A Project Management Approach To Planning - Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss about the AProject Management Approach To Planning. Answer: Freds shed Construction A budget has to be prepared for construction of a shed for presenting it to the project steering committee. Mr. Jones wants Fred Smith to develop a shed with a cost of approximately, $40,000. According to the specifications given by Mr. Jones, a project budget has been prepared by considering the best quality materials for the project. The size of the shed to be prepared is considerably large as it should accommodate to store tractors, utility, vehicles and should include spaces for a workbench, tools and fertilizers. The project work should commence within six weeks and therefore, estimated date of project initiation is taken as 20th February 2018. Me. Jones has made it clear that he needs the whole work to be completed within 3 weeks and therefore, the date of project completion is roughly estimated to be 20th March 2018. The budget for the whole project work has been prepared considering the salary of all the project team members and the construction workers. The site preparation is a crucial step of the shed construction as it involves proper survey of the site and locating the boundaries of the site properly. A proper project management methodology is to be followed for planning, designing and completion of the project. The detailed budget and work breakdown structure of the project is elaborated in the following table. Freds Shed Work Breakdown Structure Task Number/ ID Task Description Predecessor relationship (sequence) Time Resource Names Cost 0 Shed Construction 20.63 days $39,885.00 1 Project starts 0 days Contractor Fred $0.00 2 Requirement selection and Planning 0.88 days $2,160.00 2.1 Inspection of the site 1 2 hrs Contractor Fred $480.00 2.2 Meeting with Mr. Jones for selection of color and style of the shade 3 1 hr Contractor Fred $240.00 2.3 Documenting the requirements 4 2 hrs Contractor Fred $480.00 2.4 Estimating the materials required 4 2 hrs Contractor Fred $480.00 2.5 First installment of the payment receiving 6 2 hrs Contractor Fred $480.00 3 Shed Designing 2 days $2,440.00 3.1 Analyzing the requirements 3 5 hrs Contractor Fred $1,200.00 3.2 Designing the shade on basis of the place available 9 10 hrs Designer Karen $1,000.00 3.3 sharing the design with Mr. Jones 10 1 hr Contractor Fred $240.00 3.4 design Approval by Mr. Jones 11 0 hrs Contractor Fred ,Designer Karen $0.00 4 Site Preparation 7.25 days $7,710.00 4.1 Underground Cable Service Check 12 10 hrs Construction Workers $250.00 4.2 locating existing boundaries 12 4 hrs Surveyor $200.00 4.3 site clearance 15 20 hrs Construction Workers $500.00 4.4 Establishment of temporary site facilities 16 24 hrs Contractor Fred $5,760.00 4.5 Building the framework 17 10 hrs Designer Karen $1,000.00 5 Implementation 6.38 days $17,340.00 5.1 start of excavation work in the site 18 0 hrs Construction Workers $0.00 5.2 Booking of council inspection 20 1 hr Council Inspector $100.00 5.3 booking the concrete truck 20 1 hr Concrete truck [1] $5,000.00 5.4 setting dates for shed installation and power supply 20 1 hr Contractor Fred $240.00 5.5 receive of second installment of payment 23 2 hrs Contractor Fred $480.00 5.6 Construction of the Shed 24 48 hrs Contractor Fred $11,520.00 6 Shed Installation 7.38 days $3,515.00 6.1 shed delivery 25 1 hr Contractor Fred $240.00 6.2 connecting the main powers 24 18 hrs Subcontractor Eddie( electrician) $900.00 6.3 connecting the water supply pipes 24 15 hrs Subcontractor Bob(Plumber) $750.00 6.4 Installation of a toilet in the shade 29 15 hrs Construction Workers, Subcontractor Bob(Plumber) $1,125.00 6.5 Installation of Windows 27 10 hrs Subcontractor Gary( Glazier) $500.00 7 Site clearance and project handover 3.38 days $6,720.00 7.1 Removal of rubbish and temporary amenities from the site 31 6 hrs Contractor Fred ,Team members $1,680.00 7.2 Project completion 33 0 days Contractor Fred $0.00 7.3 Drafting the final bill 34 2 hrs Contractor Fred $480.00 7.4 documenting the projects 35 2 hrs Contractor Fred $480.00 7.5 Resource release 36 5 hrs Contractor Fred $1,200.00 7.6 Payment completion 37 10 hrs Contractor Fred $2,400.00 7.7 Keys handover 38 2 hrs Contractor Fred $480.00 7.8 Client sign off 39 0 hrs Contractor Fred $0.00 8 Project ends 40 0 hrs $0.00 Table 1: The budget prepared for the Project (Source: Created by Author using MS Project) The work breakdown structure of the project is illustrated below- Figure 1: The work breakdown structure of the Project (Source: Generated by author using MS Schedule Pro) Figure 2: Representing the Gantt chart of the project (Source: Generated by author using MS Project) The work activities marked in red in the Gantt chart above depict the critical path of the project. The project is complex as the time available for the project is very less. A strategic planning is required for meeting all the requirements specified by Mr. Jones. A budget of $39,885 has been prepared that covers all the specification set by the Mr. Jones. The budget table specifies the tasks that are needed to be implemented for project development. The project team is small and therefore proper resource allocation is necessary. The budget table indicates the different resources allocated for the different tasks associated with the project. Bibliography Fewings, P., 2013.Construction project management: an integrated approach. Routledge. Joslin, R. and Mller, R., 2015. Relationships between a project management methodology and project success in different project governance contexts.International Journal of Project Management,33(6), pp.1377-1392. Kerzner, H., 2013.Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley Sons. Larson, E.W. and Gray, C., 2013.Project Management: The Managerial Process with MS Project. McGraw-Hill. Meng, X., 2012. The effect of relationship management on project performance in construction.International journal of project management,30(2), pp.188-198. Walker, A., 2015.Project management in construction. John Wiley Sons.

