Materals Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Materals - Assignment Example Reducing the embodied energy in building materials form an important part of the new construction process. Source: Embodied energy in house construction, Energy Efficiency, 2006 Embodied Energy The Green Book brings out 18 recommendations on methods to reduce carbon emissions. This book forms an effective guideline in the designing of building using low cost materials. Embodied energy is the total energy that is required to construct buildings using materials like cement, aluminium and steel. However, this energy is not just the direct energy used but the total energy that would be required to source the material, transport it and ultimately use it in the construction. (Lucuik Mark, 2007) A few examples to further elaborate this point are as follows. Concrete blocks used in the construction industry involve not just the energy used in manufacturing the block but is the summation of the energy that would be involved in transporting it from the sourced location like China to its destin ation location like Saudi Arabia. It would also involve the additional energy that would be further required to process the bricks at the site to enable it in laying. Therefore any amount of energy that is used in the drilling and excavating machines to the energy that is used to sustain the people engaged in the excavation operations all sum up to form the total embodied energy of the product. ... an average it is said that a distribution warehouse has 60% embodied carbon, a supermarket which is always well lit up and uses lot of external energy during its operational time has an embodied carbon of 20%. A normal house has an embodied content of 30% which is somewhere between a warehouse and supermarket. The RICS further provides a certain degree of lifespan to each kind of building ranging from 20 to 75 years. (Lane Thomas, 2010) Therefore apart from the kind of construction, the total life span of the building structure all go into accounting the embodied carbon efficiency of materials. Measuring the carbon footprint of a building is a twofold process. It involves calculating the energy that is required in constructing the building and also adding the embodied energy of the materials that are replaced over a period of time during the building lifecycle. A number of tools apart from the RICS are available in the market that can predict exactly the embodied energy of the materi als that are used in the design of the building structure. These give an idea about the embodied energy in construction and also the operational energy that would be used in the years to come. The problem however in using the different software’s that are available in the market are that each tool provides a different value of embodied carbon data. Hence the results that are obtained from different tools might differ. The other problem includes some industries like the Steel Industry providing blast furnace slag to the concrete industry. This enables them to claim that embodied energy of steel industry is lesser than concrete industry since they are actually conserving energy by utilising the energy used in the kilns to other industrial areas. However standardization of these embodied

Discussion question on supply chain management and capacity management Essay

Discussion question on supply chain management and capacity management - Essay Example This serves to minimize system wide costs, and at the same time ensures satisfaction of the service levels. As such, supply chain management adds value and ensures a clear competitive advantage. Some of the objectives of this intervention are to remove assets from the balance sheet, reduce working capital, improving cash to cash cycles, and enhancing inventory turns (Ozkurt, 2013). The impact of supply chain management on the financial position of an organization assumes importance due to the fact that competition is between supply chains and not organizations. This situation is the reality of the contemporary business world. The emphasis, since the 1990s, when globalization came to the fore, has been the conveying of a product to the right place at the right time and at the minimum price (Li, Ragu – Nathan, Ragu – Nathan, & Rao, 2006, p. 107). Capacity strategy is an important principle that utilizes advanced simulation modelling to enable business organization to develop realistic and relevant capacity strategies. Moreover, such strategies are painstakingly evaluated from the operational and financial perspectives. In the context of healthcare organizations, the capacity strategy promotes the optimization of capacity in the principal departments and service lines. This salutary outcome is achieved by authenticating and developing specific strategies aimed at improvement, formulating a structure of governance, and engendering inter – disciplinary commitment (General Electric Company, 2013). With regard to adhering to a schedule of end user response times, capacity management provides information about the exact proportion of infrastructure investments required. In fact, capacity management makes it a simple task to compare vendors and establish the optimal configuration of infrastructure necessary for meeting service levels at the best cost. Another advantage is that performance

Famous Creative Thinkers Presentation Essay Example for Free

Famous Creative Thinkers Presentation Essay Famous Creative Thinkers Presentation I choose Carl Sagan as one of the people that I felt has given a great contribution to the world. Carl Sagan was born in Brooklyn, New York the son of an immigrant worker from the Russian Empire. Name after his mother’s mother. Carl had a sister and his mother was very protective of him. Carl’s mother was not up to par to fit in the social life, so she was restricted. When his parents took him to the New York World Fair, Carl was so excited when he saw the burial of a time capsule, stars and other exhibits that would lead to his inquisitiveness about the world. Later in life Carl and others would build time capsules, but these would be sent out into space for other life forms to find and they would contain Carl’s memories form the world fair. Carl’s parents helped his growing interest for science by buying him books about science and chemistry sets. He loved to read the books about science fiction stories, by writers such as H. G. Wells and Edgar Rice Burroughs, they made his imagination even wilder his about whether there was life on other planets such as Mars, Jupiter and Venus. Carl attended the University of Chicago and received his bachelors and was a part of the Ryerson Astronomical Society. He got received his Bachelors of Science in Physics, a Master of Science in physics and a PhD In astrophysics and astronomy. Carl was denied tenure at Harvard, because of his scientific advocacy, being widely publicized. Carl Sagan was a great astronomer, cosmologist, author, astrophysicist, science