Cost allocation and activity based costing Essay

Cost allocation and activity based costing - Essay Example Cost allocation is a concept that refers to the determination of the expenses incurred to offer a service. Costs can be allocated as direct, indirect and incremental costs. In the production process, manufacturers should be able to determine what costs fall under direct, indirect and incremental, in order to facilitate the ascertainment of cost of production. Activity based Costing is a concept that refers to the ascertainment of various activities involved in the production of goods and services. Thereafter, the overhead costs are allocated to each activity and then assigned to the products and services. Traditional costing on the other hand, allocates overhead costs using predetermined rate. That is, there is no allocation of costs on activities prior to the products and services. According to Vercio and Shoemaker, the most accurate method of cost allocation is Activity-Based. Unlike traditional costing method, Activity Based Costing recognizes the fact that, during a production pr ocess, not all costs are attributed to the volume of products and services produced. Therefore, Activity Based Costing determines the cost drivers associated with the customers, batches, products and administration related costs directly connected to the units produced. In order to ensure accuracy in cost measurements to facilitate informed decision-making during the production process, the costs that are not related to unit production should be secluded. In batch processing, the fundamental idea is to reduce the cost of production.

Parents vs. the Media Essay Example for Free

Parents vs. the Media Essay Due to childrens fascinations with violence, recent massacres at schools have been linked to media influence. Often troubled children use the news to gain attention. Many of the children committing these crimes are children that are being teased in school. Most of the children involved in school shootings have never had a past criminal record. Psychologists believe that these troubled children are using the media merely because no one else will listen to their problems. The reoccurrence of copycat crimes is on the rise, and it seems at times we overestimate how much violence is really occurring. The constant struggle between the media and those who feel it is saturated with violence continues on. However, it is difficult to determine whether there is a strong correlation between the two. Parents are uniting around the country to form groups against violence in the media. They believe that the violence in entertainment and the media is to blame for the copycat syndrome. Psychologists believe that children are vulnerable to feelings of psychological injury. Therefore, when children are being tormented they feel a sense of rage and worthlessness. This feeling causes them to look upon society as an enemy. For instance, The Trenchcoat Mafia was a group of teenagers that formed a violent gang, and turned against killed their classmates after seeing the movie Basketball Diaries. They felt isolated from the rest of the school, and believed the only way to gain popularity was through displaying acts of violence. This type of behavior has drastically increased and is seen all over the media. Parents blame the media for over-exposure of school violence. The parents see the media lacking in follow-up stories. These stories should show how it affected the lives of the killers, the victims and their families. Furthermore, the follow-up stories can present a better understanding of the consequences. Rather, the news seems to be showing their viewers almost how to carry out such crimes. On the other hand, the media is simply providing the public with current events. The media reports both positive and negative events. The news provides coverage on the issues that are most appealing to the public. For example, the first school shooting at Columbine began a major controversy. The public became extremely concerned, and safety in schools became a hot topic. The media simply reports on these events, they are not to be held responsible for violent occurrences. Their responsibility is to give coverage on events that affect our society as a whole. Parents should not view the media negatively, but see it as a source of information. Such information can give parents reasons for teaching their children morals. Children that come from broken homes may have been exposed to violence, and use this as a solution to their problems. Parents of these children should provide special psychiatric help to prevent them from becoming violent. If teachers are aware a students extreme misconduct, they should inform the childs parents as well as the schools counselors. Therefore, the school can solve the problem before it gets out of hand. Different approaches have been used to prevent these shootings from reoccurring. The most obvious solution has been increasing the security in schools, such as metal detectors and surveillance cameras. Some schools are simply educating their students about respecting each other, and have seen an improvement in the conduct of the students. When these issues improve, a healthier school will prevail.

Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre - The Relationship between Jane and Roches

The Relationship between Jane Eyre and Rochester   Ã‚  Ã‚   Each of us carries within us the seed of a unique plant. When circumstances conspire to caringly nourish that seed in the manner most appropriate to its true nature-- circumstances which, sadly, are as rare as they are fortunate--the germ of our original selves is likely to flourish. When, however, this tender seed receives attention which is insufficient or antithetical to its essential inclination, growth is inevitably blighted in some way. Weaker or more sensitive seedlings may wither outright; others will be irreparably stunted. Stronger plants may yet grow to imposing heights, but they will be bent and twisted at the places where their needs were unmet, and may well feel eternally compelled to somehow loosen the knot of those deforming deprivations, so as to come closer to their originally intended shapes: Jane Eyre and Rochester are two such plants; driven by an indomitable will to find and follow their essential selves, they discover in each other a vital key to t he realization of that end.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As every conscientious parent knows, a child needs both roots--love and security--and wings--belief in, and encouragement of, his autonomy--in order to mature. While gifted with the latter--the drive for self-realization previously mentioned--Jane and Rochester have been severely deprived of the foundation of the former. They are both outsiders. The identities they have succeeded in forging for themselves thus have a quality of rare integrity, for they primarily have come from within, not from the outer prompting to please and emulate others. At the same time, these characters lack the sense of security and connectedness which is the vital prop of such gifts. When the tw... ...r love: like two trees in a dense, dark forest, bending, twisting and inter-twining to reach an aperture of warm, bright sunlight, more beautiful to my mind than their unblemished brothers. Works Cited and Consulted Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: Penguin, 1985. Gordon, Lyndall. Charlotte Bronte: A Passionate Life. New York: Norton, 1994. Michie, Helena. The Flesh Made Word: Female Figures and Women's Bodies. New York: Oxford UP, 1987. Poovey, Mary. "Speaking of the Body: Mid-Victorian Constructions of Female Desire." Jacobus, Keller, and Shuttleworth 24-46. Rich, Adrienne. "Jane Eyre: The Temptations of a Motherless Woman." Gates 142-55. Roy, Parama. "Unaccommodated Woman and the Poetics of Property in Jane Eyre." Studies in English Literature 29 (1989): 713-27. Sullivan, Sheila. Studying the Brontes. Longman: York, 1986.

Operations Function Essay

This therefore implies that Operation Management decisions are not made in isolation. Rather, each decision is intertwined with other organizational functions following the strategic direction developed at the top level of the organization. In a nutshell, many of the decisions made by operations managers are dependent on information from the other functions. At the same time, other functions cannot be carried out properly without information from operations as detailed below: 1. Finance: The finance function ties all departments together with monetary measurements that tell whether the company is making money. They also regulate the acquisition of funds to keep the business operations going, and investing money received wisely. Finance managers need to work closely with the operations function to be able to determine the need for capital investments, make-or-buy decisions, plant expansions, or relocation of business operations. On the other hand, operations managers cannot make large financial expenditures without understanding financial constraints and methods of evaluating financial investments. It is essential for these two functions to work together and understand each other’s constraints. . Sales and marketing: The sales and marketing function focuses on maintaining and attracting customers to the company’s products and services. To be able to satisfy customer needs, the marketing function needs to understand what operations can produce, what due dates it can and cannot meet, and what types of customization operations can deliver. The marketing function can develop an ex citing marketing campaign, but if operations cannot produce the desired product, sales will not be made. In turn, operations managers need information about customer wants and expectations. It is the responsibility of the operations function to design products with characteristics that customers find desirable, and they cannot do this without regular coordination with the marketing department. 3. Information and Communications Technology (ICT): ICT is the function that enables information to flow throughout the organization and enables the operations function to operate effectively. The ICT function must understand the needs of operations and endeavour to meet those needs as regards timely provision of required information.

The Impact of Social Networking

Since the new millennium occurred, social networking sites have been popping up everywhere, from Friendster, to MySpace, to Facebook. Setting apart the old way of communicating, by telephone, letters, and in person is having a negative impact on us. People young and old have found themselves addicted to well, basically themselves. People post pictures of themselves, update their status constantly and write blogs hoping someone else will credit it. With all of that said, these social networking sites seem to be causing more bad than good. Teenagers are a vast majority of those using these sites. Do social networking sites hurt teenagers? People of all ages use social networking sites to keep in touch with friends and family. Not everyone can see someone on an everyday basis, nor call them every day. Being able to talk to people in your life all at one time is a great idea. Meeting new people is an advantage also. Finding those who have the same qualities and hobbies as you can make an instant friendship. â€Å"Researchers say social-networking sites are shortening attention spans, encouraging instant gratification, and making young people more self-focused. (What Impact) By being on the internet so often teenagers are accustomed to caring more about themselves than anything else. â€Å"A large majority of teens (71%) have established online profiles† (Teen Internet). If 71% of teenagers have an online profile, and researchers say it is shorting their attention spans, what is that to say about our future? Social networking sites are more about me me me than keeping in contact, as if the whole thing was just a popularity contest. This constant attention battle takes a toll on the brain, â€Å"A British neurologist warns that extended use of the sites actually rewires the brain, causing teenagers to require constant reassurance that they exist† (What Impact). Thus why they check and update their profiles multiple times a day. Social networks in a way make it seem like your living in a small town or village, where everyone around you knows every aspect of your life. But because we purposely want that, it is making us more concerned with ourselves. Most of these people teenagers talk to in the irst place are people they see almost every day at school, work, and etc. Even if they conversed with someone during the day, they still continue to talk to them on the internet. Being able to keep in contact with friends and family is very important. Right now in our time people use the internet all of the time to talk to friends and family â€Å"The current generation is never unconnected. They’re never losing touch with their friends† (Thompson). With the fast pace life style teenagers and young adults face, the internet is an ideal way to keep up to date with all the things happening around you. Especially for college students does this come in handy, being able to contact someone with the click of a button, while also writing a paper or doing homework. Multi tasking plays a large role in the success rate of social networks. While on the telephone with on person, it can be hard to focus on doing something else but when you are on the computer you can talk to multiple people at once while still doing other activities. Socal networks can also help you to find people you have not seen in years. They have search engines within, so finding an old class mate or an old friend from your kindergarten class is not a problem.

A world of intoxification essays

A world of intoxification essays Screams pierced the midnight air and students ran wildly about the campus. Police cars whizzed by with their sirens blaring in the night. Glass was being broken and girls were being defiled. Confusion was all around and no one could stop it. This is an average night at any given university in America. The similarities between a horror story and a story about a college party are too many. At an average college party where alcohol is being served there is the possibility of fights, rape, death, destruction, and jail time. The common opinion in America is that all of these things are bad. So why do college students continue to engage in these activities? There are three reasons. First, if students have not been exposed to alcohol or drugs previously, when they get into that kind of environment, they will experiment. Secondly, if everyone else who is important, i.e. fraternities and sororities, does it, then to be important, you must drink. Finally, without parent instilling morals and good judgment into their children, the students do not think that it is wrong to participate in these activities. All in all, the biggest problem on college campuses is the consumption of alcohol and drugs. If a person was never exposed to the heat of a flame their whole life, and then was thrown into a family barbeque, where they asked this person to cook, how well would they do? They would probably put too much lighter fluid in the grill. Or, they would light the grill while looking at it to see what it did. Or, they would light the grill and then put their hand on it to see what it felt like. All of these things would cause extreme pain to the person who did this. But, would it be their fault? Would it be their fault that they didnt know how combustible lighter fluid was? It wouldnt be their fault if they put t ...

