Questions on International Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Questions on International Marketing - Essay Example Again, remember to support your answer. (25 marks) 3. Analyse the extent that you believe Country of origin effect (COO) influences consumer perception of your chosen global brand. Justify your answer. (20 marks) A maximum of 5 marks are awarded for presentation - (5 marks) Overview of Standardization and Adaptation in Marketing Mix Marketing mix, as defined by Jain (2009), refers to the combination of the product, the distribution system, the price structure and the promotional activities. The author (Jain, 2004), has further been of the opinion that it is a term that is used to denote a specific combination of marketing variables that are controllable by an enterprise and that are used to appeal a particular market segment. Both Marketing standardization and marketing adaptation of the marketing mix encompass opposite characteristics. Marketing standardization has been defined as â€Å"the offering of identical product lines at identical prices, through identical distribution syst ems, supported by identical promotional programs, in several countries (Buzzell, 1968). On the other hand, marketing adaptation or localization has been identified as having marketing mix satisfying specific needs of the local market (Alimiene and Kuvykaite, 2008:36). Internationalization has necessitated either to strategically implement standardized marketing mix or adaptation marketing mix. The concept of foreign markets and the subsequent removal of trade and custom barriers along with the aid of technological advancements, various companies were required to decide whether they would use standardized or uniform marketing mix strategic in all current and potential countries or they would adapt to and pursue and implement different marketing mix strategy. With the presence of these two options, Toyota was also required to determine a particular marketing mix strategy or a combination of both strategies. Toyota Background Toyota is one of the foremost automobile firms in the world. It has been operational for more than 75 years and has expanded base all over the world. One of the first car makers to come up with world class cars from the Japanese stable, the organization has indeed created a name for itself all over the world. With increasing sales slowly spreading to all over the world, production facilities also disseminated to other parts of the world. Gradually, the company has grown to become one of the largest multinational companies the world over. With production as well as assembling plants in US, UK, China and France, and present in over 170 nations, the Japanese company has come a long way in making a name and sizeable market share for itself. Over the years the company has launched one great car after another and above all the company is guided by sustainable development for its present as well as future course of actions (Toyota website, 2012). So far as their global presence is concerned, in order to make their ventures profitable, they operate from 27 countries and have 50 manufacturing companies working together to make Toyota what it is (Toyota, 2012). They have R&D facilities in key markets such as USA, Japan, China, Australia and Europe. Japan being their headquarters has extensive production sites and dealer networks. Toyota’s Global Presence Courtesy: Toyota-global.com Discussion Toyota has a pursued a combination

Company Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Company Law - Essay Example The essay starts by outlining the essence of the law of separate corporate personality. This will be followed by an outline of the case of John who is an employee of Diamond Car Sales as well as application of this law to the case. The essay will also look at the circumstances under which the corporate veil can be pierced. The main body of the paper will give a critical analysis of the facts that can lead the court to pierce the issue of corporate veil in certain instance. Essence of separate corporate personality Cillers et al (2004), state that an association of persons or an organised body can acquire legal personality by way of separate Act. Thus, when the company is formed as a separate entity, it acquires the capacity and authority to have its own rights and duties (Gibson, 1988). Thus, once the company has been incorporated, it can be viewed as a separate or independent person with rights and liabilities that it chooses for itself. This is reflected by the case of Salomon v Sa lomon& Co [1897] AC 22 (Hl). Salomon is the sole owner of the once glamorous company and he decides to turn the business venture into a limited company having realised that it had great potential. As such, Salomon got ?10Â  000 in debentures from the shareholders which were acquired through a bond of the company’s assets. ... This may involve creating a brand name for the company that is used as a source of identity which makes the company different from other enterprises. In as far as the aspect of corporate personality is concerned, it can be noted that the aim of the law is concerned with protecting the interests of the company since it is treated like an individual person with legal rights. For instance, Diamond Car sales built a strong corporate personality where it even went on to categorically state that there was no person who would directly compete with it after leaving the company within the first six months of termination of the contract. Situational analysis John is works for Diamond Car Sales and his contract states that upon termination of his employment, he cannot start a business that directly competes with Diamond Car Sales for a period of six months after the termination of his contract. Apparently, John’s contract is terminated and he decides to go into business straight away des pite the provisions of his contract. Fearful of the provisions of the principle of "Separate Corporate Personality" John wants to know if he can operate a business. John decides to set up a company with his son and it competes with Diamond Car Sales. However, John is neither a director nor shareholder of the new company, but he runs the business and everyone refers to him as "the boss." Against this background, this paper seeks to critically analyse the authenticity of Diamond Car Sales’ warning to John to cease trading or they will opt for legal action in order to stop him from trading in direct competition with the company. Case analysis In this

