System Development - Tools and Techniques Essay - 1

System Development - Tools and Techniques - Essay Example Information system failure can occur to any organization, since there are a myriad of causes to such failures. However, the underlying factor is the disruption of the organizational functions and the losses that comes with such system failures. Therefore, this discussion seeks to analyze the various causes of system failures within organizations, with a keen interest on the challenges faced by the system developers, while also seeking to unearth the different techniques that can be applied to address the issue of system failures within organizations. Key challenges facing system analysts and developers resulting to systems failure Information systems failure can occur at different points in the implementation of the information system project within an organization. The information system failures may occur during the pre-implementation, implementation and even in the post-implementation stages of the project. The causes of these failures include: Lack of adequate research During the pre-implementation stage, it is important that a comprehensive research is done, to discover the information needs of an organization, and thus determine the sought of the information system that such an organization requires [2]. ... A good case study of lack of adequate research and incorrect assumptions, is that of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, where a system was developed to test nuclear reactors, where an error was made through a miscalculation done in the earthquake testing system by the system developer due to inadequate research regarding the system requirements [2]. Five nuclear reactors were developed using the same system, and the error was discovered months after the nuclear reactors had started being used to produce energy. This posed a great health danger, as well as the disruptions of the services of the utility companies that were depending on these reactors, causing them to turn to alternative sources of energy production, such as petroleum and coal power, which were relatively expensive and inefficient [5]. Lack of adequate training or expertise Another major challenge, which falls in the pre-implementation stage of information system development, is lack of adequate formal training, or lack of expertise on the side of the system developers. The lack of training and expertise results to poor system development, where either some of the information system components are left out, or where the information system prepared does not meet every specification of the organizational needs [2]. The weakness of the system developers, owing to lack of adequate training or expertise can also be demonstrated in the testing stage of the information system, where the testing of the system may not be done, or the testing process may fail, or even pose a great danger, due to some system faults. A case example in point, is that of the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK, where a computer system that was meant to store data for 220

Ronald Reagan and Free

Ronald Reagan and Free Market Economy Essay The real role of government in relation to the economy is much like the role of the captain of a sailboat: If he has rigged the sails correctly, the ship will steer itself.Reagan used supply-side economic policies to change the way the United States looked at the economy. His policies, regardless of standpoint, were a huge change from the prior decades. Reagan promised real change and actually delivered on it.The economic policies of Ronald Reagans administration accomplished the administrations four major policy objectives: reduce the growth of government spending; reduce the marginal tax rates on income from both labor and capital; reduce regulation; and reduce inflation. The United States Federal Government needs to adopt these policies again to get the country out of depression and back on track. Princetons lexical database defines supply-side economics as the school of economic theory that stresses the costs of production as a means of stimulating the economy; advocates policies that raise capital and labor output by increasing the incentive to produce (Princeton). Policies like these were implemented under Ronald Reagan. Critics often called the policies Reaganomics, however, supporters have adopted the term as a positive reference. At this point, the terms are used interchangeably (Uchitelle). Economics stems back to the dawn of centralized currency in the seventh century BC. During the past few hundred years, economics has become an important part of civilization especially since the emergence of the free market economy. The implementation and maintenance of these economies may be more difficult, but the freedom they provide is priceless. The debate of Reaganomics has been present since Reagan began his election campaign. Many criticized his policies and still do today. The debate of supply-side economics is based on whether Reagans policies worked. Statistics show his progress was concrete and undeniable, but still many people remain doubtful, and many others claim that big government should micromanage the economy, at the cost of freedom. The basis of the American economy and ways of thinking, financially, follow the principals of laissez-faire, a term which translates to let it happen. This theory states that government has three roles and only three roles: that a government should protect the peoples right to own property; maintain a stable currency; and provide for the public defense (McFall). That means that government need not be very large. Although some do not agree with these principles, they are the ones the country was founded on. Some believe that the government should interfere with the economy and provide for every individual through programs such as public health care. Those people believe that the wealthy should pay more taxes and the less wealthy should pay less; in other words, the wealthy should be giving away their money to those who do not have as much. They also believe in generally high taxes to pay for the programs they support, which benefit only lower income families. This side is considered the liberal view on the economy and government. Others believe that supply and demand, the free market economy as a whole, will manage itself. The more government interferes, the worse off everyone is. They believe in low taxes and a small government which serves only those three roles of government described under laissez-faire. This is considered the conservative view. Reagan himself held this view. Reagan’s biggest problem, which hurts how supply-side economics is perceived to this day, was his inability to produce a balanced budget within his presidency, to put it frankly, Reagan spent too much money. For any government to work, its spending must balance out with its income. This is also true for people and businesses. If a government spends more than it takes in, it falls into debt. If that problem is not corrected, the deficits begin to add up, increasing the debt. During his campaign, Reagan promised he would cut taxes, get control of government spending, and get government out of the way of American businesses (Second Revolution). Unfortunately, he was only able to deliver on part of his promise. President Reagan did not get government spending under control like the American people wanted. He spent massive amounts of money on defense and created a deficit, the likes of which had not been seen since the Second World War. USA Today published an article in 2004 stating, â€Å"Federal spending as a share of the economy was at about the same level in 1988 as in 1981† (Kirchhoff 2), which shows that although Reagan did not increase spending, he did not decrease it either. Jason Furman, director of the Hamilton Project at Brookings Institution elaborated, â€Å"If you are cutting taxes without offsetting the cuts through reductions in spending, then all you are doing is increasing debt and postponing the taxes† (Uchitelle), which makes perfect sense. If the income of the government is cut, then so must be its expenditure. If Reagan had been able to cut his spending directed towards the military, then his budget deficit would have been cut dramatically. A plan with a defense budget as ridiculous as his would not be even slightly justifiable today; however, the times were different then. It is observed that Reagan ended the Cold War. Without his spending on projects such as the Strategic Defense Initiative, the Cold War could very well be going on today, or worse, it could have gone the way of nuclear warfare. Reagan’s spending, although it was over the top, can be justified. Without it, America, and the rest of the world, might not be standing today. Faced with the Cold War and armed with a love for his country, he was compelled to increase defense spending. Unlike President Jimmy Carter, Reagan was willing to make tough decisions and start progressing towards real peace. At the time Reagan was President, the country was still locked in a Cold War with the Soviet Union. His military spending was very much influenced by this war and the nuclear arms race surrounding it. He took a new, outside-of-the-box approach to the race. Instead of a bigger and better missile, he opted for a missile defense system that would shoot down incoming nuclear threats (Reagan). His actions and others ended the Cold War and the threat of worldwide nuclear annihilation. President Reagans administration turned over record deficits to Presidents Bush and Clinton. Reagans Vice President, George H. W. Bush, shared Reagans views on how to treat an economy and a government; however, President Clinton disagreed and begun reverting the policies of the administration past, under the presumption that the supply-side policies were not working. The truth is they were working, but the excessively poor state of the economy slowed progress and real benefits of Reagans supply-side policies were not seen until well after their implementation. Then, during his presidency, Clinton turned up a budget surplus (Weisenthal). This surplus is thought to be his biggest accomplishment and proof that Reagans take on the economy was not working. This surplus was a curse, not a ray of hope. It ruined any chance the American economy had for returning to a stable state. Clintons administration sucked more money out of the economy than the economy could bear (Weisenthal) and it exacerbated the way of life for every American living in the United States today. Interest rates on personal savings plummeted, household debt soared, and the U.S. trade deficit worsened intensely over the eight years Clinton wreaked havoc in the White House (Weisenthal). Stephanie Kelton, an Economics professor at the University of Missouri claims, we are still suffering the harmful effects of the Clinton budget surpluses, and the data shows that she is correct. Taxes are an extremely controversial issue when it comes to supply-side economics. The premise that lowering taxes increases tax revenue is not the easiest to grasp, especially when the revenue never really comes around. Although the economy was growing vigorously, many claim, the promised boon in tax revenue never materialized (Uchitelle). The left wing media and politicians would like to believe that what followed Clintons actions was, in the words of Gene Sperling, an advisor to both Hillary and Bill, the longest recovery in history (Uchitelle). However, in the years following President Clintons tenure with stagflation at an all-time high and the worst depression since the Great Depression in full swing, it is now apparent that it was not that at all, but instead only economic turmoil in the works. The lack of tax revenue can be explained by the delay caused by the abhorrent state of the economy preceding Reagans presidency. By the time the tax boon was going to come around, the Clinton administration scared the American public back into the old mentality of defensive saving and economic stagflation, especially with the wealthy. However dreary the tax revenue may have seemed, it was still a 5.6% increase over the course of Reagans presidency, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget (Uchitelle). Aside from transfers, such as Social Security payout and dividends from investments, from which most citizens are not receiving income from,wages are the only way for consumers to earn money (Evans). This makes it a very delicate item to tamper with, especially when the government is taking more money out of the pockets of its citizens. President Reagan completely changed the way people think about taxes. Clint Stretch, the national director of tax policy for Deloitte Touche, said, That sense that taxes are tax payers money, rather than a contribution the common good is somehow entitled to, and it couldnt be better said. Tax money is money directly taken from the only income most citizens have−their wages. When people make less money, they spend less money, and the economy tumbles into depression, such as the one currently looming over the United States. Reagan cut taxes dramatically. The top rate in 1980 was 70%, and the rate for a family making $30,000 dollars in income was 37% (Kirchhoff 2). After tax cuts were implemented, the top rate plummeted to just 28% (Kirchhoff 2), leaving consumers more money and leaving businesses and employers more money to hire workers andbegin to move America forward. The logic behind these tax cuts is that workers would have more incentive to get to work, taking home more money for their time and effort, and that it would prompt people to start taking that extra shift or to go and get educated to make even more money. According to Kevin Hassett, director for economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, What really happens is that the economy grows more vigorously when you lower tax rates, (Uchitelle) and that growth triggers more cash to flow through Americas economy and increases tax revenue. The best support for supply-side economics is in the numbers it generates. During the Reagan presidency, 20 million jobs were created (Second). This meant more Americans making money the old-fashioned way:by working hard. Reagan also killed rising inflation. He allowed the central bank to make the tough calls and keep a tight money policy that stabilized the dollar (Kirchhoff 1). If a currency is strong and stable, the economies relying on it will follow the same trend because people feel safe about investing their wealth in it. When the dollar is strong, the economy is strong, but better yet, America is strong. Tight money policies kept the dollar strongby limiting currency printing and raising short-term interest rates to cut inflation from 13.5% in 1980 to 4.1% in 1988. This was key to improving the economy as a whole. Reagan saved America from government control, and turned it around towards the free markets (Kirchhoff 1). The Reagan Foundation describes the situation such that, businesses and entrepreneurs were no longer hassled by their government, or paralyzed by burdensome and unnecessary regulations every time they wanted to expand (Second). As an added benefit, by the time Reaganwas out of office, prime interest rates were back down to 10% in 1988, from 21.5% in 1981 (Second), which allowed business and entrepreneurs to expand their businesses, therefore growing America. Two huge indicators for the immediate state of the economy, the Gross National Product(the total value of goods produced and services provided by a country during one year), and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (the total value of 30 of Americas most successful companies and the most widely cited indicator for the state of the stock market) (Princeton), both experienced incredible growth. GNP grew 26% during the 1980s (Second), and the Dow grew by 11.4% annually (Krantz). Stocks continued to go up after Reagan left office, something which cannot be said for Carter before him, or Clinton after (Krantz). The people saw huge benefits from these policies by the end of the 1980s, even though the government may not have. The net worth of families making $20,000-$50,000 grew by 27% during the implementation of supply-side economic policies (Second). Also relating directly to the people, unemployment went from 7.6% to 5.5% (Second), a number that would be ideal to see today. Of the 20 million jobs created, more than half went to women and the employment of blacks was improved by 25% overall (Second) both of these things being extremely good indicators of the economy and extremely good indicators that supply-side economics work. The economic policies of Ronald Reagans administration accomplished the administrations four major policy objectives: reduce the growth of government spending; reduce the marginal tax rates on income from both labor and capital; reduce regulation; and reduce inflation. The United States Federal Government should to adopt these policies again to get the country out of depression and back on track.High inflation and soaring oil prices gave Reagan the toughest period since World War II (Uchitelle), and he did his best with what he was handed. He pushed for all the right things to fix the economy. He may have spent too much money to truly balance the supply-side economics he was attempting to fulfill, but that should not subtract from the true supply-side theory, which can be proven to work through the data collected during the 1980s under Ronald Reagan. President Reagan set the tone for all Republicans to follow Fellow patriots, this is a call to arms. Do not let America fall any deeper than it already has. Vote for the candidates who support supply-side theory. Vote for those who wish to bring the country up, not sink it down further with stimulus packages and universal health care that the country cannot afford. It is not the duty of the wealthy to support the poor. It is the duty of Americans to exercise their rights to the pursuit of happiness and financial prosperity. Redistribution of wealth carried out by a government that wishes to micromanage the economy through overregulation and taxes is not the answer to the problems the United States faces. Set the sails and let the ship sail itself, because freedom and prosperity do not have to be on opposite ends of the spectrum. Supply-side economics work and they will continue to work in the future. Works Cited Evans, Kim.Major money flows within the U.S. economy. The American Economy. 2011 ed. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Information Plus Reference Series. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. Kirchhoff, Sue, and others. Reagan Had Lasting Impact on Worlds Economic Future. USA TODAY. 10 Jun 2004: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher.Web. 18 Nov 2012. Krantz, Matt.Reagans Stock Success Not Unparalleled, but Try Telling That to Traders. USA TODAY. 10 Jun 2004: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher.Web. 18 Nov 2012. McFall, Sally. Reaganomics.Economics. Danbury, CT: Grolier Educational, 2002. N. pag.Print. Princeton University About WordNet.WordNet.Princeton University. 2010. http://wordnet.princeton.edu The Second American Revolution: Reaganomics. Reaganfoundation. Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library, 2010. Web. 18 Nov 2012. Ronald Reagan: Radio Address to the Nation on the Strategic Defense Initiative , July 13, 1985. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=38882. Uchitelle, Louis. A Political Comeback for Supply-Side Doctrine. New York Times (New York, NY). 26 Mar 2008: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher.Web. 18 Nov 2012. Weisenthal, Joe. The Untold Story Of How Clintons Budget Destroyed The American Economy.Business Insider. Business Insider, 05 Sept. 2012. Web. 05 Dec. 2012.