Human Population Impacts on Global Wildfire Emissions

Question: Explain about the Human Population Impacts on Global Wildfire Emissions. Answer: According to the question, the functional form used for the institution of the graph for all countries is best suited with the help of linear, exponential form in which two variables are concerned, one is dependent, and other is independent. Here, the dependent variable is Global Carbon Fossil Fuel Emissions (FF) taken in million metric tons carbon and independent variables taken are fossil fuel carbon emissions in different countries such as China, USA, India, Russia, Japan and Germany. However, to fit the best trend line, the dependent variable is converted to log form. The equation followed for the graph is Log Y = + 1X1 + 2X2 + 3X3 + 4X4 + 5X5 + 6X6 + Ɇº (Log - Linear Form: On Semilog axis) (Gujarati 2014). The results are carried out using Excel. The graph fitted is depicted in Figure 1. Figure 1 Fossil Fuel (FF)-based carbon emissions plot The problem illustrated to state that the there is slightest changes in Mauna Loa (land) values, but not much can be experienced in the seasonal variations of Antarctica as referring to values. However, the land has more carbon emissions than water body due to increased levels of greenhouse gasses (Muradov 2014, pp. 43-77). Figure 2 Seasonal Variations Of Mauna Loa According to the question, the results show an increasing rate of carbon emissions on Mauna Loa and Antarctica. The growth rates individually calculated show a fluctuating trend. Nevertheless, the trends were first calculated by averaging the yearly ppmv value and later the growth rate was computed. However, the fluctuation is shown on an increasing trend. The graph illustrating the trend is depicted in Figure 3. Figure 3 Atmospheric Growth Rate The carbon sinks for every year are computed by subtracting the sequestered land and ocean from the annual total of fossil fuel and land use of carbon emissions. The steps that are used for calculation are: The annual total (fossil fuel +land use) is changed to PPMV value from metric million tons. The total of Mauna Loa and Antarctica value is even totaled The total value (Mauna Loa and Antarctica) subtracted from the total annual value of carbon emissions. Later, the growth rate is calculated in percentage. Figure 4 depicts the graph of the growth rate, which depicts the weakening of carbon emissions that is creating a climate change. Figure 4 Weakening of Carbon Sink On the other part of the question, the results depicted on the hypothesis of the decadal means, the different means for both annual data and total of Mauna Loa and Antarctica is calculated. The results depicted can be shown in Table 1 Total (Antarctica and ML) Total Annual PPMV (Fossil + Land) Mean 695.5860934 2889.866323 Variance 1971.789643 556970.9355 Observations 52 52 Hypothesized Mean Difference 0 df 51 t Stat -21.16460209 P(T=t) one-tail 3.23803E-27 t Critical one-tail 1.675284951 P(T=t) two-tail 6.47606E-27 t Critical two-tail 2.007583728 Table 1 Decadal Means The t value calculated shows the t statics to be insignificant as Antarctica, and Mauna Loa are a part of Total Annual Carbon Emissions data and does not influence in a sound pattern. However, though the p-value also states to be insignificant which states that there are huge differences in the variances of the two. If stated on decadal means, then the hypothesis is minimal, proves not to be aligned and does not support the average of the data. The various carbon emission scenarios are plotted in two different graphs in Figure 5 and Figure 6. Figure 5 Projected Emissions Figure 6 Corresponding CO2 Concentrations Discussions The global emissions since 50 years have been increasing due to the changes that are leading to increasing in greenhouse gasses and alterations of human activities both by the accumulation of fossil fuels for energy, transportation, industrial processes and land use changes. However, the global emissions are influencing the ability of natural sinks that are adding to the atmosphere with an increase in the industrial revolution. However, the CO2 emissions from fossil fuels are due to long and short term factors like changes in energy prices, technologies and seasonal temperatures. Largely, the transport emissions have been increased from 5% 1960 to 21% in 2011 (Muradov 2014, pp. 43-77). The mean magnitude of the carbon sinks depicts that the weakening growth rate of 50 years is 0.027%, which states that there is large variability if analyzed from year to year. The large change in the emissions is declining, and CO2 concentrations continue to increase because of expanding human population that continues to grow in urban areas and that is the reason for the change in climate pattern. However, the emissions will rise due to the risk of demographic change and CO2 fertilization leading to higher fuel loads continuity (Knorr, Jiang and Arneth 2016). Data Interpretation The current yearly increase is not steep for current periods due to rise in Mauna Loa of land use and fossil fuel emissions. However, the countries the countries that have lowered their carbon emissions are Germany and Russia followed by USA and Japan with the slightest change. Hence, these countries were part of Kyoto Protocol (Schnepf 2013). According to the CO2 interannual and decadal time, the emission is declining but the results from decadal times show less emissions from water than land use. However, according to the actual data, it showed a significant result. However, when analyzed on the robust growth, the fluctuations are long-term and continue to affect the growth per annual total of CO2 (land use and fossil fuel). The emissions scenario that has been more realistic one is the CO2 concentrations. According to the Figure 5 and 6, the stabilization process can be