Wednesday, October 30, 2019

A Final Recruitment Plan Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Final Recruitment Plan - Coursework Example Companies either have their own human resource management department to handle the recruitment process or outsource recruitment agencies for conducting the recruitment activity on behalf of the company. It is a very important function for any organization, so the management has to always make sure that they recruit the best candidate for the vacant position. It is very important to select the right person for the job because the human resource is the most important resource for the company. This is why recruitment and selection process is complicated in nature and requires skillful planning (Clarke, 1996, p. 1-2). Recruitment is the process in which the potential talents are located and approached by the organization. The function of this process is to develop a pool of qualified and experience individual so that the section and decision-making strategies can be effectively implemented. It is the tool for placing the right person in the right place at the right time at a right price. Recruitment in organizations are no more organized or conducted in the traditional manner. It is delivered through a scientific approach, where the exercise is an opportunity to analyze the job and update the job description along with the specification of the individual. Recruitment Plan The perspective from which employment was viewed earlier has changed. It is no longer a life-long agreement between the employer and his employees. The employer cannot bind his / her employees. So it is very important to present a fresh view of the company and its policies in the recruitment advertisement, for attracting talented and qualified candidates. This is also known as marketing the job or floating the job in the market. In this study the job vacancy is for the position of the Accountant Technician in the department of Patient Accounting. It is very important to develop a recruitment plan before starting the process of recruitment. The plan would include: The objective for the recruitment The strategies of the company for recruitment to achieve the goal: The strategies of the companies differ The steps to be taken, the responsible person and the due date for the task. Documentation that would be needed during the various stages of the recruitment process. It is important for the human resource team to set goals before recruitment. In the Patient Accounting department the goal was to appoint a person for handling the accounting and administration functions. He/ she would answer to the mails, receive the phone calls and communicate with the clients along with entering the data and maintaining the financial records. This was the purpose behind creating a position in this department to hire a person. The success rate of the recruitment would be depending upon the effectiveness of the advertisement. So the language and the tone of the advertisement should be carefully developed and revised. The subject matter of the advertisement should be crisp and precise so that it inc ludes the main motive of advertisement that is very brief introduction of the company and what it deals with, the job profile vacant and its description, the contact details of the responsible person and the company and also the dates, time and venue details if the company is organizing a walk-in interview. The advertisement would also include the salary range for the available position, and other allowances if any. In the study the job vacancy is for an Accounting Technician and hence the job description would include the activities that an accounting technician would have to perform

Monday, October 28, 2019

Well-being of the sadhu Essay Example for Free

Well-being of the sadhu Essay 1. Who is responsible for the well-being of the sadhu? What are the duties of the people involved? What action would best serve the good of everyone? No one is really responsible for someone else’s well being, it just depends on a person’s moral thinking. Therefore, there are no duties required from all the people that were involved. If everyone believed that their purpose was to help others, then everyone is responsible for his well-being. In this story, everyone had helped in a little way. For instance, the New Zealanders carried him to where McCoy was, which was then where McCoy checked for pulse and Stephen and the Swiss clothed him. Even though everyone put in a little bit of effort to help him, I believe that if they worked together as a team with their efforts combined, greater outcomes would have resulted. If fingers had to be pointed to someone who is responsible for sadhu, it would have to be the person who found him first, which was one of the New Zealanders. 2. How are the problems here similar to problems that arise in organizations every day? What kinds of sadhus do people confront in everyday life? Organizations face issues like this everyday, where they are met with obstacles that would take them longer to make it to their ultimate goal. For instance, while working on a large project, they notice something wrong. Instead of stopping to figure out how to fix it, they just keep going just for the sake of completing the task on time. Either to put ones effort individually, or make a decision to work as a team to put everyone’s efforts in as a whole. Sadhus that people are confronted with everyday life for example is a friend who is in need of help, yet if we do help them we are pushed away further from reaching our goals. Sometimes people are too focused on reaching their goal that they do not see anything else and will not help others. In  reality, while helping others, reaching their goals are still achievable, but perhaps will take a bit longer than normal.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Transcendentalism :: American America History

Transcendentalism Transcendentalism was a movement in philosophy, literature, and religion that emerged and was popular in the nineteenth century New England because of a need to redefine man and his place in the world in response to a new and changing society. The industrial revolution, universities, westward expansion, urbanization and immigration all made the life in a city like Boston full of novelty and turbulence. Transcendentalism was a reaction to an impoverishment of religion and mechanization of consciousness of eighteenth century rational doctrines that ceased to be satisfying. After the success of the American Revolution and the Industrial Revolution, an American man emerged confident and energetic. However, with the release of nervous energy, an American was forced to look at a different angle at his place in the world and society. The world of the nineteenth century Boston was that of emergence of new currents of thought in response to the conservative atmosphere. The wealthy upper classes (the aristocracy) were conservative and suspicious of any innovations. They dominated the society and demanded conformity to their social ideals, being suspicious of any new structure of society. The irony was that by their reliance on tradition and old beliefs (such as Puritanism) they acknowledged the harmony with cosmic law. Old values and traditions would serve as a base to Transcendentalism, although a radical movement in itself. In the nineteenth century America plunged into the Industrial Revolution. In the eighteenth century, goods were produced in home system operations. The remarkable development of capitalism in Boston became evident after the French and Indian war of 1812. Two of huge factories privately owned in Boston were Francis Lowell's Boston Manufacturing Company in Waltham and Merrimack Manufacturing Company in Lowell. As the role of women in society became more indiscriminate, young females dominated factory towns such as Lowell. They came from all over New England's farms and small towns, worked for a few years and then returned. Thus the mill populations were transient. With mechanization of textiles, new styles and fashions developed. Thus newness was becoming a virtue rather than peril. Improvement of transportation made urbanization and westward expansion more rapid. Cumberland Turnpike was built in 1811. Erie Canal, finished in 1825, connected Hudson River with the Great Lakes. Baltimore and Ohio Steam Railroad of 1828 linked the country. The first successful steamboat, Clermont, was launched in 1807. Between 1789 and 1850 the total population of the country soared from 4 million to 23 million.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Effects Of Scientific Discoveries And Darwin’s Theories To Thomas Hardy’s: “Hap”

The poem will be interpreted that the agony of the writer will diminish only if he will identify someone who is the source of all the agony that he suffered. He was looking for somebody to blame for his shortcomings, agonies, pains, and suffering (Davidson). The presence of somebody in existence will be beneficial to him so that he can blame and point to it all the antagonism shaped by all the pain that he experience (â€Å"Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)†). But frustrations set in for him.He was unable to find out somebody that existed to blame after (â€Å"Hap†). He was not able to prove that there is someone that controlled all the possibilities that happened to his life. Later on, he only said that all was a product of unplanned possibilities. Just like he was only tripped. Accidental possibility is liable for his agony was the focus of the poem and there is no scientific reason behind everything that is happening to one’s life. Just like Jesus Christ, he exists in the minds of many people but his biological proof is not yet clear.The church created him as super natural being but in fact he never existed. Centuries had passed but no one can justify that he indeed existed. It was all a product of stories that was passed through generations. Stories that later on became factual in the beliefs of people. It is only a myth that had eventually developed like a principle or a law that is unbreakable through time. A principle or a law that can be acceptable even we are already in the information age.This mindset is opposite to the idea of biological theory that all things came from something, evolved and develop through time. And not just a single possibility that we keep on believing although we know that it is not true. Darwin’s Theory was a product of science that is more believable than legends (â€Å"Charles Darwin†). It is a result of biological evolution with scientific basis. Scientific basis that is more reliable than methodolo gical or logical basis.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Review on Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku Essay

The most recent book that I have read is â€Å"Physics of the Impossible† written by Michio Kaku. It seems like the author doesn’t know the meaning of the word â€Å"impossible†, or rather, to be slightly more accurate, he has redefined the term to enable him realistically to examine and predict the future of science and technologies, from teleportation and time travel to robots and starships. Michio Kaku is an esteemed theoretical physicist and one of the world’s leading authorities on string theory (essentially an attempt to discover a â€Å"theory of everything† combining all of the known physical forces), and he also specialises in future science, having presented several television programmes on the topic. Kaku is well placed to try to imagine what developments might possibly occur in the fields of science and technology over the coming years, centuries, millennia and aeons. Handily, for those of us not familiar with the process of speculating on the future of physics, he’s split his impossibilities into three categories. Class I impossibilities are technologies which are impossible today, but don’t violate the known laws of physics. Kaku reckons that these impossibilities – including things such as teleportation and psychokinesis – might be possible in sometime within the next couple of hundred years. Class II impossibilities such as time machines and hyperspace travel are at the very edge of our scientific understanding, and may take millions of years to become possible. And the trickiest of all, Class III impossibilities, are technologies which break the laws of physics as we know them. Surprisingly, there are very few of these, and Kaku only examines two, perpetual motion machines and precognition (seeing into the future). This book takes a serious look at the science behind all the crazy futuristic ideas that have been showing up in science fiction over the years. Indeed, there are so many references to Star Trek and Star Wars scattered throughout this book, that you sometimes wonder if physicists just spend all their time watching old sci-fi re-runs and trying to work out how to recreate the technologies included in them. In some sense, this is an intriguing vision of our possible development over the forthcoming millennia, but at the same time it’s also frustrating. After reading Kaku’s boundless enthusiasm for the future, what i wouldn’t give for a real-life time machine to travel forwards and see just how accurate his predictions are. I enjoyed how Kaku presented his cases in terms of recent scientific and technological developments where possible, and for the most part he was a clear and engaging writer, able to explain some mind-boggling physics concepts in terms which are fairly easy to grasp, especially when dealing with his Class I impossibilities in the earlier chapters. As the book progresses into more and more speculative territory, he is forced to rely less on using current research and development, and more on purely theoretical physics. After all that I can say that the book noticeably expanded my vocabulary and gave me some insight on just what can we expect from the future. I will defiantly try reading some other books by this author in my foreseeable future.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Quality Essay Writing Do You Need Proofreading or Editing

