Management and Leadership Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management and Leadership - Research Paper Example Creating a traditional style for chopper style motorcycles, the distinctive design which gives the brand its unique name (Nelson & Gregory).Also, Harley-Davidson is not involved in the sole production of motorcycles alone. Its industries spread to all aspects of the motorcycle manufacturing plant. The brand creates not only motorcycles under its own brand name but also accessories for these motorcycles. Licensing is also provided to the owners of the motorcycle. Harley-Davidson also produces customized bikes which create special editions of particular motorcycle models. This includes the Buell Motorcycle Company which is responsible for creating not only the sports bike but also the middle weight beginners bike (Kelly 2006). Harley-Davidson has also taken over other motorcycle companies including the MV Augusta and their Caviaga subsidiary (Superbike Planet). Thus along with their own market share, Harley- Davidson has also successfully industries of fellow competing motorcycle brand s. Along with its fame for the vehicles it produces, Harley Davidson is also keeps a strict check on environmental pollution emitted by its vehicles. By obliging to the rules set down by the Environmental Protection Agency, Harley-Davidson builds materials and crafts free of defects that can prove to be detrimental to the environment. Thus, the motorcycles and accessories produced by Harley-Davidson are renowned all over the world. This essay will discuss the leadership and management style that has protected this organization from takeovers or mergers. This is coupled with the essence of the two groups in keeping Harley-Davidson one of the most successful and lucrative markets today. For any organization to gain success as has done the Harley-Davidson model, a presence of good management and leaders is vital. The first aspect of this is the term used for employees working under both statuses. While managers hire subordinates as fellow workers, leaders claim

Making Decisions Based on Demand and Forecasting Essay Example for Free

Making Decisions Based on Demand and Forecasting Essay 1.Report the demographic and independent variables that are relevant to complete a demand analysis providing a rationale for the selection of the variables. (Independent variables are the variables that have effect on the demand of Pizza). List 5 and explain the effect of each of them on the demand of Domino’s Pizza. I currently reside in Allentown, Pennsylvania, which has a current population, based off of the 2010 Census data, of 118,032 people. The large amount of people that reside in the 18 square mile city, which is the third largest in the state, allows for huge competition amongst the local chain and privately owned pizza restaurants. Within the city limits of Allentown, Pennsylvania, there are 3 Domino’s pizza restaurants within 13.2 miles of each other. The average median income per household is $49,025 and $37,356 per family. This can affect the demand of pizza based on the price of the pizzas being sold. The lower the income of a family is, the lesser the chances they will purchase take-out or fast food. Typically, families that are on a fixed or smaller income will live on a budget and normally that does not include the luxury of eating out. Looking at the price of various Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut and various local pizza restaurants, the average cost of a large, plain cheese pizza pie is $10.42. While this may be a good price to some, families with a higher number of members may not be willing to pay $10+ per pizza due to the fact that they most likely have to purchase in multiple quantities. 15 percent of the Allentown, Pennsylvania population get around by means of transportation other than a car, therefore a pizza restaurant offering delivery services will be a benefit to those not able to pick their pizza up. The local average fee for pizza delivery is $2.00, based off of two of the large chain pizza restaurants delivery fees. The local privately owned pizza restaurants do not charge a delivery fee, which is a greater demand for those residents looking to spend the least amount of money on their pizza lunch or dinner. Many pizza restaurants offer various pizza order specials, such as 2 large plain pies for $19.99. While that is a great offer, the larger chain pizza restaurants such as Domino’s and Pizza Hut offer various specials like a large pizza for 8.00 or a large 3-topping pizza for $7.99. The only disadvantage of these specials is that the pizzas vary in their large size from restaurant to restaurant. 2.Find the price elasticity of demand for Pizza online. Is it elastic, unit elastic, or inelastic? Explain how the price elasticity of demand can affect your decision to open the pizza store and your pricing policies? Price elasticity of demand is defined as â€Å"the ratio of the percentage change in quantity demanded to the percentage change in price, assuming that all other factors influencing demand remain unchanged† (McGuigan, 2011, pg. 70). With the average cost of pizza in Allentown, Pennsylvania being $10.42, it is still a very high demand product. If the price of pizza were to go up, the demand for pizza may drop slightly, making the demand in price insensitive. There are certain determinants that will affect the price elasticity such as disposable income and the prices of competitors’ products these cannot be controlled by the firm. Determinants that can affect the price elasticity of pizza that can be controlled by the firm are price, advertising, product qua lity and customer service (McGuigan, 2011, p. 69). The price elasticity demand for pizza is and will most likely always be inelastic, because even though the cost of the ingredients to make pizzas may increase and decrease, pizza is a very popular product and will always be in high demand. Being a part of the Domino’s Pizza franchise, offering the various weekly and monthly specials will guarantee that the demand for pizza will not decline by a huge rate should the need to increase pricing arises. This will not affect my decision to open a Domino’s Pizza franchise, I am confident that the demand for pizza will only slightly decrease if economic reasons forces pricing to rise. My pricing policies will always be in line with Domino’s corporate structure, therefore being able to offer special deals on pizzas will counter balance the rise on individual pizza pies. 3.Explain the cross price elasticity. List 3 goods that you consider substitute to pizza in your area. How do they affect your decisions? (opening the store and pricing policy) Cross price elasticity is defined as â€Å"the ratio of the percentage change in the quantity demanded of Good A to the percentage change in the price of Good B, assuming that all other factors influencing demand remain unchanged† (McGuigan et al, 2011, pg. 87). If the price of pizza’s rises and the demand decreases by a certain percentage then this causes the need for pizza boxes will decline. This will be considered a negative cross price elasticity, and the two goods are complementary. On the other hand, if the price of pizza increases, and the demand for an alternative product increases, then this is considered substitutes, and the cross price elasticity is positive. Some substitutes for pizza in the event the price rises could be Subway sandwich platters, KFC family bucket meals, and Chinese food platters. Families buy pizza because of the large quantity for a cheap price, but if the prices were to increase, then these same families may look for similar alternatives that will not empty their wallets. These are possible alternatives that offer a large quantity of food at a reasonable price that can affect the demand of pizza. However, monitoring the costs of the competing fast food restaurants in the Allentown, Pennsylvania area will allow Domino’s to offer certain specials and pizza deals to the community that can keep their demand at a high rate. 4.Explain how you will forecast the demand for pizza in your community for the next four (4) months, using the regression equation including the assumptions that were used. Justify the assumptions made related to the forecast. 5.Based on the forecasting demand, price elasticity, and cross price elasticity discuss whether Dominos should establish a restaurant in your community. Provide a rationale and support for the decision. Establishing another Domino’s Pizza restaurant in the Allentown, Pennsylvania area will be a good idea because there is a true demand for pizzas. Referring to the price elasticity and the cross price elasticity, the positive outweighs the negative sides of supply and demand. Whether or not the price of pizzas goes up, the demand will always be sufficient enough to warrant the decision to open up a new restaurant. The price elasticity is inelastic because if and when the price of pizza increases, the demand for it will not be greatly affected. Domino’s Pizza’s financials for first quarter 2013 were released and the pizza giant had revenues up 8.6% from Q1 2012, and their net income was up 65.9% for the same period in 2012 (Dominos.com, 2013). This proves that even during the decline in the economy, the demand for pizza stays at the top. Domino’s Pizza sells more than one million pizzas daily, it is safe to assume that opening a new Domino’s in the Allentown area will not be a bad decision.