Appraisal And Evidence Synthesis Of Two Reviews

Appraisal And Evidence Synthesis Of Two Reviews Select two reviews of your choice. One should be a Systematic Review and the other a Traditional Selective Review. Critically discuss the quality of your reviews with respect to a standard assessment tool suitable for reviews. The aim of a review is to give an overview of the primary studies of a particular subject and analyse them in a way, which is thorough, unbiased and reproducible, should it be repeated. about the gathering of the primary data that is being reviewed. A systematic review is a method of synthesising primary research and studies. It is based on having a clearly formulated question that uses systematic and explicit methods to identify, select and critically appraise relevant research, and to collect and analyse data from the studies that are included in the review (Cochrane Collaboration Glosasry, 2010). It also uses an objective and transparent approach for research synthesis, with the aim of minimizing bias. Statistical methods known as meta-analysis may or may not be used to analyse and summarise the results of the included studies (Wiesler McGauran, 2010). Systematic reviews differ from narrative reviews. A narrative review differs in that the question being answered is usually less specific and has a wider focus of interest (Cook et al, 1997). A narrative review may look more at the interaction of variables within a problem or the development and management of a problem, while a systematic review will usually focus on a specific and answerable question; therefore have a clear defined outcome that it is gathering evidence about. A narrative review summarizes different primary studies from which conclusions may be drawn in to holistic interpretation contributed by the reviewers own experience, existing theories and models with results having a qualitative rather than a quantitative meaning (Campbell Collaborative, 2001; Kirkevold, 1997). As with all types of research reviews both systematic and narrative need to be appraised for their relevance and value to the subject it relates. A number of tools have been developed to help with the process of critically appraising of research. For the purpose of this assignment, the tool that will be used was produced by the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP), defining questions and prompts to assess the review, based on questions developed by Oxman et al (1994). This is an appraisal tool that assesses three main issues; is the study valid? What the results are and whether those results help locally. The aim of this tool has been designed to answer these questions in a detailed and systematic manner. Furthermore, this tool has been selected as it has been specifically designed to support evidence-based practice in health and social care (Public Health Resources Unit, 2006) and therefore it forces the reviewer to also consider the perspective of the patient and it is of relevance to the articles that have been selected here. The systematic review to be used for this assignment is Gava et al (2009) Psychological Treatments Versus Treatment as Usual for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This review was chosen from The Cochrane Library, as the systematic reviews here have all been carried out using precise methodology, are updated in line with new research and are specifically intended to help anyone involved in healthcare, including patients (The Cochrane Collaboration, 2010). The narrative review to be considered will be Abramowitz et al (2001) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A review of the treatment literature. This review was found in a search on the CINAHL database. The CASP tool to be used is specific to systematic reviews (PHRU, 2006); however it will be adapted here to also appraise the narrative review. The ten questions asked in the CASP tool will now be considered. Did the review ask a clearly focused question? Liberati et al (2009) stated that authors should always identify their report as a systematic review or meta-analysis. Although sensitive search strategies have been developed to identify reviews, inclusion of the terms systematic review or meta-analysis in the title may improve indexing and identification (Montori et al, 2005). Furthermore, the title of a systematic review should be informative making key information easily accessible to the reader. This should include reflecting PICOS approach (participants, interventions, comparators, outcomes and study design) providing key information about the scope of the review (Liberati et al, 2009). The systematic review used for the purpose of this assignment was Psychological Treatments versus Treatment as Usual for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) (Review). This title failed to provide details of any participants or settings. The intervention and comparator are given as psychological treatments and treatment as usual, however, these had not been clearly specified and details of the outcome measure had not been provided either. Furthermore, the title simply stated review. Such terms do not enlighten the reader whether the review was systematic or whether a meta-analysis was performed (Liberati et al, 2009). Therefore, it has to be noted that the review failed to ask a clearly focused question. The narrative review of the Abramowitz et al (2001) study was Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A review of the treatment literature. As with the systematic review this paper also failed to use the PICOS approach, nevertheless, as a narrative review summaries the research more generally, these details may not even be appropriate (Cook et al, 1997). In this review the intervention was specified as Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and it had been clearly indicated that this was a traditional review. Even though the question was not clearly focused, the author does provide the reader with an insight as to what the article contains. Did the review include the right type of study? The studies discussed in the systematic review included looking at any psychological treatment compared to any treatment as usual for adults with OCD, which appeared to be appropriate for answering the research question. All of the included studies were randomised controlled trials (RCTs) which appeared to be an appropriate study design with the focus being on the effectiveness of interventions (Hill Spittlehouse, 2003). However, by including RCTs only and excluding other forms of research, this may result on limiting the conclusions drawn in the review. This appears of particular relevance to healthcare where qualitative forms of data, such as patients experience of an intervention, should be considered of great importance (Petticrew, 2001). The studies discussed in the narrative review also seem to address the question as research carried out on CBT for OCD was drawn upon. It also stated that the review focused particularly on exposure and response prevention treatment. This decision appeared to reflect the authors own interest rather than a thorough search of the available literature, which may lead to some form of bias being introduced. The review draws largely upon RCTs and meta-analyses, which may be appropriate as the focus of interest was effectiveness (Hill Spittlehouse, 2003). However, limiting to the inclusion of only this research design and in a narrative review, it would seem that a range of research could have been incorporated easily as this review appeared limited from not having done so. As explicit details of each study used were not provided, other methodology could have been included but not clearly described. Did the reviewers try to identify all relevant studies? To help identify all potentially appropriate research, a thorough literature search must be conducted in order to carry out a systematic review. This involves not only searching electronic databases, but also checking the reference lists of any selected articles in order to identify further research (Greenhalgh, 1997b), searching for non-English language research and unpublished research ( Centre for Reviews Disseminations, 2008). This helps to reduce any bias in research that is published in non-English languages, as research showing significant results tend to be published in English journals. Furthermore, by having English publications only may have a greater impact on the results than there actually was. By searching a number of various electronic journal databases, reference lists, unpublished and ongoing research and also research in non-English language indicated that Gava et al (2009) attempted to conduct a thorough literature research. There were no details or information provided to indicate how the studies were obtained or how the search was conducted for the narrative review. Even though researches from other countries have been referenced, no indication has been given whether this was taken from non-English language publications. Emphasis has been placed on research into exposure and response prevention therapy and the authors own work has also been cited. This however places some aspect of bias on the review as the reviewer has a clear interest in the topic currently being reviewed. Did the reviewers assess the quality of the included studies? The Gava et al (2009) systematic review describes rigorous quality assessment. A pre-determined scoring system was used which should help to reduce bias by making quality criteria objective and unrelated to the outcomes of the research (Greenhalgh, 1997b). To help reduce the chances of any bias emerging, quality assessments were carried out by two authors independently. However, it must be noted that all articles were included regardless of their quality standard. Furthermore, it has been suggested that not all the authors made the method of randomisation used explicit and they were not always blind to the allocation. Abramowitz et als (2001) review does not mention any formal quality assessment. It must be noted that some informal judgements have been made. Furthermore, it has been noted that some of the research discussed in the review failed to be conducted to a high standard as reference was made to the use of control groups where comparison treatments used was known to be of no benefit to sufferers of OCD. This is unethical as participants allocated to the control groups would have received ineffective treatment which would have had an impact on the results as participants in these groups would have experienced higher anxiety levels and frustration making gains in the experimental group appear much higher. As narrative reviews do not normally employ pre-defined quality assessment tools, research included is likely to be of inconsistent quality and is more at risk of bias (Cook et al, 1997). If the results of the studies have been combined, was it reasonable to do so? Results of each study used can be combined in a systematic review to increase the sensitivity to significant results (Crombie, 1996). However, this should only be done when the studies and their results are similar enough to make the combination of findings meaningful (Crombie, 1996). The Gava et al (2009) review did combine the results of all the studies reviewed. The results of each study were presented in a forest plot showing the mean, standard deviation and confidence interval for each. Heterogeneity was also considered both by eyeballing the data and also by statistical analysis, which found no significant differences in the main analyses, but did find significant differences on some of the secondary analyses. General reasons for heterogeneity were discussed at the start of the paper, but the specific heterogeneity found was not discussed in great lengths. Furthermore, a weighting system was used to combine the results. This means that in the analyses stages studies displaying lower level quality were then given a lower weight making this an effective method for including such studies. The Abramowitz et al (2001) review did not combine the results of all the studies reviewed. In general terms the CRD (2008) state that the intentions of a narrative review is generally to provide a summary of relevant research rather than to synthesis or re-analyse. Furthermore, they also state that this could lead to further biased conclusions based on the reviewers own opinions rather than on stringent analyses that could be recreated by other researchers. How the results presented and what are the main result? In the systematic review, the results have been presented in the body of the text and also as in forest plots. CRD (2008) state that results should be expressed in formats that are easily understood. The most commonly used graphic is the forest plot as it provides a simple representation of the precision of individual and overall results and of the variation between study results (CRD, 2008). The results indicated that psychological treatments led to more improvements in OCB symptoms than did treatments as usual. Improvements in dropout rates, quality of life, anxiety and depression levels in both psychological and treatment were also taken into consideration. Psychological therapy was broken down further to look at the variables being expressed, the mean differences being calculated for continuous variables, but it also took into consideration and reported on the individual effects of CBT, Cognitive Therapy and Behaviour Therapy. Abramowitz et al (2001) review also discussed results for each study reviewed. This indicated that exposure and response prevention were both effective therapies for OCD. However, since no statistics had been used then it was not possible to assess how large and significant the results were without referring to the original research. The research presented tends to be interpreted in favour of exposure and response prevention therapy, even with the results appear to suggest little difference (JÃ ¼ni et al, 2001). The conclusions drawn here are based on the authors own opinions and could have been subjected to biased interpretation of results or detection bias (JÃ ¼ni et al, 2001). How precise are the results? The use of confidence intervals in systematic reviews gives the reader an idea of how precise the results can be considered to be (Hopkins, 2001). Confidence intervals describe the range within which a result for the whole population would occur for a specified proportion of times a survey or test was repeated among a sample of the population. Confidence intervals are a standard way of expressing the statistical accuracy of a survey-based estimate (Young Bolton, 2009). The confidence interval expresses the uncertainty around the point estimate, describing a range of values within which it is reasonably certain that the true effect lies; wider confidence interval reflects greater uncertainty (CRD, 2008). Where a 95% confidence interval is reported then we can be reasonably confidence that the range included the true value for the population as a whole. Formally we would expect it to contain the true value 95% of the time (Young Bolton, 2009). Although intervals can be reported for a ny level of confidence, in most systematic reviews of health interventions, the 95% confidence interval is used (CRD, 2008). Eight studies (11 study comparisons) were identified, all of which compared cognitive and/or behavioural treatments versus treatment as usual control groups. Seven studies (ten comparisons) had usable data for meta-analyses. These studies demonstrated that patients receiving any variant of cognitive behavioural treatment exhibited significantly fewer symptoms post-treatment than those receiving treatment as usual (SMD -1.24, 95%, CI -1.61 to -0.87, 1Â ² test for heterogeneity was not significant at 33.4%) (Gava et al, 2009). Different types of cognitive and / or behavioural treatments showed similar differences in effect when compared with treatment as usual. Results obtained for CBT on OCD symptoms exhibited that the overall mean difference (fixed effects) was in favour of psychological treatments (WMD -7.73, 95%, CI -9.92, -5.55). The 1Â ² test of heterogeneity was not significant at 33.4%. Results obtained for cognitive therapy on OCD symptoms exhibited that the overall standardised mean difference (random effects) were slightly in favour of psychological treatments (SMD -1.20, 95%, CI -2.66, 0.25). The 1Â ² test of heterogeneity was not significant at 74.2%. The overall treatment effect appeared to be influenced by differences in baselin e severity (Gava et al, 2009). Within the Abramowitz et al (2001) paper, there does not seem to be any confidence intervals apparent within, thus leaving us unable to analyse how precise the results, which are described within the paper truly are. In comparison to the systematic review, this approach appears to be highly less open; the author is able to narrate the results in however way they please for example they could suggest that they are highly significant or interpret them as equal to their own theoretical standing but without the need of referral to the original case, however there is no way a certain conclusion as to whether this has occurred or not be drawn up. Can the results be applied to the local population? Within the Gava et al (2009) paper, population details and setting for each study do not seem to be clearly apparent. Although a high percentage are noted as outpatient, a number of settings were not highlighted as to their location or setting. Due to this lack of knowledge, and that some of the studies could have been carried out in a inpatient setting, it would not be possible to ascertain a generalised result to the local population with information found in the inpatient studies. It was stated that the statistical data, or demographics, of the participants were of a similar and consistent nature however there was no in depth analysis or description of them. Due to this small fact, therefore it would not have been possible to state that these were similar to the local population. The duration of treatments described when provided locally was usually shorter thus it can assume some of the methods could not be provided within the local settings. Therefore, the generalisation of the results requires some degree of accuracy and precision for there are often vast and clearly significant differences between the sample and the settings used, here and the local population. Once again, within the Abramowitz et al (2001) review, there was no description of the population meaning that it was not possible to ascertain a generalised collaboration of results. Furthermore, as one of the studies had been carried out in an inpatient setting, then it would not have been possible to generalise these results within such settings. The duration of these studies are described as being of 60-90 minutes on a daily basis which frankly could not have been possible locally. Therefore it is vital that care is taken when attempting to create a generalised result from this review as things that appear to be insignificant, as such small details can be inevitably crucial elements. Were all the important outcomes considered? The Gava et al (2009) review discussed various outcomes as well as improvements in OCD symptoms. Also considered were the outcomes for anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, dropout rates and quality of life. These elements were not only likely to be of a high degree of importance to the service providers but also to the service users themselves. Service leads, mental health commissioners and policy makers / government officials may also be interested in dropout rates and reasons for dropout i.e. at initial assessment or at follow up appointment. Details of each therapy session missed, cancelled, failed to attend would be important as well. The narrative review also discussed various improvements in OCD symptoms with each intervention. Consideration was given to the distress linked with exposure therapy, as it would be an important factor for all parties concerned i.e. patient and their families, and also taking into account the supporting role of the carer while patient receives therapy. Abramowitz et al (2001) review state that a relatively large number of clients refuse participation in exposure therapy because of anxiety evoking elements of treatment (i.e. confronting feared stimuli). This places emphasis on the importance of understanding the rationale for exposure therapy, demonstrating mastery of case conceptualization, and providing the client with a convincing explanation of why confronting feared situations will result in long-term abatement of obsessions and compulsions. Should policy or practice change as a result of the evidence contained in the review? The current use of CBT for OCD is supported by the Gava et al (2009) review. Despite this, any RCT or other psychological therapy was unidentifiable by the author whilst other types of therapy did not fit the required format needed in order to carry out a RCT to the same quality that a CBT does thus meaning it has more controlled research in comparison to other forms of therapy. One criticism of systematic reviews is their bias towards certain methodologies for important research may not be included thus leading to biased conclusions. Further research is therefore needed to make comparisons between CBT and other types of therapy; it may be that a mixed methods review would have been carried out in order to do this effectively (Dixon-Woods et al, 2004) A biased review is also present in Abramowtiz et al (2001). In this case it is towards studies in support of exposure and response prevention therapy. No decision can be reached from this review for a thorough search to identify all research in the area -quality assessment and the clear display of results was not completed. Conclusions are more likely to be biased and not be representative of all the evidence in the field within narrative views for they do not follow a predefined and set methodology thus, narrative reviews are less likely to influence policy and practise. Conclusion It is evident that both methodologies consist of advantages and disadvantages. Systematic reviews use pre-defined methodologies with the intention of reducing bias making the results to appear more robust. Nevertheless a critique appears to be the evident over emphasis of RCT which is argued to find less generalisable results. On the other hand, narrative review results appear to be more generalisable and tend to be more flexible in the incorporation of other methodologies. However within these reviews, the scientific, pre-defined strategies are not employed, thus considering them to have a higher risk of leading to bias. To conclude, it appears that both of these reviews can be of significant help and are easily justifiable for use, depending on the question that the researcher is trying to answer and the point at which the evidence base is at in its development.

