Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Whitmans Song of Myself Spirituality and Religion
Whitman's Song of Myself Spirituality and Religion Spirituality is a mixed bag for the great Americanà poet, Walt Whitman.à While he takes a great deal of material from Christianity, his conception of religion is much more complicated than the beliefs of one or two faiths mixed together. Whitman seems to draw from the many roots of belief to form his own religion, putting himself at the center. Examples From the Text Much of Whitmansà poetry resounds with Biblical allusions and innuendo. In the very first cantos of Song of Myself, he reminds us that we are formed from this soil, this air, which brings us back to the Christian Creation story. In that story, Adam was formed from the dust of the ground, then brought to consciousness by the breath of life. These and similar references run throughout Leaves of Grass, but Whitmans intent seems rather ambiguous. Certainly, he is drawing from Americas religious background to create poetry that will unify the nation. However, his conception of these religious roots seems twisted (not in a negative way) - changed from the original conception of right and wrong, heaven and hell, good and bad. In accepting the prostitute and murderer along with the deformed, trivial, flat, and despised, Whitman is trying to accept all of America (accepting the ultra-religious, along with the godless and un-religious). Religion becomes a poetic device, subject to his artistic hand. Of course, he also seems to stand apart from the grime, putting himself in the position of theà observer. He becomes a creator, almost a god himself, as he speaks America into existence (perhaps we could say that he really sings, or chants, America into existence), validating every element of the American experience. Whitman brings philosophical significance to the most simple objects and actions, reminding America that every sight, sound, taste, and smell can take on aà spiritual importance to the fully aware and healthy individual. In the first cantos, he says, I loafe and invite my soul, creating a dualism between matter and spirit. Throughout the rest of the poem, though, he continues this pattern. He constantly uses the images of body and spirit together, bringing us to a better understanding of his true conception of spirituality. Divine am I inside and out, he says, and I make holy whatever I touch or am touchd from. Whitman seems to be calling to America, urging the people to listen and to believe. If they wont listen or hear, they may be lost in the perpetual Wasteland of the modern experience. He sees himself as Americas savior, the last hope, even a prophet. But he also sees himself as the center, the one-in-one. Hes not leading America towardà T.S. Eliotsà religion; instead, he is playing the part of the Pied Piper, leading the masses toward a new conception of America.
Saturday, November 23, 2019
The Basics of Telescopes
The Basics of Telescopes Sooner or later, every stargazer decides its time to be buying a telescope. Its an exciting next step to further exploration of the cosmos. However, as with any other major purchase, theres a lot to learn about these universe exploration engines, ranging from power to price. The first thing a user wants to do is figure out their observational goals. Are they interested in planetary observing? Deep-sky exploration? Astrophotography? A little of everything? How much money do they want to spend? Knowing the answer to those questions will help narrow down a telescope choice. Telescopes come in three basic designs: refractor, reflector, and catadioptric, plus some variations on each of the types. Each has its pluses and minuses, and of course, each type can cost a little or a lot depending on the quality of the optics and the accessories needed.à Refractors and How They Work A refractor is a telescope that uses two lenses to deliver a view of a celestial object. At one end (the one farther away from the viewer), it has a large lens, called the objective lens or object glass. On the other end is the lens the user looks through. It is called the ocular or eyepiece. They work together to deliver the sky view. The objective collects light and focuses it as a sharp image. This image gets magnified and is what the stargazer sees through the ocular. This eyepiece is adjusted by sliding it in and out of the telescope body to focus the image. Reflectors and How They Work A reflector works a bit differently. Light is gathered at the bottom of the scope by a concave mirror, called the primary. The primary has a parabolic shape. There are several ways the primary can focus the light, and how it is done determines the type of reflecting telescope. Many observatory telescopes, such as Gemini in Hawaii or the orbiting Hubble Space Telescopeà use a photographic plate to focus the image. Called the prime focus position, the plate is located near the top of the scope. Other such scopes use a secondary mirror, placed in a similar position as the photographic plate, to reflect the image back down the body of the scope, where it is viewed through a hole in the primary mirror. This is known as a Cassegrain focus.à Newtonians and How They Work Then, theres the Newtonian, a kind of reflecting telescope. It got its name whenà Sir Isaac Newton dreamed up the basic design. In a Newtonian telescope, a flat mirror is placed at an angle in the same position as the secondary mirror in a Cassegrain. This secondary mirror focuses the image into an eyepiece located in the side of the tube, near the top of the scope. Catadioptric Telescopes Finally, there are catadioptric telescopes, which combine elements of refractors and reflectors in their design. The first such telescope was created by German astronomer Bernhard Schmidt in 1930. It used a primary mirror at the back of the telescope with a glass corrector plate in the front of the telescope, which was designed to remove spherical aberration. In the original telescope, photographic film was placed at the prime focus. There were no secondary mirror or eyepieces. The descendant of that original design, called the Schmidt-Cassegrain design, is the most popular type of telescope. Invented