How to Identify the Subject in French

How to Identify the Subject in French The subject  is the  noun or pronoun in a clause or sentence that performs the action of the verb. To find the subject, ask who or what is performing the action of  the verb. It is crucial to recognize the subject because  French verbs are  conjugated according to the number, person and gender of the subject noun or the subject pronoun. David lave la voiture.  / David is washing the car. Who is washing the car? David is, so David is the subject. Subject Pronouns Subject pronouns replace the specific names of people or things: SINGULAR      1st person  Ã‚  Ã‚  je  Ã‚  I  Ã‚  Ã‚  2nd person  Ã‚  tu   you  Ã‚  Ã‚  3rd person  Ã‚  Ã‚  il   he, it / elle   she, it /  on   one PLURAL   Ã‚   1st person  Ã‚  Ã‚  nous  Ã‚  we  Ã‚  Ã‚  2nd person  Ã‚  vous   you  Ã‚  Ã‚  3rd person  Ã‚  Ã‚  ils   they (m) /  elles   they (f) The French subject pronoun  on is an indefinite pronoun that means one, we, you and they. Its often equivalent to the English  passive voice.      On ne devrait pas poser cette question.  Ã‚  Ã‚  One shouldnt ask that question. / You shouldnt ask that quesiton. Note that, unlike the English I, the French  je  is only capitalized when it begins a sentence; otherwise it is lowercase. Subjects in Sentences Whether sentences be statements, exclamations, questions, or commands, there is always a subject, either  stated or implied. Only in a command is the subject not explicitly stated; it is implied by the imperative conjugation of the verb. Sentences can be separated into a subject (un sujet)  and a predicate (un prà ©dicat). The subject is the person or thing performing the action, and the predicate is the rest of the sentence, which usually begins with the verb.Je suis professeur.  Suject:  Je. Prà ©dicat:  suis professeur. I am a teacherSubject: I. Predicate: am a professor. La jeune fille est mignonne  Sujet:  La jeune fille.  Prà ©dicat:  est mignonne.   The young girl is cute.Subject: The young girl. Predicate: is cute.

Bills, Bolls, and Bulls

Bills, Bolls, and Bulls Bills, Bolls, and Bulls Bills, Bolls, and Bulls By Mark Nichol The Latin noun bulla, meaning â€Å"knob† or â€Å"round swelling,† is the source of a family of words starting with b followed by a vowel and the l sound (and sometimes additional letters and sounds), which are listed and defined in this post. Ball (in senses pertaining to a round object) and related words such as ballistics are cognates of words derived from bulla; like that term, they stem from a proto-Indo-European root meaning â€Å"blow† or â€Å"swell,† though by way of a Germanic language rather than Latin. (The word for a fancy dance party, and its derivative ballet, by contrast, are from a proto-Indo-European root meaning â€Å"reach† or â€Å"throw†; though one can throw a ball that is an object as well as one that is an event, the roots are apparently unrelated.) Meanwhile, bell (and bellow) likely stem from the former root with the sense of â€Å"roar† or â€Å"sound† but are not descended from bulla. Bill, in all the senses pertaining to a document or other piece of paper, comes ultimately from the notion of a knoblike seal used to authenticate a document. (In the sense of a bird’s beak or an ax-shaped tool or weapon, however, the word is unrelated.) Billet, referring originally to a written statement and then by extension to the housing of soldiers in private homes, authorized by such a statement, is a diminutive of bill. (Billet-doux- literally â€Å"sweet note†- is adopted from the French term meaning â€Å"love letter.†) Bowl, and bowler (the word for a type of hat) and bowling (the term for a sport), derive from bulla, as does boll, which describes a pod of cotton produced by flowering of the cotton plant. Bollocks are testicles, and the word is British English slang for â€Å"nonsense† or a stronger retort; the spelling variant bollix is reserved for describing an act of bungling or messing up. Bolero, the word for a type of dance, comes from the extension of bulla to describe a circular motion; the name for a short jacket sometimes worn by participants in such a dance has the same origin. Bulla itself survives in medical usage to describe a bony or blistered prominence, while bull, in the sense of a papal decree, and bulletin, denoting a notice, are cognate with bill. (Bull, when referring to male cattle and, by extension, the adult male of various species, likely comes from the proto-Indo-European root from which both â€Å"blow† and â€Å"roar† are derived, though linguists disagree about which sense inspired the word.) Bullet, meanwhile, betrays that projectiles fired by guns were originally ball shaped. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comparative Forms of AdjectivesWhat is the Difference Between Metaphor and Simile?Sit vs. Set

Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich - Essay Example From the discussion it is clear that  today, the market may be thought to be saturated. Generally social constructs are the views that people have on us, and how people describe us. The idea behind social cosntructionism is that people hear or experience these views over and over, and this makes them believe these views or have a picture that depicts these stories as being true. A million man march reflects that what the people march for is not well known by majority of the people in the march but he people seek to change this situation using their own social construction that reflect whom they really are.  As the study highlights that  the book Nickel and dimed by Ehnrenreich clearly starts on a note that portrays a well defined case of critical theory concerning workers and how they are being treated as well as their working conditions. There is a great contrast between Lampham who takes the writer for a lunch for about $30 at a â€Å"country style place† the writer an d Lampham are in deep reflection of how four million women have to live on the wages that are paid to the unskilled with a salary for about $6 and $ 7 per hour, with about 4 million women who are not literate and who are in the market looking for the lowly unskilled lowly jobs to make a living or to sustain themselves.  The eschewing divisions in the society in the book Nickel and Dimed by Ehnrenreich are clear, and by large magnitude have gone deeper to portray inhuman and a cruel world where the illiterate have to endure cruel wages and mistreatment to make a living.

Cultural presentation about the jewish customs in the healthcare Research Paper

Cultural presentation about the jewish customs in the healthcare environment - Research Paper Example Suppose a Jewish patient is terminally ill and has no chance of surviving, their spiritual statutes prohibit any active medical intervention meant to hasten death with the intention of reliving pain (Hollins 92). Since, they believe in natural death, whereby at this period any ethical question regarding patient’s final wish at deathbed family sand the medical practical should consult the rabbi. Additionally, Jews do not leave their patients alone while they are about to die, but they ensure there is always somebody to offer any assistance other than medical (Hollins 92). It is the mandate of the Jews to offer their patients the necessary pastoral care. This entails visiting and praying with the patient. The Rabbi with his council selects certain individuals (approximately nine people) who will be undertaking the responsibility besides their family members (Hollins 92). Since, visiting patients is a charity deed advocated by their religion, whereby nurses ought to be ready to accommodate it despite the healthcare facility’s strict rules. In addition, the aspect of fertility among the Jews is by far diverse from numerous global cultures where most of them have embraced contraceptives. Jews normally utilize same family planning method because their beliefs do not advocate contraceptives (Hollins 91). This is because they usually prefer large families where issues regarding contraceptives consult their Rabbis. This is before giving to the medical practitioners’ directives especially in critical conditions where the couple intends to have a reasonable child spacing. After death, Jews do not either touch or move their dead person’s body where they consult their Rabbi for further directives regarding end rites (Hollins 91). Therefore, the nurses ought to leave the matter to the Rabbi. All the fluids and other disposable paraphernalia connected to the patient, the Rabbi proposes be buried immediately with the body. Since, they are part of the body

Violence and civil rights struggle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Violence and civil rights struggle - Essay Example Martin Luther King and Malcom X arose to fight for the position of the blacks in the America community, and today they are acknowledged for the moves. What are the different takes on violence and civil rights struggles? Blacks suffered discrimination in America on housing and employment as well as abuse and lynching from whites and never exercised the right to vote. This was regardless of the fact that slavery in the United States ended in the late 19th century, as the struggle of the black population against the ill treatment brought about the early activists such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. However, although the two individuals among others shared the same thought of ending violence on African American, there takes on violence and civil rights struggle were different. Martin Luther, for example, advocated for peaceful demonstrations for he was against violence of any kind in the society. He believed that peaceful demonstrations would lead to opening up of a room for negoti ation between martin whites and the African Americans. On the issue of the civil rights, martin Luther advocated for human rights where everyone in the nation had equal treatment regardless of race. In the times of Luther King, despite the fact that slave trade and forced labour were no long dead, discrimination and racism was very popular. Malcom X, on the other hand, was revolutionary and radical. He preached independence through the necessary means possible and hence advocated for violence. He is very much unlike Martin Luther King who preached non-violence and obedience philosophy; a similar approach to Gandhi’s during the struggle in India. A combination of the two activists approaches although quite contrasting brought a strong support on the black American movements in relation to violence and discrimination. They brought some life In the face of the struggle and hence why they are prominent and make a huge part of the African America. Malcom X was brought to the limel ight as he was the leader of the demonstrating Muslims, the papers and the radio speaking of the events that had happened at the Lenox Avenue. He can be described as a non-violent man but on the other hand a strong willing man, ready to rally crowds through violence if need be, to protect the rights of other individuals. At the time of these happenings, the whites are said to have not been bothered by the revolution of the blacks unless it threatened the status quo. Movements for civil rights are the political movements that were uprising at the times of people like martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X that took the form of civil resistance. The main aim was to bring about nonviolent aims of resistance but they were accompanied by civil unrest and armed rebellion. What are the consequences of violence becoming part of civil right struggles? Maclom X was one of the renowned Muslim leaders and a Lenox avenue fraces brought him to light after being reported in The Amsterdam News to have told the police officials, â€Å"we do not look for trouble, in fact we are taught to steer clear of trouble. We do not carry knives or guns, but we are also taught than when one finds something that is worthwhile getting into trouble about, he should be ready to die, then and there for that particular thing.† This ensued after the police were holding back a man who had witnessed an incident at the Lenox Avenue and told the Moslems that one of their brother had been beaten by a police man. At the police station, a crowd of Muslims swelled led by Malcolm X

