fall of Saigon in the Vietnam War The Fall of Saigon occurred on April 30, 1975, at the end of the Vietnam War. Commanders North Vietnam General Van Tien DungColonel General Tran Van Tra South Vietnam Lieutenant General Nguyen Van ToanMayor Nguyen Hop Doan Fall of Saigon Background In December 1974, the Peoples Army of North Vietnam (PAVN) began a series of offensives against South Vietnam. Though they achieved success against the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), American planners believed that South Vietnam would be able to survive at least until 1976. Commanded by General Van Tien Dung, PAVN forces quickly gained the upper hand against the enemy in early 1975 as he directed assaults against the Central Highlands of South Vietnam. These advances also saw PAVN troops capture the key cities of Hue and Da Nang on March 25 and 28. American Concerns Following the loss of these cities, Central Intelligence Agency officers in South Vietnam began to question whether the situation could be rescued without large-scale American intervention. Increasingly concerned about the safety of Saigon, President Gerald Ford ordered planning to commence for the evacuation of American personnel. Debate ensued as Ambassador Graham Martin wished any evacuation to occur quietly and slowly to prevent panic whereas the Department of Defense sought a rapid departure from the city. The result was a compromise in which all but 1,250 Americans were to be quickly withdrawn. This number, the maximum that could be carried in a single days airlift, would remain until Tan Son Nhat airport was threatened. In the meantime, efforts would be made to remove as many friendly South Vietnamese refugees as possible. To aid in this effort, Operations Babylift and New Life were initiated in early April and flew out 2,000 orphans and 110,000 refugees respectively. Through the month of April, Americans departed Saigon through the Defense Attachà ©s Office (DAO) compound at Tan Son Nhat. This was complicated as many refused to leave their South Vietnamese friends or dependents. PAVN Advances On April 8, Dung received orders from the North Vietnamese Politburo to press his attacks against the South Vietnamese. Driving against Saigon in what became known as the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, his men encountered the final line of ARVN defenses at Xuan Loc the next day. Largely held by the ARVN 18th Division, the town was a vital crossroads northeast of Saigon. Ordered to hold Xuan Loc at all costs by South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu, the badly outnumbered 18th Division repelled PAVN attacks for nearly two weeks before being overwhelmed. With the fall of Xuan Loc on April 21, Thieu resigned and denounced the United States for failing to provide needed military aid. The defeat at Xuan Loc effectively opened the door for PAVN forces to sweep on to Saigon. Advancing, they encircled the city and had nearly 100,000 men in place by April 27. That same day, PAVN rockets began hitting Saigon. Two days later, these began to damage the runways at Tan Son Nhat. These rocket attacks led the American defense attachà ©, General Homer Smith, to advise Martin that any evacuation would need to be carried out by helicopter. Operation Frequent Wind As the evacuation plan relied on the use of fixed-wing aircraft, Martin demanded the embassys Marine guards to take him to the airport to see the damage firsthand. Arriving, he was forced to agree with Smiths assessment. Learning that the PAVN forces were advancing, he contacted Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at 10:48 AM and requested permission to activate the Frequent Wind evacuation plan. This was immediately granted and the American radio station began repeat playing White Christmas which was the signal for American personnel to move to their evacuation points. Due to the runway damage, Operation Frequent Wind was conducted using helicopters, largely CH-53s and CH-46s, which departed from the DAO Compound at Tan Son Nhat. Leaving the airport they flew out to American ships in the South China Sea. Through the day, buses moved through Saigon and delivered Americans and friendly South Vietnamese to the compound. By evening over 4,300 people had been evacuated through Tan Son Nhat. Though the US Embassy was not intended to be a major departure point, it became one when many became stranded there and were joined by thousands of South Vietnamese hoping to claim refugee status. As a result, flights from the embassy continued through the day and late into the night. At 3:45 AM on April 30, the evacuation of refugees at the embassy was halted when Martin received direct orders from Ford to leave Saigon. He boarded a helicopter at 5:00 AM and was flown to USS Blue Ridge. Though several hundred refugees remained, the Marines at embassy departed at 7:53 AM. Aboard Blue Ridge, Martin desperately argued for helicopters to return to the embassy but was blocked by Ford. Having failed, Martin was able to convince him to allow ships to remain offshore for several days as a haven for those fleeing. The Operation Frequent Wind flights met little opposition from PAVN forces. This was the result of the Politburo ordering Dung to hold fire as they believed interfering with the evacuation would bring American intervention. Though the American evacuation effort had ended, South Vietnamese helicopters and aircraft flew out additional refugees to the American ships. As these aircraft were unloaded, they were pushed overboard to make room for new arrivals. Additional refugees reached the fleet by boat. Fall of Saigon Bombarding the city on April 29, Dung attacked early the next day. Led by the 324th Division, PAVN forces pushed into Saigon and quickly moved to capture key facilities and strategic points around the city. Unable to resist, newly-appointed President Duong Van Minh ordered ARVN forces to surrender at 10:24 AM and sought to peacefully hand over the city. Uninterested in receiving Minhs surrender, Dungs troops completed their conquest when tanks plowed through the gates of the Independence Palace and hoisted the North Vietnamese flag at 11:30 AM. Entering the palace, Colonel Bui Tin found Minh and his cabinet waiting. When Minh stated that he wished to transfer power, Tin replied, â€Å"There is no question of your transferring power. Your power has crumbled. You cannot give up what you do not have.† Completely defeated, Minh announced 3:30 PM that the South Vietnamese government was fully dissolved. With this announcement, the Vietnam War effectively came to an end. Sources HistoryNet: Fall of SaigonBBC: Fall of SaigonUSNI: Operation Frequent Wind

