Source Document Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Source Document Analysis - Essay Example Elizabeth as queen represents England and the 30 year old Sir Walter Raleigh and ‘his heires and assignes forever’ (page 289), will act as her agent in the ‘new lands and countries.’ As to whether Elizabeth had the right to claim for herself land that already belonged to others, the American natives, that is another matter. Walter Raleigh was an explorer, but in fact, as far as North America was concerned, he merely organised various expeditions.. He is described as ‘our trusted and well beloved servant’, He is given great authority, â€Å"all and meere power and authoritie to correct, punish, pardon, governe,† ( page 293) but the queen was giving nothing away. She expected great returns from her new world colonies.( page 291) â€Å" reserving alwayes to us, our heires and successors, for all services, dueties, and demaunds, the fift part of all the oare of golde and silver.† She was presumably influenced by the stories of gold and silver that the Spanish had discovered further south. There were provisions in case of problems ( page 295 and 296). Then there would be retaliation – if there was not satisfaction then all involved would be ‘out of our allegiance and protection.’ ( page 296) As well as an explorer Raleigh was also courtier, statesman, farmer, sailor, scientist and man of letters. Despite all this, and the apparent esteem in which Elizabeth seems to hold him when this letter patent was written, he would later fall from royal favour and become a prisoner in the notorious Tower of London. This happened when Elizabeth discovered his intrigue with one of court ladies, Elizabeth Throckmorton, a lady whom he would later marry. Paul Halsall ( 1998) puts his problems down to rivalry from his rival the Earl of Essex, a great favourite of Elizabeth’s. He would get into even worse trouble during the reign of Elizabeth’s successor , James I, and was eventually executed. Despit e the fact that the document states that Raleigh is described as ‘discovering and planting new lands, he in fact did this in company with his much less well known half brother Sir Humphrey Gilbert., as described by Paul Halsall, 1998. The queen would not allow Raleigh to actually land in North America, but he did much of the organizing, including the beginnings of Roanoke Island. Also although it just says ‘new lands and countries’ it in fact referred to the colonization of Virginia. However despite two expeditions, and attempts to found lasting settlements, neither resulted in a permanent settlement. There is mention of Raleigh’s ‘heirs and assignees forever’ and to Elizabeth’s ‘heires and successors’, yet in the second line of the heading a much shorter and more precise period is mentioned ‘the space of six yeeres and no more’. During this period Elizabeth forbids others to interfere.( page 292) Elizabeth was in control. She had earlier refused to allow Raleigh to travel to Nova Scotia with his half brother in 1583, a trip from which Gilbert did not return alive. ( The Pirates, undated), We are told that Sir Walter Raleigh could go anywhere not already in the possession ‘of any Christian Prince’ i.e. he couldn’t take over land already held by Spain for instance. We are told he can ‘have, hold occupy and enjoy’

management accounting assignment

management accounting assignment 1. Activity: General ledger department reconciles and updates the general ledgers. Objective: The main purpose of having reconciliation in an organization is to ensure that the overall accuracy, completeness and consistency of account balance. Narrowly, it is to compare accounting information that exists in two systems or locations (‘Reconciliation of Balance Sheet Accounts’, n.d.). Jessica (n.d.) also found that reconciliation helped in identifying the misstatement in account records and file. If accountants have successfully found the errors, they must immediately update the adjustment. It is to ensure that the final completed financial reports accurately represent the financial status of the organization (Jim, S., 2008). Example: The accountant in Puspa Footwear Manufacture can agree and reconcile the journal vouchers from cost accounting and inventory subsidiary ledgers from inventory control (James A. Hall, 2013). 2. Activity: Production planning and control department determines the material and operation requirements with the inventory status report and sales forecast. Objective: The main objective of this activity is to get the right quantity of materials to the right place at the right time (Vassilis, M., 2000). By having the inventory status report and sales forecast, the management in this department will be informed with the information of reorder point, quantity on hand, quantity on order, and the sales expectation that salesmen want to achieve (â€Å"Inventory stock status by item report†, n.d.) (â€Å"Forecast and plan your sales†, n.d.). Then, this department will determine how much material is required in that batch production. It can avoid any wastage of materials indirectly. It is similar as just in time production model which goods are manufacture to meet demand, not manufactured in surplus. (â€Å"Just-in-time manufacturing†, n.d.). Example: After understanding the reports from inventory control department and marketing department, production planning control staff in Puspa Footwear Manufacture has decided the types and quantity of material required and sent purchase requisition to suppliers. 3. Activity: Production planning and control department reviews the bill of materials and route sheet. Objective: By reviewing of bill of materials (BOM) and route sheet, these two source documents have provided necessary information to plan the production schedule. The information mainly relates to the time constraints, batch sizes and specification (James A. Hall, 2010). By planning the production schedule, an organization can achieve 3 primary goals. It is to avoid the delay in completion of jobs, to well spend the time, and to maximize the utilization of equipment and machine (â€Å"Production Planning and Scheduling†, n.d.). Example: In the case study, it did mention that Production planning and control department gathered and reviewed the bill of materials and route sheet and prepared two copies of production schedules to work center and cost accounting department. 4. Activity: Employee timecards and job tickets are prepared and sent to payroll department and cost accounting department. Objective: The purpose to prepare the time cards and job tickets is to identify the attendance of workers or employees and to determine their wages or salaries. As evidence to the employees’ formal daily attendance, the payroll department will use the information in the time cards to decide whether there is bonus or commission to the employees. Besides, the job tickets are sent to cost accounting department to allocate the direct labor charges to work in process accounts. In short, by having these two valid evidences, the fairness to allocate the salaries is enhanced. Example: The production workers are required to punch the time card twice per working day (when they are going to work and when the working hour ends). 5. Activity: Cost accounting department reconciles material usage and labor usage and calculates variance. Objective: The primary objective in this activity is to monitor the current performance in production line via variance analysis. Edwards-Nutton (2008) also defined the variance accounting activity as ‘the evaluation of performance by means of variances, whose timely reporting should maximize the opportunity for managerial action.’ By interpreting the difference between the actual cost and budgeted cost, the management is able to know the efficiency and volume variances in the material usage variance. This can indirectly help to develop an understanding of the present costs and then to control the future costs. This is a kind of useful forecasting as well. Example: In the case study, the staff in cost accounting department did reconcile the material usage and labor usage and calculate the variance by using the information of move ticket, work order, job ticket, and journal voucher. The staff then updates the WIP account. 6. Activity: Production planning and control department prepared move tickets. Objective: The preparation of move tickets is actually one of the ways to detect and inspect the quality of the intermediates or spare parts of finished goods. It is to ensure that all the portion of finished goods meet the quota then only can be processed for the next stage. It is also beneficial for the management to prepare the move ticket because this activity can ensure the smooth flow of the production process. Example: In producing footwear, there are basically 4 stages. Firstly, the Clicking or Cutting Department will prepare the cutting and size of the footwear. Then the process will be handled by Closing or Machining Department, followed by Lasting Making Department and lastly Finishing Department and the Shoe Room (â€Å"Shoe Making Process†, n.d.). Therefore, between each stage, the personnel in charge are required to inspect the process and authorize it by using move tickets. Edwards-Nutton, S. (2008, March).Standard costing and variance analysis. Topic Gateway Series. RetrievedJuly12, 2014, from http://www.cimaglobal.com/Documents/ImportedDocuments/cid_tg_standard_costing_and_variance_analysis_mar08.pdf.pdf Forecast and plan your sales. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2014, from http://www.infoentrepreneurs.org/en/guides/forecast-and-plan-your-sales/ Jim, S. (2008, October).General Ledger Review. Reviewing Your Ledger. RetrievedJuly12, 2014, from http://dafis.ucdavis.edu/training/docs/GLReview.pdf Jessica, K. (n.d.).How to Reconcile General Ledger Accounts | Chron.com. Retrieved July12, 2014, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/reconcile-general-ledger-accounts-3915.html James A. Hall (2010). Principles of accounting information systems (First Asia Edition), CENGAGE Learning. James A. Hall (2013). Accounting information systems (8th edition), CENGAGE Learning. Production Planning and Scheduling. (n.d.). Retrieved July12, 2014, from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Or-Pr/Production-Planning-and-Scheduling.htm QuickBooks Support Inventory stock status by item report. (n.d.). RetrievedJuly12, 2014, from http://support.quickbooks.intuit.com/support/pages/inproducthelp/core/qb2k12/contentpackage/core/reports_description_other/rpt_inv_stock_byitem.html?family=pro Reconciliation of Balance Sheet Accounts. (n.d.). Retrieved July12, 2014. from http://policy.umn.edu/Policies/Finance/Accounting/RECONCILIATION_PROC03.htm Vassilis, M. (2000, January). Material requirement planning. Innoregio Project. Retrieved July 12, 2014, from http://www.adi.pt/docs/innoregio_mrp-en.pdf Just-in-time manufacturing (JIT manufacturing). (n.d.). RetrievedJuly12, 2014, from http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/just-in-time-manufacturing-JIT-manufacturing Shoe Making Process. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.teonline.com/knowledge-centre/shoe-making-how-shoes-made.html

Humorous Wedding Speech by the Father of the Groom -- Wedding Toasts R

Humorous Wedding Speech by the Father of the Groom Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen - I must admit, I am more nervous about participating in this wedding than I was as the groom (bridegroom) at my own wedding. Maybe it's because I have been married thirty years and I know what my son is getting himself in to! Joking aside, I've had a wonderful marriage and I would like to remind David and Arba that it's a serious business, and shouldn't be entered into lightly - although, at his weight, my son certainly isn't doing that. So how can the happy couple ensure a happy marriage? A lot of advice has already come their way, some which may be of use, some of it may not. For me, the key appears to be understanding women and how they communicate. I've always found the following a good guide: If the word "nothing" is uttered, this actually means "something" and you should be on your to...