Presentations of Attack of Pearl Harbor PowerPoint Presentation

Presentations of Attack of Pearl Harbor - PowerPoint Presentation Example This paper and exposition would thus analyze and contextualize the main components of a database set. To begin with, there is the tables which are diagrammatic representations and intuitions which are mostly used to store data. It is needless to mention the fact that without tables, a database would not be complete and it would not be referred to as a database. Once a person logs in to an excel or a database page, there are rows and columns which would be labeled and named according to the information they store (Chays & Deng, 2003). For example, if it is row and column on teachers-then such a row would be called teacher while the columns may be the names of the people. Other variables may be entered such as numerical and dates. Intuitively, there are queries which refer to the primary questions concerning the data contained in the database. It is important to note and mention that that queries encompass specific records, summaries or fields which may be required or needed from the database. In principle, queries allow a user to obtain information based on the defined criteria by a user. Forms are also a component which seek to reduce the challenge and ease the process of data entry. In the conventional sense and knowledge, most scientists and scholars prefer to use tables for data entry other than tables since they look more appealing and presentable. Report on their part have print records to present the contained and encompassed information or data. Similarly, there are other components of a database discussed below here in. There is the space for index which is a customization which allows for a person to retrieve and obtain information much faster and with ease. In principle, the index allows the user to get the information easier and faster. For example, the person or the user would customize information as using the First or last name of the columns and rows. This is to say that an index is unique to differentiate itself from other items and

Safety and security of public transit Research Paper

Safety and security of public transit - Research Paper Example Access to jobs, healthcare, and other services hinges upon access to reliable, affordable, and efficient public transit for masses. The increased use of public transit in both developed and developing countries show that people clearly value public transit. The availability of public transport is quite important for people with limited incomes. Public transit has its own importance. It can strengthens the economy, creates jobs, reduces traffic congestion, travel times and air pollution in case of rapid transit and save energy and oil consumption, if public investments are increased in this area. Today, transit system development is being used as a tool to encourage business growth, reduce sprawl, create a sense of community, rejuvenate obsolete towns and declining cities, and also enlargetax revenues for the authorities. Scale of the issue: Safety and security must have equal consideration along with economic and environmental aspect no matter what transport mode is being used. An ac cident caused by a bit of negligence reduces confidence in the safety of transport system. Accidents can lead to injuries and deaths and so does massive environmental changes takes place due to it. Significant commercial and financial consequences are likely to happen. Matters are often brought before courts and a criminal prosecution takes place which not only ruins one’s career but their life’s as well. Worldwide there are estimated to be approximately one million road accident casualties each year and around 10 million people are injured, many with long term disabilities (World Health Report 1999). Accidents are usually a combination of unrelated events and in many modes human element is the significant in this casual chain. People rarely make mistakes intentionally but these unintended mistakes and blunders lead to huge consequences for which someone has to pay the price of it. Most important transport problems take place when transport systems for any reasons is n ot ablesatisfy the requirements of mobility and such problems usually takes place in urban areas where there is large density. Productivity of any nation today is largely dependent on the efficiency of its transport system. This is because today transit system is required to move labor, consumers and goods from multiple sources to multiple destinations. In most parts of the world especially in developing countries public transit systems are either over or under used (Mitechelle, Daniel, 2005). During peak hours public transit system has to cope with the large amount of potential passenger while this creates a discomfort among the passengers due to the large crowd. Transport services are unable to cover their operating costs at times due to low fare rates this makes them financially unstable and infeasible. Every public transit systems cannot generate sufficient income to cover its operating costs although numerous efforts have been done to cover the operating costs like cross-financ ing and provision of subsidies from the government. Some public transportation is quite expensive e.g.taxis, airports supershuttles and these are used for limited purposes. People prefer to use bus or rail as the transit system. One factor thatinfluences the degree to which the public will use mass transit is reliability. Reliability is associated with labor relations. Strike on

Presentations of Attack of Pearl Harbor PowerPoint Presentation

Presentations of Attack of Pearl Harbor - PowerPoint Presentation Example This paper and exposition would thus analyze and contextualize the main components of a database set. To begin with, there is the tables which are diagrammatic representations and intuitions which are mostly used to store data. It is needless to mention the fact that without tables, a database would not be complete and it would not be referred to as a database. Once a person logs in to an excel or a database page, there are rows and columns which would be labeled and named according to the information they store (Chays & Deng, 2003). For example, if it is row and column on teachers-then such a row would be called teacher while the columns may be the names of the people. Other variables may be entered such as numerical and dates. Intuitively, there are queries which refer to the primary questions concerning the data contained in the database. It is important to note and mention that that queries encompass specific records, summaries or fields which may be required or needed from the database. In principle, queries allow a user to obtain information based on the defined criteria by a user. Forms are also a component which seek to reduce the challenge and ease the process of data entry. In the conventional sense and knowledge, most scientists and scholars prefer to use tables for data entry other than tables since they look more appealing and presentable. Report on their part have print records to present the contained and encompassed information or data. Similarly, there are other components of a database discussed below here in. There is the space for index which is a customization which allows for a person to retrieve and obtain information much faster and with ease. In principle, the index allows the user to get the information easier and faster. For example, the person or the user would customize information as using the First or last name of the columns and rows. This is to say that an index is unique to differentiate itself from other items and

Gender Roles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gender Roles - Essay Example Gender roles These gender roles assumed in childhood were expected to continue to adulthood. The roles are passed from generation to generation though modifications occur such that roles or traits previously associated with males become apparent in females and vice versa. Adults tend to treat boys and girls differently right from infancy. This essay focuses on the gender roles and expectations on male and females in the society. The essay also depicts the different expectations that the society particularly parents have on the gender roles and how these perspectives affect the upbringing of boys and girls. Gender divergence creates a division between boys and girls and it becomes extremely hard to change the perception thus humans end up being categorized into males and females differentiated by their roles. For example, my brother and I were born in Angola. Right from childhood, we received differing attention and treatment. I was treated as if I was too delicate than my brother. Sometimes I wou ld demand for explanations but all I got was that men were supposed to be strong while girls required protection. This is a common phenomenon where most parents tend to shelter girls more than they protect the boy. Girls are appreciated depending on their appearance in terms of tidiness and organization while boys receive appraisal based on their achievements. Such actions persuade boys to be confident, competitive and develop a sense of independence while girls are encouraged to be caring, pleasant, as well as dependent. This results in a society where men are decision makers while women are supposed to go along the decisions. (Lindsey 122-130). Another difference that was eminent when my brother and I were growing up was the different ways in which our rooms were decorated. My room was filled with baby dolls and while my brothers was beautified with wall hangings with aircrafts and machines. My brother also had plenty of toys such as toy guns and cars, which I was not allowed to p lay with. Sometimes, I would disobey the decree and play with my brother’s toy. However, I was greatly ridiculed if met by other girls playing with my brother’s toy and they would refer to me as ‘Tom boy’. Another difference that arises when boys and children are being brought up is the difference in the roles they are accorded. The gender differences that eventually arise between boys and girls are socially built (Lindsey 25-28). Referring to my case, I was expected to help my mother in the household duties such as cleaning dishes. Conversely, my brother was always out playing or assisted the gardener in mowing. The kind of people children develop into is enormously determined by what they watch their parents do or what they are obliged to do. My mother did the house tasks while my father toiled for the family. When I was 12 years old, I told my mother that I was bleeding and she said that was my period. From this time to my 18, she was so worried about m e having sex because I could get pregnant, telling me that am too young to have a boyfriend. I was restricted from going out with boys since my mother feared that they could influence me negatively or impregnate me. On the contrary, my brother was free to go out and have fun with his friends. At the age of fourteen, my brother would come home at eight in the evening and my parents seemed less concerned

