Competitive Analysis: Buy.Com Amazon and Overstar

Competitive Analysis In a hyper-competitive world economy and with increasingly rational buyers, the competitions among e-commerce businesses are becoming more and more intensive. Given the priority of competitiveness in modern companies, practitioners of competitive intelligence need to come to terms with what business and competitive analysis is and also how it works. In order to survive in such a competitive environment, a company must deliver superior customer value over its competitors. Three competitors that CanGo analyzed are Amazon. om, Buy. com, and Overstock. com. We focused on areas like personnel, products, and facilities. Amazon is an American electronic commerce company that has become an icon of internet business. The company was founded the company in 1994 and launched on the Internet in 1995 as an online bookstore. The business is built around two values, frugality and customer service. Amazon has been ranked number one in customer satisfaction and service. A key to Amazon’s success was the decision to forego early profits to secure market share. As a result, Amazon is one of the most recognizable online retailers. Amazon’s shipping costs are relatively high in comparison to other online retailers. Despite increases in shipping costs they have yet to adjust their pricing strategy. Dependence on the North American market, despite expanding into international markets is another weakness. Amazon still derives 55% of its sales, from the North American market. This dependence could have adverse affects on Amazon’s future market growth. Buy. om was launched in November 1997, with 30,000 high-tech products. In one year Buy. com, sets first-year record with $125 million in sales. The company has expanded in numerous profit sections such as entertainment parks, subsidiaries, and large international breweries. Buy. com continues to introduce new brands. The target market is college campuses and sports. Currently, Buy. com is spending considerable amounts of money in the Spanish marketing field. Some weaknesses are the los s of investor interest due to lack of profits. Overstock. om initially began by selling surplus and returned merchandise on an online marketplace; however, in recent years it has expanded to selling new merchandise. Overstock has established partnerships with many leading brand-name companies. These relationships allow Overstock to buy products at significant discounts, which lowers the costs for consumers. Overstock. com restated its financial statements for fiscal years 2003-2007 due to problems incurred when implementing an Oracle enterprise resource planning program (ERP) (Taub, 2008). Weaknesses Based on an article by Stephen Taub, â€Å"Botched ERP Hookup Spurs Restatement,† Overstock. com restated its financial statements for fiscal years 2003-2007 due to problems incurred when implementing an Oracle enterprise resource planning program (ERP) in 2005. (Taub, 2008) When Overstock. com implemented its new ERP system, customer refunds changed from batch processing, to being recorded as individual transactions. However, Overstock did not install all the accounting elements needed to process customer refunds in the new system. Instead, the company chose to put â€Å"manual fixes† (Taub, 2008) in place; however, these manual fixes did not account for all the applicable refund types, resulting in refunds not being recorded. The errors do not stop here. Overstock. com also found that the ERP system did not reverse out shipping revenue for cancelled orders and the company was under-billing their fulfillment partners for return related costs and fees. (Taub, 2008) Although, $12. 9 million is material to report a restatement, the impact on the stockholders will be minimal, as Overstock. om is a large company that already has a negative net worth. Stockholder’s equity reported on Overstock. com 2009 Annual Financial Statements is negative $3 million. (Overstock. com, 2009) and Overstock. com has not had a profitable quarter since 2004. (Coenen, 2009) Stockholders should be concerned with Overstock. com management, as this is not first time the company is restating their financial statements. In Febr uary, 2006, Overstock. com announced it would restate 4 years of financial statements, 2002 though 2005, due to improper accounting of freight costs. Taub,2008) It appears that the company has some serious internal control and reporting issues that need to be addressed. CanGo Strengths †¢Resources †¢Strong brand names †¢Good reputation among customers †¢Recognizable brand †¢Positive relationship with employees Weaknesses †¢Employees under trained. †¢Insufficient suppliers †¢Unplanned products †¢planning †¢Lack of industry knowledge CanGo has the ability to compete with their competitors in any facet of the industry. There are high profit margins in the e-commerce industry. There is an increase in demand in the online gaming industry. There are no major barriers to entry and the future growth potential is limitless. Coenen, T. (2009). More Accounting Mistreatment by Overstock. com. Retrieved February 11, 2010, from http://www. sequence-inc. com/fraudfiles/2009/02/09/accounting-mistreatment-by-overstock/ Fornell, C. (2007). ACSI Quarterly Commentaries Fourth-Quarter 2007 Survey. Retrieved http://www. theacsi. org/index. php? option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=165 Taub, S. (2008). Botched ERP Hookup Spurs Restatement. CFO. com. Retrieved February 9, 2010. Retrieved from http://www. cfo. com/article. cfm/12494875

SALES PROMOTION PROJECT OF KURKURE Essay

SALES PROMOTION PROJECT OF KURKURE Launched in 1999, this perfect ‘namkeen’ snack, fully developed in India, has become the torch bearer of fun and lovable human quirks. It developed an even stronger identity through celebrity associations with Juhi Chawla [2003] and Kareena Kapoor [2008] Named after the Hindi word for â€Å"crunchy†, Kurkure is a cheeto-like snack and is the flagship of Frito Lay’s Indian division. It is marketed by Hirani Industries Corp. (USA incorporated company)in Kenya. It is one of the most popular food products in India today. 4 Different flavours They are Masala Munch (orange pack), Green Chutney Rajasthani Style (light green pack), ChilliChatka (dark green pack) and Tamatar Hydrabadi Style (brown pack) Kurkure was Frito Lay’s first big hit in India and succeeded by making a host of Indian flavours possible and popular in a finger snack. Kurkure is a crunchy new age namkeen snack brand whichsymbolizes light hearted fun. Embodying the spirit of India, Kurkure has found a home in the hearts& minds of all and enjoys the position of a strong Lovemark brand in India Over the years, Kurkure has journeyed effortlessly from being a snack with a twist to being anintegral part of the tea time menu to being an embodiment of lovable human ‘imperfections’ or ‘tedhapan’ Product strategy Building trust and connection by informing the consumers of the authentic ingredients that go intothe product. Kurkure is a new age Namkeen and made of edible ingredients including rice meal,corn meal, gram meal, edible oil, seasonings, salt, spices and condiments and flavours. Its Snack Smart initiative to cut out trans-fat from its products by using rice bran oil which cuts saturated fat by 40 per cent. Kurkure has 40% less Saturated Fat, Zero Trans Fats and No Added MSG Pricing Competitive pricing Strategy was adopted by the company in order to establish the brand inIndian markets. Introduction of smaller packs targeted towards  small quantity consumers andmiddle/ low income customers. Price Range Small Rs 5/- Medium Rs 10/- Large Rs 20/ Rs.3 packs encourage consumers in rural areas. Sales Positioning Kurkure is also positioning itself on the basis of its usage. Its promotional campaigns urgeconsumers to use it on. Daily basis At lunch Dinner Anytime, anywhere Servings With Chaat With tea With Raita With drinks Occasions Parties and celebrations Unique Selling Preposition Desi brand nam: Easy to identify with Kurkure is a synonym of a crunchy food stuff. Infact a brand by the name TakaTak : tried to imitate it but failed miserably. Launching its product in indian flavours, which differentiated it from their competitor itsunique advertisements which features the bubbly Juhi Chawla. Innovative flavor, affordable price and continuous communication to consumers Kurkure’s success in the Indian market is mainlyfor three reasons namely innovative flavor, affordable price and continuous communication toconsumer. To meet the regional requirements Kurkure is launched in various flavors like Masala,chilli, green chutney etc. Special (Limited) Edition Pujo Special:Jhajhalo Hit – Released in West Bengal for Durga Puja, 2007 Ganeshotsav Special:Usal Pao – Relesed in Maharashtera for Ganesh Utsav PACKAGING Style and design matter a lot on the outcome and response of the product. ‘Kurkure’ as the product(inside the pack and outside wrapper) has much attractive and catchy colors style and design whichattracts the customers alot.Kurkure is available in the market in 3 different packing. Kurkure comes in the air tight packingand packing material of Kurkure is of high quality so that product will remain fresh and its tastekeeps secure up to more than four months. Kurkure has different flavors in the market so the eachflavor has its own unique packaging color combination according to its taste. Basic color combinations are in green and red colors which all are eye catching.Kurkure is available to the consumer only in primary packing. No secondary packing is using.However they are delivered in container packing from production plant to shopkeepers or retailers,which carries 48 packs. Kurkure is available in three different sizes 19 gm 38 gm 75 gm Promotion Strategy Kurkure – Tedha Hai Par Mera Hai Slogan: â€Å"Chai time masti time† Named after the Hindiword for â€Å"crunchy†, Kurkure is acheeto-like snack and is the flagship of Frito Lay’sIndian division. It is marketed by Hirani Industries Corp. (USA incorporatedcompany) inKenya. It is one of the most popular food products in Indiatoday.In November 2006,Frito Lay announced plans to release Kurkure to American markets sometimein 2007. This decision was made after analysts showed increasing interest in Indian spices in theUSA. Also the introduction in other markets with a non-resident Indian population such as the UK was planned.In India, actor-celebrity Juhi Chawlaadvertises Kurkure. Range â€Å"Kurkure Flavors† Masala Munch Naughty Tomato Chilli Chatka Green Chutney Rajasthani Style Hyderabadi Hungama â€Å"Kurkure Desi Beats† Deewana Tamatar Dildaar Masala To mark 10 years of its existence, Kurkure, FritoLay’s Indian innovation in the salted snack market,is changing tracks, says Sayantani Kar.It came out in December with a print campaign which told readers how Kurkure is made from whatcan be found in any Indian kitchen, underlining that the ingredients are as wholesome as what goesinto home-made food FritoLay Marketing Director Deepika Warrier says: â€Å"We wanted to demystify Kurkure for the consumers. That meant building trust and connection by informing them of the authenticingredients that go into the product. We will have more surprising and untried ingredients in our product this year.† She says the print ad has already generated a positive response, and expects sales to go up 20 per cent. The†Kurkure Chai Time Achievers† campaign: This was the first of its kind campaign in India, launched in May 2007 aiming at promoting versatile usage of Kurkure. Powered by an exciting commercial showcasing crazy consumers trying to grab the ‘Kurkure frame’ – their ticket to famedom, this campaign truly gives consumers a taste of Kurkure in the most innovative way!! Leading to replacement of Juhi on the Kurkure packs with pictures of their own and their near and dear ones, it gave the consumers chance to become celebrity overnight by printing their photographs and recipes on a million Kurkure packs. The company claims to have received an overwhelming response, with over 100,000 recipes pouring in ,within just 6 weeks. For a brand holding out the reward of instant fame to its  consumers, Kurkure has indeed delivered on its promise. Volumes shot by 20% in just one month. Sales have increased by 19% over last year. KURKURE TELEVISION ADVERTISEMENTS In 2004 it launched the â€Å"Kahani mein Kurkure† (â€Å"Crispiness in the Story†) campaign, which was atake on Indian popular culture. The advertising campaign spoofed popular Indian TV shows likeJassi Jaissi Koi Nahin and Kyu ki saas bhi kabhi bahu thi, to appeal to Indian housewives, thelargest target audience to watch these programs.In addition to targeting housewives, who play a significant role in making purchase decisions, the brand appeals to the Indian family as a whole. The â€Å"Kurkure Chai Time Achiever’s Award† was acontest launched by the brand where families were invited to submit interesting recipes made withKurkure. The winning family would have the opportunity to be famous and have their photographfeatured on one million Kurkure packs.This direct marketing campaign was supported through television advertising, where Indiancelebrity Juhi Chawla, Kurkure’s brand ambassador, announced the winners of the competition. Thecontest was also publicized through the website http://kurkure.co.in, specifically designed to promote the contest. Using the website as a strategic tool for promotion helped the brand appeal to ayoung audience that spends a considerable amount of time surfing the web Kurkure express Another novel branding initiative was a tie-up with South Western Railways in India to have trainscalled the â€Å"Kurkure Express.† These were special trains that operated only during the holidayseason. The brand was featured on reservation charts, coach indication slips, and during anyannouncements about the train. This outdoor media was a unique way to target families who travel by train during the holidays. Distribution Channel Adopted by Kurkure Distribution is also one of the key parameters for expanding market share. Frito-Lays hasthe advantage of access to Pepsi’s a formidable distribution network .Generally Companies arehaving their sales vehicles that are loaded on daily basis and are distributed to local retailers. Somecompanies appoint  Distributors. Distributors have to give a proposal with a market research likestorage facilities, infrastructure, and retail outlets in area, market leader, types of products availablein the market etc. The Kurkure products are delivered to the retailer twice a week. The products aregenerally sent in Boxes on an average each box contains 80 packs of 30 gm or 30 packs of 150 gm.Distributors are solely responsible for the sales in the particular area he is operating in.Every Distributor should have a specified number of minimum shops in his area. Distributorsgenerally have small vans (rickshaws) and employ salesmen on commission basis who loads the products from the distributor’s storage and distributes it amongst the retailers. It services one-lakhretail counters across the country by employing a total strength of 300 sales personnel anddistributors nationwide. HOW TO IMPROVE FUTURE GROWTH The company can occupy a huge number of customers by keeping in mind about the preferences and needs of customers regarding tastes and flavors, By introducing new tastes, flavors and retaining the quality standards can attract consumers of other brands and pull them towards itself by leaving other competitors far behind and getadvantage over them. By delivering valued trade promotions to wholesalers and retailers, company can capture this huge segment. This will allow Kurkure to stay in market effectively and people will order more quantity due to its increased demand by customers The company should try to expand its wings to cover towns, villages, cities; making it available to everybody The entire unorganized Farsan sector, Dhokla, Khaman, Kachoris, & all the eatables thatcould be had as snacks in Parties, while watching Movies, Cricket matches are substitutes to KURKURE SO kurkure can bring up flavours which can match the taste of all these items to boost up the sales.

