Winter

Winter My Favorite Season Essay Winter is my favorite season because of its special food and variety of indoor or outdoor activities. Its the best season to try different and traditional foods; mostly warm food. In a winter family like mine would stock up on drinks like hot chocolate, tea and apple cider; drinks that people usually do not drink except during winter. Every year, new hot drinks come out in stores such as Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and other beverage stores. In winter, everyday my grandpa or my dad would bring me a hot drink mostly from Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts. I get to enjoy hot drinks sitting on my couch while watching TV and noticing snow out of the window. In winter, I get to eat various traditional food that I know would be on the dining table without even I expect it. Most commonly, I would eat decorative Christmas cookies, my grandmas famous pies and I would even get small treats such as eating oatmeal for breakfast. I wonder since when eating oatmeal for breakfast in the winter became so obvious in my life. I wonder if my grandma have always been making decorative cookies for everyone in my family. I wish this could be throughout the whole year, but unfortunately it only happens in winter. We will write a custom essay on Winter My Favorite Season specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Winter gives me a chance to stay home, relax and enjoy warm food or drinks. This is one of the main reason why I wait for winter. Winter could be the best for me to enjoy indoor or outdoor activities with my family and friends. For an instance, though snow can be good or bad, it feels great to go out with my friends or my family, and have fun throwing snowballs at each other. It is probably my favorite time when I go out in the snow and play with my family. There are other outdoor activities I enjoy such as sledding, skiing, snow tubing, snowboarding and even ice fishing. It just feels amazing when I see the joy on my family’s face. Usually after playing in the snow when we get tired and get cold, everyone comes inside the house and settle down by the fire with a warm drink. Me and my cousin Kim turns the lights off and make fun of everyone by teasing them, while everyone is having a sip of warm drink with a blanket on. When we are inside the house, we usually play sudoku, tic Tac toe, or video games like basketball, baseball and football. Winter can be an active season, but for my family and me, it is both an active season and a season to relax. I remembered last winter my cousins came to my house we enjoyed a lot, we did indoor activities and outdoor activities. This makes me realize that winter could be enjoyed by playing outside or staying inside the house by relaxing with my family. I really enjoy winter every year because I get to eat different and amazing food, I get to stay home and relax and even because in winter I am always with my family. I wish I had a choice to make winter the season of the whole year. For reasons like getting to eat special food and enjoying indoors or outdoor activities, winter is my favorite season.