communicator, and science popularizer. Because of his great inquiries as to what did what and how come Carl thought about if there was truly life outside of the earth. He was the first to actually make the first messages that were sent into space. He studied the earth, stars, planets, he made messages that he thought could be understood by the extraterrestrials. He had over 600 articles published that  were scientific and authored or co-authored more than 20 books. The award winning series named Cosmos was also by Carl Sagan. He was a professor in astronomy at the Unive rsity of Cornell; he was part of the NASA as an advisor. Because of the Cosmos people were able to better relate and understand Carl’s ideas about the worthiness of the human race. Carl did his thinking the best way that he knew and that was to do it his way. Because of Carl they were able to learn the high surface temperature on the planet Venus, was due to the dryness. He was also the first to think about Saturn’s moon Titan may have contains liquids on the surface and that the Jupiter’s moon Europa might have oceans. Carl did organized research on such projects as Near Earth Objects, he composed the Deflection Dilemma, which would be deflecting an asteroid away from the Earth, and then it could be possible to deflect it back to the earth. During his career Sagan would be very much criticized as to his soundness, when it came to extraterrestrial life. Carl loved to urge people to listen using radio telescopes to see if they could hear signals from outer space that could help him prove that there were other life forms. Due to the lack of belief call stated a petition and was able to get 70 scientists to sign it advocating the SETI that was also p ublished in his journal of Science. Carl would later go on to explain his theories and use science to reveal them to the world. His life force was dedicated to science. Under President Regan rained there was to be a Strategic Defense Initiative, that would cost billions of dollars but it would develop a defense against nuclear missile attacks, an Carl was against this because he felt that there was no real way to do this and by doing so would unbalance the Soviet Union and United States making progress in the arms agreement. There was an experiment called : The Nevada Desert Experience† is where Carl would later be arrested twice for climbing a fence at the protest at the Nevada Test Site in order to protest against the government for using test sites that were experimenting in the Nuclear weapons and they where they were conducting the detonations. Carl was also noted as a free spirit and free thinker. References Whitehouse, David (October 15, 1999). Carl Sagan: A life in the cosmos. BBC News (BBC). Retrieved August 30, American National Biography Online, Carl Sagan. Wikipedia, The free encyclopedia Bansky is the second person that I choose to write on. Bansky is a very creative artist that did street and wall graffiti, painter, film director and political activist. No one really knew is real name or when he was born. He was the son of a technician, was born in Bristol England. Originally he was trained to be a butcher. Some say that his work is similar to that of Blek le Rat. Bansky was impressed by an artist known as 3D who was a member of a group called Massive Attack. Bansky displays his art to the public but he does not sell photo graphics are reproductions of his work. His first movie was called Exit through the Gift Shop was a disaster. His art is part of the Bristol Underground Scene. He like the way that stencils would help to use less time to complete a project. Bansky hid from the police while using stencils as a cover while he created his work. There was a statement to be made in each one of Bansky’s art works. Bansky works are usually all anti something. He d id not approve of the way that people considered art on surfaces as graffiti. He wanted to show that it was real art and start to do mural and other such art on public building and public places. Bansky, did his first exhibit in Los Angeles at the 33 1/3 Gallery and the exhibit called Existentialism, later he would produce such exhibits like Turf Wars, Monet’s Water Lily Pond, Barely Legal, and Bansky effect. The Bansky effect is a way of not just tagging but using art to express things and making areas brighter and pleasant to look at. There is not a particular technique Bansky used whatever he thought to be use full at the time. Bansky art has been known to be thought as a way of revenge for the underclass. To tag a mother persons art is disrespectful, and represents them taking away power or territory and not upholding the rules. Bansky’s works can be so different but beautiful when he does his art although it is considered graffiti it is beautiful. He developed a quantity of spoof British money notes, where the head was not the Queens but the Princess Diana’s and text was changed from the Bank of England to Bansky of England. Although they were not re al notes today they are of great value. Bansky also was responsible for nine portraits on a bank wall in Palestine on the Israeli’s  West Bank. Bansky has a flare to make a mockery of centralized power, too state that power can work against you. When it came to politics, Bansky was thought to be anti-fascism, anti-imperialism, anti-capitalism, anti-authoritarianism, nihilism, existentialism and anarchism. Bansky used images and visual as a means to create his art work. I felt that h could have made his work more realistic by not adding things to make the true scene a joke. But when there is an artist they can only put what they feel is their style of art. Bansky was also responsible for Money Bart of the Simpsons. I did not see any academic references. Bansky’s art was deprived from art and musicians. References Creative ThinkersBanksy creates new Simpsons title sequence. BBC Banksy, Street Art Cult Hero, International Man of Mystery. The Village Voice./ Wikipedia, The free encyclopedia

Business Aligning And Business Impact Information Technology Essay