Public and Private Partnership Paddington Health Campus Scheme Essay

Public and Private Partnership Paddington Health Campus Scheme - Essay Example Governments have numerous strategies for supplying public goods and services. Numerous of these strategies are partnerships with the non-profit or private agencies. The most recent decades have seen a dramatic increase in the formation of public-private partnerships (PPPs). The United Kingdom engaged in a new form of PPP in the 1990s to boost the participation of the private sector in public service provision (Robinson et al., 2010). According to Yescombe (2007), called the private finance initiative (PFI), the British Treasury Department has generated roughly twenty billion pounds to spend in public service management and private financing in the UK. PFI in the region has already been privatised. PPPs are public acquisition mechanisms which require private agencies to deliver services that are usually the obligation of the government. Fiscal and infrastructure demands keep on making these strategies appealing to governments, hence it is important to evaluate their outcomes (Hodge & Greve, 2005). This essay examines the Paddington Health Campus Scheme. It evaluates the actual driving forces and problems of the Scheme in terms of two issues: (1) strategic planning, and (2) working in partnership. It indicates that PPPs had dual sources: (1) a core theoretical assumption that productivity or competency would be improved by controlling competition in the market via private sector bidding, and (2) a macroeconomic strategy plan, motivated by an interest in regulating public debt (Hodge & Greve, 2005). Nevertheless, in actual fact, these productivity benefits are a long way from being mechanical—as stated by Geddes (2005), the successful progress of any PPP scheme hinges on a coordination of the objectives of operational, tactical, and strategic ranks of authority. Overview of the Paddington Health Campus It is practically useless to plan a complete business scheme and other actual reports for a PPP scheme of the private sector, or the market, does not view th e scheme as commercially appealing or fiscally workable. In the initial period of the PFI numerous schemes were marked down by the public sector as PPP-feasible, though, afterward it turned out that a significant percentage of these projects were actually not appropriate, because of a mixture of problems such as heavy contract requirements, brief contract durations, inadequate flow of income, and overflow of risk transfer (Cartlidge, 2006). Of late, the failure of the PFI Paddington Health Campus Scheme generated massive abortive costs and consultant fees. The Paddington Health Campus scheme was a complicated and aggressive project to construct a top-notch medical and research facility which in the end revealed weaknesses in the ability of the partners to work towards success. The project planned to set up high-tech and sophisticated medical services and to replace the dilapidated hospitals of Harefield, Brompton, and St. Marys (Great Britain: National Audit Office, 2006a, 4). The s cheme partners were Partnerships UK, Imperial College, St. Marys NHS Trust, Harefield NHS Trust, and Royal Brompton. The Outline Business Case (OBC) was endorsed in October 2000 by the NHS’s London Regional Office. It projected the overall cost of construction to be roughly 300 million. In May 2005, estimated costs had increased to 894 million and the date of completion was extended from 2006 to 2013 (Great Britain: National Audit Office, 2006a, 4). Initially introduced in 1998, the project was abolished after a major partner declined to back up the business case for the scheme (Robinson et al., 2010). The scheme was then restored. Circumstances such as this are apparently unfavourable for the reputation of PPPs as it disputes the entire method of this form of acquisition, in addition to the substantial waste of resources, effort, and time. Hence, if there are some uncertainties about the interest of private agencies in taking part in a planned PPP scheme, market scanning mus t be carried out at the soonest

The Lust for Blood Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Lust for Blood - Movie Review Example The lust for blood from an aggrieved criminal who goes on a killing spree is the main theme behind the episode that will be reviewed in this essay. The producer’s concept of depicting two men that have been bludgeoned to death in the beginning of the film is the epitome of brutality as a result of blood lust. The murder took place near a hospital one evening in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The BAU agents, Hotch, Rossi, Prentiss and Reid are called in to solve the case. The two dead bodies had been placed in such a way that showed the perpetrator (s) was remorseful about the act. For the perpetrator to have been able to kill the two physically strong men, he or she must have been physically strong as well. The unsub must have been somebody who was good at fighting. The victims found beaten in the same manner that the perpetrator had bludgeoned the first two men shows that it is the same person who has been committing these murders. The manner that these subsequent deaths have be en executed shows that he is no longer remorseful for the killings. There is a very high probability that the perpetrator will strike again. Viewers are left in suspense, wondering when and where he will strike next. Analytically, the murders are being executed by someone who enjoys killing people. He is killing them very precisely and easily. The subsequent victims are found to have been beaten in a very organized and thorough way, indicating that the criminal is knowledgeable about fights. He must be a fighter or boxer because of the nature of execution of the deaths. The BAU ventures into the boxing and fighting scene all over Philadelphia so as to find the connection to the string of deaths. The search for the killer leads the BAU team to venture more and more into the boxing scene so as to find out who has been executing these deaths near the hospital. This was a clever move because the killer must have been a boxer. Later on in the program, it emerges that the killer is a prof essionally trained boxer, Jimmy who is killing people because of his presumed blood lust. Hotch’s encounter with a lady named Beth shows that he is finally interested in love again for the first time since his wife Haley died. He has been holding on to the death of his wife and has finally decided to let go of the past and move on. In regard to this, he is quoted saying, â€Å"Some of us think holding on makes us strong but sometimes its letting go†. This can be said to be after he has finally made the resolution to move on with his life and stop mourning the death of his wife. The case that the team was working on was taking too long but the change in direction of the movie makes it more interesting when Hotch meets this girl Beth and finally considers to move on. The introduction of Beth into the scene is a great strategy because the suspense of wanting to know whether Hotch’s new love will fail or succeed keeps viewers glued to the screen. The conversation be tween Hotch and Rossi below shows that Hotch is interested in Beth â€Å"Rossi:  (discussing Beth with Hotch)  Is she cute? Hotchner: Yes, she is, but I need to be focused on my training. I don't need to be distracted. Rossi: Yes, you should be. Distracted is good. What's her name? Hotchner: Beth. Rossi: I like it. And you know what they say about riding a bicycle. Hotchner: Who's getting a bicycle?