Dubai Taxi Corporation Operation Problems

Dubai Taxi Corporation Operation Problems Introduction Dubai Taxi Corporation was founded on 1995 with 81 Taxi vehicles 180 drivers and 70 employees from different nationalities it has been grown to reach 3504 Taxi vehicles, 8000 drivers and 390 employees in 2011. DTC is wholly owned by the government of Dubai and it is directly supervised by Roads Transport Authority Board.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Dubai Taxi Corporation Operation Problems specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The vision of DTC is â€Å"safe and smooth transport for all† while its mission is â€Å"managing a modern fleet of taxis in accordance with the highest international standards. The firm is also committed at ensurig provision of a variety of distinguished services that meet all community needs and expectations†(Dubai Taxi Corporation, 2010, para. 6). Additionally, the firm is also concerend with providing fast, efficent and friendly transportation services. T he core objective is to become the market leader within the United Arabs Emirates taxis industry. DTC consists of 3 departments headed by directors; please refer to (Appendix 1:Organization Chart). In its operation, DTC has gained a worldwide recognition. This has playe a critical role in the firm’s financial success. As an employee of the company, I work with the firm’s Resources Support Department as a Contract Procurement Manager. Approximately 18 employees report directly to me. The following is an outline of my main roles. However, my roles as the contracting and procurement manager are not limited to these. Responsible for buying and approving acquisition of goods and services needed by the corporate. Seeking reliable vendors and suppliers to provide goods reqiured by the departments with reasonable price and good quality. Negotiating prices and contracts. Reviewing technical specifications for raw materials,components, equipments and other issues with concern ed parties. Interprets procurement process for vendors; investigates and resolves vendor complaints. Implements best-value and best-practice procurement strategies to improve operational performance. This paper is aimed at identifying and analyzing the problem that DTC is facing in its operation. Additionally, the various strategies that can be incorporated in order to resolve the situation hence improving its competitiveness are illustrated. Presentation of the situation (Analysis of the problem) As the contracting and procurment section, we serve the needs of the entire organisation with regard to their procurement and contracting needs. Every year, we process approximately 100 contracts and 2,500 Local Purchase Orders (LPO). This is a challenging task to undertake. Over the years it has been in operation, the firm has been very successful. This is evidenced by the fact that the firm has been able to develop a high level of customer loyalty. One of the factors that has led to the high level of customer loyalty relates to its innovative capability and the high quality of customer service offered. The company has integrated the concept of customer focus.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This means that all the decision that the corporations management teams makes are aimed at creating a high level of customer satisfaction. In an effort to achieve this, the company makes an effort to understand the customers needs. This is achieved by conducting a consumer market research in order to effectively identify the customers’ needs. From the findings of the market research, the company is able to equip its employees with the necessary equipments and technology to facilitate their duties. Considering the change in information technology, the firm has implemented an automatic reservation system in an effort to improve its performance. T he system enables customers to call a taxi at their own convinience. The system entails a database that has the customers names and address. If one need a taxi, he or she is required to call 04 208 0808 and a taxi is dispatched to his or her location (WeKnowDubai, 2011, para. 2). In its operation, DTC has adopted a heirarchical organisation structure. According to Idowu and Louche (2011, p.12), heirarchical organisational structure limit the effectiveness and efficiency of an organisational decision making process. This arises from the fact that heirarchical organisational structure are characterised by a high level of bureaucracy. The bureaucracy emanates from the fact that the decision making process has to go through the Decision Making Unit (DMU). In an organisation, the DMU is composed of different parties within the organisation. Therefore, it takes time to for an organisation to respond to market chnges since all the members within the DMU have to be consulted. As a result of the heirarchical organisational structure, DTC has not been effective in addressing the customers needs since its is not able to respond to their needs in time. This means that the firm faces a limitation when making decisions regarding quality improvement. For example, a decision to procure some products that will lead to improvement of the firm’s quality takes a lot of time. This is despite the fact that there the increment in the degree of quality consciousness amongst the customers over the past few decades.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Dubai Taxi Corporation Operation Problems specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to Burrow, Everard and Kleindl (2008, p.9), customers are increasingly becoming concerned with the quality of the products and services that they consume. This has affected firms in all the economic sectors. This presents a challenge to firms in different economic sectors sinc e they have to adjust their operations to be in line with the changes in the market. Despite DTC’s effort in serving its customers by improving the efficiency with which the customers make their reservations, the company has not yet automated its contracting and procurement system. This presents a problem to the firm’s future competitiveness. This arises from the fact that the employees within the Resource and Support departments such as the contracting managers are not able to execute their duties efficiently due to the workload that they face. For example, the contracting and procurement manager has to assess more than 2500 procurements annually in order to ensure that the company’s management team approves acquisition of products necessary in the firms operation. This is a relatively tiresome process considering the fact that it the firm relies on the traditional method in its procurement proces. Additionally, failure to automate its contracting and procureme nt systems limits the reliability of the firms procurement process. For example, the firms effectiveness in responding to the vendors complaints is reduced. This may harm the relationship that the firm has with its vendors. This problem is made worse by the fact that there has been an increment in the intensity of competition within the taxi industry. The lucrative nature of the industry has attracted a large number of new entrants venturing into the makret. Currently, it is possible to call for a taxi from all the city streets (WeKnowDubai, 2011, para. 1). In an effort to enhance their competitiveness, most of the new entrants are automating their contracting and procurement processes. This is making their contracting and procurement processes to be effective and efficient. The problem that the firm is facing in its procurement and contracting process does not only affect employees within this particular department. However, it affects all the employees within the organisation.Adve rtising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This arises from the fact that there is a high probability of the firm’s experiencing a decline in its profitability. If no action is taken to address the situation, the firms’ management team may make a decision to lay-off some of its employees in order to minimize the cost of operation. Investigation and identification of possible solutions to the problem Upon identification of the problems that a firm may be experiencing, it is critical for the firms’ management teams to identify some of the possible solutions to the problem. During the 21st century, organizations in different economic sectors have appreciated the importance of improving their competitive advantage and efficiency in their strategic supply management. In order to achieve this, most originations are integrating new tools and technologies in their procurement processes. With regard to the contracting and procurement problems that DTC is experiencing, one of the solutions that the corporationâ₠¬â„¢s management team should consider relates to integration of Business-2- Business (B2B) electronic commerce. According to Neef (2001, p.2), B2B e-commerce entails undertaking buying and selling transactions electronically between organizations. For