Engineering Ethics Essay

The responsibility of an engineer is to counter to a need through creating or building something according to the stipulated set of guidelines which performs a particular a given purpose. the creation ,plan or device should perform its stipulated functions without fail. However everything must eventually fail in some way to do its given functions in terms f the level of performance. Therefore engineers must always struggle to design their works in such a way that they avoid failure and more so a catastrophic failure which can lead to loss of property, loss of life or possible injury and damage towards the environmental user of that technology through the study and analysis of engineering disasters modern designers in engineering can how to create with little or no chances of failure and what no to do or what is referred to as engineering ethics. This essay is going to focus on the application of engineering ethics and the differences between a good engineer and a poor engineer. It is not a good argument to say that engineers should emulate the public in taking risks because the engineering failure is considered to be an engineering disaster through the public perception of risks. For example almost the same number of people die from airplanes, bicycles and trains but the public perception of the risks associated with air travel is always relatively higher than that of for bicycles and also trains. This is facilitated by the fact that there is much news reporting on airplane accidents and mishaps compared to the rail and road accidents also think it is not a good argument because most of the engineering disasters are considered to be human factors which include ethical failure. Design flaw is also another cause because they mainly result from unethical practices. I don’t think the argument is good because the deficiency in engineering ethics is perceived to be one of the derivation causes of engineering failure. This is because n engineer as a professional bears a responsibility to both the client, the employer, to the general public and to their profession. This means that they should perform their responsibilities in a very conscientious manner. This will not include only acting in the bound of the law but as a n ethical engineer he will try to always avoid conflicts of interest. To avoid this conflicts of interest the ethical engineer will avoid misrepresenting his knowledge by not accepting those jobs which are outside his area of expertise, by acting in the best ever interest of the environment and society, by fulfilling the terms of his contract or agreements explicitly and also by promoting the education of the young engineers in the his field. Many failures reported in engineering ethics usually have many legal consequences (Matscieng. sunysb. edu, 2003). There is a relationship between risk and safety in terms of management and assessment. For example risk management is perceived to be a process that is used to evaluate the probability of harm occurring and also the severity of that harm the results of this risk assessment can then be used to determine how work can be performed safely. If the risk is not acceptable decisions must be made on how supplementary protective measures that will assist in keeping the porkers safe. Safety audit on the other hand is a process that is used to determine whether or not the risk reduction strategy is reliable with the results of the results made during the risk reduction portion of the risk assessment process. Each risk reduction measure should be validated to ensure that is being in accordance with the decisions which are made during the risk assessment. Risk management includes the systematic use of the results of risk decisions when making decisions regarding the best practicable strategy that will be used inn protecting the workers form harm. On the other hand safety management is the system used in ensuring that the risk levels acquired during the risk management are maintained (Industrialsafetyintegration. com, 2008). When accidents occur investigations should be thoroughly done to ensure that the cause is detected. If the cause of the accidents found to have emanated from the designing or creation of the thing then the engineer who designed the thing will be responsible for the accident. One of the dues of diligence to be undertaken in this case include physical assessment test (PCA). PCAs assess the possible costs which will be acquired during the life of a loan. Major electrical, structural, site improvements, HVAC components, and plumbing of each structure are cautiously and totally examined for condition, completion status, general code conformance, sufficiency for their intended use, life cycle costs and extent of depreciation and defection. The other due diligence to be applied is the Probable Maximum Loss (PML). It evaluates the financial loss of a construction on firm soil owing to the vibratory shift from the maximum probable earthquake. PML can be customized to integrate effects of the site state and the value or quality of the building construction. The maximum feasible earthquake used to analyze this loss is defined as the event that has a 10% chance of exceedance in a 50-year disclosure or exposure period, commonly identified as the â€Å"475-year event. † The PML is calculated as a damage proportion that equals the estimated repair charge divided by the substitution cost of the building. The final standard of due diligence to be applied is The Physical Needs Assessment Report (PNA) refers to the actual structural and mechanical requirements necessary for proper building maintenance. The PNA can be a crucial tool in influencing the subject site value and estimated cost in possible repairs or investment in the property. PNA reports can be customized according to a client’s specific inquiry. Upon conclusion of the physical evaluation of the property, AEI provides a synopsis report outlining the costs to correct the deficiencies which have been noted. AEI also devises and presents commendations together with a budget to increase the physical and artistic condition of the property to make best use of its position in the market place. There are various qualities of a good and a bad engineer. For example a good engineer possess a strong analytical attitude for he possesses excellent analytical skill and continuously examines thing he continually thinks of the ways of making work better through his inquisitive attitude. This is unlike poor engineers for they always continue on dwelling on the early knowledge and are lazy because they do not always take time to analyze things. They always lack perception and that is why many up them give out shoddy performances. A good engineer pay attention to all details for he or she knows the consequences of omitting any details. A bad engineer is most likely to be less attentive to all the details and that is why some of the work may have some errors. A good engineer has excellent communication skills for they can translate complex technical lingo into English and also communicates well verbally with clients. A bad engineer has no fluent communication skills and he might also cause miscommunication with his client. a good engineer takes part in continuing education . this is because he always wishes to stay on top of the developments in the engineering industry.. changes in technology happens so rapidly and a good engineer will tend to keep abreast of the new ideas and research a bad engineer rarely notices the changes happening in his job industry and he is also lazy in taking part in the developments taking place is always innovative by developing new systems and also finding new ways of making the existing thing work more efficiently. A bad engineer rarely brings any new ideas at work and he may also lack the motivation when it comes to the actualization of new ideas. A competent engineer shows the ability of thinking logically because he always possesses top- notch logical skills. he has the ability to make sense out of complex systems and always understands how things work and also how problems come about. Incompetent engineers usually have hard time in foreseeing problems and do not apply his ideas logically to ensure that thing flow smoothly in the organization. a good engineer is mathematically inclined. This is because he possesses excellent skills in mathematics for we all know that engineering is an intricate science that usually involves complex calculations of varying difficult. Incompetent engineers are not very sharp mathematically and therefore they are brought down by complex calculations thus giving miscalculated estimates at work. A good engineer possesses very excellent problem solving skills. This is because he detects any causes of the arising issues and solves them immediately to ensure that all things go smoothly. A poor or incompetent engineer rarely solves the problems accordingly. There might be a discontent in his problem solution ideas which may make work operations inefficient. A good engineer is a team player. This is because he understands they are part of a larger together to ensure the success of the project. A bad engineer rarely cooperates in team work for he believes he is the only one excellently qualified or capable. A great engineer has excellent technical knowledge for they tend understand a variety of computer programs and other systems that are commonly used during an engneeriong project (Engineeringschools. com, 2006). There is a very strong relationship between a good engineer and a good person. A good person has a lot of integrity because he is trustworthy and honest. A good engineer also has a strong integrity for he ensures that he is trusted by the people he comes into contact with. A good person is compassionate for he cares about all people in general. A good engineer is also compassionate for he does his work excellently to ensure that no one is hurt through poorly designed structures. A good person happens to be very reasonable and courage because he stands up for what is fair and also points at the right direction always. A good engineer is also courageous for he doesn’t follow the perception of risks according to the public and acts on his ethical standards. A good engineer is also very reasonable because he plans for his actions so that he may not take a wrong step which might be accompanied by a lot of negative consequences. A moral competent person possesses the ability to promote and even desire to secure well being and to diminish human suffering. This is because he or she responds with the appropriate sensitivity and moral feelings when he comes across human suffering. A moral competence person also distinguishes moral and natural harm, right and wrong a moral competent person also shows the willingness to take initiative for appropriate action. He also has moral imagination for he has the ability to come up with alternative courses of action (Cua, 2010). A morally competent person also bears moral persuasion for he has the ability to persuade and also to be rationally persuaded by others. It is very hard for people to make evaluations of moral competence because we know that human beings are always characterized by pretence especially when they want to achieve something. Again moral competence in people is mainly driven by intrinsic and extrinsic motivations which may be personal that the public can not identify. Moral competence evaluations are necessary because if dealing with people who lack moral values can really be frustrating because a person who lacks moral competence rarely acts accordingly (Wilson, 2003). References Matscieng. sunysb. edu. (2003) Engineering Disasters and Learning from Failure. Retrieved on May 18th from http://www. matscieng. sunysb. edu/disaster/ Wilson, A. (2003). Democracy and moral Skills, Retrieved on May 13 from http://webcache. googleusercontent. com/search? q=cache:85JzO3p-0GkJ:www. wcp2003. org/arnold%2520wilson. doc+moral+competent+person&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ke&client=firefox-a Engineeringschools. com. (2006). Top 10 Qualities of a Great Engineer. Retrieved on May 15th from http://www. engineeringschools. com/engineering-top-10. html. Industrialsafetyintegration. com. (2008). Industrial safety regulation. http://www. industrialsafetyintegration. com/risk-assessment-faq. htm Aeiconsultants. Com. (n. d). Engineering due diligence. Retrieved on May 18th from http://www. aeiconsultants. com/www/services_eng_due. html Cua, A. (2010). Competence, concern, and the role of paradigmatic individuals (chun-tzu) in moral education. Retrieved on May 18 from http://www. questia. com/googleScholar. qst;jsessionid=LyNG4rJ0bvDxQshkQ8QxrKd0d7WF2x0Wxm0Qp69L5qJt6NfQ0Hy5! 497373752! -1807481064? docId=95691114