Business Aligning And Business Impact Information Technology Essay There are many views on what constitutes business strategy. Definitions for business strategy and its features include the following. A business strategy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ should encapsulate a statement of an organisations mission or vision so that there is a clear and consistent point of focus (King, 1978); à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ provides a deliberate plan of action (Kaplan Norton, 1996: Henderson Venkatraman, 1993, King 1978); 2)Definition of IS/ IT Strategy Figure 1: IS/IT Strategy. The figure describes the where, what and how of the planning Source: Source: Edwards, Ward Bytheway, 1991; Ward Peppard, 2002, p.41 IS Strategy IS strategy can be defined as a strategy to implement information systems that recognizes organizational requirements, in other words demand for the information and systems to support the overall business strategy and its plan to gain or maintain the advantage (Rackoff, Wiseman Ullrich, 1985; Ward Peppard, 2002; Edwards, Ward Bytheway, 1991). An IS strategy should include the business needs for the future aligned closely to the business strategy. It should also define and prioritize the investments needed to achieve the application portfolio. IT Strategy IT strategy is the supply to the demand created by IS strategy. It outlines the vision of how the organizations demand for information and systems will be supported by technology (Ward Peppard, 2002). They further suggest that the IT strategy is concerned with the IT capabilities and services like IT operations, systems development and user support. Luftman (2003) refers to the IT strategy as a set of decisions made by IT and functional business managers that either enable or drive the business strategy. It leads to the deployment of technology infrastructure and applications, and human competencies that will assist the organization in becoming more competitive. Figure2: Inputs and outputs of IS/ IT strategy Source: Edwards, Ward Bytheway, 1991 Literature on IS and IT Strategy In view of Clarke (2005), The role of Information Systems (IS) has developed during the years. The original formation was of automation of existing manual and precomputer mechanical processes. This (automation of existing manual processes) was quickly replaced by the rationalisation and integration of systems. In both of these forms, IS was regarded primarily as an operational support tool, and secondarily as a service to Management Clarke (2005) further suggests, Information Technology (IT) had been critical to the implementation of an organizations strategy. The dominant sense in which the term is used is that a strategic information system (SIS) is an information system which supports an organization in fulfilling its business goals. Ward and Griffiths (1996, p1) say that it is essential for the organizations to understand how the role of technology based information systems has evolved. With time, organizations have realised that there is a need to approach IS/IT more tactically by understanding the role of IT in business, and making IT a part of business. As suggested by Ward and Peppard (2002, p1) the organizations are looking at the application of technology not only to underpin existing business operations but also to create new opportunities that provide them with a source of competitive advantage and propose a strategic approach for managing their systems. Kearns and Lederer (2003) have supported the critical and strategic role of IS/IT by stating that, Recent surveys of CEOs (Chief Executive Officer) have shown that, despite numerous failed investments, information technology has assumed a critical and strategic role in their organization. If IS/IT is to fulfil its role, the CIOs (Chief Information Officer) need to adopt Strategic Information Systems Planning. SISP began during 1970s and organizations began using IS/IT in ways that changed the functioning of their businesses. Bruns and McFarlan (1987) thought that, Information Technology has done more than just enhancing the existing processes within the organization. IT has provided the spark that caused the managers to rethink their business strategies. The organizations that have changed their control systems and structures have seen a transformation in the effectiveness of the business processes. Bruns and McFarlan (1987) further suggest that, they have found ways to channel the power of information to the muscles of their corporations. IS/ IT- Business Alignment For an organization to achieve competitive advantage it is important that the business use IS/IT to support the main business processes and become dependant on IS/IT. It is also important that there is IT participation in business planning (BP) and vice-versa. Chan and Huff (1993) say alignment of an IS plan and the business plan is very important and it leads to IS efficiency and value. A closer look at the aims for adopting a IS/IT strategy according to Ward and Peppard (2002) suggests that the SISP process is used for aligning IS/IT with business and gain competitive advantage from business opportunities created by using IS/IT. However, not all IT projects are implemented and many factors have been identified that contribute to IT failures. One of the main failures that have been highlighted is that the 14 failure to implement is due to the planning process and its practices (Hartono et al.2003). Another major problem that has been seen in SISP is failure to translate goals and objectives into action plans (Teo Ang, 2001 in Hartono et al., 2003) and lack of support for IT architecture and also the duration of SISP have been viewed as factors contributing to low rate of implementation. According to Reich and Benbasant (1996) is a process. It is unique to each organization and uses both the IT and business knowledge to support business objectives. Thus, it is important to bring IT into the main business stream and let IT function as an entity in the business. For this to happen, the senior executives in the companies must work together and define the business needs and frame an IS/IT and business strategy to support the business goals and objectives. Thus, for an organization to achieve competitive advantage and improve business performance it is important to align its IS/IT plan with the business plan, and IS/IT systems should be used in accordance with the resources and the capabilities of the organization in times of environmental changes. SISP is a way to implement those IS/IT systems not only to achieve competitive advantage but also for proper functioning in the ever-changing business environment. Business Aligning and Business Impact of IS IT Because of the complexity of the strategic information systems planning process and uniqueness of each organization, there is no one best way to tackle it. Vitale, et al. (1986) classify SISP methodologies into two categories: impact and alignment. Impact methodologies help create and justify new uses of IT, while the methodologies in the alignment category align IS objectives with organizational goals. 