Crime Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Crime - Research Paper Example It is vital to maintain the devices used to commit the crime as evidence when reporting electronic crimes. How can one protect him or herself or their family against e-crime? By educating themselves on basic online safety through recommended websites (Ghosh & Turinni 291). Individuals can also educate their families about online safety. Individuals can also set up basic protection against malware such spyware and anti-viruses. Are e-crimes punishable by jail time? If found guilty of a cyber-crime by the court, one is probable to get punished through jail time. Sentences for cyber-crimes are getting tougher by the day and cyber-crime attorneys are increasingly finding it challenging to defend their parties. Most cyber-crimes sentences get served in months, however depending on the degree of the crime, the accused may receive years in jail time. What methods get used to detect e-crime? There is no single, clear cut method of detecting cyber-crimes. E-crimes get detected by chance. There are informal methods such as regular audit of the systems, looking for mistakes, and the use of government agencies such as the police or IRS to detect the crime. What is computer forensics? Computer forensics refers to a form of forensic science that involves legal analysis of evidence located in electronic devices or computers (Ghosh & Turinni 232). Computer forensics helps to discover the actual cause of a computer system malfunction. It may also get used by professionals to determine situations where individuals may have unlawfully used a computer or network with the intention of hacking or harming a computer

Wal-Mart Organizational Structure Paper Essay Example for Free

Wal-Mart Organizational Structure Paper Essay As an organization Wal-Mart has grown into a global and multimillion dollar company in America and around the world. They have been at the top of the list for the fortune and global 500 for years. They make big headlines both good and bad. They are in the United Kingdom, China, and Brazil, and all over the world. Wal-Mart started its global market in 1991, where they opened up a store in Mexico City. The profits were not that good at the beginning because they opened the store using plans and strategies they use in the United States. Those internal and external factors in globalization affected the four functions of management such as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. It was a learning experience for the organization and they had to assemble different plans for more international stores. When we think of technology in companies like Wal-mart, we think of marketing technology. With marketing technology, Wal-mart uses all functions of management. These functions had to be planned, organized, controlled, and their managers have to take the lead to convince or motivate the employees to carry out the marketing strategies in order for them to be effective. For example, anybody can market a sale in their stores, but if it is not planned, organized, or controlled, the store will not meet the goals, which can include an increase in sales, or an increase in the amount of customers coming into the businesses. When Wal-mart first started their business, they were clothing, small appliances, and home goods type of business. Through the years of their technology innovation, they saw how they can benefit from expanding their sales to food, pharmacy, sporting goods, and even an auto center. As they moved forward, they brought in private banks, eye care centers, nail salons, hair salons, and even a place for professional photos. Their careful planning and organizing helped them to become one of the largest retail stores not only in America but also nation-wide. Their strategies to make this happen were very successful because of the four function of management working well when they made these changes. Wal-mart is a perfect example of the way the four functions of management can work. Not only work but also work effectively with organized planning, controlling the needed changes, and acquiring the right management in place to take the needed charge for it all to come together. Without technology and the four functions of management, Wal-mart would not be the successful business it is today. There are many internal and external factors that affect functions of management. When we speak of Diversity, which is a variety or range of different things, and we look at the Planning, organizing, directing, and controlling functions of management. An organization may look at hiring different ethnic backgrounds, ages, genders as well as focus on offering different types of services within the organization. Meeting the needs of the community will be very important for business to grow; therefore bi-lingual staff will be a plus. Store location is a keen factor as well, so an organization may have greater opportunity in a location where there is no competition. Advertisement will come into play when organizing. What types of advertisements to use will have to be decided upon. Billboards, TV commercials, newspaper inserts, English/Spanish, or even flyers may be considered. There are also sales papers in every entrance of every store for customers to look through as they shop. The set-up of the store also falls under organizing, figuring out the layout of items and additional services like urgent care centers or nail spas. Directing and Controlling of an organization will depend mostly upon management. Policies will be set on ways to encourage, motivate, and train employees. According to the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, â€Å"Organizations need to make cultures that allow workers from various fields to succeed.† An organization needs to have policies in place that provide opportunity for everyone to improve. Targeting customers from different ethnicities and age are important as well as offering an array of product, designating adequate handicap parking spots, shopping carts, and motorized scooters. Customer surveys and employee job performance reviews are also a part of Controlling. The ethics function will focus on the moral principles that govern a group’s behavior. Initially during planning, a company may be sure that items not appropriate for children are locked away, such as explicit CD’s or weapons. When organizing, customers are more likely to shop at a store where the staff is courtesy, kind, respectful, and helpful. The Directing and Controlling functions are monitored more so by management to ensure that policies are adhered to, and tracked for compliance. Excellent customer service will be a focus because happy and satisfied customers are return customers. Although as consumers, this is an area that many stores are losing their focus on. In Business Ethics: The Law of Rules, the author states â€Å"Rules have the greatest impact when they cause people to behave differently than they would have behaved in the absence of the rule.† This would mean that if there is a policy in place for monetary incentives for the employee with the most customer service nominations, and more employees are trying to obtain the incentive, the â€Å"great impact† will be that more employees are exuding excellent customer service and more often. Though there are many other stores that offer the same items as Wal-Mart such as Target, K-Mart, Sams, owned by the same person. Customers like Wal-mart better because of the great prices and can do more at this one location; they can at the other similar stores. In conclusion, Wal-Mart is still the leading organizational business to this day, mixing the good with the bad situations that come about. There are many internal and external factors that affect Wal-Mart, globally, technically, and ethically. Diversity and innovation also play roles in leadership and management. The reason I have chosen Wal-Mart as my topic for this assignment is that it is a great organization to research and discuss because of its popularity. Most of the family shopping is done at the local Wal-Mart. Clothing, Groceries, household items, pet supplies, and even my oil changes on the family car are done at Wal-Mart. After doing research I realized the effect that legal issues, ethics, and corporate social responsibility have on management planning. These are the reasons Wal-Mart has been at the top of the list for the fortune and global 500 for years. REFERNCES Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory: Oct2010, vol. 20 Issue 4 p 867-886, 20p Authors: Pitts, David W Heckling, Alisa Hawes, Daniel Melton, Erin Business Ethics: The Law of Rules Ã…  Ã„ eulovs, D., Gaile-Sarkane, E. (2011). E-MARKETING FOR A COMPANY: EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL INFLUENCE. Economics Management, 16947-953.

The Myth Of Perfection :: essays research papers

The Myth of Perfection Perfection is a much sought-after quality, yet is completely impossible to obtain. Because we do not have a clear definition of what perfection truly is, when a person attempts to become "perfect", they are usually transforming into what seems to be perfect to . In both "A Doll's House" and "The Metamorphosis", we see that human beings cannot achieve a state of total perfection. When Gregor Samsa, from "the Metamorphosis", attempts to be the perfect provider that his family expects him to be, he inadvertently turns his life into an insectoid existence. Likewise, when Nora from "A Doll's House" tries to live up to her husband's expectations of a perfect wife, she builds up enough self-hate to leave everything that she loves and start an entirely new life. Striving to be this ideal person, like attempting to acquire any other impossible goal, is damaging to the characters in both cases. The fortunes of these characters illustrate the harm in attempting to achieve these impossible objectives. As human beings, we have no conception of any absolute values, such as perfection and imperfection or hot and cold. We can only perceive changes or comparisons based on what we already know. Through experience, we can tell what is hotter or colder, but never actually tell what the absolutes are. This is a central aspect of what makes perfection impossible to achieve. What exactly is perfection? Seeing as we have no inherent knowledge of what is perfect or imperfect, these ideals are usually set by the expectations of others who are in positions of control over us. Therein lies one of the fundamental dangers in attempting to achieve perfection. When the aims and goals of our lives are governed by an outside force, we are transferring a great amount of power over ourselves to someone else who may not have the best intentions. Those who have power over us, in most circumstances, will use it to their own benefit. This is Gregor Samsa's main problem. He transfers control of his life over to his family, who hardly had the best intentions for Gregor's well-being. They merely wanted a way to get money and food to support themselves. With Gregor working, his father has an excuse to continue doing nothing, and allows the family to remain stagnant at the level that they are at. Directly and indirectly, his family enforces the view that a son should work to support his family and not himself. They did this by showing love and commending Gregor when he brought them food and money, showing him that this was their idea of The Myth Of Perfection :: essays research papers The Myth of Perfection Perfection is a much sought-after quality, yet is completely impossible to obtain. Because we do not have a clear definition of what perfection truly is, when a person attempts to become "perfect", they are usually transforming into what seems to be perfect to . In both "A Doll's House" and "The Metamorphosis", we see that human beings cannot achieve a state of total perfection. When Gregor Samsa, from "the Metamorphosis", attempts to be the perfect provider that his family expects him to be, he inadvertently turns his life into an insectoid existence. Likewise, when Nora from "A Doll's House" tries to live up to her husband's expectations of a perfect wife, she builds up enough self-hate to leave everything that she loves and start an entirely new life. Striving to be this ideal person, like attempting to acquire any other impossible goal, is damaging to the characters in both cases. The fortunes of these characters illustrate the harm in attempting to achieve these impossible objectives. As human beings, we have no conception of any absolute values, such as perfection and imperfection or hot and cold. We can only perceive changes or comparisons based on what we already know. Through experience, we can tell what is hotter or colder, but never actually tell what the absolutes are. This is a central aspect of what makes perfection impossible to achieve. What exactly is perfection? Seeing as we have no inherent knowledge of what is perfect or imperfect, these ideals are usually set by the expectations of others who are in positions of control over us. Therein lies one of the fundamental dangers in attempting to achieve perfection. When the aims and goals of our lives are governed by an outside force, we are transferring a great amount of power over ourselves to someone else who may not have the best intentions. Those who have power over us, in most circumstances, will use it to their own benefit. This is Gregor Samsa's main problem. He transfers control of his life over to his family, who hardly had the best intentions for Gregor's well-being. They merely wanted a way to get money and food to support themselves. With Gregor working, his father has an excuse to continue doing nothing, and allows the family to remain stagnant at the level that they are at. Directly and indirectly, his family enforces the view that a son should work to support his family and not himself. They did this by showing love and commending Gregor when he brought them food and money, showing him that this was their idea of