based on CO2 concentrations, which provides the ground for the basis for future projections. However, according to the projections, the emissions are projected to be higher in the future scenario. Nevertheless, the concentration level has increased since the 400ppmv concentrations of carbon on the different level of projections. References Gujarati, D., 2014.Econometrics by example. Palgrave Macmillan. Knorr, W., Jiang, L. and Arneth, A., 2016. Climate, CO 2 and human population impacts on global wildfire emissions.Biogeosciences,13(1), pp.267-282. Muradov, N., 2014. What Is So Unique About CO2?. InLiberating Energy from Carbon: Introduction to Decarbonization(pp. 43-77). Springer New York. Raupach, M.R., Gloor, M., Sarmiento, J.L., Canadell, J.G., Frlicher, T.L., Gasser, T., Houghton, R.A., Le Qur, C. and Trudinger, C.M., 2014. The declining uptake rate of atmospheric CO 2 by land and ocean sinks.Biogeosciences,11(13), pp.3453-3475. Schnepf, A., 2013. Soil carbon models used for Kyoto Protocol reporting.BELOWGROUND CARBON TURNOVER IN EUROPEAN FORESTS, p.12.

Phaedo Philosophy Is A Vast Field. It Examines And Probes Many Differe

Phaedo Philosophy is a vast field. It examines and probes many different fields. Virtue, morality, immortality, death, and the difference between the psyche (soul) and the soma (body) are just a few of the many different topics which can be covered under the umbrella of philosophy. Philosophers are supposed to be experts on all these subjects. The have well thought out opinions, and they are very learned people. Among the most revered philosophers of all time was Socrates. Living around the 5th century B.C., Socrates was among the first philosophers who wasn't a sophist, meaning that he never felt that he was wise for he was always in the pursuit of knowledge. Unfortunately, Socrates was put to death late in his life. One of his best students, Plato, however, recorded what had occurred on that last day of Socrates' life. On that last day of his life, Socrates made a quite powerful claim. He claimed that philosophy was merely practice for getting used to death and dying. At first, the connection between philosophy and death is not clear. However, as we unravel Socrates' argument backing up his claim, the statement makes a lot of sense. In order for Philosophers to examine their world accurately and learn the truth accurately, they must remove them selves of all distractions. These not only include physical distractions, but they include mental distractions and bodily distractions as well. Philosophers must get used to viewing and examining the world with out any senses. Senses merely hinder and obscure the truth. Sight for example can be fooled easily with optical illusions which occur normally in nature. Sound can be very distracting as well when a philosopher is trying to concentrate. All of these cloud the judgement, and must therefore be detached from the soul. Socrates argues that philosophers must view the world around them with their souls in order to accurately learn about it. However, by detaching their souls from all bodily functions, philosophers may as well be in an induced state of death. In mortem, the soul wanders free and there are no bodily hindrances. Socrates also believed that philosophers look upon death with good cheer and hope. This I find hard to believe because if this were true, the philosopher would not be able to love life, and without the love of life, there is no life to examine and learn about. It is understandable however from another point of view to understand why the philosopher would look forward to death with good cheer. Once the philosopher is dead, his soul is free to roam around without hindrances forever, and all the worlds secrets shall be revealed to him. In fact, Socrates' sees his death as a liberation from the shackles of life for his last wish was for Crito to sacrifice a rooster to Asclepius. This god was normally given sacrifices to free the sickly from the grips of a virus or illness. Perhaps Socrates saw the body as a sickness that fed upon the soul. If this were the case, then indeed Socrates would be happy to leave the bonds of life, for then he could have an eternity to seek out his answers, all without the diversions and distractions of a body. Socrates believed that it was this search that was important, even more so than the answers them selves. Socrates believed that the journey toward the answers is where most of the learning takes place, and it is this journey that truly integrates the answers as part of your very own being. --===-- Phaedo Philosophy Is A Vast Field. It Examines And Probes Many Differe Phaedo Philosophy is a vast field. It examines and probes many different fields. Virtue, morality, immortality, death, and the difference between the psyche (soul) and the soma (body) are just a few of the many different topics which can be covered under the umbrella of philosophy. Philosophers are supposed to be experts on all these subjects. The have well thought out opinions, and they are very learned people. Among the most revered philosophers of all time was Socrates. Living around the 5th century B.C., Socrates was among the first philosophers who wasn't a sophist, meaning that he never felt that he was wise for he was always in the pursuit of knowledge. Unfortunately, Socrates was put to death late in his life. One of his best students, Plato, however, recorded what had occurred on that last day of Socrates' life. On that last day of his life, Socrates made a quite powerful claim. He claimed that philosophy was merely practice for getting used to death and dying. At first, the connection between philosophy and death is not clear. However, as we unravel Socrates' argument backing up his claim, the statement makes a lot of sense. In order for Philosophers to examine their world