Monday, September 30, 2019

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

Sunday, September 29, 2019

National Jazz Hall

QSO-640 Midterm Robert Wilson Question 1 The project that Mr. Rutland is trying to manage is establishing maintaining a National Jazz Hall of Fame(NJHF) in Charlottesville, VA. The NHJF was created and has been in existence for about one year. Now, Mr. Rutland has found that the Paramount Theatre in downtown Charlottesville, which shares it’s name with a famous jazz hall from the 1930s and 40s in New York City, is about to be demolished and would like to save and renovate the building as the headquarters for the NJHF.The Paramount Theatre would be where the NJHF would be located and provide a venue for a museum, archives and a concert center. This would also allow the NJHF to sponsor jazz festivals, workshops and scholarships. The museum would be used to remember great jazz artists, serve jazz enthusiasts along with education he public on the importance of jazz in American culture and history. Question 2 The stakeholders in this project begin with Mr. Rutland himself.After tha t, some of the other stakeholders include the board of directors for the NHJF, the City of Charlottesville departments renovating the historic district of downtown Charlottesville, the consultant hired by the board, other tourist attractions in around Charlottesville and in Western Virginia, they include Monticello, James Monroe’s house, and the University of Virginia. Other stakeholders would be the contractors employed to renovate the Paramount, possible donors to the project, they could be private as well as governmental such as the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.The potential jazz performers that are potential members of the NJHF are also very important stakeholders. If this is not a highly recognized and reputable hall of fame, some of these iconic jazz musicians will not want to be members of the organization. Finally, jazz fans as a whole are key stakeholders as well. Without them, there would not be a need for this type of attraction. Question 3 There are three major issues facing Mr. Rutland and the NJHF. They are: 1. Fund raising, 2. Building and leading a professional team to complete the project. 3. Marketing in order to promote the NJHF and gain national recognition.In order to successfully address these issues the following skills will be needed: Good communication skills – Since the PM will be dealing with many different type of people, groups and audiences, they will need to be able to communicate effectively on all of these different levels. They need to communicate with government entities in order to secure the necessary permits and inspections once the theatre is set to be renovated. They will have to speak with philanthropic groups in order to raise private funds for the renovation of the theatre along with donations to run the NJHF.In order to gain public funding, the PM will have to address government agencies such as the National Endowment for the Arts. For issue two, the PM will be the team leader and have to communicate well with each group of the project team. They will have to work with the different teams to create the renovation plan. Once that is done, they will have to work with many different contractors to secure bids before deciding on who will complete the renovations. Other groups that the PM will have to communicate would include the finance team, the procurement team and the budget team.As for issue number 3, the PM will have to work with several marketing firms who specialize in the work needed for the NJHF to establish national recognition. They will have to meet with many different firms in order to select the best one for the NJHF. Once that group is selected, the PM will be the interface to that group for the project. Communications with this group will of course be vital to the longevity of the NJHF. Ability to command respect – The PM needs to be to command respect from every group involved in each aspect of the project.With out respect, none of the groups will be â€Å"encouraged† to complete their assigned tasks. Also, without respect the project as a whole will not have any credibility. It is this respect and credibility that will help generate private and government funding. Also, if there is no respect in the project, the NJHF will not gain any respect in the Jazz community. Without that, why would any of the potentials jazz musicians want to be a member of this hall of fame? Conflict Resolution skills – this is a basic skill that every PM must have. Without it, no project would move forward.In this project, the conflicts could be many for all three issues. If the PM cannot resolve the conflicts that will arise from the renovation of the theatre alone, the other two issue will never come to fruition. Good knowledge of project management principles – Of all of the PM principles, risk management is key in this project. If you look at issue two, fundraising, what happens to the pr oject if a major source of funding becomes compromised? One real world example is the Boy Scouts of America. They received almost 40% of their annual budget from a donation by the American United Way.A few years ago, the United Way reduced their donation significantly. The BSA now receives only one percent of its budget from that organization. It was real blow to their ability to maintain their year round projects. In order to recoup this budgetary loss, they established the Friends of Scouting project. They now solicit donations from the parents of Scouts, former Scouts and other companies and non-profit organizations to fulfill the gap. The PM for this project will have to have contingency plans in place like the BSA has done.Be comfortable in an uncertain environment – This is a huge, multifaceted project that a PM can understand every aspect. The PM for this project needs to be able to manage well the pieces they know very well and have the ability to manage the pieces th ey are not so familiar with. They need to put the right people in place for the aspects of the project they are the least familiar. Say the PM is strong in construction but weak in fund raising, they need to find a good fund raiser and someone who is good with marketing. Question 4 I feel that Mr. Rutland does have credibility.He is a professor of History at the University of Virginia. I don’t think that he would have been able to have had jazz greats, Benny Goodman and Chick Corea join the NJHF National Advisory board if they didn’t feel that Mr. Rutland and the board of directors he established were credible. Having two famous jazz musicians like that on the board definitely adds credence and credibility to Mr. Rutland’s plan. Is Mr. Rutland a leader? A leader is defined as â€Å"interpersonal influence, exercised in situations and directed through the