Vitruvian Man Lab Report Essay Example

Vitruvian Man Lab Report Essay Example Vitruvian Man Lab Report Paper Vitruvian Man Lab Report Paper Later on, around the year 1490, the artist and painter Leonardo Dad Vinci decided to keep examining about his Statement. His famous drawing consists on a man with straight arms and legs, inside a square that is inside a circle, the exactly same idea Of Vitreous. He showed that the ideal human body fitted precisely into both a circle and a square, and he thus illustrated the link that he believed existed between perfect geometric forms and the perfect UDF'(The British Library Board). According with Natalie Holdover the circle is shown as a divine symbol and the square as the earthly symbol. This idea relates to the ancient belief that the man was a tiny expression of the entire universe, which is now called microcosm. As a class, we were asked to test the validity of the Dad Vines Vitamin man. We recorded the information of everyone from the class, measuring the length of the outspread arms, the height, the distance from the elbow to the tip of the hand and the maximum width of the shoulders. Our goal was to discover it our emissions settled with the ideal humans proportion according to Dad Vines Vitamin man. Dad Vinci explained that for a human to have perfect proportions need to follow the next criteria: the length of the outspread arms needs to be equal to the height of the man, the distance from the elbow to the tip of the hand needs to be of the height of man, and the maximum width of the shoulders needs to be % of the height of the man. After going through this whole process got into a very concise conclusion, just two people in my class have the ideal human proportions. Hungary Ramirez and Maria Smiley are the only ones who fit into the three Of the Statements made by Dad Vinci and Vitreous. As is shown on table #1 and table #2, Handcar Ramies length Of the outspread arms is equal to her height; her distance from the elbow to the tip of her hand equals a % Of her height, same situation occurs on Maria Shimmies measurements. But on the third criteria you can see there is a difference between the maximum of their shoulders and their heights a difference of 1 CM. Even though their measurements have a difference of one CM. We can still say their proportions are idea, since we are account the uncertainties of 1. Several of my other classmates followed several criteria hut at the end they didnt fit exactly, for example as its shown on table #1 and table Amanda Kauffmann length of the outspread arms is equal to her height, and her distance from the elbow to the tip of her hand sis % of her height as well, but when it cones to the third criteria, the maximum width of the shoulders isnt a 1/4 of her height. The deterrence is about to 4 CM, which is an extremely small difference, since the maximum of her shoulders is about 39 CM and the of her height is about 43 CM. Evaluation: Due to the fact that the Dad Vines Vitamin man lab demonstrated failure on the past examinations, we can feel free to assume that many errors are shown in this experiment. The first error noticed is the fact that we measured everything With a small measuring tape instead of a big measuring tape, which didnt help since we were taller and bigger than the measuring tape, so we had to use two measuring tapes added together. Using a small measuring tape to find out these measurements ended being extremely inaccurate. After data collection we were not really sure if the numbers we got were real, and probably affected a lot on the way the exults came out. The lab activity validity started to be questionable now. By the time we were looking for the four measurements needed just one group of people from the class was using a measuring tape, the rest of the class were using two small ones (so they could have the same length). The way it worked was to put one in the top of the other and then add the numbers, which was hard for the person who was measuring since he didnt have enough hands to hold the small measuring tape in the bottom, in the middle (place in which both tapes were combined) and in the top. If one of the measuring tapes we were sing (top or bottom) moved a little bit, then the whole addition will change and the final result will end being inaccurate, A proposed solution to this error will be measure all of the quantities again with a big measuring tape, in this way, we could make sure that all of the measurements are more precise and that no movement of the person with the tape was going to affect on the validity of the research. Another error noticed is the fact that you can always make a mistake with the numbers and get confused, so maybe the numbers you got arent real. A great solution to this error will be measuring at least three times each of the four acquirement, Which at the end Will give us a more specific, secure, and valid answer. If we make another two measurements and we still get different numbers, we need to keep remaking this process until we start getting the same answer over and over again after repetitive results. Another big error was noticed on the width of the shoulders measurements specifically, since some people didnt know from which to which point it was, so in that way some people got a very inaccurate difference between this number and the 1/4 of the height off man. A good example that is shown is on table #1 ND table #2, were Sabina Classical and Alberta Gonzalez got a lot of difference between this two measurements. Sprains width of the shoulders is equal to 54 CM as is shown in the first table, and the % of the height of a mans equals to 39. In the other hand, Albertson measurements also had a huge difference between them. His width to the shoulders is equal to 65, and 1/4 to his height equals to 43, SO. After inspecting those numbers we can conclude that there is an error, since the rest of the students show on table #1 and table #2 do not have a difference higher than three CM between the numbers as both of this students had. This numbers are very inaccurate since the width of the shoulders and the % of the height are suppose to be exactly the same, and this is such a huge difference. A solution to this problem could be measuring the width of the shoulders and the of height of this students again, few still get such a huge difference between both numbers, then the solution could be measuring the four principles again for this two people, at least 3 or 4 times, until the numbers we get are much more accurate. One limitation observed was the fact that most of us, the students, are still in a transitory age, Which means we are still going through the process Of evildoing physically. Since we are not entirely developed we are not a secure source to prove if this statement is true or false. Our legs are not entirely developed yet either our arms or the rest of our body. Another limitation I found was the fact that we tested the validity on man and women, which variance wasnt explain on the theory. Men and women may not have the same proportions as just man. This affected the research because women composed most of the class, so there were only two men (Alberta and Luis). The last limitation founded was the fact that this research was made hundreds ND thousands years ago by Vitreous and Dad Vinci, but with evolution human sizes may have changes and the proportions may have also changed, this effect was also reflected in the lab results.