Stakeholder analysis

This is important if we are to take into consideration and somehow respond o those actors who may feel threatened by and resist change. It is also important to distinguish primary stakeholders, those who benefit from an intervention or programmer. Stakeholder analysis is used to understand who the key actors are around a given issue and to gauge the importance of different groups' interests and potential influence. It also serves to highlight groups who are most affected by a given issue and least able to influence the situation.How to use this framework Stakeholder analysis should be focused on a single issue, e. G. Girls' education or recruitment of child soldiers. It can serve as an analytical framework for processing data or as a data collection exercise to be done in the field: based on review of existing information (documentary review); in group meetings; through key informant interviews (centrally or in the field). It can serve in an assessment exercise, in a programmer monit oring exercise (e. G. To further probe positions/ interests as the programmer advances) and in an evaluation (e. . How have interests changed, supporting or impeding programmer progress). What it can tell us Identify different groups that can be sources of information; Interpret perspectives provided by each group; Identify who could positively or negatively influence programmer responses; To support realistic programmer planning and management, data collectors must look carefully within the group of primary stakeholders, recognizing that this group is not uniform, but include sub-groups with different characteristics (e. G. Omen, children, leaders); and at the wider group of actors that might positively or negatively influence a situation. A â€Å"do no harm† perspective (see content sheet â€Å"Do no harm') must foresee which non- remarry stakeholder groups might seek to benefit from a programmer at the expense of primary stakeholders Direct capacity-building efforts A cap acity-building approach to the projects should seek to increase primary stakeholders' influence over the achievement of a goal (I. E. Move primary stakeholders towards sector 1 in the Venn diagram on the next page).Representing stakeholders as a Venn diagram Two circles distinguish stakeholders: Primary stakeholders (those who will benefit from an intervention) are represented inside the dotted oval; The wider context of stakeholders is presented by the larger oval. Two axes (influence/be influenced and win/lose) divide the diagram into four areas: Sector 1: Those who can influence the situation and benefit from it; examples: Outsiders: local and international Nags, political factions; Primary stakeholders: influential actors (e. . Leaders). Sector 2: Those who are influenced by the changes and will benefit from it; examples: Primary stakeholders; Non-primary stakeholders who will nonetheless gain from the project's outcomes. Sector 3: Those who cannot influence the achievement of a goal and will be effected negatively by it; examples: Primary stakeholders and outsiders whose status or relative wealth are changed by an activity.

Money an Possesions

The Bible says a lot about money, wealth and riches. Jesus said, â€Å"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. † (Mark 10:25). Jesus, already knows the human heart better than anyone . So many times, rich people make wealth their number one priority instead of God. They spend most of their time making wealth, and spending it. Money becomes their idol. God said in his commandment that their should be no other Gods before him and hey break that by idealizing money.We don't have enough faith to depend on God and know that he will gives us our desires of our hearts if we Just seek him and give him our all. Our culture wants to buy the new cars, new music players, new computers, new furniture, So we' are caught somewhere in between, not poor but far from rich. We see the importance that money brings to us. We have even seen rich people get treated with respect and we want a piece of that for ourselves. We have God, but we want more.Just like Adam and Eve, we desire to be bigger and better than we are. Satan lied to them then, and he's still lying to us today. We know we can't but certain things and we know that we can't afford vacations, UT the devil tells us we can and then we have to pay the consequences in the long run. As long as we have Jesus we are rich. We don't need all that big stuff. God knows what we need and what we don't need. There was this song; it was called â€Å"The world didn't give and the world can't take it away'.

There Will Come Soft Rains Essays - Human Extinction, Free Essays

There Will Come Soft Rains Essays - Human Extinction, Free Essays There Will Come Soft Rains There Will Come Soft Rains was written by Sara Teasdale as part of one of her works, Collected Poems. It is a lyrical poem that deals with the subsistence of mankind and nature together. It also deals with the serene beauty and existence of nature itself. Throughout the poem, Sara Teasdale emphasizes the existence of mankind and nature in two different worlds, yet the two worlds are also still one in the same. There Will Come Soft Rains has both a literal and figurative meaning. The first three stanzas have literal meaning. They describe nature and its existence in relation to mankind. The last three stanzas have figurative meaning. They describe the individuality of nature by accentuating the separation of both worlds and indicating that their world would remain unaltered without the existence of mankind. The first stanza involves the peaceful clashing of both worlds. Soft rains symbolize a silent war that constantly rages, yet causes no harm. The second stanza describes nature in its natural habitat. The frogs represent all of nature and the pools represent their natural environment. The third stanza again represents the peaceful coexistence of both worlds. The fence wire represents mankind, and the robins represent nature. The last three stanzas of the poem figuratively depict the war between nature and mankind. Sara Teasdale focuses on nature and their unchanged existence without man. These last three stanzas serve to further illustrate the separation of both worlds. The fifth stanza creates the image of a world without man. The sixth stanza demonstrates the reaction of nature to being alone in the world. Sara Teasdale uses Spring to represent nature, and her reaction symbolizes the thoughts and ideas of nature as a whole. Sara Teasdale uses rhyme at the end of each verse of this poem. Rhyme is the repetition of words or syllables with similar sounds. In There Will Come Soft Rains, the last words of each stanza rhyme. She also uses imagery in this poem. Imagery is a technique in which writers convey many messages with few words by creating mental pictures for the reader and combining them all at once. Sara Teasdale uses sound to create images in this poem. The sounds of the frogs and the robins convey the calmness of the setting. The world is placid, and the only sounds are the harmonious songs of nature. The theme of There Will come Soft Rains is peace. The theme also has both literal and figurative meanings. Nature and Mankind both literally exist in the same world, but figuratively, their worlds are utterly different. These two worlds are able to survive peacefully with only one common bond, the world they share. The silent war rages on, but it is not a war of violence. Two totally opposite worlds have learned to coexist with each other, for they realize that they both are one in the same.

Delphi String Handling Routines

Delphi String Handling Routines The CompareText  function compares two strings without case sensitivity. Declaration:function  CompareText(const  S1, S2:  string):  integer; Description:Compares two strings without case sensitivity. The comparison is NOT case sensitive and does not consider the Windows locale settings. The return integer value is less than 0 if S1 is less than S2, 0 if S1 equals S2, or greater than 0 if S1 is greater than S2. This function is obsolete, i.e. it should not be used in new code - exists only for backward compatibility. Example: var s1,s2 : string; i : integer; s1:Delphi; s2:Programming; i: CompareText(s1,s2); //i Copy Function Returns a substring of a string or a segment of a dynamic array. Declaration:function  Copy(S; Index, Count: Integer):  string;function  Copy(S; Index, Count: Integer):  array; Description:Returns a substring of a string or a segment of a dynamic array.S is an expression of a string or dynamic-array type. Index and Count are integer-type expressions. Copy returns a string containing a specified number of characters from a string or sub array containing Count elements starting at S[Index]. If Index is greater than the length of S, Copy returns a zero-length string () or an empty array.  If Count specifies more characters or array elements than are available, only the characters or elements from S[Index] to the end of S are returned. To determine the number of characters in string, use the Length function. A convenient way to copy all the elements of S from the starting Index is to use  MaxInt  as Count. Example: var s : string; s:DELPHI; s : Copy(s,2,3); //sELP; Delete Procedure Removes a substring from a string. Declaration:procedure  Delete(var  S:  string; Index, Count : Integer) Description:Removes Count characters from a string S, starting at Index.  Delphi leaves the string unchanged if Index is not positive or greater than the number of characters after the Index. If Count is greater than the rest of the characters after the Index, the rest of the string is deleted. Example: var s : string; s:DELPHI; Delete(s,3,1) //sDEPHI; ExtractStrings Function Fills a string list with substrings parsed from a delimited list. Declaration:type  TSysCharSet   set of  Char;function  ExtractStrings(Separators, WhiteSpace: TSysCharSet; Content: PChar; Strings: TStrings): Integer; Description:Fills a string list with substrings parsed from a delimited list. Separators are a set of characters that are used as delimiters, separating the substrings, where Carriage returns, newline characters, and quote characters (single or double) are always treated as separators. WhiteSpace is a set of characters to be ignored when parsing Content if they occur at the beginning of a string. Content is the null-terminated string to parse into substrings. Strings is a string list to which all substrings parsed from Content are added. The function returns the number of strings added to the Strings parameter. Example: //example 1 - requires TMemo named Memo1 ExtractStrings([;,,], [ ], about: delphi; pascal, programming , memo1.Lines); //would result in 3 strings added to memo: //about: delphi //pascal //programming //example 2 ExtractStrings([DateSeparator], [ ], PChar(DateToStr(Now)), memo1.Lines); //would result in 3 strings: day month and year of the currnet date //for example 06, 25 ,2003 LeftStr Function Returns a string containing a specified number of characters from the left side of a string. Declaration:function  LeftStr(const  AString: AnsiString;  const  Count: Integer): AnsiString;overload;  function  LeftStr(const  AString: WideString;  const  Count: Integer): WideString;  overload; Description:Returns a string containing a specified number of characters from the left side of a string. AString represents a string expression from which the leftmost characters are returned. Count indicates how many characters to return. If 0, a zero-length string () is returned. If greater than or equal to the number of characters in AString, the entire string is returned. Example: var s : string; s : ABOUT DELPHI PROGRAMMING; s : LeftStr(s,5); // s ABOUT Length Function Returns an integer containing the number of characters in a string or the number of elements in an array. Description:function  Length(const S:  string): integerfunction  Length(const S:  array): integer Declaration:Returns an integer containing the number of characters in a string or the number of elements in an array.  For an array, Length(S) always returns Ord(High(S))-Ord(Low(S))1 Example: var s : string; i : integer; s:DELPHI; i : Length(s); //i6; LowerCase Function Returns a string that has been converted to lowercase. Description:function  LowerCase(const  S:  string):  string; Declaration:Returns a string that has been converted to lowercase.LowerCase only converts uppercase letters to lowercase; all lowercase letters and nonletter characters remain unchanged. Example: var s : string; s:DeLpHi; s : LowerCase(s); //sdelphi; Pos Function Returns an integer specifying the position of the first occurrence of one string within another. Declaration:function  Pos(Str, Source:  string):  integer; Description:Returns an integer specifying the position of the first occurrence of one string within another. Pos looks for the first complete occurrence of Str in Source. If it finds one, it returns the character position in Source of the first character in Str as an integer value, otherwise, it returns 0.Pos is case sensitive. Example: var s : string; i : integer; s:DELPHI PROGRAMMING; i:Pos(HI PR,s); //i5; PosEx Function Returns an integer specifying the position of the first occurrence of one string within another, where the search starts at a specified position. Declaration:function  PosEx(Str, Source :  string, StartFrom : cardinal 1):  integer; Description:Returns an integer specifying the position of the first occurrence of one string within another, where the search starts at a specified position. PosEx looks for the first complete occurrence of Str in Source, beginning the search at StartFrom. If it finds one, it returns the character position in Source of the first character in Str as an integer value, otherwise, it returns 0. PosEx also returns 0 if StartFrom is greater then Length(Source) or if StartPos is 0 Example: var s : string; i : integer; s:DELPHI PROGRAMMING; i:PosEx(HI PR, s, 4); //i1; QuotedStr Function Returns the quoted version of a string. Declaration:function  QuotedStr(const  S:  string):  string; Description:Returns the quoted version of a string. A single quote character () is inserted at the beginning and end of string S, and each single quote character in the string is repeated. Example: var s : string; s:Delphis Pascal; //ShowMessage returns Delphis Pascal s : QuotedStr(s); //ShowMessage returns Delphis Pascal ReverseString Function Returns a string in which the character order of a specified string is reversed. Declaration:function  ReverseString(const  AString :  string):  string; Description:  Returns a string in which the character order of a specified string is reversed Example: var s : string; s:ABOUT DELPHI PROGRAMMING; s:ReverseString(s); //sGNIMMARGORP IHPLED TUOBA RightStr Function Returns a string containing a specified number of characters from the right side of a string. Declaration:function  RightStr(const  AString: AnsiString;  const  Count: Integer): AnsiString;overload;function  RightStr(const  AString: WideString;  const  Count: Integer): WideString;overload; Description:Returns a string containing a specified number of characters from the right side of a string. AString represents a string expression from which the rightmost characters are returned. Count indicates how many characters to return. If greater than or equal to the number of characters in AString, the entire string is returned. Example: var s : string; s : ABOUT DELPHI PROGRAMMING; s : RightStr(s,5); // s MMING StringReplace Function Returns a string in which a specified substring has been replaced with another substring. Declaration:type  TReplaceFlags   set of  (rfReplaceAll, rfIgnoreCase); function  StringReplace(const  S, OldStr, NewStr:  string; Flags: TReplaceFlags):  string; Description:Returns a string in which a specified substring has been replaced with another substring. If the Flags parameter does not include rfReplaceAll, only the first occurrence of OldStr in S is replaced. Otherwise, all instances of OldStr are replaced by NewStr.  If the Flags parameter includes rfIgnoreCase, the comparison operation is case insensitive. Example: var s : string; s:VB programmers love About VB Programming site; s : ReplaceStr(s,VB,Delphi, [rfReplaceAll]); //sDelphi programmers love About Delphi Programming site; Trim Function Returns a string containing a copy of a specified string without both leading and trailing spaces and control characters. Declaration:  function  Trim(const  S:  string):  string; Description:  Returns a string containing a copy of a specified string without both leading and trailing spaces and non-printing control characters. Example: var s : string; s: Delphi ; s : Trim(s); //sDelphi; UpperCase Function Returns a string that has been converted to uppercase. Declaration:  function  UpperCase(const  S:  string):  string; Description:  Returns a string that has been converted to uppercase.UpperCase only converts lowercase letters to uppercase; all uppercase letters and nonletter characters remain unchanged. Example: var s : string; s:DeLpHi; s : UpperCase(s); //sDELPHI; Val Procedure Converts a string to a numeric value. Declaration:  procedure  Val(const  S:  string;  var  Result;  var  Code: integer); Description:Converts a string to a numeric value. S is a string-type expression; it must be a sequence of characters that form a signed real number. The Result argument can be an Integer or floating-point variable. Code is zero if the conversion is successful. If the string is invalid, the index of the offending character is stored in Code. Val does not heed the local settings for the decimal separator. Example: var s : string; c,i : integer; s:1234; Val(s,i,c); //i1234; //c0

