Genetic Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Genetic - Lab Report Example The effects of other processes, such as genetic imprinting, are important in determining the traits for other characteristics of the organism. Sequencing the genetic material of a species, and determining all coding sequences and their corresponding proteins are vital projects in the field of molecular biology. The human genome project had been successful in sequencing the DNA of humans (Venter et al., 2001). The studies of (Kyrylkova et al., 2012; Yu et al., 2012) determine the characteristics corresponding to a particular genetic sequence by preventing the transcription of the latter and observing the changes afterward. A sequence identified to determine a particular characteristic can also be used as a molecular marker to determine the presence or absence of trait, even without actually seeing it in the organism. For example, markers for sex can help distinguish between males and females in monomorphic species or their young. The objective of this experiment was to demonstrate the use of DNA samples to determine the characteristics of the organism, particularly its sex. Specifically, the activity aimed to isolate DNA from different sources, blood, muscle and feather. After purification, the DNA isolates underwent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using sexing primers 2250F and 2718R to replicate the sequence for sex determination. Agarose gel electrophoresis of the PCR products were compared with that of known male and female samples to identify the sex of the chicken from which the samples were obtained. Qiagen DNeasy Blood and Tissue Extraction Kit was used for extraction. Briefly, the tissues sample was lysed by incubating it in a solution containing 20 Â µl proteinase K, 4 Â µl RNAse A and 166 Â µl phosphate buffer solution (PBS) (blood) or 180 Â µl Buffer ATL (muscle or feather) for 30 min. After mixing with 200 Â µl Buffer AL for 15 sec, the DNA was precipitated by addition of 200 Â µl 95%

Critique on the Movie the Prince and Me Essay Example for Free

Critique on the Movie the Prince and Me Essay This modern Cinderella inspired love story is about a Danish prince Edvard who falls in love with a commoner (simple and shy) Paige Morgan. Edvard and Paige first meet at a bar where Paige works, their first meeting doesn’t go well though(oh I thought first impressions matter). The first day of classes they discover that they are classmates, seatmates and partners in organic chemistry class. They don’t go along for quite sometime until Paige teaches Edvard how to do the laundry and Edvard in return helps her with Shakespeare, this leads Paige to invite Evdard to spend the sem break (thanksgiving) at her farm. Here Edvard joins a go cart race winning the first price. At the end of the race Edvard has a fight with someone and then when he arrives home Paige patches up his wounds where Edvard kisses Paige for the first time. Is very obvious that Edvard and Paige don’t have much in common, we all know what they say that love is blind, opposites attracts. This story tells us that when people are in love nothing is impossible, the two discover their selves and accept although their many differences (too sad to say but in real life not many remain in love with their first spouse, I consider my family lucky). The part I really liked in this movie was when Edvard was heading back to Denmark and left Paige a message â€Å"the sky seems not until heaven clears†(Shakespeare) it reminded Paige that love is blind, that made her think and she courageously travelled half the globe to be find her true love.

Should Animals be Used for Scientific Research? Essay -- Animal Rights

Every year, millions of animals experience painful, suffering and death due to results of scientific research as the effects of drugs, medical procedures, food additives, cosmetics and other chemical products. Basically, animal experimentation has played a dominant role in leading with new findings and human advantages. Animal research has had a main function in many scientific and medical advances in the past decade and is helping in the understanding of several diseases. While most people believe than animal testing is necessary, others are worried about the excessive suffering of this innocent’s creatures. The balance between the rights of animals and their use in medical research is a delicate issue with huge societal assumptions. Nowadays people are trying to understand and take in consideration these social implications based in animals rights. Even though, many people tend to disregard animals that have suffered permanent damage during experimentation time. Many people try to misunderstand the nature of life that animals just have, and are unable to consider the actual laboratory procedures and techniques that these creatures tend to be submitted. Animal experimentation must be excluded because it is an inhumane way of treat animals, it is unethical, and exist safer ways to test products without painful test. Through many years, companies have tested animals to help prove that their products are safe for humans. This has become a very inhumane practice in which many animals are subjected to intolerable cruelty. Animals are treated cruelty because they are kept in cages with unhealthy conditions. Important aspects must be considered in the inhumane treatment of animals in research facilities. These aspects are focused in th... ...s, Animal Welfare, and the Slavery Analogy. 4 Jan. 2012. . Gargaro, Carolyn. â€Å"Animals Used for Medical Research.† Web blog post. Gargaro. July 1991. Gericke, Corina.â€Å"Why Animal Experiments are not Necessary.† Doctors against animal experiments Germany. 2005. "Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals." AALAS Foundation. 2005. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science. 2012 . Lin, Doris. â€Å"Why it’s Wrong to Test on Animals.† Animal rights Guide. April 2012.