communication process, toward the arraignment of a specified goal of goals. † Mr.Rutland has shown tha t ability in the first year of building the NJHF. Mr. Rutland came up with the NJHF and locating it in Charlottesville, VA. He enlisted the help of his fellow jazz enthusiast, and created the board of directors for the hall of fame. After that he found a possible building location that, by name, has ties to the famous jazz era of the 1930s and 19402 in New York City. This would give the NJHF a headquarters with a credible and recognizable name. After establishing the board, Mr. Rutland went out to generate funds for the hall by applying for grants from philanthropic groups along with various government agencies.They were denied for two reasons, inexperience of the board members and the brevity of their existence. This could not be construed negatively toward the board or affect their credibility. Mr. Rutland also understood that the NJHF would need visitors to help generate revenue to continue the hall’s existence. He found that over half a million people visit the Charlottes ville area to see many other attractions. He knew he had to work with the various venues and tourist organization to help promote the NJHF as a viable attraction. Finally Mr.Rutland showed his leadership in hiring a consultant to help answer two questions. One, what is the interest level of the respondents for jazz and the establishment of a National Jazz Hall of Fame. The survey was conducted on a national level and on a local level. This allows Mr. Rutland to find out if people were actually interested in a Jazz Hall of Fame and if they would attend, jazz music as a whole, if people would be willing to donate money to such an organization, what services and events they would expect from the hall and what the average person interested in such a place would be willing to pay for admission.This gave the board an idea of what kind of funding they could expect fromt eh public through donations and admission fees. Question 5 The cultures relevant to this project are the African-American , Cajun, Africans, and American. Jazz was influenced by different cultures and sub-cultures. The music also has roots in the development of other music movements around the world. In the US, Jazz has influenced, the Blues, R&B, Motown, Dixieland, Classical and Country music. Jazz is a melting pot of music as well having its roots in other genres.The project environment for the National Jazz Hall of Fame was a struggle to get off the ground, but was met with great enthusiasm. After the first year, even though they had many setbacks due to difficulties raising contributions from outside sources and finding out they needed at least $600,000 to renovate the theatre, Mr. Rutland and the board felt the project showed promise. Mr. Rutland did not seem to give up, but found other ways to promote and endow the NJHF. He tried to utilized the local tourism outlets, the NJHF promoted concerts to raise money and awareness.Mr. Rutland visited other halls of fame to gain ideas and insights into th eir success. He also commissioned a two surveys to gather information about the viability and interest the public would have for a jazz hall of fame. Question 6 Mr. Rutland should do the following: Budget- Philanthropic organizations – Since they had difficulties raising funds from these types of organizations due to a lack of experience on the part of the board, they need to hire an executive director with fund raising experience.This will give them someone with the proper background that these organization are looking for and a higher level of credibility. This will help solidify them as a true purveyor of a hall of fame for Jazz. Government Agencies – Once they have a qualified executive director and have been established for over two years, they should reapply for government funds from groups like the National Endowment for the Arts. They will be able to get enough funds so that they may even begin to renovate the theatre. Donations – The survey showed that they could receive an average of $23. 0 per donation. They should pursue a low cost way of garnering these donations in order to increase their bottom line. The survey targeted individuals over 35 years old with an income of $50,000+. Perhaps they can target other age and income range along with woman. Memberships – These are an excellent way to raise money. You can usually provide a few low cost incentives to individuals and they will pay a little more of an admission fee to benefit from those perks. However, at this time, without an actually facility for the hall of fame, memberships may be something they should wait on.It was recommended that they pursue Founding Memberships. This would be a more viable option until it is decided on where the actual NJHF will be located. Everyone likes to say that they were the first ones to be involved in a new endeavor. Visitors – The survey found that the average admission fee could be $3. 50. This is a good price considering how many tourists visit the Charlottesville area. Again, until a facility if build and functional, this idea should be set aside. Budget – Expenditures. The Paramount Theatre is the NJHF’s largest expenditure at $600,000.Other expenditures are the cost of the surveys. Future costs will be setting up the Founding Membership accounts, the regular memberships (if any), the salary of the executive director and all of the operational costs of an office for that individual. There will also have to be a budget for correspondence, fliers for concerts and workshops, etc. A Travel budget for the executive director will be required as well. Performance: service/activities The NJHF will have to continue to sponsor concerts and workshops.This will help them promote their mission along with getting their name out there. Offering a scholarship will help as well. This would also help gain credibility with the National Association of Jazz Educators. Competition – The NJHF needs to work with their competition. This will allow them to learn about how they are doing things. What works and what does not. It could also give them an opportunity to create an association with other hall of fames. This would make them appear more established. They could use their competitions success to their advantage.Schedule – First thing would be to hire an experience executive director. I think the NJHF’s first window of opportunity will come when they have been around for over two years so they qualify for government funding. Their first milestone could be signing up their first Founding Member. This would give them a good jumping off point to establish a large group of Members. http://businessmanstar. blogspot. com/2012/01/national-jazz-hall-of-fame-njhf-case. html http://www. expertprogrammanagement. com/2009/06/required-skills-to-be-a-program-manager/