Quality Essay Writing Do You Need Proofreading or Editing Quality Essay Writing: Do You Need Proofreading or Editing? When writing an essay we understand there are many factors you must consider. But when you opt for using a writing service to get some help with polishing your writing, a critical factor to consider is the difference between proofreading and editing. Knowing the difference between these correcting processes, and what to expect from each service will help you obtain the essay you desire. Academic services can vary in price and nature. In order to best manage your expenses and expectations, we would like to take a moment to explain the difference between proofreading and editing. This will assist you in choosing the service you need. Most people employed in the writing professions realize that an edited document will still need proofreading. Editing deals with issues of style and flow, whereas proofreading relates to grammatical correctness, spelling and punctuation. The Mechanics of Proofreading Proofreading is usually reserved for the final draft of a document before it is printed, submitted or published. Proofreading generally takes place after editing so that all final corrections can take place, including corrections to the edited material. Proofreading covers three basic areas; spelling, grammar and punctuation. It also includes typos and in some cases, the regional use of language.   In order to interpret a proofread document you should familiarize yourself with proofreaders’ marks which can be found using a Google search. Proofreading and editing require a different mindset as proofreading, as a task, is very literal and relies on rules and regulations. Editing requires creative and critical thinking and uses a different area of the mind to accomplish the task, making proofreading and editing very hard to accomplish at the same time. The Art of Editing Editing is an art which deals with enhancing the style and flow of the written piece. Editing does not occur at the end of the writing process. Since it deals with style, it makes sense to use an editing service while the writing is underway, after you have your main ideas solidified. Editing can include condensing ideas, clarifying thoughts, rewriting sections and making sure the ideas expressed make sense. An editor will focus on keeping the writing concise and understandable, ensuring the document has a logical flow and progression. They may move pieces of the writing around, cut out redundant material and even have the license to add material as they see fit. Because editing takes creativity, critical thinking, rewriting and more effort then proofreading you can expect to receive a higher quality paper if editing is used before proofreading. You can also expect the price of editing to reflect the work it involves. As the saying goes â€Å"You get what you pay for†, and it applies in writing just like in any other industry. Quality essay writing necessitates editing and proofreading. They are both important components of the writing process. If you are confident in you grasp of English and have consistently received high marks for your writing style from teachers and professors, you may benefit from the time savings found with proofreading alone. If you find writing is not your strongest subject, or if you are a non native English speaker, you will likely benefit from both editing and proofreading services. At you can order quality custom essays written by top-rated academic experts.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Gibraltar Territory History and Facts

Gibraltar Territory History and Facts Geography of Gibraltar Gibraltar is a British overseas territory that is located to the south of Spain on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. Gibraltar is a peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea with an area of just 2.6 square miles (6.8 sq km) and throughout its history, the Strait of Gibraltar (the narrow strip of water between it and Morocco) has been an important chokepoint. This is because the narrow channel is easy to cut off from other areas thereby having the ability to choke off transit in times of conflict. Because of this, there have often been disagreements about who controls Gibraltar. The United Kingdom has controlled the area since 1713 but Spain also claims sovereignty over the area. 10 Geographic Facts You Should Know About Gibraltar Archaeological evidence shows that Neanderthal humans may have inhabited Gibraltar as early as 128,000 and 24,000 B.C.E. In terms of its modern recorded history, Gibraltar was first inhabited by the Phoenicians around 950 B.C.E. The Carthaginians and Romans also established settlements in the area and after the fall of the Roman Empire it was controlled by the Vandals. In 711 C.E. the Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula began and Gibraltar became controlled by the Moors.Gibraltar was controlled by the Moors until 1462 when the Duke of Medina Sidonia took over the region during the Spanish Reconquista. Shortly after this time, King Henry IV became King of Gibraltar and made it a city within the Campo Llano de Gibraltar. In 1474 it was sold to a Jewish group that built a fort in the town and stayed until 1476. At that time they were forced out of the region during the Spanish Inquisition and in 1501 it fell under Spains control.In 1704, Gibraltar was taken over by a British-Dutch force during the War of Spanish Succession and in 1713 it was ceded to Great Britain with the Treaty of Utrecht. From 1779 to 1783 attempted to take Gibraltar back during the Great Siege of Gibraltar. It failed and Gibraltar eventually became an important base for the British Royal Navy in conflicts like the Battle of Trafalgar, the Crimean War and World War II. In the 1950s Spain again began trying to claim Gibraltar and movement between that region and Spain was restricted. In 1967 the citizens of Gibraltar passed a referendum to remain a part of the United Kingdom and as a result, Spain closed off its border with the region and ended all foreign relationships with Gibraltar. In 1985, however, Spain reopened its borders to Gibraltar. In 2002 a referendum was held to establish shared control of Gibraltar between Spain and the UK but Gibraltars citizens rejected it and the area remains a British overseas territory to this day.Today Gibraltar is a self-governing territory of the United Kingdom and as such its citizens are considered British citizens. Gibraltars government, however, is democratic and separate from that of the UK. Queen Elizabeth II is the chief of state of Gibraltar, but it has its own chief minister as head of government, as well as its own unicameral Parliament and Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.Gibraltar has a total popu lation of 28,750 people and with an area of 2.25 square miles (5.8 sq km) it is one of the most densely populated territories in the world. The population density of Gibraltar is 12,777 people per square mile or 4,957 people per square kilometer. Despite its small size, Gibraltar has a strong, independent economy that is based mainly on finance, shipping and trading, offshore banking and tourism. Ship repair and tobacco are also major industries in Gibraltar but there is no agriculture.Gibraltar is located in southwestern Europe along the Strait of Gibraltar (a narrow strip of water connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea), the Bay of Gibraltar and the Alboran Sea. It is made up of a limestone outcropping on the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula. The Rock of Gibraltar takes up the majority of the areas land and Gibraltars settlements are built along the narrow coastal lowland bordering it.Gibraltars main settlements are on either the east or west side of the Rock of Gibraltar. The East Side is home to Sandy Bay and Catalan Bay, while the western area is home to Westside, where most of the population lives. In addition, Gibraltar has many military areas and tunnelled roads to make getting around the Rock o f Gibraltar easier. Gibraltar has very few natural resources and little freshwater. As such, seawater desalination is one way its citizens get their water. Gibraltar has a Mediterranean  climate with mild winters and warm summers. The average July high temperature for the area is 81ËšF (27ËšC) and the average January low temperature is 50ËšF (10ËšC). Most of Gibraltars precipitation falls during its winter months and the average yearly precipitation is 30.2 inches (767 mm). To learn more about Gibraltar, visit the official website of the Government of Gibraltar.ReferencesBritish Broadcasting Company. (17 June 2011). BBC News - Gibraltar Profile. Retrieved from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/3851047.stmCentral Intelligence Agency. (25 May 2011). CIA - The World Factbook - Gibraltar. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gi.htmlWikipedia.org. (21 June 2011). Gibraltar - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibraltar

Sunday, October 20, 2019

How to Open and Read a GEDCOM File

How to Open and Read a GEDCOM File One of the most common methods used to exchange genealogical information is a GEDCOM file, an acronym for GEnealogical Data COMmunication. In simple terms, GEDCOM is a method of formatting your family tree data into a text file which can be easily read and converted by any genealogy software program. The GEDCOM specification was originally developed in 1985 and is owned and managed by the Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. GEDCOM is 5.5 and 5.5.1 (legacy GEDCOM) are no longer maintained as development continues on GEDCOM X.   Using GEDCOM Almost all major genealogy software packages and websites - including Reunion, Ancestral Quest, My Family Tree, and others - both read and write to the GEDCOM standard, although most of those tools also have their own proprietary formats. Depending on the GEDCOM version and the version of any given genealogy software program, you might encounter some standards problems that lead to imperfect interoperability. For example, Program X might not support a few tags that Program Y supports, so some data loss might occur. Youll want to check each programs technical specifications to see if and how it differs from the GEDCOM standard. Anatomy of a Genealogy GEDCOM File If you open a GEDCOM file using your word  processor, youll see a jumble of numbers, abbreviations, and bits and pieces of data. There are no blank lines and no indentations in a GEDCOM file. Thats because it is a specification for exchanging information from one computer to another and was never intended to be read as a text file. GEDCOMs basically take your family information and translate it into an outline format. Records in a GEDCOM file are arranged in groups of lines that hold information about one individual (INDI) or one family (FAM) and each line in an individual record has a level number. The first line of every record is numbered zero to show that it is the beginning of a new record. Within that record, different level numbers are subdivisions of the next level above it. For example, the birth of an individual may be given level No. 1 and further information about the birth (date, place, etc.) would be given level No. 2. After the level number, you will see a descriptive tag, which refers to the type of data contained in that line. Most tags are obvious - BIRT for birth and PLAC for place - but some are a little more obscure, such as BARM for Bar Mitzvah. A simple example of GEDCOM records: 0 I2 INDI 1 NAME Charles Phillip /Ingalls/ 1 SEX M1 BIRT2 DATE 10 JAN 18362 PLAC Cuba, Allegheny, NY1 DEAT2 DATE 08 JUN 19022 PLAC De Smet, Kingsbury, Dakota Territory1 FAMC F21 FAMS F30 I3 INDI1 NAME Caroline Lake /Quiner/1 SEX F1 BIRT2 DATE 12 DEC 18392 PLAC Milwaukee Co., WI1 DEAT2 DATE 20 APR 19232 PLAC De Smet, Kingsbury, Dakota Territory1 FAMC F211 FAMS F3 Tags can also serve as pointers - for example, I2 - which indicate a related individual, family or source within the same GEDCOM file. For example, a family record (FAM) will contain pointers to the individual records (INDI) for the husband, wife, and children. Here is the family record that contains Charles and Caroline, the two individuals discussed above: 0 F3 FAM1 HUSB I21 WIFE I31 MARR2 DATE 01 FEB 18602 PLAC Concord, Jefferson, WI1 CHIL I11 CHIL I421 CHIL I441 CHIL I451 CHIL I47 A GEDCOM is basically a connected web of records with pointers that keep all of the relationships straight. While you should now be able to decipher a GEDCOM with a text editor, you will still find it much easier to read with the appropriate software. GEDCOMs contain two additional pieces: A header section (led by the line  0 HEAD) with metadata about the file; the header is the very first section of the file. The final line - called a  trailer - indicates the end of the file. It simply reads  0 TRLR. How to Open and Read a GEDCOM File Opening a GEDCOM file is usually straightforward. Begin by ensuring that the file is truly a genealogy GEDCOM file and not a family tree file created in some proprietary format by a  genealogy software program. A file is in GEDCOM format when it ends in the extension .ged. If the file ends with the extension .zip then it has been zipped (compressed) and needs to be unzipped first.   Back up your existing genealogy databases, then open the file (or import it) with your software. How to Save Your Family Tree as a GEDCOM File All major family tree software programs support the creation of GEDCOM files. Creating a GEDCOM file does not overwrite your existing data or change your existing file in any way. Instead, a new file is generated by a process called exporting. Exporting a GEDCOM file is easy to do with any family tree software by following the basic instructions offered in the software help tool. Remove private information such as birth dates and  Social Security numbers  for people in your family tree who are still living in order to protect their privacy.   List of Tags The GEDCOM 5.5 standard supports quite a few different tags and indicators: ABBR  {ABBREVIATION} A short name of a title, description or name. ADDR  {ADDRESS} The contemporary place, usually required for postal purposes, of an individual, a submitter of information, a repository, a business, a school or a company. ADR1  {ADDRESS1} The first line of an address. ADR2  {ADDRESS2} The second line of an address. ADOP  {ADOPTION} Pertaining to the creation of a child-parent relationship that does not exist biologically. AFN  {AFN} A unique permanent record file number of an individual record stored in Ancestral File. AGE  {AGE} The age of the individual at the time an event occurred or the age listed in the document. AGNC  {AGENCY} The institution or individual having the authority or responsibility to manage or govern ALIA  {ALIAS} An indicator to link different record descriptions of a person who may be the same person. ANCE  {ANCESTORS} Pertaining to forbearers of an individual. ANCI  {ANCES_INTEREST} Indicates an interest in additional research for ancestors of this individual. (See also DESI) ANUL  {ANNULMENT} Declaring a marriage void from the beginning (never existed). ASSO  {ASSOCIATES} An indicator to link friends, neighbors, relatives, or associates of an individual. AUTH  {AUTHOR} The name of the individual who created or compiled information. BAPL  {BAPTISM-LDS} The event of baptism performed at age eight or later by priesthood authority of the LDS Church. (See also BAPM, next) BAPM  {BAPTISM} The event of baptism (not LDS), performed in infancy or later. (See also  BAPL, above, and CHR.) BARM  {BAR_MITZVAH} The ceremonial event held when a Jewish boy reaches age 13. BASM  {BAS_MITZVAH} The ceremonial event held when a Jewish girl reaches age 13, also known as Bat Mitzvah. BIRT  {BIRTH} The event of entering into life. BLES  {BLESSING} A religious event of bestowing divine care or intercession. Sometimes given in connection with a naming ceremony. BLOB  {BINARY_OBJECT} A grouping of data used as input to a multimedia system that processes binary data to represent images, sound, and video. BURI  {BURIAL} The event of the proper disposing of the mortal remains of a deceased person. CALN  {CALL_NUMBER} The number used by a repository to identify the specific items in its collections. CAST  {CASTE} The name of an individuals rank or status in society, based on racial or religious differences, or differences in wealth, inherited rank, profession, occupation, etc. CAUS  {CAUSE} A description of the cause of the associated event or fact, such as the cause of death. CENS  {CENSUS} The event of the periodic count of the population for a designated locality, such as a  national or state  census. CHAN  {CHANGE} Indicates a change, correction or modification. Typically used in connection with a DATE to specify when a change in information occurred. CHAR  {CHARACTER} An indicator of the character set used in writing this automated information. CHIL  {CHILD} The natural, adopted or sealed (LDS) child of a father and a mother. CHR  {CHRISTENING} The religious event (not LDS) of baptizing or naming a child. CHRA  {ADULT_CHRISTENING} The religious event (not LDS) of baptizing or naming an adult person. CITY  {CITY} A lower level jurisdictional unit. Normally an incorporated municipal unit. CONC  {CONCATENATION} An indicator that additional data belongs to the superior value. The information from the CONC value is to be connected to the value of the superior preceding line without a space and without a carriage return or newline character. Values that are split for a CONC tag must always be split at a non-space. If the value is split on a space the space will be lost when concatenation takes place. This is because of the treatment that spaces get as a GEDCOM delimiter, many GEDCOM values are trimmed of trailing spaces and some systems look for the first non-space starting after the tag to determine the beginning of the value. CONF  {CONFIRMATION} The religious event (not LDS) of conferring the gift of the Holy Ghost and, among protestants, full church membership. CONL  {CONFIRMATION_L} The religious event by which a person receives membership in the LDS Church. CONT  {CONTINUED} An indicator that additional data belongs to the superior value. The information from the CONT value is to be connected to the value of the superior preceding line with a carriage return or newline character. Leading spaces could be important to the formatting of the resultant text. When importing values from CONT lines the reader should assume only one delimiter character following the CONT tag. Assume that the rest of the leading spaces are to be a part of the value. COPR  {COPYRIGHT} A statement that accompanies data to protect it from unlawful duplication and distribution. CORP  {CORPORATE} A name of an institution, agency, corporation or company. CREM  {CREMATION} Disposal of the remains of a persons body by fire. CTRY  {COUNTRY} The name or code of the country. DATA  {DATA} Pertaining to stored automated information. DATE  {DATE} The time of an event in a calendar format. DEAT  {DEATH} The event when mortal life terminates. DESC  {DESCENDANTS} Pertaining to the offspring of an individual. DESI  {DESCENDANT_INT} Indicates an interest in research to identify additional descendants of this individual. (See also ANCI) DEST  {DESTINATION} A system receiving data. DIV  {DIVORCE} An event of dissolving a marriage through civil action. DIVF  {DIVORCE_FILED} An event of filing for a divorce by a spouse. DSCR  {PHY_DESCRIPTION} The physical characteristics of a person, place or thing. EDUC  {EDUCATION} Indicator of a level of education attained. EMIG  {EMIGRATION} An event of leaving ones homeland with the intent of residing elsewhere. ENDL  {ENDOWMENT} A religious event where an endowment ordinance for an individual was performed by priesthood authority in an LDS temple. ENGA  {ENGAGEMENT} An event of recording or announcing an agreement between two people to become married. EVEN  {EVENT} A noteworthy happening related to an individual, a group or an organization. FAM  {FAMILY} Identifies a legal, common law or other customary relationship of man and woman and their children, if any, or a family created by virtue of the birth of a child to its biological father and mother. FAMC  {FAMILY_CHILD} Identifies the family in which an individual appears as a child. FAMF  {FAMILY_FILE} Pertaining to, or the name of, a family file. Names stored in a file that is assigned to a family for doing temple ordinance work. FAMS  {FAMILY_SPOUSE} Identifies the family in which an individual appears as a spouse. FCOM  {FIRST_COMMUNION} A religious rite, the first act of sharing in the Lords supper as part of church worship. FILE  {FILE} An information storage place that is ordered and arranged for preservation and reference. FORM  {FORMAT} An assigned name given to a consistent format in which information can be conveyed. GEDC  {GEDCOM} Information about the use of GEDCOM in a transmission. GIVN  {GIVEN_NAME} A given or earned name used for official identification of a person. GRAD  {GRADUATION} An event of awarding educational diplomas or degrees to individuals. HEAD  {HEADER} Identifies information pertaining to an entire GEDCOM transmission. HUSB  {HUSBAND} An individual in the family role of a married man or father. IDNO  {IDENT_NUMBER} A number assigned to identify a person within some significant external system. IMMI  {IMMIGRATION} An event of entering into a new locality with the intent of residing there. INDI  {INDIVIDUAL} A person. INFL  {TempleReady} Indicates if an INFANT- data is Y (or N). LANG  {LANGUAGE} The name of the language used in a communication or transmission of information. LEGA  {LEGATEE} A role of an individual acting as a person receiving a bequest or legal devise. MARB  {MARRIAGE_BANN} An event of an official public notice given that two people intend to marry. MARC  {MARR_CONTRACT} An event of recording a formal agreement of marriage, including the prenuptial agreement in which marriage partners reach an agreement about the property rights of one or both, securing property to their children. MARL  {MARR_LICENSE} An event of obtaining a legal license to marry. MARR  {MARRIAGE} A legal, common-law or customary event of creating a family unit of a man and a woman as husband and wife. MARS  {MARR_SETTLEMENT} An event of creating an agreement between two people contemplating  marriage, at which time they agree to release or modify property rights that would otherwise arise from the marriage. MEDI  {MEDIA} Identifies information about the media or having to do with the medium in which information is stored. NAME  {NAME} A word or combination of words used to help identify an individual, title or other items. More than one NAME line should be used for people who were known by multiple names. NATI  {NATIONALITY} The national heritage of an individual. NATU  {NATURALIZATION} The event of obtaining  citizenship. NCHI  {CHILDREN_COUNT} The number of children that this person is known to be the parent of (all marriages) when subordinate to an individual, or that belong to this family when subordinate to a FAM_RECORD. NICK  {NICKNAME} A descriptive or familiar that is used instead of, or in addition to, ones proper name. NMR  {MARRIAGE_COUNT} The number of times this person has participated in a family as a spouse or parent. NOTE  {NOTE} Additional information provided by the submitter for understanding the enclosing data. NPFX  {NAME_PREFIX} Text which appears on a name line before the given and surname parts of a name. i.e. (Lt. Cmndr.) Joseph /Allen/ jr. NSFX  {NAME_SUFFIX} Text which appears on a name line after or behind the given and surname parts of a name. i.e. Lt. Cmndr. Joseph /Allen/ (jr.) In this example jr. is considered as the name suffix portion OBJE  {OBJECT} Pertaining to a grouping of attributes used in describing something. Usually referring to the data required to represent a multimedia object, such as an audio recording, a photograph of a person or an image of a document. OCCU  {OCCUPATION} The type of work or profession of an individual. ORDI  {ORDINANCE} Pertaining to a religious ordinance in general. ORDN  {ORDINATION} A religious event of receiving authority to act in religious matters. PAGE  {PAGE} A number or description to identify where information can be found in a referenced work. PEDI  {PEDIGREE} Information pertaining to an individual to parent lineage chart. PHON  {PHONE} A unique number assigned to access a specific telephone. PLAC  {PLACE} A jurisdictional name to identify the place or location of an event. POST  {POSTAL_CODE} A code used by a postal service to identify an area to facilitate mail handling. PROB  {PROBATE} An event of judicial determination of the  validity of a will. May indicate several related court activities over several dates. PROP  {PROPERTY} Pertaining to possessions such as real estate or other property of interest. PUBL  {PUBLICATION} Refers to when or where a work was published or created. QUAY  {QUALITY_OF_DATA} An assessment of the certainty of the evidence to support the conclusion drawn from evidence. Values: [0|1|2|3] REFN  {REFERENCE} A description or number used to identify an item for filing, storage or other reference purposes. RELA  {RELATIONSHIP} A relationship value between the indicated contexts. RELI  {RELIGION} A religious denomination to which a person is affiliated or for which a record applies. REPO  {REPOSITORY} An institution or person that has the specified item as part of their collection(s) RESI  {RESIDENCE} The act of dwelling at an address for a period of time. RESN  {RESTRICTION} A processing indicator signifying access to information has been denied or otherwise restricted. RETI  {RETIREMENT} An event of exiting an occupational relationship with an employer after a qualifying time period. RFN  {REC_FILE_NUMBER} A permanent number assigned to a record that uniquely identifies it within a known file. RIN  {REC_ID_NUMBER} A number assigned to a record by an originating automated system that can be used by a receiving system to report results pertaining to that record. ROLE  {ROLE} A name given to a role played by an individual in connection with an event. SEX  {SEX} Indicates the sex of an individual - male or female. SLGC  {SEALING_CHILD} A religious event pertaining to the sealing of a child to his or her parents in an LDS temple ceremony. SLGS  {SEALING_SPOUSE} A religious event pertaining to the sealing of a husband and wife in an LDS temple ceremony. SOUR  {SOURCE} The initial or original material from which information was obtained. SPFX  {SURN_PREFIX} A name piece used as a non-indexing pre-part of a surname. SSN  {SOC_SEC_NUMBER} A number assigned by the United States Social Security Administration. Used for tax identification purposes. STAE  {STATE} A geographical division of a larger jurisdictional area, such as a state within the United States of America. STAT  {STATUS} An assessment of the state or condition of something. SUBM  {SUBMITTER} An individual or organization who contributes genealogical data to a file or transfers it to someone else. SUBN  {SUBMISSION} Pertains to a collection of data issued for processing. SURN  {SURNAME} A family name passed on or used by members of a family. TEMP  {TEMPLE} The name or code that represents the name of a temple of the LDS Church. TEXT  {TEXT} The exact wording found in an original source document. TIME  {TIME} A time value in a 24-hour clock format, including hours, minutes, and optional seconds, separated by a colon (:). Fractions of seconds are shown in decimal notation. TITL  {TITLE} A description of a specific writing or other work, such as the title of a book when used in a source context, or a formal designation used by an individual in connection with positions of royalty or another social status, such as Grand Duke. TRLR  {TRAILER} At level 0, specifies the end of a GEDCOM transmission. TYPE  {TYPE} A further qualification to the meaning of the associated superior tag. The value does not have any computer processing reliability. It is more in the form of a short one- or two-word note that should be displayed any time the associated data is displayed. VERS  {VERSION} Indicates which version of a product, item, or publication is being used or referenced. WIFE  {WIFE} An individual in the role as a mother or married woman. WILL  {WILL} A legal document treated as an event, by which a person disposes of his or her estate, to take effect after death. The event date is the date the  will  was signed while the person was alive. (See also PROB)