How I Learned to Drive Analysis Essay

In Paula Vogel’s â€Å"How I Learned to Drive†, we follow our protagonist nicknamed â€Å"Lil Bit† on a gut wrenching, and downright disturbing journey through her adolescence, told as a series of narrations, monologues, and flashbacks with the occasional interjection of a PSA like voice over. The play recounts the physical and emotional abuse Lil Bit encountered from the ages of eleven to eighteen at the hands of her uncle Peck, while he teaches her to drive. The main flaw I saw in Lil Bit was that she is too smart for her own good. You see this characteristic throughout the play as she manipulates Peck. For example, it was most obvious for me when their roles of adult and child are reversed, and Peck is explaining to Lil Bit what a good boy he has been for not drinking. Knowing how much Peck lusts after her she offers him a reward for his good behavior in the form of undoing her bra. Another great example is when prior to her and peck going on a road trip and Lil Bit’s mother indicates that she has a sense of what Peck has on his mind, she responds by saying â€Å"I can take care of myself. And I can certainly handle uncle Peck.† At this point in the story she is only eleven. It’s hard to imagine a child of that age so grown up emotionally. Overall, most of the characters had likeable qualities, with the exception of the grandmother. I didn’t really like the way she meddled in the Parenting of Lil Bit. I liked â€Å"Big Papa† the best. He’s a crabby old timer who speaks anything that comes into his head with reckless abandon. It brought me some levity in an otherwise melancholy play. The climax of the play occurs on Lil Bit’s eighteenth birthday. She and Peck are in a hotel room, and she’s been ignoring peck for some time leading up to this meeting as he’s been sending her cards counting down to her birthday. Lil Bit is obviously conflicted about their relationship now that she has gotten older, but Peck is looking forward to a time when it’s not illegal for them to be together. This is creepy enough on its own, but when Peck drops the marriage bomb, the creep factor skyrockets. I was honestly disgusted at the idea of a man leaving his wife to be with his niece whom he has known since birth, blood related or not. Prior to the climax, one major event occurs and that is in the monologue that Aunt Mary delivers indicating that she knows what’s going on between Peck and Lil bit. The words used during this monologue, indicate to me a couple of key points about this character. First of all she is very intelligent. Her thoughts are well put together and the words she uses indicates to me that she has some sort of education. She is also very intuitive, she picks up on the subtle, non-verbal signals that peck gives off when he’s got something on his mind and presumably when he’s around Lil Bit. Also, the words used by Lil Bit in her different flashbacks have a direct correlation to her age. It’s obvious as you read them, that during the later ones she is forming more complex thoughts and emotions, which is indicative of growth. For the music in this play, Paula Vogel suggested period correct music spanning two generations. She mentions Motown several times, as well as Roy Orbison and the Beach Boys. Most of this music is romantic and happy with little hints of sexuality and sometimes-pedophilic references. For some weird reason the voice of the announcer in my head was played by the Moviephone guy. The car in the play was described as a Buick Riviera, but in my mind it was more like a Camaro or GTO. The main reason for this is the obvious relationship between Peck and his car. The way he describes the way the aggressive way men are taught to drive and the feeling of a cars’ response to your touch, just makes me think of those fast nimble sports cars. Taking place in the 1960’s, the costumes in my mind were bell-bottoms and flowered shirts, polyester leisure suits, and fringes all over the place. This was your typical 1960’s attire. I believe the overall theme of this play is about the effect of time on relationships. The relationship between Peck and Lil Bit starts out strong, for her and fragile for him. She has a strong male figure giving her attention while he is nurturing a relationship that he knows is illegal and immoral. As time progresses, the roles ultimately reverse leaving Peck with much confidence in the relationship while Lil Bit comes to realize the truth about it which leads to its demise. It just goes to show that time will always change relationships, jus not always in the way you imagined.