The Particular Features Of The Employment System In Japan :: essays research papers

The Particular Features Of The Employment System In Japan One of the unique and well known features of the Japanese employment system is permanent employment for workers. Japanese corporations responses to recessionary periods provide an opportunity to sort out the myths from the realities of the Japanese permanent employment system. During recessions Japanese companies forced to reduce their costs achieve reductions in several ways. First, they reduce the number of women and temporary workers they employ. During the recession that followed the 1973 oil shocks female employment dropped by eleven percent; more then five times the drop in male employment. It was easy to reduce female employment because women even if they hold permanent positions are thought of as transitory workers who will leave the workforce when they get married. Female and temporary workers are a safety valve for Japanese companies that allow them to reduce costs in the short-term without firing permanent male workers. The second way Japanese companies reduce costs is by giving early retirement to senior workers at the company. Many of these workers forced into early retirement then take up farming as is the custom in Japan for retires. Getting rid of senior workers is one the most effective tools companies have of reducing costs because these workers have more seniority and thus make more money then the average worker. Japanese companies also are able to cut costs during recessions by reducing or eliminating bonuses paid to workers, cutting down on hiring of new workers, eliminating the farming out of work to subcontractors, transferring workers internally with in the company to subsidiaries, and reducing profit margins to levels that many American companies would find intolerable. Japanese companies response to recessions shows the benefits and disadvantages of their employment system. Some of the benefits are that loyalty and labor relations are very good. This is due to the fact that for non- temporary male workers not yet near retirement age companies make a great effort to continue the permanent employment system even during recessions. Most young male workers once entering a company stay with it for their entire life and for them Japans permanent employment system serves them well. These workers come to view their company as almost a benevolent parent; the company leads them through fitness drills, training camps, and retreats. A workers identity is shaped not by their individual title but by the company they belong to.