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Cfa Study Outlines Essay Example for Free

Cfa Study Outlines Essay   CFA Curriculum/Blue box examples/EOC problems Month 5: Schweser Slides=>Take practice exam (8X) BOOT CAMP strongly recommended (Creighton University provides an exceptional LIII Boot Camp—Marc Lefebvre teaches the course and has put together an impressive strategic outline) Question Format – Morning: Essay ? Focus on writing key words (study previous actual CFA exam answers and learn what these key words are—just remember that the CFA guideline answers are also considered â€Å"perfect† so don’t think you must include everything stated) ? The morning essay questions are the least correlated with questions from the actual CFA curriculum; therefore, it is absolutely necessary to study past actual CFA Level III exams and familiarize yourself with how they’ll ask questions—you’ll be surprised at how well you may know the material but not quite understand what the questions are asking for – Afternoon: Item Set Multiple Choice ? READ THE QUESTION FIRST! 90% of all questions asked follow the item set chronologically (first portion of item set relates to 1st question, 2nd portion relates to 2nd question, etc. First paragraph is usually an introduction that can be skipped to save time) Special emphasis on essay format (master your timing—Individual Investor IPS/Return Calculation should take < 10 min). DO NOT rely on year to year correlations in question types—expect ANYTHING to be tested – Prior exams are published and are a necessary resource CFA Practice Exam only includes the afternoon item set section; you must take Schweser practice tests/actual prior CFA Level III exams to incorporate the morning session – One of your top goals should be to finish the morning session; many candidates have failed due to the inability to finish—you’ll be surprised at how many extra points you can earn just for taking educated guesses – CFA Level III exam is by far the most difficult although the material is a breeze. Therefore, you must conceptualize the material rather than rely on pure memorization. Special Note: For Level I candidates, place special emphasis on ethics and portfolio management concepts. An in-depth understanding of both saves time from LII and LIII down the road. Memorize Code & Standards and read ALL ethics examples! Portfolio management concepts such as portfolio standard deviation and portfolio variance are recurring concepts that are extremely important for LIII. Taken Directly from the CFA Institute Website Cfa Study Outlines. (2018, Oct 14).