The Alliance Between Renault Nissan Marketing Essay

The Alliance Between Renault Nissan Marketing Essay In the age of globalisation companies are trying to cope with consequences of this historical process. Scholars in this field have noticed that companies could either merge or conclude an alliance to cope with globalisation. The scholars, however, differ among themselves as to which is better, alliance or merger. By being global a firm would have a better chance to enter a new market, and increase both its global market share and global competitive advantage (Shenkar,2008,p.303,332). The two processes differ in terms of their meanings and the reasons for choosing one of them rather than the other. International mergers are when two firms from different countries, and have their own capabilities, agree to integrate in order to create a stronger core competency in the global market (Shenakr2008:303). However, strategic alliances are contracts between two parties from different countries, when they agree to cooperate in order to do a particular task(Charles, international Business, p.411).This shared task cant be realised and create a value unless the two parties work together(Andrew, Strategic alliances, P.404).(I can delete this phrase) In the case of Renault-Nissan, it is preferable to have an alliance than merger for many reasons. Charles Hill (int. business:412) claims that Alliances, would facilitate more than mergers the entrance for companies to new geographical phases where there are some restrictions on foreign investments. (Comprehensive cases,p. 312)the two companies had their own capabilities in their own market. Renault for instance, already existed in Europe and North America, and was well-known for its design and marketing. At the same time Nissan was the powerhouse engineering in Japan, Europe and North America. Therefore, there was a good chance for Renault to Enter the Japanese market where there are many barriers from the Japanese government. Synergy however, is vital for alliance. According to Shenkar( 2008: 333) alliance would be more rational when the two firms look for further synergy in their financial, technological aims. He adds, this alliance would provide the two parties with complementary resources and capabilities(HSenkar, 2008). This synergy between two companies was the key element for choosing Nissan-Renault alliance. According to Chosn, the manager of the alliance: we said from the beginning that we were not looking for a merger, but rather to get greater value from synergy between the two companies (Emerson, the interview). According to Chosn, the reason for choosing alliance rather then merger was that both companies were looking for turnaround. Although alliance was more risky than merger, yet they chose it because they thought it would give them more opportunities to develop.(Emerson, the interview). However, despite the advantages Nissan-Renault gained from the alliance, they faced challenges. One of the challenges is whether the alliance would lead to an increase or decrease in the price share (Ernst Halvey, When, p. 48).This was a real challenge for Nissan, whose share price fell when it entered the alliance.(Comprehensive cases). Furthermore, the two companies had a challenge of cross-culture problems. However, with their ability to focus on the work objective they were able to succeed. 508 Renault before and after alliance The alliance between Renault Nissan, as indicated by the results in March 2004, was an outstanding paradigm of a successful alliance around the world. However, before 1999, the prospective of forming an alliance between these two firms was not such rosy. From Renaults point of view, various factors were strengthening the former opinion. Firstly, (Morosini P. Dec 2004) Renault was recovering during 1996 and 1998-9 turning losses of US$680 million into combined profits of US$1.65 billion. Moreover, the failure to merge with Volvo in 1995 had left its mark on the company and any further attempts to a new alliance were confronted distrustfully. In addition, the fact that both firms were playing a dominant role in the auto industry of their countries was indicating that a potential alliance was going to collapse in a decision-making stalemate. Nevertheless, the supporters of the latter argument were gainsaid. The mutual benefits that they were going to absorb from the alliance laid aside the potential problems and both parties focused on the success of the alliance. This was a crucial challenge, which they managed to handle by learning to trust each other, be truthful and honest during the negotiations. Additionally, (Bartlett C., Ghoshal S., Beamish P., 2008) by forming joint study teams, in order to test their companies ability to work cooperatively, they minimized the cultural stereotypes and set the base for exploiting joint synergies. The two companies were so complementary in terms of geography, product ranges and personality that inevitably the future was foreboding promising. Besides, this process gave Renault an advantage over competitive suitors such as Ford and DaimlerChrysler, which focused only on finding synergies on past and current advantages rather than on a prospective productive future. On this basis, Renault, through the alliance with Nissan, achieved to gain international structure which enabled it to deal successfully with the changes which were taking place on the world automobile stage. Thereby, Global synergies and the expansion of its production to foreign , until then, markets like Japan, North America and Asia enhanced its potential and made it a countable member in the auto industry. 357 Nissan before and after alliance Nissans history starts from the early of 1933. Nissan is a Japanese automobile manufacturer which achieves, through the years to have strong market presence in Asia and US. Except for the fact that Nissan was a highly emblematic symbol of Japans industrial strength, had also a number of strong points such as technological and engineering competence, and also was good at making large cars. In late March 1999 Nissan and Renault sign an agreement for a Global Alliance. Aim for this agreement was to provide an advantage and achieve profitable growth in both companies. However, Nissan was nearly bankrupt and faced significant debt problem when the alliance formed. One of the major reasons for this debt and financial difficulty was the fact that Nissan invested a lot of money in different companies and this has a result, Nissan not be in position to invest money in the company and its products (Ghosn, 2002). Therefore the company for a long time did not have any profit and this made the debt for Nissan in 1999 to reach the US $22 billion. Furthermore, during the same year (1999), the domestic market share had fallen from 17.4% to 13%. Have in mind this and after that Daimler Chrysler and Ford refused the idea of a partnership and broken of the alliance talk with Nissan, the company resorted to the strategic alliance with Renault, where both companies had clear idea of what they wanted. The alliance was vital for the two companies as Nissan needed Renaults cash in order to reduce its debt problem and Renault wanted to learn from Nissans success in US and Asia which was essential for the expansion in its market. During the period of social initiation process, of six months, many advantages arose over competitors as they carried out static analytical evaluations and they focused on finding collaborations based on their past and current strengths rather than on jointly future. In order to accomplish this, Nissan had change significantly to redeem its profitability and competiveness. First Nissan quit the investments in other companies, in other words the keiretsu which is a Japanese traditional rule that requires all the companies in Japan to have long-term purchasing relationship, intense collaboration and frequent exchange of personnel and technology between companies and selected suppliers (Okamura, 2005). The personal management also had changed and whereas Nissan in the past appraised their employees based on the period that they were working for the company, now they changed the criteria of evaluation by looking on the performance of each employee. Further they set up a common language i.e. English and they have created nine Cross-functional teams. By the implementation of the above changes, Nissan manage to cut down in purchasing cost, to reduce suppliers, to close overlapping outlets and plants and finally to reduce the work force. Through the alliance of Nissan and Renault, the benefits that arose were obvious and determinant. Transparent benchmarking allows two culturally diverse companies to share best practises and also the common platform and shared purchasing strategy had delivered huge cost of savings. Noticeable is the fact that in order to preserver corporate identities they decide to remain as separate managements, separate brands and separate companies while every decision was affecting both brands. The operation recommendation which arise from this alliance case provide valuable elements on how two companies, that are in the same situation like Renault and Nissan which show strength in different competence and regions of the world (Nissan had strong presence in Asia and US while Renault had presence in Europe), can approach the growing and competitive auto manufacturing global market. Therefore the success of this alliance is also interrelated with the synergy among the two companies and the framework of equality help the transfer of knowledge between foreign engineering teams. Finally Nissan successfully achieve to jump from seventh most valuable automobile company in the world to the fourth. 656 Structure of Alliances The aim of this section is to study structure of the alliances between Renault Nissan and advice about the best possible structure in futures alliances. Strategic alliances are said to be a source of competitive advantage. However there is a growing concern over their failure rates. One of the major causes is the inability to implement the appropriate governance structure and management control systems in the newly formed association (Smith, 2008). According to the study most of the companies form an alliance management team which manage across the organisation using Cross-Company Teams, Cross functional teams, Steering Committees and Alliance Board. By observation, Renaults was interested in creating respect between two alliance partners and respectively followed an Andean civilization approach to work together for six months before forming an alliance. (Donnelly, Morris Donnelly, 2005). The social initiation process provided Renault Nissan an advantage over its competitors such as Daimler Chrysler. The later company did not experiment social collaboration to develop the ability of sharing knowledge and building trust (Deresky, 2008). Therefore the structure in Renault Nissan was the result of, what the companies experienced during the social initiation stage. They formed a new board having 5 members each from the host companies. Further to speed the integration and improve communication process they created Nine Cross-functional teams (CFT) and 11 Cross-company teams (CCT) (Donnelly, Morris Donnelly, 2005: 434). More importantly, these teams had a Chair person from Renault, Vice Chair person from Nissan or vice-versa. Moreo ver the CFT was limited to 10 members from different departments such as purchasing, manufacturing which ensured progress between these departments (Donnelly, Morris Donnelly, 2005). As a result the alliance was able to launch 22 new car models in the next three years and increase the manufacturing capacity in Japan. Moreover the CCT created efficient synergies. One of the examples of amalgamation process was in Mexico. Renault had left the market in 1986 and Nissan was facing overcapacity in1999. So alliance decided to put the managers from both the companies together and recognise synergy opportunity. In just five months Renault cars were being manufactured out of Nissan plants and the capacity utilisation of the plant increased from 56% to nearly 100%. In summary cross-company teams allowed Renault- Nissan to first go through a social initiation experience and then move into a formal framework of collaboration and knowledge exchange (Deresky, 2008: 318). Similarly cross functional teams enhanced the process of integration. Cooperative Operation In this part of report, we will discuss how close collaboration between two companies in operational level has resulted in synergy. The main sources of data in this part are Renault and Nissan official websites. Supply chain management is one of the areas of key concern for global car manufacturers (John Gattorna). Major players in Car Industry are looking for revolutionary methods of management of their suppliers. In Renault-Nissan case, RNPO or Renault Nissan Purchasing Organization is a unique joint organization responsible for integrating purchasing Strategy. As we will describe in next paragraph, as a result of mutual engineering efforts, Renault and Nissan cars can share components. This fact allows the alliance to combine their purchasing orders. Therefore, not only the cost of order has reduced but RNPO defines worldwide purchasing strategy and now it is accountable for full purchase of Nissan and Renault. (www.renault.com) Another area for mutual cooperation between two companies is engineering which could be a lesson for other car manufacturers to reach economic of scale and scope. The key difference in Renault-Nissan case is concentrating on designing and producing components of car jointly instead of developing whole car from scratch. The alliance achieves economic of scale by producing in larger scales and economic of scope by manufacturing components which are compatible for different models of both brands. Moreover, one of top priorities of MNC is to find a way to reduce RD cost as well invest in new technologies with lower cost. For instance, according to Renault website, the alliance helps two companies to invest in advance technology like hybrid vehicles. In conclusion firms should successfully integrate their complimentary competencies to standardize their purchase orders and components manufacturing. Therefore they can reduce their cost and achieve greater outcomes. The role of Corporate and National Culture Corporate culture is the combined beliefs, values, ethics, procedures, and atmosphere of an organization ().One of the important issues raised in the Nissan Renault alliance is the management of two different cultures. While Renault strategy was liked western strategic orientation and Nissan was under the influence of corporate and national culture (Culpan.R,2002). Accordingly, the collective share of ideas and strategic management were effective and the employees of both companies could understand each other culture background, subsequently respect the identities of their colleagues as well as their values. Thus, Ghosn put cross- culture training programs for over 1500 employees from Renault to learn about the Japanese culture and 400 Nissan employees study the French culture (pooley, 2005).it was a first positive step in terms of creating a successful alliance of two different cultures. After presenting the French and Japanese culture, it was significant to understand their differ ences and how certain Hofstedes cultural theories (clenc, 2000) applicable to the case of Nissan and Renault. Japanese societies are well-known to be more collectivist and in opposite, French societies are based on individualistic efforts from employees. As the decision making process in Nissan was working the percept of groupthink, mostly the people who thought alike. Moreover, Nissan had a problem in terms of excess capacity that was based on an unofficial contract that existed between Japanese auto companies and their employees. Ghosn closed five factories and cutting some 21,000 jobs to broke this custom. He also took on the close network of relationships between auto companies and their suppliers, relationships denoted by a specific Japanese word, keiretsu (). An also after this situation as he employed new engineers in to the Nissan organisation, he decided to put English as formal language for company to deal with diversity of language spoken. In addition, in the Japanese cul ture, is not possible for a young employee to be manager for a colleague who is older in terms of age and seniority. However, the ECOs new system of promotion to begin restructuring the management process in company, was based on performance and efficiency, not employees age. As a result, the Renault-Nissan alliance has been hugely successful. There is broad acknowledgement by many at senior levels inside both companies that much credit for this must be given to their conscious effort to build cross-cultural understanding from the start. 396 Recommendations The success of alliance between Renault and Nissan proves that alliances can be a successful approach to expand globally. Therefore, we believe as a group that there are recommendations which could be taken into consideration, by any other car companies thinking to form a successful alliance to enter new markets. When two firms come to a decision of entering an alliance they should be aware of variations in cultures, languages and mentalities. This can be realised by understanding these differences and focussing more on the shared goals and objectives. In terms of operations, Renault Nissan can be used by other car companies in different ways. In supply chain management a similar organisation like RNPO can be established by other alliances to unify their purchasing orders and therefore reducing the cost of orders. In engineering we suggest for future alliances to focus on producing car components jointly instead of designing new cars entirely which failed in similar cases. By implementing the above strategies, the costs of RD can be reduced and higher output can be achieved by using shared resources. It is obvious from the case effective cross-culture management was one of the important key successes for the company. Thus, when two different companies spouse to work with each other in especial strategic alliance, creating a situation for managers and employees to learn about each other culture could be significant. Another step for developing corporate culture in this kind of alliances is making one formal language for employees to deal with diversity of spoken language. Moreover, determining shared values, knowledge and individual needs is important to create opportunities for future alliances. This can be achieved by following a social program similar to social initiation process of Renault-Nissan. Zaara Culpan. R, (2002) Global business alliances: theory and practice, Greenwood Publishing Group: United State America Pooley. J, (2005) The model alliance of Renault and Nissan: How to work successfully with overseas partners, Emerald Group Publishing Limited: Emerald Group Publishing Limited http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewContentItem.do?contentType=ArticlehdAction=lnkpdfcontentId=1463638 Reference: Anu Kale, P., Dyer, J. Singh, H. (2001) Value Creation and Success in Strategic Alliances: Alliancing Skills and the Role of Alliance Structure and Systems. European Management Journal [Online], 19(5): 463 471. Smith, K. (2008) The relations between transactional characteristics, trust and risk in the start-up phase of a collaborative alliance. Management Accounting Research [Online], 19: 344 364. Deresky, H. (2007) International Management: Managing Across Borders and Cultures (6th Edition). New Jersey.Prentice Hall. pp. 312 319 Reference sophia Okamura, A. (2005). Beyond the Keiretsu. Article retrieved on November 2nd, 2006, from http://www.utofieldguide.com/articles/article_print1.cfm Ghosn, C. (2002). Saving the Business Without Losing the Company. Harvard Business Review. References marios: Bartlett C., Ghoshal S., Bearmish P., (2008), Transnational Management: Text, cases, and readings in Cross-Border Management, Fifth edition, New York, McGraw-Hill International Edition. Douin G., (5th April, 2002), Behind the scenes of the Renault-Nissan alliance, l Ecole de Paris, p.1-10. Morosini P., (Dec, 2004), Nurturing Successful Alliances Across Boundaries: Lessons from the Renault Nissan Case.