example, Company X may be procuring its products from Company Y. In order to do this, the company may negotiate about the purchase of the product or raw materials through the web. Therefore, B2B e-commerce acts as an intermediary when two or more organizations are undertaking their transactions. Through integration of B2B e-commerce, an organization can be able to improve its competitive advantage. For example, in its operation, Cisco Systems which is the global leader in the provision of networking solutions has integrated the concept of B2B e-commerce in its operation. This has resulted into the firm being efficient in its operation. In addition to attaining efficiency in their inventory management, integration of B2B e-commerce can result into firms minimizing the cost of procurement since the process is done (Roy, 2005, p.2). In their operation, most firms within the retailing industry have incorporated the concept of B2B e-commerce. An example of such a firm is Tesco which operates within the United Kingdom. The firm is one of the largest retailing companies in the UK. On a monthly basis, the company receives more than 1 million documents. Forty two thousand of these documents are paper based. Additionally, the firm also deals with large number suppliers. In order to reduce the paper work, the firm automated its systems. This has enabled it to trade electronically with its suppliers and retailers. Currently, the firm only receives 28,000 paper documents from the 1 million that it used to receive monthly (GXS, 2009, p.1) Over the years it has been in operation, DTC has undergone a significant expansion. This is evidenced by the growth in its fleet size and its human resource base. Currently, the firm’s organizational structure is hierarchical in nature. Coupled with its growth, there is a high probability of an increment in the complexity with which the firm’s decisions are made. In order to improve its efficiency in the decision making process, DTC’s management team should also consider minimizing amount of bureaucracy in its decision making process. One of the ways through which the firm can achieve this is by reorganizing its organizational structure. The organizational structure should be reorganized in such a way that the time required to make a decision is reduced. This will enhance the firm’s ability to respond to market changes. Evaluation of possible solutions In order to determine the solutions to the problem, DTC should evaluate the pros and cons associated with the identified options. With regard to B2B e-commerce, DTC should consider integrating the e-procurement system in its quest to achieve effectiveness and efficiency in its procurement and c ontracting processes. This arises from the fact that DTC interacts with different vendors and suppliers in its operation. According to Stephenson (2011, para. 1-4), there are numerous benefits that the firm will receive from integration of e-procurement. For example, incorporation of e-procurement will enable DTC to effectively liaise with the suppliers and vendors. This means that the firm will able to manage its suppliers and vendors more effectively. Through integration of e-procurement, there is a high probability that the firm will be able to increase the number of its vendors and suppliers. As a result, the firm can be able to improve the quality of the raw materials it procures since it will select from a large number of suppliers. Additionally, the firm will also be able to transact business effectively with the vendors. The resultant effect is that the firm will be able to develop a strong relationship with its business partners. E-procurement will enable the firm to signif icantly reduce the processing time it requires in its procurement cycle. This arises from the fact that the documents will be sent electronically. E-procurement will also contribute towards the firm becoming more efficient in controlling its inventory level. This arises from the fact that the company will be able to effectively determine what it requires to purchase and the required amount. DTC will also be able to make an effective decision regarding the supplier from whom it will procure the required raw materials. The contracting and procurement manager will also be able to access relevant data such as data related to the contract bid prices. For e-procurement to be successful, DTC will be required to implement the necessary computer technology systems. This will cost the company a substantial amount of finances to purchase these systems. The firm will also be required to outsource the necessary expertise. This will further increase the cost of implementing the systems. However, the benefits that the firm will receive after effective implementation of e-procurement cannot be associated with the cost. With regard to minimizing the time required to make a decision, the firm should consider reorganizing its organization structure. One of the structures that the firm’s management team should consider incorporating is the flat organization structure. A flat organization structure does not have many levels of hierarchy. As a result, the structure is characterized by minimal bureaucracy. The resultant effect is that decision making is easier. In most cases, firms in the services industry adopt flat organizational structures. In its reorganization, the firm’s management team should include all the employees. This will aid in minimizing resistance. However, employees in a flat organizational structure may be required to report to more than one boss. This may result into collision amongst the managers. Recommended implementation plan to solve the proble m In order to be successful in resolving the problems it is experiencing, DTC should effectively implement the solutions identified. Considering the fact that implementation of these solutions will contribute to a change in the firm’s operations, the company should communicate its intended change to all the stakeholders. These include the suppliers, vendors and the employees. In its communication, the firm should address the benefits of the intended changes. The table below highlights the proposed actions, timescale and the required resources in the implementation process. After implementation of these changes, the firm’s management team should continuously review its effectiveness. Some of the elements that the firm should consider include whether the firm has attained efficiency in its procurement system. For example, the contracting and procurement manager should compare the time it takes to complete a procurement cycle with the e-procurement system and using tradit ional methods. Additionally, the firm should also review the comments of the suppliers and vendors to determine their response to the e-procurement system. This will play a critical role in the firm’s effort to improve the system. Action Time scale Resources Implementation of E-procurement system The firm estimates the company will take 3 months to fully implement the system. A cost of $ 1 million is expected to be incurred. This money is expected to be used in purchasing the necessary software, hardware and hiring of e-procurement consultants. Changing the organization structure from hierarchical to a flat structure. The firm will require approximately 4 months to fully re-organize the structure. Reorganization will be undertaken by the firm’s top executives in collaboration with consultants. However, it will be an inclusive process. Appendix Appendix 1: Organization Chart of Dubai Taxi Corporation Source: Dubai Taxi Incorporation, 2010. Reference List Burr ow, J., Kleindl, B. Everard, K., 2008. Business principles and  management. Mason, Ohio: Thomson Learning. Dubai Taxi Corporation. 2010. About us; profile and history. Web.Available at: http://dtc.dubai.ae/en.portal?dtcaboutus,Article_000010,1,_nfpb=true_pageLabel=view . GXS. 2009. Tesco; a GXS case study. Web. Available at: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=vq=cache:ifnvwDp8eU0J:www.gxs.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/cs_tesco.pdf%3Ff92556+TESCO+has+benefited+from+B2B+ecommercehl=engl=kepid=blsrcid=ADGEESgvhqfEz1_50sfUWQlg33OvGB_PZ0k_thGAVUURE1dHbIhhN6RyTOAKBgjJv0GC_9xZVNIhG5DdsWcMo9Hys9qKgPjGhDT8NIMu-6mHmH0d05zTEQVVaSs7hv6YPquKQH0BySSzsig=AHIEtbR74wv0HvrIDpOFAPwUas4iYIAqPQ . Idowu, S. Louche, C., 2011. Theory and practice of corporate social  responsibility. Heidelberg, New York: Springer. Neef, D., 2001. E-procurement; from strategy to implementation. Upper Saddle, NJ: Prentice Hall. Stephenson, R.2011. E-procurement increase profits, enhance control, automate  your procurement. Web.Available at: http://steppen.hubpages.com/hub/httpwwwE-Procurement-Increase-Profits-Enhance-Control-Automate-Your-Procurement-System . Roy, N., 2005. Cisco B2B e-commerce-business to business. Web.Available at: associatedcontent.com/article/14333/cisco_b2b_ecommerce_business_to_business_pg2.html?cat=55 . WeKnowDubai.2011. Taxis companies. Web.Available at: weknowdubai.com/144/taxi-companies/