The Ethics of Genetic Testing Essay -- Science Religion Papers

The Ethics of Genetic Testing The Goal of the Human Genome Project is to obtain genetic mapping information and to determine the complete sequence of all human DNA by the year of 2005. The project started in 1990 and 180 million dollars are being spent on it annually. This adds up to a total of over 2 billion dollars for the 15 year budget. Of this 2 billion dollars budgeted, 5% is spent annually on the ethical, legal and social issues. This report focused on some of these issues. Before discussion of the ethical, legal and social issues can be successful, some background information is needed. For example, why is the goal of mapping the human genome important? Who is going to benefit or at least be affected by this new information? Dr. Francis Collins, the current director of the Human Genome Project believes there are many benefits. Not surprisingly, Collins believes the money being spent on this project is well worth it. Collins believes the project has great potential to relieve suffering and also cut back on long term expenses (Collins, 1996). These suffering and spending reductions are predicted to occur as more genetic diseases are located. Genetic disorders can be divided into 2 broad groups: 1. Genetic predisposition disorders: those in which the presence of a gene confers an increased tendency to develop a certain disorder. The disorder may or may not develop depending on a variety of associated personal and environmental factors such as geographic location, diet, exposure to harmful chemicals or toxins, exercise habits etc... 2. Environment independent disorders: Involve a determining force so overwhelming that the disorder is expressed in a predictable manner without environmental interaction ... ...York, 1991. Magnus, David. Gene Therapy and the concept of Disease, Marshal, Eliot. (May 24 1996). Rifkin's Latest Target: Genetic Testing. Science. Meilaender, Gilbert. (1990, October 3). Mastering our gen(i)es: When do we say no? The Christian Century, pp 872-875. Murphey, Timothy F. Justice and the Human Genome Project. University of California Press, Los Angeles, 1994. Reich, W.T. Encyclopedia of Bioethics, 2nd ed. New York: Free Press MacMillan, 1995. Vaux, Kenneth, L. Birth Ethics. The Crossroad Publishing Co, New York. 1989. Wilkie, Tom. Periilous Knowledge: The Human Genome Project and its implications. University of CA Press, Los Angeles, 1993. Wolf, Susan M. Feminism and Bioethics: Beyond Reproduction. Oxford University Press, New York, 1996. Wright, Richard T. Biology Through the Eyes of Faith. Christian College Coalition, 1989. The Ethics of Genetic Testing Essay -- Science Religion Papers The Ethics of Genetic Testing The Goal of the Human Genome Project is to obtain genetic mapping information and to determine the complete sequence of all human DNA by the year of 2005. The project started in 1990 and 180 million dollars are being spent on it annually. This adds up to a total of over 2 billion dollars for the 15 year budget. Of this 2 billion dollars budgeted, 5% is spent annually on the ethical, legal and social issues. This report focused on some of these issues. Before discussion of the ethical, legal and social issues can be successful, some background information is needed. For example, why is the goal of mapping the human genome important? Who is going to benefit or at least be affected by this new information? Dr. Francis Collins, the current director of the Human Genome Project believes there are many benefits. Not surprisingly, Collins believes the money being spent on this project is well worth it. Collins believes the project has great potential to relieve suffering and also cut back on long term expenses (Collins, 1996). These suffering and spending reductions are predicted to occur as more genetic diseases are located. Genetic disorders can be divided into 2 broad groups: 1. Genetic predisposition disorders: those in which the presence of a gene confers an increased tendency to develop a certain disorder. The disorder may or may not develop depending on a variety of associated personal and environmental factors such as geographic location, diet, exposure to harmful chemicals or toxins, exercise habits etc... 2. Environment independent disorders: Involve a determining force so overwhelming that the disorder is expressed in a predictable manner without environmental interaction ... ...York, 1991. Magnus, David. Gene Therapy and the concept of Disease, Marshal, Eliot. (May 24 1996). Rifkin's Latest Target: Genetic Testing. Science. Meilaender, Gilbert. (1990, October 3). Mastering our gen(i)es: When do we say no? The Christian Century, pp 872-875. Murphey, Timothy F. Justice and the Human Genome Project. University of California Press, Los Angeles, 1994. Reich, W.T. Encyclopedia of Bioethics, 2nd ed. New York: Free Press MacMillan, 1995. Vaux, Kenneth, L. Birth Ethics. The Crossroad Publishing Co, New York. 1989. Wilkie, Tom. Periilous Knowledge: The Human Genome Project and its implications. University of CA Press, Los Angeles, 1993. Wolf, Susan M. Feminism and Bioethics: Beyond Reproduction. Oxford University Press, New York, 1996. Wright, Richard T. Biology Through the Eyes of Faith. Christian College Coalition, 1989.