Women in The Birthmark Essay -- Birthmark Essays

â€Å"The Birthmark† – Women  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Everything he has to say is related, finally, to ‘that inward sphere.’ For the heart is the meeting-place of all the forces – spiritual and physical, light and dark, that compete for dominance in man’s nature. . . .† (McPherson 68-69). McPherson’s â€Å"heart† is the key to understanding the role of women in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s tale, â€Å"The Birthmark.†    Only imperfection is what nearsighted Aylmer sees in the birthmark on Georgiana’s cheek. But he is unfortunately oblivious to   the virtue in her soul, the deep beauty contained in the depth of her love for him. The wife’s virtue leads her onward and upward; the husband’s lack thereof and inability to appreciate virtue in his Georgiana leads him downward and downward.    The concept of women is established in the very opening paragraph of â€Å"The Birthmark.† The narrator introduces Aylmer as a scientist who found â€Å"a spiritual affinity more attractive than any chemical one,† referring to his love for Georgiana. She is portrayed as having meaning in Aylmer’s life – not in first place, but in second place to his scientific interests.    Even after Aylmer has â€Å"persuaded a beautiful woman to become his wife,† he is not capable of loving her properly, unselfishly, because he â€Å"had devoted himself, however, too unreservedly to scientific studies ever to be weaned from them by any second passion.† The narrator seeks to justify this error or lack in Aylmer by explaining that â€Å"it was not unusual for the love of science to rival the love of woman in its depth and absorbing energy.† Already at the outset of the tale, the reader perceives that Georgiana is going to be shortchanged in this marriage. She is exposed to the problem initial... ...el . The Birthmark Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=HawBirt.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=1&division=div1    McPherson, Hugo. â€Å"Hawthorne’s Use of Mythology.† In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996.    Stewart, Randall. â€Å"Hawthorne’s Female Characters.† In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996.    Swisher, Clarice. â€Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne: a Biography.† In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996.    Williams, Stanley T. â€Å"Hawthorne’s Puritan Mind.† In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996.

Employee Satisfaction

DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT EMBA, 2ND BATCH, 4TH SEMESTER ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY, KUSHTIA BANGLADESH A RESEARCH PROPOSAL BY: |(Monirul islam) |(Howlader Md. Abu Saleh Jongi) |(Jahangir Alam) | |ID No. 1102050711 |ID No. 1102050713 |ID No. 102050722 | |EMBA, 2nd Batch |EMBA, 2nd Batch |EMBA, 2nd Batch | |4th Semester |4th Semester |4th Semester | |email:[email  protected] com |email:[email  protected] com |email:[email  protected] com | |Cell No. 1818306151 |Cell No. 01711210710 |Cell No. 01550151433 | (Saiful islam) ID No. 1102050704 EMBA, 2nd Batch 4th Semester email:[email  protected] com Cell No. 01550151433 SUPERVISOR: Prof. Dr. Md. Zakaria Rahman Chairman, Department of Management, Islamic University, Kushtia – 7003, Bangladesh. Cell Phone:01711501307 Telephone+88-071-62021-6 Extn. 2278,2296,2481 (Off. ) E-mail: [email  protected] com Web:www. iubd. net :Declaration:: We declare that the proposal we are submitting for assessment contains no section copied in whole or i n part from any other source unless explicitly identified in quotation marks and with detailed, complete and accurate referencing. |(Monirul islam) |(Howlader Md. Abu Saleh Jongi) |(Jahangir Alam) | |ID No. 1102050711 |ID No. 1102050713 |ID No. 102050722 | |EMBA, 2nd Batch |EMBA, 2nd Batch |EMBA, 2nd Batch | |4th Semester |4th Semester |4th Semester | |email:[email  protected] com |email:[email  protected] com |email:[email  protected] com | |Cell No. 01818306151 |Cell No. 01711210710 |Cell No. 1550151433 | (Saiful islam) ID No. 1102050704 EMBA, 2nd Batch 4th Semester email:[email  protected] com Cell No. 01550151433 i ::Contents:: |1 |INRODUCTION |Page 1 | | |1. 1 The Problem Statement |1 | | |1. 2 purpose of the study |1 | | |1. The objectives of the study |1 | | |1. 4 Research questions |2 | | |1. 5 Scope of the Research |2 | |2 |THE PROPOSED METHODOLOGY |2 | | |2. Research Design |2 | | |2. 2 Data Source |2 | | |2. 3 Data Collection Techniques |2 | | |2. 4 Sample Tec hniques |3 | | |2. Data Analysis and Interpretation |3 | |3 |WORK PLAN |3 | |4 |REFERENCES |3 | ii TITLE: AN INVESTIGATION OF THE PROBLEMS OF HANDLOOM INDUSTRY AT KUMARKHALI, KUSHTIA iii 1.INTRODUCTION: The Handloom industry is the ancient and the most important cottage industry of Bangladesh. This industry has lots of glorious past. Once upon a time, The Handloom industries were the only source of human clothing. Still now, this sector meets a portion of the total clothes production of Bangladesh. This sector provides employment many people still now. But this industry now faces threat of extinction because of various barriers which made us to develop this study over the handloom industry of Kumarkhali, Kushtia, Bangladesh. 1. The Problem Statement: What are the problems of Handloom Industry at Kumarkhali, Kushtia and what could be the possible solution of the problems of such industry at Kumarkhali, Kushtia. 1. 2The purpose of the Research: The main purpose of this research is to meet the partial fulfillment of Master of Business Administration Degree on Management, Islamic University Kushtia, Bangladesh and investigate the real problems of the handloom industry at Kumarkhali, Kushtia in order to find out the possible solution of the problem depending on the factors that would be investigated.This study may be an important tool for further study on the problems of the handloom industry at Kumarkhali, Kushtia. 1. 3The objectives of the study: ( To identify the problems lie in the production process. ( To identify the problems in distribution of handloom products. ( To identify the problems associated with level skill. ( To identify the problems associated with government support. ( To identify the problems associated with the organizing Capability ( To identify the level of demand of these products in market. To identify the immediate competitors of this sector. ( To identify the potential market. Page:1 1. 4The research questions: ( What are the problems lie in the production process? ( What are the problems in distribution of handloom products? ( What are the problems associated with level skill? ( What are the problems associated with government support? ( What are the problems associated with the organizing Capability? ( How much demand of these products in market? ( Who are the immediate competitors of this sector? ( Where the potential market of handloom products? 1. Scope of the Research: This research will try to answer the problem statement as stated. This research location will be Tebaria, Sherkandi Alongipara Gopalpur under Kumarkhali Upazilla, Kushtia, Bangladesh. We will try to nail down the topic as much as possible. The ability of physical presence in the stated locations will provide the in-depth scope of the research. 2. THE PROPOSED METHODOLOGY: 2. 1Research design: Quantitative research method will be basic research design. For this, on spot survey will be carried out. The handloom weavers will be the main responde nt of the research. 2. Data sources: Both of the Primary data and secondary data will be the data source of the research. The people of the selected locations who are directly involved in handloom weaving will be the source of primary data. Opinion of the local government representatives will be taken into account as secondary data source. 2. 3Data collection techniques: Various techniques will be used to collect the data. For this oral interview of the respondent will be taken. A prescribed questionnaire (having structured and open questions) will be supplied to the each respondent to answer the specific questions. 2. Sampling techniques: All the families involved in handloom weaving in the selected locations will be population of the research. Each will be treated as a sample. Maximum possible families will be taken as sample on random basis. Each elements of each sample will be interviewed and prescribed questionnaire will be supplied to them in order to answer the questions. 2. 5Data analysis and interpretation: The gathered data through interview and questionnaire will be analyzed and interpreted using suitable statistical tools such as tables, chart, percentage, probability, correlation etc. 3. WORK PLAN | | |STEPS IN THE RESEARCH PLAN |DEADLINE FOR COMPLETION | | | | |Submission of the proposal |By 31 August 2012 | | | | |Design of a research plan |By 10 September 2012 | | | | |Design of questionnaire |By 15 September 2012 | | | | |Interviews/posting of questionnaires, etc. By 16 – 30 September 2012 | | | | |Raw tabulations/draft analysis of data |By 01-07 October 2012 | | | | |Final Analysis of data |By 08-15 October 2012 | | | | |Report up of findings By 16-20 October 2012 | | | | |Final Report |By 21-31 October 2012 | | | | |Presentation |As per Schedule date of University | ** Work plan may be changed depending on situation or as per requirements of Supervisor. References: 1. Business Research Methods, 8th edition, Zikmund Babin Carr Griffin 2. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Social-research 3. http://www. banglapedia. org/httpdocs/HT/K_0319. HTM 4. http://www. kumarkhali. com/index. php? option=com_content&view=article&id=41%3Aabout-kumarkhali-powroshova-&catid=32%3Akumarkhali&Itemid=52 5. http://www. thedailystar. net/lifestyle/2005/07/01/centre. htm ———————– Page:2 Page:3

An Investigation of the Influence of Organisational Culture on Project Management The WritePass Journal