1) Impact Methodologies Value Chain Analysis: The concept of value chain is considered at length by Michael Porter (1984). According to him, every firm is a collection of activities that are performed to design, produce, market, deliver, and support its product. All these activities can be represented using a value chain. Porter goes on to explain that information technology is one of the major support activities for the value chain. Information systems technology is particularly pervasive in the value chain, since every value activity creates and uses information. A firm that can discover a better technology for performing an activity than its competitors thus gains competitive advantage (Porter, 1985). Thus value chain analysis: (a) Is a form of business activity analysis which decomposes an enterprise into its parts. Information systems are derived from this analysis. (b) Helps in devising information systems which increase the overall profit available to a firm. (c) Helps in identifying the potential for mutual business advantages of component businesses, in the same or related industries, available from information interchange. (d) Concentrates on value-adding business activities and is independent of organizational structure. Strengths: The main strength of value chain analysis is that it concentrates on direct value adding activities of a firm and thus pitches information systems right into the realm of value adding rather than cost cutting. Weaknesses: Value chain analysis suffers from a few weaknesses, namely, (a) It only provides a higher level information model for a firm and fails to address the development and implementation issues, (b) Because of its focus on internal operations instead of data, it fails to define a data structure for the firm. 2) Alignment Methodologies Business Systems Planning (BSP): The methodology focuses on business processes which in turn are derived from an organizations business mission, objectives and goals. Business processes are analyzed to determine data needs and, then, data classes. Similar data classes are combined to develop databases. The final BSP plan describes an overall information systems architecture as well as installation schedule of individual systems. Steps in a BSP study are: Barlow (1990) and Ledrer and Sethi (1988) have discussed strengths and weaknesses of BSP. Strengths: Because BSP combines a top down business analysis approach with a bottom up implementation strategy, it represents an integrated methodology. In top down strategy, BSP develops an overall understanding of business plans and supporting IS needs through joint discussions. Weaknesses: (a) BSP requires a firm commitment from the top management and their substantial involvement. (b) It requires a high degree of IT experience within the BSP planning team. ((e) Major weakness of BSP is the considerable time and effort required for its successful implementation. About the Assignment The past few decades have witnessed major changes in the way we do business. Increased competition and the pursuit of ever-greater performance have forced businesses to focus on quality, efficiency, and productivity, while encouraging innovation and creativity. In addition, there have been significant changes in global economies and in the structure of the business worlds that exist in those economies. As a result, a variety of disparate approaches and methodologies for evaluating and restructuring business enterprises has emerged. The terms reengineering and business transformation have taken on amazing significance. In many company like Dell, those terms mean the complete assessment, restructure and redesign of entire businesses, including information technology (IT) and Information System its Management (IS) In Below assignment we are going to focus on Business strategies and Information strategies of Dell Company, we are also going to look into Advantage and Disadvantage of Business strategies, Information System and Information Technology in general. Company Overview Dell, a Delaware corporation, was founded in 1984 by Michael Dell on a simple concept: by selling computer systems directly to customers, Dell could best understand their needs and efficiently provide the most effective computing solutions to meet those needs. Dell is based in Round Rock, Texas, and conducts operations worldwide through its subsidiaries. Unless otherwise specified, references to Dell include its consolidated subsidiaries. Dell operates principally in one industry and is managed in three geographic segments: the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific-Japan regions. Vision Statement: Its the way we (Dell) do business. Its the way we (Dell) interact with the community. Its the way we interpret the world around us-ours customers needs, the future of technology, and the global business climate. Whatever changes the future may bring our vision Dell Vision will be our guiding force. Dell needs full customer satisfaction. In order to become the most successful computer company, they need the newest technology and loyal customers. Mission Statement: Dells mission is to be the most successful Computer Company in the world at delivering the best customer experience in markets we serve. In doing so, Dell will meet customer expectations of: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Highest quality à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Leading technology à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Competitive pricing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Individual and company accountability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Best-in-class service and support à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Flexible customization capability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Superior corporate citizenship à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Financial stability http://retailindustry.about.com/od/topusretailcompanies/p/dellincprofile.htm Business Strategy of Dell Dells business strategy combines its direct customer model with a highly efficient manufacturing and supply chain management organization and an emphasis on standards-based technologies. This strategy enables Dell to provide customers with superior value; high-quality, relevant technology; customized systems; superior service and support; and products and services that are easy to buy and use. The key tenets of Dells business strategy are: A direct relationship is the most efficient path to the customer.  A direct customer relationship, also referred to as Dells direct business model, eliminates wholesale and retail dealers that add unnecessary time and cost or diminish Dells understanding of customer expectations. At www.dell.com, customers may review, configure and price systems within Dells entire product line; order systems online; and track orders from manufacturing through shipping. Customers can purchase custom-built products and custom-tailored services. Dells flexible, build-to-order manufacturing process enables Dell to turn over inventory every four days on average, and reduce inventory levels. Dell is the low-cost leader. Dell maintains the lowest cost structure among its major competitors, and to pass those savings to its customers. Non-proprietary standards-based technologies deliver the best value to customers.  