Srs on Management System

Software Requirements Specification For Attendance Tracking System, Release 1. 0 Version 1. 0 Prepared by Lee Bell, Graham Kennedy, Jonathan Loudin, Roger Seagle February 9, 2003 Table of Contents Table of Contents†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ i Revision History†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦ i 1. Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 1. 1 Purpose†¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 1 1. 2 Document Conventions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 1. 3 Intended Audience and Reading Suggestions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 1 1. 4 Project Scope†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1. 5 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 2. Overall Description†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 1 2. 1 Product Perspective†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 1 2. 2 Product Features†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 1 2. 3 User Classes and Characteristics†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ â₠¬ ¦ †¦ 1 2. 4 Operating Environment†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 2 2. 5 Design and Implementation Constraints†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 2 2. User Documentation†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 2 2. 7 Assumptions and Dependencies†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 2 3. System Features†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ â₠¬ ¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 3 3. 1 Roll Mode†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 3 3. 2 Edit Mode†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 4 3. 3 Statistics Mode†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 6 4. External Interface Requirements†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ à ¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 7 4. User Interfaces†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 7 4. 2 Hardware Interfaces†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 7 4. 3 Software Interfaces†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 7 4. 4 Communications Interfaces†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ â₠¬ ¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 8 5. Other Nonfunctional Requirements†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 8 5. 1 Performance Requirements†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ .. 8 5. 2 Safety Requirements†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 8 5. Security Requirements†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 8 5. 4 Software Quality Attributes†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ . 8 6. Other Requirements†¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ †¦ 9 Revision History Name Everyone Everyone Date February 9, 2003 February 12, 2003 Reason For Changes Initial Draft Revise Draft Version 1. 0 draft 1 2. 0 Final Version 1. Introduction The following document describes the functional and non-functional requirements for the Attendance Tracking System release version 1. . The contents are intended to be utilized by the software engineering class as guidelines for implementation and testing. This Software Requirements Specification document only covers the main s ystem and does not describe the implementation of the database in which the main system interacts. All the requirements stated in this document are slated for implementation in version 1. 0, unless otherwise specified. 1. 1 Purpose 1. 2 Document Conventions As of the latest version of this Software Requirements Specification, there are no document conventions.The intended audience is the software engineering class, who will be implementing and testing the Attendance Tracking System. Also, the document is to be utilized by the software engineering professor to evaluate the software’s design and features. The Attendance Tracking System will allow professors to maintain a record of attendance of students in their respective classes from a Pocket PC. Also, the system will permit the instructor to send a student a notification email of their absence. Furthermore, the program provides different modes to edit attendance, view tatistics, and take notes on elements pertaining to atten dance. The goal is to provide a professor with an easy, portable solution to attendance record maintenance and attendance statistics. 1. 3 Intended Audience and Reading Suggestions 1. 4 Project Scope 1. 5 References 1. Weigers, Karl. Software Requirements Specification Template, http://www. processimpact. com/process_assets/srs_template. doc 2. Overall Description The Attendance Tracking System is intended to replace the manual model of attendance record keeping by means of roll call and paper records.The roll call and paper records are replaced with a single interaction between the professor and the Attendance Tracking System. Professors will be able to view pictures of students on their Pocket PC and quickly maintain attendance records. The features expressed in this Software Requirements Specification document are intended to be fully implemented in version 1. 0. The system will be developed in such a way to provide easy addition of enhanced features, which may be desired in subs equent versions. The main feature of the Attendance Tracking System is for a professor to take roll from the Pocket PC.Pictures will be displayed for each student in the class, so the professor can recognize students without having to manually call roll. If students are absent, the system sends a notification email to the student stating the current number of absences the student has accumulated. Also, the system allows the professor to view pertinent statistics on student’s attendance record for the specified class. Finally, another feature of the Attendance Tracking System is the ability to easily edit the attendance record for any given day. Professors 2. 1 Product Perspective 2. 2 Product Features 2. User Classes and Characteristics A professor is a faculty member of Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, North Carolina. There are 357 faculty members at the university and it is estimated that almost all faculty members will utilize the Attendance Tracking System. Profes sors will have multiple classes and interaction with the system will occur at multiple times throughout the day from multiple professors. The professor should be allowed to take, edit, and view attendance records at any desirable time. All professors have wireless Internet access through their Pocket PC’ s while on campus.This connection provides the backbone of the Attendance Tracking System. Figure 1: Context diagram for Attendance Tracking System. 2. 4 Operating Environment OE-1: OE-2: OE-3: The Attendance Tracking System shall function on the Pocket PC provided by the university. This entails the system to operate on the Windows CE platform. The Attendance Tracking System shall interface between Windows CE and a Linux server designated to store the attendance records. The Web Server and Database Software have not been established at this point.Updated versions of this document will include information pertaining to these specific operating environments. The Attendance Tra cking System will operate with a yet to be established email client for notification of absences sent to students. CO-1: CO-2: CO-3: 2. 5 Design and Implementation Constraints The time allotted for this project will be limited to the Spring 2003 semester. The language for the project will be Visual C++ and the development environment will be the embedded Visual C++ 3. 0 environment. All the HTML code for the user manual will conform to the HTML 4. 0 standard. UD-1: UD-2: . 6 User Documentation The system will provide an online user manual in HTML that describes the functionality and options available to the user. The system will provide a hard copy of the user manual, which is identical to the manual outlined in UD-1 AS-1: AS-2: 2. 7 Assumptions and Dependencies The database mentioned within this Software Requirements Specification document is previously administered with the correct information needed by the Attendance Tracking System. For attendance policies, since professors do n ot usually tabulate tardiness, it is assumed a student is either present or absent.The notes functionality allows the professor the option to comment on tardiness and the edit mode allows the professor to correct attendance due DE-1: DE-2: 3. System Features to tardiness. Class data being used for setup and student recognition is dependent on information in a database administered outside of the capabilities of the Attendance Tracking System. Statistics on student attendance is dependent on a professor’ s consistent utilization of the system for each class period. Figure 2: State Diagram for transition between modes within the system. 3. 1 Roll Mode 3. 1. 1 Description and PriorityA user whose identity has been verified will be able to retrieve a roster and take roll at class time. The Pocket PC will determine the correct roster for the current date and time, retrieve that roster from a database server, and display it for the purposes of taking roll. The user will be able to designate each class member as present or absent, and upload that status information to the server. The server will notify the class members marked as absent by e-mail. Priority = High. 3. 1. 2 Stimulus/Response Sequences Stimulus: Response: Stimulus: Response: Stimulus: Response: Stimulus: Response: User loads system.System queries server and if a class exists for the current date, time, and user, then that roster is retrieved and displayed. User requests that a class member be marked absent. The class member is designated as absent. User requests that a class member be marked present. The class member is designated as present. User requests that the data be sent to the server for storage. The absence data for the current roster are transmitted to the server. Stimulus: Response: Server receives data indicating a class member has been recorded absent. E-mail is sent to that class member. 3. 1. 3 Functional Requirements Roll. Retrieve. Time: Roll.Retrieve. Date: Roll. Retrieve. Roste r: Roll. Retrieve. Roster. No: Roll. Display. Roster: Roll. Display. Members: Roll. Mark. Present: Roll. Mark. Absent: Roll. Transmit. Data: Roll. Notify. E-mail: The system shall retrieve the current time. The system shall retrieve the current date. The system shall retrieve the roster from the server that matches the current time and date. If no roster is found to match current time and date, default menus will be displayed. The system will display the roster on screen. The roster will display the pictures and names of class members. Members have the ability to be marked as present.Members have the ability to be marked as absent. The system will transmit the status of each class member in the active roster to the server. The system will notify all class members by e-mail if they are marked as absent along with their current status within the attendance policy. 3. 2 Edit Mode Figure 3: State Transitions within Roll Mode. 3. 2. 1 Description and Priority A user whose identity has be en verified who wishes to change the absence status of one or more class members as is related to a past class period will have the ability to retrieve the roster data for that class period from the server.Absence data may then be adjusted and the corrections uploaded to the server. Any new absences will result in notification by e-mail to the class member in question. A change from absent to present will result in a notification that an absence has been removed. Priority = High. 3. 2. 3 Stimulus/Response Sequences Stimulus: Response: Stimulus: The user requests to view absence data from a certain date and time. The roster and absence data are retrieved from the server and displayed. The user requests that a class member’ s status be changed to absent. Response: Stimulus: Response: Stimulus: Response:The class member’ s status is changed to absent. The user requests that a class member’ s status be changed to present. The class member’ s status is changed to present. The user indicates that they are finished making changes. The altered data is uploaded to the server and server data is updated to reflect the changes. E-mail notification is sent to the class members affected. 3. 2. 3 Functional Requirements Edit. Retrieve. Time: Edit. Retrieve. Date: Edit. Retrieve. Roster: Edit. Retrieve. Roster. No: Edit. Display. Roster: Edit. Display. Members: The system shall allow the user to choose the date of the roster to be retrieved.The system shall allow the user to choose the date of the roster to be retrieved. The system will retrieve the roster and absence data from the requested date and time. If no such roster exists, an error message will be displayed. The system will display the roster on screen. The roster will display the pictures and names of class members along with current absence status on screen. Members will have the ability to have their status changed to present. Members will have the ability to have their status changed t o absent. The system will transmit the new status of each class member in the active roster to the server.The system will notify all class members by e-mail if their status has been changed to absent along with their current status within the attendance policy. The system will notify all class members by e-mail if their status has been changed to present along with their current status within the attendance policy. Edit. Mark. Present: Edit. Mark. Absent: Edit. Transmit. Data: Edit. Notify. Absent: Edit. Notify. Present: Figure 4: State Transitions within Edit Mode. 3. 3 Statistics Mode 3. 3. 1 Description and Priority A user whose identity has been verified may request absence statistics for class members in classes under their control.Statistics for an individual class member may be retrieved and displayed with regard to number, frequency, date of absences as well as the percentage of classes missed over a user-defined period of time. A list of class members who were absent for a chosen class period may also be retrieved. Priority = High. 3. 2. 3 Stimulus/Response Sequences Stimulus: Response: User requests a statistical record. Statistics are calculated, retrieved from the server, and displayed. 3. 3. 3 Functional Requirements Stats. Define. Range: Stats. Request. Number: Stats. Request. Dates: Stats. Request. Frequency: Stats. Request. Percentage: Stats.Request. List: Stats. Retrieve. Number: Stats. Retrieve. Dates: Stats. Retrieve. Frequency: Stats. Retrieve. Percentage: Stats. Retrieve. List: The user shall have the ability to set the date or range of dates for which statistics will be retrieved. The user shall have the ability to request the number of absences for a class member. The user shall have the ability to request the dates of the absences for a class member. The user shall have the ability to request the frequency of absences for a class member. The user shall have the ability to request the percentage of class periods that a class member was a bsent.The user shall have the ability to request a list of the class members absent on a given date. The system shall have the ability to calculate and retrieve the number of absences for a class member from the server. The system shall have the ability to calculate and retrieve the dates of the absences for a class member from the server. The system shall have the ability to calculate and retrieve the frequency of absences for a class member from the server. The system shall have the ability to calculate and retrieve the percentage of class periods that a class member was absent from the server.The system shall have the ability to retrieve a list of the class members absent on a given date from the server. The system shall have the ability to display the number of absences for a class member. The system shall have the ability to display the dates of the absences for a class member. Stats. Display. Number: Stats. Display. Dates: Stats. Display. Frequency: Stats. Display. Percentage: Stats. Display. List: The system shall have the ability to display the frequency of absences for a class member. The system shall have the ability to display the percentage of class periods that a class member was absent.The system shall have the ability to display a list of the class members absent on a given date. Figure 5: State Transitions within Statistics Mode. 4. External Interface Requirements 4. 1 User Interfaces UI-1: UI-2: UI-3: UI-4: UI-5: The Attendance Tracking System shall provide pictures above the names of students in the class to aid in taking roll. These pictures can be clicked with a stylus in order to indicate whether a student is present or absent. All modifications to the database will be done through a stylus, the keyboard would only be needed to enter passwords.The Attendance Tracking System will provide a help link that will download a user manual and project it onto the screen in case the user has difficulty in using the program. The program will provide a page that produces current statistics on class attendance. 4. 2 Hardware Interfaces HI-1: HI-2: HI-3: The Attendance Tracking System will reside on the Pocket PC, however, it will be able to report its data to a database set up on a Solaris machine. The Attendance Tracking System will also be able to tell the Solaris machine to send emails to students who have missed class.The Pocket PC will use a wireless Ethernet card to communicate with the database set up on the Solaris machine. 4. 3 Software Interfaces SI-1: SI-1. 1: SI-1. 2: SI-1. 3: SI-2: SI-2. 1: SI-2. 2: Attendance Tracking System This software will transmit the attendance of a class to a database on a Solaris machine via wireless Ethernet. The user will be allowed to modify attendance records at any time. If the user forgets to transmit the information, the system will automatically send it for them at the end of the class. Database The Attendance Tracking System will communicate with the database to perform the followin g options.To allow a user to enter attendance. To allow a user to modify attendance. SI-2. 3: SI-3: To allow a user to query a system to gain statistics concerning individual and class attendance. Mail Message Generator If a student is absent, the database will send the necessary information to this interface and an e-mail message will be sent to the student. 4. 4 Communications Interfaces CI-1: CI-2: CI-3: The security of a user must be consistent through the use of passwords. The Attendance Tracking System will signal the mail message generator when it needs to send an email to the student.The Attendance Tracking System will communicate to the database through a wireless Ethernet system. 5. Other Nonfunctional Requirements 5. 1 Performance Requirements PE-1: PE-2: PE-3: PE-4: PE-5: PE-6: PE-7: The program must be able to be run concurrently by multiple professors. During peak times of usage (9:00 AM to 2:00 PM), the system shall support approximately 20 users. Transmission of roll data shall occur in under 5 seconds using the wireless network card. Acknowledgement of roll received (confirmation) shall be returned within 8 seconds. Queries upon the database shall be performed in less than 5 seconds.Upon start of the roll program, roll information shall be displayed on the instructor’ s Pocket PC within 10 seconds. Email messages to absent students shall be sent within one hour of the conclusion of a class. The program shall support taking roll for class sizes of up to 100 students. With a maximum class size, performance must still conform to all performance requirements. 5. 2 Safety Requirements No safety requirements have been identified. 5. 3 Security Requirements SE-1: SE-2: SE-3: SE-4: An instructor shall permitted to view and edit absence information in the database for only his/her classes.In order to take roll or edit database information, the instructor shall be required to enter a password. This password shall be stored on the instructorâ€⠄¢ s Pocket PC after initial entry in order that it must only be entered once. Passwords shall be stored in an instructor database and verified upon each session of roll or database modification. An instructor shall be allowed to change his/her password only by supplying his/her existing password. The updated password shall be stored in the instructor database and on the instructor’ s Pocket PC. 5. Software Quality Attributes Availability-1: The system shall be available to all instructors through Information Systems during their normal hours of operation. Reliability-1: Reusability-1: Robustness-1: Robustness-2: Updatability-1: Usability-1: 6. Other Requirements Due to the use of a wireless network, reliability of the system at all times is not guaranteed. However, overall reliability of the system and roll information shall be achieved through the process of database manipulation. The system shall be able to be reused for each new semester.If no network connection can be es tablished to receive the roll information, the instructor shall be allowed to enter roll later. If a network connection is lost during roll, the program shall allow the instructor to transmit roll information at a later time. The system shall allow for addition or deletion of instructors, students, and classes while incorporating new semesters. Usability of the system shall be achieved through an online help pages and an introductory training session for all instructors upon installation of the program on their Pocket PCs. 6. 1 Database RequirementsDA-1: DA-2: DA-3: DA-4: The system shall include three databases: student, class, and instructor. The student database shall contain student information including name, email address, and student identification number. The class database shall contain information about classes including class title, department code and course number, meeting times, students enrolled, and absences. The class database shall be grouped by department code and course number. The instructor database shall contain information about instructors including name, email address, password, and classes taught.