The Argument For Not Executing Saddam Hussein Essay

The Argument For Not Executing Saddam Hussein - Essay Example The reasons for this are numerous, but there are several primary reasons that are worth considering. The first, of course, is that if Saddam Hussein to remain imprisoned for life, his imprisonment would serve to remind the Iraqi people that they were once persecuted as citizens, without consideration of their religious sect or what value they contributed to their society and country as individuals. Saddam Hussein, along with his two sons, Uday and Qusay, who were killed in July, 2003,1perpetrated crimes against their own citizens and against their international neighbors, and used their positions of power to indiscriminately brutalize men, women and children says Dr. Sahib Al Hakim, ". . . who spent six years, until the invasion of 2003, calling for Saddam Hussein to be put on trial, organizing a weekly picket in London's Trafalgar Square. Over a million people signed a petition calling for Saddam's trial. But although the Iraqi dictator is now in custody, Dr. Al Hakim still has many more questions."2 Imprisoned for life, Saddam Hussein stands as the image of the abuse of power, th e man who, along with his sons, demonstrated a complete disregard for humanity and the Koran and committed acts of atrocity and unspeakable human rights violations against women. Like Dr. Al Hakim, should Saddam remain imprisoned for life, others will be reminded, even if only intermittently, of their lives when their country was held in the power of a vicious dictator. Saddam Hussein, who now stands before an Iraqi court, dressed as an Arab and holding a copy of the Koran, causes Dr. Al Hakim to question, "Why was he allowed to wear Arab headdress to indicate his association with the Arab world, and to hold the Koran' He never did this before."3 Like Al Hakim, those people whose lives were irrevocably altered by the acts of violence committed against them and their families by the former dictator or his sons, will always seek to have the questions on their mind answered - so long as the dictator remains alive. From the Western perspective, this means that the Iraqi people will perhaps be reminded of their former dictator, and regardless of the title or how the person or persons who seek to undermine their opportunity for independence looks, or whether or not they hold in their hands a copy of the Koran; the Iraqi people will not surrender their independence to people who would have the sole power over them as did Saddam Hussein. The Western hope would be that Iraq, when the people of Iraq have complete independence and freedom to elect their own leadership and government, will not go the way of Iran and surrender that opportunity to the religious fundamentalists who will take them back in time, instead of progressively forward as participants in the world market - which could bring the citizens of Iraq many opportunities and improved living conditions - as well as being participants in a world community where the talents and expertise and goals of the world are focused on resolving import ant issues like AIDS, famine, and environmental conditions that can only be solved by working together. Another reason, and a very

Finial Paper Worksite Development Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Finial Paper Worksite Development Paper - Essay Example The executive do not show any respect or loyalty towards the leader. The only emotion visible on their faces after submitting their work for feedback and discussion is fear and loathing. The entire team is well qualified and intelligent yet they are not able to collaborate, the problems if any are not brought into the open till the last moment, there are sub groups in the team and they mistrust the "outsiders" to their group, even healthy comment and criticism is viewed with suspicion. The project manager has full faith in the abilities of the team leader and his executives but they are not able to 'get along' and this shows in the quality of their output. They rarely come forward with suggestions, just carrying on the instructions of their leader half heartedly to fill the working hours and get out of the office. It seems that the team leader is tone deaf to his subordinates. He is obsessed with getting them to work and deliver, yet forgetting that they are not machines which can be switched on at 9 in the morning. He lacks motivational skills, also while reviewing the work the feedback is more of a character assassination than artful critique, (Goleman p, 172). A plan has been chalked out by the HR division wherein the team leader would be asked to take self assessment tests on emotional intelligence. Lead... A plan has been chalked out by the HR division wherein the team leader would be asked to take self assessment tests on emotional intelligence. The tests being self assessment based would show him that he needs to improve his people handling skills in terms of motivational skills, conflict resolution, inter personal skills. Leadership is "getting the job done through high quantity and quality standards of performance, and (2) getting the job done through people, requiring their satisfaction and commitment" (Luthans, 1998, p 427). Thus he will have to develop empathy and trust towards his team. It does not mean that the empathy and trust are only towards the team, but it is the change in personality traits which would ultimately help his team mates. To have empathy he would necessarily be aware of his own emotions first, all the joys and disappointments that life offers. Once the sensitization happens towards own feelings, the same will be developed towards others emotions and perspectives as well. Once these two traits are well entrenched there will be definite change in body language which will communicate to the subordinates as well. He will be more open to new suggestions and willing to share ideas, lend sympathetic ear to knotty problem and lend a helping hand. The other trait which needs polishing is the art of giving feedback which motivates rather than destroys confidence and enthusiasm. He needs to recognize that getting angry and blowing up on employees only clamps them, makes them defensive and stubborn and shirk responsibility sometimes even losing a well trained and educated employee. Here the art of critique as proposed by Harry

