Operations Management assignment Essay

Supply chain management is the coordination of the processes and functions within a business, adopted by most companies in the UK in the late 1990’s. It deals with the internal and external factors that, when dealt with correctly and systematically, can determine a businesses success or failure. A supply chain is the network of activities that delivers a finished product service to the customer. By definition, supply chain management (SCM) is â€Å"the management of the flows of materials from suppliers to customers in order to reduce overall cost and increase responsiveness to the customers† (Reid & Sanders). SCM entails the co-ordination of the movement of good through the supply chain from suppliers to manufacturers to distributors to the final customer. The main aim of SCM is to maximise the efficiency of any given process being carried out by a company; by doing this it is allowing them to try to cut their costs and hopefully keep satisfying their customers’ needs, while at the same time maintaining their competitive position within their market. Supply chain management is seen as more of an â€Å"open system† in contrast to the traditional system used by the majority of companies just 20 years ago. The new â€Å"open system† allows room for change which is greatly needed with the current financial instability of the economy. SCM has evolved over the years and has moulded to suit the ever changing economy. First adopted by the Japanese, in the form of Geba Kai (A meeting of the minds), the now commonly found process is used by a vast amount of companies in the UK. Nowadays, SCM within a business is responsible for a product from when it’s in its raw state to when it’s a finished product, ready for consumption by customers. The chain management that Comfort Company PLC currently uses is a very traditional system, otherwise known as a â€Å"closed system†. This type of management system isolates itself from the other components in the supply chain and therefore only has communication flowing through the companies own system, this is a negative attribute as it prevents the company from getting important and influential information about the state of the other links in their supply chain. When the dynamics of change happened, it forced the breakthrough of a new approach, the â€Å"open system†. The â€Å"open system† made companies a lot more open to operational change and as a result of this it made several managers, whose companies used the closed, more traditional system, view the new approach as a loss of power; this consequently made a lot of companies resist against the change. The new and more flexible â€Å"open system† was adopted firstly by the Japanese in the form of â€Å"Geba Kai†, they were closely flowed by the British who quickly followed them in adopting it. There are still some nations that, even now, rigidly stick to their old ways and use the â€Å"closed system†, two examples of these nations are the Americans and the Germans. Along with the list of positives the company will gain by changing from a traditional chain system to a more formal supply chain management (SCM) system, there are also a few strategic reasons why a company should change to the newer system, reasons that will help them to stay on par with the other business’ within their industry and within the whole business sector. One of these reasons is globalisation. As stated in â€Å"Operations management: Along the supply chain†, Two thirds of today’s businesses operate globally through global markets, global operations, global financing, and global supply chains†. Globalisation means that British companies, such as Comfort Company PLC are going to have to be prepared to compete in markets that are foreign to them and also have foreign competition within their own domestic markets. Companies that adopt, or have already adopted, a formal supply chain management system will have an advantage upon those who havenâ€⠄¢t and will be able to benefit from globalisation. There are many benefits a company would gain from introducing a formal supply chain management system, all fulfilling the wish to supply the customer with good quality products that â€Å"Comfort Company plc† posses, while at the same time giving them an opportunity to maximise their customer satisfaction, manage their supply chain effectively and allow flexibility to their supply chain. By maximising customer satisfaction, â€Å"Comfort Company plc† could asses how well they are meeting their customers needs, while at the same receiving an indication of how well the business is doing in comparison with their competition; both in their market and foreign markets. Having a flexible supply chain would mean that the company would be able to react to change in demand quickly to ensure that they level the demand to their output, this would save them a lot of time, waste and resources if a freak change in demand was to happen. If â€Å"Comfort company plc† did not adopt the formal supply chain management system they would be at risk of loosing a lot of money if an unforeseeable change was to happen, this would give them a disadvantage upon the competition and would lower their competitive advantage. Effective management of a supply chain could open up opportunities for â€Å"Comfort Company plc† to improve many aspects of their production, and potentially save themselves a lot of money. By identifying the unnecessary waste along the supply chain, â€Å"Comfort Company plc† could make the process an easier, cheaper and quicker one for themselves and other links in their supply chain; this would make the chain more productive, co nsequently making the finished product â€Å"better value†. One of the main advantages of a formal supply chain management system, and an excellent attribute a company can have, is an advantage upon your competitors. Defined, competitive advantage is â€Å"an advantage over competition gained by offering consumers greater value, either by means of lower prices or by providing greater benefits and service that justifies higher prices†(Tutor2u.net, 2011). The type of competitive advantages a company such as â€Å"Comfort Company plc† would achieve from a formal SCM system are advantages such as lower costs and operational flexibility. As there are numerous ways of gaining a competitive advantage, the company in question needs to do some research into their market to see how it could be done, they could research the ways in which their successful competition operate and try to adopt some of their approaches. A good example of a company using its formal SCM system to achieve a good competitive advantage is Dell Computer Corporation. â€Å"Quick delivery of customised computers at prices 10-15 percent lower than the industry standard is Dell’s competitive advantage. A customised Dell computer can be en route to the customer within thirty-six hours. This quick response allows Dell to reduce its inventory level to approximately thirteen days of supply. Dell achieves this in part through its warehousing plan. Most of the components Dell uses are warehoused within fifteen minute travel time to an assembly point. Dell does not order components at its Austin, Texas, facility; instead, suppliers restock warehouses as needed, and Dell is only billed for items only after they are shipped. The result is better value for the customer† (Reid & Sanders). There are a few ways â€Å"Comfort Company plc† can gain competitive advantage within their market, such as using tools like business to business (B2B) e-commerce, or adopting one of Dells results gaining approaches and making sure that there components and raw materials for making the products are located a short travel time away from the place of assembly. Being situated on the Crewe Gates industrial park, where many other businesses, some similar to â€Å"Comfort Company plc† no doubt, are situated, there’s sure to be some way that they could find a supplier closer. If this was to succeed they could create a good, strong relationship with the suppliers and build a barrier of trust and communication, this would be a perfect scenario to ensure the links in the supply chain are strong, as the supply chain is â€Å"only as weak and its weakest link† and vice versa. A business to business (B2B) e-commerce is when companies sell to other business, it is the largest segment of e-commerce. If â€Å"Comfort Company plc† were to use business to business (B2B) e-commerce, they could gain potential benefits such as: †¢Lower procurement administrative costs, †¢Better quality because if increased cooperation of between buyers and sellers, especially during the product design and development, †¢Low-cost access to global suppliers, †¢Lower inventory investment due to price transparency and reduced response times (R. Dan Reid, Nada R. Sanders) The reasons/advantages stated above for changing from a traditional chain system to a formal supply chain management system are in fact more than just small advantages â€Å"Comfort Company plc† could gain, but necessary changed that need to be made if they want to survive the current economical crisis and still have customers/revenue at the end of it. With globalisation growing and the need to satisfy the customers becoming more apparent and diverse, the formal supply chain management system is a necessary system that every business, no matter how small or large, should put into place. The formal SCM system will allow â€Å"Comfort Company plc† to integrate their information systems with their suppliers and customers in an effort to meet their goals and objective while still at the same time doing this in a cost-saving way. With every new system brought into a company, there is the risk of it creating a few problems within the company; this makes the need of a contingency plan much higher. There are a few risks that come along with implementing such a big change to a business so set in its ways like â€Å"Comfort Company plc†, a main one being the possible lack of cooperation from the workforce or managers. When change happens in a workplace the employees can feel threatened and scared and will sometimes rebel against the new change, this could be avoided if the company took a few simple procedures to ensure the workforce are happy with the new system. They should tell the workforce about the new operational plan and get their feedback on it, this will make them feel involved in the change and will hopefully make them feel less alienated. Also, they should sit them down and explain the needs of introducing a formal supply chain management system into the company, and the benefits it would gain by doing so, if they feel it would be benefiting the company, they should feel happier about the change going on. Furthermore, if both of the steps are carried out correctly, it could make them more motivated towards their job as they will feel involved in the company and will hopefully want it to succeed. Another risk of the formal supply chain management system is the potential loss of jobs within the company; this will be because some members of staff will not be needed as a go between for information between suppliers and so on. The redundancies in the company could possibly cause bad feeling between the workforce and the new system and could de-motivate them, possibly leading to a decrease in the effort put in by the workforce; this could potentially lead to a product being of a lower quality. Also, the possible redundancies made will be a negative factor for the economy as there will be a few more unemployed people in the country; this is one of the only major downfalls of the introduction of the formal SCM system. However, there may be members of staff who are close to retirement and could benefit from voluntary redundancy and the benefits that go with it. A negative of that would be that â€Å"Comfort Company plc† may loose some of their staff with the most experience and expertise, potentially making them train up current members of staff to the same quality as the members of staff who left. However, the operations management team at â€Å"Comfort Company plc† will have to put contingency plans in place that cover all of the possible risks, and ways to reduce the risks from happening. There are many needs of introducing a formal supply chain management system into â€Å"Comfort Company plc†, and many advantages it would gain by doing so. While there are also some risks involved, the advantages and needs outweigh them massively as they could potentially provide â€Å"Comfort Company plc† with a competitive advantage, while at the same time reducing their costs and use of resources. Like the traditional chain system currently adopted by â€Å"Comfort Company plc†, the new, more up to date formal supply chain management system will fulfil their wish to supply the customer with good quality products while at the same time saving them resources and money, making them more profitable. The introduction of a formal supply chain management (SCM) system is necessary and â€Å"Comfort Company plc† should definitely strongly consider it. References: †¢Operations Management: An integrated approach (2007) (3rd edition) R. Dan Reid, Nada R. Sanders. Pages 16, 98-105 †¢Operations Management: Along the supply chain (6h edition) Russell & Taylor. Page 9. †¢Tutur2u.net (2011) Competitive advantage (WWW) Available from: http://tutor2u.net/business/strategy/competitive_advantage.htm