Descriptive Essay House on Fire

descriptive essay house on fire The House on Fire That cold night of December 2004 had left behind a memory which will stay in my mind for a never ending period of time. That night was not the same as the rest of the days in my life. Instead of going to bed, that night I was standing in the middle of the road, in complete terror. My heartbeat was accelerating with fear and tears were rolling down my cheeks as I saw Emily taken away by the ambulance. The house, which I was standing in front of, was burning as fire engulfed it from all sides. There was fire everywhere.The roof was on fire, the doors and the windows were on fire, fire was even coming out of the house through various openings, looking like a fire-breathing dragon was inside the house, puffing fire. The flames burned deep red and amber, almost livid purple as I saw various firefighters trying to put out the fire. Nothing inside was likely to survive the fire. Flames were licking up in the air with the wind, trying to catc h something else on fire, and finding nothing but air, disappearing into the windy night, like disappointed flutters. Everything was happening too fast.During a minute or less, fire had spread across the entire landing. I was petrified by the sight of the fire, which crawled lizard like up the house. The house was exploding in yellow blue flames that quickly turned orange. I was trembling and whimpering softly as I saw Emily’s mother sitting on the ground, helplessly. She was crying out of despair. Her reaction had made me even more scared. I wanted someone to console me by telling me that nothing will happen to Emily. She was my best friend. We had spent seven years of our childhood together and I did not want to lose her.I was praying silently while Emily’s mother had lost all the hope of her survival. I had never felt so alone before. Even the thought of losing her, frightened me. I felt as if I was living through the worst nightmare. Grief is the worst feeling in t he world. You feel hopeless, scared, angry, frustrated, alone and afraid. Going through a phase in life when you have a feeling of losing someone is hard to accept and it is much harder for an eight years old child. You feel as if the world had stopped and you could never move on in life.It is very painful to accept that you will no longer be able to see someone who was very close to the heart. I was crying while looking at the crowd of people that had clustered around the house by that time. The voices of the people echoed in my ear hauntingly. Their screams and shouts gave rise to my fear. I was horrified by the siren of the ambulance, the police car and the firefighters, the ringing of the phones of the crowd, the yelling, the cries, the increasing roar of the fire; everything added chaos to that place and frightened me even more.Ghosts of smoke were drifting across the street. I smelled smoke. It was not heavy, but it had a pungent smell. I started to cough as the smoke enfolded me. The air surrounding me was becoming less breathable by the second. My mouth was filled with the bitter taste of the smoke. I wanted a draught of clean air to rinse out my polluted lungs. The cough had aggravated pain in my head. My eyes were becoming swollen and watery. Soon after, the fire got quite out of control as the whole house was on fire. The firefighters evacuated the street and told everyone to go inside their houses.I had no choice but to retreat to my room where I could see, feel, and hear Emily’s house burn down. In a few minutes, the house had been reduced to a pile of rubble, ashes, and smouldering wood and items. There was a rotting smell that took over the whole neighbourhood, like a bad barbeque party gone horribly wrong. The smell was so overpowering that it took almost a week to get it out of my nose. That horrifying night of December still reminds me how valuable a person is in our life. If the firefighters were even one minute late in rescuing Emily , I would have lost my best friend that day.

Similarities and Differences of Rome and Han China Essays

Similarities and Differences of Rome and Han China Essays Similarities and Differences of Rome and Han China Essay Similarities and Differences of Rome and Han China Essay Similarities and Differences of Rome and Han China Although Han China and Rome shared similarities in their techniques of imperial administration though military conquest and engineering’s aid toward the economy, they differed in their approach to land distribution. Rome and Han China shared similar techniques in their methods of military conquest in relation to their imperial administration. Both Rome and Han China established control of their territory though fighting and defending land. Testaments of this can be seen when Rome used legions that consisted of heavy infantry. Each legion had thousands of soldiers and was sent to the battlefield head first to fight. These legions were considered standing units and a professional army that were sent out wherever war came about. Rome also had numerous soldiers along all the borders as a means of defense. Similarly, Han China also had regiments consisting of thousands of soldiers that were sent out for military conquest. These regiments correspondingly were considered as well, professional armies known as standing units. Han China in the same way had an abundant number of soldiers along their borders even with the defense added on by the Great Wall of China. These similarities were key as each empire brought the provinces of their domains together though military conquest into regimes of unprecedented scale and thereby enhanced the integration of local worlds into a common legal and cultural framework. Rome conquered the Mediterranean using legions and forcing other regions and new lands to join them. Correspondingly they defended by putting out soldiers on all the borders in case of any attackers. In comparison, Han China conquered East Asia by taking over territories and using their regiments of thousands of soldiers to make the people join the empire as well. Using similar actions, Han China also followed by defending their borders through stationed soldiers and by even expanding the Great Wall of China to cover more area and form an even larger border. Rome and Han China pooled common links in their techniques of engineering and uses under imperial administration. Both Rome and Han China equivalently constructed similar roads, bridges, and water development systems all to trengthen their economy. Verifications of this can be seen when Rome fully realized the potential of arches and bridges in their road systems that spanned more than 400,000 km of roads that were used for trade. Correspondingly, they also built aqueducts as a form of water engineering to constantly bring in a flow of water to the cities and towns. Similarly, Han China built massive fortified roadways for tr ade and walls for fortification comparable to the Great Wall of China as a means of defense. Also in comparison to Roman aqueducts, Han China built water canals as means to direct water as they pleased. These similarities defined their engineering skills as these inventions and constructions were used to help strengthen their economies. Rome built and constructed roads to aid their trade systems and make easier routes of travel. Furthermore, they used aqueducts to get water into the city saving money and the need for human labor. Similarly, Han China used their fortified roads to trade much easier and as a means of safer travel. This went hand in hand with China’s water canals that also aided their economy by directing water where needed saving much money and limiting the need for human labor as well. Rome and Han China had relatively different approaches to land ownership as a means of imperial administration. Rome awarded large tracts of land to loyal soldiers, whereas China provided land to individual peasants. Evidence of this can be seen in the large country estates, latifundia that elite Romans owned. Soldiers who were awarded these estates usually managed them from large urban centers such as Rome. They would often hire foremen to manage them and sometimes rent property to tenant farmers. On the other hand, China seized land from wealthy landlords and divided the land among the peasants. These differences existed between Rome and China mainly because of taxes. Rome conquered the entire Mediterranean and gave citizenship to many newly conquered peoples which provided them with ample taxes. Furthermore a land redistribution policy was rejected during the previous era of the Republic. Conversely, China had not conquered vast amounts of territory when the Han assumed the throne, their territorial expansion came later. In order to generate enough taxes they redistributed land to create more tax payers and greater revenue.