BUSINESS FINANCE Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

BUSINESS FINANCE - Research Paper Example Rajaratnam was entitled by the Forbes magazine as the self-made billionaire hedge fund manager and was also the 235th America’s richest men in the year 2009. As on 2009, the total net worth of Rajaratnam was over $1.88 billion. Thus, he was the richest Sri Lankan born entity in the world. He started his career business loan specialist to technology firms was working as the lending officer of Manhattan Bank. Then in the year 1985, Rajaratnam joined Needham & Co. as investment banker a focused on consumer electronics industry. It is extremely astonishing as well as praise worthy fact that from here Rajaratnam was promoted as the head of research at Needham & Co. in the year 1987 (just in a span of two years). He was then promoted to President of Needham & Co. in the year 1991, at the age of only 34 years. When he was at the pinnacle of the company, Rajaratnam seeded his own hedge fund company that he initially named as the Needham Emerging Growth Company and then later renamed i t to Galleon. The hedge fund company Galleon was valued close to $4 billion in the year 2009, down from the peak value of $7 billion in the year 2008. According to the annual report of Galleon for the year 2009, the diversified hedge fund company had over 22% compounded annual returns since its inception. One of the reason for the company’s tremendous success and peak valuation for the year ending 2008 was the sudden collapse of Lehman Brothers. and global financial crisis that encouraged firms to adapt aggressive hedging strategy. From the financial statements of the company from the year 2000 to 2008, it can be said that Rajaratnam invested primarily in pharmaceutical and technology sectors. The basic reasons behind such investment strategy could be: one, seeking growth of income as objective and two, both the sectors are defensive and export oriented. Rajaratnam was very knowledgeable to realize the importance of technology sector in future and so he knew that by investing in technology stocks at present would maximize shareholders’ wealth in future due to capital appreciation of the stocks. The demand for drugs and medicines on the other hand will always persist and probably increase in future with the rise in population. According to one of the face to face interviews by Rajaratnam, he said that the best ideas are outcomes of frequent visits to companies in which his company invested and also from regular conversations with the hedge fund managers. In the year 2009, Rajaratnam along with five others were charged and arrested for insider trading and multiple frauds conviction. The founder of Galleon fund, Rajaratnam pleaded that he was not guilty and paid $100 million bail to remain free (which was the largest bail amount in the history of United States). But in May 2011, a US district court found Rajaratnam guilty and then on October 2011 he was sentenced to 11 year imprisonment by the US district judge Richard Holwell. Other current and former traders of Galleon were charged and arrested with allegation of involvement in insider trading activity and alleged conspiracy. It is important to mention that several former employees of the organization cooperated in the investigation process. It was also reported in media that as of January 2012, over 50 people were either convicted or pleaded guilty from the Galleon hedge fund scandal (Hristova, 2012, pp.1-3). Overview of Insider Trading The Galleon insider trading case was one of

Characteristics of a good database design

Characteristics of a good database design 1. Introduction The purpose of this report is to mainly discuss about characteristics of a good database design and a quality design. Main reasons behind writing this report is as part of implementation of Stanwell parish plan the need for a database application was identified by several committees. Our committee is responsible for the design a database for record the runners participated on the annual Fell race. The new broadband internet access facility is helpful in creating these new facilities. A database can be identified as a set of records or files which are logically related. Computer based databases are normally organised as one or multiple number of tables. A table consists of series of rows and columns. Relational model is a powerful and commonly used method for organising data. The table design of the database reflects the quality of the database. The principles of normalization need to be considered always when designing a effective database. Objectives of normalization are follows. Minimising data redundancy Minimising data restructuring Minimising I/O by redesign transaction sizes Enforcing referencing integrity. When designing an effective database following techniques and concepts are important to consider. Identifying an entity as a logical collection of items related to the stated database. And an attribute is a descriptive or quantitative characteristic of the entity. The physical counterpart of the entity is a database table and the physical counterpart of the attribute is the column. Primary key is identified as an attribute which identifies each instance of an entity uniquely. The logical link between two entities is the relationship. When the primary key of a parent entity exists in a child entity, it is called as a foreign key. There are two types of relationships, Identifying and non Identifying. Identifying relationships are when primary key of the parent entity exists in the primary key of the child entity. In non identifying relationships primary key of the parent key exists in the child entity but not as a part of primary key of the child entity. To understand the nature of the relationship between the parent and child entities, cardinality is helpful. Four types of cardinalities are  § 1 to 0 or more  § 1 to 1 or more  § 1 to 0 or 1  § 1 to many In designing a correct database ER, EER and Use Case are really useful modelling tools. 2. Importance of data modelling Data model is a very useful tool in communicating between developers and users of a database. It is also helpful in identifying design issues and other problems before starting the actual design process. A data model is like a blueprint of a newly constructing building. Builders will newer start building a large construction without a proper blueprint. Even though changes are made during the developing process, the basic foundation remains the same. Importance of ER diagrams in the design ER diagrams falls into a category of data modelling.ER diagrams show entities in a database and relationships between tables. This graphical representation helps to understand how the database works with the interactions and dataflow. No matter how large or small the database is, the concepts of entity and relationship are the same. ER diagrams have 3 basic components. Entities Attributes Relationships For an example, in the Fell Race database, Race can be identified as an entity and year of the Race can be identified as an attribute. An entity corresponds to a table of the database and attributes corresponds to the columns of that particular table. Most common errors that can happen when designing an ER diagram can be stated as, Missing constrains Missing keys to any entity type Unexpressed constrains due to bad design Associating attributes with wrong entry types Putting invalid constrains Misuse of subclasses Using foreign keys instead of relationships EER Diagrams in modelling EER diagrams are also a similar kind of tool to ER diagrams except for some little differences. It is identified as enhanced model of ER diagrams. EER = ER + hierarchical relationships Hierarchical relationship means relationship between Super class and subclass, the IS A relationship. The next step is transferring the ER diagram or EER diagram into well structured relations. A relational table is made up of one or more data tables or relations. The mapping should be done in a way to avoid data duplication. This is called data redundancy. Data redundancy can become a problem for several reasons. Entering same data over and over again is a waste of time. Data redundancy increases the probability of occurring errors Errors can occur when retrieving data. Disk space is wasted. Affect the performance of the overall system When updating, deleting data, multiple rows should be considered. Normalization is the process used to avoid data redundancy. Importance of Use Case diagrams in the design Use cases are used in the analysis stage of the design process. Main target of drawing a use case is to identify the system functionality. Use cases separate the system into use cases and actors. Use cases represent the integration of actors and the system. An actor is defined as a thing with behaviour. An actor could be a person or another system. According to the Fell Race system actor can be someone who uses the system to enter data (user). 3. Importance of a good database design Mainly a good, effective database design helps the development team to reduce the costs and time taken for the overall development. By creating a good data model and following the correct process, helps the development team to understand user requirements clearly and accurately. 4. Is a correct database design necessarily a quality design? The answer is no. A correct database design is not always a quality design. But a quality design should always be a correct design. In a quality design, instead of putting data over multiple files, data is stored in a single logical unit. This reduces the duplication of data. The non duplication of data helps to maintain data integrity. Also a quality design is helpful in maintain the security of data. Data can be managed properly trough a quality database design. Finally a quality design is a design that helps to increase the performance of the database. A correct database design would work, but a quality design will help increase the performance of the database. 5. Conclusion An affective and quality database design helps the development team to reduce time and the overall cost of the system development process. By taking a correct approach to database design helps the team to understand the user requirements correctly and deliver a system the user desires. A good database design will also help increase the overall performance of the system. References Mike gahan.2000.An introduction to databases.[online](updated 10 October 2000) Available at: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/cisp/database/manual/node1.html [Accessed 10 January 2010]. SQLTeam.com.2000.Database design and modelling fundamentals.[online](updated 30 June 2000) Available at : http://www.sqlteam.com/article/database-design-and-modeling-fundamentals [Accessed 10 January 2010]. Farrkoh Alemi.2007.healthcare databases.[online](updated 27 November 2007) Available at : http://gunston.gmu.edu/709/DataModelingERDiagram.asp [Accessed 12 January 2010] Development cycles.2004.Entity Relationship Modeling-Experience vs InExperience.[online](updated 05 April 2004) Available at : http://www.devarticles.com/c/a/Development-Cycles/Entity-Relationship-Modeling/13/ [Accessed 12 January 2010] Veda c storey. Modelling quality requirements in conceptual database design.[e-book] Available at : http://web.mit.edu/tdqm/www/tdqmpub/QEROct98.pdf [Accessed 12 January 2010] John A. Hoxmeier.1997.A framework for accessing database quality.[online]Available at : http://osm7.cs.byu.edu/ER97/workshop4/jh.html [Accessed 12 January 2010]