9 Great Excuses for Missing Work

9 Great Excuses for Missing Work There are tons of valid excuses  for missing work. But it’s not foolproof†¦there are also tons of reasons that are totally not valid, and will likely earn you a trip to the professional dog house. 1. Valid excuse: You’re sick.Invalid excuse: You’re sick with a fever whose only cure is more cowbell.2. Valid excuse: There’s been a death in your family.Invalid excuse: There’s been a death on your favorite TV show.3. Valid excuse: You’re having a personal emergency.Invalid excuse: You’re having a fashion emergency.4. Valid excuse: You fell and injured yourself.Invalid excuse: †¦Running for the ice cream truck. (Just leave that part out.)5. Valid excuse: You’re celebrating a religious holiday.Invalid excuse: Your â€Å"religious holiday† is corroborated only by a weirdly sparse Wiki page that was updated last by someone with your usual screen name.6. Valid excuse: You’re having a childcare crunch.Invalid exc use: You’re having drama because you’re out of Cap’n Crunch.7. Valid excuse: You’re getting married.Invalid excuse: A royal is marrying that beautiful commoner who totally could have been you if only you’d been able to afford that spring break in Luxembourg.8. Valid excuse: The weather is bad, and so are the roads you’d be commuting on.Invalid excuse: Your psychic told you it might snow this afternoon. (And it’s June.)9. Valid excuse: You need a mental health day.Invalid excuse: Your pet needs you at home while he works through some personal issues.

Overpopulation affects the environment Research Paper - 1

Overpopulation affects the environment - Research Paper Example he population has effected the environment through two agents: the increasing population itself, and the advances in technology that this population has brought with itself (Stancheva). However, currently both the problems have little hope of being tackled, so that the environment continues to be adversely effected. For this purpose, and in this paper, it is assumed that the problem of overpopulation is a fixed entity, and the only variable that can be modified is the way the environment is handled through lifestyle and habits of the general population. This paper, therefore, purports to present some of the problems that are inflicted on the environment, and the way they can be properly handled by appropriate changes in the lifestyle. The most dire issue related to overpopulation is that of fresh water supply (Stancheva). According to the United Nations, the supply per capita has decreased by one third in the past year (Stancheva). It is the worst in the developing and the underdeveloped countries of Asia, Africa, and South America, coinciding with the increase in the population in these areas (Stancheva). Nevertheless, the developed countries and the urban areas are also not prevented from this crisis (Stancheva); with the increase in population in the urban areas due to migration, the demand for fresh water has increased while the supplies either remain constant or have decreased. A case in point is Beijing (Stancheva). Another problem related to water is its pollution. Again, it is worst in the underdeveloped countries, where 95% of the sewage, especially from factories, is dumped into the water system untreated, which ultimately makes its way into the ocean (Stancheva). Combined with over-fishing, which results in the

ARM, Intel and the microprocessor industry in 2014 Literature review

ARM, Intel and the microprocessor industry in 2014 - Literature review Example They had a feeling that sales favored ARM as their sales did not reflect the center of the ecosystem. Some observers felt that this would result to Intel making decisive actions. Intel was famous because it had good cash flow and upgraded technology. 40% of semiconductors are classified as microprocessors that have the circuit needed for computers. The remaining 60% are used for simple processors that have specific use such as the greeting cards. Even if they are less flexible they cannot be programmed once they have been installed (Grant & Jordan, 2012, P 15). Their shares of microprocessors have been increasing and it passed 50% in the year 2010. Microprocessors are manufactured through a complex process. The leading player is the US giant Intel that produced processors through its own architecture of x86. Their processors were used in the growing segments such as manufacturing of smart phones and tablets. This increased their sales from 12% in 2010 to 22% in 2012. They also became dominants by manufacturing gadgets at low cost and chrome book that was introduced by Google. The key selling strategy of ARM was through designing gadgets that consumed little energy. This was an important aspect of gadgets that needed to utilize energy that have limited battery capacity. This strategy seemed to be a good factor for some years to come. However the emission of low battery car was being improved. Commenters had begun to take an interest in the rivalry between Intel and ARM. These were different companies with different business models. And because of this neither of the two companies was justified to continue with the spoils with the way they have been doing. The final challenge is expected in network servers where ARM chips were being displayed. There are many processors in servers that are tightly fixed together, thus become a major challenge to keep them cool for long. Low energy chips consume low energy while operating thus cutting down costs. In the

Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Portfolio - Essay Example There were attempts by the government to inform and educate the people of the US in a totally different manner and the government wanted to introduce new measures and policies when it came to the economic and financial bases. There were changes all over, not only in economics but also in terms of politics and infrastructural developments. All these things accounted for the modifications which actually took place during the period of Renaissance after the year 1989. The reason why Americans experienced such a period is due to the fact that the leaders of the country wanted it to happen and they wanted the people to know that a lot of different measures and steps which were taken by that time were for their own betterment and good. People started to experience life in a different way altogether and thus changes were experienced left, right and center. All said and done, this Renaissance experience was for the positive side of the Americans and there was nothing to worry about as far as the people of the United States are concerned. Realism can make the humanity realize the importance of having a grasp of the global regimes which are working day and night to make a difference, no matter in whichever capacity they are functional. This suggests the fact that realism has a say or two in the global contexts and hence has a direct bearing on the subject of globalization so to speak. Realism brings to light the salient aspects related with world politics which directly or for that matter indirectly comes under the globalization module and thus a strong linkage is made apparent between the very two. Without a doubt, the world economy has grown in recent decades. So much so, that the pundits have said something good about it. International trade is something that is attributed to this upheaval. It has formed the motivating factor behind the very same. Developing countries have also stepped on to the bandwagon and are thus bringing in

What is Archaeology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What is Archaeology - Essay Example The concept of the study of archaeology seems very important since it explains the existence of human beings, and other natural features such as plants, and rocks in the society. Insights and knowledge that one acquires from the study of archaeology helps in understanding the origin of humans, and so on. One of the concepts of archaeology that one might need clarification on is the concept of how apes are the ancestors of human beings. The main question will be â€Å"why apes no longer evolve or why don’t humans evolve to become another creature.†? This concept seems unclear to many students because the concept of human evolution is not convincing, and other archaeological facts that history depicts (Davis, 2005). In conclusion, deeper explanation of these archaeological findings might be very important to the central and the larger context of the class. The nature of archaeology is complex in the sense that it has so much for students to learn, and it offers a lot of information that is debatable both in, and out of class. The study of archaeology is one of the most interesting concepts in history of all

