Boy Cry

In his telling novel, Real Boys, William S. Pollack spends much of the work making a strong social commentary on some of the issues and problems associated with growing up. For the author, growing up is something that has gotten more and more difficult over the years and certain problems must be handled by society. The book succinctly discusses the various roles that educators, parents, friends, and society plays in raising a child to be a man. It discusses what can be done on both an individual level and a parental level, while addressing how children respond to different motivations from the outside.The impressiveness of raising these important social questions is bested only by this book’s ability to answer those questions. The most important aspect of young male development to the author is the context in which a boy is raised. By this, it means that a boy in North America has a hard time coming to a firm understanding of both who he is and who he is supposed to become. Th e book talks at length about the many â€Å"codes† by which a boy is required to live in the United States. Instead of being able to find himself within the context of his life, a boy must adhere to a double set of social standards.In addition to adhering to new age principles, boys must do their best to uphold the long standing male tradition of being â€Å"tough† and being â€Å"manly†. As Pollack shows with his real life examples, this type of pressure does not allow a boy to realize the proper context. This is important because it eventually stunts development and, according to the author, can lead to some very serious consequences. Among those are drug use, violence, learning disabilities, and psychological disorders. The author makes the point to state some solutions for these problems, instead of focusing solely on the problems.That is one of the important and interesting aspects of the book. One of the solutions has to do with a likely source in a boyâ⠂¬â„¢s development. According to the author, parents have to play a pivotal role in a child’s development if that child is going to become a success in society. This is where the idea of parental gatekeeping comes into play. Parents must not only do what they can to raise a child financially and physically, but they must also make a commitment to raising the child’s psyche. This does not mean that parents are always supposed to be the child’s biggest fan, nor are they to be his biggest detractor.In order for a boy to eventually grow into a man, the parents have to be something of a middle man in this. They must let enough good in to encourage the boy in his development, while keeping him grounded enough to stay on the right track. This is a slippery slope, but one that parents must tread down if they want to raise a boy properly. Another neat thing in the book is that the author takes the time to not only address widespread developmental issues in regards to boy s, but also to address specific problems that stand in the way in today’s society.Among those are some touchy topics that most parents and all schools have trouble dealing with. Though it might seem like a small thing on the surface, the author makes sure to mention that one of the biggest developmental problems facing boys in American society is friendlessness. Though it is not something that affects all children, it has an impact on a significant number of individuals. As such, there are lots of boys who grow up through elementary and middle school without knowing what it is like to have a friend.This affects boys in a couple of different ways. For one, they struggle with confidence issues as all of the individuals around them thrive. In addition, they miss out on learning some of the important things that go along with friendship. They do not learn how to handle their emotions or work with other human beings to figure out interpersonal problems. These things might seem min or to some, but to the author, they are huge stumbling blocks that society has failed to take down. In the book, the author does not speak in pure generalities.Though he makes several general points that can be applied to boys across the board, his primary objective is to identify specific problems that have specific solutions. When addressing the problems of boys, he spends a great deal of time and energy breaking down the problems that exist in schools when it comes to development of boys. Above all of the other parties responsible for raising boys to be men, he feels that schools have the great influence and thus, are doing the worst job at this point. In the book, he mentions some specific ways that parents must feel that their kids are being wronged.In his book, Pollack makes mention of some of the questions that parents must ask when he writes (1999), â€Å"Do the school’s teachers and administrators know about the boy code? Do they understand the mask? Are they sympat hetic to boys? Does the school teach subject matters and use classroom materials that interest my boy? † (p. 231). The author goes on to discuss that the answer to these questions is, all too often, no. The author places a significant amount of focus on the job that teachers and administrators are doing within the schools.In addition to not being well equipped to handle the emotional rigors that boys go through during their developmental years, schools are having a hard time zeroing in on the academic problems that boys are facing. The author specifically mentions the subjects of reading and writing as weak areas for boys, and goes on to talk about how school administrators are not doing enough to catch these problems and work to improve them. Because schools are not noticing academic issues at the beginning, boys are being allowed to struggle their way through school.This is one of the primary reasons why boys struggle on the outside of school. With their self-esteem shot and their confidence destroyed by problems within school, they are forced to then face their own development in a world that is becoming tougher and tougher on people their age. Fundamental problems, according to the author, are causing even great consequences on the outside of schools. All in all, the book is an excellent commentary on the many problems that young men face in a changing world. Getting from boyhood to manhood used to be easy, but now it is more of a challenge.Unfortunately, the world has not accommodated for the extra challenge, so boys are expected to handle their issues with the greatest of ease and the greatest of strength. That, in effect, is the message of the book. According to Pollack, parents, teachers, school administrators, and society at large is failing the young male population in North America. Until more is done to correct the problem, more and more young boys will find drugs, violence, and a handful of other issues to fill their plate in lieu of their o verriding issues. References Pollack, W. (1999). Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood. Owl Books.

The Lincoln Electric Company

Headquartered in Euclid, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, The Lincoln Electric Company is a world leader in welding and cutting products, as well as a premier manufacturer of electric motors. The company is well known for its dedicated, talented workforce and its superior technology. Lincoln Electric Company gives its customers total solutions along with a commitment to quality. Lincoln Electric Company is also well known for its incentive management system. Many companies strive to duplicate the success that Lincoln has enjoyed over the years. John C. Lincoln founded Lincoln Electric Company in 1895 with a capital investment of $200. At first he only designed electric motors, but in 1909, he began to build welding machines. In 1814, he hired his brother James to be the VP and manager of his company. In 1934, the famous Lincoln bonus plan was instated as employees enjoyed bonuses of 25% of their base pay. By 1940, Lincoln employees enjoyed two times the average pay and productivity of similar Cleveland workers. Lincoln has built a very profitable company. This by way of treating all of its stakeholders with the utmost importance. Lincoln always kept its prices very fair, if not too fair for the customers. In many cases, the price of an item or service provided by Lincoln had gone down over the years. At the same time, employee†s salaries actually went up. This is just one example why Lincoln has flourished. Why are the employees at Lincoln Electric Company so pleased as well as so productive? Why were Lincoln employees willing to work overtime during an August vacation time in 1994? The following benefits are some of the main reasons why Lincoln employees will do almost anything to help its employer: an employee stock purchase plan company-paid life insurance piece rates adjusted for inflation a practice of lifetime employment Since its inception in 1895, Lincoln Electric Company was privately owned. This allowed for the protection of the processes that has kept Lincoln in the lead. However, after two years of losses in 1992 and 1993 due to a harsh foreign market, Lincoln Electric Company had to go public. With multi-million dollar, domestic updates and acquisitions in such countries as Italy, China, and Indonesia, Lincoln Electric Company wasted no time by dwelling on its first losses in Lincoln†s history. Lincoln is back on track as the world leader in arc welding, after faltering for only two years. Lincoln is committed to providing substantial value to all of its stakeholders. Very satisfied, dedicated and talented employees Incentive performance system Customer†s interests were held as more important than the stockholder†s Low prices kept customers pleased Exceptional quality (one Lincoln distributor said he sold hundreds of Lincoln welders without even one return Good relationships with unions Lincoln would guarantee a price quote in writing Having to go public after nearly 100 years The incentive pay scheme needs some updates Try to regain the its long-time standing as a privately owned company Stockholders could threaten with the need for a traditional pay scheme and this could interfere with the excellent relationship that Lincoln Electric has with its employees There is really nothing that Lincoln Electric Company can do that has not already been done. Lincoln Electric Company never had a loss until it†s over sea operations began to suffer in 1992. During the global organization, Lincoln†s employees voluntarily postponed their vacations in order to meet customer demand. Sales records have been set for every quarter since mid 1993. The only area that I see that could be changed is the way that the employees are compensated.

Service Quality Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Service Quality Management - Essay Example It has got a shareholder determination from well-known centers named as Interfaith Center in responsibility of its corporation as well as the Alliance for environmentally responsible economics. Ford has agreed in publishing the first industry report, which is dedicated to the matters of environment change and the effects in their business also the automotive industry as a whole. Ford Company has also worked with Ceres, ICCR and other stakeholders (Media.ford.com, 2005). While focusing on the issues, which are not abstract at Ford that they are the third biggest automobile producer around the globe. They have produced and distributed automobiles in more than 200 markets around the globe. They have many employees’ no less than four hundred thousand people worldwide, they manufacture trucks, transmissions, forgings, castings, cars, metal stamping, engines and all types of equity preserved and combined project plants in the world. They use the energy to manufacturing their vehicle s and control, power Ford services caused approximately 10 million metric loads of carbon dioxide CO2 (Media.ford.com, 2005). ... FORD also participates in trading and dealing mechanisms in all Europe as well as in North America of carbon dioxide CO2. The percentage of energy obtain from the renewable resources have been increased. It has also declared the first large scale which is known as fumes to fuels a cell project that would change captured volatile organic compounds VOCs from paint plant emissions to electrical power operations and would decrease all the emissions. They will also offset carbon dioxide CO2 emitted in the manufacture of their FORD as well as for Mercury Hybrid Technology Vehicles (Dolan and Stoll, 2009). It seems to be proud that FORD’s accomplishment in decreasing carbon dioxide CO2 from their procedures and have got advantage from energies expense savings that usually go with it. It has been recognized that about 10 percent of the period green-house gases GHG from any vehicle befall throughout its manufacture. And the rest of the 90 percent ascribed to the entire vehicle is emitt ed while the consumer is using it, when burning the gasoline, diesel from the fossil fuel causes (Brettell, 2008). FORD take wide range of activities that assist decrease the green-house gases emissions of their vehicle fleet in enhancing their hybrid listing to inspiring much use of Ethanol fuel, to shifting their mixture of the products to much fuel well organized cars, to refining and improving the proficiency of unoriginal diesel and gasoline engines, to levitating the consciousness of the customers (greencarcongress.com, 2005). As we know that many of them stakeholders imagine spelling out exact targets and milestones for better improvements into the fleet fuel proficiency of their products. It is highly competitive industry that there consecutive to be too extensive a