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Project Management for Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Project Management for Business - Essay Example Measures need to be enacted to evaluate the achievement and progress of the objectives. Project managers are therefore tasked to liaise with all the stakeholders to set up objectives which are commonly agreed on. Products in which a project engages are varied and can be classified as new, processes or services. Any kind of product that is dealt with need to be developed to meet the company objectives and also to add value to the organization. Articulation of the project benefits is vital at the initiation. This will provide a clear roadmap to the success and benefits of the project. Communication is vital element of the project. Clear information need to be relayed to those who are likely to be affected by the project. The end users should also be made to comprehend the potential benefits that are likely to accrue from the introduction of a given product. Proper communication mechanisms will help to battle the possible human reluctance to change in cases of new or totally improved products (KLOPPENBORG, 1900, np). Resources that are needed to implement the objectives should be identified and put in place to ensure smooth running of the project. These are in terms of time, technical, financial as well as human resources. People are the last major element that is required for the success of a project. They are the stakeholders and people who have other roles and vested interest which are geared toward the success of the project (KLOPPENBORG, 1900, np). The most crucial people in a project are the sponsors, the project manager, the team members and the potential customers. The principles of project management revolve around five pillars: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control then lastly closure. They are like the processes through which a project has to pass, right from its inception to winding up. The initiating process involves the procedures which are put in place in order to jumpstart a project. At this stage, new projects may require to

Friday, October 18, 2019

The theory of endogenous money Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

The theory of endogenous money - Essay Example endogenous money theory based its arguments on classical economics, it proved a constructive attempt for providing alternative theoretical framework for dealing with unsatisfactory IS/LM model. As of now, policy makers are receiving utterly contrasting advice from economists concerning how to surmount the prolonged financial sprawl in the USA and Europe: a number of them propose austerity while others advocate for deficit spending. With this regard, this paper will seek to assess the arguments and the probable impact of both policy extremes in the light of the theory of endogenous money. Fiscal austerity as well as fiscal stimulus brings about numerous impacts on the economy of a country, depending on the level or degree in which they carry out the redistribution of income to both the low and high earners. After the 2007/2008 economic slump, many nations continued to struggle with the view of reducing government debt levels. However, as time went by, it came to a point where the US and Europe’s governments accepted that they faced great level of government debts and as such, they ought to increase their revenue, cut their spending, default on their obligations, or thereof combine all of them. Some policy makers recommend austerity because it is an intriguing option and rarely takes place on government debt even at times when the available solution is painful (Keen and Grasselli, 2012:3). In spite of the measure that default increases the future borrowing cost sharply, austerity leaves tax increased and the level of government expenditure cut. Fiscal austerity, in a number of ways, seems to be the contrast for of fiscal stimulus policies. This is so because it leads to tax cuts and increase spending applied by government at times whose purpose is to expand the country’s economy. With reference to the endogenous theory, some policy makers seem to propose austerity due to its impacts. First, with austerity, low-income earners will be in a position to have

World-class bull Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

World-class bull Case Study - Essay Example I believe that Sales VP Jeremy Silva has done justice to the strategy adopted by Knox for doing a successful business for the company, though I disagree with Silva in regarding Knox’s strategy as mere maneuver or trickery. I totally disagree with the human resources vice president’s view that Knox has breached the company’s ethics code and I feel that there is no coercion or manipulation done by Knox. Rather, he has just mixed his ability to persuade his customers through building a personal relationship and this effective strategy has done no harm to either party. James Borg, the business psychologist, and the author has an important point to make when he argues that Knox did not coerce Landry into buying SFS’s services, but instead simply got the CFO’s attention and let his persuasive techniques do the rest. It is totally true of fact, which becomes palpable in an insightful analysis of the case provided. Therefore, considering various aspects of the strategy adopted by Knox for the business of Armadillo Gas & Power with Landry, I strongly feel that Knox does not deserve a reprimand by the human resources vice president and I would demand rightful recognition of the success of Knox’s business strategy. When making a judgment regarding the business strategy adopted by Knox, one needs to recognize that he has been able to win a customer for the company through a positive strategy which builds trust in the customer about the company, along with developing personal relations with Knox.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

JavaScript-Same Origin Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

JavaScript-Same Origin Policy - Essay Example The essay "JavaScript-Same Origin Policy" overviews a security concept, the same origin policy, a concept used when there is a need to isolate documents retrieved from distinct origins. The same origin ideas thus help in avoiding the hackers from injecting evil sites into someone’s or other sites that are wanted private. This origin policy always starts with trust; a web page owns its data and is free to submit that data to the original website. Thus, the already running JavaScript will be given an assurance of not being evil. The JavaScript will load more content e.g. building a simple image gallery use that is through writing JavaScript encryptions that insert and erases into the existing page. The browser, therefore, will instantly load the image, in a way, showing that it had been present in the existing page, and removes it from the display if the image is deleted. Thus, the same origin policy code prevents the JavaScript from directing data to a dissimilar server or from writing a data belonging to a different server. Enabling communications with another domain will depend on the use of JSONP, which grounds on a -tag. The sent information to another domain is encrypted in the URL as limits. The resumed JavaScript comprises of a purpose call with the invited info as parameters. Though if some evil encryptions of JavaScript gets submitted into a clean web page, it may results into an tag and includes them on that page. It will be safe to develop a URL to any intimidating domain.