Karla Ann Marling’s book “As Seen on TV” Essay

Karla Ann Marling’s book â€Å"As Seen on TV† addresses the perception television had on shaping the fashion and cultural persona of everyday life in the United States during the 1950’s. She presents this phenomenon as a cultural chain reaction that occurred in response to Christian Dior releasing his new line of clothing right around the same time as President Ike Eisenhower’s inauguration, one of the first major TV events of the Decade.   As noted in her book, when she says, â€Å"Ike’s 1953 inauguration was one of the first big TV events of the decade. The cameras caught every detail of.† Eisenhower’s costume: the mink coat, the silly hat worn over bangs, the suit with the nipped-in waist and flared hipline, the charm bracelet, and high heels that pinched (Marling, 1994).† Of course for the President himself, Christian Dior new line would have no significant effect on the culture or American society, but through his Wife Mamie Eisenhower wearing a dress by the infamous designer as well as wearing more stylish accessories like high heels, and pearls, it introduced a major shift in how women would dress, there on out, and the style itself became known as â€Å"The New Look.†Ã‚   In essence it slight freed-up sexual repression of the 1950’s and became representative of a lifestyle, so that they could be completely turned on their head in the 60’s during the explosion of the feminist movement. Christian Dior designed what became known as the â€Å"hour Glass† shape, by using different padded linings as the author notes. The molded, hourglass hap was achieved through a variety of means: padding hidden in the lining of jackets to accentuate the swelling of the hips; boning, stays, or other constricting devices built into waistlines; and an internal framework composed of layers of tulle, organza, silk pongee, and a new â€Å"miracle fabric†-nylon†,1994†. In response to this the author notes that â€Å"It could be argued, of course, that the woman inside was irrelevant to the dress, that she was the victim of fashion, enslaved and oppressed by her own dinner gown.†Ã‚   This represents many of the counter arguments presented by men who opposed changes being introduced to society by the fashion industry.   This also represents much of the conflict of the reading.   The author goes on to present a quote by acclaimed 1950’s psychoanalyst Edmund Bergler when he says, the fashions industry is a â€Å"gigantic unconscious hoax† perpetrated on women by homosexual men who wanted to make them look ridiculous (Marling, 1994).† In sum, the author closes her piece by pointing out how there is still to this day controversy over how much authorship can be placed on Christian Dior for the creation of â€Å"The New Look.†Ã‚   It is seen as a culturally defining moment in history, which would eventually give way to the admiration of glamour that was bestowed upon such figures as Jackie O, Marilyn Monroe, and Elizabeth Taylor. It also represents a slight window into the modern era and its obsession with fashion to the likes of which as produced such irreverent iconic figures as Lady Gaga, who could arguably be pegged as the child of Christian Dior and Mamie Eisenhower, 1953. Karla Ann Marling’s book (1994). â€Å"As seen on TV†

Inventory Management Systems Essay

In today’s business environment, even many smaller businesses have come to rely on computerized inventory management systems. Automated systems can replace the cost and time consuming processes that were once completed by hand while providing companies with more accurate data. Inventory control is important to ensure control in businesses that handle transactions revolving around consumer goods. Without proper inventory control, a store may run out of stock on an important item. A good inventory control system will alert the retailer when it is time to reorder (www.barcodesinc.com). It will also aid in the prevention of theft and product loss. Overall, a good inventory system will increase the value of your business, satisfy your customers and create more freedom in your life. In this paper, I will describe all the necessary equipment for a low-cost automated inventory system for a small clothing store. I will also explain the costs involved in the creation of the system, describe the ongoing maintenance that will be required and provide a workflow diagram to illustrate how the system will work. An inventory control system that I feel best provides the need of a small clothing store consists of a PC (laptop), backup/recovery and archive device, wireless router, inventory control software, mobile scanning device, and barcode printer. The system shall provide versatility and reliable performance application demands. This system will make tracking inventory simple and intuitive. This system will allow for flexibility to scan and track inventory away from the PC, enabling inventory records to be updated and perform transactions on-the-go. Updates and changes made are instantly shown in the main database, providing real-time visibility of inventory levels. The necessary equipment needed is a PC (laptop), system requirements, (32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7 Professional, Windows Visa Premium, Windows XP (SP3) Professional, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB disk, DVD), backup/recovery and archive device, wireless router for mobile device use, inventory control software for tracking point-of-sale purchase, a mobile scanning device that allows for wireless integration of data, and barcode printer for labeling and tracking inventory. The initial cost of the system, includes the purchase of the hardware and software needed to effectively label and track inventory. Required hardware: †¢PC (laptop) (Dell Latitude E6420 (32-bit – 4 GB RAM – Windows 7 – 320 GB disk – Intel CPU – 2.66 GHz CPU – NVIDIA GPU – With DVD Drive – 1280 x 800 – Touchpad) purchased from www.dell.com for $669.00 †¢Backup/recovery and archive device (Dell PowerVault RD1000 – Removable Disk Storage) purchased from www.dell.com for $409.00 †¢Wireless router (Linksys E3200 High Performance Dual Band Router) purchased from www.tigerdirect.com for $149.00 †¢Mobile scanning device (Metrologic ScanPal 2) purchased from www.barcodediscount.com for $503.90 †¢Barcode printer (Zebra LP 2824 Plus) purchased from www.barcodediscount.com for $223.10 Required Software: †¢Inventory software, Microsoft Business Solutions Point of Sale Software (single user license), purchased from www.barcodediscount.com for $12.20 The total cost of the inventory system is $1966.20. This is an extremely affordable solution for a small business. Computer preventive maintenance means the operating system is more likely to be cleaned, fine-tuned and better prepared for the unexpected. If routinely scheduled maintenance tasks are not implemented, computers/servers become infected, tweaked and not ready for whatever happens. While every mishap cannot be avoided, even small efforts made in this area increase a computer operating system’s performance. This is what makes preventative maintenance important (www.ehow.com). Ongoing maintenance of the inventory system includes preventative maintenance as well as vendor supplied updates and patches. Vendor supplied patches are updates from the provider to effectively repair a bug in the system. Vendor supplied updates provide the latest software updates provided by the vendor. Both patches and updates must be applied to the system to function properly. Routine maintenance will be performed every 90 days. Routine maintenance includes: †¢Keeping devices properly patched and configured to reduce risk †¢Device health checks to keep systems up and running †¢Minor configuration changes †¢Running scheduled tasks such as defragmentation and disk cleanup on devices †¢Driver updates †¢Increase computer/server memory as needed †¢Patch, monitor and manage security devices It is extremely important that all hardware and software stay up-to-date and completely integrated. Failing to do so, can give you false data which can result in an overstock or under-stock of supplies and cause the business a loss. Below is a flow chart diagram of each piece of equipment used, along with how to the inventory control system integrates with one another. Companies can build their own custom retail inventory systems based upon their needs. In today’s business environment, it is almost vital that businesses switch to an automated system for inventory management because manual inventory can lead to a number of errors, which will hurt the company in the future. An automated inventory system increase companies’ productivity and sales and gives them a competitive edge against their competition.

Play Analysis of Noises Off Essays

Play Analysis of Noises Off Essays Play Analysis of Noises Off Essay Play Analysis of Noises Off Essay Through reading the play Noises Off, one is able to see the characters trying to present the play Nothing On.The action takes place in numerous theatres, where the audience could see behind the scene of a true theatre production. Noises Off was written by a British author name Michael Frayn. This play is a very humorous and outrageous play, were each character in Noises Off plays another character in Nothing On. In this paper, I shall analysis the plot of this play, the characters, and the roles that each character plays. The play Noises Off takes place on Monday, January 14 in Weston-Super-Mare Grand Theatre (Frayn, pg.4). As for Nothing On, it takes place in the living room of Brents country home on a Wednesday afternoon (Frayn, pg.4). During the play Noises Off, Dotty Otley born in Malta, goes with Garry Lejeune. She won the Rose Bruford Medal for effort.Miss Otley seems to always forget what she is supposed to be doing in the play.She cant figure out weahter to take the sardines and newspaper out or leave them and keep the receiver on or off the hook.From the play, it could probably be said that, Dotty is not understandable, but is smart.She loves to do what everyone asks of her and Garry does.Like in Act I when Garry says to Doty, Id be perfectly happy with the sardines if you were happy with them, love, then Dotty replies, Im happy with them if youre happy with them, love.Leaving Garry, Dotty decides to ho with Fredrick. Dotty had money in show and thats how! Selsdon got his job.By Dotty working with Lloyd before was what kept Selsdon in the play even though he was drunk. At the beginning of the play, entering from the service quarters into the living room is Mrs. Clackett.Mrs. Clackett, played by Dotty is the Brents housekeeper who supposedly always goes home at oclock on Wednesday.