Christian Commission Essay

The foregoing discussion showed that during the civil war women served in many capacities. They helped in the war effort even though they only stayed at home by knitting socks and sewing shirts and uniforms; they organized themselves in order to raise funds for the war chest; they acted as medics and field nurses; and some of them, who proved as brave if not braver than the others, literally risked their lives by playing the dangerous game of espionage. However, their participation in the war did not stop there. They defied the law in both the North and the South which prohibited women to join the army as fighting soldiers by posing as men. Both the Union and the Confederate armies were duped into drafting women disguised as men. Although most of them were probably propelled by extreme patriotism, it turned out that many joined the army for other, more personal reasons. One of the most notable women soldiers in the Union army was Sarah Emma Edmonds. Sarah joined the army as a volunteer in Michigan, where she enlisted as a man by the name of Franklin Thompson. (Lewis, 2007) She later served with the 2nd Michigan Infantry for a couple of years. It was reported that there were times when she had to act as a spy disguised either as a black man or as a ‘woman. ’(Hall, n. d. ) She was reported to have seen action in the â€Å"Battle of Blackburn’s Ford, the Peninsular Campaign, Antietam, and Fredericksburg. † According some accounts, she later deserted and became a nurse with the â€Å"U. S. Christian Commission. † (Lewis, 2007) However, there were reports that she voluntarily left the army after contracting malaria and feared that she would be found out if she would submit for treatment. (CivilWarStudies. org, n. d. ) Her application for a veteran’s pension which was approved in 1884 was given under the name Sarah E. E. Seelye, her married name. (Lewis, 2007) She was later named to the â€Å"Grand Army of the Republic,† the lone female to have been so named. (Hall, n. d. ) Another interesting story was that of Malinda Blalock. In her desire to be with her husband, William Mckesson Blalock (known as Keith to friends), she pretended to be William’s brother, Samuel. She then joined F Company of the â€Å"26th North Carolina Infantry† where Keith was also serving. Malinda was a Confederate by heart while Keith was a dyed-in-the-wool â€Å"Lincolnite† and was loyal to the Union cause. Although Keith was pressured by his family and fiends into joining the Confederate Army, he was always entertaining thoughts of deserting as soon as an opportunity presented itself. Malinda, despite being a loyal Confederate subject, was prepared to desert with him anytime. (Hall, n. d. ) However, the opportunity for desertion not having presented itself, the couple fought alongside each other under the Confederate flag (in a total of three battles) until March 1862 when Malinda sustained a shoulder wound. Afraid that they would be separated as soon as it was known that Malinda was a woman and forced out of the unit, Keith covered himself with poison oak to develop skin blisters and high fever. Fearing a case of small pox, the company doctor decided to discharge him for medical reason. The couple left Company F together on April 20, 1862 and went home to the â€Å"mountains of western North Carolina† to rest. The risk of recall to duty remained for Keith, however. So what the two did was hide in the mountains and turned Union guerillas, operating in the mountainous areas of East Tennessee and western North Carolina. Keith and Malinda later functioned as scouts attached to the â€Å"10th Michigan Cavalry. † (Halls, n. d. ) There was also a case involving a 19-year-old immigrant from Ireland. He gave the name Albert D. J. Cashier when he signed up with the 95th Illinois Infantry on August 3, 1862. He was said to have participated in about forty major and minor battles until August 17, 1865. After his stint with the Union army, he found employment as an ordinary laborer and ultimately received a pension. He later lived in a Soldier’s Home located in Quincy, Illinois where, in 1913, he was eventually discovered by a home surgeon that he was actually a she. Albert D. J. Cashier’s being a woman made the headlines. Nobody who knew her during her whole adult life ever suspected that she was in reality a woman. On October 11, 1914, Cashier died in an asylum for the mentally ill. (Blanton, 1993)

Capital Punishment Should Be Abolished in Malaysia

Capital punishment is a death sentence awarded for capital offences where in the criminal provisions consider such persons as a gross danger or threats to the existence of the society. As the merge of human rights associations, this punishment is strictly opposed for its cruelty and this has been a global debate for some years. In Malaysia, this punishment is proudly held in the law and until today, executions are being held. It is a great shame as all members of the United Nation were already called to Join the moratorium of death penalty (Amnesty International, 2007). Many countries have abandoned capital punishment and Malaysia should do the same as it is inappropriate, cruel and it does not help the society in any ways. It is inappropriate for today as clearly, it is incongruent with what Malaysia is aiming for. The aim is to be a fully developed country and to be one Malaysia has to fulfil all challenges which one of it is to be a fully caring society (Razak, 2010). Putting an end to ones life does not define caring at all. Even though the punishment has been practised in almost every society, many have abandoned the punishment and ore are in favour of abolishing it (Caroline Sculler, 2010). If the policy is as such, then the government is at the same footing as the murderers (Stevenson, 1993). As death penalty is final, those criminals will also be deprived from the opportunity to change and the true causes of crimes will not be figured out Ooseph A. Melusky, 2003). Thus, when Justice is hurried, Justice is buried too. This clearly shows that we have no mercy and for a society that values human rights, Justice and mercy, there should be no death penalty at all (Ragunath Kesavan, 2010). To punish does not mean having to do it cruelly. The world has decides that death penalty is inhuman and degrading punishment which also constitutes a torture (Caroline Sculler, 2010). Inevitably, there are risks in executing innocent people such as cases of drug trafficking involving people who were fooled by so-called Job agencies (The Star Online, 2010). It is very unjust to prosecute innocent lives. What is more, The United Nation disapproves capital punishment as it is contrary to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Malaysias excuse was that, Malaysia is not ne of the signatories of Committees Against Torture (CAT) and International Convention of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and so, Malaysia is not bound to any of their aims (Eldridge, 2002). Malaysia has shown how barbaric the nation is and the reality of death penalty is that it is hypocritical as lives cannot be traded like commodities. To replace belongings or things is acceptable, but to kill, it is cruel (Stevenson, 1993). What more to grieve is, capital punishment does not deter crimes and it does not help the society. It shows no positive result in decreasing violent crime rates (Caroline Sculler, 2010). Death penalty actually promotes crimes. When our government approves on taking ones life, its a symbolic to vengeance. Thus, victims because a clean break is not that frightening. Having the thought of being locked up in a room for the whole life is scarier. For drug-trafficking offences, there is also no evidence that the punishment helps (Human Rights Watch, 2009). It is not only useless, but it obscures the true causes of crime too. Knowing the causes of crimes is hat matters the most and by executing, this disallows research on them and will consequently blind us forever. Hence, the aim of deterring crime will never be achieved. Common arguments and beliefs of why Malaysia should continue capital punishment are of Justice, deterrent and retribution. On Justice, an execution is said to bring closure to the criminal and closure to the ordeal for the victims family. Of deterrent, capital punishment is taken as a tool to scare potential criminals as it is hoped that they will think twice before breaking the law for fear of losing their lives. And of retribution, the taking of criminals life allows society to show convincingly that certain crimes will not be tolerated. However in reality, if criminals have made up their minds to commit crimes, having the mens rea to do any, the punishments will never be taken in considerations. Plus, it is not the best deterrent tool as there is no exact statistic showing the decrease of crime rate for which the death penalty is mandatory (Ragunath Kesavan, 2010). To continue this law is to show how decadent the nation is. Malaysia has more moral based policies, but still, why is this legal? Australias previous Prime Minister, Hawke, have mentioned capital punishment as barbaric by seeing Malaysias policy. And that was insulting (Eldridge, 2002). Killing in any form victimizes all human kinds. Killing will never solve problems and killing will further brings great destructions. The world has decides that the punishment is cruel and let us stand with others. We pride ourselves for being a caring society and let us show to the world that we are. Capital punishment should be abolished as it proves nothing but the act of barbarism.

Revision for Integration of Sources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Revision for Integration of Sources - Essay Example Below sentences with different sources derived from the article â€Å"Educating Young Adults about Sex.† The essay is part of my writings in English 1302. This is part of the original text under evaluation. From the sentences above, it is evident that there is a gap between the ideas in sentences and the citation. This is because the writer did not impact on source integration. One style of introducing sources may turn out to be monotonous. This is because the reader can prejudice the in suction of these citations. Writers should incorporate different source citation techniques acceptable in writing guidelines book. This will impact on the follow of ideas, follow of grammar, marrying of ideologies, and at the same time, readers will have an interest in reading the article (VanderMey 24). Phrases such as â€Å"From ... writings or book, it is evident that HIV is a fatal infection,† will add taste to the sentence. It will also prove to the reader that the writers are confident of their art work. Other suitable phrases are in reference to, in relation to, according to, from ... reading it is acceptable that..., also show that there is an admirable level of precision (Borchers 33). The writer of the original reference has admirable distribution of source citation. Many citations in a single sentence may lead to confliction of ideas. They can also lead to loss of meaning, when used by incompetent writers. It is appropriate for writers to proper make use of one source citation in each sentence. One can also depict that the sentence carrying the citation has no weight. In a paragraph, such sentence should create some emphasis, unlike other sentences. Form the above correction, it is noticeable that integration between the article and the source citation in crucial in all writing practices. As a reader read the sentences above, one will identify that there is a follow of ideals. Such follow proves to the readers that

Lean Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Lean Management - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that objective of lean management is to be an efficient, effective and customer focused organization with least cost and zero wastes. Customer satisfaction plays a vital role in developing and retaining new markets in any business and one good method to gauge it is getting feedback on different aspects from the customers. Major businesses employ customer contact center concepts since these solutions provide businesses with the flexible and strong infrastructure to interact with their customers and effectively manage ongoing projects. Based on these feedbacks, improvements in products and business strategies, development of new products, increase in customer satisfaction and loyalty, and exploration of new markets is sought to devise the swift response to global competitive markets. In the recent past, a number of companies have invested considerably in managing and maintaining contact center to get a competitive advantage by analyzing custome r experience and company performance; however, due to recent economic downturn companies are finding it difficult to manage the contact centers due to increased operating expenses. The as lean principle has effectively been applied in the manufacturing sector, in a similar way this concept is equally well applicable to a service industry. In doing so, Hines cautioned that organizations may miss a strategic aspect of value creation while focusing merely on cost reduction and lean tools while applying lean principles. To reduce the operating costs associated with contact centers, a lean management approach would help in creating a greater value demand while reducing the failure demand. IT businesses recognize that customers lean to support companies providing better services within a given price range. In this report, the company realized that its competitive position in the market is no longer secured. Therefore, a shift to lean management was attempted to reduce wastes and costs and increase revenue. This report is an attempt to study the significance of adopting and applying lean management concepts to Contact Center Industry using academic rigor while focusing on Averatec Contact Center and how it can effectively be applied to achieve zero defects with increased customer satisfaction. Averatec Contact Center 2.1 Company Description Averatec, established in 1984, is a company offering a broad range of computer products including desktop PCs, Laptops, and Servers, networking, storage and peripheral accessories. IT services including infrastructure technology, consultation, and business process development are few other services offered by the company which is engaged in a number of project in these areas. The company supports its entire operations with total 6000 employees and one design, development and manufacturing facility, and more than a hundred service centers located across the globe.