Friday, September 27, 2019

Relativism, Socrates & Plato, Aristotle's Virtue Ethics, Aristotle II Essay

Relativism, Socrates & Plato, Aristotle's Virtue Ethics, Aristotle II - Essay Example While the former deals only on the â€Å"what is†, the latter is concerned about â€Å"what ought to be†. As such, descriptive ethics looks into the morality of a person in particular or an entire society in general based on the actual conduct and behavior of the people under observation while normative ethics insist that human conduct and behavior must be measured against a universal set of prescribed moral norms which civilizations must follow and comply with. The third level of ethics is metaethics which is a study of the meaning behind ethical language and theories. It not only analyses and compares different moral standards; it also examines the significance and purpose of the ideas and concepts of ethics itself (Lutz 8). Moreover, these ethical theories may be differentiated from one another by looking into how they adopt the theory of relativism. On the one hand, normative ethics acknowledges that certain situations do arise which necessitate deviation from the p rescribed norms and thus require some degree of tolerance. On a case-to-case basis, a specific action is determined whether it is right or wrong by taking into consideration the specific circumstances which caused the deviation or non-compliance with the universal moral norms. On the other hand, relativism in metaethics takes into consideration the fact that people and societies come from different race, culture and set of common beliefs. Some degree of tolerance is given to the idiosyncrasies of cultures that are different from one’s own. As such, there is no absolute moral standard of right and wrong, rather, human conduct is measured against the prescribed norms of a given culture or group to which he belongs. 3.) Aristotle argues that ethics is the science of achieving happiness. What is his argument for this? What is happiness for Aristotle? And why doesn’t he think it is identical to pleasure? Explain the function argument and how it connects rationality with hap piness. What role do the virtues play in this argument? Aristotle argues that ethics is the science of achieving happiness because in order to be happy, a person must first conduct himself properly and attain his goals in life. For Aristotle, happiness is the ultimate goal of every person and the core motivation and driving force for all of our actions. Happiness is where all actions end and one will never stop until it is achieved. A person’s behavior and action can be likened to a pyramid which has a wide base of different goals for different needs. Then, as each goal is achieved, one moves forward and upward to another goal which brings him closer to the top where all other goals converge and end at point happiness. No matter how many or hard the obstacles and circumstances are, a person is motivated to move forward by the prospect of reaching to the top. Lest happiness be confused with mere pleasure, Aristotle expressly clarified that there is a world of difference betwee n happiness and pleasure, the latter being a mere emotion felt by a person when an intermediary goal is achieved. Throughout his journey to the apex of the pyramid, a person may feel pleasure as each specific goal brings him closer to his ultimate goal. Finally, according to Aristotle’s function argument, the function of man is to achieve rationality through different activities which call for the use of the human mental faculties. Human rationality is what separates us from plants and animals; we do not just exist in this world, we