American Films and Life Essays

American Films and Life Essays American Films and Life Essay American Films and Life Essay One quote that I found only recently, yet is now of my favorite quotes to live by is, The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny. Albert Ellis. To me this quote means that you are happiest once you realize that you are in control of your own future. If you have a problem, you have to deal with it yourself; you cant blame it on anyone else but yourself. If you keep putting other people at fault for your own issues, youll never find a true resolution to the problem. I support this quote because many experiences Vive gone through in my own life can relate to it. My first experience that I chose to support the quote deals with my favorite sport, Irish dance. After dancing for close to 10 years, I have experienced this situation many times. Irish dancing is a very competitive sport, that really takes a toll on you both physically and emotionally. I know myself and many other dancers have gotten to points where we question why we still even do the sport. We get frustrated and cant even remember why we love dancing so much. I remember towards the end of last year I had one of these attitudes. Regional was in November and I hadnt done as well as I had wanted to. I really hadnt put in enough effort and practice leading up to regional. Even though I knew deep down it was really my own fault, I made excuses for myself and blamed my failure on everything but myself. I blamed my teacher for not preparing me enough. I blamed the Judges for not Judging correctly and I blamed about everything else I could except for me. Eventually, I had come to terms that it was my own fault, nobody elses. Once I recognized this, I lost my bad attitude and started fresh. I now was going to put in the necessary effort to rank where I wanted to be. I realized that I was the only one who was able to make a difference in my life. If I wanted change I had to work for it, and I did. I placed higher in competitions because I was now determined to do better and I was much happier with where I was ending up. My second life experience goes a lot deeper than Just a sport. This experience had taken up my entire life. When my parents were getting divorced, everything to me seemed like the end of the world. I was unhappy for a long time and I really felt as if I was stuck in a rut that I Just couldnt get out of. I felt helpless to what was happening and I became really angry towards life. I felt as if I was being shorted the life that everyone else had. Nobody understood what I was going through and I wondered why it had to happen to me and not somebody else. I honestly began to not care about things I should have. My grades slipped and I was in a bad mood most of the time. If people tried to talk to me it would Just make me angrier so I alienated myself from everyone. I had so much anger that I Just blamed on other people. I blamed my parents, my family, God, I blamed my friends for not understanding me. Yet I thought if I had all these people to blame for my unhappiness Id feel better, but the problem was still there. One day my grandma told me, Nobody can fix you but yourself. No one else is responsible for whats inside of you, only you can make a difference in your life. You control your own happiness rolled my eyes and told her she was wrong, but then I really thought about it and realized she was right. If I stayed in the same attitude Just moping around then nothing would change for me. I had to realize that I really did control my own destiny and it took me awhile to really understand that. I was the only one standing in the way of what I wanted. I had to face my own issues and not put anyone else at fault. To be happier I had to change my attitude and outlook on life and understand that Im in control of my my own destiny. No one else can control it for me. Still to this day If I ever get stuck in a situation that makes me feel down I remember this quote. I have to face my problems as they are, and not put anyone else at fault for them. I control my future and it all starts with my attitude. Once I realized that my future and my happiness was in my unhands I was happier with myself, and hopefully according to Albert Ellis, if I keep this outlook these will be the best years of my life.

Qué pasa al quedarse en EE.UU. más tiempo que permitido

Quà © pasa al quedarse en EE.UU. ms tiempo que permitido Los turistas extranjeros pueden visitar Estados Unidos con una visa en vlida, o incluso, sin visado si pertenecen a un grupo selecto de paà ­ses que pertenecen al Programa de Exencià ³n de Visados, pero deben salir del paà ­s antes de que expire el tiempo autorizado para permanecer en el mismo. Los tiempos que se puede quedar un turista depende del tipo de documento que se utilice para ingresar y, si se ingresa con visa, incluso de las condiciones de su titular. En el documento que se conoce como I-94 registro de entrada y salida, puede verificarse exactamente por cunto tiempo se est autorizado a permanecer en EE.UU. Ahora es un documento digital que puede consultarse en internet en la pgina oficial de la CBP. Si se ingresà ³ sin visa, el tiempo mximo de permanencia es de 90 dà ­as. Con independencia de si se ingresà ³ a EE.UU. con visa de turista o sin ella por ser de un paà ­s del Programa de Exencià ³n de visados, todos sufren las mismas consecuencias si se permanecen en el paà ­s ms all del tiempo autorizado. En este artà ­culo se explican cules son esas consecuencias y por quà © se debe evitar intentar hacer trampa con el tiempo de permanencia. Consecuencias de quedarse en EE.UU. ms tiempo del permitido Desde el punto de vista migratorio los turistas que exceden el nà ºmero de dà ­as de estancia permitida se convierten en indocumentados. A partir de ahà ­ si entran en contacto con una autoridad migratoria pueden ser expulsados inmediatamente o deportados, dependiendo del caso de cada uno. Aunque existen posibilidades de legalizarse (regularizar la situacià ³n), en realidad tampoco hay tantas y los requisitos son estrictos. Por esta razà ³n, lo mejor siempre es salir del paà ­s dentro de plazo o pedir con tiempo una extensià ³n o un cambio de visa. En este punto destacar que los turistas que entraron sin visado no pueden hacer ni una cosa ni otra, para ellos sà ³lo cabe la opcià ³n de salir de Estados Unidos. Adems, deben hacerlo dentro de los 90 dà ­as siguientes al dà ­a de ingreso. Por ello, antes de decidir quedar en Estados Unidos en situacià ³n de indocumentado, consultar con un abogado de inmigracià ³n y entender muy bien todos los problemas que pueden surgir.   En casos muy excepcionales, en los que se permanece en Estados Unidos ms tiempo que el autorizado en la visa es posible  solicitar y obtener una restauracià ³n de estatus. Esto es lo que se conoce como Nunc Pro Tunc para casos en los que no se solicità ³ a tiempo la extensià ³n o un cambio de visa. Otra consecuencia de quedarse ms tiempo del permitido es que la visa de turista se cancela. Tener en consideracià ³n que el titular no es notificado de este hecho. Se entera cuando intenta ingresar a EEUU en el siguiente viaje y no se le permite. En el caso de haber ingresado a EE.UU. sin visa, se pierde ese derecho. A partir de ese momento es necesario pedir al consulado una visa de turista si se quiere regresar a Estados Unidos y la aprobacià ³n de la misma no est asegurada. Adems, tanto si se entrà ³ con visa o sin ella, haber estado ilegalmente es causa de inadmisibilidad y si se ha estado ms de 180 dà ­as ilegalmente en el paà ­s y despuà ©s se sale de Estados Unidos, aplica el castigo de los tres y de los diez aà ±os, con algunas pocas excepciones. Es cierto que para solicitar una visa no inmigrante, como es la de turista, estudiante, intercambio, inversià ³n, etc., es posible solicitar un perdà ³n por la penalidad de los 3 o de los 10 aà ±os, pero no se aprueba frecuentemente. E incluso en los casos en los que ya ha transcurrido el tiempo del castigo puede resultar difà ­cil que el oficial consular apruebe una nueva visa puesto que se plantà ³ ya la duda sobre las intenciones del solicitante.   Eso no quiere decir que resulte imposible obtenerla. Pero sà ­ que se va a mirar con gran detenimiento la aplicacià ³n. Error grave a evitar El sistema informtico de las aduanas de EEUU es, en estos momentos, muy completo. No es como antes. Todas las personas que dan por perdido el pasaporte, piden a sus embajadas unos salvoconductos y una vez que estn de regreso en sus paà ­ses solicitan un pasaporte nuevo y la visa americana estn cometiendo un error.   Eso podà ­a pasar en algunos casos hace aà ±os. Ahora ya no. Queda registrado que no se salià ³ a tiempo. Es este punto es de interà ©s conocer  quà © informacià ³n tienen en el control migratorio de la aduana americana. Los oficiales de migracià ³n, control de paso migratorio y de los consulados de Estados Unidos no tiene que probar nada. Es la persona interesada la que tiene que demostrar, en caso de duda, que efectivamente se salià ³ a tiempo. Al oficial consular o al inspector de aduanas les basta con tener la sospecha para negar la visa o la entrada. Puntos clave a tener en cuenta Quedarse ms tiempo del permitido conlleva convertirse en indocumentadoLa visa se cancela o se pierde el derecho a viajar sin visa como turistaPuede aplicar el castigo de los 3 y de los 10 aà ±os. Este artà ­culo tienen una finalidad meramente informativa.