Orca (Killer Whale - Orcinus orca) Facts

Orca (Killer Whale - Orcinus orca) Facts The killer whale, also known as the orca, is one of the most well-known types of whales. Killer whales are commonly the star attractions at large aquariums and due to these aquariums and movies, may also be known as Shamu or Free Willy. Despite their somewhat derogatory name and large, sharp teeth, fatal interactions between killer whales and humans in the wild have never been reported. (Read more about fatal interactions with captive orcas). Description With their spindle-like shape and beautiful, crisp black and white markings, killer whales are striking and unmistakable. The maximum length of killer whales is 32 feet in males and 27 feet in females. They can weigh up to 11 tons (22,000 pounds). All killer whales have dorsal fins, but the males is larger than females, sometimes reaching 6 feet tall. Like many other Odontocetes, killer whales live in organized family groups, called pods, which range in size from 10-50 whales. Individuals are identified and studied using their natural markings, which include a grayish-white saddle behind the whales dorsal fin. Classification Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: MammaliaOrder: CetaceaSuborder: OdontocetiFamily: DelphinidaeGenus: OrcinusSpecies: orca While killer whales were long considered to be one species, there now appear to be many species, or at least subspecies, of killer whales. These species/subspecies differ genetically and also in appearance. Habitat and Distribution According to the Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, killer whales are second only to humans as the most widely distributed mammal in the world. Even though they range across temperate areas of the oceans, killer whale populations are more concentrated around Iceland and northern Norway, along the northwestern coast of the U.S. and Canada, in the Antarctic and Canadian Arctic. Feeding Killer whales eat a wide array of prey, including fish, sharks, cephalopods, sea turtles, seabirds (e.g., penguins) and even other marine mammals (e.g., whales, pinnipeds). They have 46-50 cone-shaped teeth that they use to grasp their prey. Killer Whale Residents and Transients The well-studied population of killer whales off the western coast of North America has revealed that there are two separate, isolated populations of killer whales known as residents and transients. Residents prey on fish and move according to the migrations of salmon, and transients prey primarily on marine mammals such as pinnipeds, porpoises, and dolphins, and may even feed on seabirds. Resident and transient killer whale populations are so different that they dont socialize with each other and their DNA is different. Other populations of killer whales are not as well studied, but scientists think that this food specialization might occur in other areas as well. Scientists are now learning more about a third type of killer whale, called offshores, which live in the area from British Columbia, Canada to California, dont interact with resident or transient populations, and are not usually seen inshore. Their food preferences are still being studied. Reproduction Killer whales are sexually mature when they are 10-18 years old. Mating seems to take place throughout the year. The gestation period is 15-18 months, after which a calf about 6-7 feet long is born. Calves weigh about 400 pounds at birth and will nurse for 1-2 years. Females have calves every 2-5 years. In the wild, it is estimated that 43% of calves die within the first 6 months (Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, p.672). Females reproduce until they are about 40 years old. Killer whales are estimated to live between 50-90 years, with females generally living longer than males. Conservation Since 1964, when the first killer whale was captured for display in an aquarium in Vancouver, they have been a popular show animal, a practice that is becoming more controversial. Until the 1970s, killer whales were captured off the western coast of North America, until populations there began to decrease. Subsequently, since the late 1970s, killer whales captured in the wild for aquariums have mostly been taken from Iceland. Today, breeding programs exist in many aquariums and that has lessened the need for wild captures. Killer whales have also been hunted for human consumption or because of their predation on commercially-valuable fish species. They are also threatened by pollution, with the population off British Columbia and Washington state having extremely high levels of PCBs. Sources: American Cetacean Society. 2004. Orca (Killer Whale). (Online). American Cetacean Society Fact Sheet. Accessed February 27, 2010.Kinze, Carl Christian. 2001. Marine Mammals of the North Atlantic. Princeton University Press.Mead, James G. and Joy P. Gould. 2002. Whales and Dolphins In Question. Smithsonian Institution.Perrin, William F., Bernd Wursig and J.G.M. Thewissen. 2002. Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. Academic Press.

Belkiz Feedaway Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Belkiz Feedaway - Essay Example Assuming that I sell the portable feeding chair at the price of US$150 each, the company will have a demand of as much as 500 pieces of portable feeding chair per month. In case I decided to sell the portable feeding chair at the price of US$350 per chair, the company will be able to sell only 200 pieces of its portable feeding chair per month. (See Graph I – Investment on Price Elastic Product (Portable Feeding Chair) below) A portable feeding chair made out of strong recyclable cardboard is considered as a homogenous product. It means that the product itself can be easily copied by other cardboard manufacturers. For this reason, it is not advisable on the part of Belkiz Feedaway to sell its product as inelastic product. By maintaining the price elasticity of demand, the company will be able to continuously sell the product all year round. To determine the best pricing strategy for Belkiz Feedaway’s portable feeding chair, there is a strong need for the marketing manager to conduct a market analysis which includes market segmentation, targeting, and positioning of the product in the market. Since a portable feeding chair is designed for toddler’s use, the target markets for this product are couples or single parent with new born child. Based on statistics of newborn children each year, the company could estimate roughly how big its potential market is within the United States. Since this product is relatively new in the market, the company can take advantage of pricing the product not too high and not too low. Since there are no other substitute for this product in the market as of the present time, the company has more bargaining power over its target consumers. With regards to product pricing, it is important to consider the volume of portable feeding chair the company can produce. Even though demand for the product is high, the availability of supply could also affect the pricing of the product until such point that the