Cause and Effect Essay Paper Topics

Cause and Effect Essay Paper Topics Cause and effect essays explore how and why things happen. You could compare two events that seem distinct and separate to show a connection, or you could show the flow of events that occurred within one major event. In other words, you could explore rising tension in the US that concluded with the Boston Tea Party, or you could start with the Boston Tea Party as a political eruption and compare this event to a major event that followed much later, like the American Civil War. Solid Essay Content As with all essay writing, the text must start with an introduction to the subject, followed by the main thrust of the narrative, and finally finishing with a conclusion. For example, The Second World War was the result of building tensions throughout Europe. These tensions had effectively been building since the end of World War I but were increased dramatically when the Nazi party came to power in 1933, led by Adolf Hitler. The thrust of the essay could include the changing fortunes of the main armies, Germany and Japan on one side, and Russia, England and later America on the other. Crafting a Conclusion   Finally, the essay could be summarized or concluded with a look at the world after the signing of the unconditional surrender by the German army on May 8th, 1945. In addition, the essay could consider the lasting peace throughout Europe since the end of WWII, the division of Germany (East and West) and the establishment of the United Nations in October 1945. The choice of subject for an essay under the category cause and effect is important as some subjects (such as the example here of WWII) can be extensive and would be more suitable to an essay that requires a large word count. Alternatively, a topic such as Effects of Telling Lies (from the following list) could be relatively short. Interesting Cause and Effect Essay Topics If youre looking for inspiration for your topic, you may find ideas from the following list. The impact when a parent loses a jobThe Revolutionary War and slaveryFood poisoning causesRepercussions of cheating in schoolThe effects of exercisingHow bullying affects victimsHow severe acne affects teensEffects of telling liesThe impact of technology on family timeThe impact of technology on religionThe effects of smokingWhy friendships endThe effects of divorceThe effects of traveling abroadWhat would happen if aliens landed in your townWhat causes kids to try drugs for the first timeWhy ships sinkThe effects of poison ivyWhy weddings look the way they doHow Christmas trees became a part of American cultureEffects of eating too much junk foodThe impact of winning the lotteryThe effects of going without sleepWhat causes natural disastersThe effects of strip miningThe effects of the moon missionsEffects of the Black Death in the Middle AgesEarly trade patternsThe effects of over-fishingHow procrastination affects gradesThe events that led to the fall of Rome

Multiple Choice Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Multiple Choice Exam - Essay Example 1998; Haines 2004; McDonald 2007). Throughout this essay, we will delineate the advantages and disadvantages of specific exam types and questions, and eventually, we will arrive at multiple choice examinations and consider why these exams are optimal for an assessment of knowledge and ability. The types of exams which can be employed to assess students are considerable: essay, short answer, practical, seen question, take-home vs. in-class, open-book, or oral examination are just a few (McDonald 2001). Each approach is accompanied by specific advantages and disadvantages which make them appropriate for particular situations. Essay exams, for example, assess not only the student's knowledge of a particular area, but also their ability to coherently formulate a written answer that is clear and direct, and it has the advantage that partial credit can be assigned based on the quality of the answer provided (McDonald 2001; (McDonald 2007). However, disadvantages include that scoring of essay exams can often be obfuscated by subjectivity in determining what qualifies as a correct answer and how many points may be subsequently awarded. Students with poor writing skills, who are as knowledgeable as their peers, may be penalized more severely in their responses due to grammatical a nd syntactical deficiencies in their writing which are unrelated to their knowledge of the particular question (McDonald 2001; (Haines 2004). As such, it is especially important to consider these advantages and disadvantages when selecting the type of exam which will be utilized. In the past few decades, in part because of technological advances that have made grading less demanding, multiple choice exams have come into favor in a wide range of academic and non-academic settings (Merritt 2006). We will consider the advantages and disadvantages of multiple choice exams and how they may be employed in later sections. TYPES OF EXAM QUESTIONS While the wide-variety of exam types might suggest there is an even greater amount of questions, this actually proves not to be the case. In fact, exam questions can be distilled down into two disparate types: open-ended and closed-ended. Open-ended exam questions provide a question or statement and demand the test-taker to answer the question by drawing upon their own knowledge (Genesee & Upshur 1996). Open-ended questions require an ability to identify what the question is asking and develop an articulate answer that satisfies all the requirements of that question (Genesee & Upshur 1996). Essay, short answer, and "fill-in-the-blank" type questions are all examples of open-ended questions. Problems with these types of questions can be subjectivity and lengthiness in the grading process. However, they are advantageous in that they require a nuanced ability to produce a coherent and appropriate answer from one's own knowledge (McDonald 2001). Closed-ended questions, unlike open-ended questions, do not require the test-taker to extract the answer solely from previous knowledge; rather, closed-ended questions provide a pre-existing set of potential answers in addition to the question being asked (Genesee & Upshur 1996). Since all students select from a set of preordained answers, the tests are ostensibly more objective