in the 1960s, it has a secondary mirror that bounces light through a hole in the primary mirror to an eyepiece. The second style of catadioptric telescope was invented by a Russian astronomer, D. Maksutov. (A Dutch astronomer, A. Bouwers, created a similar design in 1941, before Maksutov.) In the Maksutov telescope, a more spherical corrector lens than in the Schmidt is utilized. Otherwise, the designs are quite similar. Todayââ¬â¢s models are known as Maksutov ââ¬âCassegrain. Refractor Telescope Advantages and Disadvantages After initial alignment, which is necessary to have the optics work well together, refractor optics are resistant to misalignment. The glass surfaces are sealed inside the tube and rarely need cleaning. The sealing also minimizes effects from air currents that can muddy the view. This is one way that users can get steady sharp views of the sky. Disadvantages include a number of possible aberrations of the lenses. Also, since lenses need to be edge supported, this limits the size of any refractor. Reflector Telescope Advantages and Disadvantages Reflectors do not suffer from chromatic aberration. Their mirrors are easier to build without defects than lenses are since only one side of a mirror is used. Also, because the support for a mirror is from the back, very large mirrors can be built, making larger scopes. The disadvantages include ease of misalignment, the need for frequent cleaning, and possible spherical aberration, which is a defect in the actual lens that can blur the view. Once a user has a basic understanding of the types of scopes on the market, they can focus on getting the right-sized one to view their favorite targets with. They can learn more about some mid-range-priced telescopes on the market. It never hurts to browse the marketplace and learn more about specific instruments.à And, the best way to sample different telescopes is to go to a star party and ask other scope owners if theyre willing to let someone take a look through their instruments. Its an easy way to compare and contrast the view through different instruments. Edited and updated byà Carolyn Collins Petersen.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Management- Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Management- Strategies - Essay Example The growth of the specialty discount industry is attributed to the wide selection of merchandise that the stores carried and their everyday low pricing strategy. Full line chains perceived this segment as ââ¬Å"category killersâ⬠since their merchandise line-up could not offer the same amount of shelf space and square footage to any one product category. Research shows that consumers are likely to find what they are looking for in specialty stores than they would in full line discount stores. Buying preferences and buying patterns of consumers also change more often (Gamble, p.957). The full-line discount segment is also growing faster than the U.S. economy. The entire retail discount industry was both rapidly going into consolidation through mergers and acquisitions, liquidation, and bankruptcy. Rivalry in this sector revolves around store location, pricing, and promotion. The advent of consolidation will make it easier for Wal-Mart to merge with or acquire smaller retail stores in the U.S and abroad. Considering that Wal-Mart is one of the leading stores in the industry, they have the bargaining power over their suppliers which in effect would give them pricing advantages over other retailers. If a Wal-Mart moves into a community, chances are the other retailers in that community, especially if they are privately owned are going to lose money and may even be forced to close down. SinceWal-Mart is the largest retailer in the United States and number 1 on the Fortune 500 list, they have the ability to lower their prices and therefore can force other retailers out of business because they can not match Wal-Marts low prices (Pereira et al, 2002). Business level strategies describes how firms outperform each other and enjoy such competitive advantage over time. Michael Porter identifies three generic strategies: cost leadership,differentiation, and focus (Dess & Lumpkin, 2002). From the 1940s to the 1970s, the cola industry was dominated by
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Ogallala aquifer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Ogallala aquifer - Essay Example A lot of our water supply comes from water wells that are drilled deep down into the aquifers. We need these aquifers to stay unpolluted in order to continue to enjoy them. The Ogallala aquifer is one of the worlds largest and is located beneath the Great Plains area of the United States. It is fairly shallow but because of its surface area contains an enormous amount of water. This aquifer is vital for the future of the United States, and yet it is not doing very well. The water in it is running low. As one researcher recently framed the issue: Many people assume that large groundwater formations may temporarily run low, but will fill again when rainfall is plentiful ââ¬â as do lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. However, unless the areas impacted are unaffected by the factors that contribute to high evaporation ââ¬â such as minimal rainfall, abundant sunshine, low humidity, and periodic strong winds ââ¬â this assumption is not even remotely correct. Therefore, it is imperative that we find solutions through research to water problems and maintain the aquifer as a continuing resource (Guru, 6). The problems range in severity and the length of time they will occur in. We must take action now to avoid the aquifers depletion and pollution. We need to preserve its use for future generations. To lose the use of this aquifer would be a serious indictment against the United States and a blow to farmers throughout the Midwest who rely on it to irrigate and water their crops. Sadly a number of new techniques threaten the safety of aquifers. In The Whole Fracking Enchilada by Sandra Steingraber, the author discusses how natural gas is extracted from shale. The process can be very destructive to the environment. We have to be mindful of this in the future as we continue to try to meet our energy needs while preserving the quality of our environment and drinking supply. Excessive water use in the extraction of natural resources is another threat to aquifers. We need water