Business Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Business Communications - Essay Example The electronic media has changed the world of communications. Daily meetings, face-to-face chats and trips to other cities and countries are gradually being replaced with emails, teleconferences and video-conferences. This new breed of communications has brought solutions as well as problems for office communications. This paper reviews the academic work on communications in the workplace and the impact introduction of emails have had on workplace practices. Emails have also brought new issues for management. The paper discusses management practices adopted to address these issues. The consequence of introduction of emails in an organization is an important subject for a company using electronic mail. The managerial and working practices need to be adapted to benefit from the positive aspects of using computer mediated communications (CMC) and the negative aspects of CMC as well as effect of reduced face-to face contacts need to be controlled or minimized. Compared to face-to-face contact or telephonic conversation, the advantage of CMC include the ability to retrieve and search materials, overcome the difficulty of time and distance, one-to-many communications, electronically organizing and retrieving emails and other media and reprocessing of other contents with the materials to be handled by CMC. It is often debated whether em... nfluences the decision making and participation within organizations, which types of email adoption are practiced by any single organization, uses and misuses of emails and the technology and/or discipline used to control email misuse are subject of considerable interest in the use of this medium of communication. The argument for and against emails versus face-to-face communications are often discussed in terms of Media Communication Theories. [D'Ambra et al, 1998] discuss the new organizational media with reference to Media Richness Theory (MRT) developed by [Daft & Lengel, 1986]. Media richness theory is often applied to determine the question of choice and effectiveness. The [Daft &Lengel, 1986] classification considered immediacy; the opportunity to provide timely feedback, Multiple cues; the capability of the media to provide meaning through cues such as body language, voice and tones, language variety; the capability of the medium to explain the message by using different words and personal source; the ability to convey feelings. This classification gives oral media over written media. A typical classification of different media according to [Daft & Lengel, 1984, 1986] MRT is as follows [cited in Mondyu, 1997] Media Ranking [cited in Mondyu, 1997] Communication Channel Score Face-to-Face 1.00 Telephone 0.94 Tours and Visits 0.82 Voice Conferencing 0.79 Formal Group Meeting 0.65 Computer Generated Reports 0.47 Memos and Documents 0.27 Email 0.13 Facsimile 0.11 However, the original Daft and Lengel criteria were not designed with modern communication media in mind, assuming Face-to-Face as the standard, produces a result that is biased against the Computer Mediated Communications (CMC). [Daft & Lengel, 1984] argue that a 'rich' media must have no or low

Life is beautiful Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Business Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Business Communications - Essay Example The electronic media has changed the world of communications. Daily meetings, face-to-face chats and trips to other cities and countries are gradually being replaced with emails, teleconferences and video-conferences. This new breed of communications has brought solutions as well as problems for office communications. This paper reviews the academic work on communications in the workplace and the impact introduction of emails have had on workplace practices. Emails have also brought new issues for management. The paper discusses management practices adopted to address these issues. The consequence of introduction of emails in an organization is an important subject for a company using electronic mail. The managerial and working practices need to be adapted to benefit from the positive aspects of using computer mediated communications (CMC) and the negative aspects of CMC as well as effect of reduced face-to face contacts need to be controlled or minimized. Compared to face-to-face contact or telephonic conversation, the advantage of CMC include the ability to retrieve and search materials, overcome the difficulty of time and distance, one-to-many communications, electronically organizing and retrieving emails and other media and reprocessing of other contents with the materials to be handled by CMC. It is often debated whether em... nfluences the decision making and participation within organizations, which types of email adoption are practiced by any single organization, uses and misuses of emails and the technology and/or discipline used to control email misuse are subject of considerable interest in the use of this medium of communication. The argument for and against emails versus face-to-face communications are often discussed in terms of Media Communication Theories. [D'Ambra et al, 1998] discuss the new organizational media with reference to Media Richness Theory (MRT) developed by [Daft & Lengel, 1986]. Media richness theory is often applied to determine the question of choice and effectiveness. The [Daft &Lengel, 1986] classification considered immediacy; the opportunity to provide timely feedback, Multiple cues; the capability of the media to provide meaning through cues such as body language, voice and tones, language variety; the capability of the medium to explain the message by using different words and personal source; the ability to convey feelings. This classification gives oral media over written media. A typical classification of different media according to [Daft & Lengel, 1984, 1986] MRT is as follows [cited in Mondyu, 1997] Media Ranking [cited in Mondyu, 1997] Communication Channel Score Face-to-Face 1.00 Telephone 0.94 Tours and Visits 0.82 Voice Conferencing 0.79 Formal Group Meeting 0.65 Computer Generated Reports 0.47 Memos and Documents 0.27 Email 0.13 Facsimile 0.11 However, the original Daft and Lengel criteria were not designed with modern communication media in mind, assuming Face-to-Face as the standard, produces a result that is biased against the Computer Mediated Communications (CMC). [Daft & Lengel, 1984] argue that a 'rich' media must have no or low

Computer Ethics Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Computer Ethics - Case Study Example On the other hand, if a computer professional or a group of professionals ask for ransom in exchange of not holding a computer as a hostage, they are indulging in criminal behavior. Ransom in previous years used to be gained by kidnapping an individual and this activity was recognized as a criminal conduct. Similarly, holding a computer hostage and acquiring ransom is even recognized as criminal behavior. One way through which computer users can protect their computers from being attacked by ransomware is by protecting their computers with security software. This security software has the ability to detect and stop malicious attacks launched on a particular computer. The user needs to ensure that the security software is kept up-to-date. It is essential for the security software to remain up-to-date because new forms and software of ransomware are being launched every day and in order to tackle updated viruses, a computer needs updated security software. Another way of preventing becoming a hostage to ransomware is having a backup of the information and data that is stored on a particular computer (Deccan Herald, 2012). In cases a computer becomes a hostage, the most probable threat that a user faces is the loss of important data. If this data is stored in a backup storage device such as a USB or an external hard drive, the user will not have to give in to the demand of ransom. Government can use both deterrent as well as preventive modes of legislation to counter the issue of ransomware. The government should pass a legislation requiring all organizations and computer users to protect their computers with security systems and having backup of the data. The government can levy hefty fines for not complying with legislation. This will encourage computer users as well as organizations to protect their system in order to avoid hefty sanctions. Government can deter computer hackers who use