An Investigation of the Influence of Organisational Culture on Project Management Research Objectives An Investigation of the Influence of Organisational Culture on Project Management Research ObjectivesIntroductionExtra References:Related Research Objectives To explore the link between organisational culture and project management. To evaluate the impact of organisational culture on innovation and project management success. To formulate recommendations on the impact of organisational culture on the management of projects. Introduction This literature review explores the main issues surrounding the influence of organisational culture in the management of projects within the National Health Service and financial institutions (banks). The literature review will also review the available guidelines that assist project managers in tackling the identified issues. To this end, this review will draw on a series of landmark studies in the current body of literature in order to facilitate a structured and critical analysis of the ways in which organisational culture influences project management. Firstly, in order to address this question, the term â€Å"organisational culture† needs to be defined. The enquiry into â€Å"culture† first began at the end nineteenth century (Deshpande and Webster, 1989; Reigle, 2003; Bertho et al., 2001). However, there has been no single, universal definition of organisational culture. Marshall and Marshall (1993) define organisational culture as a melting pot of beliefs, rules, actions, regulations, and attitudes that guide behaviour in an organisational context. In this way, every organisation has its own organisational culture that is formed by its members (Cleland Ireland, 2006). An organisation’s culture can also be formed through the different rites, rituals and the expected patterns of communication and behaviour within the organisation (Mullins, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A more conventional way of defining culture, however, is the procedure by which things are carried out and achieved in a given organisation. For example, Atkinson (1990) offers a definition of organisational culture as a set of underlying processes that influence the way in which work is performed. Researchers such as Kilman et al., (1985) and Sackman (1991) corroborate this view and see culture as â€Å"the way we do things around here†. In this way, every organisational culture carries its own modus operandi tha t has positive and negative aspects. For the purposes of this project, this will be the definition that shall guide the literature review and following study.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Considerable research has suggested a significant influence of organisational culture on project performance, and the subsequent success of organisations (Yazini, 2009; Brown, 2008; Andersen et al., 2009). For example, a number of studies have shown that organisational culture influences specific project organisational culture, such as goal planning, employee commitment to project goals, and the performance of project teams (Stare, 2011). Organisational culture can also exert its influence on organisational processes that include decision-making, design, structure, motivation, job-s atisfaction and management control (Pheysey, 1993). Moreover, organisational culture has also been found to influence the â€Å"sub culture† of a project team as indicated in research by Kerzner (2001) who found that organisational culture can impact the trust, connection and co-operation within a project team. Organisational culture can also critically influence innovation, group effectiveness and achievement, and the overall success of an organisation (Reigle, 2001).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, project management has also been found to play a critical role in an organisation’s success. For example, Tidd and Bessant (2009) found that the commitment level of top management is linked with the innovation of an organisation. Moreover, project management is important in maintaining a balance between a team’s culture and an organisa tional culture. In the current times of economic instability, project management is needed to allow individuals to accomplish their individual goals and aspirations as well as the objectives and goals of a project. Moreover, whilst an organisational culture can change, adapt and evolve over time, individuals are often more resistant to change, especially if organisational changes have not been adequately explained to them and they are ignorant of the benefits to the organisation (Cleland Ireland, 2006). In these cases, a project manager is needed to step in and motivate his/her team so that the change takes place smoothly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Given the importance of both organisational culture and project management on the success of an organisation, a limited amount of research has indirectly drawn links between organisational culture and project management. For example, Shore (2008) hypothesised that the way in which projects a re carried out is deeply influenced by both the project leader, but also the way in which the organisation performs its work. Schein (1991) also suggested that individuals within an organisation cannot create a new organisational culture, but can contribute to its evolution over time. Consequently, an organisation can learn to embrace a completely different modus operandi and adopt a novel way of doing things. However, these kinds of transformations demand high degrees of tolerance and acceptance of change. These changes also often require organisations to be open to deviating from traditional norms and operating in flexible and adaptive ways. In such cases, the role of effective project management is essential, as it is needed to equip others with skill-sets in which they can face changes in the organisational culture. Similarly, Mullins (2007) noted that every organisational culture differs from one region to another, and therefore, the project management must be formulated in suc h a way that it is able to adjust to these changes and explore opportunities for development.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Moreover, for an organisation to be successful in the management of projects, the project team culture must hold values, principles, procedures and management philosophies that are in line with the organisation’s culture (Cleland Ireland, 2006). In other words, there must be equality within the organisational culture. Cultural equality ensures that the management of projects is consistent with the organisational culture that supports a project’s advancement and success. However, this consistency will not exist unless senior managers are able to develop and communicate a vision that effective project management is important, worth doing, and actively supports the use of resources to accomplish project objectives, (Cleland Ireland, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Due to the aforementioned strong links between organisational culture and project management, some researchers have modified the definition of organisational culture to be a reflection of management authority (Cartwright, 1999). In other words, this definition proposes that an organisational culture that is widely accepted, can help employees alig n themselves with their organisation, internalise the organisation’s beliefs as their own and motivate employees to achieve the organisation’s objectives (Cartwright, 1999).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This research therefore, begs the central question of whether organisational culture impacts the management of projects.   In line with this question, research by Pinto (2010) has revealed four different ways in which organisational culture can influence project management. Firstly, culture impacts the ways in which teams and departments communicate and interact with each other when faced with tasks and goals. Secondly, organisational culture influences the attitudes that employees hold towards project goals. Thirdly, culture affects the planning that takes place in preparation for a project. Finally, culture impacts the ways in which managers evaluate project team performance and a project’s success. Using this research as a grounding framew ork, the current study addresses the paucity of research on the impact of organisational culture on project management and aims to delve further into an understanding of the different ways in which culture exerts its impact using an inductive approach. The findings may, in turn, make significant theoretical and applied contributions. In the former case, the research will provide support for a previously under-studied topic. In the latter case, a greater emphasis on project managers in relation to the organisational culture may challenge the â€Å"not invented-here† mind-set (Tidd Bessant, 2009) in which organisations resist change and fail to see the potential of new ideas and inventions. By understanding the relationship between organisational culture and project management, this research will point to the mechanisms such as training of the necessary staff and effective communication that will accommodate changes and bring about enthusiasm, commitment and a sense of involve ment for all employees and managers (Tidd Bessant, 2009). Extra References: Andersen, E. S., Grude, K. V., Haug, T. (2004). Goal directed project management: effective techniques and strategies. London: Konan Page. Brown, C. J. (2008). A Comprehensive Organisational Model for the Effective Management of Project Management. South African Journal of Business Management, 39(3), 1-10. Kerzner, H. (2001). Strategic Planning for Project Management: Using a Project Management Maturity Model. New York: John Wiley Sons. Pinto, J. K. (2010). Project Management: Achieving Competitive Advantage. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Free Essays on Final Anthropology Essay

Anthropology Final Exam Essay One This course has provided interesting field studies of cultures that are drastically different than what I would consider â€Å"everyday life.† Anthropology examines not only who we are as a people, but also, importantly, who we were as a people. The studies of past cultures is a good place to start to answer questions about societies and cultures today, and to bridge together the gap between the past and present, and maybe even predict where we are headed in the future. Anthropology spans millions of generations, examining the physical and cultural characteristics of humankind. Often the artifacts recovered from a past civilization can tell us a great deal about how those people lived, their level of technology, their patterns of subsistance, and so on. Anthropology uses methods and tools from multiple scientific disciplines, such as the scientific method which allows the testing of falsifiable hypotheses. This approach seems to be a strong ba sis for many of the different areas of anthropology, namely archeology, ethnology, and linguistics. I had thought that male dominance and superiority (â€Å"man the hunter† model) was a highly conserved cultural characteristic in past societies, and even in many â€Å"less developed† areas of the world today. I was surprised by the case studies of the !Kung San (traditional foraging society, not sedentary), in which females were just as important as males in their culture. !Kung women controlled the food that they gathered, as well as any meat that was obtained through use of an arrow crafted by them. In a food foraging society, controlling the distribution of food is a definite sign of power. Digs have uncovered many clues about the origin of man, and how we can more accurately trace our lineage back to a common ancestor. I was unaware of the Austrolopithicus species, and thought that Lucy belonged to Homo. It is interesting to examine how the mechanisms of evolution. .. Free Essays on Final Anthropology Essay Free Essays on Final Anthropology Essay Anthropology Final Exam Essay One This course has provided interesting field studies of cultures that are drastically different than what I would consider â€Å"everyday life.† Anthropology examines not only who we are as a people, but also, importantly, who we were as a people. The studies of past cultures is a good place to start to answer questions about societies and cultures today, and to bridge together the gap between the past and present, and maybe even predict where we are headed in the future. Anthropology spans millions of generations, examining the physical and cultural characteristics of humankind. Often the artifacts recovered from a past civilization can tell us a great deal about how those people lived, their level of technology, their patterns of subsistance, and so on. Anthropology uses methods and tools from multiple scientific disciplines, such as the scientific method which allows the testing of falsifiable hypotheses. This approach seems to be a strong ba sis for many of the different areas of anthropology, namely archeology, ethnology, and linguistics. I had thought that male dominance and superiority (â€Å"man the hunter† model) was a highly conserved cultural characteristic in past societies, and even in many â€Å"less developed† areas of the world today. I was surprised by the case studies of the !Kung San (traditional foraging society, not sedentary), in which females were just as important as males in their culture. !Kung women controlled the food that they gathered, as well as any meat that was obtained through use of an arrow crafted by them. In a food foraging society, controlling the distribution of food is a definite sign of power. Digs have uncovered many clues about the origin of man, and how we can more accurately trace our lineage back to a common ancestor. I was unaware of the Austrolopithicus species, and thought that Lucy belonged to Homo. It is interesting to examine how the mechanisms of evolution. ..