Free Essays on Example Essay

Has someone ever scared the living hell out of you when you’re driving by almost running you off of the road? Well I hate to tell you but it’s probably someone just like me who is using a cell phone, eating, or even trying to read. People like me don’t even care about surrounding cars. For some reason it is easier to do things like eating in the car because it saves a lot of time, I guess. For example, every morning I’m in a rush because I wake up late, so the easiest thing to do is eat my breakfast in the car. I even notice others putting on makeup in the car which usually takes two hands, which should be on the wheel. Mirrors in the car are supposed to be used as looking at cars around you not yourself. People just think that it is alright to drive recklessly as long as they look nice or feed themselves. I think that this is a very serious issue and most accidents do happen because of this. Even after we see some horrible wrecks we just keep on doing what we have to do. On the news every once in a while I hear about cell phones and how dangerous it is to talk on them while driving, and yes it is dangerous, but what about the other things we do in cars that needs to be addressed to. Cell phones, although helpful to us when in an emergency, are used way to often in a car. When on a cell phone we have at least one hand free, but then I think about when I eat and I have no hands free and I use my knee to drive. Others and I need to start thinking of others when we do these things and put an end to it. Worst of all when these things happen at the same time; eating, people honking at us, and then a cell phone ringing , and trying to turn the radio down. These could all build up to a point of insane road rage. No wonder we are always getting into accidents. We try to blame it on the car, others, or the weather conditions, but in reality it is us not caring. The point is that we need to stop what were doing and focus on ... Free Essays on Example Essay Free Essays on Example Essay Has someone ever scared the living hell out of you when you’re driving by almost running you off of the road? Well I hate to tell you but it’s probably someone just like me who is using a cell phone, eating, or even trying to read. People like me don’t even care about surrounding cars. For some reason it is easier to do things like eating in the car because it saves a lot of time, I guess. For example, every morning I’m in a rush because I wake up late, so the easiest thing to do is eat my breakfast in the car. I even notice others putting on makeup in the car which usually takes two hands, which should be on the wheel. Mirrors in the car are supposed to be used as looking at cars around you not yourself. People just think that it is alright to drive recklessly as long as they look nice or feed themselves. I think that this is a very serious issue and most accidents do happen because of this. Even after we see some horrible wrecks we just keep on doing what we have to do. On the news every once in a while I hear about cell phones and how dangerous it is to talk on them while driving, and yes it is dangerous, but what about the other things we do in cars that needs to be addressed to. Cell phones, although helpful to us when in an emergency, are used way to often in a car. When on a cell phone we have at least one hand free, but then I think about when I eat and I have no hands free and I use my knee to drive. Others and I need to start thinking of others when we do these things and put an end to it. Worst of all when these things happen at the same time; eating, people honking at us, and then a cell phone ringing , and trying to turn the radio down. These could all build up to a point of insane road rage. No wonder we are always getting into accidents. We try to blame it on the car, others, or the weather conditions, but in reality it is us not caring. The point is that we need to stop what were doing and focus on ...

Argot Definition and Examples

Argot Definition and Examples Argot is a specialized vocabulary or set of idioms used by a particular social class or group, especially one that functions outside the law. Also called cant and cryptolect. French novelist Victor Hugo observed that argot is subject to perpetual transformation- a secret and rapid work which ever goes on. It makes more progress in ten years than the regular language in ten centuries (Les Misà ©rables, 1862). ESL specialist Sara Fuchs notes that argot is both cryptic and playful in nature and it is . . . particularly rich in vocabulary referring to drugs, crime, sexuality, money, the police, and other authority figures (Verlan, lenvers, 2015). Etymology From the French, origin unknown Examples and Observations The Argot of the RacetrackThe argot of the racetrack is responsible for piker small town gambler, ringer illegally substituted horse, shoo-in fixed race, easy win, and others.(Connie C. Eble, Slang Sociability. UNC Press, 1996)The Argot of PrisonersPrison argot, originally defined as the jargon of thieves, is a particular form of slang (Einat 2005)- in some circumstances, a complete language- capable of describing the world from the perspective of the prison. It has been argued that prisoners live, think, and function within the framework defined by the argot (Encinas 2001), whose vocabulary may supply alternative names for objects, psychological states of minds, personnel roles, situations and the activities of prison life. Experienced inmates use argot fluently and can switch between regular names and their argot counterparts, and the degree of familiarity with argot is an important symbol of group membership among prison inmates (Einat 2005).(Ben Crewe and Tomer Einat, Argot (Pri son).Dictionary of Prisons and Punishment, ed. by Yvonne Jewkes and Jamie Bennett. Willan, 2008) The Argot of Pool PlayersThe poolroom hustler makes his living by betting against his opponents in different types of pool or billiard games, and as part of the playing and betting process he engages in various deceitful practices. The terms hustler for such a practice and hustling for his occupation have been in poolroom argot for decades, antedating their application to prostitutes.Like all other American deviant argots I know of, [hustlers argot] also reveals numerous facets that testify against a secrecy interpretation. Some examples: (1) Hustlers always use their argot among themselves when no outsiders are present, where it could not possibly have a secretive purpose. (2) The argot itself is not protected but is an open secret, i.e., its meanings are quite easily learned by any outsider who wishes to learn them and is an alert listener or questioner. (3) The argot is elaborated far beyond any conceivable need to develop a set of terms for deviant phenomena, and even far beyond any need to develop a full-scale technical vocabulary . . ..(Ned Polsky, Hustlers, Beats, and Others. Aldine, 2006) The Argot of Card PlayersA cardsharp who is out to cheat you may be dealing from the bottom of the deck and giving you a fast shuffle, in which case you may get lost in the shuffle. You might call such a low-down skunk a four-flusher. Flush, a hand of five cards all of one suit, flows from the Latin fluxus because all the cards flow together. Four-flusher characterizes a poker player who pretends to such good fortune but in fact holds a worthless hand of four same-suit cards and one that doesnt match.All of these terms originated with poker and other betting card games and have undergone a process that linguists call broadening. A good example of movement from one specific argot to another is wild card berth or wild card player as used in football and tennis. In these sports, a team hopes for back-to-back victories- from a fortuitous ace-down-ace-up as the first two cards in a game of five-card stud.(Richard Lederer, A Man of My Words. Macmillan, 2003)The Lighter Side of ArgotA strea k of humour runs through the traditional argot. Prisons were often described as schools, as in the contemporary College of Correction, and the hulks used to accommodate prisoners were the floating academies. Brothels were convents or nunneries, the prostitutes who worked in them were nuns, and the madam was an abbess.(Barry J. Blake, Secret Language. Oxford University Press, 2010) Pronunciation: ARE-go or ARE-get

Financial Upheavals Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Financial Upheavals - Assignment Example On the other hand, the Great Recession of 2008 is the most recent economic downturn in country, the pangs of which are being felt even today. Both these financial upheavals share similarities in terms of their causes and consequences. They led to extensive loan foreclosures, bank failures, high unemployment rates and a slump in manufacturing sector. The reason for the panic of 1819 can be attributed to the economic system of the United States (Rothbard 2002). It was the panic of 1819 that brought the grand economic expansion following the War of 1812 to an end. Inflation, debtors’ relief which was invariably tied with monetary schemes and a protective tariff played a pivotal role in creating the situation of panic in the country at that time. On the other hand, the onset of the Recession of 2008 can be attributed to complex and interlinked factors. Sub-prime lending, loose monetary policy, global imbalances and lax financial regulation were responsible for the latest financial upheaval that has had the entire world reeling. Proposal is hereby made to write a detailed paper which will compare and contrast these two historic financial upheavals; the earliest and the latest to have rocked the United States of America with special emphasis on the role of the monetary policy in each

Skin put Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Skin put - Assignment Example The basic reason behind this research analysis was to take the opinion of the public about the product. The results of the research study are showing the concerns of the people regarding the skinput technology. Most of the young people are supporting it whereas some other critics are also augmenting on the sensitivity of the skinput technology. Mostly people are of the opinion that this gadget is useful and easy to use for giving commands etc. The level of creativity and innovation is very high in this Microsoft product Skinput. Despite all such advantages people argue that the price of the technology is high. They may not be able to afford it. The cost aspect is very important from both sides, i.e. customer and the company (Beirut 1). Many of the critics also argue that the health issues related to the technology. Initially the mobile phone technology also faced many argument regarding harmful rays and signals, which may disturb the natural audible sense of a person. It is the case with this Microsoft’s skinput technology. People are very much concerned that either it would harm the body or not. Obviously when the device is directly connected to the human body, the people may get suspicious about its effects. Some people also argue on the small size of the skinput device. The small size of the device may reduce the function ability of the product. The skinput device as compare to other digital devices, which are larger and thus provide a wide space for the viewers, may irritate people. In order to make the product more popular and famous in the public the marketing managers must focus on the advertising and promotion of the technology. The product will be successful when people will replace their existing mobile phones with this skinput technology. A true advertising campaign actually gives benefit when people perceive the specific product as the necessary item of their

Ethics in Business Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Ethics in Business - Case Study Example Businesses must act ethically to all stakeholders, yet the different stakeholders have differing interests. To balance the needs of the various stakeholders becomes a challenge for businesses, which usually results in corporate scandals that have ethical and other long lasting effects. It is for that reason, that this discussion explores the recent ethical issues in businesses, in the United States. The following is a comprehensive list of recent ethical issues, the moral issue, as well as what should be done to resolve the moral dilemma. Marketers looking for edgy corporate advertising usually risk character and shut doors on social responsibility in search for a breakthrough moment. While drawing up competitive advertisements, corporations yearn to be in the limelight, but such advertisements end up bringing unexpected and negative upshots among the audiences or the intended recipients. Recent miscarriages of advertisements are such as the McDonald’s, Pepsi, general motors, ford and Hyundai. The above corporations’ recent advertisements were originally intended to be humorous, although they were unwrapped as insensitive and offensive typecasts. An advertisement by the Pepsi Corporation dubbed the Mountain Dew ad has attracted criticism of propagating racism and venerating cruelty against women. The ad features an African American wrapper, and is deemed as the most insensitive and racist ad in united states. McDonald’s advert â€Å"You are not alone† has been criticized on grounds that it makes light of people suffering from mental illness. General motors run an advert with 1930s settings and incorporates a contemporary remix of a 1930s song that makes references to Chinese people. The general moral issue in the general motors and the Pepsi advert are that they are portraying a racial stereotype. At the

Health Care Cost Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Health Care Cost - Essay Example Employers can offer discount medicine programs, which trim down prescription costs. They can also offer education with reference to the emergency room so that workers can have the knowledge of the existence of urgent-care institutions within pharmacies and stores, along with physician hotlines available 24/7 that they can utilize resourcefully than visiting the ER each time their families or them experience minor symptoms (Wyman, 2012). Employers can have a proper incentive design that directs workers to choices that have the lowest-cost first to reward excellent purchasing conduct that is vital to price containment. Employers can shop for insurance because they get the chance to shift carriers one third of the moment in time. Employers can offer to pay for workers’ wellness such as online healthiness risk evaluations and blood reports since they save on some cash and teach them on their healthiness, make them conscious of apprehensions and inspire them to live better lives. Employers can utilize brokers who are experts in healthcare and has the aptitude to look for methods to support the company and workers while offering pioneering initiatives and applications for newfangled technology (Wyman,