EasyGroup Business Model Analysis

EasyGroup Business Model Analysis The easyGroup is the owner of the easy brand and licenses it to all of the easy branded businesses, including easyJet plc, the airline Stelios started in 1995 and in which he remains the largest single shareholder. Easy Group brands include easy Car, easy Cinema, easy Hotel, easy Internet cafà ©, easy Pizza, and easy Value. Airline easyJet is now publicly traded, but easyGroup holds a stake in the company. The easy formula requires consumer-oriented businesses that display significant price elasticity, require a high fixed-cost base and low marginal-cost to service additional customers. Industries with strong but complacent incumbents are particularly well-suited for the easyGroup approach. Easy Group is contemplating its entry into the cinema exhibition business in the UK through the launch of a no-frills cinema. The company believes that it can redeploy the capabilities, such as yield management, that led to the success of easyJet, its low cost airline business, into this new venture. The case examines the market for cinema in the UK, as well as the evolution of Easy Groups portfolio of companies, with a view to assessing the attractiveness of the companys planned launch of easy Cinema. How would you characterise the easyGroup business model? A  business model  describes the  rationale  of how an  organization  creates, delivers, and captures value  and it captures economic and social factors. The process of business model design is part of business strategy. In theory and practice the term business model is used for a broad range of informal and formal descriptions to represent core aspects of a  business, including purpose, offerings, strategies, infrastructure, organizational structures, trading practices, and operational processes and policies. (A. Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur, Alan Smith, 2010) The  easy business model  has a  key feature: clear value proposition the easy concept is to  bring cheap and efficient services to most customers. As a solution a Web-based booking and administration system was built on Microsoft Windows Server 2003 that can be quickly adapted for numerous online ventures. This benefited the company with fast time to market of new business ventures, low-cost of ownership, easily replicated for many new ventures and highly secure and reliable. Easy Group has become an important incubator for new businesses which, while sharing the easy brand, will each be stand-alone companies. Rather than building a conglomerate, Stelios is turning easyGroup into a network of organisations linked by brand and image rather than strategic intent or purpose. The creation of easyGroup in 1998 was a signal that Stelios intended to try out this concept. The name easy itself explains much of easyGroups approach to new ventures, which one executive describes as taking a complicated business and making it simple. Technology solutions play a major role in this, but central to the easy philosophy is yield management. The group looks for businesses where there is high price elasticity, high fixed cost bases and low marginal costs and, especially, where incumbent firms have grown complacent and are not prepared for the arrival of dynamic new entrants. By launching and growing new businesses quickly, easyGroup aims to win market share from these incumbents through a combination of low cost and easy-to-access services. The Easy model provides to the customer functional services at the lowest possible price, on the basis of the real value of the basics of the provided service, avoiding any superfluous frills. The Easy group breaks up a standard service, only keeps items that are absolutely required by the consumer and provide it to him at the lowest price taking into account the time they buy it. The time is one of the most present valuable item in nowadays services. As Stelios Hajiloannou, Easy group CEO, said Easy is a functional brand. In any industry where consumers are being ripped off, if Stelios can find a way to give them real value, he states he will do it. On Easy group side, the model creates a huge turnover as it seduces a lot of consumers, due to the specificity of the model and the advertising of the brand. Direct margin are low as the model provides low prices but this is compensated by the optimization of the running fixed costs thank to the Yield management lever. The model is comprised of variations of turnover by proposing attractive prices on openings where competitors use to be underperforming. As Stelios H. focuses on highly leveraged industries, the additional turnover generated on those unusual slots is almost a net benefit that compensates the lower margins on other sales. Our business model, based on low-cost and convenience, has shown its flexibility. EasyGroups brand means low-cost products, no frills services, cost- and time-sensitive structures that offer value in exchange for some inconvenience. Thats the irony. The easyGroup brand is not necessarily an easy one to deal with. In short, the brand simply offers to make everyday things less expensive by varying the business models-not glamorous or innovative, but honest. Easy Group model obviously reduces the operational complexity and maintenance cost, which allows them to undercut their competition. All of the easy group companies offer the same class of services using standardized components, whether it is one type of plane or one type of car model. Due to the advanced technology used that helped the easyGroup to lead to innovation, it helped advance the business models and the practices which had a real impact on the peoples life. In my opinion without the web solution, the easy model wouldnt be as successful as it is, and would completely lose its essential basis of functioning. Internet makes this business model a dynamic one, with a young and accessible image. The easy model is a based on a self-serving system, which is almost entirely provided by the web solution. The web system allows fix costs to be avoided by managing the scheduling, pricing, booking, payment and various other aspects of the business and outsourcing to the customer. It is the only way the company is able to apply its concept for more people. Internet makes the offer available to almost everyone everywhere, in any moment. True to its low-cost, no-frills business model, easyCinema does not sell popcorn and drinks to movie-goers. For those who wish to treat themselves in such pleasures, they have to bring their own food along. Trailers and ads are cut back to lower the costs of operating the cinema. How would you characterise easyGroups growth strategies in terms of the Ansoff matrix? According to the Ansoffs Matrix there are four growth strategies that a company could expand. These growth strategies are Market penetration, Product development, market development and Diversification. Looking at easyGroup case it shows that the company was following a diversification strategy but that it uses the other growth strategies as well and this will be discussed further below. ANSOFF MATRIX Existing Products New Products Existing Markets Market penetration Product Development New Markets Market Development Diversification (Johnson et al page 258) The Ansoff Matrix is used to focus on the easyGroup present status, products and markets (customers). Market Penetration:  Easy group continues to achieve growth with its existing products i.e providing services at rock bottom prices. By following this business strategy the market share continues to grow. Market Development:  Easy group is seeking growth by targeting its existing products to new market segments. (Mintzberg H, Quinn J.B, Ghoshal S, 1998) For example Easyjet is targeting business travellers with its low cost airfares and frequent flights to popular destinations. The best way to achieve this is by gaining competitors customers. Other ways include attracting non-users of your product or convincing current clients to use more of your product/service, with advertising or other promotions. Market penetration is the least risky way for a company to grow. Product Development:  Easy group, particularly Easyjet has grown by introducing new flight routes thereby further developing its product range. Diversification:  Easy group is bringing forward new business ideas for its existing market segment such as easy Internetcafe, and the latest venture easy money. The Ansoff  Product-Market Growth Matrix  is a marketing tool created by  Igor Ansoff  and first published in his article Strategies for Diversification in the Harvard Business Review (1957). The matrix allows marketers to consider ways to grow the business via existing and/or new products, in existing and/or new markets there are four possible product/market combinations. This matrix helps companies decide what course of action should be taken given current performance. The matrix illustrates, in particular, that the element of risk increases the further the strategy moves away from known quantities the existing product and the existing market. The Easy Group started off with the core activity of providing low-cost flights to Europe. This is therefore its core business, and with over 18 million passengers a year flying easyJet, the Easy Group needed to establish ways for the business to grow and expand. The Easy Group had continued to penetrate the existing air transport market at low-costs flights; it also developed the market potential to include a greater accessibility of easyJet flights by increasing the number of airports handling the passengers. While the flights are the core business in Easy Group, a complementary diversification programme was entered in order for a travel solution package is made available to meet the whole range of customers needs and expectations of both frequent and holiday travellers. This is aimed at both the corporate and the customer sectors in the business. By taking the key strengths and opportunities available to the Easy Group has established a further growth strategy which includes market penetration, market development and diversification into new compatible areas of business. Market penetration their strategy of offering lower costs to the customers enable them to get access to most of the market share. Market development included the growth strategy to increase the number of handing airports by branching out into new markets and a wider customer base. Lastly with diversification Easy Groups strategy of hiring cars, the internet cafe and hotels is a way for the Easy Group to find ways and different markets that can be developed to provide the best prices for the customers. (Karen Beamish, Ruth Ashford, 2008) Therefore product development and market extension typically involve a greater risk than market penetration (existing product and existing market); and diversification (new product and new market). Ansoff stressed that the diversification strategy stood apart from the other three. While the latter are usually followed with the same technical, financial, and merchandising resources which are used for the original product line, diversification usually requires new skills, new techniques, and new facilities. As a result it almost invariably leads to physical and organizational changes in the structure of the business which represent a distinct break with past business experience. (Karen Beamish et al 2008) Most of the Easy Groups growth strategies involve three of the Ansoff matrix namely market penetration, diversification and market development. Ansoff pointed out that a diversification strategy stands apart from the other three strategies. The first three strategies are usually pursued with the same technical, financial, and merchandising resources used for the