Animal Farm

Animal Farm Essay â€Å"Without Squealer the pigs would never have been in such a powerful position. † To what extent do you agree? George Orwell’s â€Å"Animal Farm† is a complex novel, which explores in depth the motions of leaders and the leaded, and how the human condition affects our own moral thinking. On Animal Farm the pigs are stated as the higher, wiser animals on Animal Farm and the major decisions on the farm were made by them and then justified by squealer the persuasive politician-like pig. Natural authority creates the position the pigs are in, which is against the original ideas of Old Major and his ideology of â€Å"All animals are equal†. But is the position the pigs are in maintained by Squealers persuasive ways? I believe that the pigs are originally created higher than the other pigs as their knowledge is greater than any other animal, which results in natural leadership over Animal Farm. Squealer â€Å"Who could turn black into white† is Napoleons greatest asset in his plot to control animal farm. He convinces every animal on the farm that Napoleons actions are always right. As the rules change on Animal Farm Squealer is sent to the other animals to justify the changes or reminds them that those rules were always there. Squealer is thought of as a politician trying to convince another party that there parties ideals are right although on Animal Farm the other animals aren’t smart enough to debate the witty arguments Squealer presents. Limiting the terms of debate and creating a â€Å"right or wrong† argument creates greater control over the animals and less rebuttal. Squealers complicated language makes the Animals uneasy and they agree in doubt. Squealers name also suits him as to squeal depicts his vocal manor in his job for Napoleon. Orwell starts the book of as a dream for a better future for the animals on the farm where all animals are equal. Animal Farm Those in power will inevitably become corrupt. To what extent do you agree? George Rowel's novel, Animal Farm shows the overlaying theme of the corruption of power. Power, more often than not, causes the bearer to become corrupt, which causes them to lose most sense, besides that, which will get them more power. In the beginning of the novel we are introduced to Old Major. He holds power on Manor Farm. Old Major uses his power to introduce Minimalism and the Seven Commandments. He dies before we can see if his power corrupts would him.Napoleon who takes control of the farm next lives throughout the book therefore we see the corruption of his high status of power. One other animal that we see have the status of power is Boxer. He doesn't have the same type of power as the other two animals nor would he use it in the same way if he had. Boxer is one example of someone who has power but doesn't let it corrupt him. Power can only corrupt you If you let It. Power contains many factors In the lead up to corruption. Animal Farm shows the how depending on your nature and what you do and treat your power; It will change whether for the good or the bad.Old Major is the power head at the beginning of the novel. He is well respected among the other animals to which they are â€Å"happy to lose an hour's sleep in order to hear what he had to say†. At the time Old Major is one of the smartest if not the smartest animal on the farm therefore he is able to use his power to easily convince the other animals of the idea of minimalism and starting a rebellion. He thought that all animals needed to unite under one ruler ship – Minimalism – and that they needed to usurp the humans because man is the problem for all animals. In his speech he sees the propaganda In order to persuade them.He outlines that their lives are â€Å"miserable, laborious and short†. Propaganda would only work if there was a level of power. Old Major uses his level of power and Int ellect to get the animals to do what he says and to follow his Ideas whether they are right or wrong. Old Major's power didn't live long enough for his power to corrupt him, however he did use his power to get rid of those whose power had corrupted them – Mr. Jones. For a short period after his death – until Napoleon, the next power head, steps up – his power is still ensured which leads the rebellion and the first strands of life on the newly named Animal Farm.Not long after the death of Old Major, Napoleon steps up as the unofficial leader because at that stage It Is thought to have equality with all animals. The idea that ‘all animals are equal but some are more equal than others', Isn't about Just yet. Napoleon was always a respected person. He has a â€Å"reputation for getting his own way', which provided him with a small level of power. There Is a saying that reads, ‘knowledge Is power and power Is knowledge'. We see It many times In Animal F arm, miming from Napoleon's character.One example of this is when, after the dogs give this because they don't feel that anything is wrong because the face that they are being shown isn't the honest one. When it is too late, it is discovered that the puppies were taught about the ways of Napoleon and therefore grew up and turned corrupt, which happened to Napoleon after his status of power had gotten to be too much that it turned him corrupt. â€Å"Napoleon is always right†, is a saying that is continuous after animal equality is broken. This is built on fear, lies and injustice. On the outsideNapoleon cares about the revolution and keeping Mr. Jones off the farm. However, looks can be deceiving. He cares more about maintaining his power and making sure his power is rising higher and higher that he doesn't care what he uses and says to get there. Napoleon uses the other animals' fear of Jones to get them to do what he wants. Napoleon lets his power corrupt him and doesn't see m to notice or care about the consequences of his actions which is an attribute of a terrible leader and person that holds power. Napoleon was a harsh, unjust and corrupt holder of power.But not all people who old power are corrupt or are even that obvious that they hold power. An example of this is Boxer. He holds a level of power not to the extent of Napoleon or even Old Major however it is still there. Power isn't Just about having control over people it is, power can also be having an influence on a group of people – or in this case animals – or having people look up to you as an inspiration. Boxer has this type of power. He has a big influence on the other animals especially the smaller ones that feel they are looked down upon.Where Napoleon sends other animals to kill a fellow, Boxer is overwhelmed with distress at the prospect of killing someone even if that someone is a human. â€Å"Nothing could have been achieved without Boxer. † Boxer isn't one of tho se people who crave power, in fact shied away from it at most. He sat quietly and did his work no matter the conditions or complications he worked until he literally couldn't stand anymore. Boxer is one to prove that not everyone in power will become corrupt. It Just depends on your morals and what type of person you are and the things you believe in. Not everyone in power will inevitably become corrupt.