Magazine ad analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Magazine ad analysis - Essay Example Thus, designers pay meticulous attention to every minute detail of an image that the ad portrays, in order to ensure that it stays engraved in the viewers’ memory. The ad of Arby’s Burgers, appearing in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, which is appended as Annexure-I, is a relevant example that illustrates how creativity, aesthetics, color schemes, contextual nuances, enticing textual messages etc can be deftly aligned to enhance the appeal of an advertisement. This ad announces Arby’s plan to launch an â€Å"exciting† range of â€Å"new menu items† in the next March (Rovell). It functions on different levels to pique the interest of its audience and entice them into buying this product. The ad’s primary objective is to provide the intended audience with clear and specific information about the Roastburger, which is part of their new menu being launched. On the one hand, it conveys to them through textual messages that the burger is â⠂¬Å"exciting,† â€Å"done better,† â€Å"mouthwatering† and it will make them â€Å"drool† (Rovell). These are the most apt descriptions for the consumers to understand that Arby’s is offering a highly palatable food item. On the other hand, it uses the image also to give the consumers a vivid idea of the contents of the burger, by clearly showing green leaves, onion strings, big chunks of roasted meat, slices of tomato and cheese. Thus, the ad effectively integrates visual and textual communication methods to describe the product. In order for an ad to be effective, it should be able to sell the product or make the viewers buy the product. Arby’s ad uses various strategies to attain this objective. The crossed hands over the burger connotes to a woman covering her breasts. Thus, the ad is a definite eye catcher and has an instant appeal. The most primal sense that woman’s breast evokes in humans is hunger as breast milk is their first food. Thus, the ad has high contextual relevance and the audience can easily relate it with the product. Similarly, the textual messages in the ad directly link to the food item’s taste and, therefore, it will remain on the consumers’ subconscious mind long after they have viewed it. The words used in the textual message are highly alluring and the burger’s image also is indicative of its taste. Thus, through the manner in which it combines the immense possibilities of written and visual communication, the ad will definitely be able to lure its audience into buying the product. The ad relies heavily on the dexterous juxtaposition of color schemes to attain aesthetic beauty and create an impact on the audience. The background has a very light tone at the bottom and as it scales to the top, the hue is rendered darker because otherwise it would overemphasize the brown-yellow buns. Similarly, the color of the buns compliments the skin of the arms and thus makes the connotation to human breast conceivable. Further, by using darker hue around the thumb, the ad suggests depressions on the bun’s surface, to accentuate the softness of the bun. The burger’s filling begins with green and immediately contrasts with deep red, which gives it a catchy outlook. The color scheme then shifts to a brown tone of the roasted meat and softens out to the yellow of the cheese, which blends well with the color of the human hand and the bread. The deftness of the color scheme becomes evident even from such minute detail as the model’

Impact of terrorism on employee engagement of female educators in Dissertation

Impact of terrorism on employee engagement of female educators in peshawar, pakistan - Dissertation Example This is a major exogenous factor with enormous significance in under developed countries like Pakistan. Women potentially represent 50% of the workforce in any economy. Where women are barred from educational opportunity and subsequently from prospects of gainful employment the impact on economic growth and development is likely to be profound. Female illiteracy results in high birth rates, high infant mortality and high incidences of poverty. This situation is recognised by the Pakistani Government through its social policy of co-education. 1.1. ORGANISATIONAL BACKGROUND AND RELEVANCE The research focuses on the impact of an external factor on the engagement of female educators; therefore, it is not ideal to use one organisation’s data for any analysis. Hence, 4 different schools were used to conduct the research initially. The data gathered was used to make formulate some key propositions regarding the situation in the region. The schools were divided into two groups. One gr oup operates in the state financed co-educational system whilst the second group offers private education and focuses exclusively on educating females. The research will derive the trends of employee engagement within the 2 different settings of the 4 schools and explore whether there are differences and if there are in what ways they become manifest. In addition, an effort is made to ascertain the extent to which any differences are a result of institutional policies and practices. Further research that focused on one school only was then conducted . The school chosen for further research was the one most affected by terrorist activities. It also happened to be a school dedicated to the education of females and therefore a specific target. Staff behaviours and reactions in this context it was felt would provide deeper insights into the impact of terrorism on employee engagement . The Snowballing technique was used to identify specific schools and in particular the school that becam e the focus for in depth research. Snowball Sampling is commonly used when it is difficult to identify members of the desired population (Saunders et al 2009). Moreover, purposive sampling was used to identify four junior teachers for interviews in each school. It was also used to choose the school for further research. Purposive sampling enables you to select cases that will best enable you to answer your research question(s) and to meet your objectives (Saunders 2009). Due to ethical considerations, the names of the schools are kept anonymous. This reasons are revealed in later chapters. 1.2. Employee Engagement Employee engagement is defined as the passion and energy employees when giving their own best to the organization in order to serve the customer. It is all about the willingness and ability of employees to give sustained discretionary effort to help their organization succeed. (Sarah Cook, 2008). Employee engagement, also called work engagement or worker engagement, is a b usiness management concept. An "engaged employee" is one who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about, his or her work, and thus will act in a way that furthers their organization’s interests. Ken Scarlett defines â€Å"employee engagement† as an individual’s degree of positive or negative emotional attachment to their organization, their job and their colleagues.

Data Warehousing and Data Mining Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Data Warehousing and Data Mining - Essay Example The main objective is to eliminate or minimize the redundancy and at the same time increasing database efficiency. The negative part illustrates that too much implementation of normalization can cause issues. The objective is to deploy the highest acceptable level of normalization. If we compare three of these NF’s, the 1NF removes replication in groups. The 2NF reduces data replication or redundancy and the 3NF reduces columns from the tables that are not reliant on primary keys. Therefore, database design must demonstrate the highest level of normalization possible, in order to make database efficient and robust. In order to maintain 3 large databases for a VLDB and to keep them efficient for two years if required, there is a requirement for constructing a ‘store and forward’ mechanism that will process the data or information from and through each distribution center database. Likewise, at the same time embrace that data or information pending till the completi on of EDW. Moreover, data archiving is also required for maintaining each distribution center becoming a VLDB. EDW is efficient enough to support this scenario. A study demonstrated the overall cost of this disease throughout the world is $376 Billion annually. It is now almost fundamental that a person exceeding an age of 60 have more chances to get this disease, as it is now considered as the fourth largest live taking disease globally along with making its name for the fourth most common disease that contributes to a death of a person. However, the most common of all diabetes is the type 2. As there are almost 20% habitants suffering from in the United Arab Emirates alone, many research studies and debates are conducted yearly in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Moreover, awareness sessions are conducted in every town of the cities to aware the people about this disease (MoH launches second phase of diabetes campaign.2010). However, this case study demonstrates the disease diabetes and medic al data associated with patients from the Middle east region i.e. United Arab Emirates for discovering concealed patterns and the valuable information that can be utilized for decision making process. In addition, these informed decisions are performed by medical personnel and practitioners. Therefore, this case study can be utilized for illustrating the requirements for medication for each type of diabetes and also forecast the futuristic elements reflected in the extracted data (MoH launches second phase of diabetes campaign.2010). In the process of data mining, the data associated with people has risky ethical significances. Data mining experts need to deploy norms for making the data application resilient (Keating, 2008). As far as humans are concerned, this method is associated with disparity along with behaviors such as racialism, as they are negative to norms. Perception that is considered as another example is dependent on the applied classification, as it is recognized in s plitting a disease that needs urgent attention. However, in case of a financial institution or a bank, loan acquisition is a non-ethical characteristic. Similarly, there are numerous factors that may be relevant to data mining. For instance, a report that was published from a leading consumer illustrated that in France, customer possessing a red car are more likely to be defaulters in returning loans back. As it is a debatable issue on categorizing it as ethical or non-ethical issue, similarly, insurance companies are always

Business Ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business Ethics - Assignment Example At several instances, firms face acute dilemma regarding their functioning, which leaves them perplexed towards making further decision and then these rules help them to take the correct step which is morally acceptable. Now questions might arise concerning what should be the moral standards of a person or organization. Moral standards are different for different situations. It should be given more priority than any other standards related to an organization, which includes self interest even. The guidelines specified for setting moral standards are the basic conventional norms against killing, lying, stealing, cheating etc. which hurts human wellbeing & promotes negative behavior across the society. Providing the employees with safe working conditions is also considered as an integral ethical part of the Organization. There is no rulebook regarding the ethical & moral standards because it’s something which is very obviously expected from a person, as moral is a part of human nature & they are expected to apply it when doing business with other individuals. (Shaw, 2010, pp.8-9) Ethical Theories The purpose behind setting up a theory can belong to several contexts addressing various issues. Each theory has its own logic & each of those are applicable in situations based on which they have been formed. It must be kept in mind that a particular theory might prove to be perfect for a certain framework but it might not suit a completely different situation. Therefore we will discuss here the three main theories of business ethics which are more or less applicable in every situation- 1. Deontological theory- The term Deontology is derived from the Greek word â€Å"Deon† which means duty. This class of theory puts more emphasis on the deed instead of the consequence & states that even if the outcome of an activity is good, still some acts are considered to be wrong always. According to this theory, an action is judged to be ethical or unethical on the ba sis of the intentions of the doer & our actions should be based on the set of rules irrespective of the outcome. There are many theories under the Deontology approach but the most significant one is the moral theory suggested by Immanuel Kant in the year 1788. According to Kant, as human beings possess the unique sense of reasoning therefore they should be totally obliged to their duties without letting emotions, results & other factors to interfere. This indicates that the motivation for actions should be totally dependent on obligation & not on a particular person or situation. (GULCAN, n.d., pp.1-4) 2. Teleological theory- â€Å"Teleology† comes from the Greek expression â€Å"Tales† that refers to goal or end. The Teleological class of theory defines an action to be right or wrong depending on the consequence it bears. Unlike the Deontology approach, this approach puts significant amount of focus on the outcome of an action. Here whether an act is right or wrong is totally decided by the output it delivers & not by the action. This theory showcases the following features Outcomes are important, intentions are insignificant An act is considered to be good only if its results are good Standards & rules are insignificant. (Sunita, 2005,pp.113-119) 3. Natural Law Theory- This law defines every