accurately and learn the truth accurately, they must remove them selves of all distractions. These not only include physical distractions, but they include mental distractions and bodily distractions as well. Philosophers must get used to viewing and examining the world with out any senses. Senses merely hinder and obscure the truth. Sight for example can be fooled easily with optical illusions which occur normally in nature. Sound can be very distracting as well when a philosopher is trying to concentrate. All of these cloud the judgement, and must therefore be detached from the soul. Socrates argues that philosophers must view the world around them with their souls in order to accurately learn about it. However, by detaching their souls from all bodily functions, philosophers may as well be in an induced state of death. In mortem, the soul wanders free and there are no bodily hindrances. Socrates also believed that philosophers look upon death with good cheer and hope. This I find hard to believe because if this were true, the philosopher would not be able to love life, and without the love of life, there is no life to examine and learn about. It is understandable however from another point of view to understand why the philosopher would look forward to death with good cheer. Once the philosopher is dead, his soul is free to roam around without hindrances forever, and all the worlds secrets shall be revealed to him. In fact, Socrates' sees his death as a liberation from the shackles of life for his last wish was for Crito to sacrifice a rooster to Asclepius. This god was normally given sacrifices to free the sickly from the grips of a virus or illness. Perhaps Socrates saw the body as a sickness that fed upon the soul. If this were the case, then indeed Socrates would be happy to leave the bonds of life, for then he could have an eternity to seek out his answers, all without the diversions and distractions of a body. Socrates believed that it was this search that was important, even more so than the answers them selves. Socrates believed that the journey toward the answers is where most of the learning takes place, and it is this journey that truly integrates the answers as part of your very own being. --===--

Taking Multinational Corporate Codes of Conduct to the Next Level

Taking Multinational Corporate Codes of Conduct to the Next Level Free Online Research Papers Analysis of Essay in honor of Oscar Schachter: Taking Multinational Corporate Codes of Conduct to the Next Level† By: Sean D. Murphy The article Essay in honor of Oscar Schachter: Taking Multinational Corporate Codes of Conduct to the Next Level by Sean Murphy begins with an intricate analogy of the successes and influences of Oscar Schachter in the evolution of transnational law and how his expertise and prescience in Space Law, captures many issues that are at stake in our evolving international society. The author contrasts Schachter’s prescience of â€Å"the decline of the nation-state and the continuing emergence of new structures and norms to regulate transnational activities† in the field of space law, with the emerging legal concept of Multi-national Corporations (MNC) and their place within our international society. The article sheds light more specifically to codes of conducts that aim to constrain socially undesirable behaviour of MNC’s and how their role needs dire help from governments in the development and implementation of these codes from a humanistic perspective, whereby the focus would remain solely on helping corporation empower their autonomy with certain bounds of justice, fairness and equity. To understand this better Sean Murphy starts by first acquainting the reader with the various codes of conduct that have developed over the past 30 years and demonstrates how their voluntary basis of adoption and implementation has started to give signs of long-term failure. He then continues by suggesting new approaches of thinking about these codes and how these methods might aid in rending these codes more effective. As the realist conception of the nation state as an absolute sovereign entity declines, the author admits that codes of conduct relating to labour, the environment and human rights issues, thus codes of public welfare, are needed to prevent harm that might result in MNC’s operations. He believes that MNC’s are governed by economical goals and are mostly concerned with profit maximization and may not take into their profit maximizing equation the welfare of the environment nor individuals, which might even sometimes stand in the way to this goal. Corporations are thus more attracted to codes of socially desirable behaviour that are self-applied and have minimum government interference so as to be able to navigate freely in their operations with almost no restrictions. The codes that are normally called upon by MNC’s are usually very general in scope and have almost no legal repercussions if they are not adhered to. Sean Murphy does acknowledge that MNC’s do create benefits such as enhanced wealth in certain countries and job creations, but he quickly gets back to his main argument, that he so diplomatically pursues, that MNC’s are rather opportunistic in their functioning and that they seek the best interest of the almighty dollar first and foremost and do sometimes take advantage of weak legal structures and low environmental and labour standards; â€Å"while MNC’s have emerged and thrived from the establishment of strong developed-state economies that are based on democracy, the rule of law, and independent judiciaries, some MNC’s take advantage of the absences of such conditions in developing countries†. Selected codes of conducts and their criticism: The author defines codes of conduct objectives as â€Å"to prevent harm or mistreatment of persons or things caused by MNC