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Work Stress Essay Example for Free
Work Stress Essay We live with it, deal with it, and above all worry about it. Our way of life, the area in which we live, the economy, and our jobs can cause a great deal of stress. Not everyone deals with the same level of stress and there are several factors that can impact our lives and cause us to have higher or lower stress levels. We can have stressed caused by Cataclysmic events which according to Feldman (2009) are events that can affect many people at the same time and are ââ¬Å"disasters such as tornado and plane crashes, as well as terrorist attacksâ⬠. (p418). Other factors are personal stressors and can be caused by events such as a divorce, death or a loved one or the loss of a job. (Feldman, 2009). The other category is what Feldman (2009) refers to as background stressors and are the things that impact our daily life. South Florida has many factors that contribute to our stress level, high unemployment rate 12.1% , high number of families living in poverty approximately 16%, (U.S. Census Bureau, American Fact Finder at (http://factfinder.census.gov), a housing crisis that has contributed to many residents losing their homes, overcrowded roads, high crime rate, and during hurricane season the weather. When we compare ourselves with people living in smaller cities, villages, other areas of the country or even other countries, or those whose socio economic status allows them to maintain their life style during difficult economic times we could probably see a difference in the stress level. Who has not stressed over driving in the Palmetto or I-95. Who has not stressed over the evening news or the possibility of not having a job in very difficult economic times? Who has not stressed over the possibility of being affected by the housing crisis? Who does not stress over a situation at work over which we have no control? These are stressors we live with and deal with on a daily basis. Work Stress and Mental Health Some people have higher levels of stress because they might have a very stressful job. Police officers, fire fighters, soldiers in a war zone, health care providers, long distance truck drivers, and yes, even educators (think of a classroom full of students where you are responsible for making sure that they are learning the skills they need to succeed) have very stressful jobs. According to Elkin and Rosch (1990) workplace related stress in a major problem in the U.S. and it creates a major expense for corporations. Koeske, Kirk, and Koeske (1993) indicate that all jobs have some level of stress but jobs that are in the human services have additional stressors because they ââ¬Å"derive from intense involvement in the lives of othersâ⬠. (p.319). They also refer to the type of stress experienced by individuals working in human services as ââ¬Å"burnoutâ⬠(Koeske, Kirk, and Koeske, 1993, p.319). Another factor that can influence our stress level is how we handle lifeââ¬â ¢s demands. There are different ways of reacting to the situations we face every day of our lives. We have all heard of expressions such as ââ¬Ëroad rageââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëgoing postalââ¬â¢. These are terms that we have come to identified with violent reactions to stressors caused by situations all of us face every day. How many of us have experiences in the road that would cause us to display behavior that is outside of what we consider to be within a normal range? How many of us have had experiences at work with a supervisor or a coworker where we have had to use all of our self control not to respond in an appropriate manner? We all have had these experiences and how we handle them depends on different factors such as our own characteristics, or external factors that could be impacting us at any particular moment. Symptoms of stress and anxiety caused by work According to Tetrick and LaRocco (1987) ââ¬Å" work conditions can lead to perception of stress. Perceived stress, in turn, leads to job-related strains such as dissatisfaction, boredom, and turnover, and to individual strains such as anxiety, depression, and physical illnessâ⬠(p.538). There are other factors that can cause high level of stress in a job for example high demands on the part of an employer, (i.e. constant deadlines, extended work hours) and low control on the part of the employee (i.e. very little control over the day to day activities in the workplace) and low rewards for effort can increase the chances of having serious health problems such as anxiety, use of prescription or over the counter drugs to deal with stress. (Workplace Mental Health Promotion, 2010). According to Tetrick and Larocco (1987) in addition to these external factors related to our jobs and the type of work conditions we have we also have internal factors that they call ââ¬Å"internal char acteristics (i.e., personal characteristics) and external conditions (i.e., situational characteristics)â⬠(p. 358). Pachner (2010) stated that In response to feelings of insecurity or ineffectiveness many people can avoid social interactions with colleagues and can develop physical symptoms such as headaches, insomnia, high blood pressure and even heart attacks. Many of us have experiences these types of feelings or reactions when we have found ourselves in stressful jobs. These health related issues can impact the individual, his/her family, the workplace environment and the community in general. Higher costs for health care, incidents of road rage or workplace violence, as well as in some instances domestic violence can all be linked to stressed caused by work. Individuals at risk of experiencing conditions of stress and anxiety As indicated before most of us are at risk of experiencing stress and a burnout feeling at any time. Those of us who are in the fields where we deal with people or a daily basis or where high demands and where we have little control of our work environment will be more impacted than others. Additionally