The Relation of Narratives and Video Games Essay Example for Free

The Relation of Narratives and Video Games Essay Video games are a relatively new form of entertainment; the first video game is considered to be Tennis for Two (1958), around fifty years ago, while film has been around for over one-hundred years, the printing press for over five-hundred, and storytelling for thousands of years before that. Because of its newness, video games are a developing medium, their conventions and potential have not been explored as fully in comparison with film and literature. Computers as a technology allow us to overcome more complex tasks and obtain and utilize information more quickly than previous technologies. Often there can be the tendency to describe the new medium as radically different from the old, solely based on its technology. However, it is not necessarily the case. Video games do have new capabilities that separate them from previous storytelling media and it is these new characteristics of video games that separate them from film and literature, creating an environment of storytelling where the traditional narrative structure does not directly apply. Using narrative media as examples a lot can be discovered about video games, however, one must remember what makes them games. See more: how to start a narrative essay Looking at video games as a continuation of games in general rather than an extension of film, they hold a history dating as far back as the ancient Egyptian game of Senet (discovered in the 2686 BC tomb of Hesy-re) (Juul, Half-Real 3-4). It is these game components that must be understood before looking at games from different perspectives. Jesper Juul drew from theorists before him to present what he denotes the classic game model. Juul defines that a game is: 1. a rule-based formal system; 2. with variable and quantifiable outcomes; 3. where different outcomes are assigned different values; 4. where the player exerts effort in order to influence the outcome; 5. the player feels emotionally attached to the outcome; 6. and the consequences of the activity are optional and negotiable (Half-Real 6-7). This model is only a barebones description of what games are and does not outline the variety of games, or what makes games enjoyable. This model is also transmedial, meaning that games are not tied to any medium, just as storytelling is not tied to any medium—there is no ideal game medium and there is no physical component common to all games, but there exists the â€Å"immaterial† component of rules that is common to all games. Rules are the base component of games. They govern how the game is played and they should be designed in a way to make it clear what is and is not allowed in playing the game. Games therefore resemble a state machine, a term used in computer science to describe a machine that consists of an initial state, accepts a number of input events, that changes the state responding to the inputs using a state transition function (in the case of this example, the game rules) and then produces outputs using an output function. Visualizing a game as such, the activity of playing a game produces a game tree that can be seen as branching off at each decision and input. Playing a game is interacting with this state machine and exploring this game tree (Juul, Half-Real 55-56). Rules, however, are seen everywhere in the world, and it is not solely the existence of rules that makes a game. The second item of the classic game model—that games must have variable and quantifiable outcomes—is a salient feature of the game. If a game exists in such a way that no matter how the player interacts with it, it always produces the exact same result, it is not a game. The variable outcomes must also have different values, with some being more desirable to attain than others. In the video game Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo 1985) the outcome of losing all of the game lives is less desirable than defeating the last stage. A player must also exert effort to influence the outcome, generally in a manner that requires more effort to realize a more desirable outcome. It is not merely enough that the player interacts with the game, they must also have a sense of agency. Agency is not simply interaction, but interaction where the player has influence (Murray 126). This separates games of pure chance and gambling as borderline cases. In a game where the player rolls a die and the result of rolling a six is considered victory, the player only exerts trivial effort to roll the die, and exhibits no agency. The player of a game must also feel emotionally attached to the outcome—if the player loses all of their lives in Super Mario Bros. , the player has achieved a negative outcome, and agrees to feel sad, while if they defeat the last stage, they have achieved a positive outcome and agree to feel happy. If the player is not emotionally attached to the outcome, they would not exert the effort to play. The sixth item of the classic game model separates games from the real world—game theorists Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman call this subset of the real world a magic circle (95). Games are a part of the world that they exist in, but the rules carve out a world separated from the real world. It is here where the consequences of outcomes are optional and negotiable—games are a voluntary activity where players can decide the consequences of the game. Soccer, as an example, is a game where in some cases players decide the consequences are simply the glory of victory, but other players, decide that the consequences are career-changing (in the case of professional soccer players). On the other hand, the rules for a political election are game-like and could be played as a game, but an actual election has decided, non-negotiable consequences and therefore is not a game. In the same manner, it could be argued that professional soccer is not a game, but soccer itself is still considered a game as it is known that soccer is played recreationally and its consequences are negotiable. The classic game model outlines games as a voluntary activity that evaluates a players performance—based on a players effort and skill in interacting with the game rules, a variable outcome with an attached value is reached, to which the player is emotionally attached. However, with the advent of the video game (as well as the pen-and-paper role-playing game), the classic game model is not all there is to games anymore. It is still a valuable definition, but the addition of the computer to games modifies the standard game definition. When it comes to rules, the computer is able to handle far more complex processes than a human, allowing for games where the player is free from enforcing the rules of the game, instead having the computer run as a referee of sort. This referee capability can operate anywhere from playing tic-tac-toe to simulating entire fictional worlds. The ability of the computer to run as a referee also allows for rules and calculations to be kept secret from the player. This ability to manage a large amount of information, as well as the ability to run it in secret allows for the computer to manage whole fictional worlds spawning a new type of game, the progression game. This now means there exists two types of games (elements of which can be combined): emergence games and progression games. Most games that have existed before video games are emergence games—games where a large variety of game variations and outcomes come from a small set of rules. Chess, soccer and Pong (Atari 1972) are examples of the emergence game. Progression games require the player to actualize a predefined sequence of events in order to beat the game. The progression game came about with the adventure game and early examples include The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo 1986) and Final Fantasy (Square 1987). Now that video games can have this progression capability and the ability to easily run fictional environments, they have expanded to include storytelling components. The study of video games, therefore, delves into not just the study of rules and interaction, but also the study of narrative as well. Narratives operate fundamentally differently than games and one cannot use the same methods of study for both. Therefore, when comparing games and narratives, just as one must understand games, the basics of narrative in comparison to games must be understood as well. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a narrative as a spoken or written account of connected events; a story. There are three traditional components of the narrative: setting, character and events (plot)—a narrative consists of a world situated in time, populated by characters that participate in action. The world is independent of the question of fictionality, as narratives can be of real as well as fictional events. They can also be split into two levels, the discourse (the telling of the story) and the story itself. Each of these levels has its own time, discourse time and story time, respectively. The story time is the time it took for the actual events to occur, and the discourse time is the time it takes for the retelling (Juul, â€Å"Games Telling Stories†). A week may pass in a story with no event, and thus the narrative could write it off in one sentence, while an action scene that lasted merely a few seconds could take much longer to explain. This means that even though the narrative may be observing events at a time, there exists an understanding that the events are not actually occurring at the moment of reading (Juul, â€Å"Games Telling Stories†). Narratives are not limited to the novel or storytelling, and can recognizably be translated between different narrative media—The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R Tolkien is recognizable as the movie of the same name. However, not everything can be transferred equally as well. For example, film is better at conveying action and movement, while the novel is better suited to producing inner thoughts. With games and narratives understood, examining the two side-by-side displays several differences. The most apparent of these is the difference in timing. The narrative has two levels, discourse and story, but when examining games in the same manner it is near impossible to distinguish between the two. In playing Super Mario Bros., when the player presses the A button on their controller, the in-game character jumps, thus synchronizing story and discourse time. It is imperative of the narrative that this separation in time exists. Not only does jumping in Super Mario Bros. place discourse and story time together, it also influences the game world. The understanding, in experiencing a narrative, that the time of the discourse is separate from the time of the events means that in some manner the events have already occurred (even if the setting is in some supposed future)—the events are unable to be influenced. The very agency that the player exercises in playing a game contradicts the idea of narrativity; it is impossible to influence an event that has already occurred (Juul, â€Å"Games Telling Stories†). Because of this contradiction, games themselves cannot be narratives, but this does not limit them from employing and producing them. The very activity of playing a game can produce a narrative, the player can tell a story of their experience in the game. Just as well, games can have stories told through them (especially progression games) as many games contain back-stories and quests that offer the player narratives alongside their play. Video games have two parts: rules (discussed earlier) and fiction. For a number of years, the arcade game was all that existed and they contained both rules and fiction, but the two were loosely connected. This led some to conclude that a games fiction is easily removable and replaceable, thus making it unimportant in relation to the rules. Juul had previously taken the stance that rules are what make a game a game, fiction is unnecessary for a game, a game with an excellent fiction can still be a terrible game, therefore fiction is unimportant in games (Half-Real 13). When looking at simple games such as Space Invaders (Taito 1978), one could remove the theme of an alien invasion and portray an advancing German front; the players spaceship could become a Russian tank. If the rules were kept the same, the player would experience no real difference between playing either, but the same sort of procedure would not perform the same if it were attempted on a progression game such as Myst (Broderbund 1993) because the game experience relies more heavily on the fiction. Juul stated that, There are, of course, many relationships between theme and structure in a game. Whether or not any of those relationships are essential, they are complex and vital enough to resist my attempt to lightly shuffle them around (Half-Real 15). If the fiction of a game is tied to its experience, what role does it play in the game and its rules? In some cases the fiction may point to the rules, as well as the other way around; in other cases the fiction serves the rules in an incoherent manner, subservient to gameplay. When it comes to the fiction component of games, one main difference from narrative media is that they do not require anthropomorphic actors/characters in order to be entertaining (Juul, Half-Real 160-161). While films and other stories are largely about humans or anthropomorphic characters that a viewer/reader identifies with on a cognitive level, games such as Tetris (Pazhitnov 1985), Pong and Missile Command (Atari 1980) exist without such. This lack of a visible actor does not make Tetris any less of a game, and makes the idea of a movie based on Tetris an unlikelihood, but it shows how games can accomplish something different, and almost completely separate, than traditional narrative media. Another main difference is the progression of time in games. Previously the difference with discourse and story time was explored, but the chronological appearance of time also varies between games and narratives. Due to the fixed, predetermined nature of a narrative the telling can jump around to various points in the story time either in flash-forwards or flash-backs. To do the same in a game becomes problematic, for predetermination precludes agency. If the player is put back in time (in the past), they are put in a situation where they must actualize a series of events that allows the game in the present to exist, thus limiting the player. The same goes for flash-forwards where the player is put in a position of what is to happen, limiting their play upon return to the present. However, even though games are not narratives, games are no longer strictly abstract. They often contain fictional components as well, leading to new types of games. Besides just viewing games as emergent and progressive, there exists five categories of games: abstract, iconic, incoherent world, coherent world and staged. Abstract games are games that does not, nor do its pieces, represent something else. The game of Go is a game that is merely rules and although there exist conventions for the size and appearance of the various game pieces, they do not mean anything. Tetris is a well known abstract video game. Iconic games are quite similar abstract games, but their individual pieces simply have iconic meaning. In a standard deck of cards there is a king, queen and jack of each of the four suits, but there is no clear explanation of their relation to the other kings, queens and jacks of the other suits. Incoherent world games are games that have a fictional world, but it either contains contradictions or events in the gameplay that cannot be explained by the fictional world. In Super Mario Bros. , Mario has multiple lives, but there exists nothing in the fiction that explains it, it only serves the rules. Chess represents two parties at war, but to explain the movement of the units one must refer to the rules as it is not apparent in the fiction. Coherent world games are games that have a fictional world that contain nothing that prevents the player from imagining them in full. Most adventure games such as the recent The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda Softworks 2012) are coherent world games. Staged games are a special type of abstract or representational game that are played inside of a larger, more elaborate world. Mario Party (Nintendo 1998) contains an overarching fictional world and game, but is largely made up of individual staged games. Another instance of the staged game is in Shenmue (Sega 1999) where the protagonist can play on in-game arcade machines. Each of these categories of games has its own place in the world of video games and it is important to be aware of the varieties that exist. Of these varieties though, there is the coherent world—the progression game. In this type of game the player must perform a predefined set of actions in a coherent world setting. This kind of game sounds very similar to the narrative, but still has variable outcomes, player effort and other game components. One example of this kind of game is The Walking Dead (Telltale Games 2012). The Walking Dead is set in Georgia during a fictional zombie apocalypse. The player plays as Lee Everett, a professor convicted of killing a man he found sleeping with his wife. Due to the zombie uprising he does not end up in prison, instead ends up caring for a little girl by the name of Clementine. The gameplay mainly revolves around conversations that the player has with other characters and occasionally the player is put in a position where they must make a critical decision. At the end of each â€Å"chapter,† the game reports out on the player’s decisions as well as the percentage of other players that either disagreed or agreed with them. It is through this method that the player is able to reflect on the cause and effect of their decisions. This sort of environment demonstrates that games are a playground where the player may experiment with things they would or could not do in a real-life setting (Juul, Half-Real 193). It is this phenomenon of player-made decisions and the reflection of them that traditional narratives cannot accomplish. In conclusion, games are made up of six components that make up the classic game model: they are rule-based systems with variable outcomes that have different assigned values, the player exerts effort in order to influence the outcome, the player feels emotionally attached to the outcome, and the consequences of the game are optional and negotiable. With the advent of the computer, there are new capabilities available to games. There are now two main types of games, emergent and progression games, with a spectrum of combinations between them. Emergent games are made up of a set of rules that combine to produce a large set of outcomes. Progression games require the player to perform a specific set of actions in order to complete the game. With this progression capability, it is important to compare video games and narratives. A narrative is a spoken or written account of connected events. Narratives have two levels, story and discourse, each of these with their own time. Games often do not have distinction between their story and discourse time (as the events are occurring in real time), and thus are not narratives. Games, although not narratives themselves, allow for players to produce narratives through playing them; players may recount their experiences in a game. Games may not themselves be stories, but that does not mean that they do not employ them or that player’s cannot tell stories about their experiences in a game. Games offer a different experience than the narrative media before it; the player gets to experience something rather than view it and has an influence in the environment. The player of a game also gets to experiment with ideas in a sort of playground and reflect on their decisions and the effects they have. That does not, however, imply that the medium is necessarily a superior or inferior one. Films, novels and other narrative media can provide experience that games cannot, just as games provide experiences that traditional narrative media cannot. Looking forward, one can only imagine what games can accomplish in the field of entertainment that was not possible before. Works Cited Aarseth, Espen J. Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins, 1997. Print. Ebert, Roger. Video Games Can Never Be Art. RogerEbert. com. Ebert Digital LLC, 16 Apr. 2010. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. â€Å"Game Studies. † Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Sept. 2012. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. Game The News: The Project That Birthed a Syrian Civil War Game That’s Been Pulled from the App Store. Edge Online. Future Publishing Limited, 8 Jan. 2013. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. Juul, Jesper. â€Å"A Clash between Game and Narrative. † Thesis. University of Copenhagen, 1999. Web. 19 Sept. 2012. . â€Å"Games Telling Stories? A Brief Note on Games and Narratives. † Game Studies1. 1 (2001): n. pag. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. . Half-Real: Video Games between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds. Cambridge: MIT, 2011. Print. Jenkins, Henry. Game Design as Narrative Architecture. Henry Jenkins. MIT, n. d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. Murray, Janet H. Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace. Cambridge: MIT, 1997. Print. Narrative. Def. 1. Oxford Dictionaries, Oxford University, n. d. Web. 28 Apr. 2013. Ryan, Marie-Laure. â€Å"Beyond Myth and Metaphor: The Case of Narrative in Digital Media. † Game Studies 1. 1 (2001): n. pag. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. Salen, Katie, and Eric Zimmerman. Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2003. Print.