operations†. They are created to implement social progress that could have a symbiotic relationship with the economical goals of corporations. He names various attempts to create guidelines for MNC’s to obey by (see below) and details the objectives of each of them, but concludes after explaining their goals and functions that none the principles and drafts were able to work in a successful fashion. Although they do serve as a positive stepping stone to a better social behaviour on the part of MNC’s there is still a huge lack of implementation and legal repercussions that remains to be addressed and without them the effectiveness of such efforts is bound to fail. As a result, Murphy suggest that what is needed to work must be met in between strict state law regulations and voluntary based codes of conduct in order to have functional MNC c odes of conduct. UN Draft Code of Conduct for Transnational Corporations: Developed in 1972, by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) it compromised 4 parts: 1) activities of MNC’s 2) Treatment of MNC’s 3) Intergovernmental corporations 4) implementations of the codes. The code never had the chance to see light, as there was a strong resistance from developing countries as to it being a form of ‘economic neo-colonization’ and thus only served as a blueprint for the codes to come. 1977 ILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles: Developed by the International Labour Organization to promote codes of conduct that would â€Å"promote equal opportunity, security, and collective bargaining in employment, and policies that preclude arbitrary dismissal, strike-breaking, and other unfair practices†. Its efficiency is rather debated because of its lack of institutional support. 2003 UN Sub-Commission on Human Rights Code on TNC’s: Its main goal is to provide Corporations with codes of conduct that would provide a socially responsible behaviour. This code of conduct tries to be more strict by projecting codes as more of an obligation upon MNC’s but as the previous one’s fails to do so because of its lack of legal repercussions. OECD Guidelines for MNE’s: Developed for a smaller number of countries (OECD countries) and serves as guidelines for MNE’s socially responsible conduct, including taxation, financing and information disclosure. The OECD guidelines are considered one of the more successful codes of conduct up to date, and such success is often attributed to the similarity of values and of historic and traditional affinity of all the OECD countries. The 1999 UN Global Compact: Draw upon previous drafts of codes of conduct to â€Å"stimulate change and to promote good corporate citizenship and encourage innovative solutions and partnerships†. It is voluntary based and is criticized for its lack of legal repercussions and as such corporations may use it simply as to glorify their tainted image in the eyes of civil society. Codes developed within private sector: The author gives the Environmental management system (EMS) and International Organisation for standardisation (ISO) as non-governmental based institutions that help in promoting more socially responsible behaviour. It does not have specific standards that must be met by MNC’s but rather postulates weak guidelines that would be beneficial for MNC’s to follow to be more environmentally friendly. Codes focused on certain industries: Companies that have huge impacts on societies in which they operate, such as the oil industry, have developed a set of codes to obey by. Having the power to influence the well-being around them, oil companies are constantly under the scrutnious eye of civil society and must thus be extremely careful of their actions in pursuing their goals. In December 2000, the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights were created by governments and certain extractive and energy sectors. New Approaches: Sean Murphy suggests in his article a series of broad guidelines that should be implemented by governments as to help attain a more positive goal in socially responsible behaviour by MNC’s. Instead of giving recommendations to MNC’s directly he calls upon the governments to give MNC’s more incentive to apply and adhere to codes of conducts that already exist. Murphy explains that a strict ‘big brother’ model of implementing rules would not work thus a more subtle way, still voluntary on the MNC’s part, must come into play. The scheme he suggest to governments is to give incentives to MNC’s to first and foremost join the various codes of conducts. Suggestions to do so entails: getting stakeholders together to have more say in particular problems, Setting a code for codes to provide a quality control template that would reduce the likelihood of sham MNC codes, leniency form regulators and favourable treatment to MNC’s that do joi n and adhere to codes, Leniency in Criminal Prosecution and to civil claims that tries to give lesser punishment to MNC’s that join socially responsible codes of conduct even if violation occurs and government procurement and financing to MNC’s that join and adhere to codes of conduct. The author also suggest subtle changes, that would need to be strictly promoted by governments, to the MNC’s functioning to facilitate the adherence to the codes of conduct: 1) to promote transparency as to inform shareholders and help them make more socially responsible decisions 2) Promote truth in advertising , thus once again making it easier for civil society and shareholders to make more socially responsible choices 3) promoting oversight processes such as internal or external monitoring, verification, audits, or certification. The author addresses issues that are of pressing matter in our present society. We can see that there is more and more concern for the unethical behaviour of corporation through street protests and