Task Force Smith (Korean War) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Task Force Smith (Korean War) - Research Paper Example Introduction The term, â€Å"Task Force Smith† derives the ill-fated battle between the United States of America (USA) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) where U.S.A lost shamefully to the opponents. The cause of the loss resulted from machinery and artillery incompetence. The Americans, under the command of Colonel Charles B. Smith, engaged in the battlefield with lesser powerful weapons as compared to the North Koreans (Murray, 2005). The troop set foot on the Korean land at a time that the enemy was advancing. The U.S.A had assumed a tremendous win following that of the Second World War. They did not train prior to the battle, used poor equipment, and approached the battle with a troop of 514 men (United States, 2007). The following outlines the deeper script of the turn of events, the artillery used to attack the enemy, the result of the war and the eventual failure of the American troops under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charles B. Smith. The cause of the war In the ye ar 1950, North Korea advanced towards South Korea, three years after the Second World War, thus, provoking a battle over territorial rights. The North was fully prepared to war unlike their neighbors with whom they caught unawares. South Korea, being weak in military skills and weaponry, seek help from U.S.A thinking that it would help defeat the enemy, but this posed more than enough challenges to U.S. America lacked enough and most recent ammunition thus, they declined to attend the war (McMurran, 2008). The South Koreans further pleaded for help and the U.S.A offered two-week training to the Korean army. After the two weeks training, America applauded South Korean Military and commented on their degree of integrity and the skill, they now possessed to retaliate against the enemy. The South Koreans, overwhelmed by the praises, proceeded to the battlefield with a lion heart, as they perceived a win over an enemy they did not analyze (United States, 2007). South Koreans depended ful ly on guns, while their enemy had the best weaponry from the Soviets. Approximately, the north possessed over 34 tanks each with 88mm caliber. However, this did not distract the Southerners as they pursued their enemy to the battlefront. The turn of events was extremely sad as they lost their lives to the mortars and shelling of the North Korean tanks and troops. South Koreans fought relentlessly to win their bid over the sophisticated enemy (McMurran, 2008). All their efforts bore no fruits, and many lost their lives to the battle thus; they slowly retreated. America got the news at the same time that the southerners’ were retreating from the battlefield. America deployed 514 men to combat the vulnerable enemy, unknown to them that the enemy rest prepared (Edwards, 2010). The U.S.A troop and its government overlooked North Korea’s potentials in the battlefield and underestimated them altogether. North Korea had already forecasted chances that the Second World War winn er would intervene into the battle were similarly high, and this led to the massive preparation in training, equipment, and competent troops. U.S.A assumed that, on stepping grounds, northerner’s would retrieve from the battle and eventually surrender. Therefore, it did not hit to them that, the northerners would dare stand them despite their number. On the contrary, North Korea remained adequately prepared to conquer the enemy, thus instead of retreating, they proceeded further into the battlefront to counter the advancing U.S.A troop