NASW Code of Ethics Essay

However, the same section of the Code also suggests that social workers are entitled to limit the â€Å"right of clients to self-determination† if and only if the â€Å"clients’ actions or potential actions pose a serious, foreseeable, and imminent risk† to either the patient themselves or to others including their relatives. These things being the case, it goes to show that the attending physician, with the consent of his superiors, may refuse the request of the patient or the relatives of the patient to cut-off his life-support system. It is this case which shows how the obligation of the social worker can override the right of the patient to self-determination. The result is an ethical dilemma where the attending physician is forced to make a decision; no middle-ground option is available. Section 1. 06 provides the immediate action that should be taken should the need arise. The section states that social workers ought to â€Å"inform clients when a real or potential conflict of interest arises† (Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers). Thus, the first thing that the attending physician should do is to inform the patient or—if the patient is in a physical state where he is unable to make decisions on his own or comprehend the situation—the relatives of the patient about the conflict. In doing so, the attending physician is able to preempt confusion on the part of the patient or the relatives of the patient. Doing so also reinforces the idea that â€Å"a major stakeholder in business must be the communities of which corporations and other organizations are a part† (Ethics and the Organization, p. 215), part of which are the clients or patients of the social workers. Lastly, informing the patients or his relatives about the conflict of interest can help the patient or his relatives reconsider the decision. The same section also provides that reasonable steps should be taken, steps that treat the clients’ interests as primary and â€Å"protect clients’ interests to the greatest extent possible† (Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers). The situation under inquiry indicates that the primary interest of the client or his relatives is to cease his life-support system. This being the case, the prerogative for the attending physician is to uphold the interest of the client which is cease the patient’s life-support system regardless of whether or not the attending physician the decision reflects his personal position. The physician’s immediate superior similarly cannot override the decision of the client since the interest of the client still overrides the decisions of the superiors. In the case, there are two reasons behind the decision of the clients to cease the life-support system of the patient. One is that the patient is terminally-ill and two is that the patient’s family can barely afford the fees required to continue the provision of the life-support system. In Section 1. 13 of the NASW Code of Ethics, it is stated that â€Å"social workers should ensure that the fees are fair, reasonable, and commensurate with the services performed† (Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers). If the clients cannot afford the facilities and services provided by the health organization where the attending physician is working for despite being fair, reasonable and commensurate with the services provided, there is little reason to deny the request of the clients. It is important to note that the health organization also has its own shareholders; it is similarly unethical to not consider the financial interest of the health organization if the clients themselves are already requesting for the cessation of the life-support system of the patient. The fact that the patient is already suffering from a terminal illness is a guarantee that the health condition of the patient is beyond cure. As far as the NASW Code of Ethics is concerned, it is safe to assume that it is ethical for the attending physician to grant the request of the client to cease the life-support system. But in doing so, it is imperative to let the client sign a waiver which will make certain that the clients are fully aware of the consequences of their decision and of the options that they have. The case may stand as a precedent for future cases with similar nature together with the provisions in the NASW Code of Ethics. The decision to execute the request of the clients is also consistent with the core values emphasized in the Code, specifically the values of competence and integrity. Fully discussing with the clients the consequences of their decision and the circumstances of the case shows the capacity of the social worker to remain professional and to avoid becoming too much engaged in the personal affairs of the clients. It also shows the integrity of the social worker in keeping in mind his limitations and his obligations to his clients. In the event where the client raises a complaint after the execution of their decision, a selected panel will head the investigation of the case. The panel will use the NASW Code of Ethics together with the facts as the bases for deciding the case. The system of inquiry discussed herein focuses on the context of social workers dealing with ethical dilemmas involving the interests of the clients and the obligation of the social workers to uphold the welfare of their clients. The NASW Code of Ethics is a critical part in the system of inquiry because it lays down the vital functions of social workers and the extent upon which they can perform their duties. As far as the organization is concerned, the Code provides the benefit of having an accepted guideline to base their decisions and actions while considering the interests of their clients. The Code also makes the decision-making process of the organization more efficient with minimal hindrances on resolving conflicts of interests. More importantly, the Code allows for the consistency in the decisions and actions of the individual members and agencies under the NASW when dealing with problems that involve the interests of their clients and the duties of social workers. References Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Retrieved April 18, 2009, from http://www. socialworkers. org/pubs/code/code. asp Ethics and the Organization. In Managing Business Ethics. Ethics as Organizational Culture. In Managing Business Ethics.

Proton Definition - Chemistry Glossary

Proton Definition - Chemistry Glossary The primary parts of an atom are protons, neutrons, and electrons. Take a closer look at what a proton is and where its found. Proton Definition A proton is a component of an atomic nucleus with a mass defined as 1 and a charge of 1. A proton is indicated by either the symbol p or p. The atomic number of an element is the number of protons an atom of that element contains. Because both protons and neutrons are found in the atomic nucleus, they are collectively known as nucleons. Protons, like neutrons, are hadrons, composed of three quarks (2 up quarks and 1 down quark). Word Origin The word proton is Greek for first. Ernest Rutherford first used the term in 1920 to describe the nucleus of hydrogen. The existence of the proton had been theorized in 1815 by William Prout. Examples of Protons The nucleus of a hydrogen atom  or the H  ion  is an example of a proton. Regardless of the isotope, each atom of hydrogen has 1 proton; each helium atom contains 2 protons; each lithium atom contains 3 protons and so on. Proton Properties Because opposite charges attract each other, protons and electrons are attracted. Like charges repel each other, so two protons exert repulsion on each other.Protons are stable particles that do not decay into other particles. Free protons are common, often formed when sufficient energy is available to separate protons from electrons.Free protons are found in plasma. About 90 percent of cosmic rays consist of protons.The radioactive decay of free neutrons (which are unstable) may produce protons, electrons, and antineutrinos.

Organization Structure, Processes and Design project on Magma Design Automation Essays

Organization Structure, Processes and Design project on Magma Design Automation Essays Organization Structure, Processes and Design project on Magma Design Automation Paper Organization Structure, Processes and Design project on Magma Design Automation Paper Magma Design Automation is a fast-growing provider of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software and design services. The company was founded in 1997 on the concept of combining logic design and physical design into a single system to better address emerging deep sub-micron design challenges. MDA is headquartered in Silicon Valley and has a global network of sales support personnel. Magma markets and supports its products through sales and support centers in North America, Europe, Japan, India and Asia-Pacific nations. Magma has grown substantially over the years to achieve sales of over $75 million in 2003. Magmas mission To create and deliver the best EDA software products and solutions, encompassing IC design from concept to completion, enabling our customers commercial success. Magmas Products Magma Design Automation provides electronic design automation (EDA) software that enables chip designers to meet critical time-to-market objectives, improve chip performance and handle multimillion-gate designs. Key products include Blast Create(tm), Blast Plan(tm), Blast Fusion(r) and Blast Noise(r). Magma software products comprise the only truly integrated RTL-to-GDSII design flow. Magmas Customers Magma licenses its design automation software to semiconductor manufacturers and electronic products companies around the world. Among them: Broadcom, Infineon, NEC, Texas Instruments, Toshiba and Vitesse. Need to expand operations ASIC/VLSI development business was rapidly shifting its base from US to India in the later half of 90s. As they form the main customers of Magma, it also needed to follow the change. The main reasons for the start of the Indian operations are: 1. Close proximity to the clients: Magma caters to the multinational companies like Texas Instruments etc, globally. So to support these operations they also have to start their operation in India. 2. High quality manpower and low cost: The availability of the pool of talented engineers in India at low cost was also a reason for the shift. 3. Faster Response Time: Being present locally will also provide the faster response time for the maintenance and support. With these considerations in mind, the company opened its first Indian office at Bangalore in May 2003 with an initial work force of 25 people. The operative goals of the Indian operations are: 1. To upgrade its Indian operations so that it can cater to the Asia-pacific market and Japan, and at a later stage to European market as well. 2. To be amongst the top 3 EDA providers in India. 3. To provide new product development via its RD department for global operations so as to move up in the value hierarchy. Magma India is a part of a Global Matrix structure. The matrix structure helps the company to coordinate between the Indian operation and the parent company in both the product development as well as business development in whole of the globe. The company has three major departments viz. RD, Product Engineering and Field Application Engineering, along with support departments of Finance, Human Resource Development, Information Technology and Marketing. The company has a dual reporting structure with the team in India working alongside the team in the different regions on the same product. Various divisions in different operations Organization structure of Magma design automation Work flows in Magma with the use of cross-functional teams, chosen on geographical and divisional basis as required by the project. The criterion for choosing the group leader is technical expertise. The employees then work on this temporary team till the project is completed. The employees keep moving from one project to another in this fashion in the same division. Each employee thus has a dual reporting structure. He reports to his project lead, in most cases in U.S., as well as the divisional head in India. The organization structure and design of Magma is mainly determined by five factors Organization Strategy and Goals External environment Organization life cycle and size Organizational Culture Technology Magma India follows a differentiation strategy for interacting with its competitive environment and in order to achieve organizational goals. The company attempts to distinguish its products from others in the EDA industry. The products of Magma India are differentiated on the basis of technology, architecture and the features offered by them. The EDA tools offered by Magma are of high quality and they are priced high. Magma is committed to differentiate its products from others in the industry and for this it invests heavily in RD, product research and has got tie ups with other companies to market its products. In order to differentiate its products and to keep a competitive edge, Magma has got a strong RD division. Magma has got a strong customer focus and its FAE department continuously interacts with customers. IT also sends its RD people to customer sites and forms cross-functional teams, if there is such a requirement, at the customer site. Thus, Magma India wants to have the structure and culture of a learning organization and rewards its employees for creativity and innovation. The organizations ability to be flexible is constrained by its divisional architecture. This can be a severe problem as Magma India grows in size. To overcome the disadvantages of the divisional structure in the long term, it should establish strong formal horizontal linkages between divisions. This will increase coordination and add flexibility to the organization. The sector in which Magma India is operating is highly dynamic with lots of activity going on. On one hand small companies are coming fast to fill the niche whereas the old companies are consolidating to retain their matte. Also the environment becomes highly unstable due to the extensive dependence of this sector on the emerging technology. Its main competitors are Cadence, Synopsis, and Mentor Graphics etc. The requirements of the customer are also changing i.e. change of the design due to advent of nanometer technology. There are only a few number of external complexities that means only few external elements are relevant to the company. For Magma, these are changes in technology and clients. Therefore the company is in simple environmental complexity and unstable environmental change. Therefore company shares a moderate to high uncertainty.