Dell believes that non-proprietary standards-based technologies are critical to providing customers with relevant, high-value products and services. Focusing on standards gives customers the benefit of extensive research and development from http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/826083/000095013405004423/d22995e10vk.htm Information Systems Strategy of Dell Information systems were critical to Dell. The information systems supported the Dell Direct business model by providing a range of tools from order entry to production integration. Information systems provided the means for delivery of instant information to employees through e-mail or over the intranet. And information systems were a way to connect suppliers to the business, to collect and analyze information collected from the marketplace, and to support decisions on everything from hiring practices to product offerings to pricing. IT is an enabler to make the business model work, The backbone of the information system was an architecture called G2 (See Exhibit 3). Data Engine Message Broker Application Server Wed Based Client Application G2 Model The G2 architecture was an object-based infrastructure, with a web browser front end interface. It had a single point of connection and was built in small pieces. There was local control of functionality but a global view of the business. The primary components of the G2 architecture were commonly available applications such as Microsoft office, database engines, and Internet servers. The G2 architecture was similar in design to the Dell organization structure, which was also built in small pieces, with local control but a global view of the business. The Dell business model resulted in a different production profile than other business models. The direct model implied that every production run is unique in some way, and hence every lot was of quantity one. http://www.kppartners.com/documents/zerotime-dell_case_study.pdf Analysing Business Aligning in Dell To show Business aligning in Dell we will use value chains analysis The value chain in place at most firms assumes a make-to-forecast strategy. That is, standard products are produced from long-term forecasts of customer demand. And in the case of Dell Computer corporation Michael Dell made business model, which allows the company to build each product to order. Dell is well-known for its ability to mass-produce computers that are customized to a customers order. This production and operations process is known as mass-customization or, in a value-chain context, a build-to-order (BTO) strategy. In its build-to-order strategy, Dell assembles the product only after the customer has placed the order, . At Dell, this process depends on computer systems that link customer order information to production, assembly, and delivery operations. BTO frequently requires a change in organizational culture, managerial thinking, and supplier interactions and support. Inevitably, the process begins by acquiring a better understanding of customer demand; then improvements in information flow will produce the ability to increase responsiveness in all areas of the value chain. http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/msabet/c12_Turban_0471705225.pdf Advantage and Disadvantage Of Business Strategies There are numerous advantages you can extract from the marketplace if you know how. And the marketing plan is an excellent tool for identifying and developing Business strategies for extracting these advantages. 1) Advantages of Business Strategies of Dell: Identifies needs and wants of consumers Determines demand for product Aids in design of products that fulfil consumers needs Dells inventory turnover rate of 60 times per year compares to 12-15 times for most indirect vendor. Dell can develop direct customer relationship. Dell knows who the end user is, what equipment it has bought from Dell, where it was shipped, and how much the customer has spent with Dell. Dell uses that information to offer add-on products and services, to coordinate maintenance and technical support, and to help the customer plan its PC replacement and upgrade cycle. 2) Disadvantages of Business Strategies of Dell: Leads to faulty marketing decisions based on improperly analyzed data Creates unrealistic financial projections if information is interpreted incorrectly Identifies weaknesses in overall business plan http://inventors.about.com/od/licensingmarketing/a/advantages_mark.htm Advantage and Disadvantage of IS and IT 1) Advantages of information technology and Information System Dell Inc Dell Inc company realizes Internet-associated efficiencies throughout its business, including procurement, customer support and relationship management. At www.dell.com, customers may review, configure and price systems within Dells entire product line; order systems online; and track orders from manufacturing through shipping. At valuechain.dell.com, Dell shares information with its suppliers on a range of topics, including product quality and inventory. Dell also uses the Internet to deliver industry-leading customer services. For instance, thousands of business and institutional customers worldwide use Dells Premier Dell.com Web pages to do business with the company online. http://e-learning.dmst.aueb.gr/mis/Cases/Dell/index.htm 2) Disadvantages of information technology and Information System for Dell Inc The Internet has also created entirely new markets and formed the basis for thousands of new businesses and that is biggest disadvantage for Dell Inc. Internet technology is based on universal standards that any company can use, making it easy for rivals to compete on price alone, due to which profits have gone down. Information is available to everyone on internet, due which it raises the bargaining power of customers, who can quickly find the lowest-cost provider http://www.prenhall.com/behindthebook/0132304619/pdf/Laudon%20Feature%203.pdf Barriers in implementation of IS and IT in Dell Company Dell Co business model was unique in its way and the company did not had time to think differently because the company was growing by about $1 billion every 9 weeks. Dell had a limited time for classroom training of new Information systems to employees. The Dell business model resulted in a different production profile than other business models. The direct model implied that every production run is unique in some way, and hence every lot was of quantity one. Dell was not able to have a centralized structure, because the local business units had to have their own IT people. As such, the information systems were highly decentralized. No programmers reported directly to the CIO. Instead, each division and business had some IT people. http://www.kppartners.com/documents/zerotime-dell_case_study.pdf Conclusion Dell has increased the opportunity for revenue and the increased access to information, which potentially translates into new product and service offerings. The advantage to the customer is the traditional one-stop-shopping arrangement for products and services, offloading these tasks from information systems organizations, and freeing the IS management up to concentrate on core business issues rather than procurement and