Employability Portfolio Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Employability Portfolio - Coursework Example For example, I did some marketing activities as a source of extra income to bear my educational expenses and also, to gather some experiences of real life. Additionally, I have engaged myself into some sort of voluntary organization, for example, blood donating organization, schooling for underprivileged slum children, etc, which enriched my managing capacity and practical knowledge. I think, I will be able to relate the both side- internship requirements and my personal attainment. The crucial thing is that I am yet to complete my academic accomplishment and have to go through practical field. For that reason, I need to be coped with applicability of academic theories and knowledge. So, it just a matter of time and practical tasks I will go about. In that way I will be able to fill the gap and will be succeeded to integrate the both. In terms of my academic qualification, I completed my graduation from university of Dhaka around business management. In addition, I am engaged with some organizations as voluntary activists. In this way, I am contended with management of organization. I also did some marketing activities beside my study as an extra source of income to support personal and educational expenses. I intend to relate my marketing experience with practical marketing fields. So, I think, I am best fitted to your required internship personnel. I have just provided my study and work qualification briefly for your sincere consideration. How can I explain else within the certain limitation? Please, feel free to contact me via my e-mail or phone to discuss elaborately. Business and marketing always go hand in hand in today’s commercial world where both are inevitable for the development of any region, country, as well as the whole world. For its unavoidable impact on modern society, it is wiser to be engaged with these, and also be coped with its every minute updates and analysis. Putting a sharp observation to these, I chose to come

Enterprise system Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Enterprise system - Assignment Example Peet’s coffee and tea had challenges managing their customer needs, finances and raw materials but all that changed with the implementation of the Enterprise Resource Planning system. The company is in a better position to guarantee quality Coffee and Tea products, managing finances better and having a competitive edge over its competitors. Businesses have been availed the Enterprise Resource Planning systems that make their work very easy in managing their customer needs, while maintaining the quality of products and services customers look for, as they grow and expand their customer base leading to high sales and profitability which is the dream of every business. Peet’s Coffee and Tea History Peet’s Coffee and Tea was founded in 1966 by Arthur Peet in Berkley California. Peet was a Dutch Immigrant who believed in absolute quality compared to quantity. In that case, he always insisted on maintaining good quality for the coffee and Tea he roasted in this company . Arthur Pete insisted on getting the best coffee there is in the world, import it and control its production to end up with a high quality product. Tasting for the coffee was done with absolute precision to maintain the quality established in the initial days. Peet believed in direct delivery to maintain the quality of the coffee. ... His coffee received mixed views from the first customers when he introduced it. While some claimed that the coffee smelt burnt, others appreciated the dark well blend quality coffee Peet introduced. Within no time, Peet’s coffee became popular among students, musicians, writers, artists and practically everyone in within the region. His coffee became so popular that some experts related the group of Peet’s coffee lovers to a cult. It was not well understood what was with his coffee and more and more people joined the club of taking and loving his coffee. This necessitated the opening of the second coffee shop which opened at Menlo Park. He opened the third outlet at Domingo Avenue in 1980. Three years later, Arthur Peet sold Peet’s Coffee and Tea for unknown reasons to Jerry Baldwin, who had founded Starbucks the same year with two other partners (International Directory of Company Histories, 2001). Baldwin also insisted on quality and went ahead to spread Peetâ €™s business principle of quality and not quantity. Baldwin continued with Starbucks and the performance of the venture surprised them. Within no time, they were opening their third store due to popularity of their coffee. Three years later in 1987, Baldwin sold Starbucks interestingly, to a former employee of Peet, Howard Schultz. The reasons for Baldwin selling Starbucks are not well known but is claimed that he stated that Starbucks was not as good as Peet’s Coffee and Tea. Peet’s Coffee and Tea was conservative in some ways and was not looking for expansion like Starbucks, which went on an expansion campaign from the 1980s. Rather, Peet’s coffee and Tea was looking for reputation among customers and the only way that would be

Literature review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Literature review - Essay Example In this regard, this book has discussed and analyzed different perspectives of learning that can be implemented in the organizations. One of the major breakthroughs has been the systems thinking that has given a number of opportunities to the organizations to increase their capacity and performance in the marketplace, which has been discussed in this book in a simple manner. The author has been able to introduce and integrate the basic components of systems thinking in this book, which has played a vital and crucial role in the significant performance of an organization. In addition, different principles of indifferences, dimensional analysis, and systems theory with relation to the systems thinking have been included in this abovementioned book. A working concept of systems theory has been developed and discussed in this book. Different methodologies related to the systems thinking have been dealt in this book, which has provided a detailed analysis of the topic to the readers. Different characteristics of socio-cultural systems have also been evaluated in this book. Topics related to the human resource, as well as, organizational development have been showcased in this book. Different practices and theories related to the organizational performance have been displayed by the author. In specific, systems thinking has been given due consideration in this course, as it has been one of the most effective measures for the continued and sustained growth of an organization. The term of systems have been incorporated with the existence of organizations in this book. The author has tried to explain the relationship of organizational performance with the characteristic of a system, which can be very beneficial for an organization. Performance based on the objectives can be facilitated by the provision of instructions based on the systems thinking. Management and Systems thinking have been analyzed and compared

Arms And The Man Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Arms And The Man - Essay Example The second act takes place four months later after the war ends and Sergius and Major Petkoff return. Though Raina and Sergius declare eternal love, they are only acting and their real feelings are very different. Sergius soon begins flirting with the maid Louka, and Raina’s thoughts keep returning to her chocolate crà ¨me soldier. Bluntschli comes back to return a coat he has borrowed from the Petkoffs and now that the war is over he is welcomed by Sergius and Major Petkoff and even helps them in moving their armies since as a pragmatist, he is willing to fight for whichever side pays. Bluntschli makes fun of Raina's romantic pretentiousness; though he is secretly attracted to her. Things come to head when Louka in trying to get Sergius for her self-tells him about Raina and Bluntschli. Sergius gets jealous and challenges Bluntschli to a duel, he accuses Raina of secretly trysting with Bluntschli, but they both deny this. Bluntschli tries to help Sergius repair things with R aina, but it is too late as Sergius’s philandering with Louka also comes out also. During all this, a letter arrives informing Bluntschli that his father has died and that he must return to Switzerland immediately. Sergius finally rejects his romantic ideals and declares his intention to marry Louka. When Bluntschli discovers Raina is twenty-three and not a teenager as he had thought he quickly asks her parents for her hand in marriage. When they find out how wealthy he is, they agree, and after some token resistance, Raina submits 1.

Letter to the Instructor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Letter to the Instructor - Essay Example Language reflects a culture and changes the meaning of words! My main objective in joining the course was to improve my basic writing and communication skills. I am glad to say that I am now able to express myself effectively and write clearly and to the point. I can state my opinions and argue about an issue. I now understand the meanings of things left unspoken in a conversation. Earlier, I was more interested in mastering simple English speaking skills than in writing. ENG 126 has made me realize that writing a language is the best way to begin â€Å"thinking† deliberately in that language. It is only when you set down words on paper that you learn to organize your thoughts and link them together. Seeing a word on the page impresses it in the memory and improves spelling skills too. I particularly love our textbook. It is so well organized that I find it very simple to use. I find the readings particularly appealing. As a person, I like to read and write about several subjects and not confine myself to a single domain. The variety of subjects the readings include make them very interesting and fun to read. The language of the readings is pretty simple. This gave me confidence and it was very easy to relate to the readings. I am also glad that the essays were not too long. The essays required for the class were of various levels of difficulty. I am most pleased with my persuasive research paper. I learned to collect material and to organize it effectively. I not only gained writing skills but also extended my vocabulary and gained in-depth knowledge on the subject of vegetarianism. I see that two opposing viewpoints can appear absolutely correct at the same time! A lot depends on the writer’s presentation. The essay I am least pleased with is my Letter to the Editor. While I am happy with my choice of subject, I now see that the letter could have been better organized.  

Affect and Open Shale Rock Essay Example for Free

Affect and Open Shale Rock Essay The past few days in class we have been learning about the process of fracking and how it is either harmful, or useful to our nation. There are numerous arguments for both sides that specify pros and cons for fracking and if fracking should be legal to operate. Fracking is known as hydraulic fracturing with the use of sand, water, and chemicals that are injected at high pressures to blast open shale rock and release the trapped gas inside. The process of fracking starts with drilling a hole deep in the earth’s surface until it reaches natural gas. From there they can start the operation and retrieve the natural gas. Oil and gas companies that use fracking state that it is very safe and does not harm the environment. On the other hand fracking has been reported to cause risks to air, land, water, wildlife, and communities by other sources, rather than the oil and gas companies. According to Josh Fox a journalist who directed â€Å"Gasland† a 2010 documentary found that fracking is making people sick, contaminating water, and affecting wildlife. Yes, fracking can have some positive aspects, but the cons out way the pros drastically. Fracking is bad for our environment and can harm many individuals near fracking sites, or affect their land, and animals. Therefore, regulations and safety should be improved for fracking to stop all the negative aspects from happening, or ban fracking as a whole. Families near fracking zones have terrible headaches and even very serious sicknesses ever since the fracking started. Fracking uses more than 596 chemicals which are released into the ground through a pipe. Drilling can intersect with underground water which would mix the 596 chemicals with that causing contaminated water. Households are affected by this because their water comes out multicolored ranging from musky grey to black. At some Houses Josh Fox visited they were able to set their water on fire. In the documentary he used a lot of emotional appeal to show how hard families are being affected by this tragic event, and shows how tough getting through a day is becoming without getting some type of sickness. Fracking also affects wildlife and land by contaminating water streams and the soil animals live on. In one scene of â€Å"Gasland† Josh Fox went to a ladies house where she had collected dead animals around her land. These animals were not present until the fracking started, and then after that they just started falling dead. There were other cases of people going into streams or even using their own house water that gave them sores, and harsh rashes throughout their body. In the documentary this showed a very effective way of getting people attention and underlining how important this is. In the other documentary â€Å"Fracknation† directed by Phelim McAleer he shows why fracking is important and how it is safe for our environment. The only positive aspect of fracking is it would help our nation out a ton with gas, lower prices drastically, and we would be the leading natural gas supplier in the world. This documentary didn’t really catch my attention that much because why would all these cases of sicknesses and contaminated water pop up right when fracking became big. If fracking became safe and didn’t harm anything in the environment then it would be the greatest idea ever invented. Coming up with new regulations to improve fracking and make it 100 percent safe would be the only reason I would accept the concept of fracking. As of right now fracking is very harmful to many, and the chemicals used are being released in the atmosphere, and in the soil which is contaminating many things and affecting the quality of the air. Fracking is not safe for anyone or anything located near a fracking zone.