The Dictatoral Regime

Dictatorial regimes (also known as dictatorships) are one of the most well-known forms of government. In a dictatorial regime, an individual assumes sole power over the state and will go to great lengths just to remain in power. Dictatorial regimes are synonymous with corruption and violence, as dictators often put and kept themselves in power by plundering the wealth of their respective nations and brutally suppressing legitimate political dissent. The despotic nature of dictatorial regimes was very much felt in the 20th century, as the political history of this era was characterized with the emergence of dictatorships throughout the world.Definition and Stucture According to Merrian-Webster (2008), a dictatorship is defined as â€Å"a form of government in which absolute power is concentrated in a dictator or a small clique† or â€Å"a government organization or group in which absolute power is so concentrated† (Merriam-Webster Online, 2008). In a dictatorship, a sing le leader or a small group of leaders control all aspects of social and economic life. Constitutional formalities such as parliamentary sessions, judicial courts and popular elections are suspended.Dictators are often reliant on the military and the police to preserve their hold on power (Sedivy, n. d. ). Role of the Government and the Citizen The role of the government in a dictatorship is to exert immense control over the affairs of the nation as a whole by using threat and force to interfere in the lives of its citizens. The citizens, in turn, are expected to swear allegiance to the government, particularly to the leader itself. In a dictatorial regime, it is believed that the individual existed solely for the good of the state.Those who opposed this philosophy are immediately considered as â€Å"enemies of the state† (Hsieh, 1994). The Anatomy of a Dictatorship Aside from threat and force, dictatorships also capitalize on nationalistic propaganda. Dictators often use patr iotic mottos, slogans, symbols and songs in order to justify their iron-fisted rule. Under the guises of â€Å"protecting national security† and â€Å"defeating the enemies of the state,† dictators will then proceed to commit various human rights violations, such as torture, summary executions and warrantless arrests.In order to make the people side with them, they will resort to scapegoating, or the identification of a perceived common â€Å"enemy. † The most common scapegoats in a dictatorship include ethnic or religious minorities, liberals, communists, socialists and terrorists (Britt, 2004). Since a dictatorship is reliant on the military for its survival, dictators allocate very large amounts of government funds to the defense forces (at the expense of the domestic agenda).State censorship is likewise very rampant – mass media is subjected to government control, progressive militant organizations and labor unions are severely suppressed, free expres sion is openly attacked and artists and intellectuals who are against the government are arrested or even killed. To further protect their interests, dictators make cronies out of their countries' industrial and business aristocracy, appointing them to important government positions despite their lack of qualifications.Dictators are also the masterminds behind bloody and fraudulent elections – they engage in vote buying, manupulate election results and even have their opponents assassinated just to emerge as the winner (Britt, 2004). The Advantages and the Disadvantages of a Dictatorial Regime A dictatorship is often known to possess the advantages of efficiency and rationality. The dictator is also the decision-maker; hence, there is consistency and congruency between decisions and preference orderings. But a dictatorship, as discussed earlier, is more likely to result in the violation of individual rights and civil liberties.In addition, the political and economic policies of a dictatorial regime will only benefit the cronies of the dictator (Rea, 2003). Conclusion It has often been said that if power corrupts, then absolute power corrupts absolutely. A dictatorship takes this argument to a higher level by showing how a government can turn against its own people just to keep one person in power. A dictatorship may appear strong and invincible, but it is actually afraid of its own people. That is why it sows fear and hate among the people – so that they will be too busy fighting and killing each other to notice the illegitimacy of its rule over them.