Post-graduate Traveling Fellowship Recipient Essay -- Environmental Ec

Post-graduate Traveling Fellowship Recipient "With every step, you are met by the most bizarre and wonderful forms," she told me. I have never heard someone talk about nature in the way that my host mother in France did. She has not been able to return to what she calls "the jungles of Madagascar"-her birthplace-but images of wild and beautiful greenness have never left her mind. In Madagascar, there are two hundred thousand different species of living things; ninety-three percent of them are endemic to this island. Wide-eyed lemurs and bright red Fody birds can be found nowhere else in the world. Nature has made of Madagascar an isolated and thriving sanctuary for flowers, frogs, and monkeys different from those created elsewhere. This island is a place of magic and wonder. Yet while the baobob tree-locally called the monkey bread tree-once dotted the landscape of Madagascar, it is rapidly being deforested to make way for agriculture. Indeed, each year, thirty percent of Madagascar's land is burned or reburned. This practice not only threatens the habitat of unique wildlife; it is turning the country into an eroded and uninhabitable wasteland. The need for subsistence in this poverty-stricken nation has led many people to conceive of the immense natural resources of the island for their economic value alone. Yet if forestry and agricultural practices are to be sustainable, and if the magic and wonder of Madagascar are to be preserved for future generations, the Malagasy will need to conceive of their natural environment in a different way. Only through direct contact with environmental reality can students develop a real appreciation and understanding of nature that leads to a sense of stewardship and a desire to protec... ...n Antananarivo, these university students will assume director's roles and the program will thus expand to include more interested children. Upon my departure, these directors will completely take over and urban environmental education in Antananarivo will continue. Through public service, I have come to see the role of teacher as a creator of possibility. Through my proposed urban environmental education program in Antananarivo, Madagascar, I hope to create the opportunity for urban kids to have frequent and direct contact with ecological processes through which experience they might come to see their environment in a new and more sustainable way. In the end, my hope is to create the possibility that my host mother's children and her grandchildren might one day see "the jungles of Madagascar" where she was born and experience the magic and wonder she describes.