Busi 650-ILP Final Essay Example for Free

Busi 650-ILP Final Essay Table of Contents I. Abstract II. Organizational Setting III. Key Concepts a. Quality b. Total Quality Management c. Innovation d. Strategy Map e. Balanced Scorecard f. Six Sigma g. Bench Marking h. Inventory Management IV. Conclusion V. References Abstract The main purpose of the Integrative Learning Project (ILP) is to introduce an authentic or fabricated company/industry to research. The company’s organizational setting includes the mission statement of the company, who the internal/external customers are, what aspects can be contributed to achieve the organizations mission, and what role Christianity has with the organization. The research includes using eight different concepts learned throughout the course, explaining in detail how these concepts relate to the organization and the benefits the concepts offer to the organization, and what needs to be done to implement these concepts into the organization  successfully. This ILP will prove that a successful business can be run effectively and efficiently when implementing the key concepts. Organizational Setting Dover Saddlery, Inc. is a leading specialty retailer in the English-style horseback riding industry in the United States. The company offers a large selection of quality and premium equestrian products to care for, ride, train, and compete a horse. Founded in 1975 by Jim and David Powers, the company has grown to be the largest multi-channel marketer of premier equestrian products by selling through direct and retail sales. The company serves the English rider through Dover Saddlery and the western rider through Smith Brothers. The company sells their products using catalogs, the internet, and retail stores. The product line includes a variety of items such as tack, horse clothing, horse health, footwear, and specialized apparel. Dover Saddlery, Inc. is headquartered in Littleton, MA, including a warehouse and call center facility. The company has 18 retail locations in Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolin a, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Virginia. The company’s third quarter 2013 total revenues were $63.6 million, a 6.4% increase from the $59.7 million achieved in the corresponding period. Dover Saddlery, Inc. stock trades on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol DOVR. The company’s mission is to grow the business by providing a broad variety of quality and most advanced equestrian apparel, equipment, stable, and horse care products to all equestrians, while operating efficiently and being profitable. The company carries 5,800 items comprising of approximately 28,000 different SKU’s. The company carries entry-level price points to the premium high-end price points to meet the wide range of customer needs and expectations. The company carries a distinctive and broad selection of need-based and high quality products at competitive prices with prompt order fulfillment ability. The company differentiates itself from competitors by their large inventory consisting of non-branded products, private label products, and premium brands. The current equestrian products market is  estimated by the American Horse Council at $7.6 billion with an estimated 9.2 millions horses in the United States. American Sports Data estimates that over 16.8 mill ion people ride horses. The equestrian industry has many indicators that the equestrian products industry will continue to grow. The company is known for their excellence in customer service and large comprehensive selection. The company promotes a culture of courteous, knowledgeable, and prompt customer service representatives. 90% of the sales and customer service representatives are horse enthusiast. The company offers customers a 100% satisfaction guarantee. The company has one of the largest detailed customer databases. The database consists of customers that have purchased items with the last 12 months and their demographic information. The use of the catalog, internet, and retail stores has enabled the company to capture customer information, cross-market products, and provide a convenient shopping experience for customers. The company’s customers are primarily females with a passion for the riding sport. The customers are affluent and luxury oriented who tend to choose to buy from the company for the high quality and premier products. The customer base shows high repurchase rates and has been ve ry loyal customers. The role Christianity has in this organization is customer service is essential and Matthew 10:31 states, â€Å"Fear not, therefore; you are more value than many sparrows† (ESV). In the service industry, customer satisfaction is key and the company has to recruit the right people and reward them for there expertise. Colossians 3:23-24 states, â€Å"23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving† (New International Version). Another verse that can be applied in this organization is 1 Peter 4:10, â€Å"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace†. The company uses the gifts God gives us and pass them on to consumers to benefit from. The role of Christianity plays a great role in this company. Key Concepts The first key concept that is applicable to Dover Saddlery is Quality. Quality has a huge impact on the quality of products and the success of the organization. According to Dinh, Igel, Laosirihongthong (2010), â€Å"quality, considered a key strategic factor in achieving business success, is more than ever required for competing successfully in today’s global marketplace and it has become the key slogan as organizations strive for a competitive advantage in markets characterized by liberalization, globalization, and knowledgeable customers† (p. 931). The design and performance of the product are two very important concepts of quality. Quality should start with the customer, the experience the customer has with the product or service will impact the customer’s satisfaction with the total experience. The management and control of the quality of the products and services is very important to the success of the organization. It is very important for organizations t o implement a quality assurance program (QAP) to ensure the quality of the products and services. According to Rouse (2007): In developing products and services, quality assurance is any systematic process of checking to see whether a product or service being developed is meeting specified requirements. Many companies have a separate department devoted to quality assurance. A quality assurance system is said to increase customer confidence and a companys credibility, to improve work processes and efficiency, and to enable a company to better compete with others. Quality assurance was initially introduced in World War II when munitions were inspected and tested for defects after they were made. Todays quality assurance systems emphasize catching defects before they get into the final product (Quality Assurance). There are many advantages for the company to have a QAP in place, include a competitive advantage, increase in sales and market share, increased customer satisfaction, better management control, clearly defined organizational tasks, structure, and responsibilities, more effective recalls, and price premium (Aramyan, Meuwissen, Oude Lansink, van der Vorst, van Kooten, van der Lans, 2009, p. 624). According to Yang (2006) â€Å"several studies on quality management have demonstrated that delivering superior service quality enhances productivity, reduces costs, increases customer loyalty, improves market share, and brings other general benefits to a service organization (p.1129). The QAP helps fulfill the needs  and expectations of the customers and improves the quality of the products and services. The second key concept that is applicable to the company is total quality management (TQM). According to Richards (2012), TQM can be defined as an integrative approach to management that supports the attainment of customer satisfaction through a wide variety of tools and techniques that the end result is higher quality of goods and services (p. 37). TQM is an organizational-wide concept of continuous improvement to ensure the products and services exceed their customers’ expectations. According to Richards (2012), â€Å"this kind of quality management requires the company to always check to make sure that product or service is at the standard that both the company and customer wants is maintained† (p. 37). Exceeding the internal and external customers satisfaction is a key focus of TQM. According to Talib, et al. (2011), TQM â€Å"has received a great attention due to its effectiveness in achieving sustainable competitive advantage and enhanced business performanceâ₠¬  (p. 1331). TQM is â€Å"a total look at the quality of the organization† (Richards, 2012, p. 41). â€Å"All service industries should seek to adopt and implement TQM so that proactive identification and response to needed changes can lead to continuous improvement† (Talib, et al. 2011). â€Å"Quality-conscious companies normally have a strong quality culture, which is helpful for achieving customer satisfaction† (Delgado-Hernandez Aspinwall, 2008, p.1016). The practice of TQM can grow a company to have a sustainable advantage in local and international markets (Richards, 2012, p. 36). The third key concept that is applicable to the company is innovation. â€Å"In the modern business world, innovation is just as important as quality, so they must go hand and hand and one complements each other† (Perodomo-Ortiz, et al. 2009, p.5088). Innovation is one if the driving forces of a successful business and allows an organization to introduce new and improve products in the market place. According to Bigliardi (2013), innovation is a complex phenomenon that involves the production, diffusion and translation of knowledge in new or modified products or services, or the development of new production processing techniques. Innovation is very important to the  success of an organization, it creates jobs and promotes the growth of organizations. The fourth key concept that is applicable to the company is the strategy map. As a strategic part of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC), a strategy map provides an organization â€Å"with a tool that helps them better monitor important details about their strategic business processes, thereby enhancing their employees’ understanding of the strategy interactions, which in turn facilitates implementing the business strategy† (Meredith and Shafer, 2013, pg. 99). According to Kaplan and Norton (2004), â€Å"the strategy map provides the visual framework for integrating the organization’s objectives in the four perspectives of a Balanced Scorecard† (pg.45). According to Markiewicz (2013), a strategy map is a tool integrating the developed strategy with operating activities of various organizational units operating in an organization. A specific feature of strategy map is that it describes in a clear manner the process of creating values in organization by indicating a number of cause and effect relationships between four perspectives (learning and growth, intemal-business-processes, customer, financial) and goals adopted within these perspectives. (pg. 161-162) The four perspectives a strategy map addresses include the financial perspective, the customer perspective, the internal business process perspective, and the learning and growing perspective. According to Markiewicz (2013), a strategy map â€Å"enables illustration of cause-and-effect relationship between the processes in all four perspectives and performance indicators at the organizational level. Strategy map and performance indicators at the organizational level constitute the basis for different departments when preparing their individual effectiveness indicators† (pg. 160). The top of a strategy map is the goal that has been specified by management, the next step is how the goal be accomplished, and the remainder of the map shows the cause-and-effect relationships that manag ement has developed on how the goal can be accomplished. The strategy map is used very frequently by all organizations as a simple strategy development tool by management to report the progress of the strategy implemented in their organization to achieve its vision or mission.  