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Non Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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System proposal assingment 3 - Assignment Example diagrams. The current Unirec system is a manual system where forms are given to customers to fill their health records and registration forms. Working hours for trainers are manually recorded, the same way as payments. The fittness protocols are written on a paper and the company does not keep personal records of customers. All these are problems which can be captured by the new system that is to be implemented. The new system will do away with unnecessary and excess paper work. It will also give room for expansion by accommodating more data that does not require much physical space for storage. The logical data flow diagrams of the current and new system are shown below An alternative system to this one would be a UniRec fitness management system that has a website where gym information is always available for everyone and people can register for membership online. Members would be able to access the gym staff from wherever they are saving on time and reducing chances of overcrowding and queues at the gym location. Another alternative system would be a gym management system that provides online gym sessions through YouTube videos. These videos are made by the gym instructors and people pay to access the videos remotely. The payments and membership registration details could be stored on a physical or virtual server. In both systems, customers would upload their medical records online, the records get approved by fitness consultants, then the client gets a go-ahead to sign up for training sessions. No paper work would be needed whatsoever. The customers, consultants, fitness trainers and the manager would each have their accounts from which they all see data that is relevant to them. The manager would however be able to see all the data in the system by simply querying the database. The database could be stored in a computer in the gym or on a virtual server over the internet, from which storage space is paid for. The new system will

MGMT402 U4 IP Labor Laws Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MGMT402 U4 IP Labor Laws - Research Paper Example This was a law formulated and passed in 1926 but later amended in 1936 that provides a legal framework for resolution of disputes through conflict resolution, mediation and bargaining instead of striking for the workers of railway and airlines. It also further extends to issues such as representation of employees and administration of contracts in places where the employees have representation by labor union (Twomey, 2012). The act has definitely improved the losses the railway and airlines organizations incur when the workers go on strike in protesting their work conditions or any other aspect of the work ethics and organizational culture. The mediation curbs the strike and ensures workers continue with their normal duties as negotiations and mediation continues. The relationship between the union and management has improved because of the National Mediation Board that is part of the labor law and which tries to maintain civility between the two parties for the sake of the workers. In short, the union puts its demands and the management retaliates by negotiating the terms and finally coming up with an agreement but in the end the workers benefit. This was an act passed in 1932 that ensured removal of legal barriers against the trade unions. The act other than barring the federal courts from issuing injunctions on unions following labor disputes, it also ensured that employers did not interfere with the rights of their workers to join trade unions. Prior to the act being enforced, employees upon employment were forced to sign contracts (yellow-dog contracts) that prohibited them from joining labor unions but this was prohibited by the courts (Cihon and Castagnera, 2013). The relationship between the union and management was sour as the management saw the union as an obstacle while the union viewed the management as out to

Robert Rauschenberg's tactics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Robert Rauschenberg's tactics - Essay Example Abstract expressionism refers to the art movement that emerged and gained impetus after the Second World War. It was considered as the first most important US movement towards the achievement of a global influence and power. The movement was aimed at positioning New York at the heart of the western world art; a position that was previously held by Paris. At the time that Abstract expressionism was gaining popularity in the 1950s, art in the form of combined manufactured goods was also on the rise. Artists had started to bring about changes in their art, inculcating household items and items of daily use into artwork. This type of art is seen in the works of Robert Rauschenberg, more specifically in his combines. His combines were the classic precursors of the Pop Art movement that Rauschenberg became interested in after the 1950s. Rauschenberg was an artist who entered art at the time Abstract expressionism was in its heyday after the Second World War. However, he came to reject that form of art. Leo Steinberg refers to Rauschenberg's art as a flatbed image surface since his art came to compromise of ethnic and cultural pictorial representations and related objects. Such a form of imagery and art were in an open conflict with the previous forms of art practiced earlier which fell under the category of modernism and modernism. Rauschenberg was known for making use of found pictures in his work but he juxtaposed these images with real objects. His artwork is regarded as Neo-Dada.... His combines were the classic precursors of the Pop Art movement that Rauschenberg became interested in after the 1950s. Rauschenberg was an artist who entered art at the time Abstract expressionism was in its heyday after the Second World War. However he came to reject that form of art. Leo Steinberg refers to Rauschenberg's art as a flatbed image surface since his art came to compromise of ethnic and cultural pictorial representations and related objects. Such a form of imagery and art were in an open conflict with the previous forms of art practiced earlier which fell under the category of modernism and premodernism. Rauschenberg was known for making use of found pictures in his work but he juxtaposed these images with real objects. His artwork is regarded as Neo-Dada since it incorporates found elements as well as real objects. The found elements were initially used by artists such as Marcel Duchamp and Kurt Schwitters. Rauschenberg was motivated by the works of Schwitters and it was this inspiration that drove him to walk around neighborhoods, looking for objects to incorporate into his paintings. He was of the point of view that his combines should at least be as attention-grabbing as events occurring outside the window are. The reason for such an assertion was that he felt that since he was making use of real objects in his paintings and collages, the artwork would resemble the real world more once it is completed. Rauschenberg worked with collages extensively and he built upon them and diversified the elements that could be incorporated into them by the process of silkscreening photographs.3 This opened a vista of opportunities and choices for him. He used pictures

System proposal assingment 3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

System proposal assingment 3 - Assignment Example diagrams. The current Unirec system is a manual system where forms are given to customers to fill their health records and registration forms. Working hours for trainers are manually recorded, the same way as payments. The fittness protocols are written on a paper and the company does not keep personal records of customers. All these are problems which can be captured by the new system that is to be implemented. The new system will do away with unnecessary and excess paper work. It will also give room for expansion by accommodating more data that does not require much physical space for storage. The logical data flow diagrams of the current and new system are shown below An alternative system to this one would be a UniRec fitness management system that has a website where gym information is always available for everyone and people can register for membership online. Members would be able to access the gym staff from wherever they are saving on time and reducing chances of overcrowding and queues at the gym location. Another alternative system would be a gym management system that provides online gym sessions through YouTube videos. These videos are made by the gym instructors and people pay to access the videos remotely. The payments and membership registration details could be stored on a physical or virtual server. In both systems, customers would upload their medical records online, the records get approved by fitness consultants, then the client gets a go-ahead to sign up for training sessions. No paper work would be needed whatsoever. The customers, consultants, fitness trainers and the manager would each have their accounts from which they all see data that is relevant to them. The manager would however be able to see all the data in the system by simply querying the database. The database could be stored in a computer in the gym or on a virtual server over the internet, from which storage space is paid for. The new system will

Robert Rauschenberg's tactics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Robert Rauschenberg's tactics - Essay Example Abstract expressionism refers to the art movement that emerged and gained impetus after the Second World War. It was considered as the first most important US movement towards the achievement of a global influence and power. The movement was aimed at positioning New York at the heart of the western world art; a position that was previously held by Paris. At the time that Abstract expressionism was gaining popularity in the 1950s, art in the form of combined manufactured goods was also on the rise. Artists had started to bring about changes in their art, inculcating household items and items of daily use into artwork. This type of art is seen in the works of Robert Rauschenberg, more specifically in his combines. His combines were the classic precursors of the Pop Art movement that Rauschenberg became interested in after the 1950s. Rauschenberg was an artist who entered art at the time Abstract expressionism was in its heyday after the Second World War. However, he came to reject that form of art. Leo Steinberg refers to Rauschenberg's art as a flatbed image surface since his art came to compromise of ethnic and cultural pictorial representations and related objects. Such a form of imagery and art were in an open conflict with the previous forms of art practiced earlier which fell under the category of modernism and modernism. Rauschenberg was known for making use of found pictures in his work but he juxtaposed these images with real objects. His artwork is regarded as Neo-Dada.... His combines were the classic precursors of the Pop Art movement that Rauschenberg became interested in after the 1950s. Rauschenberg was an artist who entered art at the time Abstract expressionism was in its heyday after the Second World War. However he came to reject that form of art. Leo Steinberg refers to Rauschenberg's art as a flatbed image surface since his art came to compromise of ethnic and cultural pictorial representations and related objects. Such a form of imagery and art were in an open conflict with the previous forms of art practiced earlier which fell under the category of modernism and premodernism. Rauschenberg was known for making use of found pictures in his work but he juxtaposed these images with real objects. His artwork is regarded as Neo-Dada since it incorporates found elements as well as real objects. The found elements were initially used by artists such as Marcel Duchamp and Kurt Schwitters. Rauschenberg was motivated by the works of Schwitters and it was this inspiration that drove him to walk around neighborhoods, looking for objects to incorporate into his paintings. He was of the point of view that his combines should at least be as attention-grabbing as events occurring outside the window are. The reason for such an assertion was that he felt that since he was making use of real objects in his paintings and collages, the artwork would resemble the real world more once it is completed. Rauschenberg worked with collages extensively and he built upon them and diversified the elements that could be incorporated into them by the process of silkscreening photographs.3 This opened a vista of opportunities and choices for him. He used pictures