Engineering disasters that have occurred since 1800 Assignment

Engineering disasters that have occurred since 1800 - Assignment Example That is why the failure of the Engineers is called the Engineering Disasters. The Engineering disasters can be divided into different categories such as civil engineering disasters, Mechanical Engineering disasters, Nuclear Disasters, Environmental disasters, space disasters, etc. The primary causes of engineering disasters are usually considered to be According to the recent research conducted by Swiss federal Institute of technology in Zurich, it was proved the 800 cases of structural failure in which 504 people were killed, 592 people injured, and millions of dollars of damage incurred due to the Engineering disasters. When the faults are from the Engineers’ side, they are classified by the researchers in the following manner So the Engineers have no option but handle each and every task carefully. Here the paper specially focuses on many disasters that have occurred since 1800. This article is the analysis and the study of different Engineering disasters and the causes responsible for these disasters. Let’s have a look at some of the Engineering disasters from 1800 to till now. In 1854 a catastrophe occurred due to the failure of Engineers in building the steamship named Arctic where approximately 300 people had to loss their lives. The great appalling thing in this disaster was that not a single woman or child could survive. This steam ship was built in New York City and it was launched in 1850. This giant ship was 284 feet long, one of the largest ships in those days. Its steam engines powered large paddle wheels on either side of its hull. It was well equipped with spacious dining rooms, saloons, and staterooms, the luxurious accommodations never before seen on a steamship had been provided to the people. On September 13, 1854 Arctic reached in Liverpool after a trip from New York City. On its return trip to New York the Arctic would be

NCI corporation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

NCI corporation - Assignment Example This is the margin NCI corporation already had the capability to produce for the casket market. On the other side, the traditional margin for manufacturing the caskets was about 23%. On average, 23% is the operating margin NCI Corporation previously incurred for the new product. The increase in the number of discounters in the casket market results to reduced prices of caskets. , the margin increases with the increase in the casket suppliers in the market. The discounters such as the wholesalers, retailers, and other manufacturers do not incur the similar costs incurred by the funeral homes. Therefore, they sell the caskets cheaply and still make a profit because there are low production costs involved. In addition, the discounters sell caskets in large scale thereby enjoying the economies of scale. The number of caskets, I will sell to the different target purchasers depend heavily on the respective buying price the target buyer will offer. I will provide 50 Caskets to the funeral homes. This will be the highest number of caskets I would like to sell. To the retailers, I expect to sell around 60 caskets while the wholesalers will get around 100 caskets. To achieve the figures, I assumed a constant 40 % margin and particular profits for each purchaser target. For instance, I assumed $ 500,000 profit in the case of funeral homes, $ 180,000 profit in the case of the retailers and $ 250,000. In addition, I assumed $ 50,000 net income, $ 120,000 capital expenditure and investment return worth $ 250,000. 1. There are various risks associated with NCI’s entry into the casket selling. First, the firm risk losing all the retrenched workers. Secondly, involvement in the new business is risky since neither Roger nor his adviser knows about the marketing of the products. Lastly, the firm risks getting customers for her products since nobody in the business knows the targeted consumers for the caskets. 2. The firm’s sale will increase at the rate of diminishing

Risk Impact of Global Communications in Business Research Paper

Risk Impact of Global Communications in Business - Research Paper Example The dynamic force regulating and accelerating globalization is undoubtedly a revolutionary development being made in the fields of information technology, navigation and communications. Hence, it is the marvellous technological advancement and innovative tools, techniques and equipment that have paved the way towards fastest possible progress and growth in political, social, cultural, economic and commercial areas of the contemporary world. The zone which has witnessed the fastest changes in the wake of the IT revolution is undoubtedly a corporate sector that includes trade, commerce and business-related activities, which has observed glorious expansion worldwide. â€Å"Advances in information and communication technologies (ICT)† Brynjolfsson and Kahin observe, â€Å"are affecting many aspects of business activity. Notable among these is the obscuring of the material aspects of the behaviour of firms and the subsequent changes in the meaning of distance and geography.† (2000: 111) The fields including marketing, travelling, e-commerce, communications, health and medicines, home appliances and domestic necessities, education and trade have experienced outstanding flourishing in the wake of technological advancements. â€Å"Trade liberalization and information technology† UNESCAP reports, â€Å"continually advancing, national borders are increasingly disappearing and barriers to global trade are falling. As a result, global manufacturing and marketing are becoming increasingly organized. To cope with this operational environment, global firms have been searching for new production and logistics architectures as a way of gaining the advantages that come with standardized global production.† (Quoted in unescap.org).

7. The prospect of Turkish membership in the EU has led to the Essay

7. The prospect of Turkish membership in the EU has led to the emergence of increasingly stringent conditions for membership. Discuss - Essay Example Expansion has largely been carried out in the countries of the former Soviet Union and this organization continues to come under pressure to expand eastward. Accordingly Turkey, a predominately Muslim country straddling the border between Europe and Asia, is seeking membership into one of the most exclusive multilateral clubs in the world. Undertaking an analysis the candidacy of Turkey for membership in the EU, the following will discuss the major obstacles to the inclusion of Turkey within this exclusive multilateral club. This essay will begin with a concise overview of the European Union and will address the evolution of the EU following the collapse of state-led communism in Eastern Europe. This led to an increased desire for the EU to expand and the ramifications of this incredible and for some, unimaginable, fact will be analyzed with respect to the EU. We then turn to an analysis of enlargement, the ever-increasing demand for growth, the trajectory in which the EU has grown and finally, the reasons why Turkey is not a suitable candidate for membership in the European Union. We will explore the domestic and historical factors which make Turkey a poor candidate for EU membership and will conclude with a broad overview of our overall analysis (Warleigh 13; Fierke & Wiener 1-24). The European Union (EU) is a supranational body composed of constituent member states, found largely on the European peninsula. Democracy, negotiation, and collective decision-making through multilateralism are all inherent attributes of the modern EU. Today, membership in the European Union is actively sought by nearly all countries on the European peninsula as well as by one country straddling both Europe and Middle Asia (Turkey). Although there were initially only five members of the precursor to the European Union (Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands and West Germany), there are presently 27 countries in the EU and they

New product development is the key to 'Apple's marketing success Coursework

New product development is the key to 'Apple's marketing success. DISCUSS - Coursework Example ounced the launch of iBooks 2 for iPad which would feature iBooks textbooks, iTunes U application for iPhone, iPad and for iPod touch (Apple Inc-a, 2012). Apple aims to bring the best experience for its customers through its product and services. The business strategy of Apple is to leverage the unique abilities of designing and developing the company’s own operating system, software and hardware in order to provide its customers with superior products and innovative designs. The company believes in innovation which is the key strategy for the success of the company; as a result, Apple invests in its research and development in order to introduce new and innovative products. Apart from its R&D, the company also invests in its marketing and advertisement as a part of Apple strategy to stay ahead of its competitors. Apple strategy also includes expansion of its distribution network to reach more clients and provide the potential customers with high quality of sales and post purc hase experience (Apple Inc, 2011, p.1). Any changes made to a product are termed as new product development. New products can be defined as products which are new to the concerned company but it’s not new in the market; there are products which are completely different from the existing product and form a good replacement; finally, products which are new, innovative and unique (Chaturvedi, et.al, 2009, p.1). Apple is known for its pioneer work strategy being one of the most innovative companies. New product development is one of the key strategies of Apple; it is through new product that the company has been able to taste success being one of the leading companies globally. Apple launches new product in the markets to stay ahead of its competitors, to continue the product life cycle, to give the customers what they need, and to enhance the strategy. According to Steve Jobs, new product lines tend to give people the products which are needed by the consumers. The company expresses its

Societal Forces Affecting Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Societal Forces Affecting Science - Essay Example Half were given an application from a â€Å"male† applicant. The other half were given the identical application, from a â€Å"female†. The allegedly female applicant was consistently marked as a less competent and less likely candidates than were the allegedly male applicants (Yuriewicz). Thus, gender bias definitely exists in the scientific community, and it blocks equality of opportunity (Yuriewicz). Masculine bias would obviously shape the field of science significantly. The findings strongly indicated that female scientists also rated male applicants as more competent and more likely candidates (Yuriewicz). This indicates that the bias in those who pride themselves on objectivity is sub-conscious, and unquestioned. This effect can and should be minimized through gender bias awareness training, and through a more objective applicant screening process, one carried out by a computer program, for example. A positive influence bias in science is the strong bias for journal publication and citation search indexes to include only English research articles (Granda-Orive, Solano-Reina and Jimenez-Ruiz 104). There is a negative influence, in that language, not quality, positions papers to be cited and quoted (104). Yet, there is a positive influence in that language and thought are closely intertwined, and it is beneficial to the advancement of scientific knowledge for there to be a global base from which to theorize. Replication is part of the scientific method, so common language brings common understanding and a common framework within which to communicate. The negative effect can and should be minimized by maintaining a citation database for non-English papers, but the positive influence of this bias outweighs the negative impact, and should be