The Evolution of Cloud Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Evolution of Cloud - Assignment Example Cloud computing allows a user to access his data or even run computer software from a remote data center via the internet. However, the data being accessed or the software being run needs to be present or stored in a cloud, rather than on a personal computer hard drive or a company’s server. This form of computer architecture has allowed many small and medium companies to grow. This has been done by enabling employees to access important corporate data while on the move. This has come as an alternative to costly network infrastructure, which demanded huge capital outlay from small and medium enterprises. It is interesting to know that this technological innovation has emerged from the existing technology landscape. A demonstration of this technological innovation is the Hotmail account which uses technology delivered by cloud computing. It provides users with data that is not stored on a personal computer. Experts believe this form of computing to unleash the next great paradigm shift of personal computing. This paradigm shift will transform the traditional model of computing and open up new opportunities for businesses, consumers, the environment and economic growth. There are numerous benefits of cloud computing, for instance, those countries which are spending exceedingly on information and communications technology; they can use this technology to reduce approximately 20-50 percent of their current cost. By means of this form of computing, users can access their data or run software from virtually anywhere. However, they do need an internet connection to make this possible. Cloud computing enables users to run their own applications while using their internet service provider’s servers, operating systems, and storage facility. Experts believe that cloud computing has the potential to create up to 240,000 jobs in the short term.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

JavaScript-Same Origin Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

JavaScript-Same Origin Policy - Essay Example The essay "JavaScript-Same Origin Policy" overviews a security concept, the same origin policy, a concept used when there is a need to isolate documents retrieved from distinct origins. The same origin ideas thus help in avoiding the hackers from injecting evil sites into someone’s or other sites that are wanted private. This origin policy always starts with trust; a web page owns its data and is free to submit that data to the original website. Thus, the already running JavaScript will be given an assurance of not being evil. The JavaScript will load more content e.g. building a simple image gallery use that is through writing JavaScript encryptions that insert and erases into the existing page. The browser, therefore, will instantly load the image, in a way, showing that it had been present in the existing page, and removes it from the display if the image is deleted. Thus, the same origin policy code prevents the JavaScript from directing data to a dissimilar server or from writing a data belonging to a different server. Enabling communications with another domain will depend on the use of JSONP, which grounds on a -tag. The sent information to another domain is encrypted in the URL as limits. The resumed JavaScript comprises of a purpose call with the invited info as parameters. Though if some evil encryptions of JavaScript gets submitted into a clean web page, it may results into an tag and includes them on that page. It will be safe to develop a URL to any intimidating domain.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Harp of Burma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Harp of Burma - Essay Example This position regarding the message of the book is accentuated by the author’s opinion that the war was unjustified and that the Japanese soldiers ought to have absconded the war. This position infers that the tone of the literature discouraged the active involvement of the Japanese soldiers in the war. Published in 1948, the book was later translated from Japanese language to English by Howard Hibbert. The title of the book was not just a convoluted idea, it stems from the fact that the Japanese soldiers engaged in the war were encouraged to sing as a way of boosting their confidence e and morale to emerge victors in the fight. Amidst this was a soldier who use to play Harp for other solders in the same spirit of building confidence and the zeal to vigorously fight. This book is also directed as a film. The central theme discussed and that can be inferred after reading the book is the need to avoid war confrontation and instead opt for peace. The literature in the book recounts how the Japanese soldiers were killed in thousand and the bodies decomposing in the jungle. It shows how Japan’s involvement in the war made any other agenda for the country lag behind in the interest of pursuing war. Japan, Italy, and Germany were skewed on one side forming one axis against the British and her allies on the other side. Japan and the allies in the war were trounced and in this book, the Japanese soldiers captured by the British were told to inform the rest that the war has ended and one of the soldiers who happen to be playing the Harp volunteer to dutifully undertake to the responsibility (Takeyama, 46). He left the rest of the solders to pursue other in the effort to deliver them the message. In the jungle, he is surprised to find most of his colleagues killed in millions that he co uld not even make arrangements to bury them as he initially wished. The soldier is taken aback by

Monday, October 14, 2019

Mechanical Reproduction Essay Example for Free

Mechanical Reproduction Essay Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Walter Benjamin can be summed up into two important subjects—reproducibility and the concept of the aura. One of the main ideas of Benjamin Walter’s work is technological advancement in the field of the arts which has changed art itself. Mass reproduction of works of art has made even the replicas works of art by themselves. Consequently, the original has lost its authenticity. The concept of the aura is the next major idea that Benjamin Walter discusses—the aura is the very essence of a work of art, which is lost because of mass reproduction, particularly art that uses film as a medium. As the times change, so to do the perceptions of humans—and thus, contributing to the demise of the aura in art. Art and tradition go hand in hand, but with the advent of modern mediums today, art as business (mass production) has become the main concern. Art has two functions, either as â€Å"cult† magical in function, hidden from view, or as a public spectacle. The difference between film and portraits is that film does not have that aura. The succeeding sections mostly talk about film. One section delves into some theories on film, while another section talks about the actor, citing differences between acting in front of a live audience and acting in front of the camera and how the camera destroys the aura of the acting. Section nine is about how anyone can, or rather, play as works of art because of film. The camera hides real talent and shows only that which the filmmakers want to project. The rest of the discussion is still about film and the differences this new technology has made into our modern perception of art. Work Cited Benjamin, Walter. â€Å"The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. † Core Concepts for Communication and Web Development. English Department, Bentley College. 02 March 2009 http://web. bentley. edu/empl/c/rcrooks/toolbox/common_knowledge/general_communication/benjamin. html.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Marketing Performance Metrics: Coca-cola