Free Essays on War In Colombia

This research paper is based on the ongoing violence and war led by the guerrilla and organized groups in Colombia. Each of these groups has taken part in acts of civil disobedience, activism, and terrorism. These acts have not only affected the government, but also the country and its people, they have caused an enormous amount of death and destruction throughout the last fifty years. The specific situation that is going to be addressed occurred in June of 2002. According to the article which appeared in Colombia Journal Online, "more than 150 local government officials have resigned due to death threats from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)." However, that is not the only problem; the article also stated that the Army for National Liberation (ELN) as well as the United Self-Defense Units of Colombia (AUC) have also threatened these political figures by announcing that "any local official who resigns because of the threats [from the FARC] would be considered a `mili tary target'" (Leech "FARC Targets Local Officials"). Guerrilla groups have been in existence for a long time; but they have become much more violent over the years. Based on the surveys and interviews that were done, it was evident that most people do not agree with the ongoing violence that occurs in Colombia. According to one of the interviewees, "you don't always have to resort to violence - there are better ways to get your point across" (Castillo). Also, they all agreed that trafficking drugs, kidnapping, extortion, etc. were not justifiable ways to raise funds. It was said, by the other interviewee that although "trafficking drugs is going to make them millions of dollars, it is also going to take millions of lives and it is truly not worth it" (Bolivar). Also, the quotes that were taken from the newspapers, news magazines, and the journal agreed with the paper's point of view. They all included examples which were stated in this paper. Each art... Free Essays on War In Colombia Free Essays on War In Colombia This research paper is based on the ongoing violence and war led by the guerrilla and organized groups in Colombia. Each of these groups has taken part in acts of civil disobedience, activism, and terrorism. These acts have not only affected the government, but also the country and its people, they have caused an enormous amount of death and destruction throughout the last fifty years. The specific situation that is going to be addressed occurred in June of 2002. According to the article which appeared in Colombia Journal Online, "more than 150 local government officials have resigned due to death threats from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)." However, that is not the only problem; the article also stated that the Army for National Liberation (ELN) as well as the United Self-Defense Units of Colombia (AUC) have also threatened these political figures by announcing that "any local official who resigns because of the threats [from the FARC] would be considered a `mili tary target'" (Leech "FARC Targets Local Officials"). Guerrilla groups have been in existence for a long time; but they have become much more violent over the years. Based on the surveys and interviews that were done, it was evident that most people do not agree with the ongoing violence that occurs in Colombia. According to one of the interviewees, "you don't always have to resort to violence - there are better ways to get your point across" (Castillo). Also, they all agreed that trafficking drugs, kidnapping, extortion, etc. were not justifiable ways to raise funds. It was said, by the other interviewee that although "trafficking drugs is going to make them millions of dollars, it is also going to take millions of lives and it is truly not worth it" (Bolivar). Also, the quotes that were taken from the newspapers, news magazines, and the journal agreed with the paper's point of view. They all included examples which were stated in this paper. Each art...