Environmental Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Environmental Issues - Essay Example Taking for instance, Donald Mitchell argument on a supporting statement from World Bank report (2008). He insists that as much as several factors contributing to the increase in food prices from January 2002 to June 2008, the senior most contributing factor is attributed to large increase in bio-fuels productions from oilseeds and grains in the U.S and E.U that has increased the demand of these products while reducing supplies of wheat and crops that compete with food commodities used as bio-fuels. This has lead to land use changes in wheat and maize exporting countries shifting towards plantation of oilseeds for bio-fuel production resulting to shrunk wheat and maize production hence witnessing rise in wheat and maize prices. Donald also supports his claims from (FAPRI, 2008) that food prices have also increased due to expansion of bio-diesel production and higher costs of bio-fuel production. On the contrary, Keith sharply disagrees by arguing that the impact of bio-fuel production is much less than alarmist claim (2009). Keith K. et al rather claims that there would be greater impact if bio-fuels development focused on converting bio-waste, fast growing trees and grass into fuel. According to him, increased food prices arise out of increased demands in emerging economies, drought in food exporting countries, global warming, and market-distorting subsidies. In fact a supporting report from U.S department of agriculture (USDA) calculated that bio-fuel production only contributed to 5% of the 45% increase in global food prices. Additionally, bio-fuel crops provide alternative diversities that boost rural perennial incomes therefore reducing international burning that contributes to global warming. It hence addresses efficient production and utilization of bio-fuels, global mismanagement of land, stabilization of land cover, protection of biodiversity and improving water quality. From my point of view I would agree to the fact that bio-fuels indeed contribute to increasing food prices and other environmental drawbacks. Supporting arguments, according to Robin Maynard, when food and fuel compete for farmland, food prices will rise drastically and the poor will suffer as well as rainforests (2007). Additionally, Renton emphasizes that when forests are cleared, to create space for bio-fuel crops, they no longer serve as â€Å"carbon sinks† therefore leading to global warming as it takes longer for the benefits of bio-fuel crops to be noticeable (2007). The bio-fuel crops also displace natural ecosystems and destroy habitat for several species. Bio-fuels hence will maintain as a contributive factor to increasing food prices. Issue 12 - Nuclear Power The debate over use of nuclear power sparked out of its negative connotations in the past that threatened the survival and future of the world during the world war, nuclear disasters and links to chronic fatal diseases. Discussion have also arisen out of the proponents that nuclear power can be economical, safe and a clean form of energy. From these proponents there are disagreements amongst scholars on the question of nuclear energy. Lain Murray for instance has a positive position on use of nuclear power. He argues that the worlds experience shows it to be both safe and reliable. Supporting documents such as the Congregation Budget Office

Health Care Cost Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Health Care Cost - Essay Example Employers can offer discount medicine programs, which trim down prescription costs. They can also offer education with reference to the emergency room so that workers can have the knowledge of the existence of urgent-care institutions within pharmacies and stores, along with physician hotlines available 24/7 that they can utilize resourcefully than visiting the ER each time their families or them experience minor symptoms (Wyman, 2012). Employers can have a proper incentive design that directs workers to choices that have the lowest-cost first to reward excellent purchasing conduct that is vital to price containment. Employers can shop for insurance because they get the chance to shift carriers one third of the moment in time. Employers can offer to pay for workers’ wellness such as online healthiness risk evaluations and blood reports since they save on some cash and teach them on their healthiness, make them conscious of apprehensions and inspire them to live better lives. Employers can utilize brokers who are experts in healthcare and has the aptitude to look for methods to support the company and workers while offering pioneering initiatives and applications for newfangled technology (Wyman,

Marketing plan ( market the city of toronto) Assignment

Marketing plan ( market the city of toronto) - Assignment Example This has the effect of improving on their revenue base. At the same time, companies want to gain global recognition. In essence, this is something, which is rather beneficial when it comes to business (Crouch, 2011). Various cities use different approaches in the course of their marketing. It is imperative to note that the method, which is to be used, is largely dependent on the expansive market. The financial outlay is something, which will influence the methods of advertising and marketing. The first thing, which is rather noteworthy, is to gain an understanding of these international markets. Thorough analysis has to be undertaken before the firm can even think of venturing into these markets. A feasibility study regarding the success of the business has to be done. This is particularly pertinent, as it will serve to point out whether the business will stand a chance of success in the new market. This is as opposed to going blindly into these markets without prior knowledge (Pepal l et al. 2005). The city, which is in perspective, in this case is Toronto. Toronto is a city, which is considered to be rather tech-savvy. At the same time, it is also considered as one of the best cities in North America when it comes to jobs that are related to Information technology. The environment in the city is one, which has attracted several major global firms. These firms have set up offices in the city. These include Xerox and General Motors just to mention a few. These developments put Toronto at a rather significant place when it comes to the developments that are attributed to jobs and employment opportunities. The city is also very flexible in the sense that it easily adapts to the changes that are happening in the world and picking up the latest trends that come by. One of the things, which seem to be rather influential in attracting people into the city, is to do with the good reputation, which the country has on a global platform. It is worth noting that people wil l always want to associate themselves with desirable things. The name and reputation of the city is already established. For this reason, the main thing, which should be focused on, is the development of the industries and institutions, which are existent in the city. For example, the educational institutions ought to be developed and marketed even more. This is because they are the primary institutions, which serve to attract foreign individuals into the city. The museums and art centers that are in the city are also important for attracting tourists into the city. The infrastructure which is in the city is significant and is in a position to support the number of people who might flock the city from foreign countries (Bunting & Filion, 2000). The other issue, which comes into perspective aside from the place, is the price. This price is in relation to the cost of living and that to do with other elements within the city. On average, the cost of living in the city is rather encoura ging (Lee & Lovekin, 2009). This is something, which is even pointed out by the average wage rate in the city. This is in the region of $24 per hour. There is quite a significant stability when looking at the economic condition in Toronto when comparing it to other major cities. The instances of price fluctuations are at a minimal. There is a significant promotion of the city and its associated elements. This is

Operations management Essay Example for Free

Operations management Essay This assignment requires student complete an analysis of the LensCrafters case from Chapter 6 of the text. Write a six page paper in which you: 1. Evaluate LensCrafters’ operations strategy and explain how the organization seeks to gain a competitive advantage in terms of sustainability. 2. Analyze how operation management activities affect the customer experience. Select two (2) operation management challenges and provide the solutions for confronting them. 3. Examine LensCrafters’ value chain and evaluate its effectiveness to operations in terms of quality, value creation, and customer satisfaction. 4. Determine the different types of performance measurements that can be used to measure LensCrafters’ service-delivery system design. Select at least two (2) types that can be applied and provide justifications for the selection. 5. Examine the different types of technologies applied to LensCrafters’ service operations and evaluate how the technologies strengthen the value chain. 6. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources. Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements: †¢ Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions. †¢ Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length. The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are: †¢ Apply the concept of operations management. †¢ Compare and contrast the difference between a supply chain and a value chain. †¢ Analyze the types of measures used for decision making. †¢ Analyze the five key competitive priorities and their relationship to operations strategy. †¢ Analyze different types of technology and their role in manufacturing and service operations. †¢ Use technology and information resources to research issues in operations management. †¢ Write clearly and concisely about operations management using proper writing mechanics. †¢ Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric.