as mentioned before certain type of personality characteristics will increase or levels of stress. Some of the internal characteristics might be our way of handling difficult situations, our need to control our environment, our need to overachieve, even our need to please others. Some individuals have a need to have control over all aspects of their lives and when decisions are made by others and they have no control over these decisions it impacts their well being. Stressful jobs such as those involving high risk or oneself, i.e. law enforcement, military duty in a war zone, can cause higher level of stress. Jobs where demands are placed in our abilities to deal with others can also create stress, i.e., healthcare professionals, customer service personnel, teachers, and other professionals who deal directly with others. The stress caused by these types of jobs can influence our health, our attitudes, and even our home life. In many instances individuals do not have the opportunity to decompress before arriving home to deal with the other stressors that we all confront. When we leave our jobs we then need to face the different challenges surrounding us in our community i.e. traffic, weather, etc. Dealing with stress and anxiety According to Elkin and Rosch (1990) To prevent burnout individuals need to monitor their mental and physical health and maintain a healthy lifestyle that includes a healthy diet, leisure time and connecting with family and friends. All of us need to understand the importance of maintaining a healthy equilibrium between work and our own personal life. Giving in to the demands of a stressful job can only serve to create additional health problems such as heart conditions, high blood pressure, dependency on over the counter, illegal, or prescription drugs. It will also contribute to other problems such as lack of sleep, isolation, and sometimes depression. Perhaps we need to look at how other societies live their daily lives. For example traveling in the Mediterranean, specially the Greek islands, can give you a different perspective of how life can be. The Greek Islands have a low rate of heart disease and having traveled there myself I can see how their lifestyle contributes to that l ow risk. They are very active and involved in activities that promote healthy lifestyles i.e. fishing. They eat healthy and most of the time is food that is prepared in a healthy way. They take time to rest during the day and they take the time to enjoy family and friends and establish social connections. We, on the other hand, because of our work schedules, the time it takes us to get to and from work, the demands we place on ourselves, rarely have time to socialize and spend time with family or friends. Perhaps corporations should take into consideration the need to provide time for employees to establish relationships at work that are not just work related but that go beyond the routine of the workplace. Encouraging employees to have an active life style would also help the stress since physical activity reduces stress level. Having a good health insurance that promotes healthy life style such as by encouraging preventing medicine and membership in health clubs will contribute to reduce the stress level. We also need to take proactive steps to reduce the stress level caused by our jobs. One of the steps we can take is to accept that our personality can play a major role on how we adapt and deal with the job demands and take steps to change the extra stress we create for ourselves. If we like to control what we do at all times and like to plan ahead for all events but work in a job that is constantly changing we can begin by accepting that we can control the time we leave for work, what we take for lunch, and what route we take to get to and from work and that will give us a sense of control for at least part of the day. If we like to achieve perfection or please those around us we can begin by establishing realistic goals that we can achieve every day rather than trying to be the best in all possible aspects. Understanding ourselves, our needs, our personality, and the demands of our jobs can help us to decrease the level of stress we experience. There are factors over which we have no control i.e. the crime rate in our area, the weather, the overcrowded highways, etc. However we can certainly control other aspects of our lives such as how we handle the demands of our job, the type of lifestyle we choose to live and the amount of quality time we choose to spend with family and friends who are important to us. Knowledge and Career Understanding that there is an entire group of problems that are known as ââ¬Å"psychophysilogical disorders that often result or are worsened by stressâ⬠(Feldman, 2009, p.421) can help us to realize that these are very real medical problems that are ââ¬Å"influenced by an interaction of psychological, emotional, and physical difficultiesâ⬠Feldman, 2009, p.421). Having gained some basic knowledge of the different aspects of what can cause stress in our lives such as work, environment, social demands, etc. can help us manage our lives and careers in a way that will help us to achieve our goals, maintain healthy relationships, succeed at our jobs, and maintain a healthy life style. According to Feldman (2009) our relationship with others can help us deal with our stress. The social support we can establish can help us to lower our stress level and the support we show others can help them as well. Coping with the daily stressors we face, and doing so as a member of a group of family, friends, coworkers, or neighbors can help us to maintain a healthy level of stress and will certainly reduce the risk of health problems associated with major stress in our life. This will in turn help us to be successful in our careers because we will achieve a healthy balance of work goals, family goals, community commitment, and a sense of well being.
Friday, November 15, 2019
The Birth of Fish; The Death of Oceans Essay -- Essays Papers