Approaches of contemporary globalization

Approaches of contemporary globalization The term globalization is multi dimensional, and therefore it can be complex in its definition. It is a method where all political, economic, cultural and social activities start operating at a international level. In recent years there has been a unexpected growth in global connections with the people and communities around the world. The distance between different communities, cultures and countries has become less of a physical distance and can now communicate using new technology. Although the claim that contemporary globalization has made the nation state obsolete depends on which view you look at, as there are 3 different approaches to globalization. This globalization also depends on how you are looking at it from a cultural , economic,political or social point of view. In the UK today we are living in a very diverse society with a lot of different cultural backgrounds. With the use of the internet we are able to communicate around the world , and even the way we dress is starting to look similar to cultures from around the world and we are inspired by their style. This technology is a stepping stone for businesses to become bigger and expand world wide. A nation state is an independent country which has a large amount of people that share the same language, traditions and history but the nations state are being affected by globalization. There are 3 approaches to globalization, internationalist, transformationalist and globalist. The globalist view could be viewed in the eye of a pessimistic globalist or the optimistic or positive globalist. The optimistic view is that globalization is exciting and creating a more diverse society, but still recognise the dangers of global environmental pollution, positive globalizers argue that we could improve the position if we all took some responsibility for reducing unsustainable levels of consumption, and they point to the development of new technologies which are likely to reduce levels of pollution. ( p22, Held 2004). Globalists see that globalization is disappearing as there is less control of the nation states than in the past. Globalization is an inevitable trajectory of development , so any attempts to resist it are doomed to failure. (p22 Held 2004). Internationalists views argue that globalization is a myth. They believe that most economic and social activity is regional rather that global. Transformanationalists views argue that the nation state still remains powerful they also see the problems can be reversed by restructuring and accommodate the new forms of global governance. Looking at the views, the transformanationlaist on globalization making nation state obsolete seems to be the most plausible from any finding at this stage as it seems that the government can adjust there roles instead of losing power altogether. Nation states are seen as blocks of territory with fixed borders, it is argued that these boundaries are not as important as they used to be due to globalization. There has been an increase in the co-operation and mutual understanding between countries as politicians try to elude national boundaries, or which on based in other countries. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of intergovernmental organisations IGOs around the globe from 37 in 1909 to nearly 300 in 1999. Globalists would have us believe that the governments are fragmenting it is more likely the governments are learning to accommodate a more complex international co-ordination than has been in the past. The main problem with this increase in intergovernmental associations is that the foreign office find it more difficult to control the increased amount of intergovernmental operation. Looking at how these organizations set up it is obvious that the representatives for each country are actually representing the nation state they come from. Globalization encourages the growth of communication and organisations that link human kind across the globe. Because the communication link and interaction people are not constrained by their national boundaries , this does not mean that a nation state loses its sovereignty. UK government does not always agree completely in its decisions, However the people of the UK still seem to stay confident in their nation state as this is what we identify ourselves with. The nation state that we identify with most is the UK and is very important because there has been such change over the authorities. Governments might have found themselves subject to actions from other organisations that would of not happened in the past, as back then we would have only cared for our own need without any outside interference. For example the UK government might have been under some sort of control of the EU and the World Trade Organisations. This would have been said to create a more uncertain society in terms of the nation state identity by tranformationalist. According to inter-nationalist there are a few general multi-national corporations than thought they are more accurately described as transnational corporations (TNCs) which are not governed from any national base, and which have a more genuinely international organisation personnels. (Thompson, 2000 p103). The percentage of a countries trade is global and often thought as being greater than it actually is. Globalists view MNCs are taxing over from government power, however this is flawed as it is still the government who has the power to enforce laws and legislation. Transformationalist would argue that there is a new global politics appearing, this does not mean that all government have an equal say in global decision making. The poorest people in the world still have a little say in what goes on. In the UK our nation state is still very important. The government might have to adjust to consider other countries but a majority of these countries are within the EU more than around the world, it looks like the UK government is becoming more regionalised than globalized. USA and the EU and Japan may work together and some other countries ignored, mainly the poorer ones. This is quite true as most powerful economies have more political power than the poor countries that have little power. The UK government may have had to change its roles on a local level more than global level, but the claim that globalization has made the nation state obsolete, its more likely that it is being reshaped within the EU but nothing says if this is really happening at a global level. As we can see in my conclusion is that globalization is changing,and how fast and to what extent that this is happening might be a slightly exaggerated. This does not mean the end of the nation state, it just means that it is being redefined. Globalization in one way or another is creating a more uncertain, yet diverse world. Each of the points have there flaws and their valid areas to each of their arguments, the transformationalists view of the government having to adjust the way it is run is a very valid point. Each argument could be seen valid depending on how its seen and what you believe in, but every individual will have there own opinion on each outcome. REFERENCES Kelly, B. and Prokhovnik, R. (2004) Economic globalization? in Held, D. (ed) A Globalizing World? Culture, Economics, Politics, London, Routledge/The Open University.

Effective Teaching of Abstract Algebra :: Mathematics Education Papers

Effective Teaching of Abstract Algebra Abstract Algebra is one of the important bodies of knowledge that the mathematically educated person should know at least at the introductory level. Indeed, a degree in mathematics always contains a course covering these concepts. Unfortunately, abstract algebra is also seen as an extremely difficult body of knowledge to learn since it is so abstract. Leron and Dubinsky, in their paper  ¡Ã‚ §An Abstract Algebra Story ¡Ã‚ ¨, penned the following two statements, summarizing comments that are often heard from both teacher and student alike. 1."The teaching of abstract algebra is a disaster, and this remains true almost independently of the quality of the lectures." (Leron and Dubinsky agree with this statement.) 2."There's little the conscientious math professor can do about it. The stuff is simply too hard for most students. Students are not well-prepared and they are unwilling to make the effort to learn this very difficult material." (Leron and Dubinsky disagree with this statement.)(Leron and Dubinsky, p. 227) Thus the question is raised: if there is something the "conscientious math professor can do about" the seemingly disastrous results in the learning of algebra, what is it that we can do? As a teacher of undergraduate mathematics, I want and need to know what these effective methods of teaching abstract algebra are. Leron and Dubinsky's paper referred to above and papers resulting from their research contain the bulk of literature that I reviewed. In this paper, they summarize their experimental, constructivist approach to teaching abstract algebra. Among the classroom activities are computer activities, work in teams, individual work, class discussion, and sometimes a mini-lecture summarizing the results of student work (which by this time is familiar to them), providing definitions, theorems, and proofs in their abstract forms. The computer activities use the ISETL programming language. As an example of its use, students write a program implementing the group axioms. They then can enter what they consider to be a group, and the computer will give as output a true or false response. They can use the same process to determine whether their proposed group is closed, has an identity, etc. They choose their answer and then let the computer respond. In this way, students  ¡Ã‚ §construct ¡Ã‚ ¨ the group process, with the view that they will also have a  ¡Ã‚ §parallel construction ¡Ã‚ ¨ occurring in their minds. Students have an experience on which to base their learning of group theory. The method proposed here by Leron and Dubinsky certainly seems patterned after Dubinsky's theoretical foundation for student learning laid out in his work  ¡Ã‚ §Reflective Abstraction In Advanced Mathematical Thinking.