even the rise of infrastructures that pertain solely to promote corporate social responsibility. Murphy’s article was very clear in explaining as to why governments must take a greater role in promoting socially responsible codes of conduct. His explanation and suggestions on how one might go about to create change to better the present condition of MNC behaviour were on the other hand a bit more generalist in scope but it seems like it might just be inevitable to have broad guidelines as the next stepping stone towards a more socially responsible MNC. Research Papers on Taking Multinational Corporate Codes of Conduct to the Next Level19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementPETSTEL analysis of IndiaOpen Architechture a white paperBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfDefinition of Export QuotasComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesThe Project Managment Office SystemBringing Democracy to Africa

An Information Technology System For a School Essay Example for Free

An Information Technology System For a School Essay To aid in investigation of the problem, two interviews were carried out. One was with the school principal, and the other with the school administrator. In preparation of the interviews a list of topics for discussion was drawn up, and included these checkpoints: * What the new system hopes to achieve, exactly. * The problems in the current system. * The methods currently employed to input data into the system. * The information that is required per file, i.e., for each student what fields will have to be input. * The format of the required output. * The volume of data expected, e.g., how many students are expected to enroll, or how many new teachers will be required. * Any hardware or software constraints, such as the new system only being able to run with a particular operating system. This interview was with the school’s principal, Mrs. Monica Stakich. It took place in her office, on appointment, and was as follows: Q: Mrs. Stakich, your school has built up quite a reputation of excellence over the years as shown by its grades. How do you intend to maintain this? A: Well, the school has always prided itself on its academic achievements, and this is due to our students being dedicated in their studies, which shows itself in the superior grades. We will be fine if we can continue this trend. Q: You are shifting to new custom-built premises and are also expanding your range of activities offered. Why have you made this decision? A: We are changing our status to an authorized ‘A’ level Center. As such, we will need the appropriate facilities to meet the requirements for this standard. Also, the school expects a significant increase in enrolments at both ‘O’ and ‘A’ Levels, so the space is needed to provide for these new students. Q: How many students do you currently have in your institution? And how many do you expect to enroll in the future? A: The school currently caters to a population of around 2500 students, but we expect an influx of around 1000 students next year. Q: How do you access a file of a student or a teacher? Do you find it yourself on your computer or does the secretary do it for you? A: I can access files of both students and customers from my own PC, as well as any other file, such as stationery, electricity bills, etc. But I must also focus more on the task of running the school itself, so I usually let my secretary handle all the files. She herself gets these files from the school system administrator. I only check a file myself if we need to consider carefully the person, or file in question, for example a teacher for an important position. Q: Thank you very much for your time, Mrs. Stakich. The interview, on analysis, showed the school to be result-driven, as indicated by the Headmistress’s comments. But more importantly, it also showed that she did not focus on the file input and retrieval system in particular herself, and on the school’s information system in general. The actual file control and handling was carried out by the system administrator, who could provide us with insight of the current system’s workings. An interview was arranged with Mr. Mark Glasse, the system administrator, in his office. Q: How long have you been working here, Mr. Glasse? A: Its been around four years since I started wok for the school. Q: How many times has the system been updated since you started work? Q: What changes had been made during these updates? A: Well, once we had to increase our disk space to around 10 GB to cope with increased student information on Health Cards, as was required by a new Government law. Another time we had to modify our input procedure, it being too manual, with almost unnecessary paperwork involved, so we had to purchase new input devices. And there was also the time when we had to call in a professional security company to install anti-hacking programs when our database was actually hacked into. Q: What input devices do you work with? How is output shown? A: I use a keyboard, a mouse, a web-camera and a scanner as input devices. Output is displayed on a monitor, or on a plotter as is appropriate. And, of course, I often have to print out some files using a laser printer. A: I use a Pentium 2, 333 MHz Processor, with 32 MB RAM, 4 GB hard disk with Windows 98 as my operating system. I also have other software such as MS Visual Studio and MS Office 2000 installed on my computer. Q: Mr. Glasse, what is the general procedure that you follow if you were asked to, for example, update a file? A: First of all, I would have to get an approved notice from someone in an authoritative position, for example the Headmistress, or the Head Administrator. This note would be attached to a Modification Form showing details of the file that needs to be updated. The authorization