Ethnic adoption Essay Example for Free

Ethnic adoption Essay Transracial adoption also known as TRA, is defined as the adoption of children of a different race or culture from their adoptive parents, has been a controversial issue in the United States. Social workers are usually the one that match the child with the â€Å"parents† when it comes to adoption. The number of adoptive parents does not relate with the number of adoptive minority children. Therefore, more parents of a different race are able to adopt them. Many social workers see transracial adoption as an ideal solution to the lack of adoptive homes for children of color. However, that is not the case with all social workers. There are some social workers that do not agree with TRA regardless of laws that have been set. They can prevent the placement of children of color with families of a different race by deciding they are not fit for different reasons. They are overlooking the reality of the situation. The reality is that there are children in America that need homes, and homes that need children. These social workers would rather have these children raised by the system than belong to a loving family all due to their argument that children should remain with their race to sustain their cultural background. Children need more than their cultural background. They need love, stability, and a good home. In America, a social worker’s mission is protecting children. When a child is neglected and needs to be removed from the home or situation their job is to find them an appropriate home. In most cases social workers view the situation as a whole and see that the child is taken care of regardless of the race of either the child or the adoptive home. In the process of finding a suitable home it’s important for the state, the child, and the adoptive home for the adoption to be successful. In any situation when making a match that will be successful it’s ideal to have as many common factors as possible. Race would be a factor in adoption to considerate when finding common ground. However, when the common factor is not available the option of looking outside of the common factor can prove to be successful. However, there are some people out there that disagree with this. The family members of the child or even some social workers will overlook the disposal of a home outside the race of the child in hopes to find a home of common race. Their argument is to place the child in an environment and culture in which they come from. In the meantime these children will remain within the system costing the system and  taxpayers money. The money used from the child being in the system is wasted as there is an available home for them to be placed in. The system the child is placed in is the foster care system. Although foster homes and foster families are adequately trained and certified by the state in which they live in to take children in their homes they are not the best place for a child. A child needs stability and a loving home, a permanent home.