The Ideals of Fdr

FDR: The Great American President Jacob WagmanProfessor Christy ChapinHIST102Due: 25OCT12 Franklin Delano Roosevelt is easily the best president of his era. He had the single best approach to the economic problems and social problems that followed the economic problems of the time. Many people would say that he couldn’t make decisions for himself because of how he was constantly changing his ideas but in truth, his plan was to do whatever it took to work and he was going to make something work. In case it was not known, FDR was a fighter. He never gave up on the USA or stepped down even after being stricken by polio.A lot of his ideas came from his â€Å"brain trust† which was comprised of many advisors of all different back rounds and political beliefs. He was constantly keeping the American people informed with the state of the government and economy through a new invention popularly known as the radio. He would go out of his way to help the banks and would do anythin g to dig the US out of the pit that Hoover had dug and did nothing really to dig them out other than laying the foundation for FDR to bring America back from the brink of complete collapse.Using the foundation laid by Hoover many Administrations, Acts, and even some Corporations were put in place and somewhere welcomed and others weren’t, but FDR took all of the success and failures and made sure it worked out for the American people and the world when WWII came around. His foreign policy in WWII was very much respected and still is today because FDR would not let the crimes of others go unpunished. All in all everything FDR did was for the best of this country and the way he handled WWII both domestically and overseas.When FDR was elected into office he was left with quite a mess left by Herbert Hoover, but Hoover had left a very nice foundation to start FDR’s famous â€Å"New Deal. † Programs during this time focused on trying very hard to help bring the US ou t of the Great Depression by working on reform, recovery, and relief efforts. Many of the programs put together by FDR came from his â€Å"brain trust† which was FDR’s circle of advisors which ranged from democrats to republicans and even to progressives. This is why it seemed like his ideals were always changing because he was trying to here from verybody to see which would work best to pull the US out of the muck. He started with starting a bank holiday in which every bank in the US was forced to close so that government officials could come into each of the banks and decide if the banks were suited to re-open for public use. In order to guarantee the money people put into the bank for safe keeping, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was created and this gained the public’s usage of the banks again because they could not possibly lose their money because of a bank failing because the government backed up the money 100%.The Securities and Exchange Commission Act was also implemented to regulate the stock market so that another stock market crash could be avoided. Many people disagreed with these economic policies but if they were alive they could see that these two government sectors are still in use today because of how effective they have been throughout the years. FDR’s next goal was to provide jobs for all the people who were unemployed, which was about 25% of the entire population.Programs to fix this problem were such like the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which hired young adults around 18 to plants tress and help the National Parks, the Public Works Administration (PWA), which contracted with private businesses to build roads, schools, hospitals, and other government-esc buildings, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TWA), which was set up to build dams along the Tennessee River, and the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which was an administration that directly hired people and also white collar workers s uch as teachers and nurses, and they also trained unskilled workers so they could perform specific tasks.Looking back nobody could even argue with these programs because it provided thousands of jobs for the unemployed which did much more good than bad. There was some controversy over the TWA forcing people out of their houses but it was for the good of the entire Tennessee River Valley so it was more necessary than anything. ,Many programs were welcomed with open arms like the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) which tried to lower the foreclosure rate and made more long term mortgage loans that made owning a house more possible, but there were programs like the National Recovery Administration (NRA) which wanted to eliminate competition so all businesses could thrive, but it ailed very oorly because the little businesses were still eaten alive by the bigger companies, and another unpopular program was the Resettlement Administration (aka Federal Security Administration), tried t o make farming more like the USSR in which farming was more collective and controlled by the government but the program was met by much resistance both from Farmer’s and the Chamber of Commerce.But if it had not been for these failure than FDR would not have been able to come up with the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA), which was the government paying farmers not to produce so that the goods on the market could be purchased at a slightly higher price to attempt to stimulate the economy. At first the Supreme Court shot down the AAA, but it was later brought back by congress in 1938 because it actually helped farmers and made them happy.During the start of WWII when it was strictly in Europe and China, the USA became extremely isolationist to the point where they even pulled out of Haiti and Nicaragua so that they were involved in as little foreign conflict as possible. The USA even refused to sell weapons to Great Britain and France because they didn’t want to risk getting pulled into another World War again. While the war kept going on the USA passed acts such as the Neutrality Acts which banned US citizens from traveling on ships from foreign nations that were in war with another country and they banned selling weapons to foreign nations.FDR pleaded with congress to allow the USA to at least attempt to assist the allies fighting in Europe because they were just that, the USA’s allies. But congress kept turning down FDRs pleas for help until he managed to convince congress to allow for the first Military draft and for the US to start building and selling arms to the Allied powers. This was when FDR decided to run for a 3rd term which he won by a landslide because people saw how he had started to help the economy grow bit by bit. In 1941, FDR got the Lend-Lease act to be approved.The Lend-Lease Act made it possible for the US to fully help the Allies by giving them arms and munitions. In order to provide these items for the All ies more jobs had to be created to produce the weapons and so thousands of jobs were created which helped the economy out that much more. The Lend-Lease Act also stopped all trade with Japan in an attempt to discourage them from continuing the atrocities they were committing over in China. This unfortunately provoked Japan into launching a preemptive strike on Pearl Harbor where over 2000 service men lost their lives and about 200 aircrafts were destroyed and 18 naval ships were lost.FDR immediately requested a declaration of war in his famous address to congress in which he quoted the attack on Pearl Harbor as â€Å"a day that will live in infamy. † FDR’s policy on isolationism and then all-out war is an extremely well thought out strategy considering the position the US was in. He wanted to help GB and France desperately but Congress wouldn’t help him at all. But he pushed and pushed till he finally succeeds and ultimately, helped the Allies push to victory an d overcome the most outstanding odds against them.Franklin Delano Roosevelt is not only one of the best Presidents the USA has ever had, but he also had some of the most ingenious ideals for how to fix the economic crisis the US has ever faced, and then later one of the worst crisis the world has ever faced in World War Two. His plans or creating jobs worked unlike those of Hoover, and even though some of his programs failed, he learned from the failures only to make the successful programs even more helpful and long lasting for the US.To top his economic policies, his policies on World War Two were even better because he found a way to stay isolationist at the beginning where he could still make jobs by avoiding the war and then joining the war when it was absolutely crucial the US did, which ultimately ended up pulling the USA out of the Great Depression even if he were not alive to see them win the war and there to see the Great Depression end due to all the good he did for the U SA. Nobody can argue that his ideals and policies were anything shy of some of the best of any president.

Africville by Maxine Tynes Essay

Examples of personification include â€Å"We are Africville† and â€Å"I am Africville†. This is personification because they cannot really be â€Å"Africville†; this is because Africville is not a person, or an adjective usually appropriate to be paired with humans. However in this case the author does it quite well. For example comparing â€Å"I am tired† to â€Å"I am Africville† one can quickly tell that this is a personification on Africville, in the sense of making Africville an adjective describing who they/she are/is respectively. To be Africville, in this case would be someone conveying their sense of pride and attachment to their beloved former town, to carry with them the unforgettable, unforgivable past that was eviction of their town. An example of a metaphor would be: â€Å"No house is Africville. No road, no tree, no well. Africville is man/women/child in the street and heart of Black Halifax, the Prestons, Toronto.† No house, no tree, or no well can be Africville because there are these things everywhere. The trees aren’t what makes Africville special, it is the people in it and their stories and history. The section goes further to explain how even post-dispossession the people of Africville are still together in black Halifax and Toronto. This implies that this town was so unified that even widespread eviction cannot break their bonds. However, the concrete metaphor in this passage is â€Å"Africville is man/women/child† because this is an unlike comparison without using like or as. These literary devices (personification and metaphor) create a pseudo-atmosphere where readers cannot take anything literally. However, I overlooked the pseudo-atmosphere because of the great depth it adds to the poem. The recurring personifications and metaphors also show point of view quite easily, as seen here: â€Å"We are Africville† and â€Å"I am Africville†. This is clearly stating who the speaker is. In an addition to the atmosphere and point of view the literary devices show, they also sharpen the overall message of the poem which I believe to be that the people of Africville are literally detached from each other’s lives they all share the same story and are therefore still connected. I think that Africville was a town in which Maxine Tynes (the author) was born in, during the year of 1949. It was settled by Black Loyalists and was in Nova Scotia, Canada. It was a very connected town, as seen here: â€Å"so black with community† â€Å"with life† â€Å"with pride† â€Å"with memories†. However, everyone in this town was evicted, as seen here: â€Å"we are the dispossessed Black of the Land† â€Å"creeping with pain away from our home†.