Marketing Performance Metrics: Coca-cola Marketing Performance Metrics Abstract The purpose of the study was to investigate the marketing performance metrics with a specific reference to Coca Cola Company and Net Marketing Contribution over the Life Cycle. The study will assist many companies in formulating strategies to be used as benchmark or the strategies to improve NMC. Marketing Performance Metrics Introduction Measuring marketing performance is an external activity that helps to understand the customer’s perception and the competitor’s position in the industry. Many organizations sets different tools to use as benchmarks so as to identify the staffs’ performance and the rate of income. ROA and ROI are the main used financial measures to measure the internal financial statues. Part 1: Discuss Three Measures of Marketing Performance Marketing metrics are the numeric data that allows the marketers to analysis their performance against the organizational objectives. The metrics help to take corrective measures in case there is a deviation between the targeted plans and the achieved performance of staffs (Neely, 2001). They have various measurement elements that includes number of produced products, net sales billed, design registrations and a research on the brands to determine to determine the brand’s awareness. Metrics makes it easy for marketers to justify their budget that is based on sales returns. Three Measures of Marketing Performance The activity-based metrics among the popular metrics used in analyzing performance. It involves statistical calculating and reporting. The main type of activity-based metrics includes tracking website visitors, downloads and attendees at the firm’s events. This approach rarely link the marketing operations to the business outcomes. Instead, the business results like the customer value, market share and adoption of a new product provides an improved correlation. The main focus of MPM is to measure aggregated efficiency and effectiveness of the marketing firm. These specific metrics have some categories that includes the marketing effect on the preference shares, the average order quantity, the rate of customer acquisition, the growth of consumer’s buying rate, business share, loyalty and net advocacy, margin, growth rate compared to market competition and the total customer engagement. MPM is also used to determine the rate at which operational efficiency and the outside performance. If Coca Cola Company decides to manage its marketing activities it uses the operations performance metrics. The firm will hire extra personnel to work as marketing finance directors and marketing operations director. Basically the marketing team will collect data about program-to-people ratios, cost-sales, awareness-to- demand rate and the rate of conversation. This metrics primarily provides the firm with different ways of rationalizing the marketing investments but this strategy fails to correlate marketing to business performance and strategy. The approach helps marketers to find out how the firm’s resources are utilized. The external performance are aligned with the firm’s outcome and helps to determine the firm’s value to its customers and the firm’s performance in relation to its competitors (Neely, 2007). If Coca Cola Company wants to determine the key performance indicator (KPI), top-down approach is the best approach to use. The first step in this approach includes making decisions that defines the scope. To come up with KPI and metrics, the marketers predicts on the likely results they are trying to influence. Asking opposite questions follows (Shaw et al, 1997), the answers help to determine the relationship between the questions and the outcome. The data that is required to answer the question is then determined. Marketers then searches for this data and determines the corrective measures to be taken. The measures undertaken aims at making it possible to achieve the goals. The organization needs to continuously monitor and analyze its marketing performance metrics. This gives the organization intelligence in competition, have a chance to assess their market weaknesses and strengths and come up with a calculated budgetary opinions through the marketing mix. This will give the organization competitive advantages over its competitors. The profits of the firm will also increase. The Major brands use return on marketing investment (ROMI), return on marketing objectives (ROMO) and the marketing return on investment (ROI) to prioritize and distribute their marketing investments. They help them to decide on the most profitable portfolio. A firm needs to analyze the ROMI, ROMO and ROI of a project for more than a year. This will protect the firm’s investigations. The method selected in monitoring the marketing process must be easy and cheap to implement. Training should be carried out to train the staffs on the best benchmark and how it is used. Staffs should take part in determining the best benchmark to use. This brings a sense of belonging and appreciation of the worker to the company and management when you nvolve them in management roles. Part 1: Analyze Metrics Used to Evaluate the Measures The above measures can be measured using the following metrics (Leroy, 2011): Correct quantity, measuring the weight, counting the units and weighing the contents are the main used types of measurement. Supplying customers with the right quality will strengthen the level of trust with your customers hence making it easy to retain them. An independent team is set aside in an organization to measure the products quantity and to make sure the customer gets what they specify in terms of size. Elasticity to respond to unanticipated demands, this refers to the ability of a firm to adjust so as to meet the current demand. A metric will be used to measure the degree of change, this makes it easy to identify the level at which the firm is flexible. Quality level, TQM is a tool to measure quality. The metrics will make sure the level of a product’s level is standardized. Controlling quality can also be done by the state authority to ensure a firm offers its customers with quality products. Firms that offer less standardized products are fined for the same. The total quality management is employed to control the quality of a good or service. The staffs who produce quality products are rewarded with gifts and appraisals. The staffs whose products are below the standard are trained and encouraged to produce quality products. Existence of accreditation or other certification, after completion of a training a firm is issued with a certificate to show its participation. The certificates act as a measure of qualification and experience attained. Customers prefer to contract a firm that has experience and is highly rated in the industry. On-time delivery can be used to measure how a firm values its customers. If a firm supplies its products on time this shows the supply chain is well managed. In a case of failed or late delivery, less care is taken on the customer and the likeliness to loss the customer is high. Part 1: Case Study that Exemplifies Best Practices of each Measure. Coca-Cola Company is an example of a company that demonstrates the best practices of the above measures. According to the company’s website they put their customers to be the king and aims at providing the best so as to retain the customers and to attract new customers. Coca-Cola Company has an independent department that deals with quality control. The unit makes sure quality is maintained through the supply chain from when raw materials are obtained from the supplier to when they are delivered to the customer. The team tests the product at each level of manufacturing to make sure the right contents and composition are used. The team is also involved in ensuring quality services are offered to the customers. They establishes feedback programs as a way to allow the customers to get back to them. The company parks its drinks in containers of different sizes. A team is established in the company to make sure only the correct quantity is supplied to the users. The team weighs at random the already packed products and in case of a deviation the whole pack is weighed and repacking is done. Customers have trust in Coca-Cola because there products are correctively packed. Elasticity to respond to unanticipated demands, the company produces its products in great volumes. The products are then stored in its outlet’s warehouse. If the demand is low the supply is kept low but if the demand changes and more of their products are demanded the firm supplies more. They have special facilities to store their products for a long period. The firm is certified and customers are confident in its products. It has been in the market for a long time hence gathering more experience on the type of products to produce. The company has learnt different ways of surviving in the market and how to win more customers. They now provide different types of soft drinks. Coca-Cola Company has set outlets all over the world. This makes it easy to meet the buyer’s order on time with no dely. Transportation of the product from their warehouse to your premises is very fast. The drinks will be transported in crates or packed in cartons to avoid breakages and maintain a deliverable state. Part 2: Short-Run Marketing Strategy Short-run marketing strategy refers to a duration of time which only few factors can be changed as there is no enough time for changing the other variables in marketing strategies. Marketing Strategy is a detailed and specific tactics that are established and designed to be used over a period of time depending on the range of the plan (Neely, 2001). Advertising and media relations strategies used by the Coca Cola Company have an effect on the net marketing contribution both in short-term and in long-term. In short-term, once the firm has decided to increase its efforts in advertisements commercial so that it reaches many people. There will be an increase in the product awareness and hence increase in the sales level. Once the sales are high the NMC will be high. In case the public fails to respond in a positive manner the firm will suffer loss as the advertisement costs will be very high compared to the income from the goods sold (Tanzania Society, 1966). In short-term a lot of advertisement will be profitable to the firm as the sales will be high. The media relation refers to how a firm uses the media including the social media to market its products. In short-run using the media will be expensive as it needs time to gain publicity. This in return will lead to a fall in NMC. Many large beverage companies like Coca Cola were late in entering the product-markets of bottled water, fruit drinks, sports drinks, iced coffee, and energy drinks due to SHORT-TERM VISION. Part2: Analyze Net Marketing Contribution in the Introductory Stage During the product introductory phase the net marketing contribution is negative as no profits are made from selling the product. The income obtained is used to cover the high costs of advertisement and promotional costs incurred. The firm incurs loss (Louw, 2012). With proper advertisement the product survives this stage and the NMC start to raise as the product has gained customers. The advertisement costs are now low. Part2: Analyze Net Marketing Contribution in the Late Growth Stage As the product moves through its lifecycle, NMC will reach the break-even point, then grow, to peak, flattens and then starts to decline due to decrease in the market demand. At the end-growth stage the NMC starts to flatten as the product is now in the market and has gained its customers. When a new substitute product is introduced into the market, many customers will shift their preference. This will lead to decrease in demand of the product causing NMC to start falling. If the firm fails to add flavors to the product it might die and overtaken by the new product (Northern Marianas College.). The graph below shows the movement of the NMC along a product lifecycle. Conclusion In conclusion we can summarize the above by saying that a firm must choose the most profitable portfolio to invest. Investment affects both the profitability and the NMC of a firm. The firm needs to understand the product cycle so that it determines the type of advertisement to use. References Neely, A. (2001). Business performance measurement: Theory and practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.  Ã‚   Top of Form Neely, A. D. (2007). Business performance measurement: Unifying theories and integrating practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Bottom of Form Shaw, R., Mazur, L., FT Retail Consumer Publishing. (1997). Marketing accountability: Improving business performance. London: FT Retail Consumer Publishing Tanzania Society. (1966). Tanzania notes and records. Dar es Salaam: Tanzania Society. Louw, A. (2012). Ambush marketing and the mega-event monopoly: How laws are abused to protect commercial rights to major sporting events. The Hague: T.M.C. Asser Press. Northern Marianas College. (n.d.). Performance report on strategic master plan implementation and assessment of institutional effectiveness. Saipan, MP: Northern Marianas College, Office of Institutional Effectiveness. Leroy, G. (2011). Designing user studies in informatics. London: Springer. Books.google.com,. (2015). isbn:1607522330 Google Search. Retrieved 8 January 2015, from https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1607522330 Electricity and Transportation: Decreasing Energy Consumption Electricity and Transportation: Decreasing Energy Consumption Consider one of these two sectors: electricity or transportation. What policies do you suggest for the sector to decrease energy consumption? What is the rebound effect associated with each of the suggested policies? How would you quantify these rebound effects so that you are certain that the suggested policy results in a net benefit? How do you evaluate the effectiveness of your suggested policy with respect to the generated rebound effect? What policies do you suggest for the sector to decrease energy consumption? In 2008, transportation accounted for 28% of the energy consumption and 33% of the CO2 emission, but a much larger 71% of the consumption of liquid fuels in the US [1]. To reduce the magnitude of energy consumption from the transportation sector and help prevent its bad effect on the environment, a proper policy must be put in place. US Congress specifies that CAFE standards must be set at the â€Å"maximum feasible level given consideration for technological feasibility, economic practicality, effect of other standards on fuel economy, and need of the nation toconserveenergy [2]. In this term paper, I would suggest combination of CAFE standards combined with carbon tax on fuel price. What is the rebound effect associated with each of the suggested policies? One advantage of CAFE standards over fuel is that the standards provide a quantitative target whose effects on energy consumption can be reasonably well predicted [1]. However, the standard has rebound effect. The rebound effect refers to the social and behavioral responses to the introduction of more energy efficiency technologies and processes by which there is a corresponding increase in energy service demands. In general, rebound is thought of as a ratio of the lost energy savings as it might compare to the total expected savings from efficiency. A comprehensive measure of rebound includes both direct and indirect effects which can occur at both the micro level (within households, businesses and organizations) and at the macro level (economy-wide effects). Direct rebound effects are those that result from an increase in the use of a device that is deemed more energy efficient. Cars provide the best examples. When a more efficient car results in an increase in vehicle miles traveled, the lost energy savings are considered to be direct rebound effects. Indirect rebound effects are those that have less direct causal chains and result from increases in consumerism (acquisitiveness) by buying new vehicle, increased vehicle production, and increased air pollution [3]. How would you quantify these rebound effects so that you are certain that the suggested policy results in a net benefit? Some studies in macro and micro economic have shown that rebound effect value range is between 0% and 100% with formulation expressed below. Value of rebound effect 0% means that the expected savings were achieved through reduced consumption, whilst 100% means that no energy savings were realized and energy efficiency program was failed. The backfire effect happen when consumption has been increased more than extent or in other word rebound effect more than 100%. It is also possible to have a negative RE, such that the energy savings are greater than originally anticipated, for behavioral or technical reasons, or both [4]. Based on the above formula, the rebound effect measurements can be made à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹directly and indirectly. Direct measurement is based on a survey of how big the success rate of the CAFE program. One study by Sorrel in 2009, the rebound effect estimation is between 10% and 30%. Meanwhile other study by Greening, Greene and Difiglio in 2010 show rebound effect for transportation below 10%. Geller and Attali study in 2005 also support this number as shown in Table 1 [5]. CAFÉ standards and fuel tax could reduce 10%-30% value range when the fuel price is taxed according to released carbon emissions. This is equal to externalities generated by fossil fuel. High fuel price with tax could suppress the rebound effect due to need of having energy efficient car. In addition, changes in behavior based on strong motivation to reduce energy consumption become appropriate step anticipating rebound effect [5]. For indirect estimation, the rebound effect with energy price elasticity is defined as the change in demand according to the decrease in price. To calculate elasticity, transportation energy use, price and income of buyer are required. It is important to know that there is limitation of the calculation since it doesn’t consider the capital outlay of the technology that would lower rebound effect [4]. Research that estimates indirect and economy-wide effects is limited. An often cited source of economy-wide rebound analysis is the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS) designed and implemented by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Using NEMS, a scenario of accelerated technology whereby the national energy intensity is 6.5 percent lower than in the base case, produces a total energy demand that is 5 percent less (Greening 2000, citing Kydes 1997). This suggests that improved energy efficiency (part of the accelerated technology assumption) leads to an economy-wide reb ound in the order of 25 percent [6]. Many researchers suggested that RE on CAFÉ standard should be balanced with other policy. The other policy should account many factors affecting RE value and incorporate RE value into the target. The RE is not always detrimental. RE could stimulate economic growth in developing countries rather than developed ones. The rebound effect can be reduced when the CAFE standards coupled with carbon tax policy, where the price of fuel is taxed according to the carbon emissions released [7]. This is equivalent to externalities generated by fossil fuel. The key of rebound effect is the behavior of driver tends to driver more because of fuel saving car. The carbon tax would increase the price and make consumers drive less [8]. It is important to realize that all taxes can be invested to public transportation. Energy efficiency get from each car and energy efficiency resulted from mass transit can be benefit to reduce overall consumption. At the same time, public transportation will reduce private vehicles. How do you evaluate the effectiveness of your suggested policy with respect to the generated rebound effect? The rebound effect can be evaluated based on the percentage of the success rate of the policy. Direct rebound effect could be seen directly from the increased mile travelled or increased sales of the vehicles. Indirect rebound effect or wide economy effect can be seen from the increase in the gross domestic product (GDP) and an increase in private income in the transportation sector. Moreover, the success of this policy can be observed by comparing the desired CO2 reduction with the actual result during the policy implementation period. If there is a difference of more than the desired decrease, it means that the rebound effect takes place [9]. The evaluation of the rebound effect also works indirectly as a result of the additional energy demand for the energy efficient equipment or services. For example; the energy cost saving may be used by the producers to increase the output, thereby increasing consumption of the capital, labor and materials, all of which require energy. Another example is that energy efficiency and reduction in energy costs may disproportionately reduce the cost of energy-intensive goods and services, encouraging consumers to disproportionately increase their demand for such products and services [3]. The combination between the fuel standard and the Carbon tax with the encouragement of public transportation will anticipate the rebound effect and specifically reduce the energy consumption in transportation. In addition, the policy will reduce the GHG emission. The small rebound effect could not reduce the order of magnitude from the reduced energy consumption that give more benefit compared with the rebound itself. References http://www.rff.org/Documents/Features/NEPI/RFF-BCK-Small-AutoPolicies.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_Average_Fuel_Economy http://www.aceee.org/files/proceedings/2010/data/papers/2142.pdf http://www.erc.uct.ac.za/Research/publications/10-Davis_Rebound_effect.pdf http://eng.sut.ac.th/transportenergy/data/paper4web/Energy%20policy%20in%20transport%20and%20transport%20policy.pdf http://policyintegrity.org/files/publications/The_Rebound_Effect.pdf http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421509005187 http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07921.pdf http://www.unternehmenssteuertag.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Redaktion/[emailprotected]/Projektpartner_Ergebnisse/macroeconomicRebound.pdf http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/conf_proceedings/2009/RAND_CF256.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_tax http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_miles_traveled_tax http://aida.econ.yale.edu/~nordhaus/homepage/documents/small_dender_rebound.pdf Appendix