Classroom Management and Discipline for a Diverse Student Population Research Paper

Classroom Management and Discipline for a Diverse Student Population - Research Paper Example Three diversities of learner needs have been considered. These diversities are in the areas of learner achievement levels, socio-cultural background of learners and health needs of learners. Reasons why it is important for the teacher to ensure that there is an environment to cater for diversities in all the three areas of learner needs have been elaborated. Again, the research suggests specific approaches to be used by teachers to ensure accommodation and adaptation for differences in all three areas of learner diversity. The research closes by examining how the teacher can also cater for different learner behaviours to foster discipline in the class. Three theories have been reviewed and corresponded to how they can solve three persistent classroom related undisciplined behaviours that a teacher encounters on a regular basis. The behaviours looked at are absenteeism, inattentiveness in class and bullying. Having the managerial skills to tackle all forms of learner behaviour is very important to ensure that the classroom lives up to a desired learning atmosphere and that all learners leave the classroom each day with fulfilled dreams of going to school. Overview Day in an out, the face of teaching as a profession keeps changing; becoming more and challenging to meet the changing learning needs of students. Years past, learning was seen as the responsibility of the student. The teacher was therefore seen as a conveyer of information for the student to learn – by whatever means the student could make himself understand what the teacher teaches. Because of this, teachers went about teaching in a whole-class approach, leaving the responsibility of understanding lessons to the student. In that era, examinations were put in place to test which students learnt what the teacher taught and which students did not learn. Today, that is no more. The teacher is now seen as part of the child’s learning process with the responsibility of ensuring that his teach ing meets the learning needs of the student. Today, the teacher is seen as a facilitator who is to ensure that the student understands his teaching – by whatever means the teacher could make himself understood. Examination has therefore become a test of which teacher could meet learning needs of students. In order to meet the individual needs of the classroom population, teachers are putting away whole-class teaching approaches for diversity approached. Teachers are now required to adopt diversity approach to meet the learning needs of all learners in the classroom. According to Crawley (2006), A â€Å"diversity approach aims to recognize, value and manage difference to enable all learners to contribute and realize their full potential.† It is the aim of this research paper therefore, to investigate into various learning theories to find out how they support the concept of diversity approach in classroom situations. This will be done by delving into what diversity is, areas of classroom experiences the teacher is likely to meet diversity and the importance of catering for diversity in the classroom. There shall then be analyzes of best practices for effective classroom management to minimize disruptive behavior and increase learning in the diverse

Static and dynamic website verification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Static and dynamic website verification - Essay Example We can also explain the concept of the website verification as the act of inspecting, examining, checking, testing, auditing, or else setting up and documenting whether services, documents, processes, items, or match to particular established needs and requirements. To verify a website we measure it’s all the aspects of working and handling attributes confirmed in the terms for that website development and implementation. Website verification is a factual need of modern business practice because according to a recent consumer reports, greater than seventy one percent of online shoppers come out particularly for 3rd party seals of authorization as an outline of website confirmation when going to a website. The outcome of this study is not unpredicted as numerous online intimidations as well as scams have attacked todays web society [2]. These third seals are a most important concern on the checklist of numerous people going to website as it provides them a commanding intelligence of safety. It builds a good enough altitude of self-assurance as well as faith with consumers and merchants. It authorizes viewers of a website to liberally make known confidential information with no badge of hesitation that it could be employed unlawfully [5]. Some of the leading internet security organizations have built 3 fundamentally efficient types of seals to address these 3 indispensable concerns. These are the security seals, privacy seals, and business identity seals [4]. The basic intend at the back of the verification of the website is to access the different types of security imitations. Here we need to access different aspects of the online web based verification. We carry out static and dynamic verification for the better examination of the main security and privacy concerns. Static and dynamic website verification are fundamentally aimed at verifying the below given concerns of the online

Philosophies of the East Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Philosophies of the East - Essay Example Hinduism as a philosophic creed has had no known founder, and there are no standard set of doctrines other than those in the Vedas and the Upanishads, universally accepted by all followers, and this may seem a disadvantage when compared to Confucianism and Buddhism. But when seen closely, it appears that Hinduism grapples with concepts of a different philosophical significance than Confucianism, because Hinduism deals with the nature of creation itself, whereas the other deals with the Way, a Way of worldly human life on the material plane alone. Buddhism, of course had a founding father in Gautam Buddha, many of whose given precepts are strikingly similar to that of Hinduism. Hinduism accepts that absolute reality is One, the Brahman, the various gods, demi-gods and the entire creation is Its expression. The human soul Atman is a part of It but is separated from It by a veil of ego and ignorance in the samsara, the world. The more the ego and ignorance, the more the reincarnations, in each of which the soul goes through various kinds of physical and mental suffering due to his or her Karma, or action and desires. Good karma brings the soul closer to Nirvana, or salvation from the cycle of rebirths, and bad karma and material desires drag it back down into the cycle.It is good human action and lack of material desires that can achieve salvation. On the other hand, human suffering can be understood in terms of bad past Karma, or human actions in a previous life. The Atman works out its Karma in an atmosphere of Lila or Maya, the history of the world and humans, which is in fact an illusion. Human life, then, is the journey of the Atman wherein humans try to control both the mind and the senses and become Brahman-oriented in the hope of experiencing total fulfillment in oneness with God or Brahman. Hindu philosophy allows for various ways to achieve Nirvana and over the ages various philosophers from Nagarjuna, Ramanuja, Sankara and the modern day Aurobindo Ghosh have offered their own interpretations. Buddhism is quite similar in its approach. Buddha's concern with the cause of human suffering led him to determine the Eightfold Path of human thought, speech, action, contemplation and mindfulness which is the way human beings can be free of all desires and suffering and attain Nirvana. Moreover, upadana or "clinging to existence" should be relinquished because existence in this world is illusory, and it is important to achieve a silence of body, mind and word. But unlike Hinduism, Buddhism does not believe in a divine creator or in divine salvation; the problem of suffering is one that humans must cope with themselves. Confucianism, on the other hand, is not concerned with the other world or rebirths at all. Direct human action is the only way human beings can better themselves according to Confucius. Human beings can gain wisdom through experience and study, following a set of principles which dictate positive action, helping others, and gaining their respect in a non-coercive fashion. Confucius held that it is possible to become a superior man through constant practice of the principles he set out, and his philosophy had much to do with political codes and family life as well. Confucius did not feel that human life and existence is governed by a fixed and eternal transcendental principle that stands outside and above events and determines them: human

Movie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Movie - Essay Example An example of this taken from the movie is when the wife Mrs. Smith is at a neighbors party and is holding a baby. The husband then reacts a certain way. The wife is performing an action that normally would not be performed and this persuades the husband to act in a certain way. Compliance resisting is the refusal of a target of influence message to comply with requests. This is shown many times throughout the movie. One significant example is when Mrs. Smith discusses redecorating and the purchase of new curtains. The wife intends to act as a normal wife does. Acting like a normal wife is the wife’s goal to try and persuade the husband into thinking the wife is someone she is not. This backfires as the target (Mr. Smith) reacts in a way that is not expected. Hurtful messages are messages that create feelings of pain and emotional upset. Hurtful messages do not begin in the movie until the couple finds out that they are similar to one another. A specific example of this is whe n the two are advised to kill one another. After they both realize that they are instructed to kill one another they begin producing hurtful messages. The hurtful messages are described when Mrs. Smith is driving in the car and talking to her husband on the phone. They both are relaying hurtful messages to one another.