Personal Development as a Mentor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Personal Development as a Mentor - Essay Example Novices need golden wisdom that only comes from hands-on experience. The needs above are only a handful of reasons why the concept of having a mentor emerged. The pleasure of finding an experienced colleague who can impart a legacy to the new generation of practitioners is invaluable. Yet despite the proliferation of the mentoring in almost all professions, the concept of a mentor is still vague. Many mistakenly consider a mentor as an ordinary friend that they can deal with lightly and unprofessionally. Others, on the other hand, highly venerate mentors to a point where they already consider them as their formal professor and instructor. As a nurse mentor, I need to elucidate what my role really is and to elaborate my obligations to my mentees. According to the paper submitted by Ehrich, Hansford, and Tennent, the term "mentor" was coined from the classic Greek epic, Odyssey wherein Odysseus on his trip to the Trojan War entrusted his son, Telemachus', education to his loyal servant, Mentor (2003). Whilst mentoring is initially done informally, in the last thirty years, this practice has gradually blossomed into an official and legitimate position in many companies. Still despite the general acceptance of the term it is still vague for most of those practicing the mentor-mentee relationship. Part of this is the lack of formal research regarding the practice and effectiveness of mentoring. Definition of Mentoring Technically, mentoring is defined by The Standing Committee on Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education as a process by which "an experienced, highly regarded, empathic person (the mentor) guides another individual (the mentee) in the development and examination of their own ideas, learning and personal and professional development (1998)." As a practicing nurse mentor, this technical definition is insufficient to provide an overview of what mentoring really is. To have a more vivid picture of what a mentor is let me provide a functional definition of mentoring using SWOT analysis and Gibbs Reflective Model. SWOT Analysis Strength Being a mentor my most familiar strength would be my extensive experience and the wisdom and values that I acquired from it. As a mentor, my job is to guide new nurses to succeed in their career by imparting them in different ways the knowledge I had for years. These practical knowledge that I have used for my own career advancement is what I would advice them to do. A role model that they can follow, I can use myself as an example to inspire them in reaching their career goals and in realizing their fullest potential. I can also use my experience as a yardstick in measuring the level of their success and in appraising their skills and current career status and what they can still achieve. This way I can open doors for possible career improvement. I can also become their advisor, someone that my mentees can lean on when they experience problems and dilemmas. All in all, as a mentor, I act as a bridge to link them from their current status towards their career plan. Weaknesses Being merely a link and not a superior to my mentees, my relationship with them might be tinged with "coolness" or become too personally attached with mentees, which might result into loss of respect and professional treatment to me by my mentees. Also my

Analysis and consideration prior to developing operations in Research Paper

Analysis and consideration prior to developing operations in Australian wine industry - Research Paper Example The recommendations given will aid the company to settle and establish itself without many problems. In addition, the techniques used to do this study include evaluation of other wine companies, government’s policies, and other deterministic factors. Here, competitiveness refers to the forces that are likely to hamper productivity while attractiveness refers to profitability of a business venture by a company. The continent has good climatic conditions for growing vineyards, a rich cultural heritage of wine making and skilled work force. Moreover, most of the wines industries and vineyards are owned by families, with a few commercial plantation and firms. Australia produces three percent of the world’s wine, and is the second to Italy largest wine exporter country (Allen, 2003, p.43). Primarily, the wine industry in Australia is experiencing rapid growth and international recognition in the present days (Gibson, 2010, p.301). This nation has some of the world’s most proficient winemakers, mainly based in the southern region. The industry highly depends on the export especially to the United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand. (Kym, 2004, p.264) The common regions of wine production are south and west Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales, which have a wide range of grapes produced. Australia is largely a tropical region; however, some parts such as the south have warm temperate and cooler climates (Gibson, 2010, p.301). Wine production is done in the cooler region of the country. Needless, other regions without the conducive climate for vineyards growing have used methods like irrigation that facilitate production of grapes. The Shiraz type of grape is the most common as it grows even in the warmer parts of Australia, while other types of grapes like the chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon have adapted well to the climatic conditions. In addition, the landscape has a system

The Speckled Band Essay Example for Free

The Speckled Band Essay The social and historical settings in the stories mean that although both stories are about crime and detectives, they are almost seperate genres as far as detective stories go. However, they have a very similar structure. Both stories start with a desperate young woman asking for help in solving a crime. In the middle of both stories, the detectives investigate the crimes and find evidence. Holmes does this mostly at the scene of the crime whereas the Op goes to the police station and peoples apartments to interview people involved. Both storied have similar endings in that the detectives solve the crimes very cleverly and then explain to the other characters how they did it. This is a way to explain to the reader how they did it, so the plot makes sense. However, Death on Pine Street ends with a display of the roughness of the Op, as he knocks the tennant down the steps. Holmes did not act in this manner. The differences also lie in the characters other than the detectives. The Speckled Band has far fewer characters, as it is focused on a far smaller location. The victims of the stories are different. In The Speckled Band we feel sorry for Miss Stoner and her sister, they are innocent young girls being cruelly mistreated by a vicious stepfather. We cant really feel very sorry for Gilmore as he is a crook and a serial adulterer. His death may have been an accident, but he probably did deserve it. Dr. Roylott is obviously made out to be the evil, vicious villian of The Speckled Band, but Death on Pine Street is set in an environment where just about everyone is unpleasant and involved in some sort of shady activity; this is again due to the socio-historic setting of the story. The Speckled Band takes on a typically Victorian view of woman, innocently in need of rescue by a heroic character like Holmes. In Death on Pine Street it is just the opposite; the women are tough, they can do things for themselves, and like Cara Kenbrook, are far from innocent. There is also a lot more violence in Death on Pine Street than in The Speckled Band, this again, shows us the difference between 1890s England and 1930s America. The language difference is also clearly seen, Holmes story being spoken in standard english, and Death on Pine Street full of slang terms and americanisms. Both stories give us a good representation of what it was actually like in those periods of time. Because Sherlock Holmes was the first fictional detective it is easy to see how later detective stories like Death on Pine Street were influenced by him. But the whole atmosphere and morality of the two stories is different. The different historical and social circumstances are easily noticable.The language spoken, the attitude of the characters and the overall morals are different. The Speckled Band is a classic, simple Good Versus Evil story, with Good prevailing as usual. However Death on Pine Street has a general feeling of corruption, distrust and seems full of double crossings. The more modern story is influenced by classic features of Holmes such as his strength of character, brilliant mind and use of a complex mystery, however the modern American setting has meant changes to the classic English style. Death on Pine Street blurs the borders between good and evil, which I find interesting. The classic Holmes approach, whilst enjoyable, can seem unrealistic, considering present day life. Both stories are very enjoyable in their own way, as I stated before they could almost be in seperate genres. The element of mystery is used well in both stories, and both stories have interesting characters. I think the fact that they are both so ingenious is what compells us to read on; we want to know how they managed to solve such a complex puzzle. Although from differing times and places, they are both prime examples of what a detective story should be.

Accident Causation of Neglect of Worker Well Being

Accident Causation of Neglect of Worker Well Being Accident Causation Workplace safety is of the utmost importance. Understanding events and conditions that may ultimately result in an accidental workplace death or injury is key in maintaining this safety. To prevent or prepare for the occurrence of an accident, precautions must be made for all parties involved. Ensuring that all safeguards are in place, should result in a low likelihood of an accident occurring. However, in instances where overall safety is neglected, dangerous conditions and accidents are far more likely, and typically have disastrous outcomes. One such instance of gross neglect of worker well-being is evident in the 1931 disaster in Gauley Bridge, WV stemming from the construction of the Hawks Nest Tunnel. The task at hand was to construct a dam and tunnel system as to divert and carry water of the New River to boost the ability of power generation. In the midst of construction, workers stumbled upon silica in the area. After this discovery, laborers were asked to mine and collect the silica for future use in steel workings. Silica, in such conditions, was in dust form and easily inhalable. No masks, respirators, or equipment of these sorts was provided to the workers resulting in silicosis, but were worn by supervisors in times of inspection. This proved to be definitively deadly to over 475 workers, but hundreds or thousands of other deaths were likely a direct result of the incident. Simple measures could have been taken to lessen or eliminate the deaths that resulted from the neglectful ways of the companies involved. Providing masks or respirators to the men working to extract the silica would have greatly reduced the amount of dust inhaled by the individuals. Today, regulations by OSHA and other organizations protects workers in situations such as these requiring proper equipment be dispersed and used [1]. The 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy is an example of heightened disastrous aftermaths resulting from a lack of precautionary measures and poor emergency protocols surrounding the events. Though there are differing theories on how the leak happened, workers insist that the poor working facilities, little regard for safety, and undertrained employees ultimately led to poor operations of the tanks resulting in the leak. Immediately after the accident, there seemed to be little to no urgency in notifying residents and other workers of the possible consequences, inducing a greater risk to the overall well-being of everyone within or near the incident. Thousands of lives were lost as a result of the leak. In any case, several tactics could have been implemented as to reduce the possibility of a leak occurring. Better maintenance of the equipment and facility, an improved sense of worker safety, and proper training of all workers could have all made a significant difference in the outcome of this d isaster. Since this time, regulations have been put into place and organizations and activist groups are working to help those that were involved, including the passing of The Environmental Protection Act in 1986 [2]. A number of incidents such as these are very preventable. With sufficient precautions and procedures in place, careless accidents and wrongful deaths and injuries would be greatly downsized. In general, if people, especially companies and supervisors, cared as much for the well-being of individuals in the workplace as much as they cared for a successful job, occurrences or neglect may be eliminated and the task could still be executed properly. In time, regulations and organizations such as OSHA have worked to stabilize the workplace, but it is evident that more work still needs to be done. Phillips disaster of 1989: During routine maintenance of polyethylene reactors, extremely flammable gases escaped through an open valve. When checking the reactors, valves are closed and compressed hoses disconnected. The hoses look identical and had been reversed and wrongly installed after the last inspection. Now when closing the valve, it was being opened and released the gas killing over 20 people. OSHA investigated, citing multiple violations including inadequate standard operating procedures. A settlement was reached, but since this disaster, two other fatal instances have occurred. Kader Toy Factory fire: A 1993 fire in the factory (building 1) killed 188 and injured more than 500. A small fire broke out on the first floor, but workers on upper floors were instructed to continue work. The fire alarm did not sound and the exit doors were locked. The structural integrity and design of the building was also poor and causing a quick collapse. This led to the government addressing the major flaws in fire safety measures. References [1] Gauley Bridge. http://cstl-hcb.semo.edu/pgershuny/Gauley%20Bridge.htm [2] Broughton, E. (2005). The Bhopal disaster and its aftermath: a review. Environmental Health, 4, 6. http://doi.org/10.1186/1476-069X-4-6