Thursday, September 26, 2019

The Tear of Nature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Tear of Nature - Essay Example J and C.D 211). This paper will examine the zoologists’ activities and encounters, relating these experiences and activities with the current ecological issues. Understanding the ecology of different biosystems is the epitome of environmental protection. Motivation of the biologists When biologists Mark and Delia Owens got seized by the notion of resettling in the Kalahari Desert, their main motivation was to find an isolated site whose wildlife had no previous encounters with human beings, and thus would not be fearful of humans. They set out to examine the living conditions of renowned animals such as lions, brown hyenas and jackals. Their primary goal for resettling in the remote desert was to study wildlife in the Kalahari Desert and make calls for its conservation. For this, the duo settled in the Deception Valley, which is the remotest part of the desert. The biologists were knowledgeable of the effects of poaching on wildlife survival and sustenance, and sought to creat e awareness of these effects. This was primarily aimed at promoting a culture of awareness of the diversity of wildlife and promoting the protection of wildlife. Currently, especially following the drastic changes that have occurred on the environment, biologists and other environmental stakeholders have instituted a campaign aimed at saving the environment and ecosystems found in it. The main emphasize is on appreciating the input of all creatures in the biodiversity system called the Earth. All creatures, big or small play an integral role in environmental sustenance, which means the depletion of a single unit of the bio diverse environment has significant, detrimental effects on the overall environment. As zoologists, the Owens primary focus was on animals within the Kalahari Desert ecosystem. They were, nonetheless, agreeable on the essence of other forms of life within the ecosystem. These include trees and shrubs that fed the herbivores on which the large carnivores fed. Overc oming threats to their health and safety Water scarcity within the desert is a momentous problem, which proved quite taxing to the Owens. The duo had to ration themselves to meager seven gallons of water per week for all their needs that included cooking, drinking, bathing and cooling the vehicle’s radiator. Such water scarcity posed substantial threats to their health. Moreover, the cleanliness of the water was also wanting as it was infested by bees and collected twigs and soil (Ramawat 25). In ancient days, the Kalahari was characterized by a series of rivers and other water catchment sources, but currently only dry channels show evidence of the rivers. According to Mark and Delia, the dry channels nowadays lay next to slightly lofty sand dunes. Deception Valley, where the Owens settled is located on one of the aforementioned river beds. Water scarcity is currently a formidable ecological problem, which plagues many areas of the globe. Global warming as a consequence of en vironmental degradation is the cause of the water scarcity problem in the world. As people degrade forests by cutting down trees to create land for settlement and agriculture, people, in fact, degrade the quality of their lives. Water is essential for life as it constitutes a large portion of the human body. Environmental degra

Structured System Analysis and Design Method Research Paper

Structured System Analysis and Design Method - Research Paper Example Additionally, this methodology is believed to be a public domain, as well as is officially represented in British Standard BS7738. Basically, software development methodologies are a most important element of the software development sector which aspires to offer a structure for action and to gather, store, process and distribute information in an attempt to support the economic growth of information systems and software development that are well for purpose. In this scenario, structured systems analysis and design methodology is a kind of linear sequential process model through which software systems are designed and developed. Additionally, this methodology is considered as a representation of a pinnacle of the thorough document-led mechanism to design a software system, and differ with modern RAD (Rapid Application Development) approaches for instance DSDM (Samyal, 2013; Rouse, 2008; Patel, 2005, p. 75). In addition, one of the most attractive features of this software development methodology is that it divides a software development project into several manageable components, steps, stages and activities, and offers a mechanism for defining projects in a way that is easy to manage and control. Some of the major objectives of SSADM methodology are outlined below (Rouse, 2008; Samyal, 2013; Schumacher, 2001): Provides management team with effective control over the software development process Allows software development firm to make more effective use of skilled and new development personnel Facilitates software development team to build high quality systems The loss of staff does not affect the progress of projects Encourage use of computer-based tools for instance computer-aided software engineering systems Establish and maintain a structure for effective communications and collaboration between stakeholders in a project Moreover, this software development technique effectively manages all the aspects of software development life-cycle varying from the pha se of a feasibility study for the actual software development. Additionally, many software development firms use this methodology in association with various other approaches, for instance PRINCE and PRINCE2, which is effective in dealing with various activities of project management. In addition, this software development methodology forms a flow or a waterfall vision of software development, which is based on carrying out a series of steps, and all these steps are interrelated. Some researchers contrast it with the RAD model as it pre-supposes a need to conduct steps autonomously. As discussed above, structured systems analysis and design method divides the software development process in various stages which are outlined below (Rouse, 2008; Samyal, 2013; Schumacher, 2001): In the first step a detailed feasibility study is done to determine the feasibility of a project. Analysis and study of the current environment In this step different business system options are identified At t his stage system requirements are defined This step involves identifying various system options At this stage logical design of the system is developed Last stage involves the development of a physical design Furthermore, for every phase, structured systems analysis and design method forms a set of procedures, techniques and rules for communicating and recording information

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Service concept Service concept profiling The SERVQUAL model Essay