Quantitative Analysis for Finance Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Quantitative Analysis for Finance - Coursework Example Basing on the calculated percentages, the return of each portfolio was calculated. Therefore, based on the results, the plan consists of the losses and the highest drawdown which could help investors prepare for what they could face in future. In relation to this, even if the financial plan is considered to be the simplest, it needs assumptions about the way the investment could perform. It is known that such assumptions might not be accurate, but they are required to be reasonable as well as thoughtful. The projections won’t be that useful in case you assume a balanced portfolio with a return of 7 percent every day. It was found that the returns of the total portfolio of investors during the year are negative and this indicates that the portfolio is not good enough to invest. Such resulted from the drop in value of the initial investment of the common bond which was from 30 000 pounds to 23 000 pounds. There was rise in value of the stock investment from 20 000 pounds to 25 0 00 pounds and this implies that the stock portfolio is good for investment. In regard to the determination of the capital market line equation (CML), we considered the fact that there was a correlation coefficient between the stock returns of 30 percent and the risk free rate of 5 percent .The risk profile could be altered easily when the asset risk is adjusted with the use of the risk –free rate. Based on the capital market line, the market portfolio has a combination of all risky-free asset and risky assets, with the use of the asset‘s market value to calculate the weights. The capital market line was derived by capital market model (CAPM) where the expected return at different risk levels was solved. For exercise 2, the capital market line was determined and in this case, it indicated that the diversified portfolio returns on the capital

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Management - Essay Example Internal forces of business environment include: strategy, employees and its own culture. External forces of business environment include government, climate, political and economic conditions. Business environment is of utmost importance to an organization and a manger has to work while monitoring the external and internal sources of business environment and either change or continue its operations in accordance to the changes in the business environment to remain successful and increase profitability of the organization. If managers are able to keep a watch on its business environment, they can benefit from opportunities available in the environment, they can counter the threats and weaknesses that are available in the internal and the external business environment and further enhance the strength of the business. For example: Managers need to continuously monitor the changes in the demographics of the country in which it is operating in so it can adjust its marketing and human res ource activities accordingly and benefit from opportunities. ... People may have a desire to purchase a good or service, but their desire does not create a market. A market is created with a customer can be qualified as able to make a purchasing transaction. Customers are only qualified to make a purchase if they have an existing need that needs to be satisfied, have the ability to make the purchasing transaction, have monetary resources to conduct the transaction and have the power to complete the transaction. Contemporary society consists of connections between human beings; market is a network that creates such connections by connecting buyers and sellers. When humans of the contemporary society interact with each other, they achieve wellbeing and the conditions of their life increases. Markets provide individuals with goods and services to satisfy their needs which help in improving the conditions of individuals and leading to well being of the society. Works Cited Weimer, Arthur M. Business Administration: An Introductory Management Approach. Homewood, Ill: R.D. Irwin, 1966. Print. Paper 2 One of the major elements in the marketing mix is the place of distribution of product. Distribution is regarded as the procedure through which a good or service is made available for the consumers to consume by a manufacturer or business making that product or service (Longenecker 200). The activity of distribution can be conducted through direct and indirect methods. This form of transfer of products from the manufacturer to the consumer is conducted through one of the options of channels available to the producer. Channels are referred to as organizations that are dependant on other organizations and all these organizations combine

Natural Resources and Energy Paper Essay Example for Free

Natural Resources and Energy Paper Essay Wind Power and Global Role The world has been using wind energy for over 100 years now to generate power. â€Å"The first known use was in 5000 BC when people used sails to navigate the Nile River† (Alternative Energy, 2008-2012). Beginning in the early 1900’s, wind mills were used to pump groundwater in Midwestern portions of the country primarily. Today, windmill technological advances have brought about the development of powerful wind turbines and sophisticated windmill farms across the country. In many cases, the development of these devises has caused a decline in generating cost resulting in wind energy competitive with several other conventional sources of electricity. Today, wind is one of the leading sources of electricity beating out coal; coal can cause health issues as wind does not. Wind power has been the fastest growing energy source and some people are saying that is the reasoning behind the Global Warming Effect. There is talk already that in the next thirty to forty years the world’s energy will have to come from wind, solar or some other renewable resource. Wind power is used globally and plays several different roles in different areas of the world. Most areas though are using the same types of equipment for the energy resource, which are the windmills and turbines. In these different areas the climate control will control the amount of wind power being produced. In the hotter areas that have less wind are definitely not going to produce the same amo Alternative energy, Capacunts of wind energy as places that are in the windy areas like Seattle and Chicago. So from a geographical stand point, if someone is looking to generate m ass quantities of energy from wind, then being in Arizona is not going to be a good choice. Growing Human Population The population in terms of its affect on wind energy has very little effect on wind power production for one reason and one reason only. That is because winds are a direct result of the `uneven heating of the earth’s surface by solar radiation. So technically they are just another source of solar energy. There are still some major deficiencies of Wind power. Wind is not a constant source of energy at a particular place. Wind cannot be concentrated in one location, so that it will take up an enormous amount of space to create an equal amount of wind energy. And finally, once the energy is produced by the wind storing the energy becomes a major concern, meaning how you disperse the energy gathered effectively to the population. Only recently has wind power spread across the country as a somewhat viable source of power with the global initiatives to create and produce alternative energies. The Wind Farms were primarily used in California and recently spread out across the United States. There are some benefits of this energy such as agricultural, rural land use, pastures as well as farmers to use wind power in land open areas. Winds are probably never going to be the main or considered as a major energy producer for this country or for the world for several reasons. The population uses a huge amount of its energies. Because the way that wind energy is created, it has a role in our energy cycle but is reduced because it does not produce the end product energy. The wind is converted into electricity an d is a secondary source. Wind used with another source of energy, such as fission being the byproduct of another source of energy could generate several other improvements on different energy sources as well as decreasing the amounts of pressure on current energy sources may be a better and cost-effective approach to using wind energy. The problem with wind power and population is that wind power is not as efficient as our typical fossil fuels and has lower thermal dynamic potential to create the energy needed by the growing population. Another reason is as stated earlier the vast amount of space needed to create the power already effects the population. Most wind farms are in land masses that have already been cleared away, which limits the location. There are pluses and minuses to these areas. The land is usually prepared and cleared in advance so it can be used for farming and other industrial uses. At the same time of harvesting the wind power, some of the concerns would be the noise pollution that comes with a wind farm. Any type of populated area would be unbearable to endure. The population effects on wind energy are in reverse. The growing population does not have an effect on the production of wind energy other than the materials needed in its construction, the removal of large amounts of trees, and the loss of birds because of the blades over time. It seems as though we may be doing more damage than good for the return of energy that would be needed to support the population. Risks and Benefits of Renewable Energy Renewable energy resources are sustainable resources that replenish naturally. Such resources are produced from the sun, wind, biomass, tides, and geothermal. The main advantage of renewable resources is that the source is readily available and would never run out. Other important benefits include reducing contributions to global warming and with no polluting emissions. The disadvantages of using renewable energy is the expensive initial cost for setup, the difficulty to achieve the energy requirements needed, and the maintenance on the equipment. Depending on the application, the risks and benefits will vary when using the energy resource. Wind power is an electric energy obtained from surface air currents caused by the solar warming of air. Wind energy is a clean and cost-efficient way for energy. Wind power is placed in rural areas and requires constant wind (at least 15 mph) to operate. The wind turbines are most effective on high grounds where wind speeds are greater. At times, the turbines may kill birds and bats that get in its way. Other risks and disadvantages of wind include the cost, the noise pollution, and the unreliability factor of wind (Clean Energy Ideas, 2012). Solar energy power converts sunlight for heating and generating electricity. Solar power is used in commercial and residential applications. In order for solar power to generate energy, an open area along with sunlight is a necessity to perform properly. The weather, the time of day, and pollution can affect the performance of solar panels. At times, space could be limited and trees would be cut to make room for placing the panels in areas for sufficient amount of energy. Because of lack of space, many solar panels are placed on top of the roof. Some people think the panels make the buildings and property unattractive (Clean Energy Ideas, 2012). Biomass fermentation is plant and animal materials used as fuel. Biomass produces ethanol from different materials such as corn, grains, wood, saw dust and wood chips, plants, and animal wastes. Biomass is easily available where plants and crops are grown. Most of the source is from plants that gather its energy from the sun. In addition, the source is used for heat production, electricity, and fuel for cars. Biomass requires burning of materials, which contributes to air pollution, but it produces less greenhouse gases compared to fossil fuels (EHow, 2012). Hydropower is created as water flows through rivers and streams, the dams convert the energy of water to kinetic energy as the water turns turbines to generate electricity. Hydropower is efficient with 90% of the energy consumed to electricity. The benefits include clean source of energy, availability, and the reservoir can be used for leisure (boating, fishing, and swimming) and irrigation purposes. On the other hand, the risks involve overflow which can destroy the plant vegetation in the process (Benefits of, 2012). Geothermal energy is extracted from the heat produ ced by the Earth’s core. For centuries, many places have been extracting the source for hot springs. Some areas have geothermal power plants to generate electricity. In other areas, ground source heat pumps are used to extract water for the home or business hot water supply, which helps to reduce energy costs. The disadvantage is that a large area is needed to run the piping system (Clean Energy Ideas, 2012). Conclusion As the human population increases, the demand for energy will increase as well. There is much debate for the preferred choice of energy. Wind and other renewable energy resources are a clear alternative if we want to have a sustainable future for our children. Comparing the factors, the advantages with the use of renewable energy outweighs the risks and disadvantages. Although the initial cost will be expensive, the energy used will pay for itself in the long run. Reducing air pollution, contributing less to global warming, and reserving nonrenewable energy resources are just a few benefits with the use of renewable energy as an alternative. References Alternative Energy. (2008-2012). Retrieved from http://www.altenergy.org/ Benefits of (September, 2012). Benefits of Hydropower. Retrieved from http://benefitof.net Clean Energy Ideas (September, 2012). Natural and Renewable Energy Sources. Retrieved from http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com EHow (September, 2012). Advantages and Disadvantages of Biomass Energy. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com