Effectiveness of motivational activities at tesco express in part time Essay

Effectiveness of motivational activities at tesco express in part time staff context - Essay Example f the employees, businesses realized that motivated employees were likely to present a higher level of performance and commitment (Bratton & Gold 2007, p. 49). In the recent past, experts in the field of human resource have been developing theories that govern the maximization of using the human resources. Many strategies have been defined that target to optimize the performance levels of the employees. One of these strategies is offering motivational activities to the employees in a bid to maximize their performance. Tesco is one of the outstanding retail businesses in the globe with branches in different countries and regions. For all the Tesco’s stores to run effectively, the company needs a remarkable number of employees to offer their services (Bratton & Gold 2007, p. 60). Tesco has exhibited the interest over the years of ensuring that the use of the human resources is maximized. Therefore, it has defined certain motivational activities with the potential of motivating the employees. It is critical to carry out a survey that seeks to identify the motivational activities used by Tesco and assess their efficiency levels. Notably, Tesco has both permanent and part time staff. Both permanent and part time staff requires the company to develop different motivational strategies for each group. The current study will seek to analyze some of the motivational activities that Tesco provides to its part time staff and their efficiency in increasing employee satisfaction. Both primary and secondary data were used in this research. Questionnaires were administered to the selected number of participants from the Tesco expresses in central London area (Miles, Huberman, & SaldanÃŒÆ'a 2014, p.106). The participants were required to fill in the questionnaires while revealing their views on the efficiency of the available motivational activities. Data analysis would follow relying on both mean and standard deviation. Calculation of the satisfaction levels of the employees

The history of North American frontiers from the ninth century to the Term Paper

The history of North American frontiers from the ninth century to the opening of the nineteenth - Term Paper Example In spite of the blood, cruelties and military conflicts, the North American frontier is a great contribution into the modern American culture. In the earliest years the Appalachian mountain range was considered the American frontier. In such a way it was possible to set the borders between civilization and wilderness. The independence of America enabled moving people across the frontier more freely. Therefore, a modern context of different institutions’ development implies an important role of the nation’s change. The laws of American development underline a cyclical advancement of the country along a constantly changing frontier line. On the example of the development of American nation in different historical periods it is shown the way nation managed to cope with inner and outer conflicts, referring to their dignity, strength, self-dependence and the absence of the governmental regulations. The difference between the frontier line of America and the frontier line of other countries is the following: the other countries knew their boundaries and they knew which countries were beyond these boundaries. The North America frontier underlined the unknown land beyond it. In accordance with Calloway: â€Å"†¦fertile valleys, meeting friendly people bedecked in turquoise, and hearing wondrous accounts of the towns to be found in the north† (p. 133). As far as we can see, the diversity of the North frontier is evident. The nature of the diversity can be found in the first settlers’ necessity to deal with natural challenges and remain self-sufficient. The main challenges happened nearly 10,000 years ago, with the corn’s cultivation (Calloway, 2003). The sedentary agricultural societies were shaped and there is an evident overlap of different nations occurred. In the process of development of large chiefdoms the ritualized religion was advanced. With furth er advancement of exchange economies, the chiefdoms grow surplus crops. It cannot be claimed that this system was dominant over hunting/gathering. The New Indians were adopting new strategies of economies and political organizations adoption. The earlier Mesoamericans led to vast cultural and religious. Moreover, in accordance with Calloway native groups are involved into challenged relations with animals. The animals’ rearing was the core element of Indians’ lives shaping. Thus, the main emphasis is made on eco organic relationships. Calloway finds surprising parallels in the relations of the earliest settlers Indians and further relations between Indians and Europeans, Indians and Americans. Indian-European relations across North America were developed as a genuinely comparative synthesis. Further on, relations between Indians and Europeans have changed from inner conflicts among different tribes to the conflicts between the representatives of completely different na tions. It was possible for people living in the frontier to overcome different barriers, because they supported their strong individuality. Thus, this tendency is contributing much to the development of the American mentality. The advancement of the northern frontier was mediated in the sixteenth century by the criollos (Spaniards born in America), mestizos and allied Indians (Calloway, 2003). This fact may be considered as a serious contribution into the modern economy of America. The process of settlement was not involving

Workplace Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Workplace Law - Assignment Example Both parties have duties and rights under a common law agreement. In the case at hand, the employer first took Jane into service without any written documents. The only contract that existed between Jane and TMMS was based on a verbal discussion between the owner and Jane. However following the reorientation of the business, the owner decided to introduce individual contracts that applied to each employee in a â€Å"take it or leave it† situation. 1Though the intent of the owner seems to have been to outsource the functions of the employees to them but in offering a â€Å"take it or leave it† contractual agreement, the owner has initiated the AWA (Australian Workplace Agreement) laws. Moreover in case that a dispute arises between an employer and an employee in a situation where no written contracts are available, the common law of Australia overrides any derogatory treatment condition already agreed upon. The same principle applies equally well to written contracts and even if employer and employee agree to terms that are derogatory to either party, the resolution of a dispute would be carried out according to Australian common law2. Hence it can be clearly stated that the current situation where Jane and TMMS’s owner Sam were in a contractual relationship, the creation of a dispute would be governed by Australian common law especially if the terms are derogatory to either party. ... e to one session following the assembly, Sam provided his employees with a â€Å"take it or leave it† contract that reduced the flexibility of employees by a significant margin. Being forced into a hard bargain, Jane accepted the contract and began working as usual. Around a month ago, Jane was crushed by a car that rolled over her as she was working on it. The extent of the injuries meant that Jane was effectively unable to work for the next six months and would be unable to continue this career line after recovery. Sensing that Jane was unfit for work anymore, Sam immediately terminated the individual contract. 3. Relevant Common Law Sections The â€Å"take it or leave it† style of agreements between employers and employees came into being following the passage of the WRA (Workplace Relations Act) of 19963. Under this set of laws the employee and the employer could enter into an individual contract that could override state and federal employment laws as long as both parties agreed to it4. Any contracts raised under the AWA only had to meet only the most minimal of all requirements under the Australian Fair Pay and Conditions Standard. The agreements drafted in this manner need not include any dispute resolution procedures but were not allowed to include any prohibited content5. Within the current case too, there are no specific dispute resolution procedures outlined. However the AWAs were highly controversial because they severely impinged worker’s rights and the ability to bargain collectively 6 7. Based on this and opposition from various quarters, the Workplace Relations Act of 1996 was curtailed in its influence with the passage of the Fair Work Act of 2009 8. Under this new act any new kinds of AWAs were banned from being put into place. Within the context of

Design a Risk Assessment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Design a Risk Assessment - Assignment Example This risk assessment will therefore be done in order to assess the effect of the expansion plans that was carried out that involved installation of four new wire drawing machines and enlargement of the HCL tank. Even though the company has scheduled risk assessment plans and daily plant machine safety checks, the expansion project falls out of the scope of the scheduled plant assessments that are usually carried out at intervals as the expansion is a new thing in the company hence needing urgent assessment of the risks and how to handle them effectively. The main aim for undertaking this risk assessment is to identify the hazards and risks linked with the expansion work that was done in the wire drawing section and the galvanizing section, analyze the risks and find a solution to them. This assessment to be carried out will be specific in that it will only involve two sections of the plant: wire drawing and GIP section. The hazards in each of the two sections will be identified by four means. The first method of identifying the hazards will be to examine information about the new equipment installed in these two sections (Royer, 2004). The second means will be by consulting the employees and operators who work in these two sections so that they can help identify the potential hazardous situations in their areas of work. The third method will be to determine the potential hazards by examining the work places in the two sections under consideration. The final method will involve brainstorming as a team to help identify and think of the hazards that might be associated with the expansion work. After identifying the hazards, they will be recorded in the Hazard Summary sheet after which risk analysis will be done (Laird & Mccutcheon, 2007). The analysis and assessment done will help in coming up with the ways to counter any hazard that will be identified in the course of this