Mobile Phone use: Reaction Times

Mobile Phone use: Reaction Times The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of divided attention upon response time. Participants consisted of 51 female and 10 male students from the University of Canberra, ranging in age from 19- 60 years (M = 24.95, SD = 7.99). Participants were asked to complete a spatial cueing task while using their mobile phone to either send text messages or make phone calls. Data was collected using the universities computers on the program Cog Lab 2.0. Results revealed that the text and talk conditions for all task types (neutral, valid, and invalid) had significantly slower reaction times than the control condition. The text group showed significantly slower reaction times than the talk group. Furthermore, the control group showed that the reaction times for the valid tasks was significantly faster than the neutral, and significantly faster for the valid than invalid tasks. These results do support previous research and literature in the area of mobile phone use while driving. The use of mobile phones has grown over the last five years, with over 21.26 million users in Australia alone (White, Hyde, Walsh Watson, 2010). Despite increasing evidence that mobile phone use while driving presents risks; drivers still engage in this behaviour. A self- report study on mobile phone use while driving in Australia, found that 43 percent of mobile phone owners use their phones while driving to answer their calls, followed by making calls 36 percent, reading text messages 27 percent, and sending text messages 18 percent. Approximately a third of these drivers used hand free units, indicating that most Australian drivers use hand held mobile phones while driving (White Watson, 2010). The impairment potential of mobile phone usage while driving has been the focus of various behavioural and experimental studies. Although these studies differ in the extent of behavioural changes found, most researchers agree that there is a significant negative effect on different aspects of driving performance. The most common aspects are the withdrawal of attention and slower reaction times (Reed Green, 1999). The impact of driving while using a mobile phone on reaction time is often explained with reference to a phenomenon commonly referred to as inattentional blindness or change blindness (Strayer, Drews Johnston, 2003), wherein a person who is focusing attention on one particular task will fail to notice an unexpected stimulus even while directly looking at it (Simons Chabris, 1999). Strayer and Johnston (2003), determined that drivers conversing on a hands free mobile phone were more likely than drivers not using mobile phones to fail to notice traffic signals and respond slower to brake lights. As a result drivers were more likely to cause rear end accidents and less likely to be able to recall detailed information about specific visual stimuli (Strayer et al., 2003). These researchers also found this behaviour in participants who fixated their vision, suggesting that mobile phone conversations may induce inattentional blindness in the context of driving. However, Strayer Johnston (2003) considered that because they used a high- fidelity driving simulator that these results were conclusive of real life driving. These results may not be accurate in real life scenarios were participants would be driving on real roads with real vehicles. Beede Kass, (2006) also used a driving simulator to measure the impact of a conversation task on a hands free mobile phone and a signal detection task while driving. Results suggested driving performance in terms of traffic violations, was significantly impaired while participants converse on the hands free unit and overall performance in the signal detection task were low. Finally they found an interaction between the mobile phone conversation and a signal detection task in measures of speed, speed variability, reaction time and attention lapses (Beede Kass, 2006). However, drivers that are not subjected to distracting tasks may also fail to notice important features of the traffic environment. That is, even when scanning different parts of the visual scene appropriately, there is a risk that important features will be missed in unattended areas (Simons Chabris, 1999). In considering the phenomena of inattentional blindness, it is worth reiterating a key modifier, unexpected events. Generally, the occurrence of these inattentional failures seems to be reduced when the observer anticipates the object. Therefore, the unexpected events seem to be the most problematic. In the context of traffic, these may be somewhat harder to define quantitatively because these events can take on many different forms (Simons Chabris, 1999). A study conducted by Posner, Snyder Davidson, (1980) using a spatial cueing task, looked into the theory of expected versus unexpected events. They believe that participants responses to cued targets are usually faster and sometimes more accurate than responses to uncued targets. Results from the study conducted by Posner et al., (1980) suggest that participants were faster when the cue appeared in the same location (valid) and slowest when the cue appeared opposite the indicated cue (invalid). Posner, Snyder and Davidson, (1980) interpreted these results as showing that participants shifted their attention to the location of the target prior to its appearance. Equally, when participants were expecting the cue to appear in the opposite area, participants shifted attention to the wrong location. However, it may be possible to describe these results as being due to participants anticipation of the target position, or even chance. Alternatively, Simons Chabris (1999) provided a review of experiments in which participants focusing on visual tasks fail to notice unexpected visual stimuli, and present their own seminal explanation of the phenomenon. Results suggest that the probability of noticing the unexpected object depended on the similarity of the particular object within the display and the difficulty of the task. Simons Chabris (1999) add that the spatial proximity of the object to attended location did not affect the detection, suggesting that participants attend to objects and events, not positions (Simons et al., 1999). However, this study did not explore whether individual differences in noticing, take place from differences in the ability to perform the primary task. Strayer, Drews Crouch (2006) compared drivers using mobile phones to drunk drivers, concludingthat when controlling for driving difficulty and time on task, mobile-phone drivers exhibited a greater impairment than intoxicated drivers. Results of this study found that the reaction time of drivers using a mobile phone were slower by 8.4 percent relative to drivers who neither had consumed alcohol nor were using phones. Also drivers using mobile phones were actually more likely to have a rear- end crash than drivers who had consumed alcohol (Strayer Crouch, 2003). The impact of using a hands free phone on driving performance was not found to differ from the impact of using a hand held phone, which researchers suggested was due to the withdrawal of attention from the processing of information in the driving environment while engaging in mobile phone conversation (Strayer et al., 2003). However, the measures used for the two impairments mentioned above, are quite unusual. Mobile phone i mpairment is associated with the diversion of attention and is temporary, while the impairment from alcohol persists for longer periods of time. Furthermore, while mobile phone users have some kind of control (e.g. pausing a conversation) drivers who are intoxicated cannot do much to control their performance. Studies that have looked at the effects of texting while driving have also suggested a negative impact on drivers performance (Drews, Yazdani, Celeste, Godfrey Cooper, 2009). Research by Drews Cooper (2009) found a lack of response time in participants who used their mobile phones to send text messages while driving on a simulator. They concluded the texters in the driving simulator had more crashes, responded more slowly to the brake lights of cars in front of them- and showed more impairment in forward and sideways control than drivers who talked on their mobile phones while driving. (Drews et al. also found that text messaging participants longest eyes off the road duration was over six seconds. At 55mph this equates to a driver travelling the length of a football field without looking at the roadway. In summary, the purpose of this study is to explore the effects of divided attention on response time. To achieve this purpose, this study aims to measure response times in the neutral, valid, and invalid conditions of a spatial cueing task, while participants use their mobile phones to talk or text. Based on both theory and past research, it is hypothesised that the control group will have significantly faster reaction times over all groups (text and talk). It was also hypothesised that the reaction times for the control group across all task types (valid, invalid, and neutral) would be significantly different. More specifically, it was predicted that the task type for the valid condition would be faster than the neutral task, and significantly faster for the valid than the invalid task. It was hypothesised that there would be a significant difference between participants reaction times within the talk group across all three conditions (valid, invalid, and neutral) in contrast to th e text group. More specifically it was predicted that the reaction times for the talk group will be significantly faster overall compared to the text group. Method Participants The participants of this study consisted of 61 graduate and undergraduate students of the unit cognitive psychology, from the University of Canberra (51 female and 10 male). Ages ranged from 19 to 60 years (M = 24.95, SD = 7.99). Participants were allocated a condition based on their tutorial group. Tutorial one were allocated to the text condition, this group included 20 participants of which two performed the control condition due to non- availability of a mobile phone. Tutorial two participants were allocated to the talk condition, this group included 18 participants, of which one participant did the control condition. Tutorial three and four participants were allocated to the control condition, this group included 24 participants, of which three participants did the text condition. One participant was excluded from the study, as they did not record their mean response times. Materials All 61 participants were given a spatial cueing task on the universities computer during class tutorials. Participants used the computer program Cog Lab 2.0 to view and complete the cueing task. Each participant was given an instruction sheet as per his / her tutorial group. Participants within the text and talk condition used their own personal mobile phone. Procedure Student participants were divided into three groups as arranged by their tutorial time and group. These groups comprised of three conditions text, talk, and control. While in tutorials participants were given an instruction sheet and told to follow the instructions as per their group category (text, talk, or control). In order to maintain confidentiality participants were asked to select and record a code name. They were than asked to give their age, gender, and identify the group they had been assigned to. Each group of participants were given a set of instructions that were unique to their own group. The text group were told to complete the spatial cueing exercise while writing and sending three text messages. They were instructed not to answer their phone or talk to anyone else during the experiment. The talk group were instructed to make a series of short calls or one long call while taking part in the experiment. They were also told not to answer the phone or talk to any one else in the room. The control group were given instructions to focus only on the experiment and give it the same attention they would if driving a car on a busy road. They were told not to talk on the phone, message, or talk to anyone else in the room. Participants were then asked to complete the spatial cueing task on the computer (Cog Lab 2.0) per their assigned group. Design Variables: The independent variable in this study was the mobile phone = 3 levels, the dependant variable was response time. Results Effect of Condition on Reaction Time Mean reaction times for the Text group were slower than for the Talk group, and those for the Talk group were slower than the Control group. Mean reaction times for each condition on the Neutral, Valid and Invalid tasks are shown below in Figure 1. Figure 1. Mean reaction time for control, text and talk conditions across neutral, valid and invalid spatial cueing tasks. A Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA indicated a significant difference in reaction times across Control (Mean Rank = 15.0), Talk (Mean Rank = 31.3), and Text (Mean Rank = 48.3) conditions, H(2,61) = 38.60, p The significance level was reset to p = .02 using a Bonferroni correction. A Mann-Whitney U tests indicated that the Text group (Mean Rank = 33.48 for Neutral task, Mean Rank = 33.95 for Valid task, Mean Rank = 33.0 for Invalid task, n = 21) had significantly slower reaction times than the Control group (Mean Rank = 12.48 Neutral task, Mean Rank = 12.04 Valid task, Mean Rank = 12.91 Invalid task, n = 23), U = 11.0, z = -5.416;U = 1.0, z = -5.181; U = 21.0, z = -5.651; (corrected for ties), p Follow-up Mann-Whitney U tests indicated that the Talk group (Mean Rank = 28.59, Mean Rank = 29.24, Mean Rank = 28.18, n = 17) also had significantly slower reaction times than the Control group (Mean Rank = 14.52 Neutral task, Mean Rank = 14.04 Valid task, Mean Rank = 14.83 Invalid task, n = 23), U = 58.0, z = -3.762; U = 47.0, z = -4.063; U = 65.0, z = -3.57; (not corrected for ties) , p Follow-up Mann-Whitney U tests indicated the Text group (Mean Rank = 25.81, Mean Rank = 26.86, Mean Rank = 26.05, n = 21) had significantly slower reaction times than the Talk group (Mean Rank = 11.71 Neutral task, Mean Rank = 10.41 Valid task, Mean Rank = 11.41 Invalid task, n = 17), U = 46.0, z = -3.89; U = 24.0, z = -4.536; U = 41.0, z = -4.037; (not corrected for ties), p Effect of Task Type on Reaction Time A Friedman ANOVA showed there was a significant difference in reaction times across task type for the control group, à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡2(2) = 24.09, p Discussion This study explored the effects of divided attention on response time. The results of the Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA did show a significant difference between reaction times across all three conditions (control, talk and text). However this analysis leaves the ambiguous situation of not knowing which condition/s differed more so than others. A second analysis was performed, this revealed that response times for the text group across all task types (valid, invalid, and neutral) were significantly slower than the control group, the effect was large. Results also revealed that the response times for the talk group across all task types were significantly slower than the control group; the effect was medium to large. These results are consistent with the first hypothesis. Previous studies much more scientific than ours, conducted in vehicle simulators have also found a significant relationship between similar aspects of texting, talking, and driving. However, drawing comparisons between this s tudies results and past studies results, issues arise over the current studies methods. This study was not employed in a driving simulator, nor was the task undertaken in a real driving environment or vehicle. Participant simply sat in front of a computer in a class room where they were told to imagine driving a car on a busy road. There is no possible way this would accurately represent actual driver duties or a real driving environment. The sample size is also quite questionable and would not represent the current driving population. A future benefit for this study would be to create a more legitimate driving environment and increase the sample size. The results of the fourth analysis also supported the hypothesis; these results showed the text group to have significantly slower reaction times than the talk group across all task types, the effect was large. Results are also consistent with past research on texting, driving and mobile phone use. Although, this study was not performed in a real or simulated driving environment these results were expected because texting required the participants to remove their eyes and attention away from the computer screen. However, these results only indicated a difference between reaction times, they do not suggest where the difference lies or how much interference can be attributed to the manual manipulation of the phone (e.g. texting), or how much can be attributed to the demands placed on attention by the phone conversation. A benefit to future studies would be to measure each one of these underlining factors separately and then compare those with other activities commonly engaged during dr iving. The last analysis showed there was a significant difference in reaction times across task type for the control group. More specifically results showed reaction time for valid tasks to be significantly faster than for neutral tasks, and significantly faster for the valid than the invalid. These effects were described as large. This result also supports the hypothesis and the previous study conducted by Posner and Davidson, (1980). However, most spatial cueing experiments including this one have been concerned with the effect of directing attention on the detection of stimuli. Little has been done on the influence of visual attention on higher-level cognitive tasks, i.e., where a response would involve making a decision between two or more alternatives (Johnston, McCann Remington, 1995). According to Johnston et al. (1995) responding to a higher-level cognitive task and detecting a stimulus may only be the first stage or a single process in a series of mental procedures involved in th e response. Directing attention to the location of the stimulus might result in faster detection of the stimulus. It may be beneficial for this study and others like it to explore this theory more comprehensively. References Beede, K. E., Kass, S. T. (2006). Engrossed in conversation: The impact of cell phones on simulated driving performance. Accident Analysis Prevention, 38, 415-421. Retrieved from http://www.Canberra.edu.au/library Drews, F. A., Yazdani, H., Celeste, N., Godfrey, Cooper, J. M., Strayer, D. L. (2009). Text Messaging during simulated driving. Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 51, 762-770. Johnston, J. C., McCann, R. S., Remington, R. W. (1995). Chronometric evidence for two types of attention. Journal of Psychological Sciences, 6, 365-386. Posner, M. I., Snyder, R. R., Davidson, B. J. (1980). Attention and the detection of signals, Journal of Experimental Psychology, 109, 160-174. Reed, M. P., Green, P. A. (1999). Comparison of driving performance on-road and in a low-cost simulator using a concurrent telephone dialling task. Ergonomics, 42, 1015-1037. Simons, D. J., Chabris, C. F. (1999). Gorillas in our midst: Sustained inattentional blindness for dynamic events. Perception, 28, 1059-1074. Strayer, D. L., Drews, F. A., Crouch, D. J. (1999). A comparison of the cell phone driver and the drunk driver. Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 48, 381-391. Strayer, D. L., Drews, F. A., Johnston, W. A. (2003). Cell phone- induced failures of visual attention during simulated driving. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 9, 23-32. White, K. M., Hyde, M. K., Walsh, S. P., Watson, B. (2010). Mobile phone use while driving: An investigation of the beliefs influencing drivers hands- free and hand- held mobile phone use. Journal of Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 13, 9-20. Retrieved from http://www. canberra.edu.au/library Self-evaluation Form for Cognitive Psychology 2010 Lab Report For each item in the table, highlight or bold the description that fits your work for that component of the lab report. HD D CR P F Title n/a n/a n/a > 12 words Abstract concise, accurate and elegant description of problem, participants, experimental conditions, method, results, and conclusion. concise and accurate description of problem, participants, experimental conditions, method, results, and conclusion. D accurate description of problem, participants, experimental conditions, method, results, and conclusion (one omitted) generally accurate description of problem, participants, experimental conditions, method, results, and conclusion (up to two omitted) poor description of participants, problem, participants, experimental conditions, method, results, and conclusion (three of more omitted) Introduction concise, accurate and elegant introduction of the topic concise and accurate introduction of the topic accurate introduction of the topic CR generally accurate introduction of the topic, some minor errors of understanding less than accurate introduction of the topic comprehensive coverage of literature and substantial critical thought and analysis establishing importance, relevance and context of the issue comprehensive coverage of literature and sound critical thought and analysis establishing importance, relevance and context of the issue good understanding of the literature but limited critical analysis establishing importance, relevance and context of the issue CR good understanding of the literature but little or no critical analysis establishing importance, relevance and context of the issue little or no understanding of the literature or critical analysis establishing importance, relevance and context of the issue developed and justified argument for experiment using own ideas based on a wide range of sources which are thoroughly analysed, applied and discussed critical appraisal of the literature and theory from a variety of appropriate sources and developed own ideas in the process D clear evidence and application of readings relevant to topic and use of appropriate sources lit review is less complete than for D and HD literature is presented in a purely descriptive way (no critical thought); there may be limitations in understanding of the material literature is presented in a disjointed way with no critical thought and major limitations in understanding of the material exceptional understanding of problem and theoretical framework, and integration and innovative selection and handling of theories clear understanding of the general problem and theoretical framework and insightful and appropriate selection of theories good understanding of general problem and theoretical framework and most key theories are included in a straightforward manner CR adequate understanding of general problem and theoretical framework and selection of theory is appropriate but some aspects have been missed or misconstructed little or no understanding of the general problem and/or the theoretical framework concise, clear and accurate argument leading to a statement of hypotheses clear and accurate argument leading to a statement of hypotheses accurate argument leading to a statement of hypotheses CR generally accurate argument leading to a statement of hypotheses; hypotheses incomplete/inaccurate inaccurate or missing argument or statement of hypotheses Method concise, accurate and elegant description of participants, materials, design and procedures concise and accurate description of participants, materials, design and procedures accurate description of participants, materials, design and procedures CR generally accurate description of participants, materials, design and procedures (one may be missing) poor description of participants, materials, design and procedures; one or more of these may be missing experiment is completely and easily replicable from the information in the method experiment is completely replicable from the information in the method D experiment can be almost replicated from the information in the method errors are more noticeable and may be more serious experiment can be replicated with moderate accuracy from the information in the method one or two major errors experiment cannot be replicated with a satisfactory level of accuracy from the information in the method major and serious errors Results results from Moodle are included and correctly placed HD n/a n/a results from Moodle are included but incorrect placement or they have been altered results from Moodle are not included and/or correctly placed, or are not those provided via Moodle Discussion concise, accurate and elegant summary and interpretation of results related back to the hypotheses concise and accurate summary and interpretation of results related back to the hypotheses (only very minor errors) accurate summary and interpretation of results related back to the hypotheses (only minor errors) generally accurate summary and interpretation of results related back to the hypotheses (one or two more major errors) poor or inaccurate summary and interpretation of results related back to the hypotheses (major errors) comprehensive discussion of the results in relation to previous literature and theory, and substantial critical thought and analysis of where the current findings belong in the literature comprehensive discussion of the results of the results in relation to previous literature and theory and considerable critical thought and analysis of where the current findings belong in the literature sound discussion of the results in relation to previous literature and theory, and some critical thought and analysis of where the current findings belong in the literature CR reasonable discussion of the results in relation to previous literature and theory, but no critical thought or analysis of where the current findings belong in the literature poor discussion of the results in relation to previous literature and theory critically evaluation of evidence supporting conclusions including reliability, validity and significance comprehensive evaluation of the relevance and significance of results including reliability, validity and significance sound evaluation of the relevance and significance of the results including reliability, validity and significance CR satisfactory evaluation of the relevance and significance of the results including reliability, validity and significance little or no evaluation of the relevance and significance of the results including reliability, validity and significance exceptional interpretation of any unexpected results and discussion of alternative interpretations of findings clear interpretation of any unexpected results and discussion of alternative interpretations of findings good interpretation of any unexpected results and discussion of alternative interpretations of findings CR satisfactory interpretation of any unexpected results and discussion of alternative interpretations of findings little or no interpretation of any unexpected results or discussion of alternative interpretations of findings concise, clear and thoughtful discussion of problems, limitations and generalisability of the study, and implications for future research projects clear, accurate and thoughtful discussion of problems, limitations and generalisability of the study, and implications for future research projects D accurate and competent discussion of problems, limitations and generalisability of the study, and implications for future research projects discussion of problems, limitations and generalisability of the study, and implications for future research projects little or no discussion of problems, limitations or generalisability of the study, or implications for future research projects Norovirus: Causes and Solutions Norovirus: Causes and Solutions Contents Origin and spread of the Norovirus: Symptoms: Transmission in health care facility: Prevention of Norovirus: Preventive measures for spread of virus in health care facility: Early (or primary) control actions: Control of transmission at the ward level: Specific Nursing care for patients: Personal care: Proper hand hygiene: Extra care: Bibliography Essay Origin and spread of the Norovirus: Norovirus, occasionally acknowledged as the winter vomiting bug in the United Kingdom, is the utmost common reason of viral gastroenteritisin human beings. It affects individuals of all ages. The virus is transferred byfecally polluted water or food, by person-to-person interaction and through aerosolization of the disease and following adulteration of surfaces.The virus affects about 267 million individuals and reasons above 200,000 deceases every year; these deaths are frequently in less advanced republics and in the very young, aged and immunosuppressed. Norovirus infection is categorized by watery diarrhoea, forceful vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, and in several cases, general lethargy, muscle aches, loss of taste, headache, weakness and low-grade fever may arise. The illness is typically self-limiting, and severe sickness is rare. Though having norovirus can be spiteful, it is not generally hazardous and most that contact it make a full retrieval in a couple of days. Norovirus is speedily disabled by either adequate heating or by chlorine based disinfection, but the virus is less vulnerable to alcohols and cleaners. (Ben Lopman, 2011) Aftercontamination,resistanceto norovirus is usually partial and momentarywith one publication drawing the deduction that defensive immunity to the similar pressure of norovirus continues for six months, but that all such resistance is disappeared after two years. Outbursts of norovirus contagion often happen in closed or semi closed societies, such as long-term care amenities, overnight campsites, clinics, schools, dormitories, prisons, and cruise ships, where the contamination spreads very speedily either by person-to-person spread or through polluted food. Numerous norovirus outbursts have been outlined to food that was controlled by one infected individual. (Sears, 2008) The species name  Norovirusis derivative of Norwalk virus, the only kind of the genus. The species causes about 90% of epidemicnonbacterial outbursts of gastroenteritisround the domain,and may be accountable for 50% of all foodborne outbursts of gastroenteritis in the USA. Symptoms: Symptoms recorded by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (2011) contain vomiting, non-bloody diarrhoea with stomach cramps and biliousness. These seem following a development period of 24-48 hours, though there are examples where signs present after only 12 hours succeeding disclosure to the virus.(Mcgeary, 2012) Blacklow (1996) found grown-up volunteers injected with the virus established a momentary mucosal laceration of the proximal minor intestine but had no colon association; this proposes norovirus infection frees the large intestine; hereafter faecal leucocytes do not exist in stool testers. This feature has been used to aid distinguish the contamination from others such as salmonellosis, C difficile infection orshigellosis. Transmission in health care facility: Noroviruses are found in the faeces and vomitus of infected individuals. This virus is very spreadable and can feast rapidly through healthcare amenities. People can become infested with the virus in numerous ways: Having straight contact with another individual who is infested (a healthcare employee, guest, or another patient) Ingestion food or drinking fluids that are polluted with norovirus. Touching tops or objects polluted with norovirus, and then touching your face or other food items. (HAIs, 2013) Prevention of Norovirus: In a healthcare capacity, patients with supposed norovirus may be located in isolated rooms or share accommodations with other patients with the identical infection. Extra prevention actions in healthcare amenities can reduce the chance of interacting with noroviruses: Follow hand-hygiene rules, and cautiously washing of hands with cleanser and water after interaction with patients with norovirus contagion. Use robes and gloves when in connection with, or caring for patients who are indicative of norovirus. Regularly clean and sterilize high touch patient exteriors and apparatus with an Environmental Protection Agency-approved produce with a tag claim for norovirus Eliminate and wash polluted clothing or linens Healthcare employees who have signs consistent with norovirus should be barred from work. Preventive measures for spread of virus in health care facility: The virus is characteristically conveyed to persons by the faecal-oral path from fecally polluted foodstuff or water, person-to-person interaction or interaction with polluted fomites. In current institutional outbreaks, airborne spread via vomiting has been suggested as expediting rapid spread of contagion. Once noroviruses are presented onto a region or floor, the contamination may spread speedily through the facility in spite of cohorting and actions to limit the feast of the contaminations. To support in the decision-making procedure for infirmaries and nursing homes when these contaminations happen, the Bureau of Communicable Diseases, Division of Public Health has collected a list of recommended, but not required control actions established from knowledge with organization of earlier hospital eruptions. The movements taken by diverse hospitals or nurturing homes may vary with the sum of cases and degree of spread within the facility. (health protection agency) Early (or primary) control actions: †¢ Once a catalogue case presents within an area, immediate separation of the patient and the instant area is necessary. †¢ Patients inflowing the hospital with indications evocative of norovirus contagions should be admitted straight to a private area until another cause of disease are recognized. †¢ The contamination control staff should be instantly notified about the beginning of the first case. †¢ Infection control run should meet every day to screen the outbreak and assess control actions. †¢ Support enteric defences and strategies to all staff associates. †¢ Staff should be repeated that good hand washing after all patient interaction (washing with warm running water and cleanser for at least 10 seconds) is the utmost operational way of dropping person-to-person feast of contamination. In the absenteeism of running water, alcohol emollient may be used except hands are totally soiled. †¢ The native health officer should be instantly notified once an outburst is alleged. †¢ Indicative patients or inhabitants should be cohorted. †¢ If an outburst lasts consider closing the facility to new admittances. †¢ Pretentious staff must be controlled from patient interaction for 48 hours after termination of signs. (management of norovirus, 2004) Control of transmission at the ward level: †¢ Unluckily, by the time the outburst has been documented on a ward, it is probable the majority of vulnerable patients and employee on duty may have been exposed to the infested agent, mainly if vomiting is an extensive symptom. †¢ Gowns, gloves and masks should be worn every time contact with a diseased patient or polluted atmosphere is expected. †¢ Affected areas or floors should be sealed to new admittances and companions to avoid the introduction of other vulnerable individuals. †¢ Airborne spread may be a noteworthy contributor to the sum of cases since projectile retching could possibly create infectious sprays. Air flows created by open spaces or air conditioning could scatter aerosols extensively. Air streams should be reduced. †¢ Affected areas should persist closed until a 48-hour period has passed with no fresh cases amongst patients or staff. †¢ Non-essential employee should be excluded from pretentious clinical zones. †¢ Reducing the risk of communication from sickness may be problematic. (HPS norovirus outbreak, 2013) The following actions may be valuable and are suggested: †¢ Removal of exposed foodstuffs such as plates of fruit †¢ Rapid washing and fumigation of parts where vomiting has happened with a 0.1% hypochlorite solution (made fresh everyday) †¢ Administration of anti-emetics drugs †¢ Full cleaning routine on all pretentious wards. (Norovirus outbreak prevention toolkit, 2012) Specific Nursing care for patients: Personal care: Patients with Norovirus infestation are very sensitive because this disease is very irritating due to its unbearable symptoms. Nurses should provide such patients great personal care. Nurses must give attention to individual patient for hygiene. Symptomatic treatment is provided to such patients so nurses must provide extra care to patients. Nurses should wear Gowns, gloves and masks all the time and should not move outside of ward frequently to prevent spread of the disease. (Caballero, 2014) Proper hand hygiene: Staff should rinse their hands (or use alcohol-based hand disinfectant) whenever they go in and leave a patient/resident area. Staff may be more directed to achieve hand hygiene at the following intervals: †¢ Particular intermissions (e.g., once per hour) †¢ Upon ingoing to a kitchen †¢ After using the washroom †¢ After shaking hands or other bodily contact with colleagues or visitors †¢ After sneezing †¢ After touching the face of patient †¢ After puffing the nose †¢ After rubbing hands on dress and similar actions †¢ After treating raw foods †¢ After usage of dirty kitchen gears and kitchenware †¢ After sweeping, cleaning, or mopping †¢ After a discontinuity †¢ After eating, smoking, or drinking †¢ Before and afterward using PPE e.g. gloves †¢ Before treating the food, particularly ready-to-eat foods and frost. Though, detailed hand-washing is also significant in keeping gloves or other gears from flattering vehicles for transporting microorganisms to the food. †¢ Preceding to handling or administering any oral medicines †¢ After changing diapers †¢ After handling other possibly polluted objects. (norovirus management toolkit) Extra care: Extra assistance is a need of these patients. Patients of Norovirus are disturbed psychologically due to its irritating symptoms so these patients require extra care and time. Vomits should be cleaned immediately and properly to prevent the airborne spread of this disease. Nurse should be present in ward all the time to provide extra care to these patients. Nurses have very significant role in patient care because they are the only staff in the health care facility that takes care of the medications, hygiene and moods of patients and patients with Norovirus require extra care due to their conditions. Bibliography management of norovirus. (2004, feburary). Retrieved from public health: http://www.publichealthmdc.com/environmental/food/documents/ManagementofNorovirusInfectionOutbreaksinHospitalsandNursingHomes.pdf Norovirus outbreak prevention toolkit. (2012, october). Retrieved from public health country of los angeles: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/docs/Norovirus/NoroToolkit2012.pdf HAIs. (2013, feburary 25). Retrieved from Centres for disease control and prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/organisms/norovirus.html HPS norovirus outbreak. (2013, september). Retrieved from national services scotland: http://www.documents.hps.scot.nhs.uk/hai/infection-control/toolkits/norovirus-control-measures-2013-09.pdf Ben Lopman, P. G. (2011, december 11). Environmental transmission of norovirus gastroenteritis §. Retrieved from http://uepa.br/portal/downloads/Lopman2012.pdf Caballero, v. (2014, november 15). role nursing in norovirus outbreak. Retrieved from American public health association: https://apha.confex.com/apha/142am/webprogram/Paper298230.html health protection agency. (n.d.). Retrieved from british infection association: http://www.his.org.uk/files/9113/7398/0999/Guidelines_for_the_management_of_norovirus_outbreaks_in_acute_and_community_health_and_social_care_settings.pdf Mcgeary, t. (2012, feburary 3). how to prevent the spread of norovirus. Retrieved from nursing times: www.nursingtimes.net/how-to-prevent-the-spread-of-norovirus/5040972.article norovirus management toolkit. (n.d.). Retrieved from nevada state health division: http://www.health.nv.gov/PDFs/HSPER/NorovirusManagementToolkitResponsePlan_Version1-1.pdf Sears, T. M. (2008, july 8). Gastrointestinal Flu: Norovirus in Health Care and Long-Term Care Facilities. Retrieved from clinical infectious diseases: http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/47/9/1202.long