In instruction box Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

In instruction box - Essay Example The threats are the elements that could lead the business to trouble. It is important to conduct a SWOT analysis as it may later inform the business planning steps that are directed to the realization of business objectives (Armstrong, 1996). Every serious business should conduct and implement a SWOT analysis every so often to evaluate its position in the market. This paper will involve a SWOT analysis of Nike Company and will go further to analyse what businesses need to do to gain a stronger market position. About Nike Company Nike Incorporated is a multinational business that designs, develops and markets apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment. The American company has its headquarters in the Portland metropolitan area of Oregon. Nike as the company is popularly referred to is among the fortune 500 companies and boasts of being a leading producer of apparel, sports equipment and athletic shoes in the world (Nike Inc., 2013). Established in 1964 under the name of Blue Ribbon Sports, the corporation has several brands to its name, the main ones being Nike, Nike Skateboarding, Nike Golf, and Nike Pro. The organization has a number of subsidiaries including Converse and Hurley International, operates a number of retail stores, and sponsors several high profile sports teams and athletes from different nations across the globe. Nike SWOT Analysis Strengths Nike Inc. enjoys several strengths to its advantage. The company has been in existence since 1964 which may translate to a lot of experience in its field. The Nike brand has become a global brand over the years and enjoys strong brand equity. Given that the brand is linked with many famous athletes and favorite sports teams, it enjoys a huge amount of endorsements from its beneficiaries and by extension, the support of the masses spread across the world (Marketing Teacher, 2013). It is a fact that the establishment of manufacturing plants, buildings and other immovable assets cost huge capital investments and ties an organization’s finances. While many organizations have their capital tied to such assets as buildings and factories, this is not the case with Nike Inc. The corporation also does not have its capital tied to workers engaged in the production of its products. This being the case, the business thrives on a lean workforce and therefore operates on a lean budget. Furthermore, relying on the facilities of other organizations to manufacture its products gives Nike the opportunity to produce its products at the lowest possible costs without compromising on quality (Marketing Teacher, 2013). This arrangement affords Nike huge profit margins especially considering that it thrives on a lean workforce and budget. The organization has a robust research and development team that work toward coming up with high quality innovative products. The organization is one that produces branded clothing - a field in which there is little to innovate about (Tech Analysis Blogger, 2013). W hile this is the case, the company has managed to come up with innovative products that meet the needs of various demographics. The company also has a high score with regard to its environmental record. The Clean Air-Cool Planet, the company among the top companies that are climate friendly. Weaknesses One of the weaknesses that

Privatization of Prisons Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Privatization of Prisons - Essay Example Private prisons purpose was to house inmate thus reduce congestion in public prisons then paid by the government using taxpayer prison revenue. Despite privatization being profit generation source, private prisons have benefits and disadvantages to the public and prisoners. As a result, the essay will deduce and come up with the judgment on whether the government should embrace private prisons or abolish the idea. Positively, private prisons reduce congestion of prisoners in public prisons in United States. Mason indicates that many public prisons in America house inmate more than the required number because of lack of an alternative place to keep the criminals (4-7). For instance, some of California prisons facility have about 300, 000 prisoner compared to the required number of 170,000 prisoners. Additionally, such high numbers of prisoners hinders effective rehabilitation of prisoners because of lack of sufficient rehabilitation space, tools, and personnel found in the prisons. Fo r this reason, the federal and state government adopting the idea of private prisons was important. This will reduce the congestion in public prisons and ensure effective rehabilitation of all the prisoners hence curbing the level of prison violence. Private prisons served as a cost effective method in the budget of federal and state government in the United States. ... Mason posits that states with higher number of private prisons enjoy lower cost of housing prisoners in the state (8-10). Therefore, with abundant prison facilities in United States, criminal rate may reduce in most states. This is because there will be no waste of time in delay of convicting criminals because of lack of space in public prisons. However, private prisons also have several disadvantages. There are high reports of violence and mistreatment of prisoners in private facilities. Most private prisons have limited incentives that could curb recidivism and violence among prisoners (American Civil Liberties Union 23). Moreover, most private prisons focuses on profit creation and not the safety and decent living of the prisoners hence hindering the process of rehabilitation and accelerating violence level among prisoners. In addition, the management team in private prisons may not have sufficient training personnel to handle cases of violence and recidivism hence, becoming a thr eat in the rehabilitation of prisoners. Thus, such reasons may inhibit the number of prisoners admitted in private prisons while may affect the profit generation goal of the private prison. Despite the private prison goal being profit generation to the public and shareholders, most private prisons experience limited profits level. The amount of profit earned causes the private prisons to overlook the intensity of training the prison security personnel (American Civil Liberties Union 20-22). Therefore, this affects the way in which the private prison personnel may handle rude prisoners and curb the level of prisoners escaping experienced in from private prisoners. Moreover, the surrounding community may not benefit from the revenue gained by the private prison in town. Hence,

Second rich generation in china Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Second rich generation in china - Essay Example This means that they are mainly reliant on their families, which are filthy rich. Through this character, a serious economic challenge comes up, and the economic future of the country stands to be threatened if these people are consumers and are not working to expand their parents businesses. Although, some people saying â€Å"SRG† are only a very small group of people, they cannot make any huge influence. Considering the behavior they have now and the wealth they will control in the future, I am still thinking they will make a huge negative impact to Chinese society and economy in the near future. The building of an economy required the input of all the citizens in a country. Since 1980s there were a group of hardworking people, they used their intelligence and knowledge to help China finished industrialization. Their hardworking not only made them become the first group of billionaires in China but also helped the country grown to be one of the giant economies in the world. However, most of their children are not diligent as their parents, they have decided to sit back and eat what their parents made. Compare to business, they are seem to be more interested in the sports cars and private jets. This is a very dangerous scenario given that there is no income that is generated from this generation. I interviewed a SRG recently, although he indicated that he wants to have his own career and pay for his own life in the future. He still admitted that it is not easy to do and most of the SRG now are not thinking like him. According to Liu (2012) Songyang Fu’s father was the owner of a still factory near Beijing. A car accident took away his father’s life in 2006 and Fu was only nineteen. Fu inherited his father’s legacy and became the thirtieth richest person in China on the Forbes’s rank. However Fu was not interested in his father’s steel business at all. He decided to use his father’s money to realize his own