Evidence Based Practice Essay Example for Free

Evidence Based Practice Essay To achieve a high quality of healthcare and to keep up with the increasing pace of clinical advances in the field of midwifery, using women’s experiences and statistics within evidence based practice is probably the best research evidence. Evidence based practice is ‘The conscientious and judicious use of current best evidence in conjunction with clinical expertise and patient values to guide health (and social) care decisions’. (Sackett et al 2000). The main aims of this assignment are to outline what qualitative and quantitative data are, how they are used in evidence based practice and to outline the key differences between these two methods. Two research papers, on qualitative and one quantitative will also be compared with respect to the key methodological differences used within the papers. Qualitative research looks to explore a particular subject or question more in depth and is often used to research into a topic where there is unknown information. This type of research is more useful when answers are needed to what, how and why and when in-depth questions need to be answered and they cannot be done numerically. The researcher is looking to develop an in-depth understanding of this topic. Qualitative research uses small sample groups and the methods of collecting the information are often open ended questions in the form of in-depth interviews and focus groups. The participants used have generally had exposure to the phenomenon in the particular study. Qualitative research is less numerically measurable and results are often exposed as themes or trends presented in a narrative. Qualitative research’s aim is subjective. Quantitative research looks to measure data within a study. It is only used when this data can be collected numerically. The sample size with this research is large and the researcher has no involvement with the participant making the research objective. Quantitative research uses structured closed question design and the results are expressed as numbers and statistics in graphs and tables. Within each research problem there is a process which is followed. The research process starts with a general problem, topic or issue. Within quantitative research the aims or objectives are generally associated  between the relationships of two or more variables. In qualitative research the aim is usually to gather a better understanding of the experiences of the subject area, a deeper knowledge so to speak. The research design with qualitative research is non structured, flexible and always non experimental designs. To select the participants within the research a technique called sampling is used. The qualitative sample size is often smaller and non-probability or a non-random sampling approach is used whereas with quantitative a larger more representative sample is used and the probability or the random technique is favoured. The findings are collected in a process called data collection with qualitative research they are typically textual unstructured interviews and open ended questions and with quantitative research the collection is systematic and structured often questionnaires or surveys with closed questions. The data is analysed using thematic analysis techniques for qualitative research and statistical analysis for quantitative research. The results or findings are then presented for qualitative research in a narrative form that is typically supported with direct quotes to illustrate the main points and themes from the data sources and with quantitative research statistics and graphs are presented in tables and graphs. The qualitative research paper is titled ‘Nobody actually tells you: a study of infant feeding’ and it is researching the infant feeding decision making process. The sampling size of the study is 21 and the women have been purposively sampled from a group of women known to have low breast feeding rates. These women were low class, low educational level, living in Tower Hamlets and Hackney in the United Kingdom and expecting their first baby. The women were told the research was about choices women make whilst looking after their first baby but the agenda was later declared. The research design used was a semi structured interview which was developed from four piloted interviews. The women had a choice of where the interview took place, all but three were interviewed in the home and a partner or relative could be present. The women were interviewed on two occasions, once early in pregnancy and then again in six to ten weeks after birth, using the grounded theory which understands and interprets peoples experiences, developing a theory that has been grounded from the data. The framework method of data  analysis was applied systematically using categories and themes identified by reading the transcripts. Nineteen women were reinterviewed at 6-10 weeks as two women had moved away, then the nineteen women remaining were sent a synopsis of their individual case analysis, feedback was received from elven women. The transcripts were analysed and cross checked using data from different sources with the results of the research presented in table form, one with the feeding outcomes and also a box with reasons for women being silent and not seeking help with postnatal difficulties. Also direct quotes from the women are presented in the research outlining some of the main themes of the subject discussed. The quantitative paper is about looking at preconception risks presented when there is a negative pregnancy test. It is a care programme which has been set up to help women who want to become pregnant by giving advice to the women who present with these certain risk factors. The potential to assist women is known as the hypothesis, the risk factors are known as the independent variables with pregnancy being the dependent variable. An experimental method was used with randomised controlled trial which is where the participants are allocated by random allocation into two or more groups. The study was longitudinal because the data was collected over time approximately two years and two months. From the 1570 pregnancy tests 1106 were negative to which 262 women were approached. A registered nurse approached the women who had produced the negative pregnancy tests; the nurse was experienced in family planning and contacted the women within certain hours. The preconception risk assessment w as then offered to 170 women. With a flip of a coin done so by the registered nurse the participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group or a usual care group. The women within the usual care group and the clinician for this group received no feedback. Whereas the women in the intervention group were told of the risks identified and were given an appointment with a clinician. Preconception Risk Surveys (PRS) were given out to all women by a research assistant who was blinded to the group assignment. The PRS was defined as a screening tool to assess being ready for pregnancy and to identify any medical and psychosocial risk factors. The survey took approximately twenty-five minutes to complete. The women in the usual care group were  offered appointments for a family planning visit to discuss the risks and the women in the intervention group received a booklet. Each woman was contacted via a telephone call a year on to ask whether the clinicians had tackled the risks identified and whether the women had become pregnant. The rates of intervention between these two groups were compared and these differences were first analysed using intent to treat design. Subgroup analysis was also conducted which was only done on the women who had visited at least once during the follow up year. The results were presented in numerical tables and pie charts. When the groups were compared when there was at least one risk addressed there were no significant differences. But for the usual care and intervention groups combined the risk categories varied considerably combined with the chance of a risk being addressed. It can be concluded that evidence based practice is an important tool to use when there is a need to achieve a high quality of health care. Evidence based practice enables the researcher to get what they require using the current and best evidence available. Depending on what information is required and from what sample size and the questions needed to be asked then depends on what research method is used, be it qualitative or quantitative research. One criticism of the qualitative research paper could be the sample size used, there were only twenty one women used over a period of time with two dropping out so if any more had dropped out there would have been a low transferability. Also from this small sample it could be difficult to be systematic comparisons as well as some of the feedback could be the researcher’s interpretation. The paper did bring out key points amongst women but it’s the analysing of this data that could be difficult as women use different languages and with the open ended questions asked there will be a lot of talk to bring together into set themes although some common themes were found. In the quantitative research paper there was a very large sample used with different variable which didn’t have a great impact on the end results. In the majority of women the risks were not addressed so if there was further research in the future this should demonstrate some ways to help and motivate both clinicians and women to address the preconception risks and interventions should be initiated to lower the risk status.