Strategic Human Resources Practices At Tesco

Strategic Human Resources Practices At Tesco This report reviews and discusses the strategic Human Resource and practices at Tesco. Strategic HRM has gained both credibility and popularity over the past decade, specifically with respect to its impact on organisational performance (Paauwe, J Boselie P. 2003). By the introduction of strategic management Tesco has introduced a high commitment model which offers training and development to all employees with this the role of HR within the organisation has increased in importance. Strategic management helped Tesco to expand its business. Tesco operates in a very competitive market; the consumer has a choice where to shop for their groceries. With this Tesco expanded their portfolio to include CDs, DVDs, electrical goods and clothing. Recently they have expanded into the financial services offering customers products from Credit cards to insurance. All their products are available on the internet 24 hours a day Their slogan, every little helps is used to show their commitment to customers, this has been used to reduce prices and to increase the level of customer service. This slogan is now used in their staff training; the human-resource strategy at Tescos revolves around work simplification, challenging unwritten rules, rolling out core skill s to all head-office employees and performance management linked to achieving steering-wheel targets. This highlights the way in which Tescos business measures are closely linked to performance management (Anonymous 2003). Tesco ensures that each and every employee has the opportunity to understand his or her individual role in contributing to the Tesco core purpose and values. This requires an innovative induction programme that caters for different cultures, styles of learning and varying commitments to the job. The frontline employees are considered the ultimate reflection of Tesco to its customers, but all employees have a very important role to play in turning core values and customer commitment into reality on a daily basis (Whitelock, N. 2003). A business without strategy is a business without direction. A strategy without a competitive advantage is a business without a precondition of success. The core objective of Tesco is to establish value for customers in order to gain their lifetime loyalty and also to ensure that all of its employees, wherever they work, are aware of the role they play and that they can clearly see how their actions affect the big picture of the overall business. The training creates a graphical journey through the history of Tesco, its core purpose, values, business goals, financial aims, operations and marketing strategy and its commitment to customers. All employees are receiving more training than before (Whitelock, N. 2003).The main advantage of strategic management in Tesco was that it helped it to take lead against its rivals in the competition. strategic action that the Tesco have undertaken is what they labelled as Regeneration. Among the areas where Tesco have regenerated includes Puchung, Kuala Lumpur, and Simpang Pulai. In this strategy, the company places a store in specific areas which they consider as deprived and in dire need of employment. This way, they have instituted a store in a location where there exists little competition and in the same time increases their reputation on the area by providing jobs for people in the community. Moreover, this strategy also moves their commodities closer to the public. Providing the needs and quality service to their customers is the functional dimension of Tescos business strategy. TESCO introduced over 5,000 new food lines this year. Another innovation is bringing in screw-cap wines and their own label range Unwind, which is on-track to be a $5m brand this year. Grab and Go counters have been introduced into over 500 stores, offering customers a huge choice of cheese and hot chicken without having to queue, making it simpler and cheaper to operate. (2002) ADVANTAGES OF STRATEGIC MANAGMENT Discharges board responsibility In Tesco Tescos strategic direction is discussed with all employees and managers. This helps the individual employee to understand their role and importance within the organisation. Forces An Objective Assessment Strategic managment creates value by providing opportunities for organic learning, development of intellectual capital and enhances core competencies. This value is crucial to the organisations future success. This helped Tesco to take the lead over its rivals in the fiercely-competitive UK supermarket sector. The strategic policy (Future) started in the companys supermarkets, where its aim was to free up stores employees so they could do more and improve customer service. This will help them to see their future growth of the company and tackle any competition easily. Provides a Framework For Decision-Making Strategy provides a framework within which all staff can make day-to-day operational decisions and understand that those decisions are all moving the organization in a single direction. Strategy provides a vision of the future, confirms the purpose and values of an organization, sets objectives, clarifies threats and opportunities, determines methods to leverage strengths, and mitigate weaknesses (at a minimum). As such, it sets a framework and clear boundaries within which decisions can be made. In Tesco by giving training to their staff was able to meet their objective that is customer satisfaction which had a significant impact on the success of the organization. Supports Understanding Buy-In Allowing the board and staff participation in the strategic discussion enables them to better understand the direction, why that direction was chosen, and the associated benefits. For some people simply knowing is enough; for many people, to gain their full support requires them to understand. This led the organisation in the path of growth and are now the no1 supermarket in UK. Provides an Organizational Perspective Strategic management takes an organizational perspective and looks at all the components and the interrelationship between those components in order to develop a strategy that is optimal for the whole organization and not a single component. At Tesco all the operational issues are handled very effectively. Helps in  through planning You can think of ways to maintain your strengths and increase your competitive advantage by thoroughly planning .which was done by Tesco and are one step ahead of its rivals DISADVANTAGES OF STRATEGIC MANAGMENT The Future Doesnt Unfold As Anticipated One of the major criticisms of strategic management is that it requires the organization to anticipate the future environment in order to develop plans, and as we all know, predicting the future is not an easy undertaking .E.G. recession in UK had a negative impact on the growth of Tesco. It Can Be Expensive It can be expensive for some organisations to hire people who develop strategies. In Tesco also there was a high cost for training of its employees. Long Term Benefit vs. Immediate Results Strategic management processes are designed to provide an organization with long-term benefits. If you are looking at the strategic management process to address an immediate crisis within your organization it is not possible Impedes Flexibility When you undertake a strategic management process, it will result in the organization saying no to some of the opportunities that may be available. This inability to choose all of the opportunities presented to an organization is sometimes frustrating. Tesco had a opportunity of diversification but sad no because of their strategic policy. Conclusions Tescos long term strategy is to continue to place value on employee training and to integrate this value into the culture of the organisation. They are using this approach to maintain their competitive edge. The value that is placed on HR demonstrates commitment from the top levels of the organisation to training. Tescos intentions are to maintain this increased emphasis on staff training and to integrate this learning fully into the organisation. There is constant reviewing of the intervention, and make adjustment were necessary. Tesco is a very successful UK organisation. They have increased their market share and retail units over the past five years. This has been achieved partly through a fully integrated HR department. Although this is not the only factor to their success, it has certainly been a major factor in it. A combination of good Tesco management, Tesco marketing strategy and a lean business model has seen the supermarket rise above its competitors to dominate the UK ma rket. REFRENCING Books by Armstrong, M (2005) (9th Edition) A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice Kogan Page, London Beardwell, I. et al, (2004) (4th Edition) Human Resource Management a Contemporary Approach Prentice Hall, Harlow. Blackwood T, (1995) Accounting for Business Business education Publishers Limited, Sunderland Buchanan D, and Hucczynski A,(1991) Organisational Behaviour Prentice Hall, Padstow Journals Anonymous (2003) Human resources deliver Tescos bright Future Human Resource Management International Digest, Bradford: Jul/Aug 2003 Vol.7, Iss. 4 Guest, D (1999) Human Resource Management-The Workers Verdict Human Resource Management Journal, London, 1999.Vol.9, Iss. 3; Internet DTI (1998) Building the Knowledge Driven Economy Green Paper, accessed through www.dti.gov.uk/ www.tesco.com 21 Nov 2005 advantages and disadvantages to a strategic management process. Access through www.charityvillage.com/cv/research/rstrat36.html

Rethinking Leadership in the Learning Organization Essay -- essays pap

Rethinking Leadership in the Learning Organization A proclamation by a CEO that â€Å"we are going to become a learning organization† will likely be met with collective eye rolling and wonderings of, â€Å"What workshop did he attend last week?† Indeed, many employees are so accustomed to these management â€Å"initiatives-of-the-month† that seeing any results from such a managerial decree is extremely unlikely. Another of the main barriers to creating a learning organization, Senge says, is the difference between compliance and commitment. The employees are loath to accept change that starts at the top of the managerial hierarchy. A value is a value only if voluntarily chosen. We cannot force others to learn. Since it is really the individuals that comprise a learning organization, there is no substitute for a personal desire to learn. Decisions made by managers can also have the effect of paradoxically moving an organization backwards. Downsizing can lead to increased competitiveness, which is a hindrance to productivity. Competitiveness can also undermine collaborative efforts and thereby affect a company’s economic prosperity. Senge defines three leadership types that he says are essential to building a learning organization: 1. Local line leaders. These are leaders who undertake meaningful experiments to test whether new learning capabilities actually lead to improved business results. 2. Executive leaders. They provide support for line leaders,...