Behaviorism and the Never-Ending Need for Discipline Essay -- Educatio

Behaviorism and the Never-Ending Need for Discipline Webster’s dictionary defines education as â€Å"the act or process of training by a prescribed or customary course or study of discipline.† I, however, see it as much more. Education, in my perspective, is the greatest gift a human can receive. I want to be one of the many caring individuals that can give this priceless gift- I want to be a teacher. There are many current trends and philosophies when dealing with education. Behaviorism, the philosophy of education in which I regard, will be incorporated into my classroom in some form or fashion. Education today has taken a turn for the worse when analyzing behavior. I know, from personal experience, that the behavior of children has curdled. I feel that if I can help students become more intelligent and courteous citizens, then I have completed my job successfully. Although there are many philosophies of education, I feel that behaviorism is one that should be included in every teacher’s curriculum b ecause children today need educated socially as well as cognitively. Often times people have life-altering events that occur at the strangest of times. I am no different than anyone else. My career was set from the day that I walked into my kindergarten class. It was then that I knew that I wanted to be an educator. It was quickly learned that I loved school and that I wanted it to be a part of my life forever. As I grew up, I recognized the many different types of individuals around me. I saw kids with learning disorders, physical handicaps, and exceptional abilities. After realizing that I would someday have to deal with these multiple situations, I decided that if I can influence children’s lives then it ... ... students can easily learn from. If God blesses me to learn all that I am supposed to learn here at Concord, then I know that I will be prepared to teach to the best of my ability. I feel that I am receiving the best education possible here and I am confident that I will be successful in my future endeavors because of this. The final comments of this paper should certainly contain a conclusion of my thoughts of how behaviorism can affect the school system. All the philosophies of education are good ones, but I yearn to see the day when all children are as courteous and loving as they used to be. If we can make children’s behavior better, eventually these kids will grow up and procreate, producing a new generation of disciplined individuals. The future begins now and behaviorism is the key to success in terms of education both cognitively and socially.

Rosalind Franklin Essay -- Biography Chemists Essays

Rosalind Franklin As hard as is it is today for women to succeed in the sciences, one must give kudos to those that came before us. These are the women that paved the way for today's generation of women scientists. One such woman is Rosalind Elsie Franklin, a chemist who had a great impact on the modern day field of genetics. Rosalind was the second of five children. She was born on July 25, 1920 in London. The Franklin's were an upper-class family who lived a life of luxury. Rosalind never even had to go to school - she would have been provided for from her family's wealth. As a child, she never felt like she was understood. She hated pretend games and did not play with dolls. Rosalind had to find the facts behind everything before she became a believer (McGrayne, 1993). Rosalind attended St. Paul's Girls' School in London. Here she had excellent training in science classes. It was here that she decided her career path. She applied to Cambridge University and passed the entrance exams. However, she almost didn't make it. Rosalind's father did not think that women should attend university and refused to pay for her education. Luckily, Rosalind's mother and an aunt became irate and said they would pay. Of course, Rosalind's father recanted in the effort not to be embarrassed by women paying for the education (McGrayne, 1993). The experience at Cambridge was not the best for Rosalind. There was a stuffy atmosphere for the women studying there. She vowed never to become like the women faculty members there. She graduated in 1941 with a degree in Chemistry (World Book, 2001). She then took a job with Nobel chemist, Ronald Norrish (McGrayne, 1993). From here she took a job with the British Coal Utilization Research As... ...tealing Rosalind's data, but this is close to recognition as she ever comes (McGrayne, 1993). So, while this woman has never been in the limelight, she pioneered molecular genetics as it is today. Without her stubborn need for the facts, the human genome would still be an enigma to us today. She is truly a role model for all women today. Works Cited Access Excellence. 1999. http://www.accessexcellence.org/AB/BC/Rosalind_Franklin.html Bernstein, Jeremy. Experiencing Science. New York. Basic Books, Inc., Publishers. 1978. 143-163. McGrayne, Sharon Bertsch. Nobel Prize Women in Science. New York. Birch Lane Press. 1993. 304-332. North, Anthony. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The University of Leeds. http://www.cryst.bbk.ac.uk/BBS/whatis/cryst_an.html. World Book. 2001. http://www.worldbook.com/fun/wscimed/html/chemists.html. Rosalind Franklin Essay -- Biography Chemists Essays Rosalind Franklin As hard as is it is today for women to succeed in the sciences, one must give kudos to those that came before us. These are the women that paved the way for today's generation of women scientists. One such woman is Rosalind Elsie Franklin, a chemist who had a great impact on the modern day field of genetics. Rosalind was the second of five children. She was born on July 25, 1920 in London. The Franklin's were an upper-class family who lived a life of luxury. Rosalind never even had to go to school - she would have been provided for from her family's wealth. As a child, she never felt like she was understood. She hated pretend games and did not play with dolls. Rosalind had to find the facts behind everything before she became a believer (McGrayne, 1993). Rosalind attended St. Paul's Girls' School in London. Here she had excellent training in science classes. It was here that she decided her career path. She applied to Cambridge University and passed the entrance exams. However, she almost didn't make it. Rosalind's father did not think that women should attend university and refused to pay for her education. Luckily, Rosalind's mother and an aunt became irate and said they would pay. Of course, Rosalind's father recanted in the effort not to be embarrassed by women paying for the education (McGrayne, 1993). The experience at Cambridge was not the best for Rosalind. There was a stuffy atmosphere for the women studying there. She vowed never to become like the women faculty members there. She graduated in 1941 with a degree in Chemistry (World Book, 2001). She then took a job with Nobel chemist, Ronald Norrish (McGrayne, 1993). From here she took a job with the British Coal Utilization Research As... ...tealing Rosalind's data, but this is close to recognition as she ever comes (McGrayne, 1993). So, while this woman has never been in the limelight, she pioneered molecular genetics as it is today. Without her stubborn need for the facts, the human genome would still be an enigma to us today. She is truly a role model for all women today. Works Cited Access Excellence. 1999. http://www.accessexcellence.org/AB/BC/Rosalind_Franklin.html Bernstein, Jeremy. Experiencing Science. New York. Basic Books, Inc., Publishers. 1978. 143-163. McGrayne, Sharon Bertsch. Nobel Prize Women in Science. New York. Birch Lane Press. 1993. 304-332. North, Anthony. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The University of Leeds. http://www.cryst.bbk.ac.uk/BBS/whatis/cryst_an.html. World Book. 2001. http://www.worldbook.com/fun/wscimed/html/chemists.html.