The Top Degrees and Majors for High Lifetime Salaries

The Top Degrees and Majors for High Lifetime Salaries If you have the resources and opportunity, a degree can be a fantastic asset for your career. And for some fields, it’s a necessary first step. But not all degrees are created equal! In some fields, an associate degree or a bachelor’s degree is all you need to get in the door. In others, you can expect to grab those degrees, then go on to get a master’s or even a PhD to advance in your career and earn top dollars in the field. Every industry has its own educational needs, but if you’re undecided about where you want to go- or you’re looking to change course and go back to school, PayScale has compiled some very useful data about different degrees, different majors, and earning potential. First, let’s look at the â€Å"best in show† majors.Top-Paying Majors for Each Degree TypeAssociate’s: Political ScienceApparently being a Washington â€Å"fat cat† is really a thing! Seriously, though, people who have this degree can wor k in government, public policy, or community administrative roles. The top-paying job for a person with an associate’s degree in Political Science is $86,100, based on PayScale data.Bachelor’s: Petroleum EngineeringEnergy development and engineering are very hot topics right now, so petroleum engineers are in high demand. These engineers develop methods for extracting oil and gas deposits from under the Earth’s surface. The top-paying petroleum engineer jobs can command up to $185,000, per PayScale data.Master’s: International BusinessWe live in a global marketplace, and MBAs who can make deals and work with colleagues in Hong Kong, Berlin, and Sydney are among the highest paid business people. Some of the top-paying jobs in international business for MBAs can fetch up to $158,000, per PayScale data.PhD: StatisticsIn addition to a global marketplace, we also live in a highly data-driven world. Statisticians with doctorate degrees collect and analyze data to help solve real world issues in every industry. The highest-paid statistician gigs for PhDs make $172,000, per PayScale data.If none of these careers sound right for you, you have plenty of options if you’re looking for well-paid options at different degree levels. Let’s look at some of the top-earning jobs in major fields like healthcare, education, public administration/social services, and transportation.Top Healthcare Careers for Different DegreesIf you’re interested in working in the booming healthcare industry, here are some of the jobs with the highest lifetime earnings (median salary for those with a degree and 20+ years of experience) by degree type.Associate’s: Diagnostic Medical SonographerDiagnostic medical sonographers use specialized equipment to create images from inside the body, to help doctors diagnose and treat medical issues. Sonographers typically have an associate’s degree and have completed a certification program as well. The median salary for this field (with 20+ years of experience) is $71,300, per PayScale.Bachelor’s: Physician AssistantPhysician assistants are the right-hand men and women in any medical practice or healthcare facility. They work with physicians, surgeons, and other healthcare staff to examine, diagnose, and treat patients. The median salary for this field (with 20+ years of experience) is $157,000, per PayScale.Master’s: Healthcare AdministrationHealthcare administrators are the ones who keep things running behind the scenes, managing day-to-day office operations for medical practices and offices, as well as planning and coordinating health services for a hospital, facility, clinic, or department. These administrators are also responsible for ensuring that the facility is up to date with health laws, regulations, and technology. The median salary for this field (with 20+ years of experience) is $109,000, per PayScale.PhD: PharmacistPharmacists fill prescriptions, d ispense medication of all kinds, educate patients on the safe use of medications, and act as a medical reference for customers. They may also perform health screenings, educate customers on general wellness, and give immunizations. You can find them in retail pharmacies, but also in hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities as well. The median salary for this field (with 20+ years of experience) is $172,000, per PayScale.Top Education Careers for Different DegreesThe old saying is that teachers are underpaid for what they do- and while that may very well be true, if teaching is your calling you can still strategize about how to maximize your salary. Here are some of the educators with the highest lifetime earnings (median salary for those with a degree and 20+ years of experience) by degree type.Associate’s: Preschool TeacherPreschool teachers are often the first teachers kids encounter in their lives- so those early days of pre-reading skills, writing, basic math, and science are essential. They work with young kids (usually age 4-5) to get them ready for kindergarten. The median salary for this field (with 20+ years of experience) is $44,200, per PayScale.Bachelor’s: Physical Education TeacherPhysEd teachers do the important work of keeping kids active during the school day, and teaching them good fitness and athletic fundamentals along the way. The median salary for this field (with 20+ years of experience) is $70,100, per PayScale.Master’s: Instructional Design and TechnologyWith curriculum changing all the time, and an emphasis on updating the way students use technology in their school lives, instructional designers are fast becoming a major player in the education world. These professionals oversee curriculum standards (and how they are implemented in school systems), develop educational materials, and assess the effectiveness of teaching methods. Instructional designers work in all levels of education, from elementary sch ool to college. The median salary for this field (with 20+ years of experience) is $83,900, per PayScale.PhD: SuperintendentSuperintendents are high-level educational professionals responsible for the operation of schools (or school systems). In many cases, superintendents have a master’s degree and years of education/administration experience, but many superintendents hold PhDs in education. The median salary for PhDs in this field (with 20+ years of experience) is $96,600, per PayScale.Top  Public Administration/Social Services Careers for Different DegreesWorking in the public sector can be a calling as well. If you’re interested in one of these community-, town/city-, or state-level jobs, here are the career paths you might want to consider for maximum earning potential.Associate’s: Fire ScienceWhen you think of â€Å"public† jobs, it’s likely that â€Å"firefighter† is one of the first that pops into your mind. As the first responders in many different kinds of emergencies, these essential professionals sacrifice their time (and often their well-being) to keep the community safe. An associate’s degree in fire science can prepare you for jobs as a firefighter, but also administrative jobs like fire inspector, fire chief, or fire marshal. The median salary for this field (with 20+ years of experience) is $59,100, per PayScale.Bachelor’s: Public AdministratorA bachelor’s degree in Public Administration prepares you for managing the day-to-day operations of local, state, or federal government agencies. This includes areas like strategic planning, public relations, and disaster planning, as well as general administration. The median salary for this field (with 20+ years of experience) is $76,100, per PayScale.Master’s: Public Policy AnalystPolicy analysts are problem solvers. They take data, history, and trends into account to help plan and shape government and political systems. This is a job heavy on research, analysis, and strategic planning. The median salary for this field (with 20+ years of experience) is $101,100, per PayScale.Top Transportation  Careers for Different DegreesYou may not think of transportation as a particularly glamorous or lucrative industry, but if you have a passion for logistics and tight schedules, then it can be a great option for you. In transportation, the emphasis is usually on on-the-job training rather than a specific degree, but a bachelor’s degree and administrative know-how can be one of the most well-paid paths into the industry.Bachelor’s: Aviation ManagerAviation managers are logistics professionals who coordinate airport operations, including compliance with a complex system of local, state, and federal rules and regulations. Moving people and cargo from one place to another via air travel is an intricate, delicate, and fast-moving process, and aviation managers are the ones responsible for making sure it happ ens safely, smoothly, and on time. The median salary for this field (with 20+ years of experience) is $97,200, per PayScale.Even though â€Å"20 years of experience† may seem like an unbearably far milestone (especially if you’re just starting out), it’s a really important factor to consider when you’re picking a major, or deciding how far you want to go with your degree. While you’re not locked in to any particular path, your decision should definitely be informed by what the long-term salary potential is in any given role, and how that lines up with your long-term goals. And if you know that sticking with your underpaid, less-than-glamorous job now can yield better benefits with the more time and experience you accumulate, that can make your work life easier in the meantime.

Tenet Healthcare cooperation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Tenet Healthcare cooperation - Assignment Example Community Health Care, another for-profit healthcare giant, made the bid in an attempt to capitalize on what has been termed as â€Å"Obama’s overhaul† of hospitals and doctors, consolidating with Tenet HealthCare and becoming the largest for-profit health care association in America. Tenet, however, was not ready to give up so easily. They have instead inked a deal with Aetna, another health care giant, to continue to provide services to both Aetna commercial and Medicare Advantage customers. They have also rejected the bid made by Community Health Care, and taken the hard step of literally swallowing a ‘poison pill’, according to the Dallas Business Journal – filing paperwork to cover their incurred $2.0 million losses, and protect the rights of their stockholders, as well as trying to make sure those looking to take over do not succeed. Amid the overhaul of the nation’s health care system, and the eventual consolidation of health care companies, Tenet’s future looks uncertain. If it can continue to hold off bidding rivals, and turn some of its losses into profits, then it may yet succeed. But based on the research that I have uncovered, its future does not look strong. De La Merced, Michael J. (2010, December 29). Community Health Unveils $3.3 Billion Bid for Tenet. New York Times. Retrieved from http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2010/12/09/community-health-unveils-3-3-billion-bid-for-tenet/?ref=tenethealthcarecorporation. Panchuk, Kerry. (2011, January 10). Tenet: Latest to Swallow Poison Pill? Dallas Business Journal, Retrieved from