The Birth of Fish; The Death of Oceans Overview: Life and death are themselves opposites; then again in our oceans, life sometimes causes death. Over the past few decades, the demand for edible seafood has sky rocketed, resulting in the formation of aquacultures and overfishing. As of now, the two greatest threats to our marine resources result from overfishing and water pollution. Commercial fishing targets key fish species, resulting in an imbalance of the marine ecosystem. In response to the near elimination of these species, an industry has developed to raise these species in farm communities. It was the initial belief of many that aquacultures would help offset the demand for more seafood. However, the result of fish farming has only contributed to the depletion of the fish population and to the pollution of the marine ecosystem. With only limited regulations placed upon fishing companies, they are basically able to have free range over the oceans. Because of this, there have been severe effects on many fish species. Even with regulations such as the law of the sea, which states that a country bordering the ocean has rights to the fishing areas within two hundred nautical miles of its shores, there are considerable abuses. In Pauly and Watsonââ¬â¢s article, it states that the preservation of the countryââ¬â¢s fisheries is up to the country itself. The country may also give out rights to other countries to fish its waters. When this occurs, there is a great chance the fleets from other countries will attempt to ââ¬Å"garner as much fish as they canâ⬠(Pauly, par. 7). These fleets will also have a disregard as far as the preservation of the marine habitat below such as the reefs (Pauly, Counting The Last Fish). Overfis... ...ctober 2003: 32. - ââ¬Å"FISH FARMING.â⬠National Geographic July 2003: 110. - ââ¬Å"GROWING OUR OWN.â⬠Current Science 19 December 2003: 9. - Hayden, T. ââ¬Å"Sharks in the soup.â⬠U.S. News & World Report 16 February 2004: 136. - Naylor, R. ââ¬Å"The Costs of Fish Farming.â⬠Wilson Quarterly Autumn 2000: 114-115. - Reprint of: Naylor, R., et al. ââ¬Å"Effect of Aquaculture on World Fish Supplies.â⬠Nature 29 June 2000. - Pauly, D. and Watson, R. ââ¬Å"COUNTING THE Last Fish.â⬠Scientific American July 2003: 289. - ââ¬Å"Pros and Cons of Fish Farming.â⬠USA Today Magazine June 2001: 129. Raeburn, P. ââ¬Å"OVERFISHING THREATENS OCEANââ¬â¢S RUTURE.â⬠Business Week 4 March 2002: 73. - Schrope, M. ââ¬Å"Future of Corals is going down the pan.â⬠New Scientist 10 August 2002: 175. - Wagner, C. ââ¬Å"More Trouble for Coral Reefs.â⬠Futurist January/February 2004: 38.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Evergreen: Customer and Process Essay
1.1Evergreenââ¬â¢s desired outcomes are to improve customer satisfaction by delivering its orders on time, reduce inventories, reduce employee overtime expense and determine if the shop floor manager should be replaced. The company needs to improve its demand planning responsiveness to better serve customer needs. By improving its process and capabilities as they relate to orders, the desired results will be realized. 1.2Evergreen should try to improve its order entry system by eliminating/reducing constraints to so that the end accomplishment is a faster delivery time to the customer. 1.3We know that the order entry system is working poorly because the cycle time exceeds the customer timeline, but there may be additional problems causing the late orders since the shop is only operating at 80 percent capacity. Additionally, we are not given any information about the delivery system that would move the product from the shop floor to the customer. However, we can reasonable assume there is a problem with the order system, since it can take anywhere from 17 business hours (2 days) to 42 business hours (5.25 days) (assume 8-hour work day) for order to clear the shop floor. Since the three sale clerks are only encouraged to implement a 5-day out due date for the order, this immediately creates a constraint since it is possible for the order cycle to exceed 5 days. Not to mention that the sales clerks may even promise the products sooner. The multiple-steps in the process are creating undue constraints. Additionally, the high amount of erroneous orders (up to 65 percent) is also a large constraint on the process. 1.4The long cycle time is creating a bottleneck in getting the products to the customer on time. Additionally, the process is a made-to-order system, as opposed to made-to-stock, so the product is not created until the order is received. The variance in the way the company receives the orders is also creating problems, since the two processes are treated equally. When the traveling salesperson contacts the company with an order, the order may be up to two days old already, yet it is handled in the same fashion as when a customer calls in an order. The process is riddled with wait time and defects ââ¬â two of the ââ¬Å"Seven Deadly Sins.â⬠Many of the orders languish in certain parts of the company and are filled out erroneously within a non-digitized system. Process measures are crucial to the processes success, and this system is only using a casual set of metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of its operations process for filling orders. The time it takes for the order to move from one process to the next should be definite ââ¬â not an estimate, which describes Evergreenââ¬â¢s current process. Additionally, there are no metrics in place for process improvement. The order process is a serial/sequential. The company could improve by paralleling the order after it clears the Sales Account Manager by sending the order to accounting and to the shop simultaneously. A manager should improve the overall process by combining smaller processes, eliminating waste and rethinking the sequence. 2.The customers want their orders to be delivered on time. The existing customers pose a problem for Evergreen because their business spikes around certain holiday, thus increasing orders during certain times of the year. Evergreen needs to have another process in place for peak times versus the normal business schedule. The peak process could include such contingencies as having additional clerks on staff, mandating the traveling salespeople to visit customers within a standardized time frame before each peak season to gather data and pre-order product and running the shop at 100 percent capacity.