‘Hide and Seek’ by Vernon Scannell and ‘Half-past Two’ by U. A. Fanthorpe Essay

‘Hide and Seek’ concerns a boy hiding cautiously whilst playing hide and seek with his peers. Gradually, he realises he has been abandoned, and fear overcomes him due to being isolated in the dark surroundings. The tone is incredibly certain and positive at the beginning. However, his confidence gradually fades away as the realisation of his abandonment occurs. The mood is analogous to the tone. At first, we can sense the excitement. This modifies to anxiety and nervousness towards the end. The poet uses language features to portray the tone. On the first line, exclamation marks are used to show the enthusiasm of the boy. Scannell uses personification and the senses to describe the surrounding atmosphere in a vivid way. Therefore, the reader gets a clearer image. Occasional rhyme is used to add a sense of rhythm to the poem. The poem is one continuous stanza. It is like dramatic monologue in that it creates character, but it is actually second person. The structure emphasises the unbearable length of waiting time. The adult speaks to his childhood self in second person, explaining feeling and thoughts. There are short sentences to build up tension and create stillness. The themes explored in ‘Hide and Seek’ are childhood experiences, reflection, isolation and abandonment. These themes are also explored in ‘Half- past Two’. This poem also explores various other themes such as time restriction and criticism of teaching methods. Half-past two is about a child who has been naughty. The punishment given by his teacher is to stay in the room until half- past two. She forgets that she hasn’t taught him time. He only understands his routines and throughout the poem we see how the child escapes time because he doesn’t know it. The poet uses tone and language methods to portray the way the child is treated. The mood for the majority of the poem is quite dreamy and we get the feeling that the boy is confused. In terms of language, personification is used effectively to show the child’s view of time. The use of senses creates the surrounding atmosphere like in the previous poem, ‘Hide and Seek’. Compound words are used to show the routines of the boy and the only time concepts he understands. Rhythm is produced by the repetition of compound words and by the fact that they are said in a child’s sing- song voice. Half-past two is divided into eleven three lines stanzas. Irony is expressed through the organised structure, as it contrasts with the boy’s feelings. In ‘Hide and Seek’ the child is hiding carefully, checking ‘feet aren’t sticking out,’ and taking precautions such as not risking ‘another shout.’ Gradually, we realise his friends have purposely abandoned him, but the child is very naive and thinks he is ‘the winner.’ He realises in ‘the darkening garden’ that he has been neglected. The poem is written in second person. ‘They’ll never find you in this salty dark.’ This gives us the impression that the narrator is an adult looking back on the experience. The senses are used in order to describe the surrounding atmosphere in a more vivid way. ‘The sacks in the tool shed smell like the seaside.’ Scannell also uses personification, which causes us to imagine how the child is feeling at that particular point. ‘The cold bites through your coat.’ Personification is effective at portraying the child’s feelings as it is easier for us to understand something if it is described to us in a more physical way. The majority of personification is used towards the end to give a sense of foreboding. ‘The darkening garden’ watching emphasises his isolation in a scary place whereas ‘the bushes hold their breath’ can show what the child may be doing because he is scared. In extreme circumstances when people are very scared, they hold their breath without knowing. Scannell applies punctuation to portray the tone and mood of the poem. ‘I’m ready! Come and find me!’ The exclamation marks highlight the excitement of the child. We detect a positive attitude and certainty due to the use of the imperative rather than taking orders. A question is used at the end to portray the uncertain and anxious emotions the child is feeling. ‘But where are they who sought you?’ This is the voice of the adult reflecting on a bitter experience. It is symbolic that the poem begins with the imperative and exclamation marks and conspicuously ends with confusion and question marks. It emphasises the gradual change from having a positive attitude to realisation of isolation. An alternative point that proves that the mood is positive at the beginning  is that the child compares the current situation to a typical, happy one the majority of children’s experience. ‘The sacks in the tool shed smell like the seaside.’ This gives the impression of a dazzling, sunny beach with a lot of happy children playing without constraints and restriction. This is ironic as the child is isolated in a dark, begrimed place with restricted space. The poem is one continuous stanza. The dramatic monologue symbolizes the unbearable length of waiting time. The character is speaking directly to us, explaining his different feelings and thoughts. The poem can be divided into two parts. They are positivity and certainty, and negativity and realisation. The first line of the second part is, ‘it seems a long time since they went away.’ Previously, the child attempts to convince himself they are still looking for him. ‘They must be thinking you’re very clever.’ The effect of this is to emphasise the naivety and innocence of the child. For the majority of the poem, the child is positive, but only for a minority is he negative. This can accentuate the fact a child may spend more time with fallacious ideas than in actual reality. Short sentences are used to build up tension. ‘Don’t breathe. Don’t move. Stay dumb.’ These sentences are said slower than the rest of the poem, creating a tense stillness. The pace slows down. Occasional rhyme is present in ‘Hide and Seek’. ‘Out, shout,’ ‘coat, throat.’ A sense of rhythm is added to the poem. I think there are four main themes explored in the poem; childhood memories, isolation, abandonment, feeling unwanted and reflection. Reflection and childhood memories can be connected as the whole poem is about an adult reflecting on a childhood memory. This is proven by the fact that the whole of the poem is written in second person. ‘You’ve never heard them sound so hushed before.’ This is more personal than using ‘he’ or ‘him.’ Isolation is another theme. The innocent child doesn’t think so, but for the  whole of the poem, he is alone. In the positive part of the poem, he believes that his friends are outside, but close to him. ‘They’re moving closer, someone stumbles, mutters;’ The child believes his friends are so close, he can even hear they’re discreet actions, usually unnoticeable. Like the last theme, it emphasises the naivety and innocence of the boy. An alternative point to verify that the boy is in isolation is the fact that he is in ‘the darkening garden’ as he emerges from ‘the tool shed.’ There is emphasis on the amount of darkness in his surroundings. This can be interpreted as a symbol of loneliness. This brings about fear, especially in young children. The fact that ‘the sun is gone’ is another symbol for darkness being present. For children, the sun and brightness are indications of happiness and contentment within a group. The theme of abandonment can be associated with isolation because he is alone. It is clear to us that his friends purposefully abandon the boy. ‘Their words and laughter scuffle, and they’re gone.’ We realise this a considerable time before the boy does. This emphasises that most of the time, children are left in the dark, and elders know beforehand. Feeling unwanted is another major theme of ‘Hide and Seek’. This is how the child feels when the realisation of his abandonment occurs to him. ‘Yes, here you are. But where are they who sought you?’ It is likely that the child feels his peers abandoned him because they do not like him. This action and the subsequent emotion are common with children. The child is left confused thinking that there is something wrong with them. I can tell by the bitterness of the adult’s tone that this is how the child feels. ‘You’re legs are stiff, the cold bites through your coat.’ He is trying to show that all the pain he went through was not worth it because he was unwanted. Similarly to ‘Hide and Seek’, ‘Half- past Two’ is about a young child. He has done something naughty in school and is told by his teacher to stay in the room until ‘Half- past Two’. In her rush, she forgets that ‘She hadn’t taught him Time.’ The only time concepts he is aware of and understands are daily routines such as ‘Gettinguptime,’ ‘Timeyouwereofftime.’ Whilst  waiting, he escapes into a ‘clockless land’ ‘out of reach of all the timefors.’ The teacher returns, slots ‘him back into school time’ and tells him to leave, or else he’ll be late. Contrasting with ‘Hide and Seek’, ‘Half- past Two’ is written in third person. ‘He did Something Very Wrong.’ I think the narrator is the adult looking back on a childhood experience. The poet doesn’t make it very obvious by using first person, or second person like ‘Hide and Seek’. Fanthorpe uses personification to portray the child’s view of the clock. ‘The little eyes, and two long legs for walking.’ This view is a child’s typical perception and establishes how naive a child can be, a comparison to ‘Hide and Seek’. Personification is used further when Fanthorpe uses the pun, ‘He couldn’t click its language.’ She is progressing further from the point that a child views a clock as a living object. A clock produces a ticking noise. To the child, this is how it talks. The pun stresses the point that he can’t understand a clock, and therefore time. Personification is used in ‘Hide and Seek’, but for different purposes. It is to give a clearer image, rather than show a child’s perception of an object. A comparison to ‘Hide and Seek’ concerning language is that the senses create a clearer atmosphere for the reader. ‘The smell of old chrysanthemums on Her desk.’ Another reason for the use of senses differing from ‘Hide and Seek’ at this particular point is to show how people, especially children notice insignificant things when they are alone. Their concentration increases due to minimal distraction. ‘Into the silent noise his hangnail made.’ The senses are used when he escapes into the ‘clockless land of ever’. A significant stanza of the poem is where ‘she slotted him back into schooltime.’ An image of this is created in our minds of a mechanical action. It is as if he is being taken out of one zone and put back into another instantly. The alliteration on this line causes the poem to be more rhythmic. Subsequent to escaping the timeless world, the teacher’s words are in  italics. ‘I forgot all about you.’ I think this is to make her lines prominent. These lines are important because they emphasise the fact that the child was neglected. Compound words are used to portray the child’s routines, the only time concepts he understands. ‘Gettinguptime, timeyouwereofftime, timetogohomenowtime.’ I think his parents and other carers in his life say these. The repetition of compound words creates a sense of rhythm. They seem to be said in a sing- song tone, emphasising the patronizing tone to the child because of his age. A patronizing tone is used previously towards the boy. ‘He did Something Very Wrong.’ The title case states the words that are emphasised. She thinks that if she uses a normal tone, the message won’t get through to him. In the last stanza, we can sense the wistful tone of the narrator. ‘Where time hides tick- less waiting to be born.’ He wishes he could escape into this land where he isn’t restricted by time, like most adults. The narrator shows bitterness by using a satirical and sarcastic tone. ‘(I forget what it was.)’ This mocks the teacher by trying to show that she was making a big deal out of something insignificant. The mood in the poem is dreamy, especially when the boy escapes into the timeless zone. ‘Beyond onceupona.’ The mood emphasises his confusion by the unfamiliar concept of time. The dreamy mood is also indicated by the fairytale references. ‘Once upon a schooltime.’ The word ‘time’ is substituted for alternative words or none at all. Not only do fairytale references portray the mood, but also the fact that fairytales are childish and contain fantasy aspects. The moods in ‘Half- past Two’ are a contrast to the mood in ‘Hide and Seek’. The poem is divided into eleven three-line stanzas, showing organisation. Irony is expressed through the organised structure, as it contrasts with the boy’s feelings. This is a very noticeable difference to the structure of ‘Hide and Seek’. A  further distinction is that occasional brackets are used in ‘Half- past Two’ as opposed to none in ‘Hide and Seek’. One stanza is dedicated to criticizing teaching methods and sarcastically mocking her. ‘(Being cross, she’d forgotten she hadn’t taught him Time. He was too scared of being wicked to remind her.)’ The brackets represent the insignificance of the teacher’s actions. The themes explored in ‘Half- past Two’ that are also explored in ‘Hide and Seek’ are childhood memories, isolation, abandonment and reflection. Also, restriction of time and freedom of childhood. Like in ‘Hide and Seek’, the themes of childhood memories and reflection can be closely tied together because in my view, the poem is about an adult looking back on a childhood experience. Unlike ‘Hide and Seek’, this isn’t indicated by the use of second person as the poem is written in third person, a less personal approach. It is indicated by the tone in the final stanza. ‘But he never forgot how once by not knowing time†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ The tone is pensive and regretful. The adult wishes he had the power to escape into the ‘clockless land of ever.’ This brings me to my next point that restriction by time is a theme explored in ‘Half- past Two’, but not ‘Hide and Seek’. The last stanza is the adult reflecting. ‘He escaped into the clockless land of ever, where time hides tick- less waiting to be born.’ The quote emphasises the fact that an innocent child isn’t restricted by time as oppos ed to adults. An additional theme is isolation. Contrary to ‘Hide and Seek’, the child is aware of his isolation, but confused at how to escape it. ‘So he waited†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ His child like qualities are emphasised by the fact that he needs an older responsible figure to help and guide him. Abandonment, another theme, occurs when his teacher as opposed to friends in ‘Hide and Seek’ deserts the child. In both poems, the child is abandoned, but the teacher and the friends have different intentions. The friends do it as a joke and assume the child will find his way back, whereas the teacher ignored and forgot the boy. ‘Stay in the schoolroom till half- past two.’ In conclusion, I think the differences outweigh the similarities. An important similarity is that both are about adults reflecting on childhood experiences. In ‘Hide and Seek’, the adult is regretful and despises the experience, whereas in ‘Half- past Two’, the adult wishes he could relive the experience. Another difference is the structures of both poems. ‘Hide and Seek’ is one continuous stanza, whereas ‘Half- past Two’ consists of eleven three line stanzas. Regarding language, both poems use personification and senses to vividly describe the surrounding atmosphere. Unlike ‘Half- past Two’, ‘Hide and Seek’ uses punctuation to portray the change in tone and mood. Regarding themes, all themes explored in ‘Hide and Seek’ are explored in ‘Half- past Two’ as well as more. A noticeable difference is the content of both poems. The experiences are totally different as are the reactions a nd personal opinions of them. I enjoyed reading ‘Hide and Seek’ more than ‘Half- past Two’. This is because I thought ‘Hide and Seek’ was more effective at vividly portraying the experience. In ‘Half- past Two’, it was harder to get a grasp of the content and symbolism within the poem.