original product line, therefore diversification usually requires a company to acquire new skills, new techniques and new facilities, just like Easy Group did. The notion of diversification depends on the subjective interpretation of new market and new product, which should reflect the perceptions of customers rather than managers. To what extent is easyGroup a conglomerate? A  conglomerate  is a combination of two or more  corporations  engaged in entirely different businesses together into one corporate structure, usually involving a  parent company  and several (or many)  subsidiaries. (Dearbail Jordan and Robin Pagnamenta, September 25, 2007) Often, a conglomerate is a  multi-industry company. Conglomerates are often large and  multinational. (Dearbail Jordan et al, 2007) In the case of the easyGroup they are conglomerate and the extent of it will be discussed below. Fortune has an article on  Stelios  Haji-Ioannou and his various Easy companies that form the  EasyGroup  conglomerate. Stelio has started a number of companies that range from rental cars, airlines, to internet cafes, based on the idea of eliminating middlemen using technology. Apparently, his companies are all doing very well, including EasyJet which is a public company that generated $765M in revenue last year. (Wendy Walker, 2003) I noticed that EasyGroup has a similar business model to companies like Fresh Direct and Dell. All of these companies are using technology to eliminate the middleman to deliver lower cost and higher value to customers. These companies are not internet companies as such, but they are examples of how internet technology and general information technology can become a competitive advantage, if applied correctly to support a rational business model. All of these companies offer the same class of service, but with self-motivated pricing, using standardized components, whether its one type of plane or one type of car model. This model obviously reduces operational complexity and maintenance costs, which allows them to undercut their competition. It also reminded me of Dell in some ways because Dell is obsessed with maximizing their margins by minimizing their cost of inventory with  just-in-time assembly  of PCs. These are all sensible business principles and practices that more companies should really adopt to stay competitive. The interesting thought for me is that companies such as EasyGroup, FreshDirect, Dell, and even EBay could not exist and thrive to the same extent if there was no such thing as the Internet. However, the real focus shouldnt be on the innovation in technology that enables such companies to exist and thrive. It really should be on how advances in technology lead to innovation in business models and practices that have real impact in peoples lives. The company stands tall when it comes to achieving higher standards of excellence. (Wendy Walker, 2003) Over the years brands have been synonymous with quality innovation in their respective domains. Easy Groups passion to excel has made us grow faster than most of our competitors. Easy Group strongly believes that success is a continuous phenomenon by benchmarking ourselves with the best Business practice followed globally; we look forward to a bright future, brought to life by growing possibilities. The easyGroup is rated as one of the fastest growing business conglomerates of India. The easy group has been a front-runner in delivering innovative and customized solutions. By offering contemporary products, superior quality and assured availability. The group has gained an exceptional stronghold with an array of winning brands to its credit. Easy Solar Industries is constantly innovating to give you more value for the money. His high quality products are backed by excellent nationwide sales and service support. Easy Group continues grow in terms of products benefits, market share and customer retention. Today Easy Group is Conglomerate consisting of diverse products such as Solar Thermal, Solar Photovoltaic Power Products. Our products attained market reputation in very short span of time. Most of Easy Groups customers are mainly government and semi government organizations continuously supported us in span of last six years only because of our regular efforts in maintaining quality and adopting latest research and development. Many of the companies follow the easy format of taking away the frills in something to make it cheaper overall, plus using the  yield management system of supply and demand. In the last few years the company has started to franchise the businesses to expand, and cut down costs. Some EasyGroup subsidiaries have been more successful than others, the most successful division being  EasyJet. The extent of Easy group been conglomerate is large as they are operating with a number of different large businesses that fall under the main Easy Group corporation. There are up to fourteen businesses namely EasyJet, Easy Internet cafà ©,   EasyCar.com,   Easy Money,   Easy Cinema,   Easy Cinema DVD Rental,   Easy Bus,   Easy4Men, Easy Pizza, Easy Music,   Easy Cruise, Easy Mobile/Shimmer Bright,   Easy Hotel, Other businesses. (Wendy Walker, 2003) Should easyGroup entre the cinema industry? According to the Case, three factors made easyCinema an attractive expansion area. First, the yield management capabilities that were used for the airline business and did well running could be applied to easyCinema. For example, easyJet prices are linked to demand and advance purchase. Likewise, they would charge more for peak-time movie tickets. Stelios always wondered why cinemas charged so much money when they are so empty. He then realised that by maximizing both capacity and the extent to which it was utilized, easyGroup could grow the cinema admissions well above current rates. Second, easyGroup can use the technology to automate the process of serving customers, thereby reducing labour costs. All bookings would be made through the Internet or kiosks in the foyer of the cinema. (Jackson Mahr, 2003) Third, the no-frills concept will be applied and this could be an advantage. The cinema would now show any advertising or support promotional campaigns associated with films (activities that require significant time and organization). (Jackson Mahr, 2003)They would allow the audience to bring in their own food and drink, eliminating the traditional allowance stand. Therefore the customers will be interested in going to watch a movie knowing they do not have to spend more money on the food and drink than the actual movie they want to see. EasyCinema is just one of many new ideas in the easyGroup pipeline. (Jackson Mahr, 2003)The criteria for a new business can be summed up in one word, simple. The easy formula requires consumer-oriented businesses that display significant price elasticity, require a high fixed-cost base and low marginal-cost to service additional customers. Also, industries with strong but complacent incumbents are particularly well-suited for the easyGroup approach. Although the above mentioned aspects are positive I would recommend that it should not enter the UK cinema business, the reasons are discussed below. The main question is how well do cinemas fit in with the easy formula? I would think that Cinemas do not fit well with their formula. Firstly the success of the actual cinema will depend on success of the movie which is considered to be very low. Therefore by going through with the cinema idea it is considered to be high risk business and there is a lot of instability in the cinema industry. Secondly this product is considered to be giving entertainment to the consumer. Therefore having a low frill may not be enough to ensure the cinemas success. Moreover the Cinema industry is not that attractive according to the case. The business environment is extremely competitive. Other factors to consider are the bargaining power of buyers. Here the consumers have the choice of movie but the success of the operator depends on the success of the movie. Therefore the bargaining power of consumer is very high. With the Bargaining power of suppliers distribution of the movie is controlled by the big movie houses of Hollywood. Therefore they do have certain influence over the UK industry. They may not accept the yield management model of the Easy group. With regards to the entry barriers, it requires high capital investment. Another problem that might affect the success of the cinema is substitutes. (Jackson Mahr, 2003)There are substitutes in form of video rentals, video sales and DVD rentals which is increasing everyday and could affect the success of easyCinema. This case study gives a fair idea about the industry in which a company operates in and the various external forces that influence it. However, it any industry is not static in nature. Going forward, we foresee increasing competition in the industry and these competitors will large players and it may be possible that some kind of oligopoly come into play. If oligopoly had to be the result it would result in the industry moving towards consolidation. The barriers to entry will increase going forward; therefore according to my opinion the industry is unattractive. As discussed above the entry barriers are high capital investment, high brand loyalty, high competition, risky nature of business. They can enter by acquiring an existing cinema operator. This will help in gaining markets share in timely manner. Moreover here the strategy can be concentrating on online DVD sales and broadcasting instead of Cinema. CONCLUSION: The easyGroup profits by either selling shares in the businesses or by licensing or franchising the brand to reputable partners. The easy brand currently operates in more than a dozen industries mainly in travel, leisure, serviced office accommodation and other consumer facing sectors. Currently, only EasyJet plc, out of the easy group of companies is listed in the Stock exchange. EasyJet has shown substantial organic growth since the day it came into being in 1995. Although easy groups businesses are based on the low price model, they still face competition from established players, who emphasis on quality. Throughout the years, the  easy  Group  strategy  kept a clear readability built around some corner-stones principles: a low-cost approach, an identifiable and recognizable simple communication  strategy  mainly focused on price and entertainment, constant expansion, development of new strategic business units in close to the customers market, with a core focus on travellers. In terms of management, the  easy  Group also adopted a consistent and durable stance in minimizing its operating administrative fees and in applying for the newly created Strategic Business Units the management framework that brought success to the previously settled business. All in all, the strategic consistency is to be found in a clear managerial desire to expand as far as possible the no-frills concept to every profitable market. Harvard Referencing: A. Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur, Alan Smith, Business Model Generation,, self published, 2010 Alan Clarke, Wei Chen, International hospitality management: concepts and cases, 2003, page 232 Jackson Mahr, easyGroup June 13, 2005 Jardine, Cassandra (2006-11-29).  Theyd laugh if I called myself Sirà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.  The Telegraph  (London). Retrieved 2007-09-07. Karen Beamish, Ruth Ashford, Marketing Planning 2007-2008, page 44-45 Mike W. Peng, Global Strategy 2009, page 279 Mintzberg H, Quinn J.B, Ghoshal S, (1998) The strategy Process. Revised European  edition.PrenticeHall Yves Doz and Mikko Kosonen,  Harvard Business Review, Vol. 85, Issue 6, pp 98-104, June 2007. Wendy Walker, Easy Jet Press Pack, February 21, 2003