African Insurgency Groups: Causes and Responses

African Insurgency Groups: Causes and Responses Daniel Silberstein In response to a spate of violent attacks from the Kenyan capital to the coast President Uhuru Kenyatta has decreed that they â€Å"will not flinch in war against terrorists†, specifically against the Al-Shabaab militant group headquartered in Somalia. His publicly declared position of a robust, aggressive, and continued response against what he refers to as an, â€Å"extremist caliphate† intent on asserting dominance in the region, is certain to be met with both solidarity and criticism amongst Kenyans, Africans, and the global community. Nigeria, home to Africa’s largest economy (according to an April BBC report) also finds itself on the brink of a larger conflict. Flanked by militant insurgency, attributed mostly to the Boko Haram, in the north and the new capital of piracy on its southern shores. The reverberations of these conflicts are uncertain. But, in order to foresee, and perhaps assuage, the consequences of this campaign, and to limit the devastation w e are likely to witness, it is paramount that international interventions adapt and correlations be drawn between this rising contention and contemporary conflicts that define modern warfare. Firstly, this should not be perceived as merely a symptom of the popularized narrative of another African affliction. This is to say that, historically, aggressions were relatively limited in regional scope. This does not downplay the reprehensible past conflicts in Africa: the horrors of genocide – such as Rwanda, Darfur, etc. and entrenched prolonged warfare – such as Mali, Democratic Republic of Congo, etc. This is simply, and necessarily, to illustrate that the ramifications of warfare in Africa is quickly becoming a global hazard. The overwhelming contribution to this crises so far? Money, and quite literally tons of it. A 2009 WSJ article by Dambisa Moyo estimated over $1 trillion in fact. So, while the hopes of assisting in curtailing violence and degradation in the region have existed for decades, through foreign aid and, military and political partnerships, it is apparent that the structures in place for facilitation and management have failed to meet expectations. The current system of aid in Africa has become almost farcical. Broad strokes of assistance have missed the mark at best and have been actively harmful at worst. Much of the governmental fixtures that have grown from the influx of poorly distributed aid have actually stifled the genuine progress of their respective constituencies. Political institutions have propagated mostly as middle-men, profiteering from the flow of aid. In 2013, Transparency International placed all but five Sub-Saharan nations on the bottom half of its corruption rankings list. A new course of action is imperative to foster safety and augment economic growth. A discourse about the patronage of wealthy nations in intelligent intervention and investment is becoming more and more vital. That being said, undeterred by turmoil Africa is on the verge of a new day. Racked between geo-political vestiges of imperialism and vulnerable as potential prey to an aloof globalized economy, the region has desperately been seeking for a foothold of stability since the end of WW2. Despite a gridlock of corruption, sectarian violence, and humanitarian disasters, this century is poised to see African nations propelled into an elevated global status, both politically and economically. Countries like Botswana, Angola, and many others are experiencing an enormous growth in their middle-class sectors, which according to â€Å"The Economist† is projected to equal India’s middle-class sometime in 2015. While not the equivalent of the Western standard for middle-class this, consumer base will exponentially increase the marketability and influence of Africa’s economic bids. The consequences of increased economic pertinence is apparent throughout. A budding group of billi onaires speckle the continent, twenty-nine in fact according to Forbes in March. This is up from twenty only one year earlier. Granted, many are South African or hail from Northern Africa, countries not normally framed with Sub-Saharan Africa, but the proximity itself imparts salience. While functional and profitable large businesses develop, along with a stable middle-class, many African nations’ governments are beginning to politically mature. Even pockets of success from more circumspect aid programs exist, especially with micro-grants and loans to ground-level African entrepreneurs, demining initiatives, and the proliferation of educational opportunities. Considering Africa’s historical failures, and a perhaps tenuous grip upon a wave of rapid development, what are the right answers to best facilitate peace and stability? The necessity of foreign aid and intervention still exists. Reevaluating the distribution and access of aid, and developing prudent intervention strategies to comply with measurable outcomes is the only hope for these nations to surmount the magnitude of adversity that haunts the continent. Invariably, it seems to me, certain criteria must be met before a nation can hope to flourish: security and stability, transparency and accountability, and the development of business and infrastructure. While these guidelines are by no means exclusive of one another, nor strictly chronological in implementation. However, some semblance of this order is necessary, especially considering the familiar detachment of government policies to the populations they manage. The regression of the security situation, particularly Nigeria and Kenya the rising stars of self-reliance, threatens to derail these upwardly mobile countries by the very real potential of a conflict whose scope can easily exceed any in African history. The most significant distinction of this rising conflict are the links to a well-funded and ambitious international terrorist culture. Though intelligence is inherently faulty when evaluating extremist groups, links between African insurgency groups and organizations like A l Qaeda and (if not already, certainly soon) ISIS are all but assured. In light of emerging conflicts with borderless extremist organizations, and new found wealth, African defense budgets have soared 65% since 2004, according to The Economist, greater than any other region in that time frame. Almost without fail, since the onset of the Cold War era, ballooning defense budgets are often indicative of impending crises, not only in terms of violence but in the cessation of civil liberties and international instability. To ameliorate this the sale of materiel must follow a strict and discriminatory guideline. This is why the international community must be cohesive and cognizant, even apprehensive, as Kenya and Nigeria embark on their very own â€Å"War on Terror†. Unfortunately, the profit margin for manufacturing in the lucrative arms market is quickly establishing a place in Africa. The same Economist article divulged that â€Å"four major European arms manufacturers have set up African subsidiaries this year†. These will no doubt become e conomic boons but they carry with them the latency of war. One of McNamara’s lessons becomes relevant, â€Å"Proportionality should be a guideline in war†, indeed both in the manner in which it is waged and in the prevention of needless aggression. Problems arise with inflated military spending, the accessibility of war and the justification of expenditures compels nations to treat every problem like a nail with the hammers of automatic rifles. This is the often overlooked criticism of drone warfare. They are often more precise, accurate, and less apt to error than manned machines. A drone pilot in Nevada, overseen by hordes of high-ranking officials and lawyers, is less vulnerable to primal survival instincts and rash decisions. However, accessibility draws us into conflict. When the fear of casualty counts are not smeared on news broadcasts, a sense of invulnerability obfuscates wisdom. In the face of a ravenous enemy it is understandable, though undesirable, that one seeks safety behind the acquisition of arms and muzzle fla shes. Some strides have been made in anticipation of incautious military action. The U.N.’s Forward Intervention Brigade and African Union Peacekeepers have had success in presenting a unified front; the term coalition should be avoided these days to avoid negative connotations. These organizations also lend some transparency to unilateral operations and a more honest assessment of the aftermath of military operations. Obviously these methods of waging war are by no means faultless, it is a step in the right direction. Mutual policing will be fundamental in preventing atrocity. Andrew Muzonzini, the lead for Zimbabwe’s external intelligence agency offers a precocious insight in a Business Insider Article that is in line with the appropriate approach, â€Å"Ahead of time, we should seek to understand (the Islamic State) modus operandi if we are to anticipate and predict challenges ahead†. This conclusion, hopefully shared amongst the milieu of African politics, will (hopefully) be indicative of a circumspect and deliberate course of action to repel extremist behavior. A strong internal defense approach combined with precisely defined and rigidly tailored tactical excursions, targeting only locally substantiated objectives, should be the tenets of this nascent conflict. The global community needs to facilitate such equitable actions. More valuable than financial support, more accurate than high-tech weaponry, we must impart the lessons of an ineffective and prolonged conflict. The manner in which we defend ourselves should not be so broad as to alienate us from the world at large. Africa’s Muslim population’s safety must be assured. Sovereign nations must not be disaffected. And perhaps in the end Africa may edify the global community on how to maintain morality when confronting monsters. What is Online Examination System? What is Online Examination System? Online examinations, sometimes referred as e-examinations, are the examinations conducted through the internet or in an intranet (if within the Organization) for a remote candidate(s). Most of the examinations issue results as the candidate finish the examination, when there is an answer processing module also included with the system. They can be used to efficiently evaluate the candidate thoroughly through a fully automated system that not only saves lot of time but also gives fast results. For students they give papers according to their convenience and time and there is no need of using extra thing like paper, pen etc. These examinations are conducted as open-book type examinations. Candidate is given a limited time to answer the questions and after the time expiry the answer paper is disabled automatically and answers is sent to the examiner. The examiner will evaluate answers, either through automated process or manually and the results will be sent to the candidate through email or made available in the web site. Today many organizations are conducting online examinations worldwide successfully and issue results online. There are advantages and disadvantages in online examinations. The main advantage is that it can be conducted for remote candidates and evaluation of answers can be fully automated for Multiple Choice questions and other essay type questions can be evaluated manually or through automated system, depending on the nature of the questions and the requirements. Also online examinations can be conducted at any time and does not incur higher cost as traditional exam scenario as there is no paper work involved(eg: printing exam papers, prepare paper admissions etc) , there is no invigilators, also no need of arrangement of exam centers. When comparing with traditional exam scenario the cost for an online examination will be almost zero after the online exam system is establishment and if maintenance cost is not considered. The disadvantage of the e-examination is the inability of invigilating. There are methodologies used in these examinations, when registering candidates and presentation of questions, so that to test candidates knowledge and skills. However with a limited time, candidate is not capable of totally depend on the reference materials or a supporting person. AIM OF THE PROJECT The aim of this project is to develop an online examination system by applying software engineering principles and best practices. The system will be built using popular Java/J2EE web technologies and framework available for web development. The system will be designed to be scalable, secure and robust. The online examination system will help in speeding up the process of conducting examination. Teachers will be able to create examinations by composing a set of questions. The questions can be multiple choice questions or single (text) answer question. The system will have the ability to automatically process the results of examination based on the question database. The system will have intelligent capabilities to mark the text based answers not only when there is an exact match, but it will also recognize similar answers by finding the synonyms of the words used in the answer. The system will also provide manual override feature where in the teacher can manually mark or update the result for an exam. The system will also have the capability to resume the examination from last save point, i.e., a student can stop the examination in the middle and can start again at any other time. When the student will start the same examination again, the exam will start from the same point where i t was stopped. The system will present a easy to use interface for Teachers, Students and Administrators. Once logged in, students will be able to see the examinations due and can take the examination. CHAPTER 2 BACKGROUND RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS EVALUATION OF EXAMINATION SYSTEM Paper -Based Examination: Paper -based examination are carrried out on fixed days and according to a fixed schedule. Therefore, the absentees rarely have another chance to take up the exam again. Moreover, they involve a lot of paper work (e.g. printing of exam papers, arranging answer sheets, etc ). The evaluation of these exam is also very tedious job,after the students complete their exams, theteacher has to mark each paper manually and then consolidate the result. This process is very cumbersome and takes a lot of time and hard work. Web- Based Examination: With the emergence of online examinations, the World Wide Web opens up the possibility of giving the exams online. The online examination system helps in speeding up the process of conducting examination. Teachers will be able to create examinations by composing a set of questions. The system will have intelligent capabilities to mark the text based answers not only when there is an exact match, but it will also recognize similar answers by finding the synonyms of the words used in the answer. The system will also provide manual override feature where in the teacher can manually mark or update the result for an exam. The system will also have the capability to resume the examination from last save point, i.e., a student can stop the examination in the middle and can start again at any other time. When the student will start the same examination again, the exam will start from the same point where it was stopped. The system will present a easy to use interface for Teachers, Students and Administrators. Once logged in, students will be able to see the examinations due and can take the examination. TECHNOLOGIES RESEARCH Web applications are either service oriented or presentation oriented. A presentation oriented web application involves generally mark up languages (e.g. XML and HTML) with dynamic contents responding to requests. On the other hand, a service oriented web applications implements the endpoint of the web service. Below is an analysis on Postgres, Hibernate, Spring and Wicket used to implement my project. POSTGRES PostgreSQL is an object-relational database management system (ORDBMS) based on POSTGRES,Version 4.2 (http://s2k-ftp.CS.Berkeley.EDU:8000/postgres/postgres.html), developed at the University of California at Berkeley Computer Science Department. The POSTGRES project, led by Professor Michael Stonebraker, was sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA),the Army Research Office (ARO), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and ESL, Inc. PostgreSQL is an open-source descendant of this original Berkeley code. It provides SQL92/SQL99language support and other modern features. POSTGRES pioneered many of the object-relational concepts now becoming available in some commercial databases. Traditional relational database management systems (RDBMS) support a data model consisting of a collection of named relations, containing attributes of a specific type. In current commercial systems, possible types include floating point numbers, integers, character strings, money,and dates. It is commonly recognized that this model is inadequate for future data processing applications. The relational model successfully replaced previous models in part because of its simplicity. However, as mentioned, this simplicity often makes the implementation of certainapplications very difficult. Postgres offers substantial additional power by incorporating the following additional concepts in such a way that users can easily extend the system: inheritance data types functions Other features provide additional power and flexibility: constraints triggers rules transaction integrity These features put Postgres into the category of databases referred to as object-relational. SPRING Spring Features Spring is a layered Java/J2EE application platform, based on code published in  Expert One-on-One J2EE Design and Development  by Rod Johnson (Wrox, 2002). Spring includes: The most complete lightweight container, providing centralized, automated configuration and wiring of your application objects. The container is  non-invasive, capable of assembling a complex system from a set of loosely-coupled components (POJOs) in a consistent and transparent fashion. The container brings agility and leverage, and improves application testability and scalability by allowing software components to be first developed and tested in isolation, then scaled up for deployment in any environment (J2SE or J2EE).    A common abstraction layer for transaction management, allowing for pluggable transaction managers, and making it easy to demarcate transactions without dealing with low-level issues. Generic strategies for JTA and a single JDBC DataSource are included. In contrast to plain JTA or EJB CMT, Springs transaction support is not tied to J2EE environments.    A JDBC abstraction layer  that offers a meaningful exception hierarchy (no more pulling vendor codes out of SQLException), simplifies error handling, and greatly reduces the amount of code youll need to write. Youll never need to write another finally block to use JDBC again. The JDBC-oriented exceptions comply to Springs generic DAO exception hierarchy.    