Data Analyses Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Data Analyses - Research Paper Example Almost 95 % a vast majority turned out to be as a full time student with only 5 % studying as part time students. When question was asked regarding their drinking habit on campus 48 respondents out of 58 said that they don’t drink on campus however 9 respondents said they rarely drink on campus where as only 1 respondent said that he/she drink occasionally. When respondents were asked regarding bar on campus and how would it affect the school’s social atmosphere and help in reducing the stress amongst students? The answers were of split nature few endorsing it few going against it and few chose air of finality or stayed neutral. The facts and figures regarding this question are, 17 respondents strongly opposing the idea of campus on bar on the other hand 11 respondents were strongly supporting this idea. Furthermore 6 respondents believe that its impacts would not turn out to be fruitful so they opposed it by demonstrating and marking no in questionnaire however 20.7 % (12 respondents) were unsure so they remained neutral. The final 12 respondents out of 58 were confident that bar on campus will help students to reduce stress and there is no harm in it. 16 students out of 58 were confident about allowing 2 drinks per day which also makes them majority, however 15 respondents believe that only one drink should be allowed per day, 11 respondents have different ideas they believe that this intake should be raise up to 3 drinks per day while 13 respondents were against all restriction claiming that there should be no limit on drinking per day for students. There were quite a few alternatives that come across while performing research. The first and foremost was that the school should focus on promoting sports and other extracurricular activities rather than opening bar on campus as this will shift students focus towards other things, another alternative was regarding

International Organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Organizations - Essay Example it consists of the national governments of these member states along with some form of supranational institution which has influence over the decisions being enacted. These member states abide by some form of governing constitution which enforces certain rules upon them, adherence to these rules is mandatory for being a part of the union, in order to maintain discipline and control. This constitutional framework of the union is established on the basis of some Treaties among all the member states. Once the union has been established, and the constitution been made, then remains the question of power and decision making. It is necessary for the members to agree upon the type of decision making under consideration, since it will serve as the basis for all decisions to follow. There are two most prominent forms of governance with regards to supranational bodies such as the EU, United Nation, and NAFTA etc.: Intergovernmental form of Decision Making: this form of decision making provides sovereignty to the member states, under this type the decisions are reached with consensus amongst the sovereign governments of the member states, and the supranational body exists to coordinate the successful execution of the unanimous decisions. Federal form of Decision Making: this is a type which gives the supranational body more individualistic power over the member states, since it calls for the submission of some rights by the member-states’ governments to the union, which makes decision which is binding upon the member nations. The intergovernmental form of decision making regards the union as an international body, which is separate from the governments of the member states, whereas the federal form of decision making regards the union as a federation, which comprises of various... This essay stresses that European Union is a an entity which has influenced the ways in which the European nations interact with each other, and how they collaborate in order to develop one single entity in face of the rest of the world. The success of the EU over 50 years of its life with regards to the spheres it covers is commendable; it started off as a mere economic cooperation union and extended to develop into a widely known multifaceted organization which covers political, social, developmental, environmental and international affairs on behalf of its member states. This paper makes a conclusion that the EU’s decision making process is an intricately woven net which has undergone a lot of amendments and alterations overtime. Initially it was created with the aspiration of being a single entity which would represent Europe through representation of sovereign and independent states, and be a purely intergovernmental institution, however with time and constraints it was discovered that this approach is highly inadequate, and in order to be a single entity which agrees ion unanimous decisions within a limited time frame, it is necessary that the member states give up some of their rights to a representatively elected European Parliament, within the Council of Ministers, who then decide upon different matters which would be binding upon the nation states. Along with this federal form of decision making by the union, the partially sovereign states also reserve the right to decide upon key policy issues for their independent nation.

Principles of Finance Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Principles of Finance Paper - Assignment Example Discussion The first principle discusses the competitive financial environment. This principle outlines four factors that affect the business environment. These are: the principle of self-interest behaviour, the principle of two-sided transactions, the signalling principle and the behavioural principle (Emery, Finnerty and Stowe, 2007). The principle of self-interest means that the company will always look out for its best interests. BP develops new and innovative technologies for oil exploration and drilling. This technology is used to further the company’s interests. New drilling techniques are not revealed to competing companies. The principle of two-sided transactions means that BP often cooperates with minor companies around the world in the provision of its services. These collaborations are mutually beneficial to both parties. The signalling principle explores the concept of a company’s decisions’ influence on the public. BP’s investment in research on renewable energy creates a positive impression on the public, making them more willing to invest in an environmentally-conscious company. The behavioural principle means that a company utilises market information to make rewarding investments. BP’s investments have grown to include alternative energy, shipping and treasury services. This is in addition to its wide variety of oil and gas investments. This wide portfolio caters to a wide range of market needs, cementing BP’s position as one of the largest companies in the world. The four principles of value are: The principle of valuable ideas, the principle of comparative advantage, the options principle and the principle of incremental benefits (Emery, Finnerty and Stowe, 2007). BP’s research and development department produces innovations in solar power, biofuel and wind power. These fresh and new ideas keep the company ahead of its competitors. Following the principle of comparative advantage, BP has estab lished a reputation as a success in its field. This public perception as a financial giant gives them an edge over their competitors. The company also gains incremental benefits when it invests millions in green energy and renewable energy. Though these amounts may seem a waste, the investments pay off in scientific discovery and public approval of the company’s efforts. BP also ensures it has a variety of business options to invest in, cushioning them against serious losses should one option fail (Benninga, 2008). The principles that emerge from observing financial transactions are: the principle of risk-return trade-off, the principle of diversification, the principle of market capital efficiency and the time-value-of-money principle (Emery, Finnerty and Stowe, 2007). Investing large amounts of money in ventures such as offshore drilling pays off with great dividends. Energy industries are a high-risk, high-return enterprise. BP also diversifies its investments in multiple securities, ensuring maximum returns. The capital market runs on an efficient system, with up-to –the minute coverage of stock prices. BP is registered on high-profile stock exchanges such as the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Updates on stock are relayed internationally

Case Study For Health and Addictive Behaviour Psychology Essay

Case Study For Health and Addictive Behaviour Psychology - Essay Example It is estimated that about 2.6million people suffer from this condition in the UK (Diabetes UK, 2010). There are basically 2 types of diabetes mellitus and they are type-1 and type-2. In type-1 DM, the onset is in young age like childhood, adolescence or even early adulthood. It occurs due to absolute deficiency of insulin as a result of destruction of the beta-cells in the pancreas. On the other hand, type-2 DM occurs mainly in adults, especially in older people and is mainly predisposed by several factors including sedentary lifestyle and obesity. Type-2 accounts for more than 85 percent cases of diabetes (Diabetes UK, 2010). Hereditary factors play an important role in this type of diabetes, either due to genetic predisposition or due to similar behavioral patterns in the families like sedentary lifestyle and eating habits. DM-2 occurs due to a combination of decreased secretion of beta cells in the pancreas and increased peripheral resistance to insulin at tissue-receptor level ( Votey, 2005). DM-2 is the most common type of diabetes. It is managed by pharmacotherapy and appropriate diet and exercise. Diet and exercise have a major role to play in the treatment of diabetes-2. Adam was diagnosed with diabetes type-2 9 months ago. He has been advised to control his blood sugar levels with appropriate diet and exercise, rather than initiating antidiabetic medications. Antihypoglycemic therapy is initiated only when it is not possible to control diabetes through diet and exercise (Diabetes UK, 2010). It is very important to treat and control diabetes because of the notorious complications associated with it. Adam is obese and has been advised to reduce his weight. The main defect in diabetes type-2 is the inability of the tissues to respond to insulin. There is also decreased production of insulin by pancreas. Both these amount to increased glucose levels in the blood, known as hyperglycemia. An important causative factor is obesity. This is more so when obesity is more around the waist, known as central obesity (Votey, 2005). Obesity leads to decreased resistance of tissues to insulin. The fatty acid and triglyceride levels are high and these further interfere with insulin signaling. Another important aspect in obesity which influences the development of diabetes is dysregulation of the secretion of adipokine which is a hormone that causes peripheral resistance to insulin and contributes to the development of diabetes. Thus, obesity has a major role to play in the development of the most common form of diabetes, type-2 diabetes. 1.2 Complications of Diabetes Diabetes leads to increased catabolism and decreased anabolism. After reaching the renal threshold level of 180mg per dl, glucosuria occurs. This contributes to polyuria and polydipsia. Decreased levels of glucose in the cells contributes to delay in the healing of the wounds and also development of recurrent infections. it also causes lipolysis for generation of energy. Lipolysis cau ses an increase in the free fatty acid levels whih are taken up by the liver. Metabolism of free fatty acids in the liver yields ketone bodies, hydroxybutyric acid and acetoacetic acid. As the production of ketone bodies increases, metabolic acidosis ensues, resulting in dehydration. Infact, in many cases, diabetic ketoacidosis is the first presentation and it can turn fata due to development of cerebral edema. Increased lipolysis can