Relationship between Rose and Ruby in the novel The Girls Essay

Relationship between Rose and Ruby in the novel The Girls - Essay Example The girls in Lori Lansens’ â€Å"The Girls,† are the extraordinary ones. How to describe the relationship between Rose and Ruby in the novel, â€Å"The Girls†? Its description in one word is, ‘divine’! From the secular point of view, the relationship is both scientific and human. At the beginning of the story Lori Lansens (2007,p.5) makes mention of it in the own words of the sisters thus: â€Å"We have an unspoken, even unconscious, system of checks and balance to determine who’ll lead the way at any given moment. There is conflict. There is compromise.† Each moment, each day of their life is miraculous, yet regulated struggle. Is it a difficult one? One should be hesitant to assert thus. They find an unspeakable joy through their struggles. Their trials and tribulations are extraordinary ones, considering the fact that they are at the threshold of their thirtieth birthday. What a glorious saga it must have been! It is too poignant and adventurous for the printed page to capture! They faced ridicule and admiration with the rarest of rare equanimity of their minds and Lansens puts it thus: â€Å"We’ve been called many things: freaks, horrors, monsters, devils, witches, retards, wonders, marvels. To most, we’re a curiosity. ... ides of our twin heads.†(p.3)They are separate, yet joined together through a very, very special procedure that is difficult for the ordinary mind to comprehend. In the words of Rose, â€Å"When Ruby is tired; I’m hardly ever ready for bed. We’re rarely hungry together and our tastes are poles apart. I prefer spicy fare, while my sister has a disturbing fondness for eggs.†(p.5)The conjoined twins since their birth have many things in common. They remained joined at the head. Their ‘life-together’ began thus: Rub’s arm curled around rose’s neck, her foreshortened legs wrapped around Rose’s hips. The journey of their life has been an incomparable one. Rose enjoys reading and writing, Ruby likes to watch TV and spend time with the kids. They have the normal quota of quarrels like other sisters. If Rose consumes alcohol, Ruby would turn sick. Even the pattern of their jobs is different. In the library Rose shelves books and Rub y reads out the content loud to children. On every count of similarity and difference, their lives are delicate and baffling. In the chronicle of their life’s journey they create many head-lines. The physical relationship between the two sisters is a marvel right from birth. Lansens writes, â€Å"How long must they have stared before someone spoke? Our combined weight at birth was ten pounds seven ounces. I was the longer one; my legs perfectly formed my torso somewhat shorter than normal, making my arms appears somewhat longer.†(p.23) Ruby is pretty, but short and truncated and cannot walk. She is a permanent load on the hip of Rose. Though tall, Rose has a distorted and grotesque face because Ruby’s head constantly pulls at hers. The story has a great philosophical message explained through the struggles of the two girls, physical

Social Media Communication Annotated Bibliography

Social Media Communication - Annotated Bibliography Example Some scholars in sociology have criticized the negative influences of new technology on humanity and relationships to be precise, arguing that the value of relationships is fading and the strength of peoples’ connections is deteriorating (Christofides et al., 2012). This paper will present an annotated bibliography of four scholarly sources that discuss this matter of how the social media has affected interpersonal relationships. Porter, K., Mitchell, J., Grace, M., Shinosky, S., & Gordon, V. (2012). A Study of the Effects of Social Media Use and Addiction on Relationship Satisfaction. Retrieved from http://journals.chapman.edu/ojs/index.php/mc/article/download/340/735 According to this source, Facebook has deeply affected people’s application of the phrase â€Å"friend†, even though their notions of the word might not have altered as much (Porter et al., 2012). When an individual â€Å"friends you† on any social network platform, it does not automatically denote that you now have the nearness and intimacy, which you have with your offline friends. The authors also show that people do not frequently send friend requests to or allow them from persons that they have not met, opting rather to have met the individual at least once in their lifetime. Other users, even if, particularly adolescents, take part in what is referred to as â€Å"friend-gathering behavior,† which involves users friending individual they personally do not know or those that they would not speak to in person so as to boost the size of their online followers (Porter et al., 2012). According to the source, this is an impression management approach becau se the users assume that a huge number of Facebook friends will make them seem much more popular to others. These researchers also studied how the formation of these networks influences our interpersonal relationships and might even reorganize how people think concerning their relationships. Even if a person might have hundreds of Facebook

Media Censorship Essay Example for Free

Media Censorship Essay In this assignment I will be looking over whether or not the state and/or federal government have the right to censor what we watch, listen to or come in contact with looking more closely at video games and if they have the right to control censoring them according to the articles of confederation. The rights of the federal government and state governments have really nothing to do with them†¦ or should have nothing to do with them. I believe it should go back to what is the constitutional right of the people and what is the right of any government agency according to the constitution. Lets break down the constitution to its bare bones and there we will find the purpose of the government and their responsibilities. There are a lot of things in the constitution but you can break it down into just 6 parts. Form a more perfect union: the first colonies weren’t united when first arriving but soon found that there is strength in unity or being bound together to help each other like an alliance if you will, hence the constitution Establish justice: For a democratic union or government to work and thrive in must have justice within it. Provide for the common defense: A basic system of defense had to be established for defending ourselves against our enemies and foreign threats Secure blessings of liberty: We were built on the idea and principle of individual freedoms and liberty, but boundaries needed too be made to ensure that nobody would infringe on those rights, liberties or freedoms. Promote general welfare: This made the government provide systems and services that were for the public good or wellbeing. Insure domestic tranquility: Government must provide order within the people so there will and can be domestic peace. It also has to keep these people, who know nothing about living or being democratic, from going into anarchy. This says it all and I think can play a large role in our issues with censorship. In June of 2011 the Supreme Court took a stand on voting down California’s request to ban sales of all violent video games to minors. It was shot down 7-2. They turned it down because they said it violated the minor’s rights under the 1st and 14th amendments. In my opinion I think it would be very difficult for a state or even a federal government to control what is allowed to be seen and not seen especially when it comes to things like media and even more so in terms of video games. What I view as too violent isn’t going to be the same as what someone in congress might view as violent. That being said it is the governments job to ensure domestic tranquility. I think the bottom line is media is everywhere and if we censor things like video games and other sources of media to minors if they really want it they are going to get it be cause in this tech savvy world we live in if its illegal and u want it you’re going to find it.