Ethical concern related to low-wage workers Essay

Ethical concern related to low-wage workers - Essay Example First of all, in order to create a background for my essay, I would like to start with a definition of the term 'ethics'. This term is taken from the Greek, and the Greek word 'ethos' means 'character'. Nowadays, ethics can be defined as the set of rules for interpersonal communication, which takes place either on daily basis or at the level of big business. "Making ethical decisions in business is often difficult because business ethics is not simply an extension of an individual's personal ethics or a society's standards of right and wrong" (answers.com, 2005). Just being a righteous person, who fits ethical criteria, might not be enough to handle the problems, which occur in the workplace, such as the treatment of low-wage employees and their career development. It is important to note that many professions have already responded to the demanding business problems - in particular, with the creation of "codes of ethics, statements of corporate goals, sponsor training and educational programs in ethics" (ibid) , the installation of internal jurists who deal with various ethical improprieties, and with creation of special telephone hot lines, which allow employees report anonymously possible ethical violations. A code of ethics contains certain standards of behavior, which are obligatory for the representatives of a certain profession. Moreover, a code of ethics generally provides professionals with information about the obligations towards one another, their customers, employees and the whole society. "A code of ethics is generally developed by a professional society within a particular profession. The higher the degree of professionalism required of society members, the stronger and therefore more enforceable the code" (ibid). The main function of a code of ethics is to guide employees and employers in the most complicated ethical questions, in particular those which are especially unclear. Decisions in such cases can be made more effectively and easily if the code informs about what actions should or should not be taken and about the penalties for morally wrong behavior. Many companies have their own codes of practice, or codes of ethics, which correspond to the mission of the organization and the organizational culture. There are several ethical concerns associated with low-wage workers. The most widespread ethical dilemma, which arises in many organizations is 'utility vs. morality' (Bernstein, 1997). The ideas of utilitarianism, which penetrated the business, have been developed into the utilitarian approach to ethical concerns, which concentrates on "taking the action that will result in the greatest good for the greatest number of people" (poznaklav.com, 2005). For instance, employing low-wage workers, entrepreneur, who follows utilitarian principles, would attempt to determine whether using low-wage employees would bring prosperity to the company. For instance, those business owners, who use low-wage foreign employees in response to price competition, will probably benefit from such decision. On the other hand, using low-wage workers is likely to decrease the wages of the other employees, decreasing at the same time their standards of living and thus, reducing their ability to purchase the good s the company produces. Those company owners, who support the ideas of morality (Blank, 1997) would probably pay living wages to all employees regardless

Define plagiarism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Define plagiarism - Essay Example Instead of working hard in the library by reading books, or taking notes, one may get tempted to just search the Internet and copy information verbatim. This ‘cut and paste’ culture is to be condemned. Plagiarism can indeed be considered as "theft of intellectual property† because just like how the theft of physical property is an offence, borrowing a person’s work without acknowledgment is like theft. After all, a lot of mental effort and time would have gone into the original work. The least one can do is to properly acknowledge it. 1. Deliberate plagiarism is deliberately using another person’s work without any credit to the original work. It includes ‘cut and paste’ directly from a source, paying someone else to write the assignment etc (Study & Learning Centre, 2005). Deliberate plagiarism can be avoided by planning well ahead of the assignment, meticulously noting the sources, making rough drafts, having a proper communication with the tutor (Lehigh University, 2006), and avoiding the temptation of using another writer etc. 2. A citation is required whenever an â€Å"idea, quote (written or spoken), data, image or other content that is not yours unless it is common knowledge† (The Pennsylvania State University, 2007) is used. 3. If exact words or phrases are used, then they must be used within quotations. Only essential words or phrases must be quoted; entire paragraphs need not be quoted. The authors name must be mentioned in the quoted sentence (Stolley,

Ethical concern related to low-wage workers Essay

Ethical concern related to low-wage workers - Essay Example First of all, in order to create a background for my essay, I would like to start with a definition of the term 'ethics'. This term is taken from the Greek, and the Greek word 'ethos' means 'character'. Nowadays, ethics can be defined as the set of rules for interpersonal communication, which takes place either on daily basis or at the level of big business. "Making ethical decisions in business is often difficult because business ethics is not simply an extension of an individual's personal ethics or a society's standards of right and wrong" (answers.com, 2005). Just being a righteous person, who fits ethical criteria, might not be enough to handle the problems, which occur in the workplace, such as the treatment of low-wage employees and their career development. It is important to note that many professions have already responded to the demanding business problems - in particular, with the creation of "codes of ethics, statements of corporate goals, sponsor training and educational programs in ethics" (ibid) , the installation of internal jurists who deal with various ethical improprieties, and with creation of special telephone hot lines, which allow employees report anonymously possible ethical violations. A code of ethics contains certain standards of behavior, which are obligatory for the representatives of a certain profession. Moreover, a code of ethics generally provides professionals with information about the obligations towards one another, their customers, employees and the whole society. "A code of ethics is generally developed by a professional society within a particular profession. The higher the degree of professionalism required of society members, the stronger and therefore more enforceable the code" (ibid). The main function of a code of ethics is to guide employees and employers in the most complicated ethical questions, in particular those which are especially unclear. Decisions in such cases can be made more effectively and easily if the code informs about what actions should or should not be taken and about the penalties for morally wrong behavior. Many companies have their own codes of practice, or codes of ethics, which correspond to the mission of the organization and the organizational culture. There are several ethical concerns associated with low-wage workers. The most widespread ethical dilemma, which arises in many organizations is 'utility vs. morality' (Bernstein, 1997). The ideas of utilitarianism, which penetrated the business, have been developed into the utilitarian approach to ethical concerns, which concentrates on "taking the action that will result in the greatest good for the greatest number of people" (poznaklav.com, 2005). For instance, employing low-wage workers, entrepreneur, who follows utilitarian principles, would attempt to determine whether using low-wage employees would bring prosperity to the company. For instance, those business owners, who use low-wage foreign employees in response to price competition, will probably benefit from such decision. On the other hand, using low-wage workers is likely to decrease the wages of the other employees, decreasing at the same time their standards of living and thus, reducing their ability to purchase the good s the company produces. Those company owners, who support the ideas of morality (Blank, 1997) would probably pay living wages to all employees regardless