Strategic Human Resources Management Practices In Business

Strategic Human Resources Management Practices In Business Strategic human resource management is to ensure that human resource management is fully integrated into strategic planning that human resource policies cohere both across hierarchies and that HRM policies are accepted and used by line managers as a part of their every day work Integrating human resource management strategies and systems to achieve the overall mission, strategies, and success of the firm while meeting the needs of employees and other stakeholders. Source: Herman Schwind, Hari Das and Terry Wagar, Human Resource Management: A Strategic Approach. Strategic HRM has four meanings: The use of planning. A coherent approach to the design and management of personnel systems based on an employment policy and manpower strategy and often underpinned by a philosophy. Matching HRM activities and policies to some explicit business strategy. Seeing the people of the organization as a strategic resource for the achievement of competitive advantage. HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING: According to Terry L. Leap and Michael D.crino Human resource planning is a process of determining and assuming that organization will have an adequate number of qualified persons, available at the proper times, performing jobs which meet the needs of enterprise and which provide satisfaction for the individual involved. Overall we can say HRP is a process of anticipating and making provision for the flow of people into, within, and out of an organization. STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING: Strategic HR planning is an important component of strategic HR management. It links HR management directly to the strategic plan of your organization. Based on the strategic plan, an organization can develop a strategic HR plan that will allow making HR management decisions now to support the future direction of the organization. A comprehensive HR Strategy will also support other specific strategic objectives undertaken by the marketing, financial, operational and technology departments. An HR strategy planning provides overall direction for the way in which HR activities will be developed and managed to gain competitive advantage in an organizational performance. The HR planning enables the organization to implement policies that enhance the skills and competencies of the people Strategic human resource planning consists of a number of objectives, but all the objectives must be closely aligned to overall business goals in order to be effective. Even a large human resources department is not a revenue-generating section of the organization. Therefore, human resources executives must demonstrate the employers return on investment through strategic activities. Strategic activities are forward-thinking processes that support business growth through recognition of the value of human capital . Strategic HR Planning Today In these times of great economic changes, the importance of human resource planning is more apparent than ever. A short-sighted lay-off, intended to temporarily reduce overhead, can result in much heavier long-term costs. Organizations have to spend more money and time for recruiting training new employees if they couldnt retain the old experience, skilled employees in right time. In the recent scenario of globalization and faster communication, a smart human resources plan encourages the organization to keep a longer view of things and retain talent so that, once this economic upheaval has calmed down, itll have a committed team intact. The overall purpose of strategic HR planning is to: Ensure adequate human resources to meet the strategic goals and operational plans of your organization the right people with the right skills at the right time Keep up with social, economic, legislative and technological trends that impact on human resources in your area and in the sector Remain flexible so that your organization can manage change if the future is different than anticipated STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING PROCESS: The strategic HR planning process has the following steps, Mission , Vision Value Strategic Analysis Strategic Formulation Strategic Implementation Strategic Evaluation Assessment A. Mission, Vision Value Mission The basic purpose of the organization as well as its scope of operations. Strategic Vision A statement about where the company is going and what it can become in the future; clarifies the long-term direction of the company and its strategic intent. Core Values The strong and enduring beliefs and principles that the company uses as a foundation for its decisions. B. Strategic Analysis It deals with scanning Internal and external environment as well as competencies (i.e. knowledge, skills abilities) of the organization and forecasting human resource demand accordingly. The following will define these terms broadly. External environments The major external forces influencing the organization as follows , Economic factors: general and regional conditions Competitive trends: new processes, services, and innovations Technological changes: robotics and office automation Political and legislative issues: laws and administrative rulings Social concerns: child care and educational priorities Demographic trends: age, composition, and literacy Internal environment The Internal environment consists of the followings, Core Competencies : Integral knowledge, competitive advantages through people Organisational culture: The culture and quality of work life in an organization. The human capital architecture of the firm: core knowledge workers, traditional job-based employees, contract based employees, partners etc. Human Resource Forecasting This is a critical element of planning especially in strategic human resource planning which deal with mostly long term HR strategy of the organization. We can say this can be of as following, Demand for Human capital Demand forecasting of employees has both qualitative and quantitative approach. The qualitatively we can use management forecasting or Delphi techniques where as quantitative we can use trend analysis to study the demand. Supply of Human Capital Forecasting the Supply of human capital can be done through obtaining the Staffing Charts which shows graphical representations of all organizational jobs, along with the numbers of employees currently occupying those jobs and future employment requirements, with the information from the personnel files of employees and their replacement succession planning details and their individual development plans. Gap Analysis This is a tool that helps an organization to compare its actual performance with its potential performance. I strategic human resource planning it means the study of the gasp between the demand and supply of competencies of human capital with reference to the business objectives and strategies. This can be of Performance Gap Analysis ,Training Development Gap Analysis ,Skills Gap Analysis Or Competence Gap Analysis. C. Strategic Formulation In this stage HR professionals need to develop a logical practical course of action to use the strengths of the organization to capitalize on opportunities, counteract threats, and remove internal weaknesses. These action plans has to be formulated in all levels of a business organization i.e. corporate strategy, business strategy and functional strategy. Corporate strategies deal with the policies and procedures involved in mergers or acquisition, business alliances, joint venture or any future intent for growth and diversification. Business level strategy deals with value creation for the organization as well as keeping an eye on low cost productivity and overall efficiency to make it competitive and profitable. Functional strategy plays a vital role. The HR professional has to align the business objectives and the HR initiatives, policies and practices both internally and externally. Some of the examples are Training Development Strategy, recruitment strategy, IR strategies, Retention strategy etc. D. Strategic Implementation This stage is the time to take actions on all the strategies and plans made. First , we have to balance the demand and supply of human capital by forecasting business activities or trends and also by maintaining a record of all the applicants of past, present and future. Secondly, as per above plan out the attrition /retention strategies, downsizing or lay off techniques have to be made. Then need to work on the training development of employees with other reward, incentive or welfare practices. E. Strategic Evaluation Assessment Now we need to assess the HR function, the work force with comparing the organizations processes and practices with those of other companies. Here the HR professional has to take the help of few metrics or mapping or scorecard techniques for the evaluation. In addition, the HR strategy can add value is by ensuring that, in all its other plans, the organization takes account of and plans for changes in the wider environment, which are likely to have a major impact on the organization HR PROFESSIONALS AND THE MODERN BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS In the modern context, Strategic human resource planning is a planning about the nature of the present future work demand labor supply for both short term long term that serves to achieve the strategy objective of the firm. The role of human resource management is changing is changing very fast, to help companies achieve their goals. HRM has gone through many phases from hiring firing to relationship building, from there to legislation role, now its role is shifting from protector screener to strategic partner as a change agent. Today, to create value and deliver better results, HR professionals have begin not by focusing on the work activities or work of HR but by defining the deliverables of that work. So as the planning is not to set goals but also to make sure to achieve them. According to Richard Chang, author of The Passion Plan at Work, HRM focuses mainly on HR Research and Information Systems, Union/Labor Relations, Employee Assistance, and Employee Compensation/Benefits where as Human Resource Development, according to Chang, includes Career Development (helping individuals align their career planning), Organizational Development (helping groups initiate and manage change), and Training and Development (designing / developing, and delivering training to ensure people are equipped to do their jobs). But SHRP as a part of SHRM involves both area and creates an overlap between them in todays HR functions. Mostly all of the HR leaders and professionals in large international organizations are participating in SHRP by giving strong contribution in decision making and strategic teams. But in small and medium size companies there is a lack of contribution of HR professionals due to their non-involvement in organizational or functional strategic planning and the stereotypical negative views of HR functions. Most of the Top management teams till now consider HR functions as a compliance function or more of a consultative service and HR professionals are involve d in implementing a strategy only after the strategy is decided. To gain its position in the strategic decision team, HR have to Know and understand the business strategies, processes its objectives Understand how the various organizational components interact and the process of business and what the long-term implications of HR decisions are. The impact of HR decisions must be thoroughly researched and analyzed before changes are implemented. Understand the five major non-HR components of any business: finance, marketing, sales, operations and accounting. Align HR strategy to organizations Mission Statement and objectives. Strategies can range from functional strategy and capability strategy to results strategy. HR professional face lot difficulties while applying the SHRP in reality. As various functional stages they face different challenges. So they have to overcome them as follows , Selection Staffing: If HR knows in the firsthand the clear direction and requirement of the company, it will easy to place right people at right place in right time which will save both time and money of the organization. But in many organizations only few leaders have that access. The HR officers are not aware of this. So to cope of with the pace of today globalization and expansion of business all level of professionals has to be well versed with these requirements. Training Development: Training and development are most important in view of the strategic growth process of a company. So the knowledge , skill and competence of employees has to be accessed strictly by HR professionals without any interference of the higher authority or being biased by any sort of favoritism. In reality this is not 100% successful yet because of lack of HR interest and also lack of tools to evaluate these. If HR people can be equipped with all the new tools techniques to perform these tasks they would be able to speak instantly to any issues, and possibly provide input that could help a company achieve its goals faster. Organizational Development Change Management: In long term strategy always change has a critical role in different processes of the workplace. Each department is known to these changes of their related departments. if these will be timely intimated to the HR departments , they will be able to take care of the organizational development issues with unique solution and make sure of t he positive impact of the change on overall process. this is only possible when there will be proper chart or data available with proper maintenance for which HR department has to take necessary required steps. CONCLUSION The ultimate goal of strategic planning is the identification of opportunities along with some risks by aligning objectives and activities of an organization with proper allocation of available resource to produce the desired profit for it. In these processes HR has should play an important role at every step for successful achievement of the various strategies plantings process which will also increase the value of HR professionals and HR functions globally. So we can conclude on that HR is not only for employee welfare or personnel management or any compliance issues but also deserve a strong position in t he strategy making process with the top management. If organizations take HR professionals and their suggestion during strategy planning process , it will gain more than as expected by adopting a suitable SHRP to the organizations strategies and goals. Especially , at this stage of rapid globalization where demand of specific skilled persons in and from different locations aremore required to help the organizations to gain a huge amount of profit in less time and optimum utilization of resources, SHRP and the participation of HR managers to create strategies along with the top management is most necessary step to do for further progress in business.