Absolutism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Absolutism - Essay Example wn on enlightened classes of those societies away from the Catholic Church and towards more individualistic and personal, as well as more direct forms of relating with God. The Reformation would then enliven and attract the Spanish and the French to religious participation, which would then in the proceeding age be used to control and to subjugate those populations via measures to impose discipline under the guise of religious activity. This would then pave the way for monarchies being facilitated in their drive to consolidate power and to stifle opposition from different factions of French and Spanish societies, having also endeavored to subjugate the religious hierarchies to the power of the monarchies (Pearson, 2010; Pearson, 2010b; Pearson, 2010c). The two courts emphasized grandeur and the projection of the power of the monarchy through architecture, through the patronage of the artistic outputs and the products of their culture, and through a projection of monarchical power via the attempt to grow their respective territories. Both emphasized for instance the grandeur of their bases of power, Philip II in El Escorial and Louis XIV in Versailles. Both also conducted their office with machinations designed to further strengthen their hold on power and to perpetuate their rule over the other stakeholders in their respective societies ((Pearson, 2010; Soylent Communications, 2014; PBS, 2014). One can say that it was the work of Frederick William in being able to consolidate power in Prussia and in being able to project and grow the power of Prussia over its neighbors in Europe, to transform the territory into a truly great European power, that allowed Frederick the Great, who basically inherited his father’s work and its fruits, to rule Prussia in an effective manner. Without his father it is doubtful that Frederick the Great would have been able to do his work unimpeded by the obstacles that his father had cleared for him, when it was his father’s turn to

Case Study For Health and Addictive Behaviour Psychology Essay

Case Study For Health and Addictive Behaviour Psychology - Essay Example It is estimated that about 2.6million people suffer from this condition in the UK (Diabetes UK, 2010). There are basically 2 types of diabetes mellitus and they are type-1 and type-2. In type-1 DM, the onset is in young age like childhood, adolescence or even early adulthood. It occurs due to absolute deficiency of insulin as a result of destruction of the beta-cells in the pancreas. On the other hand, type-2 DM occurs mainly in adults, especially in older people and is mainly predisposed by several factors including sedentary lifestyle and obesity. Type-2 accounts for more than 85 percent cases of diabetes (Diabetes UK, 2010). Hereditary factors play an important role in this type of diabetes, either due to genetic predisposition or due to similar behavioral patterns in the families like sedentary lifestyle and eating habits. DM-2 occurs due to a combination of decreased secretion of beta cells in the pancreas and increased peripheral resistance to insulin at tissue-receptor level ( Votey, 2005). DM-2 is the most common type of diabetes. It is managed by pharmacotherapy and appropriate diet and exercise. Diet and exercise have a major role to play in the treatment of diabetes-2. Adam was diagnosed with diabetes type-2 9 months ago. He has been advised to control his blood sugar levels with appropriate diet and exercise, rather than initiating antidiabetic medications. Antihypoglycemic therapy is initiated only when it is not possible to control diabetes through diet and exercise (Diabetes UK, 2010). It is very important to treat and control diabetes because of the notorious complications associated with it. Adam is obese and has been advised to reduce his weight. The main defect in diabetes type-2 is the inability of the tissues to respond to insulin. There is also decreased production of insulin by pancreas. Both these amount to increased glucose levels in the blood, known as hyperglycemia. An important causative factor is obesity. This is more so when obesity is more around the waist, known as central obesity (Votey, 2005). Obesity leads to decreased resistance of tissues to insulin. The fatty acid and triglyceride levels are high and these further interfere with insulin signaling. Another important aspect in obesity which influences the development of diabetes is dysregulation of the secretion of adipokine which is a hormone that causes peripheral resistance to insulin and contributes to the development of diabetes. Thus, obesity has a major role to play in the development of the most common form of diabetes, type-2 diabetes. 1.2 Complications of Diabetes Diabetes leads to increased catabolism and decreased anabolism. After reaching the renal threshold level of 180mg per dl, glucosuria occurs. This contributes to polyuria and polydipsia. Decreased levels of glucose in the cells contributes to delay in the healing of the wounds and also development of recurrent infections. it also causes lipolysis for generation of energy. Lipolysis cau ses an increase in the free fatty acid levels whih are taken up by the liver. Metabolism of free fatty acids in the liver yields ketone bodies, hydroxybutyric acid and acetoacetic acid. As the production of ketone bodies increases, metabolic acidosis ensues, resulting in dehydration. Infact, in many cases, diabetic ketoacidosis is the first presentation and it can turn fata due to development of cerebral edema. Increased lipolysis can

The film Machuca, by Andrs Wood, explores a series of social relations Coursework

The film Machuca, by Andrs Wood, explores a series of social relations in Chile in 1973, ranging from inter- personal, familial, community, political organizations, and the Chilean nation - Coursework Example While Gonzalo belongs to an upper class family, Pedro belongs to a lower class poor family. But the egalitarian enthusiasm of the school priests and fathers leads them to grant scholarship to a few lower class boys so that they can attend school. This moment marks the beginning of a deep friendship between Gonzalo and Pedro, which the director has skillfully employed to construct the later plot of the story in a way that the theme of social classes and the political conditions of Chile become apparent. Then follows an appropriately paced sequence of scenes that delves the audience into the setting of the film: the Chile of 1973. Here onwards, the story unfolds to demonstrate the social, economic, and political conditions of the 1970s Chile through the lens of these two boys. â€Å"Class antagonism†, as identified by Martin-Cabrera and Voionmaa (2007), is an evident element of the film which is established quite early. The social experiment carried out by Father McEnroe allows children from shanty towns to obtain scholarship into the private English school run by him. As a result, poor lower class students get to study with their rich upper class counterparts. Gonzalo is among those who belong to the upper class living in a rich household whereas Pedro is a poor boy who lives in the shanty towns nearby. This social experiment allows the two polar classes to attend school together thereby bringing both sides to the extremes of the life they live. In a symbolic way, the social experiment closely resembles a real experiment reflecting the socialist, egalitarian policies of the government led by Salvador Allende. In Machuca (2007), as the new development of the experiment takes place the slum boys are mixed with elite bourgeoisie boys. However, the ex periment does not initially seem to be successful as the two antagonistic classes have a hard time integrating and assimilating with the

Implications of Business Process Management for Operations Management Essay Example for Free