The strategy map is a powerful technique that can be applied to any type of business from a public sector organization to a non-profit organization. It is very important to organizations because it encourages its managers to think logically about the elements of their strategy and how the strategic elements interact. This effective tool ensures the managers understand the role of the strategy and how the effective strategy embraces all of the organization’s activities. According to Umayal Karpagam and Suganthi (2012), the strategy map describes â€Å"how the four perspectives: financial, customer, internal process, learning and growth are linked and how they create a balance between the more tangible outcomes through intangible resources† (pg. 7). The fifth key concept that is applicable to the company is the balanced scorecard. Kaskey (2013) says the balanced scorecard â€Å"provides an organization with ways to develop and evaluate strategic objectives and goals† (pg. 22). The balanced scorecard uses financial and nonfinancial strategic information and is â€Å"an accounting report that includes the firm’s critical success factors in four areas: financial performance, customer satisfaction, internal processes, and learning and growth† (Blocher, Stout, Juras, Cokins, 2013, pg. 11). The benefits of the scorecard include ability to implement strategy, ability to track the process of the organization in their achievement of the strategic goals, the organization’s ability to determine manager’s compensation, achieving organizational change, and the ability to achieve the critical success factors. According to Werner and Fuyuan (2012), â€Å"when the score card is adopted, employees become awar e that their performance will be judged based on these measures and targets. Accordingly, employees will act to achieve the established performance targets† (pg. 92). The balanced scorecard is a critical tool for organizations in todays challenging and competitive business environment. It is very important for organizations to achieve its critical success factors to help the overall performance of the organization and to stay competitive. The sixth key concept that is applicable to the company is Six Sigma. This concept is a strategy to increase employee engagement that will then increase customer satisfaction. According to Meredith and Shafer (2013), six  sigma is a comprehensive and flexible system for achieving, sustaining and maximizing business success. Six Sigma is uniquely driven by close understanding of customer needs, disciplined use of facts, data, and statistical analysis, and diligent attention to managing, improving, and reinventing business processes. (Page 129) This method is an inspiring factor for employees and employees have to be completely engaged in the program for it to be successful and impact employee satisfaction. Six Sigma has been embraced by many organizations, that drive’s improvements in processes, products, and services. When implementing the Six Sigma approach, first provide necessary leadership and resources, implement a reward system, provide ingoing training, select early p rojects, break up difficult projects, and avoid employee layoffs. â€Å"Six sigma’s popularity and success is catching fire throughout the service industry across the globe as no other process improvement (PI) movement before (Sunder, 2013, pg. 34). The seventh key concept that is applicable to the company is benchmarking. According to Cruceru (2013), benchmarking is â€Å"viewed as a continuous process of evaluation of products, services, processes and performance of competitors in order to obtain competitive advantage, benchmarking involves knowledge of all elements occurring when implementing in practice† (pg. 6). Benchmarking is a strategy where the desire to be competitive is a challenge for managers to become knowledgeable and analyze their competitors in the industry and implement competitive strategies to be successful. According to Meredith and Shafer (2013), benchmarking is used for a variety of purposes, including the following: Comparing an organization’s processes with the best organization’s processes. Comparing an organization’s product and services with those of other organizations. Identifying the best practices to emulate. Projecting trends in order to be able to respond proactively to future challenges and opportunities. (pg.133) Benchmarking involves three steps: the first step is concerned with preparing the study, the second step is collecting the data, and the third and final step is what was learned to improve the organization. This process has become one of the most valuable processes to identify performance improvement areas. Benchmarking allows an organization to analyze and improve performance, profitability, business  processes, and market share. There are many types of benchmarking including: process benchmarking-compares business processes and operations, product benchmarking-compares products and services, strategic benchmarking-compares organizational structures, internal benchmarking-internal comparison, competitive benchmarking-comparison of direct competitors, functional benchmarking- comparison of organizations in the same field, and generic benchmarking- comparison of the best com petitor in other fields. According to Cruceru (2013), â€Å"those competitors who will know to focus on benchmarking implementation in management and marketing activities of the organization will achieve increased performance and competitiveness in terms comparable to the best competitors of the time† (pg. 9). Appendix A In order to implement benchmarking in Dover Saddlery the following steps are needed: 1. Understand the company’s current process performance gaps. 2. Obtain support and approval from the executive leadership team 3. Document benchmarking objectives and scope; document the original process. 4. Agree on the primary metrics and put them in writing. 5. Agree on what to benchmark. 6. Develop a data collection plan. 7. Identify research sources and initiate data gathering. 8. Determine how to contact and screen companies. 9. Design a detailed survey to gather information. 10. Decide if gathered information meets original objectives. 11. Conduct a site visit. 12. Apply the learning to performance gaps. 13. Communicate to the executive leadership to ensure continued support. 14. Develop a recommended implementation plan with process owner. 15. Know when to update and recalibrate. The eighth key concept that is applicable to the company is inventory management. Inventory management is extremely important for the success of a organization and having the correct number of items in inventory that is necessary for operation is vital for inventory management. According to Chen (2011), â€Å"the inventory in an organization may contain a large amount of items. A logical inventory classification is necessary for managers to have efficient plan and control of the items† (pg. 1702). Inventory management can be a challenge for any business, but can be even more important for businesses with changing product life cycles or product needs. The development of information systems, has eased some challenges faced with inventory management. The introduction of advanced information system, which aim at better performance than manual product identification and inventory data-keeping procedures, hold much promise for the reduction of inventory inaccuracies. Inventories include work-in-process, raw materials, finished goods, component parts, and so on. By eliminating storage space to business is not only saving on space but also removing defective parts from being hidden until no one knows who had made them (Meredith Shafer, 2013, p. 176). Appendix B Inventory An additional way that we differentiate ourselves from our competition is through our breadth and depth of inventory. We believe our inventory is deeper than our competitors with $10.1 million in on-hand inventory as of December 31, 2005 and more than 5,800 items comprising approximately 28,000 different SKUs. With our extensive inventory position and rapid fulfillment capability, we have historically been able to fill approximately 95% of the items ordered within an average of 1.5 business days. Based on our inventory management systems, continuous monitoring of the products we carry and the fact that we carry very few fashion products, we have historically had very little obsolete inventory. Despite the high level of inventory we have historically maintained, we have turned inventory approximately four times per year and we historically have had no material inventory write-downs. All of the products that are presented in our catalogs are available online and customers can use our websites to enter orders, shop online and check order status and inventory availability. On average, our retail stores stock inventory items represent over 70% of the merchandise  sales we make available through our direct sales channel. All items are available to customers entering our stores by either direct shipment to a customer’s home or for in-store pickup. Conclusion Dover Saddlery is a company that prides on their success and always providing 100% customer service to their customers. Utilizing these eight key concepts, along with successful implementation into the company’s initiatives, they will produce overall success and a winning organization. References Aramyan, L. H., Meuwissen, M. M., Oude Lansink, A. M., van der Vorst, J. J., van Kooten, O., van der Lans, I. A. (2009). The perceived impacts of quality assurance systems on tomato supply chain performance. Total Quality Management Business Excellence, 20(6), 633-653. Bigliardi, B. (2013). The effect of innovation on financial performance: A research study involving SMEs. Innovation: Management Policy Practice, 15(2): 245-256. Blocher, E. J., Stout, D. E., Juras, P. E., and Cokins, G. (2013) Cost Management: A Strategic Emphasis (6th Ed). McGraw Hill: New York, NY. Chen, J. (2012). Multiple criteria ABC inventory classification using two virtual items. International Journal Of Production Research, 50(6), 1702-1713. Cruceru, A. (2013). Benchmarking a method of improving organizational competitiveness. Romanian Journal Of Marketing, (1), 6-9. Delgado-Hernandez, D., Aspinwall, E. (2008). A framework for building quality into construction projects Part I. Total Quality Management Business Excellence, 19(10), 1013-1028. Dinh Thai, H., Igel, B., Laosirihongthong, T. (2010). Total quality management (TQM) strategy and organizational characteristics: Evidence from a recent WTO member. Total Quality Management Business Excellence, 21(9), 931-951. Inventory. (2011). Appendix B of Dover Saddlery, Inc. Retrieved from http://www.hotstocked.com/companies/d/dover-saddlery-inc-DOVR-description-52723.html Kaplan, R. S., Norton, D. P. (2004). How Strategy Maps Frame an Organizations Objectives. Financial Executive, 20(2), 40-45. Kaskey, V. L. (2013). The Balanced Scorecard: A Comparative Study of Accounting Education and Experience on Common Measure Bias. Advances In Management, 6(7), 22-25. Markiewicz, P. (2013). Methodical Aspects of Applying Strategy Map in an Organization. Business, Management Education / Verslas, Vadyba Ir Studijos, 11(1), 153-167. Meredith, J. R., Shafer , S. M. (2013). Operations management for MBAs (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons. Perdomo-Ortiz, J., Gonzalez-Benito, J., Galende, J. (2009). The intervening effect of business innovation capability on the relationship between Total Quality Management and technological innovation. International Journal Of Production Research, 47(18), 5087-5107. Richards, J. (2012). Total Quality Management. Business Management Strategy, 3(2), 36-42. Rouse, M. (2007, Feb). Quality Assurance (QA). Retrieved from http://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/definition/quality-assurance. Sunder, V. (2013). Six Sigma— A Strategy for Increasing Employee Engagement. Journal for Quality Participation, 36(2), 34-38. Talib, F., Rahman, Z., Qureshi, M. N. (2011). Prioritising the practices of total quality management: An analytic hierarchy process analysis for the service industries. Total Quality Management Business Excellence, 22(12), 1331-1351. Umayal Karpagam, P. L., Suganthi, L. L. (2012). A Strategy Map of Balanced Scorecard in Academic Institutions for Performance Improvement. IUP Journal Of Business Strategy, 9(3), 7-16. Werner, M. L., Fuyuan, X. (2012). Executing Strategy with the Balanced Scorecard. International Journal Of Financial Research, 3(1), 88-94. Yang, C. (2006). Establishment of a Quality-Management System for Service Industries. Total Quality Management Business Excellence, 17(9), 1129-1154.