Service concept Service concept profiling The SERVQUAL model - Essay Example Global economic developments have transformed traditional relationship between the customer’s clients and suppliers. Emergence of new technologies and communication as well as the establishment of open trading global regimes has resulted in wide customer choice, and creation of alternative supply that is more transparent. Business Enterprises should tailor their products to suit the needs of the customers due to the fact that technology has evolved leading to low cost dissemination of information and customer solutions (Lee, Lee and Yoo, 2000, p.218). These transformations have forced business enterprises to carry out evaluation of the value they present to their clients. The new business environment has also emphasized the need to capture the value for provision of services and new products and in the process ensuring that the need of the customers are adequately met. A well developed business model will ensure the growth of the business enterprise and the absence of a busine ss model will result in the failure of the business, and failed innovation. This aspect is clearly evident in the internet market due to the fact that revenue creation is more perplexing due to customer expectations of free services (Lee, Lee and Yoo, 2000, p.228). Service concept is fundamental in business management. Service concept provides an opportunity for both the client and the supplier to identify their expectation as well as what not to expect from a product or a service. Services that are clearly defined provides the customer with a clear understanding of what the service offers with inclusion of what each service does not offer , for example, service limitations, eligibility, how to make a request for a service, cost and how to get assistance. An elaborate service defines internal procedures that are relevant in the provision and support of the service. So as to conceptualize a service, five key questions must be answered. These include questions on service description ( the type of service and where it can be found), questions that deals with self service and help (how to use the service being provided or how to get assistance), questions that touch on pricing and service cost (what is the price of the service), and finally questions that deals with service support and service delivery. The concept of service ensures that there is an overall accountability in the process of ensuring delivery of services is in accordance to the management life cycle and agreed enterprise requirements. Service profiling concept in business provides data and articulates logic and other proves that illustrates how a business delivers and creates value for its clients. It also describes revenue, profit and costs architecture that is associated with the enterprise that delivers the stated value. Factors related to a good service concept design are interrelated and is fundamental to business strategists questions (how does business enterprise create a sustainable competit ive merit and realize supernormal profits). In summary, service profiling concept in business entails creation and delivery of value and the process of converting value payments into profits. So as to realize innovational profits, business entrepreneurs need to ensure excellence in

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Alternative Energy vs. Fossil Fuels Research Paper

Alternative Energy vs. Fossil Fuels - Research Paper Example Indeed, alternative energy sources provide both the environmental safety benefits and reliability of energy supply not provided by fossil fuels. Early human beings used various natural sources of energy for their activities, notably wind, solar and water. But with the Industrial Revolution came the dependence on coal as a source of energy for American factories and later adopted worldwide. According to Brazier, this dependence borrowed from the primary energy source which came about in the same period; petroleum. The European-Americans brought a new meaning to this resource which had previously been considered as a nuisance by farmers. Altogether, coal, natural gas, and oil, considered as fossil fuels from animals and plants that existed millions of years ago, which were then buried underneath the surface of the earth and due to pressure transformed into combustible materials have been largely used as fuel. The first deposits of fossil fuels were discovered in the Cambrian period. Bu t the modern world has become more aware on the non-renewable nature of these fossil fuels and the negative impact of its by-products and has hence appreciated the use of alternative sources of energy including solar, wind and water. The current debate that surrounds the use of either of these energy sources calls for elaborate evaluation so as to ensure the sustainability of the environment and continued effective industrial processes. The current generation and distribution of power in most areas have been operated on fossil fuels, popularly coal. The portability of fossil fuels makes it easy for organizations to easily store and transport the energy source when needed, be it fuel oil to be used in a furnace or coal to be used at a coal plant.  