Sunday, November 10, 2019
When to Consider a Single-Instance Erp Strategy
Reproduction of this publication in any form without prior written permission is forbidden. The Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Garner disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. Although Garter's research may discuss legal issues related to the information technology business, Garner does not provide legal advice or services and its research should not be construed or used as such.Garner shall have no liability for errors, omissions or inadequacies in the information contained herein or for Interpretations thereof. The opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice. WHAT you NEED TO KNOW Adopting a single-instance, single-vendor enterprise resource planning strategy can deliver benefits, but it does not make sense for every organization. It should only be undertaken If you have a good business case for the project and it matches most or all of Garter's single-instance success factors.If the challenges balance or outweigh the success factors, then you should address organizational issues before proceeding. If this Is not feasible, then consider Illimitableness consolidation or a tiered business application strategy. ANALYSIS Most large multinational organizations have a heterogeneous application portfolio hat has built up over time. The portfolio often is made more complex by tactical purchasing and merger and acquisition activity.Senior executives in such organizations are attracted to the idea of standardizing on applications from a single enterprise resource planning (ERP) vendor because of potential operational cost savings and reduced complexity of the IT landscape (see Note 1). Vendor consolidation is often a first step toward instance consolidation. ; A single instance of an application can run all operating companies on a common process template, a ingle release AT ten application Ana a giggle copy AT ten applications dataset, using a cons olidated technical infrastructure.A single-instance strategy can drive cost reductions in several areas, including integration, interfaces, training, support and hardware. In addition, potential benefits may be found in process improvements, better data consistency and improved visibility of information. However, adopting a single-instance, single-vendor ERP strategy is not a task to be undertaken lightly, because it can create disruption in enterprise operations and often involves replacing some systems that are favored by users.Even if the business case appears to support the deployment of a single-instance ERP solution, there still may be significant obstacles to overcome. Certain types of organizations will find it more difficult to realize the benefits of a single-instance ERP strategy because of their culture and infrastructure. See Table 1 to determine whether single-system ERP might work for your organization. Rank yourself against each of the categories. If you have mainly (or exclusively) success factors, then a single-instance ERP strategy is more likely to be successful. Table 1 .Single-Instance ERP Success Factors and Challenges Enterprise Profile Business Model Corporate Culture and Policy Definition Geographical Concentration Success Factors Single primary core business with similar business processes Centralized with strong corporate head office; policy dictated at corporate level and globally enforced Company aspires to operate as a single global company, and operations, sales and marketing are concentrated in a single geographical region Stable, unlikely to undergo dramatic growth or downsizing Challenges Diversified group with wide range of business processes Decentralized tit autonomous business units; policy decided at the business-unit level Company operates as a multinational company, and operations, sales and marketing are distributed globally Dynamic, growing rapidly or downsizing significantly Business Environment publication Date: 28 September 2005/AD Number: GO 30366 2005 Garner, Inc. And/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved.Page 2 of 6 Merger, Acquisition and Divestiture Status Established ERP Systems Technology Environment Acquiring smaller entities that are easily absorbed into the corporate culture Highly likely to be acquired or merge with a company of a similar size (or larger); vesting encore businesses Diverse, with an even spread from potential single- system suppliers Architecture and technology are decided at the business-unit level Elemental mummer, wilt majority AT systems Trot likely single-system vendor Enterprise-level architecture with similar technologies Source: Garner (September 2005) Note that the scope of this analysis is limited to the processes automated through traditional ERP systems, such as financial, HRS, procurement, inventory management, production planning and order management. Single-instance strategies are typically noninsured first in the ERP domain because these processes are more internally focused and homogeneous, and have less impact on competitive differentiation. Suitability of a single-instance strategy in other domains, such as customer relationship management (CRM), product life cycle management (PLUM) and supply chain management (SCM), should be assessed following a similar process. However, with CRM, PLUM and SCM, organizations are even less likely to meet the criteria in Table 1 and will typically discover that a single-instance strategy doesn't align with the business strategy.By implication, even if a single-instance ERP environment is successfully created, most organizations will have to support multiple instances of peripheral systems. Enterprise Profile Elements ; Business Model: Organizations in service industries such as software or financial services will find adoption of single- system ERP easier than those with a diversified business model, because the ERP adoption will primarily affect their back-office administrative functions. Process changes in these areas will have less impact on revenue-creating activities and, therefore, are lower risk than changes in operational areas such as manufacturing and logistics operations.Corporate Culture and Policy Definition: Organizations that operate in a decentralized manner with highly autonomous business units may find these operations unwilling to release control of local systems to a central IT function. If there is a culture of local decision making, then business-unit executives may not be willing to accept a decision that is mandated from the corporate head office. Geographical Concentration: Companies that aspire to operate as global companies (operate on a common set of business processes across the globe) are well- positioned to achieve a global single instance, because they align the IT strategy with he business strategy.Companies operating as multinationals (have a unique set of business processes for local markets, particularly sales and marketing, and SC M), will have difficulties running their international businesses on a common system. Also, organizations that are physically concentrated in a single geographical region will find it easier to achieve a single instance, because support and operations of the system take place in a narrow range of adjacent time zones. The need to support a single instance around the clock creates issues with available support windows for upgrades and maintenance, and possibly network-related performance and availability issues.Business Environment: A single-instance ERP strategy may not be appropriate for organizations that face significant change. Implementation of a single-instance system may be thrown into disarray if there is a significant change of direction in the business Page 3 of 6 (for example, a manufacturer decides to sell its manufacturing operations and focus instead on design and logistics services). ; Merger, Acquisition and Divestiture Status: This aspect of the general business situ ation can have a major impact on a single- instance strategy. Organizations that are likely to acquire or merge with entities of a similar size may find their investment in a significance strategy compromised if they merge with organizations that use different ERP systems.Established ERP Systems: If the ERP system from a potential single-instance vendor is already used in the majority of the organization, then there may be little resistance to a wider deployment. Many organizations have initially implemented multiple instances of a single ERP system are now considering instance consolidation. However, if there is no nominate provider, then a single-instance strategy will face resistance, because some users are likely to fight to retain their ââ¬Å"much lovedâ⬠locally implemented systems from ââ¬Å"theirâ⬠vendors. Technology Environment: Similar challenges may arise if there is no common technology environment and enterprise architecture in place.A single- instance stra tegy requires the adoption of a specific technology environment (operating system, database, middleware and other IT infrastructure), and organizations that already have an enterprise architecture in place will find it easier to implement a single-instance approach. When the technology environment is defined at the business-unit level, local IT functions may resist moving away from their architecture to that which is required to support the single-instance strategy. Determining Who Drives the Initiative Often, instance consolidation initiatives are driven by the IT organization on the basis of simplification of the application landscape, and the IT technical and support infrastructure. Table 1 shows that five out of the seven success factors are within the business domain and entirely outside the control of the IT organization.This underscores the point that instance installation projects should primarily be business-driven projects, with a business case solidly based on business be nefits. Without understanding, sponsorship and commitment at the senior business management level, the project is doomed to fail. The IT organization plays a critical role in educating the business units, and planning and executing the project; however, it does not own the project. What to Do If the generalness outlawed ten success Factors organizations considering giggle-alliance ERP that find the challenges outweigh the success factors have other options: 1 . Consider a limited ERP vendor and infrastructure consolidation strategy, without moving to a single-instance consolidation.This strategy will enable organizations to achieve some efficiency improvements in the IT organization by consolidating some of the operating and support infrastructure of the ERP systems. However, the strategy will not realize the full benefits of a single-instance system. This strategy may be suitable for organizations that are diversified and decentralized in nature, operate in a highly dynamic market environment and consider IT costs to be a significant factor. A common approach is to adopt vendor consolidation with some level of instance consolidation (for example, regional or divisional instances). 2. Adopt a tiered business application strategy (see ââ¬Å"How to Approach Tiered Business Applicationsâ⬠), where specific applications are adopted to address the needs of decentralized business units.Page 4 of 6 3. Address the organizational issues that are creating the challenges prior to implementing the single-instance strategy. There are two main actions that need to be taken to address these organizational issues: ; Involve business-unit executives in alluding and reviewing the business case to create buy-in. Develop a feasibility study that shows how business-unit requirements can be accommodated in a single- instance implementation, and build an instance strategy to support this. Consider getting business-unit executives to develop a business case to Justify why their business unit should not be included in a single-instance solution.Get the executive management team to understand and accept how investing in a single-instance strategy can affect your merger and acquisition strategy. During their due diligence, organizations adopting a single-instance strategy must take account of how ERP systems are used by potential acquisition targets. Similarly, a single-instance strategy may limit downsizing options, because it will be difficult to divest parts of the business on an ongoing basis if they do not have their own business applications. If significant divestiture is likely, then a single-instance ERP project should be deferred until the business environment stabilizes. Key Issues How can more value be gained from an enterprise resource planning investment?Note 1 Definition of Single Instance A single instance of an ERP system is when a single installation of the application is linked to a single database. This significantly sleepless support Ana m alfeasance Decease tenure Is only one set AT application infrastructure to be maintained. This does not necessarily mean that all business units have to use the same business rules, because most ERP systems enable different entities within a single instance to have a degree of uniqueness. However, there will be constraints on the capability of the business units to define their own business rules (compared to separate instances for each business unit).
Friday, November 8, 2019
Coming Home essays
Coming Home essays Cornelius picked up the remote control out of the aliens hand. He pressed it and walked out through the invisible wall. He started to run down the beach but then he stopped. He turned back and shouted: The dark man shook his had to awake himself and ran out through the wall. They both ran down the beach. As Cornelius was running he noticed something ahead of him. It couldnt be identified from where they were so Cornelius signaled the man to speed up. As they got closer Cornelius realized what it was, he grabbed the man by his shirt and pulled him behind a dead fallen tree. Look ahead of us! Cornelius whispered. The man did so and saw the alien, he quickly ducked back down and said: Thats one of them! We have to fallow it! stated the dark man. Cornelius knew why but he didnt want to. After a few minutes of debating he gave in and they slowly stalked the alien. After slowly chasing the alien for about an hour, the creature went into a part of the island where the palm trees became denser until their surroundings where like that of a rain forest. They continued into the forest until they came to the outside of a clearing. They moved the bushes aside and inside they could see the craft that abducted them. They looked around, and saw some dome like buildings and aliens wandering the premises. On my word we make a run for the spaceship! WHAT?! asked a shocked Cornelius. After an hour and a half of debating and planning the agreed an a plan. ...
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Be Your Own Ideal Reader
Be Your Own Ideal Reader Be Your Own Ideal Reader Be Your Own Ideal Reader By Michael Our article Your Ideal Reader prompted a response from veteran writer Kilburn Hall, who wrote: There is no ââ¬Å"idealâ⬠reader and if you start trying to write for one specific audience, youââ¬â¢re going to tune out others that might actually be interested in reading your book. How can Mr. Hall can say that? Because, like most successful writers, he is his own ideal reader! Instead of trying to please an imaginary member of a writers market (middle-class men aged 35-65), he is trying to please himself. And like every successful writer, he is single-minded about catering to this ideal reader, which happens to be himself. So his manuscripts satisfy editors, and his books satisfy readers. When you look at it that way, though, its not true that writing for one specific audience will tune out others. If you dont decide who youre writing for, even if its yourself, your writing becomes vague, even useless. A finance article for corporate accountants probably wont help college students cut their expenses. I would say this principle applies to novels as well. If you write an adventure novel because you really like adventure novels, the lovers of adventure novels will perk up, and other readers can at least tell theyre reading the real thing. Writing for specific readers, or a specific purpose, doesnt keep other people from reading your piece, just because you werent thinking about them when you wrote it. Yes, youll tune out some readers if your publisher prints on the cover, To Be Read By Middle Class Women Only, which is why your publisher doesnt do that. But your publisher is very interested in making sure middle class women know when a book is targeted for them. The pastels and flowers on the cover might tune out some middle class men. But if you dont know what youre writing about, youll tune everybody out. One group that Mr. Halls message is especially relevant for, however: aspiring writers who are willing to compromise their vision to make a sale. You have to write the book thats in you, not the book that youd like to think was in you. If you pretend to be writing for particular ideal readers just because they buy a lot of books, but your heart isnt in it, the quality of your writing will suffer, and you wont fool your readers either. But if you say, as Herman Melville did, I want to write a novel about a white whale, and I dont care if anybody else reads it, youll do all right. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Compared "to" or Compared "with"?Use a Dash for Number RangesStarting a Business Letter with Dear Mr.