Comparing Satire in 100 Years of Solitude and The House of the Spirits :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

Use of Satire in 100 Years of Solitude and The House of the Spirits A major preoccupation with contemporary South American novelists, as seen with Gabriel Marquez's "100 years of solitude" and Isabelle Allende's "The house of the spirits", is the traditional and long lasting conflict between the Liberals and the conservatives. Although a common preoccupation with Marquez, Allende, and various other Latin American novelists the manner in which this preoccupation is expressed varies considerably depending on the author. In "100 years of solitude", Marquez looks to satire in all it's forms, to express this preoccupation. This is contrasted with Allende's "The House of the Spirits" in which she uses conflict in ideologies between generations as her method of exposition, as seen for instance in the conflict between Esteban Trueba (a true conservative) and his grandaughter Alba. To see how Garcia and Allende treat political issues we must first examine why they chose to examine them. When Marquez wrote his first works Colombia suffered the second greatest American fratricidal war of the twentieth century, as a result of the assassination of the popular Liberal leader Jorge Eliecer Gaitan, in 1948. His novels examine in his words "... motives for that violence." The importance of politics in the Novel is reflected in the choice of title 100 years of solitude which correspond to the 100 years between the formation of Colombia, in 1830 to 1930 when Conservative homogeny ended. Allende on the other hand was the niece of the first Socialist president in Chile who was killed following the Coup. The Oxford Dictionary defines satire as a piece "...in which prevalent follies or vices are assailed with ridicule or serious denunciation." This is exactly what Marquez has done. Hyperbole is well used in the novel in the form of 'Magical realism'. Marquez believed that ' Magical Realism' "...provides a magnifying glass so readers can understand reality better..." (as quoted in Playboy interview). We first see this used in the opening pages of the novel where Marquez describes the world as "...so recent that many things lacked names, and in order to indicate them it was necessary to point." This parallels the political naivety of the newly formed Colombian republic. Macondo is a garden of Eden ".