Sunday, September 22, 2019

In what sense are media audiences (a) active and (b) powerful Discuss Essay

In what sense are media audiences (a) active and (b) powerful Discuss with reference to the strengths and weaknesses of 'active audience' theory - Essay Example genre, subject matter, style), e) by time (e.g. primetime or daytime) Audiences originate both in society and in media and their contents: either people stimulate an appropriate supply of content, or the media attract people to the content they offer. To create the media audiences, we consider audience as often brought into being by some new technology as in the invention of film, radio or television or attracted by other channels such as newspaper or radio. Through the media source, the audience is thereby defined. (Mcquail’s Mass Communication Theory p.396) No one could possibly wrong to say that one cannot finish a day without encountering the media in any form. You may wake up to the sound of the radio, play an MP3 on your way to school, read billboards in the street and watch television or DVD movies in the evening. We are all therefore part of the audience if in any other way we experience such activities. In the early times, the media is used to persuade people to buy products through advertising, or to follow politicians through their propaganda. There have also been fears that the contents of media texts can make their audiences behave in different ways- become more violent for example. The effect of media to audience is highly influential. As agents of knowledge, the media is transforming its audience. (Hartley, 2007.). The ‘media’ that we think of today are actually the latest inventions. To go back through centuries and decades, things like computers, television, film, and photography would have seemed impossible to olden days. One hundred years ago is what we call the pre-media times where people made their own sort of entertainment such as reading, watching plays, or simply stroll around a park and mingle with some people getting some fresh air. Today, media has evolved in a great extent. The effect on the audience can be positive and negative. Theatre-sized audiences are accommodated so that

Saturday, September 21, 2019

A League of Their Own Essay Example for Free

A League of Their Own Essay The film begins with the commencement of the second world war and female baseball players are drafted into the All American Girls Baseball League, in the attempt to save the sport. With the induction of this league, the girls obtained the chance to show how women deserve an equal chance in sports, an opportunity to show their hard work and perseverance, and free themselves from the clutches of lower class life through success in the sport. The value of family was portrayed throughout the film and became a top priority for some of the players. In achieving a spot on a team the girls also had to conform to the rules and requirements that the owners of the league were demanding. To give this league the popularity it needed, the girls needed to work hard to be the leagues top players in every team. They all acquired the chance to go to training camps and try out for teams that would be placed into the league. The amount of work they displayed to get placed on the team showed that they wanted to earn the respect of the country and show that women could do more than just care for kids or be in charge of the kitchen. They worked extremely hard to show that women could play the sport as easily as men could. For example, this hardworking value was best portrayed by Kit, one of the individuals who played for the league. She got her sister to play because that was the only way they would take her and she did not want to stay on a farm for the rest of her life. Her persistent attitude helped her reach her goal and she became one of the top players of her time just like her sister. The family values are expressed greatly throughout the film by all the characters, but particularly by Dotti. Many of the women on the team had spouses in the army or back home. Dotti was the protagonist who was a girl with beauty and love of the sport like no other girl. What was different about her, besides being extremely skillful in the sport and never having a bad game, was that in her mind she was only playing while her husband was in the war. She loved the game, but her husband and family were always more important for her. The conflict between winning and her sister’s loyalty ended with her realizing that being friends with her sister was far more important than winning or playing in a baseball league. The women dealt with external conformity within the league because of the rules and regulations that the owners had placed on apparel and style of play. The women were required to wear a skirt outfit and makeup while they were playing. They were all forced to take etiquette classes and learn how to act like â€Å"ladies†. The women were upset with this because they had joined the league to play the sport they loved not to go out on the field and model for the fans. This movie was used to display that women were not inferior to men and to show how the game of baseball was used as more than publicity. The hard work and perseverance gave women in the united states a sense of hope and desire to succeed in a male dominated world.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Study And Analysis On Cash Flow Statements Finance Essay