Narrative Style and Structure of James and the Giant Peach Essay

Narrative Style and Structure of James and the Giant Peach      Ã‚  Ã‚   The books that Roald Dahl has written have very interesting narrative styles. In the story James and the Giant Peach, Dahl uses vivid imagination. He uses many imaginary situations but yet at the same time encompasses enough realistic situations that the reader can still relate to it. In James and the Giant Peach, it starts out introducing a boy named James Henry Trotter who lives with his loving mother and father. The narrator of the book tells us, the readers, that James and his family's dream is to sail to New York City and climb all the way to the top of the Empire State Building. This introduction makes us think that this story is realistic, because the explanation given is a normal family. The description of James' family is something that the young readers can connect with and understand.    Out of the blue, a rhinoceros gobbled up James' parents causing him to live with his evil aunts. Then an old man gives James magic green things that grow a giant peach, this totally changed the n...

Scheduling Manufacturing Operations

ABSTRACT Without true finite capacity scheduling, any implementation for manufacturing execution, whether it is ERP, SCM, or MES, cannot realize the goal of enterprise efficiency and agility. All aspects of OM for manufacturing execution fall behind the lead of FCS, which is the bridge between planning and execution. Real tangible return on assets rests with FCS. INTRODUCTION Integrating a diverse collection of resources to accomplish a goal is an issue that has faced humankind since the first city arose and food and services needed to be provided to the populace.The modern challenge for operations management (OM) is the speed and volume that data is presented to OM systems. This explosion of data holds the promise of efficiency and agility unrealized in the past, but it forces the attention of analysts and engineers to convert the flood of data into a useable form to move from planning to action. All the systems such as MES, SCM, and ERP are information hungry beasts that must be fe d with the right information at the right time to direct enterprise resources. OM requires a well-coordinated dispatch of its resources to realize efficiency and agility.This paper addresses the need to look at OM from an information-centric perspective as a necessary complement to emerging process-centric views. This discussion moves to the execution systems, also treated from an information-centric perspective, and concludes with a discussion as to why finite capacity scheduling (FCS) is the key to OM for manufacturing execution. WHEN DATA BECOMES INFORMATION Despite the advances in information technology, notably object-oriented software, systems continue to be defined by functional decomposition.Functional decomposition creates complex definitions with fragile coupling and cohesion that are on one side of a great chasm from the reality of the methods that are used to build modern information systems. Information itself is an under designed component of modern systems. Informatio n is a series of objects made from atoms of data. Data becomes information only through context and inferences derived from context. A good example is the use of spreadsheets to attempt to understand data rather than the use of application software designed to with the operational context in mind. Figure 1: Hierarchy of Data Fusion InferencesFigure 1 shows the hierarchy of inferences through a process called data fusion. Data fusion simulates the cognitive processes used by humans to continuously integrate data from their senses to make inferences about the external world. Information systems collect data though sensors and other assets, and in the hierarchy of data processing, multiple data sources are combined to approximate or estimate the condition of some aspect of the enterprise operation. This is the first translation of data to a level of inference. Parametric data is processed to begin specific identification of a situation.As more parametric data are collected, different a spects of the situation come together to allow a contextual analysis of an increasingly complex set of conditions. Once integrated, the situation can be compared to the goals or desired state of the system. Parallel to the types of data processing are the types of inference. With raw data an inference can be made of the general condition. While this level of inference rarely points to a specific correction action, it does begin to isolate what subsystems require attention. The next level of inference will reveal a specific characteristic behavior of the system.With more integrated data, the identity of an operational system or process is revealed. The next inference is the behavior of a process, which then leads to an assessment of a situation. At the highest levels of inference, the performance is assessed to determine the deviation from the performance goals, acceptable risks, or desired state. Data fusion is not a new concept, having its origins in simple scouting, but has come i nto its own since WWII. The use of data fusion systems as an information springboard for systems design places execution aspects of OM firmly into a modern framework of information systems engineering.WHAT WAS OLD IS NEW AGAIN As mentioned in the introduction, operations management has been, and remains, one of the greatest organizational challenges throughout history. OM arises from the need to coordinate diverse resources to meet the needs of a complex system. The concept of the plan-execute-control model, a â€Å"discovery† made by analysts in the late 1990’s, appears in the historical records of systems management, one of the earliest mentions circa 4th century BC in China. One of the more versatile models in modern systems management appeared in 1977 as a result of a joint effort between Dr J.S. Lawson of the Naval Electronic Systems Command and Dr. Paul Moore of the Naval Postgraduate School. Figure 2 shows the Lawson-Moore model, adapted by the author for genera l resource management. SENSE is the collection of raw data or other collateral information about the observed environment. PROCESS takes the data through the inference hierarchy, integrating data within the context of the tasks required of the managed resources. The situation as best can be determined with the resources is then compared to the DESIRED STATE.The DESIRED STATE is the result of planning, which drives the allocation of resources to tasks. The plan exists in generalities, except for enterprises where goals are achieved with simple tasks assigned to few or uncomplicated resources. DECIDE is the point where the comparison of the situation to the goals will dictate what corrective actions are needed to bring the performance of the enterprise in line with the plan. ACT is the direct management of resources to alter enterprise performance to close the gap between the current state and the DESIRED STATE.The Lawson-Moore model is a closed-loop execution model, continuously inte grating data, making inferences about the environment, and managing resources to meet goals of the plan. The Lawson-Moore model does not address planning, but it does unite planning and execution. To develop an execution system, it is important to understand the distinction between planning and execution. Figure 2: Lawson-Moore Model (aka Lawson Model) PLANNING AND EXECUTION Planning and execution are related, but not one and the same.Planning does not occur during execution; the plan should be formulated to allow for variations and alternate execution strategies. Business (or manufacturing or service) processes are set in place, serving as doctrine that unites actions within the enterprise. Processes should be compiled for all resource management, and serve as a set of procedures designed to achieve the best results from a united enterprise, while allowing for inspired actions and initiatives. The enterprise doctrine exists so that laborious planning for each individual operation n eed not repeated with every new plan.The more complex or unstable composition of enterprise resource, the greater the need for standardized procedures. This becomes the foundation of repeatable performance, reducing human variations to the least contributor of performance variations. Planning cannot deviate greatly from doctrine, and execution will fail without doctrine. It is possible that execution will look so different from the plan that the uninitiated will see no similarity, but if the goals of the plan are achieved, then the execution is successful.The next section will unite the inference model with the Lawson-Moore model to develop an information-centric execution model. DATA FUSION AS OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Figure 3 shows the execution system that arises from merging inference and the Lawson-Moore model. For main components exist in this system: information collection, execution environment, human-machine interface (HMI), and evaluation. Information collection includ es sensors and all other information gathering, and is a critical component to the resources managed by the OM system.The HMI is the primary means by which operators interact with the OM system. Evaluation is the component that applies performance measurements and other measures of effectiveness to determine the degree to which the execution system is meeting the goals of the plan. The execution system performs the data fusion, situation definition, and resource management. Figure 3: Data Fusion as Execution Environment Data flows from sensors contained in resources through data filtering to begin building inferences. Filtered data enters three levels of information processing.Level 1 processing aligns data in time, insures consistent units of measure, and accounts for any other physical aspects of the data. Data from different sources are aligned or correlated in order to develop meaningful inferences (e. g the color of the box has little to do with its volume, but its height, leng th, and width has a direct bearing on computing volume). The final function of Level 1 is identifying the situation for further processing in Levels 2 and 3. Level 2 assesses the situation within the context of the fusion process in use and available information from Level 1.Level 2 may require algorithms to augment sparse or missing data. Level 3 evaluates the situation and may direct actions to modify the use of resources to minimize deviations from plan goals. The communications between the three processing levels is continuous, forming an information loop within the execution environment to adapt to changes in the external environment. Short term and long term (historical) databases form the decision support system for the OM system. Corrective action can be automatic or require operator intervention as dictated by operation procedures.THE COMMON DENOMINATOR The integrated systems view for the enterprise is emerging as analysts focus on process-centric models and away from produ ct- and information-centric models. Evidence is the REPAC model from AMR, shown in Figure 4. Recognizing the shortcomings of the functions intense MES and SCOR models, AMR developed a model that is focused on the business processes while supporting component assembly. Comparing that process-centric model with the information-centric model, common elements emerge.The main theme in REPAC COORDINATE is the need to schedule detailed activities from PLAN, utilizing feedbacks from EXECUTE and ANALYZE. These are the same themes addressed by the Lawson-Moore model. In both models, the key element is the ability to manage resources at the individual operations to achieve the goals set by the plan. This level of resource management is achieved by dynamic capacitated scheduling, supported by the real-time data from the environment and comparisons to the desired state established by the plan. Figure 4: AMR REPAC Model FCS: THE KEY TO OPERATIONS MANAGEMENTWhether OM is approached from a process- or information-centric model, finite capacity scheduling drives how resources are deployed to perform the tasks required to achieve the goals of the plan. The sequence of operations, the materials and labor required for operations, and the output of the operations all require supporting resources to act in sync with the business of implementing the plan. Finite capacity scheduling with the ability to account for multiple resource constraints and complex scheduling goals will be scalable to schedule both the lowest level of operation and the supporting resources.Planning is at best an approximation of the resource needs because planning cannot develop a precise quantification of labor, material, or time to meet the goals. Execution cannot begin until the set of actions, well matched to the available resources, is developed to load the operations and develop a timeline for the actions. Execution cannot continue unless the scheduling component can receive the feedback from the resourc es and develop alternative sets of actions that will best meet the goals of the plan.Only true finite capacity scheduling, design for real-time use, can integrate the planning and execution together to meet the enterprise objectives. CONCLUSION For manufacturing OM to achieve the goals of efficiency and agility, all aspect of planning, execution, and control are necessary to create an effective system. The bridge from the plan to the actions of the organization is dynamic resource management. For an organization with any degree of complexity, procedures need to be in place to establish the general guidelines of operations. In this imperfect world, the plan and procedures must be flexible enough to adapt.The control side provides data and accepts corrective action, but a dynamic element must exist in the OM system that allows for accepting a situation assessment and rapid response to degrading performance. The planning side requires feedback from the OM layer to create future plans. The baseline provided by planning drives the selection of enterprise operations, but the synchronization of these operations, and the alternative actions needed when the exceptions arise, comes from the power of true finite capacity scheduling. FCS is the means by which OM for manufacturing execution becomes a reality.