Emily Dickinson :: essays research papers

Dickinson, Emily Elizabeth (1830-1886), America’s best-known female poet and one of the foremost authors in American literature. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, Dickinson was the middle child of a lawyer and one-term United States congressional representative, Edward Dickinson, and his wife, Emily Norcross Dickinson. From 1840 to 1847 she attended the Amherst Academy, and from 1847 to 1848 she studied at the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, a few miles from Amherst. Dickinson remained in Amherst, living in the same house on Main Street from 1855 until her death. During her lifetime, she published only about 10 of her nearly 2,000 poems, in newspapers, Civil War journals, and a poetry anthology. The notion that Dickinson was extremely reclusive is a popular one, but it is at best a partial truth. Although she never married and certainly became more selective over the years about the company she kept, Dickinson was far more sociable than most descriptions would ha ve us believe. Biographers are increasingly recognizing the vital role of Dickinson’s sister-in-law, Susan Dickinson, in her writing. For more than 35 years the two women lived next door to each other, sharing mutual passions for literature, music, cooking, and gardening. Emily sent Susan more than 400 poems and letter-poems, twice as many as she sent to any other correspondent. In 1998 Open Me Carefully: Emily Dickinson’s Intimate Letters to Susan Huntington Dickinson was published, documenting the two women’s friendship. Dickinson enjoyed the King James Version of the Bible, as well as authors such as English writers William Shakespeare, John Milton, Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, George Eliot, and Thomas Carlyle. Dickinson’s early style shows the strong influence of Barrett Browning, Scottish poet Robert Browning, and English poets John Keats and George Herbert. In the early stages of her career, Dickinson’s handwritten lyrics imitated the formalities of print, and her poetic techniques were conventional, but she later began to attend to the visual aspects of her work. For example, she arranged and broke lines of verse in highly unusual ways to underscore meaning and she created extravagantly shaped letters of the alphabet to emphasize or play with a poem’s sense.

Value Added Tax :: Economy, Government

Value Added Tax or VAT as it is called is the most common alternative strategy implemented by many countries to deal with inefficiencies within the tax system. VAT provides an opportunity to modernize the indirect tax system, to make it more efficient, appropriate and simpler. Value added tax (VAT), is a final consumption tax levied on value added or mark up on a good or service, at each and every stage of the production and distribution chain. Value Added is the value that a business adds to its raw materials or purchases before selling the good/service. It is the mark up on that cost price. Vat is a modern tax. It was first introduced in France in 1948. Currently it is implemented in over 100 countries around the world including the Caribbean. In 1948, France implemented it at the manufacturing level only. In 1967, Brazil implemented it at all levels and by the 1970/80s, VAT was implemented in 63 countries. According to information gathered from the VAT implementation office, in the Caribbean, VAT is currently in operation in: Haiti(1982), Dominican Republic(1983), Trinidad and Tobago(1990), Jamaica(1991), Barbados(1997), Belize(2006), Dominica(2006), Guyana(2007), Antigua and Barbuda(2007) and St. Vincent(2007). VAT is currently being introduced/considered in St. Lucia and St. Kitts. It is being re-introduced in Grenada. Discussions on a VAT system, in St. Lucia, started as far back as 2003, from the recommendations of the Tax Reform and Administration Commission of the ECCU, as a strategy to manage the various indirect taxes. This was followed in the 2007 budget address by the late Sir John Compton where he indicated the intention to introduce a Value Added Tax system in St. Lucia. According to information gathered from the VAT Implementation Project office: VAT will not be an additional Tax. VAT is a replacement tax for some of the indirect taxes, currently being collected by the Inland Revenue Department and the Customs and Excise Department. Thus, VAT will not change the direct taxation system. It will, however, replace or reduce a number of indirect taxes. Since VAT and Consumption Tax cannot operate together, VAT will replace Consumption Tax. In order to charge VAT, a business must meet a Threshold. The threshold will be the minimum annual sales amount ($) for a business. These businesses must register with the VAT Office. Under VAT, registered businesses are called taxpayers. With VAT, business entities are categorized into two groups; registered businesses and unregistered businesses. Registered businesses includes individuals, partnership, companies or other entities who supply goods and services in the courses of business- they pay VAT on purchases charge VAT on sales and can claim input tax credit.

Symbolic Meaning of Edna’s Arms and Teeth in Chopin’s The Awakening :: Chopin Awakening

Symbolic Meaning of Edna’s Arms and Teeth in Chopin’s The Awakening Although characters’ personalities are described vividly in The Awakening through action, dialogue, and descriptions of clothing, little is presented of the characters physically. While Edna is alone in Madame Antoine’s house, resting, two moments occur in which specific aspects of her body are highlighted. Prior to this scene, it is known only that she is considered pretty and that her hair and eyes are a similar yellow-brown color. At Madame Antoine’s house, however, where Edna loses sense of time while resting, first her arms and then her teeth demonstrate her peculiar strengths. It is problematic to consider Edna as strong so soon after having nearly swooned in the small island church. Although we know that she had slept little the night before and that her invitation to Robert was her first conscious move into a new sort of consciousness, her apparent moment of epiphany is accompanied by an all too typical display of feminine weakness. Moments later, lying in Madame Antoine’s bed, Edna is revealed as contradictorily strong. While stretching her â€Å"strong limbs that ached a little† Edna pauses and notices her arms. â€Å"She looked at her round arms as she held them straight up and rubbed them one after the other, observing closely, as if it were something she saw for the first time, the fine, firm quality and texture of her flesh† (58). In this description, her arms appear detached from the rest of her body. She discovers that she has strength—not of spirit or mind, which is what the rest of the narrative focuses on, but of bo dy. After she awakens, her attention is drawn away from her self personally, but the description of her returns to this physical strength when she finds the snack Madame Antoine had left for her. â€Å"Edna bit a piece from the brown loaf, tearing it with her strong, white teeth† (59). Because there is no other description in the paragraph, her teeth here stand out as odd. The action of biting the loaf rather than cutting or tearing it with her hands exhibits her characteristic carelessness, but also a bit of viciousness that is surprising. The teeth represent her latent strength here, in action rather than in rest, as she had seen her arms. It is unclear to me what significance, if any, there might be to these images of her arms and her teeth.