Free Essays on Legalizing Euthanasia

Legalizing Euthanasia In early 1970’s Jean and Derek Humphry found themselves in a dilemma. Jean had cancer, and at the slightest sudden movement her bones would crack. Jean was in agonizing pain, which she could no longer endure. One night while Jean and Derek were in bed, she begged of Derek, â€Å"Find a doctor who will give us a lethal overdose that I can take.† After many restless nights Derek agreed and began his search for a doctor. He considered three doctors to nurse Jean back to health but was rejected. This was because the doctor would be subjecting himself to prosecution in court. The other doctor would suffer from malpractice in court and could not afford to lose his license in medicine. After being rejected, Derek asked a young doctor that he met years ago, who went under the name of â€Å"Dr. Joe†. Derek, Jean, and â€Å"Dr. Joe† met and discussed what would happen and exactly how Jean would want to die. Jean decided on taking capsules. Jean died in 1975 as she wished. Jean died a calm and peaceful death. She did not have to suffer for as long as a year. Jean ended her suffering with in an hour and Derek was happy knowing she would not be suffering. Several years later Derek met a woman by the name of Ann Wickett. The two of them fell madly in love and got married. Derek explained the situation that he and his ex-wife had gone through. Together they formed Hemlock Society and with that explained the proponents of euthanasia. In this case euthanasia was humane. It was humane because not only was it Derek’s choice but most importantly it was Jean’s choice too. Euthanasia gave Jean a final rest from all her misery since she found out she had cancer. Most importantly, it expedited a slow and inevitable death for Jean. Euthanasia should be legalized, because contrary to common belief euthanasia is a humane act. There are two types of euthanasia. Those two types are passive and active. Passive ... Free Essays on Legalizing Euthanasia Free Essays on Legalizing Euthanasia Legalizing Euthanasia In early 1970’s Jean and Derek Humphry found themselves in a dilemma. Jean had cancer, and at the slightest sudden movement her bones would crack. Jean was in agonizing pain, which she could no longer endure. One night while Jean and Derek were in bed, she begged of Derek, â€Å"Find a doctor who will give us a lethal overdose that I can take.† After many restless nights Derek agreed and began his search for a doctor. He considered three doctors to nurse Jean back to health but was rejected. This was because the doctor would be subjecting himself to prosecution in court. The other doctor would suffer from malpractice in court and could not afford to lose his license in medicine. After being rejected, Derek asked a young doctor that he met years ago, who went under the name of â€Å"Dr. Joe†. Derek, Jean, and â€Å"Dr. Joe† met and discussed what would happen and exactly how Jean would want to die. Jean decided on taking capsules. Jean died in 1975 as she wished. Jean died a calm and peaceful death. She did not have to suffer for as long as a year. Jean ended her suffering with in an hour and Derek was happy knowing she would not be suffering. Several years later Derek met a woman by the name of Ann Wickett. The two of them fell madly in love and got married. Derek explained the situation that he and his ex-wife had gone through. Together they formed Hemlock Society and with that explained the proponents of euthanasia. In this case euthanasia was humane. It was humane because not only was it Derek’s choice but most importantly it was Jean’s choice too. Euthanasia gave Jean a final rest from all her misery since she found out she had cancer. Most importantly, it expedited a slow and inevitable death for Jean. Euthanasia should be legalized, because contrary to common belief euthanasia is a humane act. There are two types of euthanasia. Those two types are passive and active. Passive ...