Safeguard Function Of The International Atomic Energy Agency Politics Essay

Safeguard Function Of The International Atomic Energy Agency Politics Essay The safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have a critical role in increasing and maintaining vigilance for the international community against the potential military usage of the nuclear technology. Based upon the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Article III, the nations with bounding ratifications are to not divert nuclear energy from peaceful uses to nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devises, and general IAEA inspections and safeguards are the inspector role to ensure that the NPT measures are carried out. Safeguards of the IAEA are the tools, which the IAEA have, in order to ensure world peace literally. Objective of the IAEA safeguards can be summarized to the following: Timely detection of significant quantities of fissile nuclear material. (Significant quantities defined as minimum amount needed for a nuclear explosive device) Detection of undeclared nuclear material and activities in a State The problem here is that the current safeguard functions of the International Atomic Energy Agency, despite numerous strengthening measures, have failed on numerous occasions. Without any direct introduction to disputable events, failures of detection in timely manner or accurate detection was unable to be conducted in regions such as the middle east, regions of former Soviet states, Korean Peninsula, and the Indian subcontinent. Current safeguard function of the IAEA is extremely heavily dependent on individual States transparency of information and in-field verification process, and stronger and tighter inspection is the issue on the current contention. Definition of Key Terms: Strengthening: The word strengthening can be viewed in many different aspects. In this context, however, can be focused in relatively few meanings. One, to reinforce the measures in the current safeguard measures; potentially to reconstruct, rephrase, or add certain measures into the safeguard measures of the IAEA based upon past failures and successes. Two, to strengthen the implementation of the safeguard measures in each respective states via encourages in more invasive means perhaps even at the implementation of the UN Charters Chapter 7 with resolution through the UN Security Council. Safeguard function of the IAEA: As previously mentioned IAEA safeguard function involves the two key functions (Please view introduction if necessary). Quoting from the former IAEA Direction General, Mohamed ElBaradei, Inspections by an impartial, credible third party have been a cornerstone of international nuclear arms control agreements for decades. Where the intent exists to develop a clandestine nuclear weapons program, inspections serve effectively as a means of both detection and deterrence. Core functions of the safeguards of IAEA involve information gathering, threat assessments, and verification of peaceful uses of nuclear energy. In a state level, IAEA works as a third-party observer that receives, confirms, or discards information regards to nuclear technology. IAEA has powers granted by ratification of resolutions and treaties no more no less. Major Players and Their Positions: Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea: Only member to have withdrawn from the IAEA. It has shown capacity to enrich uranium, and other than its repeated nuclear testing has not only confirmed its intent for nuclear explosives, its missile technology indicates a significant threat to the non-nuclear proliferation. Islamic Republic of Iran: IAEA and Iran has a long history from the post revolution period when Iranian nuclear programs became active. Irans nuclear program was established for the first time in 1953 after the CIA supported coup. Most significantly, the recent discovery of the uranium enrichment facility and the self-declaration of nuclear state have significantly elevated its tension with the international community and IAEA measures. Regarding the issue at hand, Iran will most definitely be against any hard-line stance. United States of America: US been one of the strongest supporter and funding member of the IAEA member states. Just recently, President Obama has approached the issue with additional 225 million US dollar increase in US share of the IAEA (During his presidential campaign. It was his campaign promise #194.) Phrasing given in the same speech, as well as numerous actions done by the current administration in response to Iran and the DPRK indicates in strong support of the strengthening of IAEA safeguard functions. Bush administration had taken a hard-line stance in regards to aspiring nuclear powers, but Obama has taken softer, more diplomatic solutions to the issue. Regardless, the increase in measures of verification stance firm. So, US would most likely go against a IAEA with actual conflict with the respective governments, but will be for IAEA safeguards expansion to increase vigilance. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Irelands: UK is one of the five nuclear-weapon states, and despite its exclusion from NPT with IAEA safeguards, UK has voluntarily opened all fissionable material in facilities or parts within the UK exception to those concerning national security. With regards to actual IAEA safeguard, UK government had certain statements made during the past regards to how the IAEA is too strongly dependent on willingness of nations to cooperate showing the rooms for a hard-line stance on the issue. UK has pushed for sanctions on Iran recently, once again to the point, pointing towards the stronger-IAEA-friendly UK. French Republic: France has recently made statement through the ministry of foreign and European affairs spokesperson to pursue efforts to shed full light on Irans past and present nuclear activities. France is, like the other P5 nations, nuclear weapon states and notable example of peaceful nuclear power usage around the world. More than 70% of its electricity is powered by nuclear power generation. Regards to issue, it will press for a strengthening measures, perhaps not to the line of hard-line stance due to pressure from the PRC, but certainly to an acceptable length. Russian Federation: Russia had previously blocked a IAEA resolution against Iran in earlier 2008, but has recently shifted direction following the DPRK and Iranian actions in the past two years. More recently, Russia backed an IAEA draft resolution on Irans nuclear program in later last year with more leniency towards hard line stance. Cooperation between Russia and IAEA has been noteworthy, and with the recent Russian administrations actions it is most likely that the Russia will push for stronger IAEA safeguards. Peoples Republic of China: China has shown unexpected leniency towards recent Iran incident. Through the Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu, China have made a statement in favor of negotiation and peaceful settlement. These evidences point towards the fact that China will be against hostile strengthening of the IAEA safeguards. Timeline of Key Events: 1957: The IAEA is set up as autonomous body under the United Nations. 1970: NPT is signed by 188 states and comes into force. IAEA is given specific role of defining and inspecting safeguards. 1986: Chernobyl, Ukraine experiences a devastating catastrophe. IAEA investigates and reports on the consequences IAEA leads on the studies and research. 1994: North Korea withdraws its membership after a dispute over IAEA inspections. 1998: IAEA claims to unable to exercise its right to full and free access at Iraq 2002: Iraq Action Team resumes work under its new name: Iraq Nuclear Verification Office. On the same year, DPRK has also expelled IAEA inspectors and removed surveillance equipment from its nuclear facilities. 2003: Following IAEAs report of Irans failure to meet NPT requirements, IAEA resolution for Iranian uranium enrichment facility is passed. Iran signs an agreement to allow tougher inspection. 2004: More of Iranian nuclear activities that were maintained secrete were discovered and the IAEA resolution comes short of UN sanctions. IAEA calls for suspension of Irans nuclear programs, but Iran initially rejects the proposal soon to accept towards the end of the year. 2005: IAEA adopts resolution urging Iran to stop its uranium enrichment program, but IAEA once again finds Iran in non-compliance with the NPT. 2006: IAEA votes to report Iran to the UN Security Council, and Iran gave threats to resume its research. Later the same year, DPRK nuclear test threatens the international security. 2007: IAEA determines that Iran is continuing and increasing its nuclear activates. IAEA determines in May that Iran can develop a nuclear warhead within three to eight years, and DPRK again expels IAEA inspectors. Iran allows and disallows IAEA inspectors within 3 months of time with IAEA pushing for peaceful negotiation and US pushing for sanctions. 2008: IAEA determines the Pakistans nuclear weapons of danger to potential thefts to Islamic radicals. No measures taken. IAEA once again increases suspicion of secrete nuclear weaponry development, and soon CIA discovers nuclear reactors under construction. DPRK again bans IAEA inspectors. 2009: Additional nuclear test conducted by DPRK, and Iran reveals second uranium enrichment plant. Iran refuses to accept international uranium enrichment offer and IAEA again passes resolution against Iran. 2010: Iran has declared itself to be a nuclear state. The significance of the timeline lies with the trend. Immediate notable trends are the lateness in IAEA identification of threats and incapacity to resolve the issue. A state violates certain treaties, nothing is done. Perhaps IAEA resolution or perhaps even an UN Security Council resolution ultimately to not achieve its goal. Iran and DPRK, as an example, has developed their nuclear program right under IAEAs nose. Detection was literally years behind, and even when discovered the corresponding actions were a failure. Strengthening of the safeguard function of the IAEA is critical to solving the issue. Relevant Treaties and UN Resolutions: Treaties: Most of them are self-explanatory. Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the IAEA: Self-explanatory. Sets the boundaries of the IAEA activities. Cornerstone of IAEAs existence. Potential boundaries of IAEA safeguards functions. Convention on Nuclear Safety: Specific resolution targeted for the purposes of monitoring of operations and regulations of nuclear power plants within each respective states. Part of the IAEA safeguards functions. Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management: Self-explanatory. Treaty regards to IAEA monitoring of the nuclear waste material. Also part of IAEA safeguard functions. Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material: Self-explanatory. Treaty in regards to actual military and security issues of protection on nuclear material. Inspection and threat assessment is part of IAEA safeguard functions. Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons: Key part of the debate as it is NPTs article III is the main purpose of IAEA safeguards. Mentioned in both the introduction and the definition of key terms. Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America, The African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty, South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone, Agreement between the Republic of Argentina, the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials and the IAEA for the Application of Safeguards, Verification Agreement between the IAEA and the European Atomic Energy Community: All of these are self-explanatory. They regard to nuclear weapons free zone and multilateral agreements regards to nuclear weapons and materials to be inspected by the IAEA; Part of the safeguard functions. Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and Under Water: Self-explanatory. Underline parts of the IAEA safeguard function regards to nuclear weapons tests. UN Resolutions UN Security Council Resolutions 1373: UN Security Council resolution concerns with international terrorism and the illegal movement of nuclear materials. The resolution emphasizes the need to enhance coordination of national, regional, and international efforts to strengthen a global response to the spreading nuclear threat. Underlines importance of the third party observer, IAEA, and the safeguard functionss significance in international peace. UN Security Council Resolutions 1540: UN Security Council resolution to enforce appropriate effective laws which prohibit non-State actors to manufacture, acquire, possess, develop, transport, transfer or use nuclear weapons, in particular for terrorist purposes. The measures included involve IAEA and some key actions of safeguard functions. Previously Attempted Solutions and their Failures: This will vary upon the viewpoint of the matter. In certain significance, IAEA measures have failed, based on the past development of nuclear threat, therefore all their actions are failures. Because the so called strength of the IAEA measures is significantly dependent on individual states tolerance, it has changed often over time. For instance the Bush administrations push against the IAEA to strengthen measures against Iran and DPRK has only resulted in more significant failure. In a sense all that has been done failed.

Are You Kidding? :: Up From Slavery Booker T. Washington Essays

Are You Kidding? Booker T. Washington’s Up From Slavery is an autobiography describing a man’s journey from slavery to prominence. Or is it? Mr. Washington’s complete assimilation into the white man’s world could be seen as an example of complete and total sycophancy, a lesson in sucking up. Booker T. Washington knew that in order to further the Tuskegee Institute, a school in the south, he would need the help of the very race and culture that had imprisoned him and his people. Long before his association with southern, black schools, Booker T. Washington knew exactly what he didn’t want out of life. He didn’t like being poor. Being raised on a plantation, he learned very early in life, that if you appeased the white man, you could live in relative peacefulness. If you went a little further and assimilated into their culture, you could achieve a certain amount of prominence. From the very beginning, Booker T. Washington learned that playing the role of the grateful, black man would allow him to achieve his goals in life. He wrote that he had â€Å"†¦long since ceased to cherish any spirit of bitterness against Southern white people on account of the enslavement of my race†(10). He goes so far as to comment â€Å"†¦notwithstanding the cruel wrongs inflicted upon us, the black man got nearly as much out of slavery as the white man did†(10). Could he really be suggesting that anyone enslaved and stripped of an identity could possibly benefit from it? He claims that there existed â€Å" no feeling of bitterness†¦ † only â€Å"†¦pity among the slaves for our former owners† (13). Could this statement be truly realistic? If a person is to believe that anyone could feel anything but bitterness is ridiculous. The only reason for this deliberate misrepresentation of the truth must be to fulfill anot her agenda. He continues throughout his autobiography to continually depict his encounters with whites in the most favorable light. General Samuel C. Armstrong, obviously a soldier in the Civil War, is described as â€Å"†¦the noblest, rarest human being that it has ever been my privilege to meet† (32).