Cause and Effect Essay Essay

The United States has the 26th highest rate of gun violence in the world (Washington Post, 2012). It accounted for 70 percent of all homicides and less than 10 percent of all nonfatal violent crimes from 1993 to 2011 (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2013). So how will the United States overcome the battle to end gun violence? The United States Government, worried parents and various anti-gun groups have always scrutinized how to fix the problem. What causes violent acts to be committed with a gun? In order to find out the basics of why these crimes happen, criminal justice experts must understand the indicators that may lead up to these wretched acts of violence. A decline in parenting and family values, poverty, drugs and mental illness may be a few of the causes of gun violence. Families are splitting up at an exceptional rate leaving one-parent households. Kids rely on their parents to be there for them as they grow, teach them right from wrong, and show them the importance of nucle ar family values. Two parent homes are not the norm as they once used to be. Divorce also plays a role in the lack of parental support. The mom may teach the child one thing and the father teaches another. They may even make the child feel at fault for the divorce. Families also split for the simple reason that both parents have to work to make ends meet. Similar to the examples of divorce, parents are not home at the same time to give kids the direction that they need to stay out of trouble; even worse, the child may resort to living on the streets to get the attention he/she needs. If he relies on the â€Å"streets†, there is a high probability that he may become affiliated with the wrong people or gangs. Having a two-parent household impacts on the child’s life so that he can refrain from having gangs as a support channel. The second major cause of gun violence is poverty. Poverty is always one of the key factors in violent acts of crime. Consider Detroit. Once a thriving city from the automotive industry, it now holds one of the nationâ€⠄¢s highest crime rates (Forbes, 2013). Poverty brings drug dealing and gangs. People use guns in impecunious areas, for protection from other gang members, and/or drug dealers. Drug dealers see the poverty-stricken towns or cities as a favorable place to sell their drugs because they prey upon those they may view as being unprotected. In turn, those who live in these areas may feel the need to be armed. As mentioned above, both parents are  not always able to stay together, resulting in one of them possibly moving to a lower income neighborhood where gangs are prevalent. One expert believes that there is a fix to end gun violence in theses underdeveloped areas, stating, â€Å"If America’s leaders would invest in proven pathways out of poverty, we could radically diminish violence in America. If America spent as much money offering opportunities to every 16 to 26 year old as we spending locking them up for minor offenses that further cut them off from a positive future, we could end poverty in a generation or two† (Dorothy Stoneman 2012). Poverty is and always has been one of the leading causes of gun violence, but ultimately it is the drive of the parents to make sure that their kids have what they need in life rather than a gang member or drug dealer providing it for them. Drugs in America are one of the battles incessantly fought and will always seem like a losing battle for many law enforcement agencies. Drugs are one of the problems that come with the territory of living in a poverty covered city or neighborhood. Drug dealers often use guns to protect themselves and their drugs to prevent another drug dealer from taking their business should one of their deals go wrong. Along the Texas/Mexico border in the war on illegal immigration, border patrol agents are also fighting the war on drugs that are being smuggled into the United States. The drug smugglers bringing these drugs into the U.S. are heavily armed and extremely dangerous. Every day thousands of pounds of illegal drugs pass through the border. One staggering statistic shows that horrific violence from the Mexican drug war claimed as many as 50,000 lives each year (The Daily Nightly 2012). This is a serious security concern for U.S. Currently, many Americans are resorting to drug running or s elling as a way to make a living. An unstable economy, high rates of unemployment and the lack of job security have led many adults making money in all the wrong ways. There is no real fix to keep drug dealers out of the country in order to keep gun violence at a minimum. Despite all the programs, schooling, and mentorships that are available to make an honest living, many make poor decisions that will affect them for the rest of their lives. Not only does it hurt them, but their families as well. Drugs lead to gun violence, which go hand in hand with each other in causing many problems. Mental illness is a serious condition that is not taken as seriously as it should be. Not only does mental illness apply to soldiers return home from war, but also to  kids and adults who may have suffered some type of traumatic even during their lives. On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza went into a Newtown, Connecticut school and killed twenty children and six adults (NY Daily News, 2013). The motive for his actions was unknown, but one thing is certain, he suffered from a mental illness (CNN, 2013). The high cost of the tragic events caused by mental illness make many Americans feel unsecure along with other reasons for gun violence. Many are being undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other illnesses rather than mental illness as they should be. Moreover, it is the responsibility of those that interact with the mentally to get them to a doctor for the medical attention they need to get better. Factors that contribute to gun violence are a lack of good parental support channel, drugs, poverty and mental illness. Policymakers must seek a solution to resolve problems of gun violence in America. While making laws to protect the citizens of the United States, they must be sure not to infringe on the right to keep and bear arms. Chicago doesn’t have a gun problem; it has a father problem. When young men don’t have fathers, they don’t learn to control their masculine impulses. They don’t have fathers to teach them how to channel their masculine impulses in productive ways. When young men don’t have fathers, those men will seek out masculine love — masculine acceptance — where they can find it. Often, they find it in gangs (Lee Habeeb 2006). This proves that the reasons for gun violence are valid and should be focused on. Furthermore, gun violence will continue until the indicators and symptoms start being recognized. References Ferrara, P. Habeeb, L. (February 2013). The root cause of gun violence. Retrieved from http://spectator.org/articles/33965/root-cause-gun-violence Ferguson, C.J. (November 2013). Adam Lanza’s motive a mystery in Sandy Hook killings. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/27/opinion/ferguson-sandy-hook/ Sandoval, E. Otis, G.A. (December 2013). Warning graphic content: audio tapes of 911 calls made from Sandy Hook school as Adam Lanza went on gun rampage killing 20 children and six adults. Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/911-recordings-sandy-hook-shootings-released-article-1.1536629#commentpostform Potter, M. (March 2012).