Former Schools of Bill Gates and 90 Other Celebrities

Former Schools of Bill Gates and 90 Other Celebrities Many celebrities, including Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft,  have attended private high schools. including For some- including the children of politicians, diplomats, and royalty- security was an issue and attending private school kept the paparazzi at bay. For others, private school was a matter of pursuing academic excellence. For these and other reasons, private schools all over the world have educated many famous alums. So, which school did Bill Gates attend? He attended the Lakeside School in Seattle, Washington. Here are some other famous private school alums and the schools they attended. Adlai Stevenson Choate-Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CTAlbert Gore, Jr. St. Albans School, Washington, DCAlexandra Ripley Ashley Hall, Charleston, SCAli McGraw Choate-Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CTArchibald MacLeish The Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, CTArthur Golden Baylor School, Chattanooga, TNBarbara Bush Ashley Hall, Charleston, SCBenicio Del Toro Mercersburg Academy, Mercersburg, PABette Davis Cushing Academy, Ashburnham, MABill Gates Lakeside School, Seattle, WABill Fritz Montgomery Bell Academy, Nashville, TNBrandt Snedeker Montgomery Bell Academy, Nashville, TNBruce Weitz Ransom Everglades, Coconut Grove, FLChelsea Clinton Sidwell Friends School, Washington, DCChristian Bale, Bournemouth School, Charminster, Bournemouth, Dorset, EnglandCole Porter Worcester Academy, Worcester, MACondoleezza Rice St. Marys Academy, Englewood, CODaniel Radcliffe City of London School, London, EnglandDeWitt Wallace Northfield Mt. Hermon School, Northfield, MADiana, Princess of Wales Riddlesworth Hal l, Diss, Norfolk, England Senator Edward Kennedy Milton Academy, Milton, MAEliot Spitzer Horace Mann School, New York, NYEnrique Iglesias Gulliver Preparatory, Miami, FLGlenn Close Choate-Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CTFarrah Forke The Hockaday School, Dallas, TXFrank Shorter Northfield Mt. Hermon School, Northfield, MAGeorge Carlin Cardinal Hayes High School, New York, NYGeorge Prescott Bush Gulliver Preparatory, Miami, FLGeorge Herbert Walker Bush Phillips Academy, Andover, MAGeorge Walker Bush Phillips Academy, Andover, MAGore Vidal Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NHGwyneth Paltrow The Spence School, New York, New YorkHoward Baker McCallie School, Chatanooga, TNHumphrey Bogart Phillips Academy, Andover, MAIan Kiernan The Armidale School, NSW, AustraliaIvanka Trump Choate-Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CTJacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis Miss Porters School, Farmington, CTJames Stewart Mercersburg Academy, Mercersburg, PAJames VanDerBeek Cheshire Academy, Chesire, CTJamie Lee Curtis Choate-Rosemary Hall, Wall ingford, CT Jane Fonda Emma Willard School, Troy, NYJennifer Anniston Rudolf Steiner School, New YorkJodie Foster Choate-Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CTJohn Dos Passos Choate-Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CTJohn OHurley Kingswood-Oxford School, West Hartford, CTJohn Fitzgerald Kennedy Choate-Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CTJohn Irving Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NHJohn Kerry St. Pauls School, Concord, NHJohn McCain Episcopal High School, Alexandria, VAJon Meacham McCallie School, Chatanooga, TNJulia Louise-Dreyfus Holton-Arms School, Bethesda, MDKathleen Kennedy Townsend The Putney School, Putney, VTLaura Linney Northfield Mt. Hermon School, Northfield, MALisa Loeb The Hockaday School, Dallas, TXLouise Fletcher All Saints School, Vicksburg, MSMadeline Albright Kent Denver School, Englewood, COMadeleine LEngleAshley Hall, Charleston, SCMadison Smartt Bell Montgomery Bell Academy, Nashville, TNMario Van Peebles St. Thomas More School, Oakdale, CTMary Higgins Clark Villa Maria Academy, Bronx, NYMel Gibson St Leos College, Waitara, Sydney, Australia Michael Douglas Choate-Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CTMinoru B. Makihara St. Pauls, Concord, NHMorgan Entrekin Montgomery Bell Academy, Nashville, TNNatalie Cole Northfield Mt. Hermon School, Northfield, MAOliver Stone The Hill School, Pottstown, PAParis Hilton The Dwight School, New York, NYPatricia Richardson The Hockaday School, Dallas, TXPeter Cousens The Armidale School, NSW, AustraliaPrince Harry Eton College, Windsor, EnglandPrince William Eton College, Berkshire, EnglandQueen Noor Concord Academy, Concord, MAReggie Love Providence Day School, Charlotte, NCReese Witherspoon Harding Academy, Nashville, TNRichard Speight Jr. Montgomery Bell Academy, Nashville, TNS. Presley Blake Northfield Mt. Hermon School, Northfield, MAShepard Smith Marshall Academy, Holly Springs, MSSky Dayton Delphian School, Sheridan, ORSunny von Bulow The Chapin School, New York, NYStephen Crane The Pennington School, Pennington, NJSteve Forbes The Brooks School, North Andover, MAStewart Mott Deerfield Aca demy, Deerfield, MA Stockard Channing The Madeira School, Mclean, VAStrobe Talbott St. Albans School, Washington, DCTed Danson Kent School, Kent, CTTed Turner McCallie School, Chatanooga, TNTim Russert  Canisius High School, Buffalo, NYTommy Lee Jones St. Marks School of Texas, Dallas, TXTucker Carlson St. Georges School, Newport, RIUma Thurman Northfield Mt. Hermon School, Northfield, MAWill Ackerman Northfield Mt. Hermon School, Northfield, MA