Comparison of Hobbes and Al-Farabi

Reading Response 4 Sarah Zou Sep. 23. 2012 LBST 1B11 Comparison of Hobbes and Al-Farabi Human nature was one of the most controversial topics now and then. In two of the world’s greatest philosophers’ essay, they discussed their own perception of human nature. Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), England’s political philosopher, who discussed his view on the degeneration of human nature in his book, Leviathan, which depicted the natural state of humanity as nasty and brutish.His point of view came across many similarities as Al- Farabi (870- 950 CE) an Arab Scientist and philosopher during the Golden Age of Islam. With a group of philosopher, Al- Farabi created synthesis on Aristotelian thought and Muslin theology. His subject of interests varies from music to sociological and political issues. In his, On the Perfect State, he compared political state as a body, which the most important part of heart was the ruler. From both Hobbes and Al-Farabis’ perspective they b oth argued, in order to maintain a civil society, a form of ruling system was more than necessary.Hobbes suggested that the nature of men were equal, because everyone has different strengths that others may not posses. Al-Farabi supported this point by saying that human is not naturally perfect, they needed to be provided, and contribute to the needs of society with their strength in order to achieve perfection. And because of this equality, Hobbes stated, men needed to compete against each other or became enemies to achieve their goals. Therefore no one can be trusted because their interests might conflict and become enemies.So it was unclear that how powerful one must become to be always secured. However this theory contradicts with Al-Farabi’s statement of people in societies must co-operate and come together to supply each other. Another point Hobbes declared regarding human nature was: everyone desired to be valued, but when they were not, they damage others to get more value. Thus it was significant to sustain a form of constrain to prevent the destruction, and sustain justice in the society. Similar statement by Al-Farabi also supported Hobbes’ idea.When part of the system is out of order, the ruler or the heart of the system must remove the disorder. Consequently both essay emphasized: Even though a law system might limit certain people’s freedom, only when there was law, justice could be remained. Hobbes’ idea of peace means not only without conflict but a reliable structure to prevent conflict. By freeing men’s nature, there were no forms of government to restrain or assurance, so war appears. During a time of war, man’s security could only be coming from one’s own strength.There were neither society nor culture, only fear and danger of violent death in war. Human nature will do what they desire until they know of a law that will stop them. Only when there is law there is justice. Although Al-Farabiâ⠂¬â„¢s interpretation of a perfect society could agree to Hobbes’ law system, his idea on the qualities of a ruler differs from Hobbes’ perception of human nature. Al-Farabi described an ideal ruler had to be naturally born with leadership skills, and in the process of leading, decisions made the rulers were often relying heavily on their nature and virtue.However, Hobbes thought, virtue is not ability that inherited by man, or given by nature, with no exception to the rulers, because the rulers were human themselves, their desire were no different than others. Therefore, to maintain a civilized, justice and organized society could not only rely on the virtue of human nature, but also through a system of law to constrain some desires of people, even the leaders, to achieve an overall freedom and security for the majority.

An Analysis On Upper Echelon Theory Essay

The Upper Echelon Theory links the attributes of firm performance and top management team members. Furthermore, this theory argues that the attributes of a certain person affect the attitudes and preferences of top members and the team dynamics. The theory suggests that the organizational outcomes are the result of the strategic choices that the managers make. The idea that the values, goals, and aspirations of top management influenced organization’s culture and systems can be proven by numerous corporations from different industries that have gained reputation and credibility in the marketplace for providing excellent products and quality services (Coyle-Shapiro, 2005). Those companies have good historical backgrounds and currently possess great missions and visions for their organizations. The goals and values of a certain organization determine the competitive strategy of the firm as suggested by the theory. Apparently, the prominent organizations that have been included on the lists of profitable companies portray excellence in terms of employee line-ups and performance. The people who are highly skilled and possess strong determination are usually found working in these corporations. In other words, the people on the top management could predict the success and future status of the company based on the values and goals that the company would like to achieve in every project. On the contrary to the theory of Hambrick and Mason, Laske and Maynes suggest that people have already their firm beliefs regarding certain issues prior to their participation to an organization. Naturally, people act, talk, and behave according to the constructed reality that the society had provided for them (Laske and Maynes, 2002). In this aspect, Laske and Maynes argue that the organization may or may not fail regardless of the values set by the organization because of the diverse personalities under that firm. The person who works for a certain organization may do his or her job merely because of the benefits like compensation and promotion that the company can offer and not because of what the goals that the top management would like to achieve for the company as a whole. Generally, upper echelon theory proposes a good view in the organizational outcomes; however, it shows conflicts on the values that the company sets and the employees in that firm possess. References Coyle-Shapiro, J. (2005). The Employment Relationship. USA: Oxford University Press Laske, O. and Maynes, B. (2002). Growing the Top Management Team: Supporting Mental Growth as a Vehicle for Promoring Organizational Learning. The Journal of Management Development. Bradford: MCB Ltd. Vol. 21

Symbols in Reqiuem for a Dream essays

Symbols in Reqiuem for a Dream essays In Requiem for a Dream the viewer bears witness to the rise then quick fall and self-destruction of the characters within the story. The director Darren Aronofsky tries to make the viewer realize the situation the characters are in foreshadowing and dropping symbols in the play to hint at what is going to happen, and all while making the viewer feel as though they were there. A major part of the film is the seasons that are used not only as part of the setting but as a way of symbolizing the current state of their lives. Other important and unique techniques used are visuals, including the camera angles, lighting, and music. In a book it is very common to have the author describe to the audience what the setting looks like, how the characters feel, and so on. With a movie it is totally different and description is not needed since ninety five percent of it is visual. Aronofsky uses different angles and shots to get the mood and feeling set along with an original score that compliments this mood and is used to make you feel like your part of the movie. These devices are used so that the audience may connect with the movie and understand the emotion that is felt by the characters. Without these devices any movie would be dull and boring, with no real entertaining value. Symbolism is a strong tool used in not only literature but also in the movies as a way of communicating a point that the author or director wants to strongly get across. In Requiem of a Dream there are quite a bit of symbolism used to carry ideas through the story, but the biggest and most important of the movie is the symbol of the seasons. Each season not only marks a different section of the movie, but also a portion of the characters lives. The first season shown in the movie is the summer season. This is for two reasons, the first being summer is the biggest section of the movie because it sets the stage for what happens later on. The second...