Comparison of Seven Beowulf Translations Essay -- comparison compare c

Comparison of Seven Beowulf   Translations    There is not unanimity among Beowulf translators concerning all parts of the text, but there is little divergence from a single, uniform translation of the poem. Herein are discussed some passages which translators might show disagreement about because of the lack of clarity or missing fragments of text or abundance of synonyms or ambiguous referents.    After the Danish coast-guard meets and talks to Beowulf, the guard then begins his next speech with a brief maxim or aphorism:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Aeghwaepres sceal scearp scyldwiga  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   gescad witan, worda ond worca,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   se pe wel penced. (287-289)    T.A. Shippey comments in â€Å"The World of the Poem† that :      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Translating this ought not to be difficult†¦. The problem here is caused by the fact that proverbs are not merely linguistic phenomena†¦. the hidden factor is the extralinguistic frame; we have been taught in childhood when to use proverbs, what their metaphors mean, who to say them to, and how to take them. It is this nonverbal knowledge that we need to be able to understand the coastguard’s ‘gnome.’ Reluctance to reconstruct such intangibles and dogged staring at the text have led literary critics into controversy (Shippey 34).    So let’s cross-reference six translators and determine how serious a discrepancy exists here. Howell D. Chickering translates the troublesome part of the passage:   â€Å"must know the distinction between words and deeds, keep the difference clear† (Chickering 65). E. Talbot Donaldson: â€Å"who thinks well must be able to judge each of the two things, words and works† (Donaldson 6). Kevin Crossley-Holland: â€Å"one whose mind is ... ... multiple synonyms, vague references, etc.    BIBLIOGRAPHY   Alexander, Michael. Beowulf A Verse Translation. New York: Penguin Books, 1973. Chickering, Howell D. Beowulf A dual-Language Edition. New York: Anchor Books, 1977. Crossley-Holland, Kevin, trans. Beowulf The Fight at Finnsburh, edited by Heather O’Donoghue. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Donaldson, E. Talbot, trans. Beowulf The Donaldson Translation, edited by Joseph Tuso. New York, W.W.Norton and Co., 1975. Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf, A New Verse Translation. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2000. Rebsamen, Frederick. Beowulf A Verse Translation. New York: Harper-Collins Publishers, 1991. Shippey, T.A.. â€Å"The World of the Poem.† In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987..

Rosa Parks Essay -- Biography Biographies Rosa Parks Essays

Rosa Parks Forward Rosa Parks’ courage to stand up for rights as a citizen of the USA inspires me to this day to stand up for the ideals of freedom & justice for all. Rosa Parks influenced many northerners & lawmakers to look squarely at the discrimination victimizing Alabama’s black people, and work to correct injustice. A vital democracy requires citizen participation! The civil rights movement must continue today as immigrants, especially Arabs and Arab look-alikes are victims of prejudice. Washington Territory and Washington State were too long dominated by the Ku Klux Klan. We need active human rights advocates today to ensure dignity for all people. Shawn Landden [& Chris Bowen]’s biography of Rosa Parks is recommended reading for all who aspire to a successful democracy today. Introduction Many people know Rosa Parks. She was an important part of the Civil Rights Movement; she was arrested for not giving up her seat on a public bus to a white man when he wanted it. She was sick of being pushed around and shamelessly showed it by demanding respect. After this incident the black community started a major bus boycott. It started as a laughable situation that was expected to stop in a few days but ended as a serious problem for the Montgomery Bus Company. For over a year, the black community would not ride the buses. This ended when the U.S. Supreme Court declared bus segregation unconstitutional. This victory, without a doubt, made all African Americans confident to continue the Civil Rights Movement. Even before Rosa's arrest, Montgomery's black leaders had been discussing a boycott from the buses. They used her arrest as "a spark to light the fire that is the boycott". That is why the name Rosa Parks will be remembered for years to come. In this biography you will read about Rosa Parks' life before the boycott including her childhood, education, jobs, and ambitions. You will also learn about her life during the boycott, which will include her struggle toward her goals, and her life after the boycott, which will include her continuing work for civil rights. I hope you learn many things about Rosa Parks and her life, in this Biography, and I hope you remember the name Rosa Parks for years to come. Timeline February 4, 1913  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rosa McCauley born in Tuskegee Alabama 1918  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Enters school in Pine Level, Alabama 1924... ..., in Washington, D.C., had designed this sculpture. Etched into this sculpture were the names of forty men and women who had been killed in the civil rights movement. On the rock there also lies these words from Dr. King: â€Å"†¦until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.† Rosa was there when this memorial was established. Rosa still lives on today, traveling more and working with her institute, the Rosa and Raymond Parks institute for Self Development, in hopes of sharing her mission with the world. Bibliography Internet â€Å"Rosa Parks: The Woman Who Changed a Nation† http://www.grandtimes.com/rosa.html [Online] 28 March 2002 â€Å"The Life of Rosa Parks† http://www.tsum.edu/museum/parlsbio.htm [Online] 30 March 2002 â€Å"Rosa and Raymond Parks: Our history† http://www.rosaparkis.org/pages/background.html 30 March 2002 â€Å"Rosa and Raymond Parks: Programs† http://www.rosaparkis.org/pages/programs.html 30 March 2002 Books Rosa Lee Parks with Jim Haskins Rosa Parks: My Story Broadway, New York, NY Scholastic Inc.  ©1992 by Rosa Parks Encyclopedia â€Å"Parks, Rosa Lee† World Book Multimedia Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book: CD-ROM.  ©2000

Economics at the University of Pennsylvania Essay

Although I want to major in Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, I have a passion for poetry and prose, and I would love more than anything to develop my writing skills in Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences. That program provides the disciplined and distinguished qualities that I seek. One must be a great reader before becoming a great writer, so I indulge in books of every genre to expand my range of knowledge. Literature brings me great joy, and I will strive to integrate my fondness for reading and writing into my college experience. Penn’s English Department is unique in that it provides the opportunity for students to place an emphasis on studies in creative writing. Within that framework, I want to channel my passion for poetry into academia. As founder and president of Shandong Normal University Literature Association, if accepted, I plan to visit the Kelly Writers House religiously as a way to satisfy my perpetual craving for remarkable literature. I envision myself grabbing a turkey and cheese sandwich with no mayonnaise at the 1920 Commons, then rushing off to the Kelly Writers House with an armful of books by Maya Angelou and Eric Schlosser. Gathered in a tight circle of chairs, I want to share professional works with fellow literature lovers. We will offer our own daring lines of free verse, swap suggestions, compliments, and light-hearted laughs. During workshops, my very soul seeps steadily through an invisible tube from brain to ballpoint. This complex phenomenon of input-output produces painstakingly arranged ink on paper, a painting made of letters. On my way to a morning class on modern American poetry, I will pass Oldenberg’s famed Split Button and acknowledge Mr. Franklin sitting upright in his chair. After the lecture, I can envision Professor Josephine Park and I conducting research by analyzing the influence of conflicts between America and East Asia on Asian-American texts. As part of the Penn family, I will converse with colleagues, sisters, and brothers that destiny forgot to recognize. Then, I will tutor secondary school students about reading and writing through the outreach program. Having been featured in a myriad of written works and publishing my own collections, I will roll up my sleeves and organize literary pieces in the weekly undergraduate magazine, First Call. As evening emerges, I will bike to the Van Pelt Library, work comfortably in my favorite armchair, and complete the finishing touches on a Second World War paper. Traveling to other parts of the City of Brotherly Love, study group friends and I will order a few Philly Cheesesteaks from Pat’s King of Steaks for dinner. My roommate, with lips coated in frothy toothpaste, will open the door when I get back. After taking a shower, I will dry my hair on a blue polka dot towel, sit on my bed, and chortle cheerfully while my roommate chatters about the highlights of her day. Then I will read an article about the Penn Museum from The Daily Pennsylvanian. After turning off the lights and setting my alarm clock for 6:00am, I will drape my jogging shorts and shirt on a chair for the morning. Before drifting off to sleep, I will fondly recall submitting my application to Penn, and smile in the quiet of my room, happy to be here at last.