Blades Inc Solution of Ifm

Get an answer from tutors to this homework question now: Chapter 5 Blades, Inc. Case Use of Currency Derivative Instruments Blades, Inc. needs to order supplies 2 months ahead of the delivery date. It is considering an order from a Japanese supplier that requires a payment of 12. 5 million yen payable as of the delivery date. Blades has two choices: Purchase two call options contracts (since each option contract represents 6,250,000 yen). Purchase one futures contract (which represents 12. million yen). The futures price on yen has historically exhibited a slight discount from the existing spot rate. However, the firm would like to use currency options to hedge payables in Japanese yen for transactions 2 months in advance. Blades would prefer hedging its yen payable position because it is uncomfortable leaving the position open given the historical volatility of the yen. Nevertheless, the firm would be willing to remain un-hedged if the yen becomes more stable someday.Ben Holt, Blade s chief financial officer ( CFO), prefers the flexibility that options offer over forward contracts or financial officer ( CFO), prefers the flexibility that options offer over forward contracts or futures contracts because he can let the options expire if the yen depreciates. He would like to use an exercise price that is about 5 percent above the existing spot rate to ensure that Blades will have to pay no more than 5 per-cent above the existing spot rate for a transaction 2 months beyond its order date, as long as the option premium is no more than 1. percent of the price it would have to pay per unit when exercising the option. In general, options on the yen have required a premium of about 1. 5 percent of the total transaction amount that would be paid if the option is exercised. For example, recently the yen spot rate was $0. 0072, and the firm purchased a call option with an exercise price of $0. 00756, which is 5 percent above the existing spot rate. The premium for this opt ion was $0. 0001134, which is 1. 5 percent of the price to be paid per yen if the option is exercised.A recent event caused more uncertainty about the yen s future value, although it did not affect the spot rate or the forward or futures rate of the yen. Specifically, the yen s spot rate was still $0. 0072, but the option premium for a call option with an exercise price of $0. 00756 was now $0. 0001512. An alter-native call option is available with an expiration date of 2 months from now; it has a premium of $0. 0001134 (which is the size of the premium that would have existed for the option esired before the event), but it is for a call option with an exercise price of $0. 00792. The table below summarizes the option and futures information available to Blades: the option premium for a call option with an exercise price of $0. 00756 was now $0. 0001512. An alter-native call option is available with an expiration date of 2 months from now; it has a premium of $0. 0001134 (which is t he size of the premium that would have existed for the option desired before the event), but it is for a call option with an exercise price of $0. 00792.The table below summarizes the option and futures information available to Blades: Before Event After Event Spot rate $. 0072 $. 0072 $. 0072 Option Information Exercise price ($) $. 00756 $. 00756 $. 00792 Exercise price (% above spot) 5% 5% 10% Option premium per yen ($) $. 0001134 $. 0001512 $. 0001134 Option premium (% of exercise price) 1. 5% 2. 0% 1. 5% Total premium ($) $1,417. 50 $1,890. 00 $1,417. 50 Amount paid for yen if option is exercised (not including premium) $94,500 $94,500 $99,000 Futures Contract Information Futures price $. 06912 $. 006912 As an analyst for Blades, you have been asked to offer insight on how to hedge. 1. What are the advantages and disadvantages for Blades to use currency option contracts and currency futures contracts to hedge its 12. 5 million yen payables respectively? 2. If Blades uses call o ptions to hedge its yen payables, should it use the call option with the exercise price of $0. 00756 or the call option with the exercise price of $0. 00792? What are differences between these two alternatives? 3.Given the above information, how may you take advantages of this situation? 4. Assume the standard deviation for yen is about $0. 0005. If you believe that the future spot rate will likely be two standard deviations above and below the expected spot rate (0. 006912) by the delivery date, what are your maximum gain and loss for option contracts and future contract respectively? Please draw a contingency diagram for each type of contract and also mark the maximum gain, loss, and a break-even price point for each type of contract in your answer. Please show your calculation