Implications of Business Process Management for Operations Management Essay Implications of business process management for operations management Colin Armistead and Simon Machin The Business School at Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, UK Introduction Operations management is concerned with the management of people, processes, technology and other resources in order to produce goods and services. There is a resonance from operations management into business process re-engineering (BPR) of the process paradigm and of the concepts and techniques of designing, managing and improving operational processes. Doubtless much can be learned from operations management for the application of BPR[1]. But business process management is more than just BPR applied to operational processes. What are the implications of the wider consideration of business processes for operations management and can the concepts and techniques from operations management be directly applied to all types of business processes? This paper introduces the concepts of business processes and business process management, and reports findings from interviews in four organizations which are continuing to develop their approaches to managing processes. These findings are then positioned within a categorization of business processes, by way of research propositions. Finally, implications for operations management are discussed. What are business processes? Business processes can be thought of as a series of interrelated activities, crossing functional boundaries with inputs and outputs. Why are they important and why are organizations moving to adopt approaches to explicitly manage by business processes? Reasons include[2] that the process view: †¢ allows increasing flexibility in organizations to meet changing external demands; †¢ addresses the speed to market of new products and services and the responsiveness to the demands of customers; †¢ facilitates the reduction of costs; †¢ facilitates in creased delivery reliability; and †¢ helps address the quality of products and services in terms of their consistency and capability. Processes are part of the philosophy of total quality management (TQM)[3]. Both the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award[4] and the European International Journal of Operations Production Management, Vol. 17 No. 9, 1997, pp. 886-898.  © MCB University Press, 0144-3577 Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model[5], on which the European Implications of Quality Award is based, have at their heart the consideration of business business process processes. Such models require the identification of processes, the management management of these processes with review and targetary, innovation and creativity applied to processes and the management of process change. A second route that leads organizations to consider their business processes 887 is BPR[6-9] which promotes the radical change of business processes. Some have illustrated the complementary nature of BPR and TQM[10], others the conflict[11]. Regardless of this, the fact is that organizations come to consider their business processes through TQM, or through BPR, or potentially through both avenues. What is business process management? There is considerable debate about what business process management means and how organizations interpret the business process paradigm[2,12]. Business process management cannot be considered simply as BPR. Rather it is concerned with how to manage processes on an ongoing basis, and not just with the one-off radical changes associated with BPR. But how are organizations actually managing their business processes? What approaches have they developed? What lessons have they learned and what can be drawn from their experiences? The aim of the research reported in this paper is to address such questions by considering organizations at the leading edge of process management. Methodology A qualitative methodology was adopted in conducting the research. During a pilot phase interviews were conducted in four organizations: TSB; Rank Xerox; Kodak; and Birds Eye Walls. This, coupled with knowledge of the approach within Royal Mail, led to an initial understanding of the approaches being adopted by organizations[13]. This was followed by further interviews in four organizations (including within a different part of Rank Xerox), and it is these that form the basis of the findings reported in this paper. The four organizations, in this second phase of interviews, were: (1) Rank Xerox – European Quality Award (EQA) winners in 1992; (2) Nortel – Netas, a subsidiary of Nortel, were EQA winners in 1996; (3) Texas  Instruments – EQA winners in 1995; (4) Hewlett-Packard – who do not use the EFQM model, but have been using their own â€Å"Quality Maturity System† for several years, with many similarities to the EFQM model, including the central role of processes. While these organizations are at varying stages of their approach to business process management they can be considered â€Å"excellent† against many crit eria (including process management), as shown above, and the findings and lessons derived from the research should inform other organizations which are just starting their approach to process management. IJOPM 17,9 888 In two cases the quality director of the UK operation was interviewed; in one case the participant was the business process manager; in another the participant was a direct report to a service director. We consider that the roles and experience of the participants make possible sensible comparison between the organizations, based on the interviews. Semi-structured open-ended interviews (typically of between two and three hours), based on the ideas emerging from the pilot interviews, were carried out in each organization. The interviews were supported by other documentation from each organization which included process maps, planning frameworks and organizational structures. Interviews were transcribed and the transcriptions used as the basis for analysis. Each interview transcription was read and examined several times and lists of concepts developed[14]. A cognitive map[15] of all four interviews was then constructed showing the concepts emerging from the data and how the concepts i nformed on each other (based on the perception of the authors). Concepts were then clustered, with six clusters, or themes, readily appearing. The clusters were then checked against the transcripts from the pilot interviews and documentary material from the case organizations to ensure consistency of findings. Findings The six clusters emerging from the research we have labelled: organization coordination; process definition; organization structuring; cultural fit; improvement; measurement. While some of these might not be novel in  themselves we discuss them first individually and then as a set. Organization co-ordination One property associated with business processes is their â€Å"end-to-end† nature. They start with input at the business boundary and finish with outputs from the business boundary. Hence their cross-functional nature and, implicit in this, is their ability to integrate and co-ordinate activity. For example, â€Å"a better way to think about process is that it is an organizing concept that pulls together absolutely everything necessary to deliver some important component of strategic value†[16]. It is perhaps not surprising therefore that a strong theme emerging from the interviews was that the process paradigm provides an approach for co-ordination across the whole organization. This integration through the use of business processes is perhaps most simply illustrated by the fact that participants, in describing their approaches to business process management, described how they run and organize their entire business. The co-ordination took a number of forms. For example, business process management was strongly positioned in the overall approaches to business planning adopted by the organizations. This was illustrated in one organization with their long- and medium-term plans explicitly linked to annual plans for their key processes. Business process management also provided an approach for integration through increased knowledge within the organizations (for example, about strategic direction), without the need for bureaucratic procedures or hierarchical control: Implications of business process The concepts of business processes emerged as providing a link between the management top of the organization and activity at the lower levels: â€Å"the bit in the middle†. Central to this is the concept of different levels of processes and typically the organizations reported having identified three or four levels of process from the top-level architecture through to the individual or task level. In providing the co-ordination across the organization, the importance of managing the boundaries of processes was strongly emphasized. One organization, for example, was addressing these boundary issues between their processes through the use of networks of individuals representing the interests of their process. They used networks around each process to formulate and implement strategy, and identified which processes have boundary issues with  other processes. Individuals from one process network then attend meetings of the other process networks on this boundary to address the potential issues. Without some form of co-ordination between processes, changes in one process could also lead to changes in performance of other processes such that strategic goals would be compromised, typically in the areas of quality and costs. but what we were trying to do was create a very free environment, a very innovative environment, but an environment where we knew exactly where we were going. 889 Process definition Much of the literature on managing processes is concerned with process improvement[17,18] and this is typically directed at how to improve the actual operation of processes. However, a view expressed during the interviews was that the real value derived from the process approach is through the understanding and development of an approach at higher levels within the organizations, rather than simply process improvement activity at the task or team level. Nevertheless, these organizations recognized that they struggled with this and acknowledged that, in reality, the understanding of processes was often still at the task level, with a natural tendency for procedure writing. Approaches to help overcome this included communication across the different levels of the organization to develop common understanding (and, in particular, to develop better understanding between process owners and process operatives) and a focus within process flowcharts on value steps and decision points, together with the definition and management of process boundaries. Process flowcharting is often presented as a panacea for understanding and managing processes, but some organizations reported problems with applying the methodology to all processes: the methodology of flowcharting †¦ is OK for consistent, regularly operated, reliable processes – it is not that useful for processes that are very iterative and processes that run infrequently, the more complex processes. Certainly the organizations were coming to realize that such process maps in themselves were not sufficient: people talked a lot about process re-engineering and all they ever did was diddle around with process maps, and they didn’t really get the big picture. IJOPM 17,9 and we have used a flow-charting methodology widely deployed across the company†¦we have still got a lot of problems though in terms of processes gathering dust on the shelf. 890 Also, while the organizations recognized the need to specify processes beneath their high level processes, the need certainly did not emerge to map all processes to the same level or detail. It would be unusual to go to an entity and show all the processes in detail to all depths. In general, the drive appeared to be to use business process management more as a long-term and living tool than just a remedial tool for short-term, tactical issues. Long-term plans were needed for processes to enable the process owners to focus on the future requirements of their processes. Also there was the need to develop methodologies other than flowcharting to support a more holistic approach to business process management, and to directly consider the â€Å"process of managing processes†. Organizational structuring Much has been written about the role of processes in structuring organizations and, in particular, the development of horizontal organizations structured purely around processes[2,19,20]. In general, the organizations interviewed in this research appeared to be taking a less radical view. Instead they had developed matrix-based organizations between functions and processes, and tended to adjust their functional structure to align with their identified processes. They thus saw processes as simply another dimension of the organization structure[21]. Indeed they seemed to have implicitly balanced the dimensions of autonomy/co-ordination,  motivation/ control and efficiency/learning[22] and in doing so derived the matrix structure. This perhaps also reflects other organizational paradoxes[23]. Their reasoning was influenced by a view that personal relationships were the key to effective organizations, as much as the formal, imposed structure. Processes were seen to provide a framework for these relationships in terms of building understanding and common approach across the organization. This framework was reported to help establish empowerment in a structured way, matching level of empowerment with control and support. Hence the entering of the process dimension into their structure. However, they were unwilling to do away with the functional dimension, due to the perception that functions better supported the actual personal relationships within the framework of processes and better supported specialist expertise: people don’t necessarily align with processes, they align with other people, and entities and organizations. People don’t go to parties on processes! and if you start bashing on about process organizations, and â€Å"you’ve got to do away with the silos, and the function† and so on†¦you’re denying it in a way – something to do with that relationship side of things. This has a resonance with reports that moves to process-based organizations Implications of can be ineffective if the personal relationship and cultural aspects are business process overlooked[24]. management These matrix structures were regarded as relatively unstable[13] with a tendency to drift back to a functional structure, or to move too far towards a process focus, but the organizations saw the role of their â€Å"quality professionals† 891 as the catalyst to ensure balance between functions and processes. More interesting is that, in these matrix-based organizations, there appeared to be no desire to move towards a purely process-based structure, with the matrix recognized as a desirable state, enabling constant and efficient reorganization through its flexibility. Inevitably the matrix adds complexity, but it seems that these organizations are willing to trade this complexity against the flexibility and personal relationship aspects supported by the matrix structure. One organization did, however, report a  totally process-based structure, and this did appear to support a high degree of simplicity against the complexity of the matrix approach. There may therefore be value for organizations in explicitly considering the