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Pneumonia Dq question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Pneumonia Dq question - Assignment Example The predisposing factors for mucormycosis are kartoacidosis, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, solid tumors, and renal failure. Pulmonary mucormycosis generally takes place inhaling the fungal sporangiospores. The medical interventions for treating mucormycosis involve 3-pronged integration of surgical and medical approaches, together with addressing predisposing underlying conditions (Spellberg & Edwards, 2012). 2. Some laboratory test values are abnormal. The pH value is 7.5 and this figure is high. The high pH values are abnormal and are mainly experienced among patients with high blood pressure (Kontoyiannis & Lewis, 2013). PaO2 is also abnormally low at 59mmHg. This illustrates a condition that is common among patients having pheumonia. 3. Three treatments are applied in patients with pulmonary mucormycosis. The treatments are; hyperbaric oxygen therapy, surgery and step down therapy. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy applies high concentration of oxygen, which hinders the development of mucorales in vitro. Surgery is also a treatment option. Sinus lesions are very significant and should be done with minimal delay, due to the aggressive characteristic of the mucor infection. Step down therapy entails treatment of parenteral lipid amphotericin B. The treatment is antifungal. The medications involve usage of antifungal agents. Classic antibiotics like echinocandins are commonly used. Amphotericin B is also applied as liposomal formulations, with the aim of minimizing toxicity (Bitar & Van,
Friday, November 1, 2019
Contribution to the Discussion of Western Scholarship Essay
Contribution to the Discussion of Western Scholarship - Essay Example Husri was confident that the condition of the Arabs resembled that of Germans, when there is a state of national belonging but no statehood. 3. Rentier state ââ¬â a type of state that relies primarily and only on the revenues derived from extracting and selling one or more natural resources (e.g., oil). More often than not, the rentier state relies on a limited number of people who dominate the natural resources business, whereas government uses these revenues as the main source of national income. Most Middle Eastern countries rely on natural gas, oil, and petroleum production. 4. The Dutch disease ââ¬â after the Groningen gas field was discovered in 1959, the Dutch economy was faced with the challenge of inflation. The rapid appreciation of the Dutch guilder led to the subsequent rise in the price of Dutch goods. For this reason, the demand for Dutch goods declined and the manufacturing sector fell into a deep economic abyss during the 1960-70s. 5. The Eastern Question â⠬â the study of the relationships and interactions between unequal power systems; of these, one system (Europe) is on the rise and another (Middle East) is in the state of decline. In this relationship, the Middle East is believed to be closely intertwined with the political developments in Europe. Simultaneously, over the 19th century the Middle East developed its own rules of the international relations game, to deal with the challenge of the European dominance. 6. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk ââ¬â founder of the modern secular Turkish Republic. Ataturk is the foundational figure of modern Turkish history. He served as President of the Turkish Republic between 1923 and 1938. 7. Gamal Abd al-Nasser ââ¬â one of the most important figures in the development of Arab politics and the second president of Egypt (since 1956 until death). Nasserââ¬â¢s leadership played a crucial role in the creation of Egyptian nationhood and is often viewed as a role model of Arab dignity. The figur e of Nasser is closely associated with the rise of Arab nationalism. 8. Baghdad Pact ââ¬â was created and signed by Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, and Britain in 1955. The main goal of the Pact was to unite the Middle East against the risks of the Soviet penetration. Britainââ¬â¢s ideas faced huge political opposition from Egypt; Syria and Jordan refused to join the pact. 9. Saddam Hussein ââ¬â a Middle Eastern dictator and the single ruler of the Iraqi nation between 1979 and 2003. Husseinââ¬â¢s political career began to flourish after Abdul-Karim Qassim was assassinated. His regime was overthrown in 2003, when the U.S. invaded Iraq. 10. Fundamentalism ââ¬â a term commonly used in modern press and political philosophy and denoting the striving of political forces and people to revive and institutionalize the most important aspects of the past. Generic fundamentalism treats secularism as a political and religious enemy and relies on sacred texts to withstand the pre ssure of criticism. Section B Question 2: Edward Said and his contribution to the discussion of Western scholarship. Edward Said has become well-known for his work Orientalism. The latter was created to expose and criticize the main deficiencies of Western scholarship and its continued reliance on the principles of hegemony and power misbalances.
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