Study And Analysis On Cash Flow Statements Finance Essay The Statement of Cash Flows is one of three very important financial reports that managers and investors look at when analyzing a companys past or present financial status. The balance sheet and the income statement are the other two reports. All of these reports are very important in running a successful business, but I personally feel that the cash flow statement is the most important. It is like the blood of a company since it would not survive successfully without it. Cash on hand can actually be much more important than income, profits, assets, and liabilities put together, especially in the early stages of our company. The cash flow statement tells us how much cash we have on hand after all costs are met. It shows how much cash we started with and how much we pay out. There are two parts to the Cash Flow Statement which are the top and bottom halves. The top half deals with the inflow and outflow of our companys cash. The bottom half of the statement reports where the funds end up. Just like the balance sheet, the top and bottom halves of a cash flow statement match. Knowing just how important it is to have cash on hand to pay the bills we want to make sure and review our cash flow statement regularly (How to Prepare, 2010). The top half of the cash flow statement deals with the inflow and outflow of cash. This tracks where our company gets our money and what we spend those funds on. Cash flow is a little more honest than an income statement, because the cash flow statement shows money coming in only when we actually deposit it and money going out only when we physically write out a check (How to Prepare, 2010). Because the cash flow statement reflects the actual receipt of cash, no matter where it comes from, the entries are a bit different from the revenue shown in a companys income statement. These funds are usually made up of gross receipts on sales, dividend and interest income, and invested capital. Gross receipts on sales represent the total money that we take in on sales during the period. Gross receipts are based on our gross revenue, of course, but they also take into account when you actually receive payment. Dividend and interest income is the income that we receive from savings accounts and other securities (Dividend Income, 2010). This is one of those amounts that are also reported on the income statement and should be the same as long as we actually receive the money during the period covered by the cash flow statement. Invested capital is part of the owners equity in the balance sheet. Although it does not represent revenue from our business operations and would not be part o f the income statement, it can be a source of cash for our company. The cash flow statement keeps track of the costs and expenses that we incur for anything and everything. Some of the expenses appear in the income statement and some dont because they dont directly relate to our costs of doing business. These funds consist of cost of goods produced, sales, administration, interest expense, taxes ECT. The cost of goods produced is exactly that, the cost incurred to produce our product or service during the period. Sales expenses are the same expenses that appear in an income statement except that paying off bills or postponing payments may change the amounts (. On to the bottom half of the cash flow statement which shows where our money is ending up. When our companys cash reserves raise the money flows into one or more of our asset accounts. The bottom half of the cash flow statement keeps track of what is happening to those accounts. This part of the Statement consists of changes in liquid assets and net change in cash position. With cash flowing in and out of the company, our liquid assets are going to change during the period covered by the cash flow statement. The items listed in this portion of the cash flow statement are the same ones that appear in the balance sheet. Raising the level of our liquid asset accounts has the effect of strengthening our cash position. In order to properly construct a cash flow analysis we have to look at three very important activities which are operating, investing and financing (Cash Flow, 2010). Operating activities are the cash components that are generated from the sales of the companies goods or products effecting the core business operation. These include the purchase of raw materials, production costs, advertising cost and even the delivery to customers (Cash Flow, 2010). Investing activities are straight forward items that report adjustments in the balances of fixed asset accounts like equipment, buildings, land and vehicles. Investing activities include making and collecting loans and acquiring and disposing of investments and property, plant and equipment (Investing, 2010). Financing activities are cash adjustments to fixed liabilities and owners equity. Cash increases when the company takes up a loan or raised capital, when dividends are paid out, cash decreases accordingly. Financing activities involve liabilities and owners equity items. They include obtaining resources from owners and providing them with a return on their investments, and borrowing money from creditors to repay the amounts borrowed (Financing, 2010). There are a few main objectives of the Statement of Cash flows one of which is to help assess the timing, amounts and the uncertainty of future cash flows (Revenues, 2010). This is one of the quarterly financial reports that publicly traded companies are required to release to the public. According to Investopedia, because public companies tend to use accrual accounting, the income statements they release each quarter may not necessarily reflect changes in their cash positions. The statement of cash flows is very important to businesses because it helps investors see where the company can benefit from better cash management. There are many profitable companies today that still fail at adequately managing their cash flow so it is important to be able to see where the weaknesses are in order to correct them. In conclusion the statement of cash flows is very important for companies and people that want to invest into a certain company. It shows how well a company manages its cash incomings and outgoings as well as showing how profitable a company might be or become. It is a very clear document to understand so that we dont fall victim to making a profit while still going broke. It is also helpful for the companies finance department so that they can see where the company stands in order to get more potential investors. It is a great resource to look at in order to recap a companys financial standing that most people are able to understand.