Integration with Toplink, Hibernate, JDO, and iBATIS SQL Maps: in terms of resource holders, DAO implementation support, and transaction strategies. First-class Hibernate support with lots of IoC convenience features, addressing many typical Hibernate integration issues. All of these comply to Springs generic transaction and DAO exception hierarchies.    AOP functionality, fully integrated into Spring configuration management. You can AOP-enable any object managed by Spring, adding aspects such as declarative transaction management. With Spring, you can have declarative transaction management without EJB even without JTA, if youre using a single database in Tomcat or another web container without JTA support.    A flexible MVC web application framework, built on core Spring functionality. This framework is highly configurable via strategy interfaces, and accommodates multiple view technologies like JSP, Velocity, Tiles, iText, and POI. Note that a Spring middle tier can easily be combined with a web tier based on any other web MVC framework, like Struts, WebWork, or Tapestry. HIBERNATE Hibernate is popular open source object relational mapping tool for Java platform. It provides powerful, ultra-high performance object/relational persistence and query service for Java. Hibernate lets you develop persistent classes following common Java idiom including association, inheritance, polymorphism, composition and the Java collections framework. The Hibernate Query Language, designed as a minimal object-oriented extension to SQL, provides an elegant bridge between the object and relational worlds. Hibernate also allows you to express queries using native SQL or Java-based Criteria and Example queries. Hibernate is now the most popular object/relational mapping solution for Java. Hibernate maps the Java classes to the database tables. It also provides the data query and retrieval facilities that significantly reduces the development time. Hibernate is not the best solutions for data centric applications that only uses the stored-procedures to implement the business logic in database. It is most useful with object-oriented domain modes and business logic in the Java-based middle-tier. Hibernate allows transparent persistence that enables the applications to switch any database. Hibernate can be used in Java Swing applications, Java Servlet-based applications, or J2EE applications using EJB session beans. Features of Hibernate Hibernate 3.0 provides three full-featured query facilities: Hibernate Query Language, the newly enhanced Hibernate Criteria Query API, and enhanced support for queries expressed in the native SQL dialect of the database. Filters for working with temporal (historical), regional or permissioned data. Enhanced Criteria query API: with full support for projection/aggregation and subselects. Runtime performance monitoring: via JMX or local Java API, including a second-level cache browser. Eclipse support, including a suite of Eclipse plug-ins for working with Hibernate 3.0, including mapping editor, interactive query prototyping, schema reverse engineering tool. Hibernate is Free under LGPL: Hibernate can be used to develop/package and distribute the applications for free. Hibernate is Scalable: Hibernate is very performant and due to its dual-layer architecture can be used in the clustered environments. Less Development Time: Hibernate reduces the development timings as it supports inheritance, polymorphism, composition and the Java Collection framework. Automatic Key Generation: Hibernate supports the automatic generation of primary key for your. JDK 1.5 Enhancements: The new JDK has been released as a preview earlier this year and we expect a slow migration to the new 1.5 platform throughout 2004. While Hibernate3 still runs perfectly with JDK 1.2, Hibernate3 will make use of some new JDK features. JSR 175 annotations, for example, are a perfect fit for Hibernate metadata and we will embrace them aggressively. We will also support Java generics, which basically boils down to allowing type safe collections. EJB3-style persistence operations: EJB3 defines the create() and merge() operations, which are slightly different to Hibernates saveOrUpdate() and saveOrUpdateCopy() operations. Hibernate3 will support all four operations as methods of the Session interface. Hibernate XML binding enables data to be represented as XML and POJOs interchangeably. The EJB3 draft specification support for POJO persistence and annotations. WICKET Features Swing-like OO Component Model : Pages and Components in Wicket are real Java objects that support encapsulation, inheritance and events. Ease of Development : Because Wicket is Java and HTML, you can leverage what you know about Java or your favorite HTML editor to write Wicket applications. Separation of Concerns : Wicket does not mix markup with Java code and adds no special syntax to your markup files. The worlds of HTML and Java are parallel and associated only by Wicket ids, which are attributes in HTML and Component properties in Java. Since Wicket HTML is just HTML and Wicket Java is just Java, coders and designers can work independently to a large degree and without relying on any special tools. Secure : Wicket is secure by default. URLs do not expose sensitive information and all component paths are session-relative. Explicit steps must be taken to share information between sessions. There are plans for the next version of Wicket to add URL encryption to support highly secure web sites. Transparent, Scalable Clustering Support : All Wicket applications will work on a cluster automatically and without additional work. Once bottlenecks are understood, Wicket enables tuning of page state replication. The next version of Wicket will support client-side models for zero-state scalability. Transparent Back Button Support : Wicket supports configurable page version management. When users submit a form or follow a link from a page they accessed with the back button in their browser, Wicket is able to revert the page object to the state it was in when the page was originally rendered. This means you can write web applications that support the back button with very little work. Multi-tab and multi-window support : Wicket provides an easy way to write application that supports multi-window and multi-tab usage allowing developer to react properly when users open new browser window or tab Reusable Components : Reusable components in Wicket are particularly easy to create. Not only can you extend existing components with the Java extends keyword, but you can also create Panel components which associate a group of components as a reusable unit. Simple, Flexible, Localizable Form Validation : It is trivial to write and use validators in Wicket. It is also quite easy to customize and localize the display and content of validation error messages. Typesafe Sessions : Wicket eliminates the need to manage HttpSession attributes by hand. Page and component objects are transparently stored in the session and your application can create a custom session subclass with typesafe properties as well. All objects stored in the session can automatically participate in clustering replication. Factory Customizable : Wicket is very extensible. Most operations are customizable through factories or factory methods. Detachable Models : Model objects in Wicket can be very lightweight in terms of memory and network use in a cluster. When a model is used, it can attach, populating itself with information from persistent storage. When the model is no longer in use, transient information can be reset, reducing the size of the object. Border Components : Wicket Border components enable the decoration of pages in a reusable fashion. This is especially useful for inheritance of common navigational structures or layout. Support for All Basic HTML Features : Wicket supports image tags, links, forms and everything else that youre used to using in your web application development. Programmatic Manipulation of Attributes : Wicket Components can programmatically change any HTML tag attribute. Automatic Conversions : Once a Form validates, the model can be updated using Wicket converters. Most ordinary conversions are built-in and it is easy to write new converters. Dynamic Images : Wicket makes image use, sharing and generation very easy. Dynamic images can be created by simply implementing a paint method. Pageable ListView : ListViews in Wicket are extremely powerful. You can nest any kind of component in a ListView row, even other ListViews. PageableListView supports navigation links for large lists. Tree Component : Out of the box tree component for navigating and selecting nodes. Localization : HTML pages, images and resource strings can all be localized. CHAPTER-3 REQUIREMENTS AND SPECIFICATIONS The requirement analysis stage consists in collecting and analyzing information about the part of the organization that is supported by the application. This information helps us to identify the users requirements for the new system. This will enable us to define the various functionalities of the new system. The identification of the requirements is important as a system with incomplete functionality can lead to a project failure. 3.1 DATA GATHERING USER IDENTIFICATION Users of the system can be categorized as : Student Teacher Admin(Administrator) FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS The system aims to be an improvement on the existing one, the paper based system by : Fully automated system. Less time and effort consuming. Database should be well maintained with well structured database tables. The system should be scalable. Allow student and teachers to view the available exams. Allow student and teacher to view marks. Allow admin to manage the user system and exam system NON FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS Security : Each user is required to log into the system. This is done using a valid username and password. Login and password should be kept secret. Reliability : The system would be used by more than 200 students in the Computer Science Department, which includes academic and administrative staff. The system should ensure minimum downtime and be able to handle multiple requests. Ease of Use : All the user screens should be easy to use and intuitive. Contact details should be provided in order to get in touch with the administrator. Scalability : It is possible to extend the current features for future use of the system. Performance : The system should have a quick response time . DOMAIN REQUIREMENTS Specific functionality provided to the Admin: Manage User System : Admin can create a new user. Activate/deactivate an existing user.Admin can delete and edit a user. Manage Examination : Admin can edit an exam and assign exam to students. Admin can activate/deactivate any exam. Admin can also delete an exam. Specific functionality provided to the Teacher: Manage Examination : Teacher can create a new exam, edit existing exam. Create questions is one of the important functionality. Question can be textual or it can be single/multiple choice. Mark Exam : Teacher can do the marking of the exam either manually or it can be automated. Specific functionality provided to the Student : Answer Exam : Student can answer the exam assigned. View Point : Student can view the point of a question. He can also view his marks in a particular exam. PROJECT PLANNING Task no. Task Name Duration(days) Comments 1 Project Proposal 4 Deadline 30th September 2010 2 Requirements Specifications Ongoing Identify the users needs. 3 Research For technologies required by the system Ongoing Investigate the technologies to be used, the data structure. Identify important features which can be applied to the project implementation. 4 Architectural Design Ongoing Define different layers of the system and apply appropriate technologies to each layer. 5 Database Design 4 Apply Database schema provided by the School IT support team. Add necessary tables and relationships between them to make the application functional. 6 Prototype 3 Design Mock Interfaces of the application. 7 First Inspection 1 Start on 10th October 2010 8 Design Model 7 Class Diagrams Sequence Diagrams 9 Coding Phase 28 It will include connections to the database server. Develop the interfaces. And implement the functionalities of the system. Deadline 10th December 2010 10 Testing 5 Test all the features of the web application. 11 Final Inspection 1 Start on 20th December 2010 12 Dissertation Ongoing Write the dissertation. 13 Dissertation Submission 1 Deadline 7th January 2011 CHAPTER-4 SYSTEM AND DATABASE DESIGN 4.1 DATABASE DESIGN Table Name Description Answer Answer table is used to save all answer of student and right answer of teacher for each question configuration Configuration is used to save configuration information such as: term condition, mark ratio Examination Examination table is used to save exam Examuser ExamUser table is used to save user Question Question table is used to save question Role Role table is used to save role information studentexamination StudentExamination table is used to save the students which are assigned a particular exam. One student can have many examination and one examination can belongs to many students. user_role UserRole table is used for linking many-to-many relationship between user and role. 4.2 SYSTEM FUNCTION DESIGN At the start of the application , a Welcome Page is displayed. On the left side there are three buttons namely Home, Help and Log in. To log into the application , the user has to press the log in button. It displays a login page. The user is prompted to enter a username and a password. Any wrong login using invalid username and password will generate error message requiring the user to try again. During the user authentication check, the system will determine the type of user (admin, student,teacher) and redirect the user to the correct page with appropriate features. ADMINPAGE If the user logged in is admin, then Adminpage shows up. It has the following links Manage Examination : Admin can manage the Examination System. It can view all the examinations created. The Admin can assign students the exams. Manage User : Admin can manage the User System. This is used to manage the user data. Admin can create a new user, edit an existing , delete a user, enable / disable a user. Configuration : This is used to change the configuration of the exam like terms conditions and the marks ratio. ROLE OF ADMIN CREATE USER When the admin opts to create a new user, he inputs the user information like firstname, lastname, e-mail , username, password, course, role in the user management system. There it is checked whether the user exists or not, and the user information entered is valid or not. If it is valid it is saved into the database. Otherwise, an error message is displayed. ACTIVATE/DEACTIVATE A USER Admin can activate/deactivate any user. For this admin chooses a user from the user system, activate/deactivate the user. Then save it into the database. MANAGE EXAMINATION Admin can assign a particular exam to students. Admin can activate or deactivate any exam. TEACHER PAGE If the user logged in is teacher, Teacherpage shows up. It has the following links : Manage Examination : This is used to manage the existing exams in the database. A teacher can edit exam, create questions for a particular exam, view questions of a exam and mark a exam manually. Create Question : This is used to create question. A question can be textual, single choice or multiple choice. A teacher can also edit the existing questions in the database. Create Examination : This is used to create a new exam. Help : This is to help the teacher in creating a question. ROLE OF TEACHER CREATE EXAM When the teacher opts to create an exam, he inputs the exam name, duration of the exam, description of the exam, mark type into the exam system. There it is checked whether exam name exists or not, duration of the exam is valid or not. If all is valid it is saved into the data base otherwise an error message is returned back to the teacher. A teacher can also edit the existing exam in the database. CREATE QUESTION When the teacher opts to create a question for an exam. He chooses the exam from the exam system and creates a question for it. In the question management system it is checked whether the question content is correct or not. If it is correct, it is saved into the database otherwise an error message is returned to the teacher. MARK MANUALLY When the teacher opts to mark an exam manually, he chooses the exam to be marked from the exam system. He iterates each question and marks them. Then he saves the marks into database. STUDENT PAGE If the user logged in is a student, studentpage shows up. It has the following link : View Point : This is used to view the point assigned to a particular student. Answer Exam : This is used to answer the exam assigned to the student. ROLE OF STUDENT VIEW MARKS A student can view his marks in any exam . ANSWER AN EXAM A student can answer any particular exam assigned to him. He can view point assigned to a question also. INTERFACE DESIGN Figure: Welcome Screen This is the Welcome Screen of our application. On the left hand side there are three buttons : Home, Help, Log in. These enable the user to get to Home Page, Help and Log in helps the user to get logged into the system. The same header and footer will be applicable to every page to preserve the consistency and integrity of the application. We use the ApplicationContext.xml file to define some Java beans like dataSource, SessionFactory, etc so that we can retrieve them in the application. In this way we can reimplement the classes and use alternatively different implementations by just changing the configuration in the ApplicationContext.xml file. Once you have a sessionfactory, your application asks the factory for a session. Your application will use Hibernate sessions to manage the persistent objects. An application context configuration file is created for the entire application named applicationcontext.xml destroy-method=close> ${hibernate.dialect} ${hibernate.show-sql} ${hibernate.hbm2ddl-auto} I need to define a web.xml File contextConfigLocation classpath:application-context.xml;classpath:security-context.xml org.springframework.web.context.ContextLoaderListener Deploying the application will create a database called exam as shown below in the Figure CHAPTER 5- IMPLEMENTATION AND TESTING APPLICATION IMPLEMENTATION Create User By Admin CreateUser.java String firstName = firstNameModel.getObject(); String lastName = lastNameModel.getObject(); String email = emailModel.getObject(); String course = courseModel.getObject(); ExamUser user = new ExamUser(); user.setUsername(username); user.setPassword(passwordEncoder.encodePassword(password, null)); user.setFirstName(firstName); user.setLastName(lastName); user.setEmail(email); user.setCourse(course); String selectedRoleName = roleModel.getObject().trim(); userService.createUser(user); Manage User By Admin ManageUser.java List> columns = new ArrayList>(); columns.add(new PropertyColumn(new Model(ID), id) { @Override public String getCssClass() { return numeric; } }); columns.add(new PropertyColumn(new Model(