trade-offs between processes and functions in forming their approach. Regardless of the process/function structure, the approach of process groups and process owners at different levels of the processes was common. Cultural fit Culture is an ambiguous concept which is difficult to define[25]. However, most organizations have some notion of their culture, and this was the case in all four organizations, where culture had an implicit meaning. It is an important concept in thinking about organizations since people and processes m ust combine to produce output. However, within the organizations, processes were not seen as a constraint, rather, as reported above, as providing a framework for empowerment. There emerged a general view that the overall approach to business process management needed to fit initially with the culture of the organization, and allow that culture to be maintained, at least in the short term. This is not to say that there was not a longer-term objective to address culture, but culture drove the appropriate initial approach: that’s why it works well, because we’re a highly empowered organization, and a team of people are comfortable working as a team, so bringing them together for a process team is perfectly easy – all we had to do was teach them the tools to do it and a bit of flowcharting and away they go. But that fits well with the culture. This is in stark contrast to some business process re-engineering approaches which may often be insensitive to culture or may have an immediate objective of changing culture[26]. Where BPR was deployed in the organizations it tended to be positioned as part of the overall approach to business process management, for example, alongside process stabilization and continuous improvement, rather than instead of. When used in this context, there were examples of culture change for smaller organization groupings. There were also IJOPM 17,9 892 examples where the failure of BPR initiatives was directly attributed to a culture within the organization which so strongly supported constant, but incremental, change that radical change, as proposed by BPR was rejected. All four of the organizations embraced TQM and, in particular, continuous improvement. The concept and language of teams and â€Å"teams of teams†[27] featured strongly, with rewards and recognition often linked to team performance. The formation of cross-functional teams in improving processes happened naturally in these organizations, and appeared critical to the success of their approach in managing processes. Improvement through business process management Unsurprisingly the interviews supported a drive within the organizations to constantly improve processes and this is reflected in the above discussions of culture. Examples of specific approaches included the use of benchmarking to understand and set best practices and the development of compendiums and databases of best practices and the linkage of improvements to assessments against European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), Baldrige and other quality models. While BPR was clearly used in some of the organizations (indeed Texas Instruments and Rank Xerox are well known for their re-engineering work) this tended to be talked about more at the process simplification or process improvement end of the spectrum of definitions placed on BPR[28-30]: you would not change the overall process radically in a short space of time, but for people (in the process) I think it is a drastic step. and I would not anticipate the total process radically changing over a short space of time because one could not manage it, so you have to move forward in sizeful steps at each part of the process. One organization reported benefits through using human resource professionals alongside process engineers on BPR projects to â€Å"keep some sanity in what the re-engineering was doing†. Measurement and business process management Measurement is a key principle to managing processes[18] with the need to identify trends, assess stability, determine whether customer requirements are actually met and drive improvement. This was confirmed by the interviews  and measurement emerged as central to successful approaches to business process management. There seemed to be a genuine attitude of â€Å"living and breathing† measurement within the organizations: if you can’t actually get good metrics you won’t manage a process, so it’s absolutely fundamental to managing a process. and if we don’t define the metrics we’ve had it. Increasing importance was being given to customer satisfaction and customer Implications of loyalty measures and there was a recognition of the importance of developing business process efficiency measures for the processes as opposed to just measuring whether management processes actually delivered. There was also a drive towards examining the tails of distributions of the measures (process variation) not just average values, consistent with the view of statistical process control[31,32]. 893 One danger that was reported is related to the â€Å"level† issues discussed above: detailed measures were implemented into lower-level process maps, directly related to processes, as one would hope – however, this resulted in a large number of measures that it was then difficult to prioritize, because, at a higher level, measures had not been (or had not been properly) defined. A particularly interesting approach to measurement was in one organization where they had established â€Å"business fundamentals† as performance measures on key processes, deployed worldwide and at all levels. All professional staff in the organization have business fundamentals which are deliverable, cost, customer or people measures, but self-driven measurements rather than management-driven measurements. These business fundamentals are linked to the key processes, and individuals self-assess their progress against these, using a simple rating scale. Every quarter there is then a formal review across the organization against the business fundamentals. The same approach is used to track individual performance, performance against plans, and process performance, providing an integrated approach to measurement across the organization, and a strong illustration of integrating process measures with other organizational measures. Process categorization Different categorizations of processes have been proposed in the literature[28]. For  example the CIM-OSA Standards[33] use the categorization of manage, operate and support. In describing processes we have found a categorization into operational, support, direction setting and managerial processes to be useful (see Figure 1). The separation of direction setting and managerial processes is driven by two considerations: Operational Managerial Direction setting Support Figure 1. Categorization of business processes IJOPM 17,9 894 (1) on a practical level models, such as the EFQM model, adopted by organizations, separately identify leadership from policy and strategy formulation; and (2) the strategy literature regards development of strategy as a process in its own right[34,35]. Operational processes are the way in which work gets done within an organization, to produce goods and services. These processes are the ones which have been the subject of much of the focus to date in TQM and BPR. They run across the organization and are associated with outcomes such as product development or order fulfilment. They are recognized in the ideas of integrated supply chains and logistics and in simultaneous engineering and are part of justin-time approaches. The same ideas for improvement in flow and reduction in cycle times come through into service organizations in the practices of BPR. Support processes are those which enable the operational processes. They are concerned with the provision of support technology, or systems, with personnel and human resource management, and with accounting management. Direction-setting processes are concerned with setting strategy for the organization, its markets and the location of resources as well as managing change within the organization. Direction-setting processes involve a mix of the prescribed steps within a formal planning process and also less well-defined  frameworks. Managerial processes are to some extent superordinate to the other categories and contain the decision-making and communication activities. For example, the entrepreneurial, competence-building and renewal processes proposed by Ghoshal and Bartlett[20] are managerial processes. Some organizations have tried to formalize these processes and have adopted a structured approach to, for example, decision making and communication. This categorization, like any other, does not necessarily fit with the view taken by all organiza tions (for example, some organizations would position the direction setting processes as part of their operational processes) but it provides a useful framework for discussion of the research findings, and for describing propositions for further research. Discussion and propositions arising from the research The six clusters identified in the findings of organization co-ordination – process definition, organization structuring, cultural fit, improvement and measurement can be considered in the light of these process definitions. The issue of process definition at a top level is a view of how organizations work to satisfy strategic intents. The translation of top-level architecture into an operational reality is influenced by aspects of organizational culture which affect both organizational co-ordination and organizational structure. In no cases is the disappearance of functions apparent; rather the functional organization is replaced by a matrix structure. This form of organizational structure derives its co-ordinating strength from the formation of cross-functional teams. The issues of measurement and improvement reflected in the findings reinforce the need for Implications of effective measurement which drives process improvement in a form which co- business process ordinates and prioritizes activity; something which many organizations find management difficult. The findings suggest that taking a business process management approach is one way to overcome some of the difficulties. It is our observation that organizations in approaching business process 895 management tend to initially address their operational processes, then move to focus on support processes, while continuing to improve their operational processes, and next to focus on direction setting processes while continuing to improve operational and support processes. Thus there is a similarity to the operations management  sandcone model, as proposed by Ferdows and De Meyer[36], used to show that cost reduction relies on the cumulative foundation of improvement in objectives. We propose that an organization’s approach to process management is similarly constituted by its approach across process categories, and that to build a stable sandcone the approach to, first, operational processes must be created (see Figure 2). This proposal has practical value, since it is the operational processes that directly impact on customers and so can yield quick benefits. Thus attention to the operational processes ensures capability of delivery; attention then moves to encompass support processes, since these in turn ensure the capability of the operational processes; attention to the direction setting processes recognizes that capability can only be maintained with good direction setting. The superordinate nature of managerial processes positions them outside the sandcone, with influences from the other categories. This sandcone model for business processes implies further propositions based on our findings. P1: As organizations develop their approach to business process management, moving through the sandcone, the appropriateness of techniques will change. Flowcharting methods are well tested in understanding operational and some support processes. However, the organizations in this phase of our research were discovering that such methods were inflexible for other types of process. Operational Operational + support Operational + support + direction setting Figure 2. A sandcone model for developing approaches to business process management IJOPM 17,9 896 The appropriate methodology for understanding the managerial and directionsetting processes may lie in the fields of systems thinking[37] and business dynamics[38] and the shape of a process for managing such processes needs further attention. Thus the appropriateness of â€Å"soft mapping† techniques increases as an organization moves through the sandcone. P2: As  organizations move through the sandcone there is an increasing impact on organization structure, with the need to address structural changes to reap the benefits from the process approach. Increasingly organizations will need to consider organization design as an explicit, rather than implicit, activity to ensure organizational effectiveness. This need not necessitate a move towards a complete process-based structure, but may mean a trade-off between process and functional structures[39]. This trade-off includes the need to consider factors such as personal relationships and cultural aspects. For example, in some organizations a purely processbased structure will be appropriate while in others the process-function matrix approach will be best utilized. P 3: We propose that there is an increasing need for maturity in TQM throughout the organization to ensure a successful process paradigm, as the organization moves through the sandcone. This raises the immediate question as to whether TQM is a necessity before a process-based approach can be effectively initiated. Certainly all organizations in this phase of our research had developed a TQM-based culture. It also raises questions as to whether the continual application of the radical end of the BPR spectrum[28-30] makes it impossible to address all process categories, with the associated lack of care for the human dimension and resulting demoralized workforce. P4: We propose that the degree of co-ordination across the organization increases with moves through the sandcone. As the process approach spreads through the sandcone it forces the question of what integration actually means for an organization and clarifies the requirements for coordination. This is readily understood for operational processes, with a key element being the elimination of barriers to flow. The co-ordination includes the need for a co-ordinated approach to measurement (an example is illustrated in the measurement section above). Further implications for operations management There is a clear message emerging from this research of the need to manage the boundaries between the categories of processes and between the processes themselves. The appropriate approach will be determined by the category of process being addressed and organizations may find the sandcone logic useful in placing their current position. There are different requirements at different points in the sandcone: knowledge and understanding of process flowcharting techniques at one end of the spectrum through to knowledge and understanding of â€Å"softer† mapping techniques; the need to consider the Implications of appropriate organization structure and trade-offs between process- and business process function-based structures; the degree of maturity in TQM; the degree of comanagement ordination desirable and possible and, in particular, the need for a co-ordinated approach to measurement. 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