One Act Play

There is a card table, folding chairs, newspapers, trade magazines. TERESA is sitting on a folding chair at the desk , talking to JAKE, who is consulting THE JOB FINDER'S GUIDE and taking notes in a notebook from his briefcase. DEBBIE enters, looks around. TERESA I wear an extra sweater and a hat. That's what my mother did when she was a girl, during the Depression. The kitchen stove was their heat. (notices DEBBIE) Can we be of help, dear? DEBBIE Group's supposed to be at 10:30, isn't it? TERESA Yes, but– DEBBIE I'll wait. ( DEBBIE sits, takes out newspaper, begins reading. ) TERESA (to JAKE) How is Janet doing?JAKE Better. Takes her a couple weeks to bounce back from chemotherapy. But she's up and around, now. Cleaning out the kitchen drawers. TERESA And your boy? JAKE I told Park School I was going to have to pull Jason out of there. (sits) They came up with a scholarship. TERESA (pats JAKE's shoulder) Well, now. That's good news. JAKE Is it? Jason's grades are dropping. He 's out too late, comes back with bullshit –sorry. You'd think that being out of work I'd have time to ride herd on him, but with hustling a job and taking care of Janet–. TERESA A boy that age can be a real pill. Especially at a time of crisis.JAKE You're telling me this is normal? TERESA I saw it my boys. There's stress, and a boy feels he ought to be pitching in to help. But there isn't much he can do, really, is there? JAKE He can at least not add to our worries! TERESA That's true, but at his age– . Probably the guilt is driving him wild. JAKE School's Jason's job. Seems to me it's that simple. DEBBIE Maybe your kid's just not the kind who can block out the real world. JAKE (rises, turns to DEBBIE) Seems to me a person can at least try! (pause. DEBBIE hides behind newspaper) TERESA ( brings JAKE back) It was a real shame about that position in Nashua.JAKE Yeah. I thought they'd–. But–. You know –I could never mention this to Janet, it'd kill her— but I wonder. Can a personnel office find out about cancer? Go though medical files? TERESA Doctors' records are confidential. DEBBIE (lowers paper) Ha! Sure. And Santa Claus lives at the North Pole. (pause) Sorry. S'none of my business. JAKE Maybe it's my age. I'm fit, but — do you think I should get a hairpiece? DEBBIE (laughs, loud. JAKE and TERESA look at her. She holds up the comic page) Dilbert. (they turn back) MERRIK (enters ) Good morning. JAKE (goes to Merrik) Hey, look, it's Merrik back!How's it going, big guy? MERRIK (shaking hands) Good. It's going good, praise the Lord. JAKE I thought you had a job. MERRIK I did. I mean, I do. Just taking longer than we figured. JAKE Georgia, wasn't it? MERRIK Right. Georgia for training, and then traveling between the territories. TERESA But your wife's career–. MERRIK Secretarial stuff. A woman can do that anywhere. DEBBIE Anywhere there's a job. MERRIK There's secretarial in Georgia. Alice says,  "At $5. 15 an hour? † But money goes farther down there. No oil bills, housing's less than half. †¦ JAKE I'd say, sell while you can!This market is so overpriced– MERRIK Alice says the company will fold: a job that can be done cheap in Georgia will be done even cheaper in Pakistan or Prague. JAKE Well, if you do put your house on the market, give me first shot at the listing, will you? (KIM enters, stands silently) MERRIK You're still part time at real estate? JAKE Me and everybody else who's run out their unemployment. KIM Is this Bright Horizons? DEBBIE That's what they call it. KIM I had trouble finding– TERESA Don't worry, you're not late. DEBBIE You are, but the Counselor's later. MERRIK What's going on? crosses to phone) When I called, the overnight message was still on the answering machine. (fusses w/ machine) TERESA Oh, dear. KIM What does that mean? TERESA People have had to give up their phones, sometimes, or they may even be homeless. Being able to use this answering service makes them– JAKE Seem normal. TERESA Employable. Able to return calls. MERRIK â€Å"Executive Offices†, it says. After ten, and nobody's here? ( DEBBIE laughs) TERESA Can we reset it? JAKE How hard can it be? Half the unemployed people here used to be in high tech. TERESA If you can't change the message, at least turn it off.DEBBIE (unplugs machine) Off with the bullshit! (to MERRIK) Your Georgia job — Did you get it through this office? MERRIK Not really- DEBBIE (goes back to her chair and paper) Now, how did I guess that? KIM How did you get it? MERRIK I heard about it from my cousin, a friend of his– DEBBIE My Dad ‘ s cousin got him work in construction, once. In Jersey. He'd only get home about every third weekend. Meant he and Mom never had time to work things out. All they did was fight. TERESA That sounds so like my mother's stories of the Depression. When my grandfather went looking for odd jobs, weeks at a time †¦..MERRIK The job's like auditing, but there's a sales aspect, too. First our team has to convince the company that we can save them money. JAKE Sales ability! Now, that doesn't surprise me, Merrik. I can see that in you. MERRIK You think so? I can do it, I have the– . JAKE 90% of any job is sales. KIM Is that really true? I'm terrible. Couldn't even sell girl scout cookies. JAKE Got to market your personality as well as your skills. MERRIK As soon as interest rates rise, real estate will be in the toilet– JAKE Depends on what market. I mean, it's not the class of people who can afford a couple million bucks who are hurting, is it?But those sales take time, those people are choosey– MERRIK The Georgia job, I don't get paid until the adjustments come in. It can take 6 months, 9 months– I tell my wife, have faith– TERESA If you can be sure– MERRIK My kids are all the time after me, they want stay here where their friends are, but I tell them have faith. The church down there's strong, s'got real spirit. They'd make new friends– KIM My brother was sent South for basic training. He said the people treated him like dirt. DEBBIE (reading, exclaims aloud) Jesus Christ! MERRIK Young lady! DEBBIE Sorry. I didn't mean — this story, did you see it?Unemployed postal worker in St. Louis, shot up his boss and three carriers and a cop. At his house, he'd already killed his wife and kids. MERRIK Let me see. (takes newspaper) TERESA I heard about that. On the radio. JAKE There were a rash of these things 10, 12 years ago. DEBBIE During the last round of lay offs. MERRIK The Post Office must be hiring straight out of the loony bin. TERESA Veterans get extra points on the exam, so there may be a lot who are trained in firearms. MERRIK Combat flash back, you think? JAKE Post traumatic. DEBBIE Postal traumatic. MERRIK Well, they'd better weed out the crazies, and fast.DEBBIE Oh, the crazies are being weeded out. Along w ith the alcoholic, lazy, and the ones who can't put in enough overtime. MERRIK About time! DEBBIE Good thing they didn't start weeding till my uncle Adam took the pension. He'd have been mad crazy enough to get down his shotgun. course, he drank, some, and he was certainly slow. But neither rain nor snow– MERRIK Four days, for a letter from my wife! If the mail went private– DEBBIE There'd be no mail on Saturday, carriers would be green carders getting $5. 15 an hour– KIM And no veteran's preference points? MERRIK What's your point?KIM My brother enlisted to get training for a good job. TERESA â€Å"Be all you can be†? KIM I've thought about enlisting too. But Buddy lost the fingers off his right hand: what's he going to do when he gets out? He can't go back to meat cutting. MERRIK Don't expect the VA. They're shutting down, one by one. TERESA This office could find him something, dear. Helen's a lifesaver. DEBBIE Something â€Å"Executive†? TERESA Education. Retraining. This is a really good program, at least for young people. Oldsters like me, nobody wants to hire us whatever we can do. KIM They'd better find Buddy something. Cause he's so angry, he might–MERRIK So it's OK to shoot people? If you lose your job? DEBBIE No, it's not OK. But I understand it. Don't you? At least a story like this one makes more sense to me than the crap that's in the business section: DOW up; GE announces more layoffs; the Technology Council wants more â€Å"flexibility† in the visa program, to meet the overseas competition Do they really think all these computer whizzes who used to make a hundred thou a year are going to go quietly into burger-flipping? KIM What else can they do? DEBBIE How many Luddites does it take to unscrew all the light bulbs? JAKE God knows there's a lot of frustration.MERRIK (to KIM) God knows, that's a true saying. If we cleanse our hearts, and trust Him, He answers our prayers. JAKE I've had bosses it wo uldn't break my heart to see bleed. But shoot his own kids? MERRIK Now, that makes sense, in a certain cock-eyed way. If a father's desperate enough to kill, but he loves his kids, how could he leave those kids to face it? I'm not saying he's thinking right, but– ! TERESA I wish Helen would get here. With two new clients– DEBBIE I'm not new. This is lay off number 5. Or maybe 25, depending on how you count it. TERESA Temp jobs? I don't think those count. KIM They'd count for me!I can't find anything at all. TERESA Substituting, temping, you know from the start it's not going to last. JAKE Nothing lasts, these days. You got to plan ahead. Train or re-train. KIM Sure, train. But for what? DEBBIE Train, they told me. So now I'm in debt up to my ears for what it cost me to learn programming. JAKE Programming used to be hot. DEBBIE And now it's not. JAKE Still. In a downturn, that's the recommendation. Retrain, add new skills to your resume. DEBBIE Keep paying tuition. Dang le that â€Å"good job† carrot, the old donkey keeps plodding along. TERESA Education is a person's best investment.DEBBIE Oh? Where's it got you, lady? You just here to write a book? TERESA I never seemed to be in the right place at the right time. If I hadn't left teaching to raise my boys, I'd be retired on a pension by now. But as a substitute, I– DEBBIE I started out in the tool shop, with my dad. $12. 50 an hour, 18 for overtime. After the 3rd layoff I took the Expert Advice. Went to college. Got my 2 year certificate. Officially qualified to do scut work for some creep in a suit at seven fifty an hour. Seven fifty! With which I'm supposed to buy all this fashion shit and â€Å"look professional† for Chrissake!But even in drag, all I could get was temp work. So then it's back to school for Programming†¦. KIM I can't even get part time Walmart! I thought anybody could get that. TERESA As soon as Helen gets here she'll help you. She has a comprehensive list: openings, training programs, subsidies, scholarships†¦.. (phone rings) JAKE Should we answer it? DEBBIE Well, they can't leave a message, we unplugged the machine. MERRIK (answers) Executive offices. KIM (to TERESA) I hope you're right. This feels like it may be my last chance. DEBBIE Everybody's last chance. JAKE You're young, you're healthy.It's not the end of the world. MERRIK Yeah. I'll tell people. (hangs up) This office is closed. TERESA Oh, my dear God. Are you sure? This office? KIM Should we go to some other one? MERRIK Nobody knows. They've all been laid off, here. Budget's gone, the governor vetoed the restoration. JAKE That was Helen? TERESA But what will we do? MERRIK Leave, she says. And lock the door behind us. THE END home | bio | resume | blog | contact GL Horton monologues | one-act plays | full-length plays reviews | essays | links | videos Made on an by . ————————————â €”—————————————–