Surviving the Cold War

When America dropped a bomb on Japan in 1945 it marked the end of World War 2 and the beginning of the Cold War. The government urged citizens to be prepared for the worst; an atomic bomb. It was a time of extreme fear. It was a time to take measures in your own hands to protect your family. As head of my household during the cold war it would be hard not to fall pray to the constant propaganda of the day. Since any above ground post atomic attack survival strategies would be futile; efforts would be made for an underground or bunker survival. I would build a shelter at least four levels deep underground. The engineering behind this structure would have to be well thought out. Things like radiation resistant paint would be carefully considered. Every minor detail would be planned out before taking on construction. The creation of a survival plan would be part of the essential strategy. This would be rehearsed on a regular basis so in the event, things would operate smoothly. Each member of the family would be charged with specific duties, to avoid any confusion and chaos. It would be practiced routinely so that it becomes second nature. In order to survive extended periods of time in a confined space your basic requirements must be met. The storage of water and food would be priority. I would try to build a tank that could hold at least a thousand gallons of water; as for food as many dried and can goods as possible. There would be no such thing as too much. My goal would be to have enough resources to last a year. I would make sure we had adequate power supply with back up generators and batteries for a year. Having an extensive first aid kit would be fundamental, in case of minor injuries and exposure to hazardous materials. Another key strategy would be secrecy. Information about the family bunker and supplies would not be shared with neighbors or any other non family members. I feel this is imperative for our survival. If the news of our location was shared with people our survival would be compromised because of having to share our resources and limited space. Finally the need for information would be a central motivator for reading the paper and watching the news reports about nemy operations and threats against the homeland. Keeping abreast of the news would let me know if it is safe to go outside or not. If we are expecting anymore bomb treats and generally what’s going on in the world around us. In any society that lives under fear, it is extremely important to be informed. Being prepared as best as possible would be your only chance for survival. Throughout history mankind have engaged in wars and I firmly believe that like them, we too; are resilient and can survive with the right preparations.