Exploring The Illusion Of Conscious Will Philosophy Essay

Exploring The Illusion Of Conscious Will Philosophy Essay The experience of conscious will can be defined as the feeling that we are doing things, that we consciously cause our actions. However, this feeling may not be an accurate interpretation of what is happening in our minds, brain and bodies as our actions are produced. If we had access to a variety of information we could uncover the mechanisms that activate our behavior and we could explain why we are acting in a specific way. However, another way to explain our actions is that we consciously willed what we are doing. There is a confliction between the ideas of conscious will and psychological mechanism, having never been reconciled in a proper way. One solution for bridging the gap is that the explanation given from the mechanistic approach is preferred for scientific purposes, but that the persons experience of conscious will is very convincing and important to the person and must also be examined and be understood as well. Conscious will can be perceived in two ways. First, we can assume conscious will as the experience of consciously causing an action. This feeling of voluntariness or performing an action on purpose can be considered as an indication of conscious will. Secondly, we can think of conscious will as a force of mind, in other words, as the causal link between our minds and our actions. One might infer that this two interpretations of conscious will are corresponding to the same thing but it turns out that they are completely distinct and we are often tend to confuse them. This confusion is considered as the source of the illusion of conscious will. By examining conscious will as an experience it is concluded that will is a feeling. In other words, will is not consider as a cause or a force by itself but the personal conscious feeling of such causing and forcing. Also, this experience of willing an action is accompanied by a feeling of doing, which is an internal force that certifies genuinely that one has produced the action. Experiences of conscious will can only be confirmed by self- reports. The problem is that self- reports are not always corresponding with some other external evidence of the experience. There are several examples in which the experience of will does not seem to accompany actions that appear to be willed by other external factors. Considering the alien hand syndrome which is a neuropsychological disorder patients typically experience one hand as acting independently, in its own conscious intention. In this case there is a problem classing the alien hands movement as willed or unwilled. On the one hand the a ctions that are performed by the alien hand are seemed to be willful while on the other hand the person states that these actions are not consciously willed by himself. Another example in which the feeling of involuntariness is observed is hypnosis. People in this case feeling that their actions are happening to them rather than they perform the actions themselves. The only difference between hypnosis and alien hand syndrome is that in the second case the person cant predict what the hand will do but in hypnosis conscious will is lacking even though the person knows that the action is present. Considering these examples it is useful to draw a distinction between action and the sense of acting willfully. There are four basic conditions of human action. In the first two conditions we can observe the expected correspondence between the action and the sense of acting willfully. More specifically there is no controversy when a person does something and feels also that he is doing it or w hen a person is not doing anything and feels he is not. However, the case in which the person does not have the feeling of will when there is in fact action encompasses the examples of the alien hand syndrome and hypnosis. These instances can be classed as automatisms and draw a distinction between action and the sense of acting willfully. Another special case that highlights this distinction is the illusion of control. This term was used in order to describe instances in which people have the feeling that they perform an action when they actually dont do anything. This illusion of control can be observed in the interactions between humans and machines or when someone is rolling a dice or flip a coin in a specific way hoping to influence the outcome. Examining these two last conditions it is concluded that the action and the feeling of doing are not coexist inevitably. This might happens because the process of mind that produce the experience of will is different from the process of mind that produce the action itself. As it was mentioned before will is not only considered as an experience, but also as a force. Wegner states that conscious experience is an immediate perception of ones conscious mind causing an action. From this point of view will is considered as a quality of power that resides in the person and causes his or her actions. There are two fundamental problems arising from this concept. First, conscious will is considered as an entity that explains a variety of thing but nothing can explains it. In this way this entity cannot be examined in a scientific way because assuming that will is a force that causes a persons actions is like saying that God is causing an event. This is a barrier to any other explanation because it is not predictable what will is going to do as it cannot be said what God is going to do either. Secondly, the assumption that will is a force that resides inside the person creates further objections. As Hume pointed out causality is not an attribution inhering in obj ects. Another thing that was stated by Hume is that it cannot be seen causation in something, but must only be inferred from the constant relation between cause and effect. Causation is not a characteristic that is nestled in objects but an event. Thus it cannot be assumed that causation is an attribution of persons intention. It cannot be observed that an action is caused by ones conscious intention but it can only be inferred from the relation between the intention and action. One reason why people confuse the experience of will for a causal mechanism is because they try to make sense of themselves as causal agents. Most humans perceive themselves and the other people as entities that acting independently in order to achieve a future goal. The concept of causal agency is very important for people because it helps them understand in a deeper sense human action. Humans are considered to be agents that are acting in purpose and they have the capacity to discern their goals consciously in advance of action. Thus the experience of will seems to be a causal agent. People perceive their own minds as systems that have mental causing properties, as causal agents and in this way they need to accept that the experience of conscious will is real. 2. Theory of Apparent Mental Causation What are the mechanisms that give rise to the experience of conscious will? Why do people feel like they are doing things? Wegner states that the experience of consciously willing an action is departing when people interpret their own thought as the cause of their action. In this sense conscious will is experienced independently of any actual relationship between ones thoughts and actions. This perception of will usually arises when people think themselves before the action takes place and that produces the sense of agency. In other words people seem to see themselves as the authors of an action when they perceive relevant thoughts about this specific action in advance and in this way they tend to infer that their mental processes caused this action. However will is not perceived as s force that causes action but as a conscious experience that depicts weakly the actual causal connection between the persons cognition and action. In this way, there is a fundamental distinction between mental process and the perception and the verbal report of that process. The mental process does not reveal the person any further information about the mechanism of this process and in this case it may be that the person uses prior causal theories to explain his or her own psychological functions. The conscious will may depart from a theory that was formed in order to explain the constant relationship between thought and action. But many scientific findings support that conscious will does not reflect the real causal relation. In fact brain events are those that determine intention and action while conscious intention itself cannot cause action. According to many studies the feeling of will is not tied inevitably to voluntary action and so must be considered as a distinctive phenomenon. Wegner propose a model of mental system that explains how people end up having the experience of will which is consistent with various empirical findings. According to this model, there are a series of events that end up to a voluntary action. In this network conscious thought and action are activated by unconscious mental processes which are may be linked to each other. But the path that gives rise to the experience of will is not actual but apparent. More specifically, when someone believes that his conscious intention caused the voluntary action he is experiencing a sense of will, that he willfully caused the action. The problem is that the perceived conscious will is not always corresponding with the actual mechanisms that connect the thought and the action. In other words, the experience of conscious will is not an indication of the actual relation between the mind and the action. What is truly might be happening is that conscious will arises from a causal illusion, from a third variable that interferes. As it can never be drawn with certainty that A causes B because there is always exist a variable C that cause both of them, in the same way it is not certain that ones thought cause his actions because there are unconscious mechanisms that produce both of them. Wegners theory proposes that experience of will is arising when people infer that their thoughts have caused their actions, whether this inference is true or not. According to this people tend to infer that thought causes action when the principles of priority, consistency and exclusivity are fulfilled. First, the thought must be appear in consciousness prior to the action (priority) secondly, it should be consistent with the action (consistency) and finally there must not be other potential causes of the action (exclusivity). Studies have shown that the perception of causality is based on these principles in order to be established a relationship between the cause and the effect. In fact, these principles do not depict an actual causal relation because the perceptions of causality that are based on these principles arise from reality. In a nutshell, the theory of apparent mental causation assumes that the experience of consciously willing our actions is a construction. When a thought appears to be prior and consistent with the action and exclusive of any other alternative causes this construction produces the feeling that we are the authors of this action. However, this feeling is just an inference that our thoughts cause our action, not a direct perception of this causal relationship. 3. Why do we have the illusion? Why do people occupied with experience of intention if it is no causally effective? As we mentioned before conscious will departs from the interpretation that our thoughts cause our actions. In this way, apparent mental causation is produced by an interpretive mechanism that is completely different from the mechanistic process that forms the real mental causation. Thus, the experience of will is considered to be an indication that mind determines our actions, is the way that mind illustrates their functions to us, not their real functions. These prior thoughts that people have are not intentions that cause things but previews of what we may do. Wegner states that conscious will is the minds compass. More specifically is the experience that alerts our minds when actions are present and that these actions are the products of their own agency. Therefore the will is an indicator that informs us about the way we operate, does not cause our actions. Will also serve another purpose, is it a feeling that gives us information about our understanding of our own agency. In other words, it is an emotion of authorship and functions as a guide to ourselves and marks out our own functions. It informs us about who we are and what we are able to do. Finally, the most important thing is that will cultivates feelings about our responsibility for our actions and our sense of morality and guilt. 4. Empirical evidence Is free will exists? What is causing our actions? Libet (1999) had taken an experimental approach in order to give conclusive answers to these questions. In his empirical study, he found that free voluntary actions were preceded by the readiness potential RP, that is a specific electrical shift in the brain, that starts 550ms before the action. The awareness of the intention to act comes 350-400 ms after RP begins but 200ms before the action. Therefore, the processing of the voluntary acting was initiated unconsciously. In this way it can be drawn that if the brain initiate this voluntary action before conscious intention is appeared then consciousness is too difficult to be the cause of the action (Blackmore). However, the conscious processing can control the result if it veto the action and that confirms that free will cannot be excluded. It is supported that free will is not able to initiate a voluntary action but it can control it (Libet, 1999). Libet experiments had raised many philosophical and methodological problems. First of all, he has been critised Mele(book) tried to interpret Libet findings in an alternative way. According to him there is a crucial distinction between the concepts of deciding and intending on the one hand and other states such as wanting on the other hand. Libet uses the terms of intending, urging, wanting, deciding, willing alternatively without making any discrimination among them. In particular, in order to explain how does a specific intention for an action arises in the subjects he strongly claims that the brain decides to initiate or at least to prepare to initiate the act before there is any reportable subjective awareness that such a decision has taken place. Therefore, Libet believes that decisions are causing our actions and that this electrical shift that happens in our brains seems to be correlated with the causes of our actions because they precede of the muscle motion by approximately half a second. In this way the brain made the decision 500ms earlier before the subjects become aware of that. B ut this can lead to contradiction because decisions cannot be made without being conscious of them. According to Mele, deciding to do something is completely distinct from having an urge or wanting to do something. One might want to produce an action but finally not decide to do it. In this way it is more plausible that brain produces urges rather than decisions because urges correspond to an unconscious processing. Thereafter, this unconscious urges helps the decision to be generated in order for the act to be produced. As Libet point out the conscious self can control or permit or veto the final motor action by deciding to do so and in this case the decision to initiate the action is more direct from the unconscious urge that initiated the whole process. In this way the conscious self that is intending and deciding still has a causal efficacy.(mele) Trevena and Miller (2009) disproved Libets core assumption that the electrophysiological shifts of the brain that prepare the action, that are present before the subjects are consciously aware of making the decision to move, is not evidence that voluntary action is initiated unconsciously. It is also concluded that these signs are not related only with the preparation of the movement. In the experiment that it was conducted the researchers compared the electrophysiological sign before a decision to move with signs before a decision not to move and they found that there were no significant differences between the signs in the two conditions. In this way these signs are not in charge of preparing these movements. Thus, Libet findings dont prove that voluntary actions are initiated unconsciously.

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy E :: essays research papers

"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" and "Mending Wall" An Analysis of Two Robert Frost Works. James Allen once said, 'You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.'; After reading the two Robert Frost poems, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening and Mending Wall, one can not help to wonder what kinds of thoughts inspired these two poems. It becomes clear that the underlying theme in both of these poems is simply freedom of thought. These free thoughts give a person the capability to live how he chooses. In the first poem, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, Frost vividly describes a freedom that many of us take for granted. He tells how he has decided to take the time to stop what he is doing and admire the snow as it falls in the woods and on a frozen lake. The man who owns these woods lives in the town and is ignorant of the beauty that they contain. He has not taken the time to notice how beautiful they are as the snow comes down. The owner of the woods, we'll call him Bob, lives in the town and is busy living his life in the town. Bob will not notice because he takes for granted the fact that he is able to go look at the woods much like the author. 'Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village, though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow.'; The persona is saying that he knows who owns the woods, but he won't see him looking at the woods because he lives in the town. The author knows that Bob will not visit because he only owns the woods, he lives in the town and does not appreciate the beauty they possess or he would be there visiting them himself. The author is appreciating life and the freedom that he has while observing his own winter or the last stanza of his life as he watches the woods as they fill will snow. It is clear that the author (the persona of the poem) has chosen a life different from that of Bob. Bob has chosen the city life of materialistic things while the author has decided to take in the beauty of the world.