New product development is the key to 'Apple's marketing success Coursework

New product development is the key to 'Apple's marketing success. DISCUSS - Coursework Example ounced the launch of iBooks 2 for iPad which would feature iBooks textbooks, iTunes U application for iPhone, iPad and for iPod touch (Apple Inc-a, 2012). Apple aims to bring the best experience for its customers through its product and services. The business strategy of Apple is to leverage the unique abilities of designing and developing the company’s own operating system, software and hardware in order to provide its customers with superior products and innovative designs. The company believes in innovation which is the key strategy for the success of the company; as a result, Apple invests in its research and development in order to introduce new and innovative products. Apart from its R&D, the company also invests in its marketing and advertisement as a part of Apple strategy to stay ahead of its competitors. Apple strategy also includes expansion of its distribution network to reach more clients and provide the potential customers with high quality of sales and post purc hase experience (Apple Inc, 2011, p.1). Any changes made to a product are termed as new product development. New products can be defined as products which are new to the concerned company but it’s not new in the market; there are products which are completely different from the existing product and form a good replacement; finally, products which are new, innovative and unique (Chaturvedi, et.al, 2009, p.1). Apple is known for its pioneer work strategy being one of the most innovative companies. New product development is one of the key strategies of Apple; it is through new product that the company has been able to taste success being one of the leading companies globally. Apple launches new product in the markets to stay ahead of its competitors, to continue the product life cycle, to give the customers what they need, and to enhance the strategy. According to Steve Jobs, new product lines tend to give people the products which are needed by the consumers. The company expresses its

Is Gambling a Social Problem Essay Example for Free

Is Gambling a Social Problem Essay Gambling is an act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning. It also involves a significant risk as the material good (usually money) wagered in the game may be lost if the player does not win. Common forms of gambling include cockfighting (which usually results in the death of one or both roosters), casinos (which has become a profitable business), slot machines (convenient for those who want to play individually), bookmaking (often used for predicting the winners of sports competitions), and caracruz (simplest form of gambling which has existed since ancient history). There is an ongoing debate among social scientists, psychologists, business lobby groups, and others on the benefits and dangers of gambling. Some anti-gambling social activists argue that gambling is a serious social problem, while others argue that gambling problem is a problem of certain individuals who suffer from psychological ills and that in certain circumstances gambling on the contrary is a significant source of income (for example, for Native American tribes). Gambling Is a Social Problem ?Gambling is associated with a range of social issues and thus needs to be designated as a social problem. According to research on the topic, there is a correlation between various social problems and gambling. For example, Hardoon et al. , point out in their study that gambling problem among adolescents they studied stemmed from the lack of healthy familial and peer support, drug use problems, behavioral problems, problems related to family issues, and the parental gambling problems as well as their substance abuse. According to Hardoon et al. , there is a significant familial contribution to gambling problems. Read more:  Ã‚  Essays on Social Issues Many of their respondents said that their elder siblings had a strong influence in their decisions to experience gambling. Many of the respondents who suffered from gambling problems said that their parents themselves were problem gamblers. The study by Hardoon et al. , also points out that children of problem gamblers suffered from insecurity and a sense of â€Å"pervasive loss† (170). They also argue that gambling problem among parents leads to various kinds of familial dysfunctioning, including drug addiction, conduct problems, and delinquency. Hardoon et al. , also point out that there is a connection between gambling and substance use. â€Å"Compared to nongamblers,† they write, â€Å"adolescent gamblers are more likely to drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, and use drugs† (171). Gamblers are three times more likely to use drugs than non-gamblers. Gambling and substance use problems among adolescents often leads to delinquency and illegal behavior. Adolescents suffering from serious gambling problems are also likely to experience difficulty in school such as decreased academic performance and poor grades. More than half of the problem gamblers Hardoon et al. , studied suffered from conduct problems as well. They were more likely to break rules, get into troubles with individuals in authority, frequently display oppositional behavior, and join anti-social activities (171). This study in general demonstrates that the gambling problem is part of larger social issues and there is a clear correlation between gambling and various social problems. Another study on the impact of gambling on college students suggests that about 1. 6% of the U. S. dult population meets the diagnostic criteria for pathological gambling (Level 1), and 3,85% reportedly suffer from subclinical (Level 2) gambling problems. Among college students, the rate of gambling problem on both levels is twice as high as it is among the general adult population. There are significant social and health-related problems associated with adolescent gambling problems. Adolescents and young adults addicted to gambling suffer from serious stress-related problems. Many of them attempt and even complete suicides. Among these adolescents and young adults, the rate of disorderly familial relationships is much higher. There is a higher rate of comorbidity with other addictive disorders, and there are more frequent instances among these adolescents and young adults of arrests and convictions. The study concludes that â€Å"social norms–based social marketing campaigns (emphasizing accurate descriptive norms for alcohol) to successfully reduce alcohol use on campus† needs to be reworked and applied for combating gambling problems among college students (Larimer Neighbors 241-242). This is another testament to the fact that gambling is a social problem and that the way to reduce it is to employ tools which are used for combating other social problems. Illuminating in this case is the experience of Native American tribes in the United States. With the passing of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) in 1988, which mandated legislative basis for managing and regulating Indian gaming, the number of casinos has sharply risen in Native American communities. As a result of this, one study of this phenomenon points out, Native Americans â€Å"are four to six times more likely to be pathological gamblers and two to five times more likely to be problem gamblers than non-Indians† (Momper 139). The study also cites poverty, unemployment, and historical injustice as factors that contribute to the development of gambling problems among indigenous groups. According to this study, there is a similar correlation between the practice of excessive gambling and predisposition to other social and behavioral problems such as alcoholism, drug use, and disruptive behavior among Native American groups—but in significantly higher numbers than it is among non-Indians in the United States. Gambling is Not a Social Problem ?While it is true that gambling addiction, just like any other addictive behaviors such as alcohol addiction or drug addiction, is a social problem, gambling itself is not a social problem. Participants of gambling make conscious decisions and they have the freedom to stop the practice whenever they think it is detrimental to their financial, psychological, and social conditions. For example, in the year 1999 the National Gambling Impact Study Commission surveyed the U. S. opulation and found out that 86% of Americans had gambled some time in their lives, and that 68% gambled in 1999 alone (Seligman 86). Out of this large segment of the population who regularly gamble, only a tiny percentage of the population suffers from serious gambling problems. ?Discussions over the use of gambling are sometimes controversial because it is one of the businesses in America which has a bad reputation, on the one hand, and is so popular that more and more Americans are demanding gambling opportunities, on the other. Due to its popularity, gambling has been legalized in all states except Hawaii, Tennessee, and Utah. Residents of these states also gamble, by traveling to other states or by taking advantage of online gambling opportunities. Total wagering in the Unites States is around $900 billion a year (constituting 10% of personal income), and the lion’s share of wagering takes place in casinos ($600 billion). And casinos now exist in twenty nine states. But these are official figures and unofficially the extent of gambling among Americans is likely to be much higher (Seligman 87). Gambling in the United States is a legitimate form of business, and designating it a social problem would necessitate that we label other legitimate forms of business as social problems as well. As Seligman points out, â€Å"Wall Street offers plenty of bets with risk/reward opportunities that mirror those of slot machines—a long shot with occasional huge payout. Buying out-of-the-money puts on an airline stock just before a union vote would fall in that category. If the members unexpectedly vote against wage concessions, you could make a killing on the bankruptcy† (Seligman 89). Some critics of gambling who criticize it from an economic perspective, say that, while gambling consumes time, energy, and resources, it does not produce any real output. But that argument can be used against most kinds of financial transactions and speculating, both of which are acceptable, and in today’s world, necessary components of international financing. As for the charge that problem gambling leads to comorbidity with other social problems such as alcohol abuse and drug use, more research is required to determine the nuances of this connection. Does excessive gambling lead to alcohol abuse or is it the way around? If it is the former, then it is the problem of gambling addiction which needs to be labeled a social problem and remedied. If it is the latter, then it is the problem of alcoholism rather than gambling because alcohol abusers have more than one way of ruing their lives (gambling is not their only option), and even here the issue is the abusive consumption of alcohol, not alcohol consumption in general. Those who see gambling as a social problem ignore the fact that gambling may—and in many cases it does—lead to positive social outcomes. This is generally the case in the Indian reservations in the U. S. As Momper points out, an IGRA passage which aimed at encouraging gambling on reservations for the purpose of raising the standards of living on the poorest reservations â€Å"was the only federal policy that produced lasting effects for tribes, inasmuch as the unemployment rate (38 percent) on 214 reservations with casinos decreased by 13 percent from 1989 to 1995. Even if one takes into account the increase in the number of problem gamblers, other social and economic gains from casinos on reservations greatly outweighed the negative consequences of this business. In addition to creating jobs, casinos on reservations provided the American Indian community with various social services and strengthened their social bonds (Momper 142; Cornell et al. , 1998). While it is true that gambling addiction as increased among American Indian residents as a result of building casinos, in many instances improvements in standards of living took many of them out of poverty, decreasing the rate of behavioral problems and anti-social activities. ?In summary, both proponents of gambling-is-a-social-problem thesis and their opponents have strong arguments at hand. The debate is likely to continue without being resolved as it is a controversial topic and gambling among the U. S. population leads to mixed results: both positive and negative.