Online railway reservation project Essay

Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Project Objective 1.2 Product Scope 2. SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS SPECIFICATION 2.1 Requirement Analysis 2.2 Requirement Specification 3. SYSTEM REQUIRMENTS SPECIFICATION 3.1 External Interface Requirements 3.1.1 Hardware Requirements 3.1.2 Software Requirements 3.1.3 Display Mode 3.2 Project Description 3.2.1 Performance 3.2.2 Reliability 3.2.3 Availability 3.2.4 Security 3.2.5 Maintainability 3.2.6 Portability 4. Design and Technical Specification 4.1 Context Diagram 4.2 Data Flow Diagrams 4.3 Data Dictionary 4.4 ER diagram 4.5 Table Description 4.6 Architectural Diagram 5. Code Development 5.1 Flowchart 5.2 Component Level Design(Pseudo Code) 6. Testing Document 6.1 Black Box Testing with Test case design 6.2 White Box Testing 6.2.1 Flow graph 6.2.2 Independent Paths 6.2.3 Cyclomatic Complexity 7. Project Management 7.1 Function Point and Effort 7.2 Schedule 7.3 Risk Table 7.4 Timeline Charts 8. Best Practices for Software Development 9. References Introduction This project aims at development of an Online Railway Reservation Utility which facilitates the Railway customers to manage their reservations online, and the Railway administrators to modify the backend databases in a User-Friendly manner. The Customers are required to register on the server for getting access to the database and query result retrieval. Upon registration, each user has an account which is essentially the ‘view level’ for the customer. The account contains comprehensive information of the user entered during registration and permits the customer to get access to his past reservations, enquire about travel fare and availability of seats, make afresh reservations, update his account details, etc. The Railway Administrator is the second party in the transactions. The administrator is required to login using a master password, once authenticated as an administrator, one has access and right of modification to all the information stored in the database at the server. This includes the account information of the customers, attributes and statistics of stations, description of the train stoppages and physical  description of coaches, all the reservations that have been made, etc. The railway administrator has the right to modify any information stored at the server database. The Indian Railways have been described as the best way to travel through India, as it is only a train journey that can truly help you connect with the country and its people. The Indian Railways have been divided into different zones namely: The Central Indian Railways Eastern Indian Railways Western Indian Railways Northern Indian Railways Southern Indian Railways The Indian Railways were divided under these categories to facilitate management and functionality and even though the booking system for Indian Railways is centrally computerised, managing such a huge network can be challenging and hence the Indian Railways decided to introduce online railway reservation to make booking train tickets easier and more convenient. To take advantage of the Indian Railways online railway reservation users need to go to the IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd) website (https://www.irctc.co.in), in addition to making bookings one can check the status of departing and arriving trains, train itineraries, ticket accessibility, postponing and cancelling railway bookings, make tatkal reservations, Indian Railways time table among others. The special benefits of using the online railway reservation facility is that passengers can reserve their tickets from the comfort of their home or office without having to stand in long queues at railway stations or having to take the trouble to go to a travel agent. An online railway reservation can be done up to 90 days before your desired date of departure, but it is advised to plan your journey way ahead as the availability of tickets can be difficult, especially during vacation and wedding season. An online railway reservation can be made right till the final reservation  chart is made, that is usually 6 hours before the train leaves the station. The person in whose name the online booking has been made needs to prove his identity and may need the produce an identity document during the course of his journey. These identity cards must be issued by a reputed organization in the Central/State Government and include: PAN Card Voter ID Card Drivers license Student ID Card Passengers travelling on tickets that have been booked online need to take a print out of the e-ticket and keep it with themselves during the course of the journey a produce it when required 1.1 Project Objectives Designing the application and of Railway Reservation System for the purpose of reserving railway tickets and database maintenance about train and passenger details by the railway department only. This database helps railways to retrieve data as and when required in future. 1.2 Project Scope The scope of project included evaluation of the application and was primarily concerned with the transactions related to booking of tickets from the terminals operated by the railway personnel. Application controls and simulation were used to evaluate data validation and program logic. The selected data, as made available, for substantive checking of the completeness, integrity and consistency of data using computer assisted applications such as MS Access. The records maintained in the database of the railways reservation centre were also reviewed. Discussions were held with the database users to gain understanding regarding the various functional aspects of the system. The booking database has passenger’s details like- Name, Age, Gender, Total Number of Passengers Traveling, Date of Travel and Class of Travel. The train database has train details like- Train Name, Train Number, Route, From, To, Train Time, AC First Class, AC 2 Tier, AC 3 Tier, Sleeper, Second Sitting and Quota Management like General, Takkal. 2. Requirements The train details consist of train name, train no, destination reached by the train, number of passengers traveling and number of seats available. We can add a new train details. We can delete it in case of his repair. We can modify the train details in case of any Inconvenience the name and number of train can be changed its destination can also be changed. The reservation details consist of passengers name, age, and sex destination they wanted to reach, ticket numbers, and seat number. 2.1 Requirement Analysis- Due to this development project it will be easier for the railway system to make the customers journey as comfort as possible and so that to maintain the financial crisis of the system. Internet facilities can’t be provided within the time schedule. The integration of this software with existing system is more complex in the limited schedule. 2.2 Requirement Specification- The need for railway reservation system is to organize the records of railway system in the computer based software. The main objective of this system is to provide an automated method to organize the files in order for easy observance. This system will allow adding, removing, modifying and updating the details of the trains and customer to database. 3. SYSTEM SPECIFICATION 3.1 External Interface Requirements 3.1.1 Hardware Requirements: 1. Processor – Pentium 4 2. RAM – 1 GB 3. Hard Disk – 40GB 4. Mouse – Standard Mouse 5. Keyboard – Logitech Keyboard 6. Processor Speed – 2.4GHZ 3.1.2 Software Requirements: 1. Operating System – Microsoft Windows XP With Service Pack 2 2. Front-End – Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 3. Back-End – Microsoft Access 2003 3.1.3 Display Mode: 1. Color Quality – Highest[32 bit] 2. Screen Resolution – 1024 by 768 Pixels Development and operating environment- This project is developed by, Using WIN 32 platform. Designing of screen shots with VB.Net. Coding by VB.Net Slide representation by MS power point. Documentation by MS word. 3.2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION 3.2.1 FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS Functional requirement for this project is Function 1: â€Å"Train Details† The staff of railway system must be able to view the details of the train (i.e.) name, numbers of the train, destination, etc. of the train. Description: When a customer approaches they must be able to update the train details for customer convenience. INPUT: Details of train (internal and external). SOURCE: Trains. OUTPUT: Number of passengers. DESTINATION: Area to be reached. ACTION: To update the train details we require the train name, number, destination, timing, number of seat available. REQUIRES: The Database table having the details of the trains. PRECONDITION: None SIDE EFFECTS: None Function 2: â€Å"Railway Reservation Details† The staff of railway system must be able to view the customer details for their reservation (i.e.) customer name, age, sex, seat number, ticket number. Description: When passenger approaches they must be able to update the train details for passenger’s reservation in particular train. INPUT: Passengers details. SOURCE: Trains. OUTPUT: Reserved seats for the passengers. DESTINATION: Area where the passenger to be reached. ACTION: To update the reservation details we require name of the passenger, age, sex etc. REQUIRES: The data base having the details of the reservation. PRECONDITION: The customer’s approach a week prior. POSTCONDITION: None. SIDE EFFECTS: None. 3.2.2 NON- FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS 3.2.1 Reliability- The system is realiable enough as the database permanently stored and backups can be kept easily , as well as the hard copies of various reports also plays major roles here. 3.2.2Availability- The system should be available all the time as and when required .The availibility may be complete for administrator or partial for others. 3.2.3 Security- The system is secure enough , as limited peivilages are given to other . They cannot make any modification to database. 3.2.4Maintainability- The system should be easy to maintain for the administrator . PROCESS MODEL DESCRIPTION- 1. Administrator: He is the super user responsible for managing system users, taking system backup,generating reports, maintaining organization details, Starting Sessions and ending Sessions and alsomanages various requests from different Types of users. Providing UserName, Password and other information required for the users to start an account. Starting Sessions: The Administrator creates the system users and will be assigned with the different roles. He is also responsible to start the session when a particular user wants to use the system every time(It is automatically managed setup). Managing Data Backup: The Administrator is responsible for managing entire details by taking the backup periodically. He also takes the Backup of the database in order to prevent loss of data on system crashes or inorder to prevent malfunctioning. He can take a backup of entire database or a particular section. Crash Recovery: The Administrator manages the crash recovery at the time of system crash orfailure occurs. Ending session: The administrator is responsible for ending the session when the particular user logged out of the system(It is automatically managed setup). 2. Train Master The Train Master is Admin side module. The Administrator only can Add, modify and Delete the train Details. The Train Master contains the following details. a) Train Name b) Train No c) Source d) Destination e) Departure Time f) Arrival Time g) Total Seats h) Kilometers i) General Seats (1A, 2A, 3A, 2S, SL, CC) j) Takkal Seats (1A, 2A, 3A, 2S, SL, CC) k) Routes and Timings 1.TICKET BOOKING The Ticket Booking is user (Employee of Railway Dept.) side module. The user can book the ticket using this module. The user should follow the steps for the ticket booking. a) First you should select the Source and Destination. b) Next, you should select the Date. While the date textbox got focus, the calendar will display. By clicking the calendar, the date will be selected. And you can’t select the yesterday and before date. c) Select the Quota (General or Takkal). d) Click the Find button to find the trains which are available. Note: 1. If you select the Takkal Quota and the date is day after tomorrow in the sense, you can’t book the ticket for Takkal Quota for that day. The Takkal Quota will enable only today and tomorrow only. e) After clicking the find button, the available train list will be displayed in the flex grid. f) By clicking the train number or train name in the flex grid, the â€Å"Route† button enabled. By clicking the route button, the corresponding train route, timings, and kms. g) By clicking the class column to the corresponding train whichever you want to travel, then â€Å"Book† button will enable. h) Click the â€Å"Book† button to enter the Name, Age, Sex and Berth. i) After Enter the details, Click the Proceed Button. j) The frame will display the overall details like Source, Destination, Travel Date, Booked Date, Total Members, Quota and Total Fare. k) Click the â€Å"Confirm† Button to confirm the details. Then only the Booking details will be stored and PNR Number will be generated. TICKET CANCELING The Ticket Canceling is also user (Employee of Railway Dept.) side module. The user can cancel the ticket using this module. The user should follow the steps for the ticket Cancel. a) Enter the PNR Number in the Textbox and Click Find. b) It will show the details like Train No., Train Name, Booked Date, Travel Date, Source, Destination, Class, Quota, Total Fare, Kms in the Frame. c) It also shows the passenger names, Age, Sex, Berth, Class, Fare and status in the flex grid. d) Click the Name in the flex grid which you want to cancel and where the status is â€Å"Booked†. e) Click the â€Å"Cancel† Button to cancel the ticket. REPORT The Report Module is also user (Employee of Railway Dept.) side Module. The user can take two types of reports by giving the PNR Number. a) Booked Tickets b) Canceled Tickets 3. Design and Technical Specification 4.1 Context Diagram- DATA FLOW DIAGRAM- Data flow diagram is graphical representation that depicts information flow and the transforms that are applied as data move from input to output. The basic form of a data flow diagram, also known as a data flow graph or a bubble chart. The data flow diagram may be used to represent a system or software at any level of abstraction. The data flow diagram are mainly classified into two module they are, Level 0 data flow diagram Level 1 data flow diagram LEVEL 0 DFD- The level 0 data flow diagram is also called as a fundamental system model or context model represents the entire software element as a single bubble with input and output data indicated by incoming and outgoing arrows, respectively. Additional Processes and information flow paths are represented. The level 0 data flow diagram of our project consists of module like passengersdetail, train detail, display etc. DFD for getting Display Train details. LOG ON Display TRAIN DFD Requesting For Booking Request for Booking Get Tickets Response LEVEL 1 DFD – The level 1 data flow diagram is similar to level 0 diagram, but here the modules where explained in detailed manner. But in this module the clear explanation for the project is represented. Data Dictionary: Here the data dictionary is again classified into two important data base they are Train Details. Reservation Details. DATA BASE NAME: Railway system. TABLE NAME: Train Detail. TRAIN NUMBER NUMBER NUMBER SPECIFIED FOR A PARTICULAR TRAIN NUMBER OF PASSENGERS TRAVELLING NUMBER NUMBER OF PASSENGERS TRAVELLING TICKET NUMBER NUMBER NUMBER SPECIFIED FOR A PARTICULAR TICKET NUMBER OF SEATS AVAILABLE NUMBER NUMBER OF SEATS AVAILABLE DATA BASE NAME: Railway System. TABLE NAME: Reservation Detail. FIELD NAME DATA TYPE DESCRIPTION PASSENGER NAME TEXT NAME OF THE PASSENGER PASSENGER AGE NUMBER AGE OF THE PASSENGER SEX TEXT SEX(i.e.) MALE/FEMALE TRAIN NUMBER NUMBER NUMBER OF THE TRAIN DESTINATION NUMBER DESTINATION REACHED BY THE TRAIN TIMING DATE/TIME TIME OF DEPATURE ER-Diagram- The other tool for problem analysis is the Entity-Relationship Diagram, often called as ER Diagram. In other words, a model that represents system data by entity and relationship sets is called E-R (Entity-Relationship) diagram. It is a detailed logical representation of the data for an organization. The entity-relationship (E-R) diagram is based on a perception of a real world which consists of a set of basic  objects. E-R diagram is consists of three main constructs, i.e. Data Entities, Relationships and their Associated Attributes. Entities: – An entity is a person, place, thing or event of interest to the organization and about which data are captured, stored or processed. For example, an employee is an entity. Relationship: – An association of several entities in an entity-relationship diagram is called relationship. There are three types of relationship exist among entities. These are: One-to-One One-to-Many Many-to-Many Attributes: – Each entity type has a set of attributes associates with it. An attribute is a property of characteristics of an entity that is of interest to the organization. I use an initial Capital Letters, followed by Lowercase Letters in naming an attribute. If an entity is something about which I want to store data, then I need to identify what specific pieces of data I want to store about each instance of a given entity. I call these pieces as data attributes. Code Development Flowchart- The program flow chart shows how the system proceed from the input from to the outout from of the system. It explain how the system is actually processed step. It represent the flow of control as the system is processed. There are three types of program flow chart: 1. Input flow chat- This flowchart depicts the basic input operation in the system. In railway reservation system, first of all the password is checked then if the password is valid then we process the input from if the data valid then the entries are updated in the data base otherwise the from id refilled. 2. Output flow chart- This flowchart depicts the basic output operations in the system. The user is required to enter the criteria for output. If it is for the reservation then the availability of seats is checked. If the seats are available then the confirmed ticket is generated  otherwise the user is asked for waiting and if he wants then waiting ticket is generated. If the user wants the seat to be cancelled it is done and the cancelled ticket is generated for the user. The information about all the above transaction is then transferred to the related databases. 3. Report flow Chart- This flow chart depicts the basic operations for the generation of reports. If the entries fr om basic operations for the generation of reports. If the entries from the processed database are valid the concerned report are generated otherwise the process will have to be repeated Component Level Design(Pseudo Code) 6.Testing Document Testing is basically a process to detect errors in the software product. Before going into the details of testing techniques one should know what errors are. In day-to-day life we say whenever something goes wrong there is an error. This definition is quite vast. When we apply this concept to software products then we say whenever there is difference between what is expected out of software and what is being achieved, there is an error. Software testing also provides an objective, independent view of the software to allow the business to appreciate and understand the risks of software implementation. Test techniques include, but are not limited to, the process of executing a program or application with the intent of finding software bugs. Software testing can also be stated as the process of validating and verifying that a software program/application/product: 1. meets the business and technical requirements that guided its design and development; 2. works as expected; and  can be implemented with the same characteristics. Software testing, depending on the testing method employed, can be implemented at any time in the development process. However, most of the test effort occurs after the requirements have been defined and the coding process has been completed. As such, the methodology of the test is governed by the software development methodology adopted. 6.2 Black Box Testing with Test case design- Black box testing is a method of software testing that tests the functionality of an application as opposed to its internal structures or workings . Specific knowledge of the application’s code/internal structure and programming knowledge in general is not required. The tester is only aware of what the software is supposed to do, but not how i.e. when he enters a certain input, he gets a certain output; without being aware of how the output was produced in the first place. Test cases are built around specifications and requirements, i.e., what the application is supposed to do. It uses external descriptions of the software, including specifications, requirements, and designs to derive test cases. These tests can be functional or non-functional, though usually functional. The test designer selects valid and invalid inputs and determines the correct output. There is no knowledge of the test object’s internal structure. Typical black-box test design techniques include: 1. Decision table testing 2. All-pairs testing 3. State transition tables 4. Equivalence partitioning 5. Boundary value analysis White Box Testing- White-box testing (also known as clear box testing, glass box testing, transparent box testing, and structural testing) is a method of testing software that tests internal structures or workings of an application, as opposed to its functionality (i.e.blackbox testing). In white-box testing an internal perspective of the system, as well as programming skills, are used to design test cases. The tester chooses inputs to exercise paths through the code and determine the appropriate outputs. This is analogous to testing nodes in a circuit, e.g. in-circuit testing (ICT). While white-box testing can be applied at the unit, integration and system levels of the software testing process, it is usually done at the  unit level. It can test paths within a unit, paths between units during integration, and between subsystems during a system–level test. Though this method of test design can uncover many errors or problems, it might not detect unimplemented parts of the specification or miss ing requirements. White-box test design techniques include: 1. Control flow testing 2. Data flow testing 3. Branch testing 4. Path testing 5. Statement Coverage 6. Decision Coverage