slip has to be filed into a drawer in my desk, and I just have to access the file using the code given on the Form and change the required fields. I have the Menu on my Desktop, Mrs. Stakich and I are the only ones who know the Password so I’ve never thought about changing it, once in the records I go to the Search Command to call up the file in question, and make the changes required. On exiting the database, I go have to fill out another form, a Proof Form, as it is known as, to acknowledge my action. This form then returns to the top-level to the individual who initially authorized it. Q: How often do errors occur using this procedure? A: As you can see, the system is designed in such a way that carrying out the procedure makes it prone to errors. We’re still lucky to have a few students and teachers, basically small files is what I mean to say, which do not have to be updated too often, so they aren’t too many mistakes. Even if there are, they can easily be located and corrected due to the small size of our database. Q: OK, now what about the plus points of this system? For example, is it easy to use? Is it efficient? Do you feel that you yourself are performing at an optimum level with this system? A: Ill have to think this question over. Yes, for sure it is easy to use. I just have to type in an identifier code for each record, and the particular record is searched for and displayed. Its that simple. I don’t think its efficient though. As the number of files increases the system takes longer and longer to search the database to produce the results I was looking for. It only follows that I myself feel I am under-performing at my job, as some time will definitely be wasted in waiting for results. Q: Are you satisfied with the system performing only these functions? A: Yes, I am. I would like it to be faster though, and even up-to-date, technologically speaking. Q: Thank you, Mr. Glasse, for your cooperation. You’ve been a great help. This interview was more enlightening than the one with Mrs. Stakich, for we were able to focus on the technical side of the school’s database system. Certain glaring shortcomings of the current system came to light, such as a very limited database size, as indicated by the system being upgraded the first time. This further tells us that the system itself, with all its components, is out-of-date. In such a state, it may also be incompatible with other systems, should it be desired to connect to these for data exchange purposes. Another significant weakness is the fact that the third upgrade was for security reasons, which means that the Password Protection was initially low. Mr. Glasse also said that it takes longer to search for a required field if there are many records – this is only fair, but there aren’t too many records right now, so we can expect the system to have some sort of linear search function in operation, unsuitable for large databases. The program, although performing just a few main functions, is slow, again pointing to its near obsoleteness. Its low productivity has an effect on the human element involved, as Mr. Glasse himself feels as if he has not fully achieved his full potential. Lack of motivation could cause further falls in productivity. The system also has standard input devices (mouse and keyboard), as well as standard output devices (printer, scanner and plotter), needed to process data and produce the desired results. The system also runs on a fairly fast processor, as given by the computer’s configuration. However it is unlikely that the system uses any of the other software packages (apart from the Wi ndows 98 operating system) so these, as powerful as they are, aren’t being utilized. Based on the knowledge gained in these interviews, it is possible to finalize the main shortcomings of the system currently in use: The disk space used for storage of data is relatively small as it needed to be upgraded beforehand. With all the new enrolments expected, as well as other related increases, such as electricity and water, teachers’ salaries, etc the available disk space will not be sufficient. Security forms an important part of any system, and the fact that the database was hacked into shows just how weak security really is. The password used seems to be outdated and it is likely that people other than those authorized know it. Laxed security is especially important here as we are dealing with the personal records of students and teachers, not to mention important transactions such as total fees received, expenses, and so on. So security, despite being of paramount importance, isn’t given the priority it should be. The normal procedure to accomplish a single task is lengthy and time-consuming. It also involves unnecessary paperwork. This would exhibit itself as delays in processing, as a single instruction would have to be passed through many stages before being received by the sender once again as feedback. As seen from the interview, Mr. Glasse uses a relatively fast processor. Despite this speed, we still find that the speed of running the system is slow especially when new records are added. This means that the components of the system itself are slow and outdated. This weakness especially comes into focus when we consider the fact that nowadays systems are rarely independent. One system has to be connected to at least one more system, with data exchange taking place between these. However, if their speeds are not compatible they will not be able to function at their optimum level. If the system were to exchange information over the Internet then this incompatibility could become a problem. 1) To provide quick access to the files in the database. Many files will now be in the system and it is necessary that they be reached quickly. 