Digital Camera :: Business Management Studies Assignment

Digital Camera Product: The product which I am planning to do is a digital camera that contains other useful features which would be ideal for the consumers. These features can range from games, music downloads, radio, Bluetooth and email access (depending on what consumers prefer better). Promotion: When promoting my product I will advertise on the television which may expand to international channels depending on how well my product will do in the market. Also have a demo of my product at exhibitions that take place for consumers to see, feel and touch the product rather than just a picture on the magazines. To aalso attract more consumers to my product; they will receive an attached printer for half price. Price: Digital cameras are ranged from  £700 to  £90 relying on the quality of it. I will have 2 take out my market research to see what price would be a reasonable price for the camera. All industries are influenced by SLEPT factors. For example, some of the SLEPT factors affecting the airline industry in recent years include: Social: increased popularity of foreign travel leading to a boom in demand for air travel. However, this has been adversely affected by international terrorism. Legal: there are increasingly tight rules about the materials that need to go into aircraft construction in order to make them safer and more resistant to fire hazards. This has had the impact of raising costs. Economic: lower interest rates have meant that people have more disposable income to spend on luxuries like long distance air travel. Political: the development of freedom of movement and trade in the European Union has led to greater levels of competition on European routes coupled with increased movement of people. Technological: modern aircraft are safer and more economic to run than in the past making possible cheap air travel. Before creating business plans or when evaluating existing ones it is important to 'scan' the external environment. This takes the form of a SLEPT analysis, i.e. an investigation of the Social, Legal, Economic, Political, and Technological influences on a business. In addition it is also important to be aware of the actions of your competitors. These forces are continually in a state of change. Social factors relate to pattern of behaviour, tastes, and lifestyles. A major component of this is a change in consumer behaviour resulting from changes in fashions and styles. The age structure of the population also alters over time (currently we have an ageing population). An understanding of social change gives business a better feel for the future market situation. Laws are continually being updated in a wide range of areas, e.g. consumer protection legislation, environmental legislation, health &

Academic Competitions Essay -- Education, Talented Students

Academic Competitions As many of us know, we do not have many academic competitions here in United States. While in other countries, however, students are combating for getting the top marks, so they can gain entry into good colleges. This will automatically raises their chances for receiving opportunities in the career fields they are striving for. The need to be the best has become the motivation behind many students in today’s academic settings. Our country has a problem with education and students dropping out of school, but if we have more academic competitions which bring out the best in students, we will have a lower percentage of dropouts and the newer generations will have the power to advance the world. Academic competitions are being used all across the world as a tool to identify the most hardworking, creative and talented students. This process takes place outside the curriculum that is mandated by the school programs. â€Å"Academic Competitions can expand the scope and depth of content, allowing readers to explore subject areas beyond the opportunities available in a regular classroom.† (Debank 3). Competitions are used by many teachers at the root level to develop the talents of their students. â€Å"We need more, not less, competition in schools. We need to teach students how to win with dignity and how to lose with grace. We need to teach students that coming up short does not mean end of the world, but the beginning of a new journey, we should proudly show case examples of how competition betters the character of a student and how it motivates people to achieve greatness. Finally, we need to expunge the computer garbage that has seeped into our education system, and poisoned the dreams of our children† (Debank 3). Th... ...ous problem. We may not notice it now but as time goes on, we will have problems in our education systems. Competition has plenty of advantages and at hand may be some disadvantages but they can surely be solved with the guidance of an adult. In the process of competition the students realize the emotional and psychological moments in which they have to be resilient in withdrawal and humble in victory. Competition exists at every level of education and every stage of human life, so it is important to get involved in competitions that benefit our lives. It is equally important to turn every stage of participation into an opportunity, for us to learn and develop in many different ways. School competitions benefits students say research. (Melvin 6). It is said that competition breeds excellence; that only by the threat of defeat can we achieve the greatest victory.