Enrons Fall Essay Example for Free

Enrons Fall Essay State the facts of the case. Enron is the Seventh- largest company in the united states but after six months, Enron filed for bankruptcy, the outcome of what has been called the greatest accounting fraud of the 20th century. Twelve thousand employees lost not only their jobs but their entire retirement and life savings, which had been invested in Enron Stocks. Other owners of Enron’s stocks—including thousands of ordinary Americans whose pension were also invested in Enron’s Stock—lost a total of $70 billion when the value of their stocks collapsed to zero. . What are the systemic, corporate and individual issues raised by this case? Systemic Issues: The Enron’s greatest accounting fraud was done by the person inside the company who was indeed in a higher position. This is not only a crime in the point of view of law but also an organizational fraud which affect everyone in the organization, including the shareholders, stockholders, and employees. Corporate Issues: The accounting frauds was done by creating the Special Purpose Entity that covers the debt and failing investment in the company and turn it into sales revenue in the financial statement. In simplest way, they turn their liabilities to an asset. This is done through some executives of Enron with the help of Arthur Andersen, the chief auditor of Enron. Andersen violated the Public Accountant practices. Individual Issues: A moral Hazard caused by individual of Enron and the public revelation of Sherron Watkins in everything she knew about the malpractices in the company. . If the value of Enron’s Stock had not fallen, the Special Purpose Entities perhaps could have continued to operate indefinitely. Suppose that Enron’s stocks did not fall, and suppose that its accounting adhered to the letter, if not the spirit, of GAAP rules. In that case in your view, was there anything with what Enron did? Explain. If the practice was allowed by GAAP and the Enron did not fall is stil l consider as unethical behavior for the only purpose resulting for this action is fraudulence. If fraudulence is not the purpose of some person in Enron’s, then it would be Sherron Watkins who behave unethically for revealing the company information without the authorization of the company itself. 4. Who in your judgment, was morally responsible for the collapsed of Enron? Andrew Fastow, Enron’s former CFO, for setting up limited partnership called Special Purpose Entity and Arthur Andersen for being an accessory to the crime of Andrew Fastow.