Structure of Management Information :: essays research papers fc

Computer Network & Management Assignment Title: Structure of Management Information (SMI) Structure of Management Information (SMI): In the context of network management, for the Structure of Management Information (SMI): a) Name its three hierarchical layers. The Structure of Management Information (SMI) standard is responsible for defining the rules for how the Management Information Base (MIB) objects are structured, described and organized. SMI is a data definition language allows dissimilar devices to communicate by ensuring that they use a universal data representation for all management information. SMI is needed to ensure the syntax and semantics of the network management data are well defined and unambiguous.[TCP/IP Guide] The three hierarchical layers of the Structure of Management Information are the base data types, object-type and module-identity. b) Explain the function of each layer. The Base Data Type layer is use in the SYNTAX clause of the OBJECT-TYPE macro that must be present. It defines the abstract data structure corresponding to the object. It includes the following eleven basic data types: INTEGER, Integer32, Unsigned32, OCTET STRING, OBJECT IDENTIFIER, IPaddress, Counter32, Counter64, Gauge32, TimeTicks, and Opaque. Any restriction on size, range or enumerations specified in this SYNTAX clause represents the maximal level of support which makes "protocol sense".[RFC2578] The OBJECT-TYPE layer is use to specify the data type, status, and the semantics of managed objects. It has basic of five mandatory characteristics namely, OBJECT-NAME, SYNTAX, MAX ACCESS, STATUS, and DESCRIPTION, optionally with OPTIONAL-CHARACTERISTICS. The OBJECT-NAME is obviously. The SYNTAX clause specifies the basic data type of the object. The MAX-ACCESS clause specifies the managed object either can be read-create, read-write, read-only, accessible for notify only, or not accessible. The STATUS clause specifies the object is current, obsolete or deprecated. The DESCRIPTION clause contains a textual definition of the object. [RFC2578][RFC2013] The MODULE-IDENTITY layer is used to express concisely the semantics of an information module. It groups related object into a Management Information Base (MIB) module. Each MODULE-IDENTITY contains a number of clauses like the LAST-UPDATED clause, ORGANIZATION clause, CONTACT-INFO clause, DESCRIPTION clause and REVISION clause. Theses clauses document the date of last updated, the organization and contact information of the author of the module, and a textual description of the module, and the revision information such as the date of revision and the revision description.[RFC2012][TCP-IP Guide] c) For each layer, give four examples of defined entities. Four examples of Base Data Types 1. Integer/Integer32 [RFC2578] Integer/Integer32 is a 32-bit signed integer in two ¡Ã‚ ¦s complement notation, capable of holding a value between  ¡V2,147,483,648 and +2,147,483,647.

About My Home Town Ooty :: social issues

About My Home Town Ooty The name Ooty is derived from Ootacamund, also popularly known as â€Å"Udhagamandalam or Udhagai† in the regional language. India is a growing Tourist destination. The southern most part of India lies the State of Tamil Nadu, the cradle of the Dravidian Culture, founded over 5000 years ago. This state is the home to some of the most ancient architectural beauties, sculptures and the natural beauties of which Ooty is one among them. In 1821 a batch of British soldiers discovered Ooty. The gusty evenings, the cold nights, the grassy downs, the hills and dales gripped the imagination of the British. They surveyed and mapped the hills and started filling in what they felt as missing parts of the landscape. Thus spacious Victorian houses, country-style churches and spruced gardens came into being. They even brought the English vegetation like cabbages, cauliflower, strawberries, raspberries and flowers like buttercups and rhododendrons. They built the first railway line in this area and made Ooty the summer capital of the then Madras Presidency. Before the arrival of the British Ooty was inhabited by Todas the tribal people who still inhabit the area, but only around 3000 remain. The picturesque and green Ooty, is located in the Western Ghats at an altitude of 2240meters above the Mean Sea Level (MSL). Ooty is the headquarters of the Nilgiri District. The temperature varies from 25 °c to 10 °c during summer and between 21 °c and 0 °c during winter. The best time to visit Ooty is between April to June and September to November. This hill station can be reached by rail and road. The nearest air port is at Coimbatore which is about 100kms from Ooty. The main tourist attraction in Ooty is The Government Botanical Gardens. The Government Botanical Gardens laid out in 1847, is the most beautiful jewel on the crown of the "Queen of Hill Stations". Well over 650 species of plants are in the garden and the fossil of a tree trunk believed to be 20 million years old is preserved here. The garden spreads over 22 hectares has lush green lawns, six sections comprising varieties of tree species, variety of ferns, fashioned beds, an Italian formal garden, flowering plants, house ferns, orchids and nurseries. It is indeed a great pleasure for me to reside very close to the Botanical Gardens. Visiting the Botanical Gardens was always a great pleasure and refreshment.

A Defense Of Ethical Relativism Essay

Ethical Relativism Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ethical relativism is the stance that there are no moral codes, no moral wrongs or right. Right or wrong is based on social customs. Ethical relativism implies that people’s morals are dynamic, subject to times and environment. Ethical relativism accommodates and enables the presence of many different cultures and practices. It offers people the freedom to adapt and practice their socialized ethics and cultures. This means that there is no static culture or ethics. Morals are dependent on the society preferences, technology, logic, emotions, experience and rules among other factors. Morality is very vital since it holds the society together. The rationale of this paper is to explain the effect of ethical relativism on the morality bond that brings the society together.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In ethics, the notion that nothing is objectively wrong or right and that the definition of right or wrong relies on the existing perception of culture, an individual or history. The existence of morality is not relative to individuality. Thus some of the relativists’ arguments are invalid. Ethical relativism is a knotty theory since there are various differences within cultures. People’s preferences may not for all time be ethically correct choices. Thus what is culturally acceptable might not always be morally right. Ethical relativism by definition is a premise that maintains that there are no generally accepted ethical codes. Ethical relativism is usually affected the disagreement between right and wrong due to social and personal ethical relativism as well as the natural law premise (Lukes, 2008).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Personal ethical relativism holds that different people have diverse moral beliefs. Social ethical relativism holds that different societies have distinct code of ethics. On the other hand, the natural law presumes that there is a general set of moral values that opposes ethical relativism, however it is faulty. Ruth Benedict believes that morals are defined by culture. Benedict also proposes that normal is a variant of the concept of good. According to Benedict, behavior will depend on what the general culture that is accepted by the society. On contrary, Christina Hoff Sommers proposes that there are some human qualities that are not relative to place, time, situation or circumstance. Ruth and Sommers have different propositions on ethics. Descriptive ethical relativism states that ethical beliefs and judgments are the expressions of the moral attitudes and outlook of individual persons (Lukes, 2008).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I faintly agree with Christina Sommers since people have their own personal set of moral values. For example, an individual may belief that it is morally wrong to have sex on the first date. Another person might not have any issue with sex in any context. Someone else might not believe in sex before marriage, or maybe not at all. In order to judge these views as right or wrong, moral standards are very crucial. However, there is no general set of ethical codes which can be used to judge the views. This example proves differences in ethical virtues between people and hence signifies ethical relativism. There are flaws in ethical relativism because it does not mean that everyone accept to a notion simply because one group in the society find a given action to be acceptable. What is publicly acceptable is extensively variable. If moral standards do not go beyond social principles, no action would be regarded as right or wrong (Arrington, 1983 ).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I totally agree with Benedict that rules of the society serve as a standard. Ethical relativism considers how other cultures tolerate other cultures. Ethical relativism brings societies together because it allows for great variance in regard of what is seen as good or bad. Ethical relativism elaborates how one action can be regarded as correct in one culture, but wrong in the other (â€Å"Ethical Relativism†, 2014). All rudiments of the culture are put into consideration when determining whether an action is wrong or right. Ethical relativism confuses the reforms to be carried out considering what is being done currently. People are forced to tolerate some actions that might be unbearable if there are no socially accepted habits. I disagree with Sommers since human behaviors depend on the time, place, situation or circumstance. Morality, ethical standards and the position of wrong or right are based on culture and hence subject to i ndividual preferences. Social institutions are very vital since they are richly endowed with customs, norms and manner of thinking. Appropriate management of the school-community culture will ensure that it will influence the young children in the society based on the attitudes and dispositions they acquire at school. Though moral relativism have been widely criticized for being pernicious, incoherent and sophomoric, but it is a plausible doctrine and it has significant influence on how people live, interact and organize the society (Lukes, 2008).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Morals fluctuate across place and time. Children learn values when they are growing, even before they can reason efficiently. Moral relativism is linked to emotional attitudes since values are acquired through emotional conditioning. People decide the position of an action by examining their feelings. Emotions are very necessary in making moral judgments. Ethics and morality shape personality. The capacity to determine whether a practice is correct or immoral develops from life and the environment that people are exposed to. Society and family are the first exposure where moral system is created. Benedict view social institutions as communities with common virtues and practices that have become sophisticated patterns of practices and ideas. Benedict arguments reveal how diverse cultures employ different moral principles in an endeavor to survive as a culture. Benedict is more correct in her analysis regarding the differences among cultures . There are some features of cultures that are not based on any universal moral standards. There is no general rule that moral cultures must abide to a given code to survive, and that the cultures that do not follow a code are not moral (â€Å"Ethical Relativism†, 2014).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Benedict states that morality differs in all societies and is a suitable term for socially accepted habits. Opponents of ethical relativism argue that, if ethical relativism is right, there can be no general construction for resolving ethical dispute or for realizing agreement on ethical issues among affiliates of different societies. Many ethicists oppose ethical relativism since they argue that although moral practices in the community differ, the values underlying those actions remain unchanged. Societies might deviate in their application of the elementary moral ideologies, but they agree on the principles. It can be argued that some ethical beliefs are culturally relative whereas others are not. Some practices such as customs concerning dressing mode may depend on local traditions, while other practices such as political repression or slavery might be determined by general ethical standards and judged incorrect regardless the various other differences that persist among cultures (Arrington, 1983).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The notion that some cultural practices are relative does not mean that all moral practices are relative. Ethical relativism may also be criticized on the basis of its effect to personal ethical values. It may be argued that if morals entirely depend on social norms, it follows that if a certain society believes in racial practices, its members must admit to racism as morally right. Members of a given community have different opinions regarding a given practice. Ethical relativism believes that culture is the standard to examine whether a practice is right or wrong. Ethical relativism might be criticized, but it helps people to acknowledge that communities have different moral values and that these beliefs are subject to culture. Ethical relativism also encourage people to explore reasons as to why communities have differing beliefs, and also challenge people to scrutinize their reasons for the beliefs and values they support. Benedictâ₠¬â„¢s argument about how morality is relative is sound. Benedict uses an example of Kwakiutl society regarding murder. Kwakiutl practice of murder is intolerable in the modern society, but it was acceptable in Kwakiutl. Kwakiutl cannot be judged for their acts because they that was a social norm when one of their relatives died. Today such practice would be regarded as murder and is unlawful and a crime that is absolutely penalized by the society and the law (â€Å"Ethical Relativism†, 2014).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Benedict concludes that â€Å"moral relativism is the correct view of moral principles† which imply that right or wrong is determined by culture and environmental events. For instance people might accept capital punishment and oppose abortion. Capital punishment is regarded as wrong and hence punished with death. On contrary, opposing abortion is like denying women their freedom of their body. According to Benedict, regardless of the consequences behind an abortion, if the society opposes it implies that abortion is morally wrong hence it will maintain the truth worth of moral relativism. The notion that abortion is wrong is due to the fact that people’s behaviors are shaped by their history, culture and environment. Therefore the right worth of their ethics relies on what is more rational to social structures. On the other hand if people believe that capital punishment is a way of attaining justice, they will consider it mor ally right. Morals are shared amongst people and the community, and it is seen as a normalcy condition of morals (Lukes, 2008).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In conclusion, I agree with Benedict argument of ethical relativism where she holds that people change their opinions and principles depending on the majority rule. I agree that morals vary with time, culture and environment. However, I do not agree that any practice is morally right or wrong depending on the majority. Benedict adds that the conception of the normal is accurately a variant of the notion of good. Behaviors will depend on the cultural norms. Ethical relativism allows a wide variety of practices and cultures. It will enable people to adapt morally as technology, culture and knowledge change in society. This is an excellent and a type of relativism. Ethical relativism faces the challenge because people find it hard to adapt to new morals, new ideas and their own culture. The word is increasingly becoming culturally diverse thus making people find it hard to accept something different. Culture is a standard for assessing the po sition of a practice, whether it is right or wrong. References Arrington, R. L. (1983). A Defense Of Ethical Relativism. Metaphilosophy, 14(3-4), 225-239. Ethical Relativism. (n.d.). CARM. Retrieved September 22, 2014, from http://carm.org/ethical-relativism Lukes, S. (2008). Moral relativism. New York: Picador. Source document