Knowledge Value Chain

The model consists of knowledge infrastructure (knowledge worker acquirement, knowledge storage capacity, customer/supplier relationship and COOK and management), the process of KM (knowledge acquisition, knowledge innovation, knowledge protection, knowledge integration, and knowledge dissemination), and the interaction among those components resulting in knowledge performance. Further to the discussion of knowledge value chain (C.V.), the following viewpoint was proposed: KM guides the way a corporation performs individual knowledge activities and organizes its entire C.V..It was suggested that competitive advantage grows out of he way corporations organize and perform discrete activities in knowledge value chain which should be measured by the core competence of corporation. This article also provides a cross-reference for e-commerce researchers and practitioners. Knowledge and knowledge management Knowledge vs. information Knowledge refers to an observer's distinction of ‘ à ¢â‚¬Ëœobjects† through which he brings forth from the background of experience a coherent and self-consistent set of coordinated actions (Selene, 1987).Through the process of distinction, individual pieces of data and information become connected with one another in a network of elation. Knowledge then is contained in the overall organizational pattern of the network and not in any of the components. Knowledge is more than information. Information is data organized into meaningful patterns. Information is transformed into knowledge when a person reads, understands, interprets, and applies the information to a specific work function. Knowledge becomes visible when experienced persons put into practice lessons learned over time.One person's knowledge can be another person's information. If a person cannot understand and apply the information to anything, it remains Just information. However, another individual can take that same information, understand it and interpret it in the context of previous experience, and apply the newly acquired knowledge to make business decisions or redefine a laboratory procedure. Yet a third person may take the same pieces of information, and through his unique personal experiences or lessons learned, apply knowledge in ways that the second person may never have even considered.Information is a component part but not the whole of knowledge (Michael, 1982). Knowledge itself is a much more all-encompassing term that incorporates the concept of beliefs based on information (Dressed, 1981). It also depends on the commitment and understanding of the individual holding these beliefs, which are affected by people's interaction and the development of judgment, behavior and attitude (Berger and Lackawanna, 1967). Journal of Management Development, Volvo. 19 NO. 9, 2000, up. 783-793. MAC university press, 0262-1711 Journal of Management Development 19,9 784 Tacit vs. explicit Tacit knowledge is that knowledge which cannot be explicated fully even by an expert and can be transferred from one person to another only through a long process of apprenticeship (Poland, 1962). Payola's famous dictum, ‘We know more than we can ell†, points to the phenomenon in which much that constitutes human skill remains unarticulated and known only to the person who has that skill. Tacit knowledge is the skills and ‘know-how† we have inside each of us that cannot be easily shared (Limit, 1999).In fact, both of the definitions have the same meaning. In contrast, explicit knowledge is relatively easily to articulate and communicate and, thus, transfer between individuals and organizations. Explicit knowledge resides in formulae, textbooks, or technical documents. Analogous to the tacit and explicit dichotomy, Goff (1989) sakes a distinction between embodied or action-centered, skills and intellective skills. Action-centered skills are developed through actual performance (learning by doing).In contrast, intellect ive skills combine abstraction, explicit reference, and procedural reasoning, which makes them easily representatives as symbols and, therefore, easily transferable. The conceptual distinction between tacit and explicit knowledge also appears in Reed et al. ‘s (1996) discussion of causally ambiguous competencies. They describe tactics as residing in the inability of even a skilled individual to spell out explicitly the session rules and protocols that form the basis of performance. Obduracy (1991) conceives of tacit knowledge as existing in individuals or groups of individuals.He refers to such knowledge in individuals and social groups as embedded knowledge. Similar distinctions between explicit and largely tacit knowledge in organizations have been made by Scribner's (1986), Monika (1988), Huddled (1994), and Bonn (1994). Explicit knowledge is the knowledge that can be easily captured artificially through manuals and standard operations, and then shared with others either th rough Hough courses or through books for slandering. In an organization, tangible knowledge takes the form of Job procedures as well as the company's philosophy and strategy.Knowledge management Information is becoming ever more important in our economy, and most corporations see that knowledge can confer competitive advantage. But corporations are already flooded with information, and most of us have more of it than we can handle. Knowledge management (KM) tries to resolve the troublesome paradox (Anthem, 1998). A common definition of KM is: ‘The collection of processes that govern the creation, assimilation and leveraging of knowledge to fulfill organizational objectives†.KM is an emerging set of organizational design and operational principles, processes, organizational structures, applications and technologies that helps knowledge workers dramatically leverage their creativity and ability to deliver business value. In fact, KM is about people and the processes they u se to share information and build knowledge (Hanley, 1999). Marshall (1997) considered that KM refers to the harnessing of ‘ ‘intellectual capital† within an organization.KM theory discusses accessing and using all information within an institution, enabling individuals to apply pertinent information to what they already know, in order to create knowledge. The theory recognizes that knowledge, not simply information, is the greatest asset to an institution. It includes the strategies and processes for identifying, capturing, sharing, and leveraging the knowledge required to survive and compete successfully into the twenty-first century (Gatchis, 1999). KM focuses on ‘doing the right thing† instead of ‘ ‘doing things right†.In our thinking, KM is a framework within which the organization views all its processes as knowledge processes. Knowledge value chain model Differences among competitor value chains are a key source of competitive a dvantage. In competitive terms, value is the amount customers are willing to pay for what a corporation provides them. Value is measured by total revenue, a reflection of the price a corporation's product commands and the units it can sell. A firm is profitable if the value it commands exceeds the costs involved in creating the product (Porter, 1985).Creating value for customers that exceeds the cost of doing so is the goal of any competitive strategy. Value, instead of cost, must be used in analyzing nominative position since corporations often deliberately raise their cost in order to command a premium price via differentiation. Employing Porter's value chain analysis approach, we developed a knowledge value chain model. Knowledge value chain consists of KM infrastructure and the KM process's activities and knowledge performance. These infrastructure components and activities are the building blocks by which a corporation creates a product or provides service valuable to its custo mers.Knowledge performance can be measured in two categories (van Burden, 1999). One is financial performance. However, financial assessments such as ROI are particularly difficult to make for KM activities. The other is non-financial measures including operating performance outcomes and direct measures of learning. Examples of operating performance measures include lead times, customer satisfaction, and employee productivity. Learning measures include such items as the number of participants in communities of practice, employees trained, and customers affected by the use of knowledge.All the non-financial measures can be regarded as the reflection of core competence of corporation. The KM process's activities are listed along the bottom of Figure 1 . In any corporation, the KM process can be divided into the five categories shown in Figure 1. KM infrastructure supports the KM process activities. The dotted lines reflect the fact that customer/supplier relationship, knowledge storag e capacity, and knowledge worker recruitment can be associated with 785 786 Figure 1. Model specific KM process activities as well as support the entire chain.COOK and management are not associated with particular KM process activities but support the entire chain. Components of KM infrastructure Knowledge worker recruitment The term knowledge worker refers to the worker who possesses competencies, knowledge, and skills in the organization such as computer engineers, accountants, etc. If a person leaves the organization, their knowledge goes with them. Knowledge is acquirable and renewable. It is the source of innovation and creativity. This is the traditional focus of many training and education programs.In the knowledge economy, knowledge permeates through everything important Ð’Â ± people, products organizations. There have always been people who worked with their minds rather than their hands. In knowledge era, these are the majority of the workforce. Already, almost 60 per cent of American workers are knowledge workers. Recruiting knowledge workers in organizations is a key activity in the long term. Knowledge storage capacity Knowledge storage capacity is organizational memory and capabilities for people to store and reuse information and knowledge.It involves the organization's routine operations and structures that support employees' quests for optimum intellectual performance and, therefore, overall business performance. An individual can have a high level of knowledge, but if the organization has poor systems and procedures by which to track his or her actions, the overall knowledge resource will not reach its fullest potential. Knowledge storage capacity is owned by the organization. It is retained by the organization when employees leave. There exist two organizational structures, formal and informal.In formal organizations, people easily access explicit knowledge. Informal organizations are rich in tacit knowledge, which usually is the source of innovation. It is difficult to articulate in writing and is acquired through personal experience. It is shared by intensive face-to-face communication. To keep the costs of knowledge transfer low, angers try to turn inherently tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge. There are different approaches to implement KM, it depends on what kind of knowledge your people rely on to solve problem.When employees rely on explicit knowledge to do their work, the people-documents approach makes the most sense. When people use tacit knowledge most often to solve problems, the person-to-person approach works best. Customer/supplier relationship Customer/supplier relationship refers to the organization's relationships with its customers/suppliers. It might include customer/supplier loyalty for services or reduces, the purchasing/sale patterns of different customer/supplier groups, customer/supplier service reputation, warranties and undertakings by customer/ supplier, and database for customer/su pplier.The relationship between a corporation and its suppliers is very important and can be regarded as a intangible and agile asset of the corporation. It enables corporation to meet the needs of customers at a lower cost. Owning more stable and closer relationship with suppliers than its competitors means that the corporation has gained a superior competitive position over its competitors. In other words, the applier relationship is mainly for cost control purposes. Understanding better than anyone else what customers want in a product or a service is what makes someone a business leader as opposed to a follower.Turning knowledge into new customized products and services will maximize a corporation's market value. COOK and management As a corporation undertakes a KM program, the position of chief knowledge officer (COOK) is emerging to coordinate the KM infrastructure components and KM activities. The COOK is entrusted with the role of transforming intellectual property into a bu siness value. In other words, The COOK is responsible for the overall knowledge assets of a company and for defining the area in which the knowledge capabilities of the organization should evolve, based on its ongoing mission and vision.The COOK has the ultimate corporation-wide responsibility for the controlled vocabulary and knowledge directory and tackles the difficult issues associated with cross-department or cross-corporation processes that have unique knowledge-sharing requirements. The COOK also is responsible for ensuring that an appropriate technology infrastructure is in place for effective KM. The COOK has two principle design competencies: He is a technologist or environmentalist. Breadth of career experience, familiarity with his organization, and infectious enthusiasm for his mission are characteristic of the COOK. 87 788 In this research, both the COOK and management can be considered as support not only for the other three infrastructure components, but also for the entire process of Process of knowledge management As noted in Figure 1, the process of KM consists of five activities Ð’Â ± knowledge acquisition, integration, innovation, protection, and dissemination. Knowledge acquisition In order to do something we need to track down and analyze all the information and explicit knowledge that is available.This will lead to beginning the process of knowledge acquisition via knowledge management infrastructure. We will discuss two processes through which organizations acquire information or knowledge: searching and organizational learning. Organizational information acquisition through searching can be viewed as occurring in three forms (Huber, 1991): (1) scanning; (2) focused search; and (3) performance monitoring. Scanning refers to the relatively wide-ranging sensing of the organization's external environment.Focused searching occurs when organizational members or units actively search in a narrow segment of the organization's internal or external environment, often in response to actual or suspected problems or opportunities. Performance monitoring is used to mean both focused and withdrawing sensing of the organization's effectiveness in fulfilling its own practicalities goals or the requirements of stakeholders. Noticing is the unintended acquisition of information about the organization's external environment, internal conditions, or performance.Organizational learning plays a vital role in knowledge acquisition. The need for organizations to change continuously, which was emphasized by Trucker, has long been the central concern of organizational learning theorists. Just as with individuals, organizations must always confront novel aspects of their circumstances (Cohen, 1991). It is widely agreed that learning consists of two kinds of activity. The first kind of learning is obtaining know-how in order to solve specific problems based upon existing premises.The second kind of learning is establishing new premises (paradigms, schemata, mental models, or perspectives) to override the existing ones. These two kinds of learning have been referred to as ‘ ‘Learning l† and â€Å"Learning II† (Battens, 1972) or ‘single-loop learning† and ‘double-loop learning† (Argils and Chon, 1978). From our viewpoint, knowledge acquisition and knowledge innovation certainly involve interaction between these two kinds of learning, which forms a kind of dynamic spiral. Sense (1990) recognized that many organizations suffer from ‘learning disabilities†.To cure the diseases and enhance the organization's capacity to learn, he proposed the ‘ ‘learning organization† as a practical model. He argued that the learning organization has the capacity for both generative learning (I. E. Active) and adaptive learning (I. E. Passive) as the sustainable sources of competitive advantage. Knowledge innovation In a strict sense, knowledge is created onl y by individuals. An organization cannot create knowledge without individuals. The organization supports creative individuals or provides contexts for them to create knowledge.Organizational knowledge innovation, therefore, should be understood as a process that ‘ ‘organizationally† amplifies the knowledge created by individuals and crystallizes it as a part of the knowledge network of the organization. There are actually three levels of knowledge- creating entities including individual, group, and organization. On the other hand, the conversion of tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge is a key process in creating new knowledge. A knowledge-innovation spiral emerges when the interaction between tacit and explicit knowledge is elevated dynamically from a lower level knowledgeableness entity to higher levels.The assumption that knowledge is created through the interaction between tacit and explicit knowledge leads to four different modes of knowledge conversion. The four modes actually are four realizations: (1) from tacit knowledge to tacit knowledge, which is called colonization; (2) from tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge, or sterilization; (3) from explicit knowledge to explicit knowledge, or combination; and (4) from explicit knowledge to tacit knowledge, or naturalization. Knowledge protection Protection of knowledge is important because it protects creativity and the interests of knowledge-owners.In legal systems protection of knowledge means protection of Intellectual Property Rights (PR) such as copyrights and patents, which includes revision for a right of legal action against infringes of PR and provisions detailing persons or corporations empowered to authorize the commercial use of PR and allowing the owner of PR to charge fees for such commercial uses. In a sophisticated information technology (IT) system, knowledge will be protected by filename, by surname, by password, etc. So that knowledge can be reused when it receives a r equest and checks against the standard file-sharing users and group table to determine what rights the user has. In addition to legal and IT protection, corporations should contract with employees guarding confidential information and their tenure in case of they 789 790 leave, and should also develop other protocols and policy guidelines which recognize and promote rights of knowledge, and then implement them by staff awareness and education campaigns.Knowledge integration Latest advances of information technology can facilitate the processes such as acquiring and disseminating knowledge; however, the final burden is on people deciding how to translate this raw knowledge into actionable knowledge by means of an acute understanding of their business context. This is a internal knowledge integration process. Corporations have always had some process to synthesize their experience and integrate it with knowledge acquired from outside sources (e. G. Inventions, purchased patents).A cor poration acquires knowledge from years of experience in such things as manufacturing, sales, and service. This cumulative experience from different departments, together with information gathered from outside sources, can be integrated into the C.V. of the organization, which is a inter- sub-C.V. integration process, eventually being the base of KM infrastructure. Knowledge dissemination The most effective way to disseminate knowledge and best practice is through systematic transfer. That is, to create a knowledge-sharing environment.It is no coincidence that IT has blossomed at the same time that knowledge is becoming recognized as the most valuable of a corporation's assets. Explicit knowledge can be shared through an IT system. However, tacit knowledge is best shared through people. The more ‘valuable† the knowledge, the less sophisticated the technology that supports it. Dissemination of tacit knowledge is a social process. People must contribute knowledge to become part of a knowledge network. IT alone will not remove significant KM barriers.IT will not change people's behaviors, increase management's commitment, nor create a shared understanding of its strategy or its implementation. To show its commitment for sharing knowledge, an organization should foster the employee's willingness to share and contribute to the knowledge base. This may be the most difficult obstacle to overcome. Current performance and rewards systems exemplify an individual's personal achievement and rarely take into account an individual's contribution to or participation in formal collaboration efforts.Reward structures and performance metrics need to be created which benefit those individuals who contribute to and use a shared knowledge base. Those who excel at knowledge sharing should be recognized in public forums such as newsletters and e- mails. By effective communication, the knowledge disseminated flows to the acquirers who are searching for and learning knowled ge or information they need. Employees must be made to understand that the success and advancement in their career will be based on KM principles.KM skills must be seen to be as important to career advancement as continuing education and communication skills. C.V., business value chain, and competitive strategy As the value chain itself implies, each element of activity can create value and then all the value flows to the endpoint of the business value chain and Joins together, forming the overall value of business, which is usually expressed as a margin (see Figure 2). Probing deeply, we can find that the added value comes from the competence of element activity itself, which in turn comes from specific suburb of itself.For example, sub-C.V. in inbound logistics (IL) activity enables business to gain the inbound logistics competence, and then the added value follows. The same process occurs in other activities including operations (POP), outbound logistics (OLL), marketing and sale s (MS), and service (SE). Finally, all 791 Figure 2. Relationship between business value chain and C.V. 792 the sub-Kvass are integrated together into the whole C.V.. In the process of knowledge integration, the competence of knowledge infrastructure is gradually forming. In the end, corporation competence follows C.V..By analyzing the above, we might note that competence is after all the measurement of each sub-C.V.. That is the reason why we feel that the core competence of the corporation should be employed as the key non- uncial measure of knowledge performance. In the whole process of KM, the innovation activity fits the product differentiation strategy, which can enable corporation gains the competitive advantage, as mentioned before (see Figure 3), while reusing knowledge fits low cost strategy, by which competitive advantage gained again.In consulting corporations, it's Just like building with bricks: consultants reuse existing bricks while applying their skills to construct something new. The reuse of knowledge saves work, reduces communication costs, and allows a company to take on more projects. A case study of KM by Hansen et al. (1999) noted that, as a consequence, corporations such as Andersen Consulting and Ernst & Young have been able to grow at rates of 20 per cent or more in recent years. Ernst & Young worldwide consulting revenues, for example, increased from $1. Billion in 1995 to $2. 7 billion in 1997. Generally, managing knowledge assets should, like patents, trademarks and licenses, even add knowledge to the balance sheet. Conclusion and further discussion Knowledge is information plus causal links that help to make sense of this information. KM is a process that transforms information into knowledge. KM guides the way a corporation performs individual knowledge activities and organizes its entire knowledge value chain.It is suggested that competitive advantage grows out of the way corporations organize and perform discrete activities in the knowledge value chain, which should be measured by the core competence of the corporation. In the end, we would raise another assumption for further discussion, so that for KM to ‘ ‘open the black box† of a corporation and examine its intricate details. We assumed that the corporation should be treated more or less as a box of tricks reducing the predictable outputs of knowledge-based products and services from specific inputs of information or/and knowledge.