The Movie Django

Gary L. Willis AFRS 55T (T&[email  protected]:30) Dr. T. Hasan Johnson 02. 23. 13 Extra Credit The Movie â€Å"Django Unchained† The objective of this paper is to review some of the results of the discussion-panel’s analysis of certain aspects of this movie that relate to the Hip-Hop culture. On Thursday, February 21, 2013, I attended a panel discussion hosted by the Africana Studies Department of Fresno State University. It was conducted at the African American Museum, Fresno California. Its purpose was to evaluate this movie’s effect on us (basically Black-Americans), by analyzing elements of this movie.This movie presents Black masculinity and femininity during the 1860s slavery era of America using characters that portray slaves as childish and stupid (the Betina or D'Artagnan), violent (the Mandingo or Django), hypersexual (Sheba) and cowardly (all the black male slaves). These slavery created representations of Black masculinity (the Buck) and femininity (the Jezebel/Mulattoe) are relevant to Hip-Hop because they are the predominate characters being proffered as entertainment in the overwhelming majority of Hip-Hop videos.The stereotypical persona of â€Å"The Buck† in the videos is the Gangsta/Thug and â€Å"The Jezebel/Mulattoe† is the Bitch/Ho— both are slavery created stereotypes. The Jezebel/Mulatto (Bitch/Ho) The Buck (Gangsta/Thug) Another aspect of this movie relevant to Hip-hop culture is the word â€Å"nigger†, used incessantly in the movie, just as, its morphed version, â€Å"Nigga† is used incessantly by Hip-Hoppers, in conversation and in their videos.Since language is one of the seven essential element of all cultures, the usage of the word â€Å"nigger† was discussed by the panel and audience and as a result of this discussion, we agreed that—without the use of the word â€Å"nigger†, â€Å"Django Unchained† would not be authentic; because, in this movie, â€Å"nigger† is a descriptive term, used to describe property, e. g. a slave or slaves—with no malice intended. Here are two examples, horse or horses and house or houses—ergo, nigger or niggers.The only character that uses â€Å"nigger† other than as a description of property is Stephen (the â€Å"Uncle Tom† played by Samuel L. Jackson). He used the word â€Å"nigger† to degrade his fellow black slaves. As with the movies use of â€Å"nigger†, the same can be said about Hip-Hop videos, they would lose its authenticity without the use of the word â€Å"Nigga† because â€Å"Nigga† in Hip-hop is a descriptive turn, but unlike â€Å"nigger† it versatility. For example, it can be used describe a relationship and its meaning changes depending on who is saying it and to whom.For example, in the movie when a Slave-master says â€Å"My nigger†, it does not have the same meaning as a Gangsta/thug or Jezebel/Mulatto e in a Hip-Hop video saying, â€Å"My Nigga†. The Slave-masters are describing their property, while the Hip-Hoppers are describing their relationships. During the audience participation portion of this discussion, a young black- man in the audience (Christopher Jackson) described how much the movie upset him.He also shared with us, the extent to which it made him realize how horrible slavery was; and how much suffering his ancestors had to endure; so that he can enjoy the civil rights he has today. He said, â€Å"Now I truly appreciate my ancestors and men like Martin and Malcolm, who made the ultimate sacrifice so that I can enjoy the freedom I have today. † Personal Reflections If the motives for making â€Å"Django Unchained† are to make us aware of how much our ancestors suffered under the yoke of slavery and to make us cherish our freedom; then, Christopher Jackson’s words are a testament to this movie’s success in both endeavors!In conclusio n—I, along with many participants in this discussion, enjoyed â€Å"Django Unchained† and hope that there will be more movies made that expose the horrors of slavery, and that, also promote positive images of black men and women. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. This paper was submitted as extra credit for AFRS 27, 55T and 144 [ 2 ]. Heretofore, us, we, and our refers to Black-Americans [ 3 ]. Donald Bogle, Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies & Bucks

Explain why it is both necessary and helpful to study the context of prior history Essay

Explain why it is both necessary and helpful to study the context of prior history, especially the experiences of participants in that history, in order to understand what is valued by these participants. Also, what resources will be most helpful to you as a student of history? Introduction: It has long been said that, â€Å"if we don’t know where we are coming from we will not know where we are going†. In other words knowledge of prior history allows us to avoid making past mistakes and serve as a guide to the future. In addition a well-rounded understanding of history can help us to make more informed present and future decisions. â€Å"History requires us to think outside of our own experiences in time and place, fostering empathetic thinking, appreciation of diversity, and understanding of the relationship between context and judgment† (The National History Center, 2013). Valuable and beneficial sources of history include Primary and Secondary sources. Primary sources as it relates to history are the â€Å"raw materials† gathered from the same time period of the topic/event, which forms the foundation of historical research and writing. Secondary sources are gathered from primary resources and have been analyzed then presented in the form of books or articles by historians. History can be thought of as never changing; but history, like memories actually is always changing. Though the dates and statistics may not change, how they are interpreted can vary. For example, historians are always at work re-evaluating the past, asking new questions, examining new sources and finding new meanings in old documents to highlight the perspective of new knowledge and experience for a better understanding of the past (McNeill, 2013). Knowledge of prior history allows for a better understanding of the â€Å"who, what, were, and when† at that particular time in history. We do not always learn from the mistakes that history has shown us; as observed in recent events with the war on terror where, the United states seem to have repeated  the same mistakes in Iraq as were made in Afghanistan. One can argue that if knowledge of the past has been collected and learned over the centuries, then poverty, injustice, immorality and war should not exist. For this reason it is important to recognize that knowledge of the past does not assure avoidance of its failures and mistakes, however understanding the past and its patterns improves one’s ability to analyze the present and make better predictions of future outcomes. As a student engaging in the study of history valuable sources as mentioned in the introduction are Primary sources which include personal diaries, journals, letters or videos from witnesses of the event. Secondary sources can be considered as arguments/interpretation of a primary source and include library databases, textbooks, journal articles and news articles. Conclusion It is both necessary and helpful to study the context of prior history as it creates a view of other people’s feelings and opinions, allowing people to place situations in an appropriate context in the present. Secondary sources of history are valuable. However to best understand the context of history and the values of the participants, nothing is as valuable as a primary resource which include the personal accounts of people having experienced the event. References: The National History Center. (2013). The history major and liberal education. Association of American Colleges and Universities, 95(2), Retrieved from http://www.aacu.org/liberaleducation/le-sp09/le-sp09_history.cfm McNeill, W. (2013). Why study history?. Retrieved from http://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/aha-history-and-archives/archives/why-study-history-(1985