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Comparing Symbolism in Poe :: essays research papers

Comparing the Symbolism of the Houses in the Red Death and House of Usher   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most stories have occurrences of symbolism. Symbols are used everyday in many different ways. For instance, the Bald Eagle is used to symbolize the determination and nobility of our United States of America. In both the Masque of the Red Death and the Fall of the House of Usher, the symbolic nature of the House plays an imperative role.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The House in the Red Death was a very elaborate and colorful establishment. Each room inside of this enormous house is decorated in a different hue. The easternmost room is decorated in blue, with blue stained-glass windows. The next room is purple with the same color stained-glass windows, then green, then orange, then white, then violet. The seventh room is black, with red windows. Accompanying this last room is a giant wooden clock. Every hour on the hour the clock emits a deafening gong, which puts an immediate halt to any ongoing activities. The fact that the rooms go from east to west is supposed to symbolize life on earth. The sun rises in the east, sets in the west. Our life cycle also follows that pattern. If you look at a typical twenty-four hour day, the day is â€Å"born† in the east and â€Å"dies† in the west. Along with the rooms following an east to west pattern, the color schemes in the rooms also follow this pattern. The first rooms go from blue, which represents the beginning of the day, or life, to purple, green, orange and finally the white room represents noontime. Next comes violet followed by the last room, which is black with red windows symbolizing the end of the day, or the end of life. The whole purpose of these rooms being decorated in the first place is due to the fact that Prince Prospero has decided to throw a ball for all the rich people in the nearby village, which is being plagued by a fatal disease known as the Red Death. All the rich folk run away to the mansion in hopes of eluding the Red Death. In the meantime at the ball, everyone is having a great time. It seems as though they are almost disregarding the fact that there is a plague going on. They almost have the mentality that as long as they hide out in the mansion, they will be immune to the Red Death.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Salem Telephone Company – Essay

Salem Telephone Company 1. ) Variable and Fixed Costs The variable costs that Salem Data Services incurs with respect to revenue hours are power usage and hourly personnel wages. Power usage is a variable cost because the monthly power expense changes as a result of how much of the computer service is used. The hourly personnel wages are a variable cost as well because hourly workers are required to work when the computer service is operational. The revenue hours change each month and this causes the hourly workers salary to change too.The fixed costs, with respect to revenue hours, are rent and custodial services for the space that is leased by Salem Data Services as well as the computer leases, maintenance, depreciation of the computer equipment and the depreciation of the office equipment and fixtures. Other fixed costs include the salaried staff in charge of operations, the salaried staff that are in charge of the systems development and maintenance, the administration staff and the sales staff, which are also salaried. These are all fixed costs because they stay the same each month and are not affected by the change in revenue hours each month.The last two fixed costs are sales promotion and corporate services. Sales promotion is considered a fixed cost because the expense is not related to the current level of work. This cost was determined by the managers’ estimation of how much they needed to spend in order to acquire new clients. Corporate services are also considered a fixed cost because they not related to the level of work or monthly revenue hours that are generated. Exhibit 1A on the attached worksheet shows the variable and fixed cost breakdown for each month. 2. ) Cost Per Revenue HourFor the power variable cost, the cost per revenue hour is found by taking the power expense for each month and dividing it by the total revenue hours for each month. For January, the power expense is $1,546 and the total revenue hours are 329. The cost per re venue hour is $4. 70 ($1,546/329). For February, the power expense is $1,485 and the total revenue hours are 316. The cost per revenue is $4. 70 as well ($1,485/316). For March, the power expense is $1,697 and the total revenue hours are 361. Cost per revenue is again $4. 70 ($1,697/361).For the hourly personnel, the steps taken above are used to compute the cost per revenue. For January, the hourly personnel wages are $7,896 and the total revenue hours are 329. The cost per revenue hour is $24 ($7,896/329). In February, the hourly personnel wages are $7,584 and total revenue hours are 316. The cost per revenue hour is again $24 ($7,584/316). Finally in March, the hourly personnel wages are $8,664 and the total revenue hours are 361. The cost per revenue hour comes out to be $24 ($8,664/361). The total cost per revenue hour for each is $28. 0 and this is computed by adding the cost per revenue hour for the power expense and the hourly personnel together. These calculations can be fo und in Exhibit 2A on the attached worksheet. 3. ) Contribution Margin Income Statement Exhibit 3A on the attached worksheet shows the contribution margin income statement for Salem Data Services when Salem Telephone usage is 205 hours and the commercial usage is at the March level of 138 hours. The total sales are $192,400 of which $82,000 belongs to sales made from Salem Telephone at a $400 sales price and $110,400 of this belongs to commercial usage at a sales price of $800.The total variable costs are $9,844. 10. This was found by taking the total cost per revenue hour of $28. 70 and multiplying it by the total revenue hours, which were 343 (205+138). The contribution margin is $182,555. 90. This was determined by taking the total sales of $192,400 and subtracting out the variable costs of $9,844. 10. To get the net income, the total fixed costs of $212,939 are subtracted from the contribution margin, which produces a loss of ($30,383. 10). 4. ) Breakeven Point In order for Salem Data Services to breakeven each month, they will need to produce roughly 178 hours.Exhibit 4A on the attached worksheet shows the equation and calculation for the breakeven point. The equation for breakeven point is total sales equals total cost (variable and fixed). The total sales for Salem Data Services was the intracompany sales of $82,000 (205 hours X $800) plus the commercial sales of $800(X). The (X) represents the amount of unknown commercial hours that we are trying to find. The total costs are the cost per revenue hour of $28. 70 multiplied by both the 205 intracompany hours and the unknown commercial hours (X) plus the fixed costs of $212,939.The breakeven point is 40 more hours than Salem Data Services sold in March. Overall, from January to March, the amount of commercial hours sold has increased, but in small increments. Salem Data could reach this breakeven point in a future month if their hours continue to increase, but they will be susceptible to an increase in the ir variable costs and an increase in a couple of their fixed costs, such as sales promotion and corporate services. 5. ) Income Effect Estimation In option 1, Flores has suggested that Wu increase the price to commercial customers from $800 to $1,000.He projects that this will decrease demand by 30%. If this were to occur, the net income would be a loss of ($42,995). Exhibit 5A on the attached worksheet illustrates how this number was determined. Total sales were $178,600, variable costs were $8,656, and fixed costs were $212,939. When the variable fixed costs were subtracted from the total sales, this produced the loss mentioned above. Option 1 would not be a viable option for Salem Data Services because it still produces a negative net income.In option 2, Flores suggested that Wu decrease the price to $600 for commercial customers. Making this change is projected to increase demand by 30%. In this projection, net income will still be a loss of ($34,331). Exhibit 5B illustrates how this number was determined. Total Sales were $189,640, variable costs were $11,032, and fixed costs were $212,939. After the variable and fixed costs were subtracted from the total sales, the effect was a loss. Option 2 would also not be a viable option for Salem Data Services because again it still produces a negative net income.In option 3, Flores has suggested to Wu that increased promotion would increase revenue by 30%, but Wu is not sure how much promotion would be needed. To find how much promotion would be needed, we calculated the effect of the 30% increase. The price in this option remained at $800 for commercial customers. Exhibit 5C illustrates this. The total sales were $225,520, variable costs remained the same as in option 2 of $11,032, and fixed costs were still $212,939. When the variable and fixed costs were subtracted from the total sales, this produced a positive net income of $1,549.Wu should increase the sales promotion expense by this amount to generate positi ve income. This, however, is contingent upon the demand increasing by 30%. 6. ) Based on my analysis, Salem Data Services is a problem to Salem Telephone Company right now because even with a price increase or a demand increase, the company will still produce a loss. If Flores were to close down Salem Data Services, he would save Salem Telephone Company the following costs: Rent| $8,000| Maintenance| $5,400| Power| $1,697| Operations: Salaried Staff| $21,600| Operations: Hourly Personnel| $8,664|Systems Development and Maintenance| $12,000| Administration| $9,000| Sales| $11,200| Sales Promotion| $8,083| Total| $85,644| The custodial services and the expenses for the equipment and depreciation are not included in this list because the custodial services were based on an estimated annual cost per square foot and will still have to be paid for the remaining months of the year. The leases for are noncancelable and will still have to be paid until the lease period is up. The depreciatio n will also still occur while Salem Telephone has the equipment in their possession.Moreover, I did not include the corporate services in this list because I assume that Salem Telephone will still have to collect some accounts receivable and will still try to collect on past-due accounts, even after Salem Data Services is closed. Furthermore, if Flores decides to shut down Salem Data Services, he will have to outsource his computer services to another company and pay the market price of $800 instead of $400, which is currently being paid to Salem Data Services. If Salem Telephone were to use the 205 hours as estimated previously, then the company would have to pay $164,000 (205 hours X $800) monthly to another ompany. This means that Salem Telephone would end up paying $78,356 ($164,000-$85,644) more to another company rather than keeping Salem Data Services in business. My recommendation to Flores would be to keep Salem Data Services open. I believe as Wu does that given time, the company will start to generate a profit. In the meantime, Flores should have Wu keep the price of commercial usage at $800, but try to increase demand by 30% to at least breakeven each month. Once this occurs, then Wu should increase sales promotion to try to obtain more customers and increase commercial usage.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned

According to certain people, violent video games should be banned; they feel that violent video games are the source of today’s violence amongst children. I strongly disagree with them. Video games, like movies, music and any other form of art, are there to entertain people and to enjoy, not restrict. What most people fail to realize is that the video game industry, like the film industry, is heavily regulated with a strict code of parental guidelines already in place. Even the game consoles to play these violent games have parental controls.What I fail to understand is that some parents believe its okay to give their children 18+ rated games even though they are well under that age, and say that these games are the sources of violence between children. If parents would not let a 10-year-old watch 18+ rated horrors movies, then why would parents let a 10-year-old play Gears of War, or Grand Theft Auto with its gang, crime and sexual content? Today, the debate to ban violent vi deo games is drastically increasing in popularity.Video games that have violence in them such as Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, or Gears of War, might be banned for showing mature content. Video games sold in the United States reach retail sales of twenty one billion dollars a year. If they are banned, the economy can lose a tremendous amount of profit, and not to mention almost every mature adult around the world would be extremely furious. When people say that video games are very influential on the youth of today, they are probably right.However, the youth of today probably shouldn't be playing violent video games to start with, just as they shouldn't be watching violent movies. Violent video games have an age rating on them for a reason. If parents want buy their under aged children violent video games, then they should not complain that the video games are causing their children to become violent. Before complaining, they should actually pay attention to the age ratings posted on the games themselves and not ignore it, and then to make things worse; try to ban the games that other people might enjoy playing.Today’s game consoles (Sony's Play station 3and Microsoft's Xbox 360) are both aimed at mature adults, with the consoles having parental controls, and age warnings on the game boxes. Personally, I couldn't think of anything worse if violent video games get banned. The last thing that I want to do is go into any store and only be able to buy games that are aimed at 3-year-olds, such as Kung fu Panda or Dora the Explorer.In conclusion, I can say that violent video games have become one of the most favorable forms of entertainment to any teenager or adult around the world in the 21st century. And if they were to get banned, many people would get extremely furious. Violent video games are aimed strictly at mature teenagers and adults (as indicated on the game box itself), not children. Parents that complain that some video games are too violent and should be banned should stop and think; because after all, they are the ones who bought their kids the violent video games.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Essay

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are quantitative and qualitative measures used to review an organization’s progress against its goals. These are broken down and set as targets for achievement by departments and individuals. The achievement of these targets is reviewed at regular intervals. KPIs are used to monitor the performance of a company, department, process or even an individual machine. They will also help shape the behaviors of employees within the company. KPIs need to be flexible and reflect the changing goals of the organization. Goals change as the organization changes in reaction to external factors or as it gets closer to achieving its original goals. Individual KPIs need to be directly linked to organization goals and objectives, or overall organization KPIs where they are used. They need to reflect organization culture and values, by indicating the types of behavior and performance the organization will recognize as ‘successful’ and reward employees for. KPIs need to be measurable and reflect a balance between operational and people orientated measures. KPIs are a fundamental component of sustaining a change process and maintaining a performance management culture. KPIs should be aligned with the organization’s vision and direction. When performance is measured, and the results are made visible, organizations can take action to improve. SMART KPIs The acronym SMART is often used to describe KPIs. Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Timely Specific KPIs need to be specific to the individual job and if possible expressed as statements of actual on-the-job behaviors. For example, a KPI should: Explain clearly to the employee what he/she has to do in terms of performance to be successful Have an impact on successful job performance, that is distinguishing between effective performance and ineffective performance  Focus on the behavior itself, rather than personality attributes such as ‘attitude to customers’. Terms such as ‘work quality’, and ‘job knowledge’ are too vague to be of much use. Measurable KPIs must be measurable, that is based on behavior that can be observed and documented, and which is job-related. They should also provide employees with ongoing feedback on their standard of performance. Achievable Performance management needs to be an open, collaborative communication process. KPIs must be seen by all that they are achievable. The KPI must be realistically achievable. If it is set too high for the circumstances (such as an ambitious production target), not only will it be irrelevant but it will ensure failure. Relevant It is essential that employees clearly understand the KPIs, and that they have the same meaning to both parties. Consultation is more likely to result in standards that are relevant and valid. Timely KPIs should have an appropriate time frame. It should be possible to collect the relevant information either ‘as it happens’ or within a short time afterwards, otherwise it will lose its relevance. As outputs of the performance management system, KPIs also need to be in alignment with other HR-related functions, including training and development, recruitment and selection, rewards and recognition, and career planning. Business aspects that require KPIs KPIs should cover every aspect of the business. Sample examples are Customer satisfaction Employee satisfaction Staff turnover Absenteeism Department/division specific measures Triple bottom line: financial, environmental and social responsibility Finance including revenue and costs OHS reporting including incidents and related costs Equipment usage and OEE Maintenance costs and effectiveness New product development & innovation Lead times and down times Quality KPI components KPIs should identify the required outcomes, for example: The minimum acceptable performance e.g. daily break even point Target performance eg desired daily output. KPIs should: Be communicated to all staff so that they are aware of how they are to be measured and how their KPIs impact on the organization as a whole Be aligned with the vision and direction of the organization Have relevant reward and recognition criteria linked to each KPI. When implementing new KPIs, having baseline data to measure improvements is very important. Progress on KPIs should be communicated at regular times to highlight emerging trends. As these trends emerge, corrective action can be implemented in a timely fashion. KPIs need to be communicated via multiple media. The measures that are selected must be carefully specified to ensure they do not cause non-lean behaviors. In many cases there will need to be a selection of measures that balance quality and quantity factors to ensure the correct behaviors are encouraged. Listed below are some examples of the behaviors and outcomes that measure in isolation can cause. Measure in isolation Behavior Outcome Production output Make more Overproduction Machine efficiency Run machine longer Run in most efficient sequence for machine Unnecessary stock Customer orders late Maintenance costs Reduction in maintenance activities to reduce costs Machine breakdowns Cash flow performance Pay suppliers as late as possible Supplier deliveries XX unreliable Creating KPIs KPIs must be designed for each proposed change to the production process so that: There is a base line measurement taken to establish a starting performance standard There are measures developed to track the team’s  performance There are measures established that can highlight any variability. This can assist in future diagnoses Reward and recognition can be effectively implemented. Before data is collected three questions need to be asked. What is the purpose of collecting this data? Will this data tell us what we want to know? Will we be able to act on the data we collect? The goal is to create an easy-to-use, accurate measurement system with as few measures as possible. The following questions need to be answered when setting up a data collection system: What type of metric is it (financial, behavioral or core-process)? Why was it selected? Where will the data be collected? How will it be collected? How often will it be collected? How often and where will the metric be displayed? Who will use it? KPI examples Some examples of measures that can be used to monitor the performance of a competitive manufacturing company are listed below. Financial Examples Costs Material costs Labor costs Operations costs Inventory Overtime Warrantee costs Cost of Sales Interest on overdraft Number of projects completed on time and on budget Revenue Sales Gross margins Return on assets or investment Product profitability Team metrics Overtime Material costs Revenue generated by team Inventory value in team’s area Number of projects completed on time and on budget Core metrics Examples OHS Lost time injuries Number of staff off work Length of time staff are off work DIFOT Delivery in full on time Quality First time through quality Yield Lead-time Order to cash in bank Raw material to dispatch Dock to dock Inventory Inventory turnover rate OEE Overall equipment effectiveness Schedule performance % Changes to the weekly schedule Value added ratio Ratio of value adding time to lead time Team metrics Turnaround time for jobs Output rates Quality rates Equipment OEE Attendance rates Schedule compliance Customer feedback Number of deadlines/milestones met Metrics relating to specific team tasks Behavioral metrics Examples Employee satisfaction Gained from regular Employee Satisfaction Surveys Staff turnover rates Participation levels in improvement activities Customer satisfaction Gained from regular Employee Satisfaction Surveys Retention rates Skill uptake Skill matrices Absenteeism Absenteeism Error rates Error rates Time spent on managing under-performing staff Team metrics Number of team meetings Members at team meetings Number of ideas generated Number of ideas implemented Total Savings generated