Function Prototypes in C and C++

Function Prototypes in C and C++ A function prototype is a declaration in C and C of a function, its name, parameters and return type  before its actual declaration. This enables the compiler to perform more robust type checking. Because the function prototype tells the compiler what to expect, the compiler is better able to flag any functions that dont contain the expected information. A function prototype omits the function body. Unlike a full function definition, the prototype terminates in a semi-colon. For example: intgetsum(float * value) ; Prototypes are most often used in header files- although they could appear anywhere in a program. This allows external functions in other files to be called and the compiler to check the parameters during compilation. Purposes A function prototype ensures that calls to a function are made with the correct number and types of arguments.A function prototype specifies the number of arguments.It states the data type of each of the passed arguments.It gives the order in which the arguments are passed to the function. The function prototype tells the compiler what to expect, what to give to the function and what to expect from the function. Benefits Prototypes save debugging time.Prototypes prevent problems that occur when you compile using functions that were not declared.When function overloading occurs, the prototypes distinguish which function version to call.

See below Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

See below - Coursework Example Bait and switch becomes unlawful when the seller is not able to or declines to offer the advertised commodity to the buyer, does not avail required quantity of the commodity to the customer, or fails to deliver or commit to deliver the commodity within a reasonable time after an order is placed. In the case however, there is no sale of goods scenario between the shop and the sales personnel and no advertisement at a low price with the aim inducing the other party to a more expensive product. Further, the commission rate does not relate to customers. The situation, therefore, does not identify an unlawful bait and switch (Emerson 253). Set 2- b The case involves a college scenario in which a worker discovered money during a mass clean up. The college offered lockers to students but decided to do a clean up before changing its allocation arrangement for efficient record keeping. Students were asked to clear their property from their respective lockers but cleaners found some things, ma inly old and discarded items, in the lockers. While cleaning, Frank, one of the workers, discovered a small paper bag and found cash amounting to $ 10000 in bills. The college has demanded for the money while frank claims right over the cash and it is believed that the cash could be related to drug sales. The matter to be determined in the case is potential issues for identifying the party with a right over the money and involves whether the money is lost, mislaid, or abandoned property, and the difference between the concepts. The concept of lost property is identifiable and offers a solution to the rightful owner of the money. A property is termed lost if the owner â€Å"negligently, carelessly, or inadvertently leaves it† at a place (Cheeseman 792). In the case, the owner of the cash, presumably a student, was negligent because the institution adviced students to clear all their property from the lockers. Even though owners of some lockers could not be identified, the scho ol is not the owner because it did not know of the property’s existence and could have removed it of notified cleaners of its existence. The concept of lost property that confers ownership rights to whoever discovers a lost property. The money is therefore a lost property and Frank gains ownership (Cheeseman 792). Set 3- a Jake and Kate are members of a limited liability company that is member managed. Jake is a member of a three-person management team while Kate is not. The two are however actively involved in the management and entered into a contract on behalf of the company, each placing $ 1000 as deposit but the management team refused to ratify the contract. Members of a limited liability company have rights and obligations of the members. As a member of the management team, Jake has a right to operate and create contracts on behalf of the company while Kate has no right to engage in any activity on behalf of the company. The two members however have rights to be indemn ified for payments made on behalf of the company. Both members have obligations to be loyal to the company, and to ensure duty of care to the company. In addition, Jake had an obligation to perform fiduciary duties (Cheeseman 662-665). Set 4- a Lorna operates a sole proprietorship business but the enterprise has a separate name, telephone numbers, and account number. She operates the business as a separate entity from her personal life and has stated that the business

Research proposal Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Proposal - Research Paper Example Results obtained from this research will help in informing parents of the safety measure they should use to avoid accidents in their homes. This is because some parents overlook the small things around the house, that end up causing accidents with toddlers (Nationwide Children’s Hospital). Happy and healthy children are the joy of every parent. The presence of a newborn baby in a home gives all the adults the responsibility of ensuring the home is safe for the child. All parts of the house that the baby can access need to be child proofed to ensure the safety of the child. In any typical home, there are various hidden and obvious child safety hazards. Parents must take the necessary steps to ensure that toddlers in the house are safe (Douglas, 2003). During the early stages of development, infants and toddlers are usually very curious and tend to touch, pull, push, and eat everything they come in contact with. Every household is bound to have an encounter with an infant and therefore, childproofing is a common experience. Nevertheless, accidents still occur because of the small things that we ignore because they do not seem to be dangerous. According to Wallin (45), identifying these small things will help in preventing future accidents from occurring thus ensuring a safe and healthy baby. There has been a lot of research done regarding the issue of Infant and Toddler safety at home. Most of the injuries that happen to children under the ages of five years occur in the home environment. Infants and toddlers spend most of their time in the house and their curious nature and lack of fear exposes them to dangerous situation (Ahmann, 105). As a result toddlers are the ones who suffer the most in cases of home related injuries. This calls for action that involves establishing preventive measures and keeping an eye on toddlers as they play to prevent the occurrence