services. http://i.dell.com/sites/content/corporate/secure/en/Documents/FY10_Form10K_Final.pdf Recommendations To get a successful IS and IT Strategy program will rely on (1) Senior managements commitment; (2) The full support and participation of the IT IS team (3) The competence of the IS and IT team, which must have the expertise to apply the specific site and system, identify mission risks, and provide cost-effective safeguards that meet the needs of the organization; (4) The awareness and cooperation of members of the user community, who must follow procedures and comply with the implemented controls to Safeguard the mission of their organization (5) An ongoing evaluation and assessment of the IS IT-related mission risks. http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-30/sp800-30.pdf Authors Reference Barlow, J.F., Putting Information Systems Planning Methodologies Into Perspective, Journal of Systems Management, July, 1990, pp. 6-9. Bruns Jr., W. J., McFarlan, F. W. (1987). Information technology puts power in control systems. Harvard Business Review, 65(5), 89-94. Chan, Y. E., Huff, S. L. (1993). Strategic information systems alignment. Business Quarterly, 58(1), 51-55. Clarke, R. (2005). The path of development of strategic information systems theory. Retrieved 24/04/2011, from http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/SOS/StratISTh.html Edwards, C., Ward, J., Bytheway, A. (1991). The essence of information systems. London: Prentice Hall. Retrieved from 24/06/2011 http://www.coda.ac.nz/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000context=unitec_scit_di Hartono, E., Lederer, A. L., Sethi, V., Zhuang, Y. (2003). Key predictors of the implementation of strategic information systems plans. ACM SIGMIS Database, 34(3), 41-53. Henderson, J.C. Venkatraman, N. (1993) Strategic alignment: Leveraging information technology for transforming organisations, IBM Systems Journal, Vol 32 No 1, pp 472-484. King, W.R. (1978) Strategic planning for management information systems, MIS Quarterly, Vol 2 No 1, pp 27-37 Kaplan, R.S. Norton, D.P. (1996) Translating strategy into action The Balanced scorecard, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA Kearns, G. S., Lederer, A. L. (2003). A resource-based view of strategic IT alignment: How knowledge sharing creates competitive advantage. Decision Sciences, 34(1), 1-29. Ledrer, Albert L., and Sethi, Vijay, The Implementation of Strategic Information Systems Planning Methodologies, MIS Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 3, September 1988, pp. 445-460. Luftman, J. N. (2003). Competing in the information age align in the sand (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. Porter, M.E., Competitive Advantage, Free Press, 1984. Retrieved on 30/04/2011 http://viu.eng.rpi.edu/publications/strpaper.pdf Porter, M.E. and Millar, V.E., How Information Gives You Competitive Advantage, Harvard Business Review, July-August, 1985. Retrieved on 30/04/2011 http://viu.eng.rpi.edu/publications/strpaper.pdf Rackoff, N., Wiseman, C., Ullrich, W. A. (1985). Information systems for competitive advantage: implementation of a planning process. MIS Quartery, 9(4), 285-294. Reich, B. H., Benbasat, I. (1996). Measuring the linkage between business and information technology objectives. MIS Quarterly, 20(1), 55-81. Teo, T. S. H., Ang, J. S. K. (2001). An examination of major IS problems. International Journal of Information Management, 21(6), 457-470. Vitale, M., Ives, B. and Beath, C., Identifying Strategic Information Systems, Proc. 7th Intl Conf. Inf. Sys., San Diego, December 1986, pp. 265-276. Ward, J., Peppard, J. (2002). Strategic planning for information systems (3rd ed.). Chichester: John Wiley. Retrieved on 25/04/2011 http://www.coda.ac.nz/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000context=unitec_scit_di Ward, J., Griffiths, P. (1996). Strategic planning for information systems (2nd ed.). Chichester: John Wiley. Retrieved on 25/04/2011 http://www.coda.ac.nz/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000context=unitec_scit_di Website reference http://retailindustry.about.com/od/topusretailcompanies/p/dellincprofile.htm Retrieved on 30/04/2011 http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/826083/000095013405004423/d22995e10vk.htm . 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Vegetarianism :: Healthy Lifestyle Essay

Vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the limitation of ones diet to only vegetables. Vegetarianism has been around for centuries, but recently we have seen the eruption of a more militant vegetarianism that is inspired by the animal "rights" movement. Today, vegetarian activists are throwing pies at Ronald McDonald and the Pork Queen, scrawling "meat is murder" in prominent locations, committing terrorist acts of arson, and waging media campaigns equating meat consumption with cannibalism. Vegetarians are, on the average, far healthier than those who consume the typical Western diet, and enjoy a lower incidence of many chronic diseases. However, it has not been proven that one must eliminate meat from one's diet in order to be healthy. It has been aptly demonstrated that the typical Western diet contains too much fat. Eliminating meat from the diet is one way to reduce fat, but it is not the only way. Vegetarian diets have also been shown to increase the risk for nutrient deficiencies. Children are particularly vulnerable and can lead to growth problems. Vegetarian children often fail to grow as well as their omnivorous counterparts despite protein intakes. Ecological arguments against omnivorous and carnivorous eating are little more than an attempt by those from the less popular animal "rights" movement to ride the coattails of the more popular environmental movement. In some cases, warnings of impending environmental cataclysm are used to advance an ethical agenda. However, arguments to the effect that eating meat is "destroying the planet" overlook that the planet has not yet been destroyed despite millions of years of omnivorous and carnivorous eating by millions of individuals from a multitude of species. The Second Law of Thermodynamics dictates that some energy will be inevitably lost as one moves up the food web. Therefore, arguments about how it takes X pounds of plant protein to generate Y pounds of meat have a sound theoretical basis. However, these arguments are often overstated. These arguments falsely assume that pork chops and steak are the only products of animal agriculture. They falsely presume that a pound of animal foodstuffs is nutritionally and energetically equivalent to a pound of plant foodstuffs. These arguments also ignore the energy content and opportunity cost of replacing animal by-products, which is considerable. Even the animal's excrement is a valuable resource. Certain animal products, such as fetal calf serum, collagen and laminin are crucial for medical research using cell cultures, and have no available alternatives.