Personality and Ability Essay

1) What determines our individual characteristics? In other words, is personality and ability determined by our genes, our environment, or some combination of both? a. What percentage of our personality is determined by our genes? 35 -49% b. What percentage of our ability is determined by our genes? 60% 2) What are the different taxonomies for classifying an individual’s personality? a. The Big Five – This taxonomy consists of five traits: Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Openness to Experience, and Extraversion. It reliably measures personality traits and validly predicts many job outcomes. b. The Myers-Briggs Type Inventory – This taxonomy is one of the most popular. Unfortunately, it is not very reliable (take it once and you might be classified as an ESTJ, take it again and you might be classified as an ISFP). It also isn’t very valid. Why isn’t it valid? Well, for one, it isn’t reliable. (And remember, reliability is a precursor for validity). For another, it doesn’t really separate well from bad performers. This scale is not commonly used for selection or promotion purposes, but it is commonly used for teambuilding purposes†¦We both take the test, then we say, â€Å"Wow, look at me. I’m an ESTJ†¦I ’m such an extraverted senser. What are you? An ISFJ? Oh that’s so cool. We are both senser and judgers. Let’s be good teammates now.† c. Holland’s RIASEC model (named after a dude, not the region of the Netherlands). This taxonomy is used to guide people into career fields†¦not much else. So, the main takeaway here is that on the question that asks, â€Å"Which taxonomy is best for making selection and promotion decisions?† Choose the Big Five. 3) The Big Five a. What are the Big Five? Conscientiousness: dependable, organized, methodical, reliable, persevering, ambitious, NOT careless, sloppy, inefficient, negligent, lazy and irresponsible Agreeableness: kind, cooperative, sympathetic, helpful, courteous, warm, not critical, not antagonistic, not callous, not selfish, not rude and cold Neuroticism: nervous, moody, emotional, insecure, jealous, unstable NOT calm, steady, relaxed, at ease, secure, contented Openness: curious, imaginative, creative, complex, refined, sophisticated, NOT uninquisitive, conventional, conforming, simple, inartistic, traditional Extraversion: talkative, sociable, passionate, bold, dominant NOT quiet, shy, inhibited, bashful, reserved, submissive b. Which two traits predict task performance across nearly all jobs? Conscientious and neuroticism c. In what types of jobs are the other three traits valid predict of task performance? Agreeableness=service jobs, extraversion=sales or leadership, openness= learning d. How does the strength of the situation impact the degree to which personality predicts task performance? 4) In class, we talked about personality testing. Each student completed a personality survey under (a) an honest condition and (b) a simulated job application condition. a. Was there evidence that faking was a problem? b. What are different techniques for alleviating faking on personality tests? Proactive measures Use forced-choice inventories where applicants have to decide between equally desirable options (e.g., which adjective best describes you: ambitious or helpful?) Use conditional reasoning tests (rather than ask about your personality, ask questions then infer your personality based on your responses) Warn applicants not to fake Require applicants to elaborate on their responses Reactive measures Measure response times Include items designed to catch fakers c. Were we able to eliminate faking? 5) In general, what is the best individual characteristic (out of our personality traits and abilities) for predicting task performance? a. What about if we are trying to predict an individual’s typical task performance? Motivation b. What about if we are trying to predict an individual’s maximal task performance? Ability 6) What characteristic of the job impacts the relationship between cognitive ability and task performance? When is the relationship stronger and when is the relationship weaker? One of the best predictor of job performance. Gold standard in terms of individual difference predictors. Research evidence for the validity of general mental ability measures for predicting job performance is stronger than for any other method. Significantly undervalued by managers On average, conscientiousness is a better predictor of employee performance than intelligence. 72% Increase organizational performance/profitability 7) Emotional ability – What are the dimensions of emotional ability? What do they mean? (If I give you an example, you should be able to tell me which dimension is being portrayed.) Self-awareness: Appraisal and expression of emotions in oneself. The ability of an individual to understand the types of she is experiencing, the willingness to acknowledge them and the capability to express them naturally. Other awareness: appraisal and recognition of emotion in others. Ability to recognize and understand the emotions that other people are feeling. Emotion regulation: ability to recover quickly from emotional experiences. Use of emotions: this capability reflects the degree to which people can harness emotions and employ them to improve their chances of being successful in whatever they’re seeking to. Groups and Teams 1. What is task interdependence? Team members interact with and rely on other team members for the information, materials, and resources needed to accomplish work for the team. a. What are the different types of task interdependence? Pooled interdependence: low task interdependence, easier to manage. Faster Sequential interdependence: different tasks are done in a prescribed order the interaction only occurs between members who perform task that are next to each other in the sequence. The latter part sustain the task after former part. One way interaction. Reciprocal interdependence: same sequential one but this is two way interaction. Comprehensive interdependence: highest level of interaction and coordination among members. High quality output, difficult to manage, more conflict, social loafers or dominant members, more  simulate members, more catches errors, i. If I give you an example of a work team, you should be able to tell me what type work team they are (in terms of task interdependence). Work team, management team, parallel team, project team, action team ii. If I give you a type of work team (in terms of task interdependence), you should be able to tell me how their members interact iii. You should a lso be able to rank the task interdependence types in terms of the degree of coordination required. Comprehensive, reciprocal, sequential, pooled, b. How does increasing the degree of coordination required (aka increasing task interdependence) affect process gains? Teams have more (and more diverse) knowledge / skills / information than the individuals Teams are able to â€Å"divide and conquer† tasks Teams are better at catching errors than the individual who proposed the idea Teams are better at creating and enforcing production norms Teams might stimulate individuals to perform better Teams might stimulate a sense of belongingness Members might learn knowledge / skills / information from other individuals in the team Members might positively impact others’ moods and emotions (emotional contagion) c. How does increasing the degree of coordination required (aka increasing task interdependence) affect process losses? Coordination consumes time and energy that could have been devoted to the task Production blocking Groupthink: Pressure to conform to the team and reluctance to criticize the comments of others Fear of negative evaluations from others may cause members to withhold ideas Some team members may exercise undue influence or monopolize the team’s time Members may exert less effort when working on team tasks (â€Å"social loafing†) Members might negatively impact others’ moods and emotions (emotional contagion) 2. What is goal interdependence? The degree to which team members have a shared goal and align their  individual goals with that vision† The more, the merrier. Increases potential for process gains, decreases potential for process losses a. How does increasing goal interdependence affect process gains? b. How does increasing goal interdependence affect process losses? 3. What is outcome independence? â€Å"The degree to which team members share equally in the feedback and rewards that result from the team achieving its goals. a. How does increasing outcome interdependence affect process gains? Answer: It depends on the situation. b. How does increasing outcome interdependence affect process losses? Answer: It depends on the situation. High outcome interdependence: Team members share in the rewards (pay, bonuses, feedback, recognition, etc.) that the team earns Advantages: promotes cooperation Low outcome interdependence: Individual members receive rewards based on individual performance regardless of team performance Advantages: higher performing members prefer getting more rewards than rest. 4. If task interdependence is high (or low), how should outcome interdependence be designed to maximize the ratio of process gains to process losses? . If task interdependence is high, it is usually better to ensure that outcome interdependence is also high 5. If outcome interdependence is high (or low), how should task interdependence be designed to maximize the ratio of process gains to process losses? If outcome interdependence is low, it is usually better to try to ensure that task interdependence is also low. 6. What are some factors that make up a team’s composition? Member roles, member ability, member personality, team diversity, team size 7. What are the different team roles? If I explain a team role, you should be able to tell me whether it is a team task role, a team building role, or an individualistic role. a. What team roles generally benefit the team? What team role is generally negative? Whereas Task role and team building role benefit the team, individualistic roles are generally negative. 8. What is the relationship between team cognitive ability and team performance? a. When is this relationship stronger? In general, a team’s cognitive ability is a moderate-to-strong predictor of  team performance. As the task becomes more complex, the strength of the relationship between a team’s cognitive ability and its performance increases. 9. What is the best combination of team members in terms of: a. Conscientiousness- variance is important, too much is bad b. Extraversion-variance is important, too little variance can be bad c. Agreeableness- minimum is important, no members are too low. 10. What is the impact of diversity on team outcomes? More specifically: a. For which types of tasks is diversity generally good? 1. The The task is complex and requires creativity 2. attributes considered are related to knowledge and perspectives (ethnicity, expertise, personality, attitudes, etc.) b. For which types of tasks is homogeneity (the lack of diversity) good? Regular work, low task complexity, requires efficiency c. What is surface-level diversity? Diversity regarding observable attributes such as race, sex, and age. i. How does it impact process losses over time? These process losses typically disappear over time d. What is deep-level diversity? Diversity regarding attributes that are less easy to observe initially, but that can be inferred after more direct experience such as attitudes, values, and personality i. How does it impact process losses over time? These process losses usually increase over time 11. What are task work processes? Creative behavior, decision making, boundary spanning a. In terms of decision making, why do some teams make bad decisions (i.e., what are the components that lead to poor team decisions)? Decision infirmity: reflects whether members possess adequate information about their own task responsibilities. Staff validity: is the degree to which members make a good recommendations to the leader. Team members can possess all the information needed to make a valid recommendation but then fail to do so because of a lack of ability, insight or good judgment. Hierarchical  sensitivity: is the degree to which the leader effectively weighs the members’ recommendations. 12. What are teamwork processes? a. If I describe behaviors and interactions within a team, you should be able to tell me whether these processes are transition, action, or interpersonal processes. Transition processes: teamwork activities that focus on preparation for future work. Action processes: monitoring progress toward goals. Teams that pay attention to goal related information are typically in a good position to realize when they are off track and need to make changes. Interpersonal processes: motivating and confidence building, affect management, conflict management, b. Also, you should know: i. When are transition processes most valuable to team success? ii. When are action processes most valuable to team success? iii. When are interpersonal processes most valuable to team success? 13. What are team states? a. What is cohesion? Emotional attachment that tends to foster high levels of motivation and commitment to the team. i. How does cohesion affect team outcomes? Tend to promote higher level of team performance. ii. What is groupthink? Feelings of overconfidence about the team capabilities. b. What is potency? Is the degree to which members believe that the team can be effective across a variety of situations and tasks. i. How does potency affect team outcomes? When a team has a high potency, members are confident that their team can perform well. Vice versa. c. What are mental models? Level of common understanding among team members with regard to importantaspects of the team and its task. 14. How do teams develop over time†¦ a. †¦according to the Stage Based Model of Team Development? b. †¦according to the Punctuated Equilibrium Model of Team Development? Leadership: 1. What is power? The ability to influence the behavior of others and resist unwanted influence in return. a. What are the different types of power? Personal, organizational i. What types are derived from a person’s position within the organization? Legitimate power: is derived from a position of authority inside the organization and is sometimes referred to as formal authority. Reward power, coercive power ii. What types are derived from factors other than formal authority? Personal power: expert power, referent power b. What are some contingency factors that influence whether or not a person has power? (If I describe a situation, you should be able to tell me what contingency is responsible for the person’s power or lack of power). Power contingency factors: situations in organizations that are likely to increase or decrease the degree to which leaders can use their power to influence others. These include substitutability: there are no substitutes for the rewards or resources the leader controls. Discretion: the leader has the freedom to make his or her own decisions without being restrained by organizational rules. Centrality: the leader’s role is important and interdependent with others in the organization Visibility: others know about the leader and the resources he or she can provide. 2. What are the different influence tactics? If I describe a situation, you should be able to tell me what influence tactic is being used. a. Which tactics are most effective?  Rational persuasion, consultation, inspirational appeals, collaboration b. Which tactics are least effective? Pressure, coalitions c. When trying to influence a superior, which tactic is most effective? Engagement 3. What are the different responses to influence tactics? a. What influence tactics often lead to internalization/engagement vs. compliance vs. resistance? Engagement occurs when the target of influence agrees with and becomes committed to the influence request Compliance: occurs when targets of influence are willing to do what the leaders asks but  they do it with a degree of ambivalence. Resistance: target refuses to perform the influence request. Influencer’ power is low relative to the target or request itself is unreasonable. 4. What are the different conflict resolution techniques?  a. What types of outcomes do we expect from the different techniques? Competing: high assertiveness, low cooperation (win-lose) Avoiding: low assertiveness, low cooperation (lose-lose) Accommodating: low assertiveness, high cooperation (lose-win) Collaboration: high assertiveness, high cooperation (win-win) the best outcome Compromise: moderate assertiveness, moderate cooperation (win-lose) easy and common 5. Trait theories of leadership: a. Out of the Big Five and cognitive ability, which two traits are the strongest predictors of leader emergence? Conscientiousness and extraversion b. Out of the Big Five and cognitive ability, which trait is the strongest predictor of leader effectiveness? Cognitive ability c. According to the trait theories of leadership: i. What leadership outcome is best predicted by personality? leader emergence ii. What leadership outcome is best predicted by cognitive ability? Leader effectiveness d. Basic premise of trait vs. behavior theories: If traits predict leadership, then organizations should invest in hiring people with general dispositions to be leaders. If not, then organizations should not focus on hiring the right people, but instead, should focus on training people to be good leaders. Research shows that both traits and behaviors predict leadership. So, organizations should focus on hiring people that are predisposed to be better leaders and then training these people how to be the best leaders they can be. 6. Behavior theories of leadership: a. What are the two general categories of leader behaviors? If I describe a particular behavior, you should be able to tell me whether it is an example of â€Å"Consideration† or â€Å"Initiating Structure†. Initiating Structure: the extent to which a leader is likely to define and structure his/her roles and  those of employees in the search for goal attainment Consideration: the extent to which a person is likely to have job relationships that are characterized by mutual trust, respect for employees’ ideas, and regard for their feelings b. What outcomes do these leader behaviors predict? (You don’t need to know which behaviors â€Å"moderately† are vs. â€Å"strongly† related to which outcomes†¦just that these two behaviors are both pretty good predictors of the set of outcomes.) 7. Contingency theories of leadership: a. According to the Life Cycle Theory of Leadership: i. When followers are unable, initiating structure is important ii. When followers are unwilling, consideration is important iii. Followers usually progress through 4 stages: 1. Unable but Willing 2. Unable and Unwilling 3. Able but Unwilling 4. Able and Willing iv. So, in Stage 1 (Unable but Willing), initiating structure behaviors are required. In Stage 2, both initiating structure and consideration behaviors are required. In Stage 3, consideration behaviors are required. And in Stage 4, since the group is both willing and able, neither initiating structure nor consideration behaviors are necessarily required†¦the team will excel on its own. b. According to the Time-Driven Model of Leader Decision-Making Styles i. What are the different decision-making styles and how do they differ in terms of who is responsible for what? ii. I am not going to ask you to memorize the â€Å"decision-tree†. But you need to know that the effectiveness of the decision-making style is contingent upon the situation. In some situations, an autocratic style is most important, in others, a facilitative style, etc. iii. What might happen if leaders use inappropriate styles? You may end up making an incorrect decision The decision-making process may be inefficient (take more time or cost more money) The subordinates may not buy in to the decision c. According to Leader-Member Exchange Theory: Leaders treat different subordinates differently and the effectiveness of a leader is contingent on the relationship between the leader and the particular member(s) i. Who gets invited into the â€Å"in-group†? Those who are competent, likeable, and more similar to the leader in terms of attitudes and values. ii. What are the advantages of being in the â€Å"in-group†? More trusted, receive a disproportionate amount of the leader’s attention, receive special privileges iii. What are the disadvantages of being in the â€Å"in-group†? Rise and fall with the success of the leader. iv. How do people in the â€Å"in-group† differ from people in the â€Å"out-group† in terms of performance, turnover, and satisfaction? Higher performance, less turnover, greater job satisfaction Rate the leader as more effective. d. According to Critical Theories of Leadership: i. If substitutes or neutralizers are present, is it best to spend a lot of money hiring, training, and developing leaders? If neutralizers are present, then spending time and money hiring, training, and developing leaders might not be worth it because they will have little impact on the success of their subordinates Have to consider whether it will be more effective to hire, train, and develop leaders or to focus on leader substitutes instead Good leaders often try to build substitutes so that the unit can run itself When evaluating leader performance, it is important to determine whether success (or failure) is due to the leader or to substitutes and neutralizers. e. What are the different leadership styles? If I explain a leader, you should be able to tell me whether the leader is using a laissez-faire, passive management-by-exception, active management-by-exception, contingent reward, transformational, etc. Laissez-faire: Hands off style of leadership, Leader avoids getting invol ved Management by exception (passive): Leader only gets involved when mistakes are made Management by exception (active): Leader monitors group, looking for mistakes and gets involved only when mistakes are made. Contingent reward: Leader makes rewards contingent on favorable performance. Transformational leadership: What helps leaders â€Å"transform† followers so that they are willing to work beyond expectations to benefit the collective good? Idealized influence: provides a vision and a sense of mission, instills pride, gains respect and trust Inspirational motivation: fosters enthusiasm for and commitment to a shared vision of the future Intellectual stimulation: challenges followers to be innovative and creative Individualized consideration: helps followers achieve their potential through coaching, development, and mentoring f. What are the factors that separate transformational leaders from other leaders? Followers of transformational leaders work harder and are more committed to the group and organization Transformational leadership is strongly related to leader emergence and leader effectiveness Leaders can be trained in transformational leadership styles Dark side: Followers can be convinced to act unethically or immorally. A good leader has desirable leadership traits A good leader exhibits effective leadership behaviors A good leader matches the leadership behavior to the situation A good leader guides individuals and motivates them to perform at a high level A great leader transforms followers so that they are willing to work beyond expectations to benefit the collective good