How Technology Affects Modern America

The microeconomic picture of the U. S. has changed immensely since 1973, and the trends are proving to be consistently downward for the nation's high school graduates and high school drop-outs. â€Å"Of all the reasons given for the wage squeeze – international competition, technology, deregulation, the decline of unions and defense cuts – technology is probably the most critical. It has favored the educated and the skilled,† says M. B. Zuckerman, editor-in-chief of U. S. News & World Report (7/31/95). Since 1973, wages adjusted for inflation have declined by about a quarter for high school dropouts, by a sixth for high school graduates, and by about 7% for those with some college education. Only the wages of college graduates are up. Of the fastest growing technical jobs, software engineering tops the list. Carnegie Mellon University reports, â€Å"recruitment of it's software engineering students is up this year by over 20%. † All engineering jobs are paying well, proving that highly skilled labor is what employers want! There is clear evidence that the supply of workers in the [unskilled labor] categories already exceeds the demand for their services,† says L. Mishel, Research Director of Welfare Reform Network. In view of these facts, I wonder if these trends are good or bad for society. â€Å"The danger of the information age is that while in the short run it may be cheaper to replace workers with technology, in the long run it is potentially self-destructive because there will not be enough purchasing power to grow the economy,† M. B. Zuckerman. My feeling is that the trend from unskilled labor to highly technical, skilled labor is a good one! But, political action must be taken to ensure that this societal evolution is beneficial to all of us. â€Å"Back in 1970, a high school diploma could still be a ticket to the middle income bracket, a nice car in the driveway and a house in the suburbs. Today all it gets is a clunker parked on the street, and a dingy apartment in a low rent building,† says Time Magazine (Jan 30, 1995 issue). However, in 1970, our government provided our children with a free education, allowing the vast majority of our population to earn a high school diploma. This means that anyone, regardless of family income, could be educated to a level that would allow them a comfortable place in the middle class. Even restrictions upon child labor hours kept children in school, since they are not allowed to work full time while under the age of 18. This government policy was conducive to our economic markets, and allowed our country to prosper from 1950 through 1970. Now, our own prosperity has moved us into a highly technical world, that requires highly skilled labor. The natural answer to this problem, is that the U. S. Government's education policy must keep pace with the demands of the highly technical job market. If a middle class income of 1970 required a high school diploma, and the middle class income of 1990 requires a college diploma, then it should be as easy for the children of the 90's to get a college diploma, as it was for the children of the 70's to get a high school diploma. This brings me to the issue of our country's political process, in a technologically advanced world. Voting & Poisoned Political Process in The U. S. The advance of mass communication is natural in a technologically advanced society. In our country's short history, we have seen the development of the printing press, the radio, the television, and now the Internet; all of these, able to reach millions of people. Equally natural, is the poisoning and corruption of these medias, to benefit a few. From the 1950's until today, television has been the preferred media. Because it captures the minds of most Americans, it is the preferred method of persuasion by political figures, multinational corporate advertising, and the upper 2% of the elite, who have an interest in controlling public opinion. Newspapers and radio experienced this same history, but are now somewhat obsolete in the science of changing public opinion. Though I do not suspect television to become completely obsolete within the next 20 years, I do see the Internet being used by the same political figures, multinational corporations, and upper 2% elite, for the same purposes. At this time, in the Internet's young history, it is largely unregulated, and can be accessed and changed by any person with a computer and a modem; no license required, and no need for millions of dollars of equipment. But, in reviewing our history, we find that newspaper, radio and television were once unregulated too. It is easy to see why government has such an interest in regulating the Internet these days. Though public opinion supports regulating sexual material on the Internet, it is just the first step in total regulation, as experienced by every other popular mass media in our history. This is why it is imperative to educate people about the Internet, and make it be known that any regulation of it is destructive to us, not constructive! I have been a daily user of the Internet for 5 years (and a daily user of BBS communications for 4 years), which makes me a senior among us. I have seen the moves to regulate this type of communication, and have always openly opposed it. My feelings about technology, the Internet, and political process are simple. In light of the history of mass communication, there is nothing we can do to protect any media from the â€Å"sound byte† or any other form of commercial poisoning. But, our country's public opinion doesn't have to fall into a nose-dive of lies and corruption, because of it! The first experience I had in a course on Critical Thinking came when I entered college. As many good things as I have learned in college, I found this course to be most valuable to my basic education. I was angry that I hadn't had access to the power of critical thought over my twelve years of basic education. Simple forms of critical thinking can be taught as early as kindergarten. It isn't hard to teach a young person to understand the patterns of persuasion, and be able to defend themselves against them. Television doesn't have to be a weapon against us, used to sway our opinions to conform to people who care about their own prosperity, not ours. With the power of a critical thinking education, we can stop being motivated by the sound byte and, instead we can laugh at it as a cheap attempt to persuade us. In conclusion, I feel that the advance of technology is a good trend for our society; however, it must be in conjunction with advance in education so that society is able to master and understand technology. I think technology has an important effect on us, the way we act, react, and take actions in society. We can be the masters of technology, and not let it be the masters of us.

Free Essays on Montgomery

Montgomery After reading â€Å"Montgomery County Taketh Away† by Reynolds Williams, I learned that it was a very strong argument between two different opinions that people had. â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, [that they are born with the right to] Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness†. This quote allows and argument to take place considering it is in the constitution. One side of the argument is that the public schools do not give the teacher and the fifth graders what they need. The students will not have the potential to understand what the history of America is actually saying in the constitution. The other side of the argument is about what the quote actually said, â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness†. In this statement, it tells that not all people may have the same rights as many people do. The fifth graders would never hear this quote because of slavery. The citizens who fight this on this side of the argument believe that the students should hear the truth and correct quote so they know the actual history of America that all the citizens had to live in. My point of view is simple. I believe that all the students should know what really happened in America. The quote should not be â€Å"sugar coated† for fifth graders to read, but instead they should see the quote and talk about how much America has changed from when it was first written. The students should learn from the teacher why America used this quote and what the quote means. This debate is mostly about rights and who had them and who did not. Also the students should learn why we had slavery which could be taught after reading this particular quote. I personally believe that I am an activist because the constitution needs to change as Americ... Free Essays on Montgomery Free Essays on Montgomery Montgomery After reading â€Å"Montgomery County Taketh Away† by Reynolds Williams, I learned that it was a very strong argument between two different opinions that people had. â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, [that they are born with the right to] Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness†. This quote allows and argument to take place considering it is in the constitution. One side of the argument is that the public schools do not give the teacher and the fifth graders what they need. The students will not have the potential to understand what the history of America is actually saying in the constitution. The other side of the argument is about what the quote actually said, â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness†. In this statement, it tells that not all people may have the same rights as many people do. The fifth graders would never hear this quote because of slavery. The citizens who fight this on this side of the argument believe that the students should hear the truth and correct quote so they know the actual history of America that all the citizens had to live in. My point of view is simple. I believe that all the students should know what really happened in America. The quote should not be â€Å"sugar coated† for fifth graders to read, but instead they should see the quote and talk about how much America has changed from when it was first written. The students should learn from the teacher why America used this quote and what the quote means. This debate is mostly about rights and who had them and who did not. Also the students should learn why we had slavery which could be taught after reading this particular quote. I personally believe that I am an activist because the constitution needs to change as Americ...