Data Storage for Art Gallery

Data Storage for Art Gallery Executive Summary This assignment is based upon an Art Gallery. Being the system analyst and designer the art gallery is hopeful I demonstrate professionalism and propose a computerized cataloging system which they require. Currently the Art Gallery has 8 exhibition rooms where they display art items from around the word. These items dont only belong to the Art Gallery but by other owners, be it other galleries or private collectors. These items are borrowed to enhance the exhibition rooms which change exhibits every 3 months. The gallery is lead by a curator and 6 assistant curators to see about its daily operations. One of the major issues of the art gallery is the paper based form which they use to keep record exhibits in storage or in exhibition, in addition and borrowing and returning of items to their respective owners. There are several technologies available in which these paper forms can be transferred directly into the catalogue system which I am designing for the art gallery. These technologies would be reviewed and the best suited technology would be recommended for the transfer of the paper forms to the computerized system. In building this catalogue it is required that only the curator and assistant curators have read, write, edit and delete functions once the system is properly installed. These functions would be given with discretion to the user according to rank i.e. the curator would be given access to the entire catalogue system granting him permissions to all CRUD functions whereas the 6 assistant curators would have specific access and could only delete certain items in the system. This is required for security issues. In this proposal submitted must be a prototype interface so the users can see how the system would look before the interchange from the current paper based system to the computerized catalogue. The prototype would demonstrate the following functions: Adding a new item Editing item details Searching for the location of an item Listing items due for return This system would make the curator and assistant curators demonstrate efficiency and effectiveness in the art gallery as it is a step into the modern way or storing data which is used by many businesses worldwide. Unified Modelling Language, or UML, is a set of diagrammatic techniques, which are specifically tailored for object-oriented development, and which have become an industry standard for modelling object-oriented systems. In developing this cataloguing system for the art gallery, specialized diagrams would be used to model the system throughout the development process. These diagrams would represent part of the system but not the whole thing. Some of the diagrams that would be shown are: use case diagrams use case specifications activity diagrams class diagrams sequence diagrams state machines communication diagrams Use Case Diagrams Use case diagrams are description of the system from the users point of view. This would entail an actor, use case and system boundary. Three use case diagrams are presented to the art gallery to the show some functional requirements of the system but not the whole system. The art gallery system, maintaining the art list and returning the art item are demonstrated below. This use case describes all the functions carried out in the art gallery system which includes all the actors from the curator, assistant curator, owner and the public. Some of the use cases include maintain art list, maintain owner list, maintain exhibition, manage store rooms, borrow and returning of art. Maintain Art list is a function carried out by the curator. This use case was generated from the Art Gallery System use case in figure 1. It extends to describe the description of what the curator could do in the cataloguing system, which are CRUD functions. Returning of art is a function which the assistant curator performs. This use case was developed from the Art Gallery System in Figure 1 and gives a details listing of the function the assistant curator can perform. Use Case Specification The use case description is a narrative description of the functional requirements from the use case. It describes the use case goal and gives the description of what usually happens and the normal course of events. Following are the use case specifications from the previous use case diagrams. Use Case: Maintain Art List Actors: Curator Goal: Managing the entire art list Description: The curator logs into the system, the user name and password is verified. Access is granted and the curator continues to function. A search is carried out on a particular art ID to ensure it does not exist, once affirmed the curator may create the new record with all the art details required. Other functions granted to the curator are update, delete and print functions which follow along the same line. Once the curator is finished with the particular functions so desired he then logs out the system. Use Case: Maintain Art List Actors: Curator Goal: Managing the entire art list Overview: The curator logs into the system, the user name and password is verified. Access is granted and the curator continues to function. A search is carried out on a particular art ID to ensure it does not exist, once affirmed the curator may create the new record with all the art details required. Other functions granted to the curator are update, delete and print functions which follow along the same line. Once the curator is finished with the particular functions so desired he then logs out the system. Typical course of events: Alternative courses: Step 6 the art information may already exist in the system in the event of adding a new art item and may choose a new art ID. Use Case: Returning Art Actor: Assistant Curator Goal: To return art to respective owner Description: The assistant curator logs into the system, the user name and password is verified. A search is carried to verify all items that are due. The list is obtained and the assistant curator/s may contact the respective owner making them aware the due date is soon. The contract is ended for borrowing the art item, a report is printed and the art is returned. Once successful the assistant curator logs out. Use Case: Returning Art Actor: Assistant Curator Goal: To return art to respective owner Overview: The assistant curator logs into the system, the user name and password is verified. A search is carried to verify all items that are due. The list is obtained and the assistant curator/s may contact the respective owner making them aware the due date is soon. The contract is ended for borrowing the art item, a report is printed and the art is returned. Once successful the assistant curator logs out. Typical course of events: Description: The art gallery system includes the daily operations of the art gallery; this includes the maintaining art list, owners list and exhibition carried out by the curator. The assistant curators also maintain the exhibition rooms, the storage rooms and carry out the functions of borrowing and returning the art items. The owner of the art items are also included in the borrowing and returning of the items and viewing the exhibitions in conjunction with the public. Activity Diagrams Activity diagrams show the internal flow of control in a process. Activity diagrams can be used to represent sequence, selection and iteration and they can also illustrate where all activities can be carried out in parallel. According to IBM.com Activity diagrams are helpful in the following phases of a project: Before starting a project, you can create activity diagrams to model the most important workflows. During the requirements phase, you can create activity diagrams to illustrate the flow of events that the use cases describe. During the analysis and design phases, you can use activity diagrams to help define the behaviour of operations. This diagram shows the activity of events in swim lanes with the assistant curator, art list and the owner. It shows the process of the activity of events taking place in the returning process. Class Diagrams The class diagram is central to object-oriented analysis and design, it defines both the software architecture. It is used to model classes and the relationships between classes, and also to model higher-level structures comprising collections of classes grouped into packages. The class diagram appears through successive iterations at every stage in the development process. Designed are class diagrams illustrating the super class, hierarchy and attributes and operations for the proposed catalogue system for the Art Gallery. Transfer Methods Currently the Art Gallery stores and processes all information on paper based forms which outlines the name, location, owner, value of art, due date, etc. This system could cause problems in finding location of art items and generating due dates because of the frequent change in the exhibitions and in storage. The Art Gallery wishes to fully change this paper based style and produce a catalogue which would improve the efficiency and effectiveness in the work place that would entail the same information from the paper forms. The system would also grant permission to only the Curator and Assistant Curators to have read, write, edit and delete functions. In order to commence this catalogue all the paper forms must be transferred to the computerised system. There are many techniques in which this catalogue could be created, but only the most efficient one would be chosen as it is critical to implement this system. These techniques range from human data entry, document scanning and even voice recognition tools. The mentioned techniques and technologies would be compared and contrasted where only the best option would be chosen to perform the functions needed. Human Data Entry Beginning with the very basic and most popular way of entering information into a system is human data entry. This operation is fully dependant on the data