Tommy Pearson :: Essays Papers

Tommy Pearson Pearson. Churchill. MacDonald. Trudeau. This list is composed of some of the greatest and most respected men to shape the history of Canada and who meld the country we live in into its current state. One notable but equally influential Canadian politician missing from this list is Tommy Douglas. Tommy Douglas’s government lasted from 1944 to 1960. During these sixteen years, he accomplished many great achievements, and brought in many important political changes to improve the health and living conditions of people all over the country. What exactly did Tommy Douglas accomplish that made him so great? Tommy Douglas was born in Falkirk, Scotland, on October 12, 1904. In 1910, his family immigrated to Winnipeg, Canada. When the first World War struck, the Douglas family moved back temporarily to Glascow. There, he worked at a whiskey factory until the War ended. He then moved back to Winnipeg, where he worked as an apprentice printer at the Winnipeg Free Press and Grain Trade News. There, he learned first hand the needs and views of the common citizen. By 19, he had successfully earned his Journeymans as a printer. By then, however, he had earned a good reputation as a Baptist Preacher. There he met JS Woodsworth, a Methodist Preacher and political party CCF leader. He finished his schooling at McMaster University, earning an MA. In 1934, Tommy Douglas began his political career. He ran unsuccessfully for provincial candidate of the Farmer-Labour party of Saskatchewan. The next year, he won as the CCF candidate for the federal constituency of Weyburn. By 1941, he was selected as th e provincial leader of the Saskatchewan Provincial party in George Williams absence, who hd gone overseas to follow the war. He later resigned his federal position to lead the Saskatchewan CCF, and won the election with 47 seats of 53. During his five terms as premier, Douglas introduced many reforms, mostly geared towards public hospitals and medical care. These reforms moved Saskatchewan to a more forward and prosperous state. In his first year alone, he introduced 72 bills that were aimed at social or economic changes. After only two years, he had reduced provincial deficit by $20 million. Some of Tommy Douglas’s greatest accomplishments were pensioner benefits and universal hospitilization. In 1944, he introduced pensioners to free medical, dental, and hospital services, as well as free treatment of cancer, mental illness, tuberculosis, and venereal diseases.

Employee Training and Management Essay

It is healthy for the operation of the business to have, although not that frequent, an evaluation of our co-employee/s for the betterment of the organization as a whole. With this, the company could attain its goals with fewer hindrances and achieve impressive growth in a shorter period of time. This paper aims to have a Coaching and Performance Improvement Analysis to my CEO, to whom I work as a secretary, in order to provide us with facts on how our CEO influence his subordinates as well as on the manner he fulfill his duties in the company. I have been a secretary to the CEO in our company for about ten years and I think that span of staying here is enough for me to give criticism or opinion regarding the professionalism of my bosses with regards to performing his duties and responsibilities. The current CEO of the company has been in his position for about 6 months. Since he is the one responsible for almost all of the operational details of the company, it is a must for us to know how competitive he is. The future of the company depends on him and any incompetence could lead to any losses not only to the company but as well as to the employees. During the recent months, the company has been experiencing down turns in the sales and profits. Even if the various units of the company are doing their job well, still, our target market continuous declines every single day. After conducting the investigation, the company officials found out that the problem boils down to the office of the CEO. The specific problem would be the CEO of the company took a couple of time planning for the instructions that must be given to the various units of the company as well as forwarding them to the vice-presidents of various units. Basically, the officers of the various units know the problem exists that is why they conducted an investigation to pin point the root of the problem. They also know the performance expectation that a CEO must fulfill in order to lead such complex company that covers wide operational services. This action caused delays in the daily operation of the business, thus, made the customers disappointed with the current performance of the company which before leads the market with providing delivery services to most of the cities in America. There are no hindrances outside the organization/team’s control that affects the performance of the CEO. Coaching Analysis Flow Chart This flow chart is being used as a strategic tool used to find out if we have to proceed in the performance improvement process and to identify the extent to which we can proceed in the performance improvement process. This is being used mainly to assist in the performance improvement process (Brocato). I believe that the problem is worth solving at since it already concerns the future of the business with regards to its performance to the market. The CEO of any company is the one that is responsible for the delicate operations aspects of the business and the source of most of the decisions that should be done by various units in order to achieve their goals and growth to have market stability. If this problem would not be solve, there will come a time wherein customers would no longer avail the services of the company, thus, could cause much more problem to the company. The competition now a day in the industry of delivery services is very tight due to the profitability in this type of business. Companies such as UPS and DHL are just a few of the threats to the company that needed much attention. With this, there is no room for any errors or incompetence on the part of any members of the company. Stockholder of the company could pull out their shares due to the risks involving