2) To maintain a higher level of security. This ensures that the database is viewed and controlled only by those who have the proper authority to do so. 3) To minimize ‘red tape’ involved in making changes to the records. The previous system involved a lot of paperwork and proved to be costly in terms of time (therefore money), so this new system aims to reduce that by quickly and efficiently processing an instruction. 4) To be user-friendly. Step-by-step guidance ensures that the user can easily find his way around the database to perform the desired task. A Flowchart of how data would be passed along the new system is as follows: Standard input devices, such as a mouse, a keyboard, a scanner and a web-camera will be needed for this system to operate (the mouse and keyboard are the main ones, the others for inputting photos and such graphics). Output devices will be plotters and printers. Hardware: The CPU requirement for this system include at least 100 MHz Pentium processor and 16 MB RAM. Software: It is necessary to have an operating system such as Windows 98 as well as MS Visual Basic program installed, as this is the front-end program to be used for this system, with Access 7.0 being the back-end program. The user will be Mr. Glasse, and his computer already exceeds the requirements for this system to function efficiently. His IT skills will also be relevant: since he already has MS Office 97 installed he will already know the basics behind Access 7.0 and should find no problem in entering the data. It must be remembered that the system to be developed is intended to replace the outdated system in current use. The current system is slow, inefficient and incompatible. Its replacement will be better than it in all these respects, and should bring the database up to the level of technology today. An Information Technology System For a School. (2017, Jul 30). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Factors Affecting Decisions Involved In Menu Planning Assignment - 3

Factors Affecting Decisions Involved In Menu Planning - Assignment Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that menu card if effectively designed and is conveying all relevant information provided by it, can be used as both sales and marketing tools. Menu card also is the source for generating sales transactions and as stated above if it is conveying all relevant information, it can also lead to increase in the number of customers. Hence, automatically increasing sales volume. How the menu looks, reflects as to what the company’s mission and objective. So the menu should be designed in such a manner that it is in accordance with theme and values of the company. Core objective and image of the company should be in line with market dynamics. Factors which can affect customers can vary from market to market. These can be how readable content on menu card is, overall physical scheme, outline, and font styles. As for other factors in communication, it is the presentation that is more important rather than what content has be en presented in the menu card. Example of this can be fast food restaurants where they have limited items presented in the menu. However, they sell in bulk quantities. The concept of common counters is present in fast food chains. Hence separate menus aren’t required for each customer. Class of customer coming too fast food chains doesn’t require descriptions of each product as they are familiar with products being offered. If a description is present in the menu it would only serve to slow down the decision-making process. In these common menus on common sales points, only product name, price, and other add ups are being shown along with the enlarged picture of a product being sold. For avoiding reputational risk, fast food chains need to keep the original product as being shown on sales point. This overall strategy which has been implemented across fast food chains leads to quick service and limited products available at the same price at all units of a fast food cha in.Alternatively, when we move towards restaurants which present sophisticated theme, class, and group of customers being catered change and with its overall theme of menu changes. The number of food items being presented on the menu also increases.

An Analysis of Space and Place in Cinema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

An Analysis of Space and Place in Cinema - Essay Example The essay "An Analysis of Space and Place in Cinema" presents an overview of film space and place definitions considering their role in the aesthetic perfection of a film. Space and place in cinema is a topic worth on the go discussion. Film space is not a topic that can be glanced at untailored. Space in cinema is determined by the director, who is the first viewer when the angles which are not relevant for creating the space are screened out by him. Film space is a term that can be interpreted in various perspectives. In a film, space is used in a set design that is both literal and metaphorical. As an extension to this particular point, it can be stated that when conceptions of space are re-orientated it is not simply within a particular scene, but its significance is extended through the entire film. More specifically, an object on the wall shown in the first scene may not be brought into the film again; in spite of this, its significance stays behind. Actor’s body in space is the next level of significance. This idea can be expanded, the actor’s dimensions and negotiations of space and filmmaker’s skill to represent a movement through space. The concept space can be comprehended only by moving through spaces. In such an outlook the acting body is recognized as the site of transference between the viewer and the actual site of the film. Apart from this, the manipulation and creation of the space are by the camera eye. And in cinema, dissimilar pieces are put into place.