Is knowledge management a fad? Essay

Abstract Knowledge management is a broad term that includes tools and theories from various fields. T.D. Wilson had been impeaching the need for knowledge management and he had come to the conclusion that knowledge management is just a fad started by consultancy companies and IT/ICT departments. This paper examines the righteousness of this proclamation and provides explanations and specifications of some conclusions that had T.D. Wilson provided in his work â€Å"The nonsense of ‘knowledge management’†. Is knowledge management a fad? 1 The need of KM in information society With the instantaneous global information sharing is arising the need of knowledge management. This is based on the evolution and transformation of society. Every year the amount of the whole human knowledge is doubled. The role of information in current organization has transferred from peripheral and incidental to central and fundamental. Management is no longer supervising their employees, but instead is prioritizing feedback from the employees and therefore the function of the manager has shifted from pure decision making to information processing (Brunet-Thorton, 2010). Information society is characterized by the interconnection of information sources, the ease of transferring categorizing and saving information with the help of applied use of data digitalization. In the definition of information society has the large importance the fact that inner telecommunication structures are more and more dependent on outer telecommunication systems. An example of this interconnectedness can be the internet, which is for our society nearly indispensable. And therefore is enabling the impressive growth of communicational and informational business organizations. With the beginning of the 21st century we can observe strong globalization tendencies – huge networks if users, which are able to communicate and share information without the presence of third persons. This way the volume and amount of knowledge information and data is astonishingly expanding. The communication infrastructure is slowly becoming the infrastructure used for knowledge sharing. The information society is indirectly enabling smaller companies and businesses to get involved in global trade market. For accomplishing their business objectives, these companies can get advantage in using new paths for trading such as on time production and delivery, online publishing, teleworking and network based virtual teams. The rapid evolution of information-globalized market is supporting the transformation to perfect market – from the economical perspective. New businesses opportunities are emerging form these technology shortcuts. Specific examples from the present can be Google or Facebook, which have so far used the information globalization most prospectively. Information society can bring new paths to advance the economy and contribute to increasing the number of highly skilled jobs, but at the expense of reducing the number of working positions with lower or no qualifications. A key factor is the role of education and retraining of unskilled workers, especially in government and public administration. This is closely related to other difficulties emerging from information society – safety and protection of information. You will need to modify the legislation together with the development and emergence of new information technologies. The fight against cyber-crimes, data protection, information privacy, i.e., to prevent fraud with the certification authorities and prevent the spread of malicious code should be a top priority in the developing information society. 2 Data, Information, Knowledge We can define data as a â€Å"crude facts relating to things and events that have not been processed or organised† (Thorton, 2010). An example can be database filled with numbers. Without knowing the context – what the abbreviations describing each column mean we cannot get any information from these data. Another example can be a text in a foreign language. Without knowing this language we are not able to transform data (characters) into any information (meaning of whole words and sentences) and consequently we are not able to obtain any knowledge from this text. Data become information, when they havebeen manipulated permitting its meaning to be understood. (Thorton, 2010) One of the tons of definitions of knowledge is: â€Å"Knowledge is directly related to understanding and is gained through the interpretation of information. Knowledge enables us to interpret information i.e. derive meaning from data. The interpretation of meaning is framed by the perceiver’s knowledge.â€Å" (Mark Sharratt & Abel Usoro, 2003, p.188). The definition of knowledge management becomes more interesting then definition of knowledge, because of the various views on this term as Wilson points out (Wilson, 2002, What is ‘knowledge management’?, para. 1). Despite the recent lack of agreement on what is meant by knowledge management, the definitions of knowledge management aim at three core components of knowledge management: knowledge/information repositories, communities and networks and experts and knowers. (Chatti & Jarke & Frosch-Wilke, 2007, page 406) 3 Tacit explicit and implicit knowledge Wilson has also raised the question about explicit knowledge. He is literally asking the reader â€Å"Does it make any difference to the argument if, in the diagram, we replace â€Å"tacit knowledge† with â€Å"knowledge† and â€Å"explicit knowledge† with â€Å"information†?† He is not answering his question, so it may seem unanswered, but while reading the whole paragraph, which is quite critical to the established distinction between explicit knowledge and information, I stopped looking for the answer, because it quite evident that this question is just rhetorical. Other authors are fairly more specific about the term of explicit knowledge. One of the views is offering Stenmark: The fact that routines, procedures, rules, manuals, books, blueprints, and all the other examples given above are useful does not make it knowledge. They all need knowledge to be decoded and are therefore not knowledge but information, albeit interwoven with the knowledge required to create it. Knowledge, which remains tacit, is also needed to interpret the information. Although some argue that â€Å"knowledge† may be embedded in a text (e.g., a balance sheet where columns and totals have predefined meanings), the reader cannot appreciate it without bringing the required personal knowledge (2002, page 6). As a conclusion I think a can say that the term explicit knowledge can be used synonymously with information. 4 Knowledge in VSE courses In order to show the importance and purport of knowledge management I am presenting here the syllabuses of few courses from The University of Economics, Prague that engaged with knowledge. 4IZ210 – Information and Knowledge Processing Aims of the course: To familiarize students with basic methods for both information storage and retrieval, as well as for acquisition and processing of formalized knowledge. Furthermore, the aim is to highlight the interrelationship of these areas and outline anticipated developments. Learning outcomes and competences: Find and process information about companies and present the processed information, especially for analysis of the competitive environment. The emphasis is put on working with electronic information resources. Apply the selected method for knowledge discovery in databases on a given data and publish acquired knowledge to an expert. The emphasis is put on working with association rules. Understand the basic methods selected for processing information and knowledge within presented subjects. Course contents: The method for storing and retrieving information, methods of obtaining and processing of formalized knowledge, solving practical problems. (4IZ210 syllabus, n.d.) This course is dealing with all free levels of intelligence produced by humans: data information and knowledge. Student should be able to distinguish between these three easily and they should also be capable of transforming one to another. 3MA661 – Management of Knowledge Workers Aims of the course:Introduce students to modern tools and methods of management convenient for management of knowledge workers. Demonstrate those tools and methods in real life corporate situations. Learning outcomes and competences: distinguish between tacit and explicit dimension of knowledge, use basic tools for work with explicit and tacit knowledge, identify knowledge workers in organization and classify them to groups in relation to their importance for organization and style of work, manage and develop knowledge workers in relation to their personality type, manage personal development of knowledge workers, initiate and manage process of knowledge sharing among knowledge workers, create visions and get the support of knowledge workers for them. Aims of the course:Explain importance of knowledge for business and management. Present key concepts and processes of knowledge management and demonstrate them on case studies. Explain the term tacit knowledge and teach students to work with it. (3MA661 syllabus, n.d.) This syllabus is quite unspecific about specifying knowledge management tools used for managing knowledge workers. It seems, just from the text of this syllabus that this course is overlapping with majority of the topics with the Knowledge management course. 4SA320 Information Management Basics Aims of the course: Course offers basic theoretical background as well as practical application of information management. It presents information management as multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary science, which integrates knowledge in three areas – modern management, system approach and informatics. The content of the course accents global overview of the information society, its development and presents main topics of managerial work in conditions of actual information society. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to know the legal frame of information society in conditions of the CR, work with components of Integrated Management System, actively know how to use basics of knowledge management in the area of enterprise informatics. (4SA320 syllabus, n.d.) I absolved this course last year. From the syllabus it seems that student will have to do lots of with knowledge. So thought I, and although I wasn’t really able to tell much difference between information and knowledge, my expectations were aimed on knowledge – from my today’s point of view. But this course is purely focused on Information management. It peeks more into technological and legal fields than in management of knowledge itself. And as the last I would like to present not a course of The University of Economics, Prague but a student’s site called vseborec.cz. It’s not primarily a knowledge management tool, but rather an information sharing site. But from simple sharing site for student’s notes to lectures it has developed to a ‘database of student knowledge’. It’s quite interesting that has expanded to today’s proportions thanks to the sharing and unselfish naturel of students on a school which aim is to teach its student to compete and not to share. You can find out what will be the professor and his lectures like even before enlisting in the course. 5 Web searches analyse To support or refuse the formulation of Wilson that knowledge management is just a fad (2001, â€Å"Conclusion†, pa. 1) I made an analyse of web searches on Google in the period of the last six years. If the term ‘knowledge management’ is in the business world used just as a synonym for the term ‘information management’ the total amount of searches for the term’ knowledge management’ should be increasing to the prejudice of the term ‘information management’. The absolute amount of web searches for both, the information and knowledge management, has been obviously decreasing in the period of the years 2004 and 2007. The drop of searches is simultaneous for both of the terms, therefore we cannot say that knowledge management is replacing information management, at least in the sphere of web searching. Among the most popular places around the world for searching the term knowledge management in the period of last 12 months is leading South Africa followed by Kenya Malaysia and India. But in the year 2004 in the top ten places for web searching ‘Knowledge management’ we can find countries such as United Kingdom, Italy and Australia. The shift of popularity from western countries to African and Asian areas is evident. (Google Insights, 2010) Graph 1 Web search worldwide (Google Insights, 2010) This is the conclusion that has T.D. Wilson come up with: â€Å"The inescapable conclusion of this analysis of the ‘knowledge management’ idea is that it is, in large part, a management fad, promulgated mainly by certain consultancy companies, and the probability is that it will fade away like previous fads.†(Wilson, 2002, â€Å"Conclusion†, para. 1). And according to my web searches analysis it really looks like that knowledge management is just a fad. The interest in knowledge management has been decreasing for the last six years. But I think that this is only due to the acceptance of knowledge management as such in western cultures and the simultaneous inception of knowledge management awareness not just in business world but also at universities and in a public sector. And due to this conclusion I presume that the growth of interest in knowledge management in South Africa, Kenya, India, Malaysia and other south Asian and African countries is because of the lack of general awareness about knowledge management and not because of the late arrival of â€Å"fashionable knowledge management† to less developed countries. 6 Reasons of knowledge management popularity rocketing Wilson presented in his paper five arguments, why he thinks that knowledge management has been experiencing such a boom in the past decade. Here are they: First, and largely because of a fixation on internal organizational data, the term ‘information’ has become almost synonymous with data in the minds of organizational heads. For example, I’ve been told that the National Electronic Library for Health uses the term ‘Knowledge’ because in the NHS information=data and a different term was needed. We have to lay this, I think, at the feet of the information systems profession whose focus for years was data and data definitions, etc. In fact, they dealt not with information systems but with data systems. (Wilson, 2001, pa. 2) This is, of course, misinterpretation of data and information. If is somebody using this terms incorrectly in one organization, that doesn’t mean that everybody else should take these terms as synonyms. Information systems are by definition â€Å"computerized tools that assist people in transforming data into information† (DiBiase, 2008) but data systems are just groups of facts presented in a specific order (pixels forming a picture, radio waves broadcasted at one frequency). Secondly, and opportunely for the software houses and IT firms, ‘km’ came along just as they were being hit by the wave of scepticism over the possibility of IT ever delivering more than problems – and certainly never likely to deliver productivity and performance. ‘Whoops, we’ve cracked it!’ cried the IBMs and MSofts of this world – ‘We should have been dealing with ‘knowledge’ all along, and now we are – Lotus Notes is no l onger groupware and personal information management, it’s KnowledgeWare!’ So they are happily marketing the same product under a new name. (Wilson, 2001, pa. 3) As I mentioned earlier, the term knowledge management is on its raise, not because of marketing strategy of IT/ICT companies, but because of its popularity increasing with the needs for better entitlement of the information society. Thirdly, the organization and management boys finally began to realise that all this text that people were creating on word-processors, etc., needed to be managed effectively and, indeed, organized, shared and disseminated more effectively, but they couldn’t use ‘information management’ because that was ‘information systems’ and data, wasn’t it? So it must be ‘knowledge’, right? If we can only get people to share their ‘knowledge’ performance must improve because it is the communication barriers that are preventing the free flow of ‘knowledge’ (i.e., information). So, now, every aspect of organization and management theory has to have a ‘knowledge’ dimension, other wise you aren’t in the game. In the literature, of course, this amounts to the token use of the term ‘knowledge management’ and the use of ‘knowledge’ as a synonym for ‘information’. (Wilson, 2001, pa. 4) Knowledge shouldn’t be used synonymously with information and I hope that this is not happening, at least at academic level. Also Wilson is not differentiating between data and information system which definitions are noted above. Fourthly, at the forefront of all this were the management consultancies – why? Because BPR and Organizational Learning were running out of steam. Amusingly, all organizational learning work appears to come under the heading of ‘km’ – more search and replace marketing. So, the consultancies grabbed at km in order to have something to sell at the end of the 90s. (Wilson, 2001, pa. 5) The consultancies are always looking for the needs of business market and therefore they should be reflecting the needs of this market, at least to some point, so this point might be valid on a small extent of a scale. Finally, most (or at least many) departments of information management or information science, and departments of information systems in academia, are somewhat low on the totem pole in most of their institutions, and each needs to differentiate itself from the other in order to try to work its way up that greasy pole, so both have seized on km as an aid in the struggle. I foresee turf-wars over which department, where there is one of each, has the right to run degrees in km. Where only one of the kind exists, it will seek to make km all-embracing of management, computer science, information systems, etc., etc. – because the logic leads nowhere else 🙂 ‘If we deal with knowledge – then how can anyone else presume to do so?’ (Wilson, 2001, pa. 6) The logic of Wilson leads nowhere else, because that is exactly what knowledge management is about: people, culture, technology, processes. The knowledge management is closer with its aim to the management and organization and the departments of information management are rising from IT/ICT fields so the need to go up should be also emerging from management places and not from information management departments. 7 Conclusion With the development of new technologies in information and communication sector the new term ‘knowledge management’ has begun to be used in business sector. The term as such is not useless and meaning less as suggested by Wilson in his research. Wilson is asking the readers in the conclusion of his paper:†If getting promotion, or holding your job, or finding a new one is based on the knowledge you possess – what incentive is there to reveal that knowledge and share it?†(2002, â€Å"Conclusion†, pa. 2). And my answer to this probably rhetorical question is: Your working experience, your social and cultural background and most importantly your education. From all of these you can predict the amount of knowledge one possesses. Although it cannot be evaluated by any empirical measures, the existing society is surviving without these accurate measurements and surprisingly she is doing quite well. This is not to say that enabling people to contribute effectively to the management of organizations is impossible and that sharing knowledge and enabling people to use their creativity in innovative ways in organizations is impossible – simply that it is very difficult, and that it does not reduce to some simplistic concept of ‘knowledge management’! It demands a change in business culture, from the macho Harvard Business School model, to something more thoughtful and understanding of what motivates human beings. Organizations need to learn to think about problems, rather than grab at proffered ‘solutions’ – which often turn out to be expensive side-tracks away from the main issues (Wilson, 2002, â€Å"Conclusion†, pa. 3). And that’s why knowledge management isn’t just a simplistic concept. It includes tools from various fields such as and uses them for improvement of knowledge culture within the organization. The slight decrease in popularity of knowledge management in the last six years shows not the recess of knowledge management as a fad, but it rather shows the wide acceptance of knowledge management in the western society. The views presented by Wilson are shocking and very easy to understand and that’s why I find this view presented by Wilson too simplistic and demagogic to some extent. References 3MA661 – Management of Knowledge Workers FPH – WS 2010/2011 course syllabus, (n.d.), The University of Economics, Prague, Retrieved from: https://isis.vse.cz/auth/katalog/syllabus.pl?predmet=68577 4SA320 – Information Management – Basic FIS – WS 2010/2011 course syllabus, (n.d.), The University of Economics, Prague, Retrieved from: https://isis.vse.cz/auth/katalog/syllabus.pl?predmet=68886 4IZ210 – Information and Knowledge Processing FIS WS 2010/2011 course syllabus, (n.d.), The University of Economics, Prague, Retrieved from: https://isis.vse.cz/auth/katalog/syllabus.pl?predmet=69183 Brunet-Thorton, R. (2010) Knowledge management. Presented at The University of Economics, Prague 3MA624 Knowledge Mangement lecture. 11th November Chatti, M.A. and Jarke, M. and Frosch-Wilke, D (2007) The future of e-learning: a shift to knowledge networking and social software. Int. J. Knowledge and Learning, Vol. 3, Nos. 4/5, 2007 Retrieved from: http://cites eerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.141.3202&rep=rep1&type=pdf DiBiase, D. (2008) Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access Glossary. Retrieved from: http://www.pasda.psu.edu/tutorials%5Coutreachglossary.asp Google Insights (2010) Retrieved from: http://www.google.com/insights/search/#q=knowledge%20management%2Cinformation%20management&cmpt=q Sharratt, M and Usoro, A. (2003). Understanding Knowledge-Sharing in Online communities of Practice. Page 188. Retrieved from: http://www.thestep.gr/trainmor/dat/%7B7a8f15e0-b7eb-404e-864a-ef0eb1403751%7D/article.pdf Stenmark, D. (2002), Information vs. Knowledge: The Role of intranets in Knowledge Management, Proceedings of the 35th Hawaii