Censored Literature Essay

There are many reason why states or international countries ban and censor literature. The question that arise when literature are integrated into the curriculum is â€Å"is the literature appropriate?† The reason for censored or banned literature is culture, language, religion, and age. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding is literature that has been challenged and censored by many schools because of what the literature represents and inappropriate for children of a certain age. Although many schools banned and censored the literature, the literature can provide a positive in-class discussion and encourage group projects. Censoring The Lord of the Flies by William Golding The Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a fictional book about British schoolboys being evacuated on a plane to escape war. The plane is shot down into a deserted island. Challenges are faced, rules are broke, and new laws are established on the island. The main character, Ralph, becomes the leader of the schoolboys. Ralph tries to establish order on the island, but the schoolboys vote against Ralph. Instead of establishing order and a civil group on the island, the schoolboys become savages, violent, and mischievous. As Ralph tries to escape the mischievous boys who are after him, Ralph stumbles upon the beach, where a British naval ship arrived on the beach. The literature is seen as a controversial book. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding was challenged at the Owen, NC High School in 1981. According to the American Library Association (2010), the book was considered â€Å"demoralizing inasmuch as it implies that man is little more than an animal† (The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding). The literature brings up the discussion of what constitutes a government vs. savages. Although to some, the literature may seem barbaric with inappropriate language, the literature provides knowledge and uses of symbolism. I agree the literature may be unsuitable ages; the book recommended for high school students can be a great tool for English studies and in-class discussion. The use of symbolism helps students to learn the depths and meaning of literature. Symbolism adds ideas and different meanings in literary works. Use of Literature in the Curriculum. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding can be used in the high school reading curriculum for English studies. Students will discuss the literature after reading two chapters. Student will identify the symbolism used in the chapters. Students will then discuss the issue of laws vs. savages. Upon discussion, students will then write down what constitute a government and laws. Student will then discuss his or her ideas in front of the class. Conclusion Literature banned and censored in many parts of the United States and other countries contain content material that may be unsuitable for certain age groups. However, censoring books may not allow students to experience certain situations that he or she may not experience, but can experience emotions. Some literatures may even contain valuable information on history or the way government works. Other literatures can provide discussion that can provide different perspectives or views of the story. It is important to incorporate literature in everyday teaching to enhance critical thinking skills. Reference American Library Association. (2010). Banned and/or Challenged Books from the Radcliffe publishing course top 100 novels of the 20th century. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/classics/reasons

Comparing Ireland and Denmark ECC Essay

Choose two countries and compare their approaches to early childhood care and education. This essay will introduce and compare approaches to early childhood care and education in Denmark and Ireland. It will specifically focus on comparing the pedagogical approach, curriculum content and the inclusion of ethnic minority children aged 0-6 years attending early childhood settings in both countries. Provision of Services As one of the oldest nations within Europe, Denmark has made the welfare of families with children top priority within government. Under their Social Services Act, matters’ relating to the care and education of children is broken down. The Ministry of Social Services is responsible for day care facilities – dagtilbud, while the Ministry of Education is responsible for pre-school services – bornehaveklasse, primary and lower secondary and afterschool services and forest kindergartens are also available. These services are based on the rights of children outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (OECD, 2000). In Denmark children are not required to enter the primary school sector until they are seven years old. In Ireland, there has been very little funding and resources into the development of childcare provisions with many working families relying on family members or child-minders filling the gap. Full day care exists at a cost and sessional services either morning or afternoon are in operation. In 2010, the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs introduced a voluntary, universal free pre-school year for children aged three years and two months and less than four years and seven months. For the year 2010/11, over 94% of eligible children were participating in the scheme (Dept. f Education & Skills, 2011). While it is compulsory for children to enter the primary education system at six years old, it is relevant to note that many children enter the system in the September, following their fourth birthday due to the lack of childcare provisions available. The Irish welfare state seems reliant on offering cash benefits rather than services especially for the youngest group of children 0-2 years (OECD, 2010). Pedagogy French, 2007 defines pedagogy as the practice or craft of teaching in the interactive process between teachers and learners and the learning nvironment which includes family and the community. Under Siolta, the national quality framework it is defined as the range of interactions to support the holistic development of children by embracing both care and education within settings. Denmark has a strong historical background in relation to the training of early care and education practitioners. The first training programme was implemented in 1885 for those working from the frobelian approach in education; this formed a basis for the two year study programme implemented in 1904. In 1992, an integrated training system was established to combine theory with practice. Those training to be social pedagogues complete three and a half year degree programme learning theoretical, culture based subjects and activity based subjects with stints in placement (OECD,2000). Ireland in comparison has yet to regulate for proper qualifications within the sector with only those working with pre-primary classes having the appropriate qualification – bachelor of education. In order for the pre-school year to be implemented room leaders must have a minimum qualification of a Level 5 major award in ECCE (Dept. of Education &Skills, 2011). Curriculum French, 2007, states that a curriculum being implemented in settings for children’s learning should contain a ‘body of knowledge with a clear set of goals and objectives’. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) in 2004 wrote that curriculum refers to â€Å"all learning experiences, whether formal or informal, planned or unplanned, which contribute to a child’s development†. Denmark’s curriculum for children aged 0-6 years is predominately play based and incorporates the holistic development of children. Children work in partnership with the pedagogues throughout daily life. The main aims of the curriculum are to ensure children learn and experience the natural environment while gaining a true understanding of the Danish and other cultures represented. In 2004, a new law of pedagogical curriculum to â€Å"support, lead and challenge the learning of children† was introduced (Starting Strong 2, 2006). This outlined that all centres had the responsibility to outline their own curriculums with the cooperation of staff and passed by the board of parents and local authorities, the aspect of learning was not to become too structured. Six dimensions of aims as themes are to be represented within the curriculum. These include personal competences, social competences, language, body and movement, nature and nature phenomena and cultural forms of expression and values (Brostrom, 2006).