entry clerk or in the Art Gallerys case the assistant curator to read the document and manually key information from the paper forms into the catalogue on the computer system. This process would be strenuous and lengthy as it is a fully manual process. There are only six assistant curators employed at the Art Gallery and this would be highly impossible to implement in a short period. The curators not only have to borrow and return art items, but mange the store rooms and exhibitions so time would be limited in such, to perform data entry. It is assumed that if this technique is chosen at least two of the assistant curators would perform the functions of keying the information into the system. Therefore this option is not best suited for the art gallery due to time constraint and the amount forms that would be re-processed even though a specific number of records wasnt given, it is alleged that there are a profound amount of documents to be entered into the catalogue. Advantages of Human Data Entry Method requires simple software systems and low-end computing hardware Less costly in the sense of hardware and software in addition depending on cost of manpower A large number of PCs would be available for use after census Disadvantages of Human Data Entry Requires more staff Time consuming compared to automated data entry Human errors may consist Standardisation of operations is difficult as performance may be individually dependant Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) According to tiscali.co.uk OMR is a technique that enables marks made in predetermined positions on a computer input form be detected optically and input to a computer. Optical Mark Recognition is used to process data entry form in various institutes and companies. This technology shines a light beam onto the document and is able to detect the marks filled from check boxes and fill-in fields on a printed form, and then the software interprets the output from the scan and translates it to the desired format, bearing in mind the use of a keyboard is nonexistent. OMR is best applicable for processing large number of hand filled forms which are needed to be processed quickly and accurately, which may include survey reply cards, questionnaires and ballots. The speed of OMR is very fast as it could process approximately 85-130 pages per minute and up to 4000 pages per hour depending on the type of machine used. Advantages of Optical Mark Recognition Improved data accuracy Faster than human data entry Capture speeds around 4000 forms per hour Equipment is relatively inexpensive as costs are predictable and defined It is simple to install and run Well established technology that is used by many countries Disadvantages of Optical Mark Recognition There are restrictions as to form design Restrictions on type of paper and ink OMR cannot recognise hand written or machine printed characters Images are not captured by scanners so electronic retrieval is not possible Response boxes should be correctly marked with appropriate pen or pencil The Art Gallery forms are hand written documents and OMR technology doesnt recognise hand written documents therefore this technology is at fault with the requirements of the Art Gallery. Even though this technology has many advantages and of its use worldwide, another type of technology must be considered for transferring the paper based forms to the computerized system. Optical Character Recognition According to wisegeek.com Optical Character recognition is the process of converting printed or hand written materials into text or word processing files that can be easily stored and edited. All OCR systems require hardware and software for analysing the images. A scanners is used to scan the text on a page, then breaks the fonts into a series of dots called bitmap in addition it reads most common font and can determine where lines start and stop. The bitmap is then translated to computer text. This technology fits the requirements of the Art Gallery as it is able to read hand written documents. There have been a lot of advances to this technology over the years as to improve the recognition of handwriting or fonts similar to hand writing. As we observed before in human data entry if we wanted to document one of the forms which is currently used by the Art Gallery someone would have to manually type the document word for word, but with OCR you just scan the document and it could be converted to several formats such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, PDF or HTML. OCR would save a lot of time as it is fast in reading documents, just scan a document and it would be ready in seconds. A lot of businesses have chosen this technology as it cuts time in producing a document which would usually take days to complete can now be accomplished in a minute. As stated in the scenario the documents which the Art Gallery has are neatly handwritten characters which are easy to read so the problems with recognising font wouldnt be of a problem to hinder the operations carried out by this technique. Advantages of Optical Character Recognition Quicker processing, up to 60 sheets per minute Savings in costs and efficiencies by not having the paper questionnaires Scanning and recognition allowed efficient management and planning for the rest of the processing workload Reduced long term storage requirements, hard copy documentation could be destroyed after the initial scanning, recognition and repair Quick retrieval for editing and reprocessing Minimizes errors associated with physical handling of the questionnaires Disadvantages of Optical Character Recognition Higher costs of equipment High calibre IT staff required to support the system Handwriting on census forms be as close as possible to the model handwriting to avoid recognition error Possibility for error during character substitution which would affect data quality Tuning of recognition engine to accurately recognize characters is critical with trade-off between quality and cost Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) Intelligent Character Recognition is sometimes compared with Optical Mark Recognition because of their similarities, but the difference with ICR is its advancement in recognition patterns allowing the technology to recognise all fonts and different styles of handwriting. This technology also allows automatic updates to the recognition of new hand writing patterns in its database. This technology is best suited for the transferring of the forms in the Art Gallery because it would recognise the handwriting on the forms without any editing taking place. The process of documenting the forms to the computerised system would entail the form being scanned; the data is captured then analyzed and translated using ICR software that enables pattern-matching and automatic indexing. Just like OCR the data could be transferred into several formats such as Word, Excel, Access, PDF, XML etc. According to managedoutsource.com some features and benefits of using ICR are: Can recognize any text of a form or a check Allows manual key boarding reduction or deletion Maximum process automation of documents Recognize text regardless of its specific typeface, style or size. Batch processing Automated updating, reports display and automated mass spectra interpretation Automatic checking of the information against databases and dictionaries Costs reduction for your business Because of the similarity with ICR and OCR the advantages and disadvantages may be the same. Therefore the following disadvantages are reiterations of OCR disadvantages as described earlier. Recommendation Voice recognition technology is another aspect of converting the paper based forms to the computerized system but due to all the training involved in this technology only the fastest and most reliable techniques were discussed. It is recommended that the museum use the Intelligent Character Recognition method for the transfer of the forms to the computerized system. Even though it is stated that the forms are easy to read and in standard English the Optical Character Recognition would have been the ideal choice, but doesnt know what the future holds while the process is actually being implemented and what errors may occur. One of the major downfalls the company would face with the ICR technology is its cost. This equipment quite costly and the budget of the Art Gallery are unknown. Instead of buying the machine it could be rented at a cheaper cost, because this technology is only being used to transfer the old forms and nothing further. This would result in a more economical status for the museum. Another form is to buy the machine and rent it out to other businesses who demand the use of this technology for the same purpose. The income generated from the ICR machine could be used in the borrowing of the art items from other galleries and private collectors. Prototype User Interface According to agilemodeling.com a prototype user interface is an iterative technique where users are involved in the development of the User Interface for the system. Since the actual system isnt necessary to demonstrate to the users all desired are snapshots of the designed prototype interface. Includes are the searching for the location of an item, editing an items details, adding a new item and listing the due for return to their owners by a selected date. In the searching process there are two options available to the user, by either entering the Art ID or browsing the current collection with the option of choosing the item type or by selecting the item. Once an option of choice is chosen the art details would be listed below. In the art item details there would be the name of the item what type of art it is, and its current location, further information could be granted to either see what exhibition room or store room it is located in. This form is designed to add a new art item into the catalogue. It gives the option of entering all the art details into the