the stability of the organization. It is much better it this problem would be treated right away so as to avoid any further complications and losses. The postponement in the imposition of the CEO with the specific plans per unit of the business cause delays in the operational process of the organization as a whole, specifically, the plan for the imposition of new delivery strategies to compete with the emerging delivery companies in the market. As based from the behavior of the market for the past years, they tend to easily shift their loyalty to those companies that can offer services that conform to their needs and type of living (Killoran). In short, innovative products’ are the one that gains market acceptance. Therefore, it is a must for the company to be on time with the delicate operational aspects of the organization so as not to be over shadowed by other companies belonging to the same industry. Every step in the operational process is important and requires constant observation on the part of the CEO so as to have a basis in conducting plans and strategies for the company. Therefore, it is a must to have a competitive and efficient CEO for the company to achieve their goals and stability in the market. The CEO fails to make new strategy regarding the imposition of an innovative delivery strategy that would attract more customers. The only reason that I can see here for the incompetence of the new CEO is his lack of experience. Six months in the position would not be enough for him to familiarize himself with the regular operations of the business and on what is the market trend in the economy. The CEO of the company also did become extra confident with the market status of the company during the years before his assume the position of being the CEO. Because of this, he was not able to maintain the stability of the company and only cause chaos in the financial as well as to the sales of the company. Stockholders panicked because of the undertakings of the CEO as well as his performance with regards to performing its functions well. We can now see the effect of having an incompetent person handling a very delicate position of in an organization. The stake of the stockholders, employees and the clients that put their trust to the company for many years is in danger. With regards to the job structure of the organization, I believe that his roles and involvement to various aspects of operations has contributed to his inefficiency as the top manager of the organization. I believe that he is not yet ready to shoulder many responsibilities and must delegate some task to middle and lower level managers. His role as the main icon of the organization requires him to appear in public to represent the whole organization could also be a contributing factor for him not to finish his responsibilities well. During the recent months, he had to travel to some places in America to generate additional stockholder to finance the plan of expanding the company into some states in America. With this, he spends less time in his office while the employees of the organization wait for the next step that they will do. This is one of the disadvantages of an organization that relies most on their CEO; they lack initiatives to make suggestions for their respective areas of concern so as to lessen the responsibility of their top manager. Moreover, having initiative to plan for the welfare of the middle managers area of concern helps they develop their abilities since they have to use their creativity in making strategies and decisions. If they only follow the command of the CEO and not suggesting other strategies with which they think more beneficial than with the plan of the CEO, then, the organization would really become stagnant and can be considered as a â€Å"one-man-team† organization. As for the managerial behavior, the CEO of the organization lacks the ability to encourage his subordinates to use their creativity to make plans regarding some small aspects of the operation of the business. With this, the responsibility of the CEO would be lessened and can now concentrate to more delicate aspects of the operation of the organization. On the subject of the personality of the CEO towards the fulfillment of his responsibilities, I think, this overconfidence regarding the organization has leaded the company to this problematic situation. Because of this personality of the CEO, his concentration towards the attainment of the organizational goal is not that enough for the customers avail our services. Regarding the question on whether the proposed solution of delegating some responsibilities to lower and middle level managers, I think that it would only costs less time and money since the implementation of this strategy will only affect a small part of the time of those managers. Besides, they are the one must know what is happening in their area of concern, thus, they have most of the information as compared to the CEO of the company. With this solution, the problem can be addressed and would only take a few weeks to experience the positive effects to the company. Proposed Solution For the CEO to have enough time to concentrate to those more delicate aspects of the organization, he should pass some of the planning responsibility to the various units of the company (Jackson). For instance, the problem regarding the marketing strategy of the organization, the CEO could assign the vice president to marketing of the company to deals the said problem since the said person has more knowledge with regards to conducting market analysis and has more experience regarding capturing the tastes of their target customers. This solution need not to conduct any trainings or could cause much costs to the company since this solution only delegates the tasks that is intended to each units of the organization. This solution would also develop the sense of creativity of the middle and lower level managers since they have to think unique strategy and plans so as to gain large share of market in the industry. This will also help them boost their morale since they will start to feel that they are important in the organization and has a part in attaining their goals and targets in the whole operational process.