Major Systems used in an Organization Essay

Organizations utilize different types of information systems to take their business decisions for their operations. The hierarchy levels of the organizations in general are operational, knowledge, management, and strategic. Accordingly, three main categories of information systems serve at different organizational levels on hierarchy are: I. Operational-level systems II. Management-level systems III. Strategic-level systems 1. Operational-level systems: Information systems that monitors and support operational managers, keeping track of the elementary activities and business transactions of the organization. E.g.Sales,receipts,cashdeposits, pay roll, credit decisions and flow of materials in a factory. 2. Management-level systems: Information systems that serves the monitoring, controlling, decision-making, and administrative activities of middle managers of the business organization 3. Strategic-level systems: Information systems that support the long-range planning activities of senior management and help senior management tackle and address strategic issues to keep the strategic growth of the business firm. Major type’s information systems in organizations include 1. Transaction Processing Systems (TPS) 2. Management Information Systems (MIS) 3. Decision-Support Systems (DSS) 4. Executive Support Systems (ESS) Transaction processing systems function at the operational level of organization. Knowledge work systems help create and integrate new knowledge within the organization. Management information systems provide managers with reports based primarily on data pulled from transaction processing systems, have an internal orientation, and have limited flexibility. . Decision-support systems function at the management level and provide analytical models and data analysis tools to provide support for semi  structured and unstructured decision-making activities. Executive support systems function at the strategic level, support unstructured decision making, and use advanced graphics and communications. Major type’s information system in a typical organization is shown in below figure along with strategic levels and functional areas. Transaction processing was one of the first business processes to be computerized and without information systems, recording and processing business transactions would consume huge amounts of an organizations resources. Transactions are events that occur as part of doing business, such as sales, purchases, deposits, withdrawals, refunds, and payments. TPS serve the operational level. The transaction processing systems (TPS) is a computerized system that performs and records the daily routine transactions necessary to the conduct of the business. TPS also involve employees in business processes. Transaction Processing Systems are information systems that process data resulting from the occurrence of business transaction. Every organization has manual and automated transacting processing systems (TPSs), which process the detailed data necessary to update records about the fundamental business operations of the organization. These systems include order entry, inventory control, payrolls, accounts payable, accounts’ receivable, and general ledgers to name a few. The input to these systems includes basic business transactions such as customer orders, purchase orders, receipts, time records, invoices and customer payments. The result of processing business transactions is that the organizations records are updated to reflect the status of the operation at the time of the last process transaction. Automated TPSs consist of all the components of Computer Based Information, including databases, telecommunications, people, procedure, software and hardware devices used to process transactions. The processing activities include data collection, data edit, data correction, data manipulation, data storage and document production. The transaction processing systems (TPS) is a computerized system that performs and records the daily routine transactions necessary to the  conduct of the business. TPS also involve employees in business processes. Transaction Processing Systems are information systems that process data resulting from the occurrence of business transaction. Every organization has manual and automated transacting processing systems (TPSs), which process the detailed data necessary to update records about the fundamental business operations of the organization. These systems include order entry, inventory control, payrolls, accounts payable, accounts’ receivable, and general ledgers to name a few. The input to these systems includes basic business transactions such as customer orders, purchase orders, receipts, time records, invoices and customer payments. The result of processing business transactions is that the organizations records are updated to reflect the status of the operation at the time of the last process transaction. Automated TPSs consist of all the components of Computer Based Information, including databases, telecommunications, people, procedure, software and hardware devices used to process transactions. The processing activities include data collection, data edit, data correction, data manipulation, data storage and document production. Management Information Systems (MIS) BASIC CONCEPTS: Five resources are 1. Men 2. Machine 3.Materials 4. Money 5.Methods. Information is considered as sixth resources Management information system (MIS) is an organized collection of people, procedures, software, databases and devices used to provide routine information to the managers and decision makers. The focus of an MIS is primarily an operational efficiency, marketing, production, finance and other functional areas are supported by MIS and linked through a common data base. Management is a process consisting of planning, organizing, to achieve organizational objectives. MIS is â€Å"vital† in any organization for two reasons: 1. It emphasizes the management orientation of IT in business (not merely the processing of data). 2. It emphasizes that a systems framework should be used for information systems applications. Various functions of management are briefly defined as follows: 1. Planning – process of deciding in advance the cause of action 2. Organizing – forming formal group of people and activities to facilitate achieving its objectives 3. Controlling – checking the progress of plans and correcting any deviations 4. Directing – processing of activating the plans, structure and group efforts in the desired direction. MIS supports the management level by providing routine summary reports and exception reports for various purposes of management control process, including planning, controlling, and decision making. Examples are sales and profit per customer and per region, relocation summary and analysis, inventory control, capital investment analysis, and even a report on students who were here in the autumn but did not to return in the spring. 2.6 Decision Support System Decision-support systems provide material for analysis for the solution of semi-structured problems, which often are unique or rapidly changing. Typically, they provide the ability to do â€Å"what if† analysis. DSS will often use data from external sources, as well as data from TPS and MIS. DSS supports â€Å"right now† analysis rather than the long-term structured analysis of MIS. DSS are designed for analytical purposes and are flexible in nature. DSS provide sophisticated analytical models and data analysis tools to support semi-structured and unstructured decision-making activities. DSS use data from TPS, MIS, and external sources, provide more analytical power than other systems and interactive. The impact is on decisions in which there is sufficient structure for computer and analytic aids to be of value but where manager’s judgment is essential. A DSS is an organized collection of people, procedures, software databases and devices, used to support problem /specific decision making and lead to problem solving. The focus of a DSS is on decision making effectiveness when faced with unstructured or semi  structured business problems. 2.61 Characteristics of decision support system The main characteristics of DSS are 1. DSS help managers make decisions that are semi-structured, unique, or rapidly changing, and not easily specified in advance. 2. DSS are responsive enough to run several times a day in order to correspond to changing conditions. 3 DSS make use of both internal information (from TPS and MIS) and also from external sources, such as current stock prices or product prices of competitors. 4 DSS offer users flexibility, adaptability, and a quick response. 5 DSS allow users to initiate and control the input and output. 6 DSS operate with little or no assistance from professional programmers. 7 DSS provide support for decisions and problems whose solutions cannot be specified in advance. 8 DSS use sophisticated analysis and modelling tools. 9 DSS shall support the manager but not replace his/her judgment. It should therefore neither try to provide the answers nor impose a predetermined or predefined sequence of analysis. 10 DSS requires the decision maker’s insight and judgment to control the process and solution. 2.63 Examples of DSS Systems Airlines Price and route selection, flight scheduling Investment Companies Investment evaluation Railways Train Dispatching and Routing Frito-Lay, Inc. Price, ad and promotional section Manufacturing Production optimisation Oil Companies Evaluation of potential drilling sites Executive support systems (ESS)/ Executive Information System (EIS) Senior managers use ESS to make decisions, ESS serve the strategic level of organization. They address non-routine decisions requiring judgment, evaluation and insight because there is no agreed on procedure for arriving at a solution. Executive support systems function at the strategic level, support unstructured decision making, and use advanced graphics and communications. Examples of executive support systems include sales trend forecasting, budget forecasting, and personnel planning. ESS is designed to incorporate data about external events such as new tax laws or competitors, but they also draw summarized information from internal MIS and DSS. They filter, compress and track critical data, emphasizing he reduction of time and effort required to obtain information useful to executives. ESS employ most advanced graphics S/W and can deliver graphs and data from many sources immediately to a senior executive office. ESS combines many features of MIS and DSS and Provide top executives with immediate and easy access to information. ESS help to Identify factors that are critical to accomplishing strategic objectives (critical success factors) and hence provide a generalized computing and communications environment that help senior managers address strategic issues and identify long-term trends in the firm and its environment. ESS addresses non-routine decisions requiring judgment, evaluation, and insight because there is no agreed-on procedure for arriving at a solution. ESS present graphs and data from many internal and external sources through an interface that is easy for senior managers to use. Information presented in forms tailored to the preferences of the executives using the system. ESS provides out put as desired by the end-user in the forms like Customizable g raphical user interfaces, Exception reports, Trend analysis etc., 2.74 Features of ESS 1. Contemporary ESS bring together data from all parts of the firm and enable managers to select, access, and tailor them as needed using easy-to-use desktop analytical tools and online data displays. 2. Through their ESS, many managers have access to public data, such as news services,  financial market databases, and economic information. 3. ESS has the ability to drill down, moving from a piece of summary data to lower and lower levels of detail. 4. Contemporary ESS includes tools for modeling and analysis. 5. Whereas DSS use such tools primarily for modeling and analysis in a fairly narrow range of decision situations, ESS use them primarily to provide status information about organizational performance. 6. Well-designed ESS also have some facility for environmental scanning. 7. A key information requirement of managers at the strategic level is the ability to detect signals of problems in the organizational environment that indicate strategic threats and opportunities. 8. Abil ity to analyze, compares, and highlight trends. 9. The easy use of graphics enables the user to look at more data in less time with greater clarity and insight than paper-based systems provide. 10. The timeliness and availability of the data result in needed actions being identified and carried out earlier than previously could have been done 11. Problems are handled before they become too damaging; opportunities are also identified earlier. 12. Immediate access to so much data also enables executives to better monitor activities of lower units reporting to them. That very monitoring ability enables decision making to be decentralized and to take place at lower operating levels. 2.76 Interrelationships among systems In contemporary digital firms, the different types of systems are closely linked to one another. This is the ideal. In traditional firms these systems tend to be isolated from one another, and information does not flow seamlessly from one end of the organization to the other. Efficiency and business value tend to suffer greatly in these traditional firms. The interrelation ship between major kinds of system in an organization is depicted in below figure . The various types of systems in the organization exchange data with one another. TPS are a major source of data for other systems, especially MIS and DSS. TPS are operational-level systems that collect transaction data. Examples of these are payroll or order processing that track the flow of the  daily routine transactions that are necessary to conduct business. TPS provide data that are required by office systems, KWS, MIS and DSS, although these systems may also use other data. KWS and office systems not only use data from TPS but also from MIS. DSS not only use data from TPS but also from KWS, office systems, and MIS. MIS rely heavily on data from TPS but also use data from KWS and office systems. ESS obtains most of their internal data from MIS and DSS.