Operations Management in Business Essay

In writing this assignment the template provided by the college has been used helping in completing the Assignment in the correct format. Information for this assignment has been collected from various sources such as academic pieces of writing from textbooks and lecture notes. Information on the company has been gathered from the organisations website, journal articles and government statistics. References will be provided at the end of the assignment under the referencing section. LO1: Understand the structure and aims of business organisations LO1.1 Explain the importance of operational management Operation management can be identified as a complete set of managerial activities employed by the organization to transform resource inputs into product and service outputs. So the resource inputs are the factors of production such as materials, parts, supplies, technologies, capital, human resources and information. The transformational process is that set of activities through which operations managements produces output that is value to a customer or client in the organization’s external environment. So the concept of adding value is critical to operations management. So when operations add value to the original cost of the resource inputs, where a business can generate profit or non profit org can provide public services  to the society. So no organization can be successful unless they manage their operations efficiently. An organization has to manage its operations in an effective manner so that customers will get a satisfactory output. Read more:  Operations Management Essay Why an operation manger position is important to Kingslice 1.To take capacity decisions: That is as operation manager, has to decide how much capacity will be needed and need to identity how flexible capacity should be. 2.To take facilities decisions: So operation manger has to decide where should facilities be located and also how many facilities will be needed and what size they should be. 3.To make workflow and technology decisions: Operation manger should decide what workflow layout would be best for Kingslice and also what technology should be used. 4.To make materials and inventory decisions: How often should inventory be ordered and how large should inventory levels be. 5.Have to make quality decisions: As a bread producing company how Kingslice can achieve best quality outputs and what level it should be. So as the operation manger in Kingslice it is really important to concentrate on productivity and profitability. So as the operation manager I have to look at Quality, Efficiency and Effectiveness issues in the company. †¢Quality Standard: As it is expected to produce various kinds of breads to meet customers’ needs it is very necessary to maintain standard quality in products. Eg: Wholemeal bread, White bread, Gluten-free bread. To ensure quality, the right ingredients must be bought at a reasonable price to be competitive among the rivals. So the Economic Order Quantity model will be an effective tool in this case. †¢Efficiency Standard: Should reduce wastage and need to produce the right amount of breads according to sales. It is very important that all the equipments need to be up to date according to new technology bakers should be well trained. †¢Effectiveness Standard: This will help Kingslice to generate more profit and will attract more investors in to the organization. So having skilful staffs and proper equipment will help to lift up the effectiveness in Kingslice. LO1.2 Explain the need to produce safely; on time; to cost; to quality and within the law Operational efficiency is the ability of an organization to deliver products or services to its customers in the most cost-effective manner possible while still ensuring the high quality of its product, service and support. To improve operational efficiency it’s important to analyze the current situation of the company, which occurs when the right combination of the people, process and technology come together to enhance the productivity and value of any business operations, while reducing the cost of routine. It is important for, Kingslice as bread producing company to, -Decrease operational cost and optimize efficiency -Manage and develop product quality and ensure regulatory compliance -Generate a real time demand driven sales and operational planning process âž ¢Safety Kingslice should guarantee that safety of all staffs. Staffs need to carry out a health and safety trainings which will be useful be more cautious at work and react efficiently to safety issues. Equipments should be service over period of time to prevent any danger. âž ¢Cost Minimising wastage will help Kingslice a lot. So the saved money saved could be used in other departments which lack facilities. Avoiding unnecessary cost will help the company to stay competitive. âž ¢Time Producing the bread on time will help Kingslice honouring its contacts to the retailers. By this act, other retailers can switch to Kingslice. âž ¢Quality Customer and retailers feedback need to be taken in to consideration seriously so that we can identify which areas need to improve the most. Having regular meetings with staffs is another form of feedback where ideas can be discussed as well as issues in how to improve quality. âž ¢Legislation To maintain our competiveness and reputation in the market Kingslice need to stick on to the law. Health and safety policy should be respected by giving the staffs the necessary equipments to work. There are laws that protect the environment; at Kingslice we should try to recycle waste. LO1.3 Explain the link between operations management and strategic planning Operations management deals with designs, management with products, processes, services and supply chains. It is considered that the acquisition, development and resources utilization that company needs to provide the goods and services to fulfil their customer’s needs. So basically it is the acquisition of resources and processes them into finished goods according to the customers’ wants and the business goal. Strategic planning is a method for a company planning the present based on the projections what will be needed in the future. So it is a road map to direct the business from where it is now where it will like to be Strategic planning gives a clear view on: †¢How resources should be allocated. †¢The issues need to be addressing. †¢The strengths and weaknesses. . Strategic Planning Process Link between Strategic Planning and Operation Management In Kingslice, as the operational manger should be able operate following operations strategies, †¢Ability to produce bread at low cost †¢Ability produce in accordance with specification and without error †¢Ability to do things quickly in response to customer demands and thereby offer short lead times between when customers orders a product and when they receive it. †¢Ability to deliver products in accordance with promises made to customers †¢Ability to change the volume of production †¢Ability to change the mix of different products Eg: Wholemeal bread, White bread †¢Ability to innovate and introduce new products Eg: Gluten-free bread, Multi-seed bread Applying the SWOT analysis in Kingslice, -Strengths: Get the best out of the staffs and equipping well trained staff and technology. -Weaknesses: Need to reduce the wastes and have to follow or standard recycling method. -Opportunities: Innovating products and change package design will help to increase the sales. -Threats: competitors and health and safety issues LO1.4 Produce a systems diagram to illustrate a typical business LO2: Understand the link between operations management and strategic planning LO2.1 Explain the ‘Three Es’ (economy, efficiency and effectiveness) In this 3 Es’ theory it is often referred to Value of Money. †¢Economy –Minimising the cost of resources (doing things at a low price) This covers financial side of work carried out. It is measured by considering the cost of resources consumed into value of output delivered. †¢Efficiency –Performing tasks with realistic attempt (doing things the right way) This can be measured in terms of the inputs required to generate the outputs. So if a task can be finished with less resources, the efficiency is been improved. †¢Effectiveness –The point to which objectives are met (doing the right things) This can be measured by setting up a target before a task begins and then evaluating whether the targets have been achieved not. †¢Integrating 3Es use of the resources in improving quality o f the products and the customer service in Subway So this 3Es are interrelated so as operations manger when dealing with improving quality and customer service its necessary to consider all 3. So I can suggest following, †¢Benchmarking against other rivals for indications as to whether we are â€Å"economic enough†, â€Å"efficient enough† and â€Å"effective enough†. †¢Comparing with other parts of our organization †¢Measuring and interpreting trends over a period of time †¢Aiming to continuous improvement So I would suggest following measures to improve above qualities in Subway, †¢Economy Performance Measures: Maintaining a cost per unit Comparing the actual cost input with planned input †¢Efficiency Performance Measures: Minimising the waste Make sure staffs well trained Equipment must be up to date †¢Effective Performance Measures: Storing the right amount of stocks Identifying the best selling meal depending on the location Identifying the target customer group Responding to customer feedbacks LO2.2Explain the tension between cost minimisation and quality maximisation. Cost minimisation aims to achieve the most cost efficient way of delivering goods and services achieve the essential level of quality. Customer is the main root in Tesco Plc, without them they cannot survive in the completive market. While offering good customer services and the good quality products need to have an idea about the cost minimization of the product as well. So in this case I realised major out flow of the company is marketing and branding cost. Therefore I have to identify better marketing and branding technique to drop overall Tesco marketing and branding cost for our products. But marketing is very vital to survive in this competitive market (ex.Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose) Thus have to look any alternation cost to reduce rather than cutting marketing cost. I came with an idea to reduce production cost at controlling, †¢Minimise the extra over time, †¢Minimise unnecessary utility expenses †¢Management ordering –then we can reduce transport cost and increase the sales in an efficient way. †¢Hence some Tesco expresses don’t have their own bake off it will be good move to build their own bake off to control waste, cost and provide high quality products. In the mean time I have given my attention to best customer services throughout our entire retail shops. By  advising all retail managers to look after extra satisfactory stock at any time and maintain all warehouse activities including production ,servicing and manage of chilled foods and grocery items while minimum of wastage and maximising customer satisfaction towards highest profitability margin while in according to control the safety features. To increase the customer services I manage to conduct, †¢Proper training programme to all our staff. †¢Evaluate the retail shops and individual staff by’’ mystery shopper’’ †¢Well experience new staff recruitment, LO2.3 Evaluate the significance of the five performance objectives that underpin operations management Strategy in a business organization is essentially about how the organization seeks to survive and prosper within its environment over the long-term. The decisions and actions taken within its operations have a direct impact on the basis on which an organization is able to do this. The way in which an organization secures, deploys and utilizes its resources will determine the extent to which it can successfully pursue specific performance objectives. Slack et al. (2004) argue that there are five operations strategies: 1 Cost: The ability to produce at low cost. 2 Quality: The ability to produce in accordance with specification and without error. 3 Speed: The ability to do things quickly in response to customer demands and thereby offer short lead times between when a customer orders a product or service and when they receive it. 4 Dependability: The ability to deliver products and services in accordance with promises made to customers (e.g. in a quotation or other published information). 5 Flexibility: The ability to change operations. Flexibility can comprise up to four aspects: †¢The ability to change the volume of production. †¢The ability to change the time taken to produce. †¢The ability to change the mix of different products or services produced. †¢The ability to innovate and introduce new products and services. Operations strategy has a vertical relationship in the corporate hierarchy with business and corporate strategies, and horizontally with the other functional strategies, most notably with marketing strategy. Operations strategy might come about in a top-down or a bottom-up process with regard to business and corporate strategies. Similarly, an operations strategy might be developed in response to market requirements (i.e. market-led) or be based on the capabilities of its operations. Slack et al. (2004: p.67) argue that an operations strategy concerns the pattern of strategic decisions and actions, which set the role, objectives, and activities of operations’. Their use of the term ‘pattern’ implies a consistency in strategic decisions and actions over time. LO3 Understand how to organise a typical production process LO3.1Explain linear programming Linear programming is the process of taking various linear inequalities relating to some situation, and finding the â€Å"best† value obtainable under those conditions. Let X be the number of items produced in Basic and Y be the number of items produced in Deluxe. Let P be the profit from both Basic and Deluxe. Then; 10X+ 15Y= P A maximum units of capital is 100. Then; 100≠¥4X+5Y——————requirement 1 Maximum labour availability is 60 hours Then; 60 ≠¥2X+4Y 30≠¥ X+2Y——————-requirement 2 The number of items of the products should be greater than or equals to zero. Then; Y≠¥0 and X≠¥0 Graphical method is used to solve the problem 3 points are available and the 4th point should be derived from the graph Point (0,15) , (0,0) and (25,0) is available , X=16.7 and Y= 6.7 substituting in P= 10x+15y P=167 + 100.5 =267.5 Therefore the maximum profit = 267.5 LO3.2 Evaluate critical path analysis and network planning Critical path analysis is a step by step technique for process planning. This is series of activities determining the earliest completion of the project and schedule network analysis techniques used to identify the schedule flexibility and the critical path of the project schedule network diagram. The critical path is the longest path (sequence of activities) in a project schedule network diagram. Because it is the longest path, it determines the duration of the project and hence the finish dates of the project given the start date. CPA requires careful planning so projects can run smoothly. Improve efficiency and cash flow, therefore materials can be ordered to arrive only as they are needed. Critical path analysis †¢May be used as part of the decision making process. †¢Enables a firm to plan and monitor operations. †¢Time related – identifies the maximum time for an operation to be completed. †¢Identify potential problems in implementing operation. †¢Identifies where and when resources (including human ones) are needed. The approach is in three parts. †¢Create the network – break the overall task down into discrete activities and then create a logical network showing the relationship between the activities in terms of what follows or precedes what. †¢Calculate the timings – make estimates of the time required for each activity and calculate the total time required for the project and the critical path – the path of activities which must happen to estimate if the project is to be completed on time. †¢Update and monitor progress – this is where critical path analysis is really important in areas such as constructions. Having  formed the network and made the estimates and initial calculations, the progress of the activities can be monitored and the whole network updated as work progresses, to ensure that the project completion is not delayed. Example- The following tasks, estimates and precedence have been agreed in a project. TaskActivityEstimated datesprecedence AWrite project initiation document3- BResearch site one4A CResearch site two2A DDocument requirements – site one6B EDocument requirement – site two5C FDefine non – functional requirements2A GDefine agreed requirements3D,E,F HWrite invitation to tender4G Total days29 So we can prepare a project network for this project. After that we can be able to identify which activities are on the critical path of the project. Observing this path we can be able to infer the estimated elapsed duration of the project. The project network for this project- Critical path = ABDG H = 3 + 4 + 6 + 3 + 4 = 20 days In order to complete to this project take 29 days normally but after applying  critical path can be able to finish this 20 days and we can save 9 days from this. LO3.3 Explain the need for operational planning and control Operational planning and control decisions involve arrangement and control of labour, materials, and capital input to produce the required quantity and quality of production most efficiently. Operational planning and control are based on forecasts of future demand for the output of the system. But even with the best possible forecasting and the most finely tuned operations system, demand cannot always be met with existing system capability in a given time period. †¢Unexpected market trends †¢new product developments †¢competitors’ actions Can throw the forecasts off and problems in the operations system can reduce capacity. At these times, shorter term managerial decisions must be made to allocate system capacity to meet demand.   Long term planning involves factors such as fixed capacity planning and product planning. These decisions will affect the organization in the long run. Medium and short term planning involves variable capacity planning, product forecasting, operations scheduling and inventory management. Operation manger organises the operations functioned be allocating responsibilities and creating structures. To ensure business will run smoothly in the long run following planning and controls have to take in to action âž ¢Routing: _ decides the quality and material type _organizing production control forms _investigating which part of the product need to produced or bought âž ¢Scheduling Preventing unnecessary delays and completing operations successfully and efficiently. _Master scheduling _Manufacture scheduling âž ¢Despatching How the process and operations are done through the route sheets. _Centralised Despatching _De-centralised Despatching âž ¢Follow up and expediting âž ¢Inspection LO4 Be able to apply relevant techniques to the production of an operational plan for a typical business LO4.1 Produce a set of clearly defined operational outcomes Companies achieve operational outcomes by reducing or avoiding costs. We can use SMART tool to define the outcomes †¢Specific: Clear and definite terms describing abilities, knowledge, values, attitudes and performance. †¢Measurable: It is feasible to get the data and data are accurate and reliable so it can be assed in more than one way. †¢Aggressive but Attainable: Has potential to move the organization forward. †¢Results-oriented: Describes what standards are expected from customers. †¢Time-bound: Describes where organization would like to be within a specific time period †¢As the Operations Manager at Curry’s, †¢When a customer orders for any particular product online it will be delivered next day, so as the operational manger if we can improve that same day service. It will enhance the quality of customer service provided by Curry’s. †¢Reviewing all the shifts and rescheduling the staff rota. So we can put more staff in the busy periods so it will help to provide excellent customer service because customers won’t be waiting in the long queues to get served. †¢Customer Returns have a bad effect on the business so as operation manger need to ensure the customer to remain faithful to Curry’s. Discount vouchers, Percentage discounts can be issued to the customer. This will satisfy customers. †¢Some customers experience problems in going through the catalogues. By having trained staffs, it is promising for them  to offer help to the customers who wish to use their assist in deciding which particular product the customers are looking for. †¢As the operation manger, need to compliance with budget and stability in curries. LO4.2 Produce a network plan and indicate the resultant critical path TaskActivityEstimated datesprecedence ASearch for suppliers and prepare storage10- BObtain quotation and get the approval 20A CPlace Order5B DInform The accountant 10C EReceive Goods20D G H FReceive invoice15A GChecking goods and acceptance5F, C HMake payment15A Total days LO4.3 Explain how quality could be defined and maintained Quality means different things to different organizations depending on the context. In curry’s quality is more likely to mean service excellence and customer care which is measured in terms of meeting customer expectations and customer satisfaction. http://www.iia.org.uk/en/Knowledge_Centre/Resource_Library/quality.cfm †¢how to ensure the overall quality standard in curry’s -Providing vision and direction to achieve results. -Making decisions using accurate data and facts. -Delivering value through the development of individuals -Managing process through an integrated approach -Increasing efficiency -Focusing on customers and anticipating future needs -Continuous improvement Quality management tools, standards and models -ISO 9000 series -Total quality management -Investors in people -Service excellence -Six sigma †¢To achieve quality standards in curry’s need to, -Provide quick response to customer feedbacks and problems -Have fully trained staffs -Revise supply chain of the products if products, defects higher than the returns expected per day. -Have up to date software’s and hardware’s to provide after sales services if required Conclusion and recommendation Operations management is a broad area of business management that involves labor relations, statistics, manufacturing control, and policy creation, among other things Being a good operation manager demands lots of hard work and dedication as he/she has to demonstrate how he/she manage scarce resources, time, cost, quality and so on. 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