form, once completed the curator has the option of going to another record and view all records in the catalogue or add another record in the system, once completed the curator could close the form. This image is similar to adding the art information; the only difference is the editing aspect. The curator and assistant curators have specific functions where editing is concerned. First they search the record by browsing through the forms and choose the edit button to make changes to the art information. Once completed the new information is automatically saved then the user can close the form. Generating due dates is a function which the assistant curator does in the returning of an art item process. The assistant curator has two options of searching for the due dates. Either by entering a desired date and then the catalogue would list all the due art items on that particular day or by entering an art id which would display the due date of the item. When the search is completed the assistant curator could then print out a report of the information gathered or close the form and continue with the returning art item process. Security Issues Security is a continuous process of protecting an object from unauthorized access. It is as a state of being or feeling protected from harm. That object in that state may be a person, an organization or property such as a computer system. Many businesses suffer the loss of their business due to lack of security. Security doesnt only have to be securing the computer system of the Art Gallery but also its physical surroundings. Objects in the art gallery can either be tangible or non-tangible, tangible objects being hardware and paintings, and intangible being information and data in the system that the art gallery depends on for its continuation. There Art Gallery has many art items which are on loan from different galleries and private collectors which may be priceless or one of a kind art work so losing this could cost the art gallery fortunes. Listed below are the possible threats to security to the art gallery system. Physical Security This may vary in different ways, if there is poor security measures such as little or no implementation of swipe cards, biometrics, security guards, surveillance cameras and identification cards, this may result in a negative effect on the company as there may be imposters wishing to harm the operations of the business. Businesses sometimes think if securing your computer with anti-virus and firewalls would help secure your business but the little things like an unauthorized person gaining access to the building and removing the server, stealing hardware or by vandalizing equipment could make businesses suffer continuity. Therefore the Art Gallery should have proper implementation security guards, surveillance cameras, swipe cards and other media to help with securing the exhibition rooms and store rooms in the Art Gallery. Physical Attacks Physical attacks may result in the event of malicious activity, natural disasters or it may be an accident these attacks results from denial of service. Listed are some physical attacks that may be harmful to the Art Gallery: Fire destruction of art and equipment Water flooding or leaks in the art gallery Electrical Power Surges Temperature air condition failure Natural Disasters Hurricanes, earthquakes, etc. Equipment Failure failure in servers, surveillance cameras, swipe readers. Tampering of equipment With respect to the physical attacks once proper planning and prevention of the above mentioned are complied with the art gallery may be protected against any harmful measures. Faulty Software Faulty software may be unintentional mishaps, it doesnt necessary means sabotage in a business but manufacture problems. These could occur if there is a glitch in the Operating System causing it to malfunction; software was misconfigured during installation or database software malfunction or exploitable weakness. Malicious Software Malicious software is software designed to destroy a computer system without the owners informed consent. Malicious software could be developed by hackers or internal employees in the workplace. Some malicious software may include Computer Viruses Worms Trojan Horse Logic Bomb Hackers toolkit Spyware Dishonest adware Crime ware These malicious software can be contracted due to illegal use of the company internet for personal use other than work related or implanted into the system intentionally. Unauthorised Access Unauthorized Access may take form in different forms. A common way of unauthorized access is by leaving a system logged on and walking away from your desk, another co-worker may intentionally spy on your computer and steal information this is also called eavesdropping. Counter authentication is another form of unauthorised access which may include individuals guessing passwords, password interception, password cracking and session replay. Session Hijacking is the exploitation of a valid computer session to gain access to information or services in a computer system. Denial of Service Denial of service is designed to interrupt normal system functions and affect legitimate users to access the system. Hostile users send a flood of fake requests to a server making the connection impossible to establish. This may result in significant server downtime and financial loss for many companies. All these mentioned security issues are threats to the art gallery; even though some attacks are based on a networked system it is assumed that the Art Gallery would implement a network for the computerised system. Consequences to breach of security According to the threats discussed earlier they play serious threats to the Art Gallery. Once the art gallery has a breach in security it could harm the continuity of the business depending on the level of attack. Firstly starting off with physical attacks, a natural disaster can destroy the entire building with all the exhibits and computers which could terminate the continuation of the business continuity. Other physical attacks like flooding and fire may harm the business but it could be prevented or stopped once proper implementation of fire extinguishers and proper storage of computer system and art exhibits a secured. The difference is a natural disaster is sometime unpredictable. The loss of vital information pertaining to the catalogue with the owner details of art, and information could eventually result in physical theft of art items in the gallery. Some items in the art gallery may be priceless and belongs to persons all over the world; therefore loosing these items would endure the gallery into a financial disorder. Art Gallerys integrity and reputation could blemish as it would turn into a public scandal embarrassing they security measures and all private and confidential information exposed. Permissions User accounts are the best way of ensuring only the curator and assistant curators have write, edit and delete permissions in the proposed catalogue. Every user account is associated with a username and password, the users contact information, account restrictions allowing access to the database at only certain hours of the day and account status allowing the administrator to temporarily disable an account. The curator would be the administrator of the database allowing him access to any and everything he desires which may include the maintaining the art list, maintaining owners list, maintaining the location of art items etc. These functions would allow the curator have all CRUD functions in the database. Being the administrator no one can delete the account because the system depends on an administrator to function and administrator status could be granted to any a supervisor of the 6 assistant curators. The assistant curators would be granted general access to the database but granted certain permissions. The supervisor of the assistant curators may have write, edit and delete functions, whereas the other users may have write and edit functions. Reasons being a delete function is one of power and this permission should only be granted to persons of stature in an organization. This is also part of security reasons. Bibliography Publications Database Design Know it all by: S. Buxton; L. Fryman; R. Guting; T. Halpin; J. Harrington; W. Inmon; S. Lightstone; J. Melton; T. Morgan; T. Nadeau; B. ONeil; E. ONeil; P. ONeil; M. Schneider; G. Simsion; T. Teorey; G. Witt. Published by Morgan Kaufmann 2009 (1st Edition) A Student Guide to Object-Oriented Development by: C. Britton; J. Doake. Published by Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann 2005 (1st Edition) Database Solutions A step-by-step guide to building databases by: T. Connolly; C. Begg. Published by Pearson Education Limited 2004 (2nd Edition) Networking All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies by: D. Lowe. Published by Wiley Publishing Inc. 2008 (3rd Edition) Use Case Driven Object Modeling with UML Theory Practice by: D. Rosenberg; M. Stephens. Published by: Springer-Verlag New York Inc 2007 (1st Edition) Using UML Software Engineering with Objects Components by: P. Stevens; R. Pooley. Published by Addision-Wesley, Pearson Education Limited 2006 (2nd Edition) ICR, OCR, OMR Published by NCS Pearson, Inc www.PearsonNCS.com 2004 Workshop on Consistency Problems in UML-based Software Development by: J. Bodaveix; T. Millan; C. Percebois; C. Le Camus; P. Bazex; L. Feraud; R. Sobex. Blekinge Institue of Technology 2002 Workshop on Consistency Problems in UML-based Software Development by: J. Derrick; D. Akehurst; E. Boiten. Blekinge Institute of Technology 2002 Websites http://www.computer-realm.net/omr-technology/ http://www.drs.co.uk/census_methods.html. http://search.pearson.com/compare/icr-ocr-omr.pdf www.flatworldsolutions.com/articles/advantages-disadvantages-outsourcing.php http://www.scribd.com/doc/8663036/Normalization www.cert.org/archive/pdf/inside cross051105.pdf http://www.omg.org/technology/uml/index.htm,