Why Copper Bowls Are Better for Whipping Egg Whites

Why Copper Bowls Are Better for Whipping Egg Whites The bowl you use makes a difference when you are whipping egg whites. Copper bowls produce a yellowish, creamy foam that is harder to overbeat that the foam produced using glass or stainless steel bowls. When you whisk egg whites in a copper bowl, some copper ions migrate from the bowl into the egg whites. The copper ions form a yellow complex with one of the proteins in eggs, conalbumin. The conalbumin-copper complex is more stable than the conalbumin alone, so egg whites whipped in a copper bowl are less likely to denature (unfold). How Does Whisking Change the Eggs? When air is whisked into egg whites, the mechanical action denatures the proteins in the whites. The denatured proteins coagulate, stiffening the foam and stabilizing the air bubbles. If the foam is overbeaten in a non-copper bowl, eventually the proteins become completely denatured and coagulate into clumps. There is no going back from the clumpy mess to nice foamy whites, so overbeaten whites are usually discarded. If a copper bowl is used, then fewer protein molecules are free to denature and coagulate, because some are tied up in conalbumin-copper complexes. In addition to forming complexes with conalbumin, the copper may also react with sulfur-containing groups on other proteins, further stabilizing the egg proteins. Although the iron and zinc found in other metal bowls also form complexes with conalbumin, these complexes dont make the foam more stable. When glass or steel bowls are used, cream of tartar may be added to egg whites to stabilize the whites.

Novel response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Novel response - Essay Example A key theme of the book is the relationship between Shimamura and Komako, and the linked desire he has for the shy Yoko, both of whom seem to symbolize the ancient, traditional aspects of Japan which he longs for. Kawabata makes this clear by linking his descriptions of these women with aspects of the landscape, as for example when he likens the white powder that Komako uses as make-up to â€Å"the snow-country cold† (Kawabata, 1996, p. 39). This image suggests to me that the title of the book should be read in two ways, first as an exploration of the stunning natural beauty of Japan, and then secondly also as an exploration of the equally stunning and mystical beauty of Japanese women. One of the most memorable features of this book is the way that the story unfolds through a series of hints and guesses, rather than by clear description of specific actions. Shimamura seems very sensitive, perhaps more sensitive than is usual for a man in a Western culture, and his appreciation of the moon, the snow and the everyday scenes around him reveals a philosophical approach to life. The reader is given the impression that every single item in the world resonates with deeper meanings. He has an affinity with nature, and this changed my view of Japan as a hyper-modern country full of high tech industries and crowded cities. On the other hand, I was disappointed in the book’s resolution of the love affair between Shimamura and the two main female characters. At the end I was not sure what he was feeling, because Yoko appeared to be dead, and there was no clear plan regarding his position with Kamako. Shimamura appeared more interested in the way that the fire seemed to reach out into the Milky Way, (Kawabata, 1996, p. 171), than the dramatic effects of the fire on real people, this made him appear cold and detached from human society. In the end I did not like this character very much,

Languages Reflect Societies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Languages Reflect Societies - Essay Example This word still aptly describes the hypothesis up to these days attracting continued studies about the relationship between language, thought and culture. Its strong version called Linguistic Determinism, posits that â€Å"people’s thoughts are determined by categories made available by their language† (Pinker, 1994, p. 57), that â€Å"language may determine our thinking patterns† (Liang, 2011, pp. 569-570), or that â€Å"one cannot think outside the confines of their language† (He, 2011, p. 562). Linguistic Relativity which is its weaker version, maintains that â€Å"differences among languages cause differences in thoughts of their speakers† (Pinker, 1994, p.57). Among the articles that I have read, I summarized the strengths and weakness of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis in Table 1. Pinker (1994) thoroughly debunked the hypothesis in his book The Language Instinct. From the circumstances that contributed to Whorf’s formation of the hypothesis – to the two aspects of the theory, the strong and weak versions, Pinker (1994) questioned them all using anthropological and logical reasoning and results of empirical studies. As Pinker (1994, p. 67) have said, â€Å"Linguistic determinism is just a conventional absurdity†. Liang (2011) also examined the same hypothesis and came up with views similar to the ones maintained by Pinker. The study of Chi-Shing and Altarriba (2008) yielded a result contrary to the theory. Though He (2011) in his study acknowledged the shortcomings of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis due to lack of empirical evidences, he focused on cross-cultural communication which made the hypothesis in one way, promote cultural diversity. If there are studies that question the authenticity of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, there are studies that support the views of Sapir and Whorf. One such study is that of Kodish (2003). As he penned it, Whorf â€Å"did not posit a language isolated from human behavior-in-a-culture as the sole, one-directional, single-valued