Siting a Theatre based on the Findings Research Paper

Siting a Theatre based on the Findings - Research Paper Example In specific, three communities provided the basis upon which the information was gathered. Target groups within these communities were families as a basic unit of a society. This unit was considered based on the socio-cultural trends the three communities seemed to have in common. Research Methodology The research process involved data collection, techniques using various tools which included, the use of interviews, the use of questionnaires, visiting sites during the data collection process. These techniques were blinded by the use of both the structured as well as non-structures sub-categories, giving validity to the information collection process. The use of Questionnaires The questionnaire was a method that was administered to respondents in a user-specific form. It slotted for the three communities in question and was used to collect numerical data. This method was fundamental in the sense that it addressed the issue of time and precision. Because the information needed was not to be treated as crucially confidential, the questionnaire provided the platform where respondents could confidently give their honest opinion about the intended data. This also helped to focus this process on objectivity. The Use of Interviews During the data collection phase, there was also involved in the process, one on one encounter with the respondents. This form of data retrieval was to ascertain the validity of the content of questionnaires. In other words, the two processes in data collection were intended to run concurrently. As this information was sociologically retrieved, there was a need to justify the validity and precision standards of the information collected. Visits to Sites The various communities involved; communities A, B, and C, were those in the immediate vicinities of study sites, as to the appropriate location for the establishment of the theatre. In this regard, the communities depicted a representative target population for the fundamental information nee ded.

Separation of Church and State Literature review

Separation of Church and State - Literature review Example Second, and perhaps, on the contrary, the notion of a constitutional "separation of church and state" (a phrase that appears nowhere in the U.S. Constitution) is an influential symbol in American political discourse. Though there is little agreement relating to the precise meaning of such separation, the principle itself is not normally challenged in American politics (Jelen, 2000). Thus, 1Separation of church and state was definitely not an invention of the Enlightenment political theory that might have prompted similar thoughts in the mind of the respected Thomas Jefferson. Certainly, it misleads to analyze the lively experiment in political terms at all, for the Providence regime was just as certainly and decisively rooted in Protestant theologies as was the Puritans' city on a hill. The encompassing description of liberty of conscience was the systematizing principle of society, and it produced a kind of severance of church and state. It is thus significant to keep in mind that the cleavage was meant to protect the church and the soul from the debasing influence of the magistrate, to protect the garden of the church from corruption in the boondocks of the world. The quest for spiritual purity quite factually led into the political realm, where he was basically traditional, if not authoritarian. This priority of the religious is clearly evident in the legislative explanation for the revised 1798 Act Relative to Religious Freedom and the Maintenance of Ministers: Whereas Almighty, God hath created the mind free; that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens, or by civil incapacitation, tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and is a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion, who being Lord both of body and mind, yet chose not to propagate it by coercions on either, as was in his almighty power to do that to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves, is sinful and tyrannical; that even the forcing him to support this or that teacher of his own religious persuasion, is depriving him of the comfortable liberty of giving his contributions to the particular pastor whose morals he would make his pattern, and whose powers he feels most persuasive to righteousness, and is withdrawing from the ministry those temporary rewards, which, proceeding from an appropriation of their personal conduct, are an additional incitement to earnest and unre mitting labors for the instruction of mankind.  Ã‚     

National Guard Recruiting and Retention Support Essay

National Guard Recruiting and Retention Support - Essay Example In the event of federal control of the federal authority, the National Guard is used to supplement the regular Army. This supplementation involves the bolstering of the regular army forces with additional combat units. This paper discusses the National Guard Recruiting and retention support. Origin The National Guard in the United States is the oldest unit of the Armed forces. In addition, the National Guard is one of the longest enduring institutions nationally. This year, the National Guard celebrated its 376th birthday on December 13. The origin of the National army dates back to the earliest North American English Colonies. Since the colonies were responsible for their own defense, they relied on the traditions of English Military and organized militias consisting of able-bodied male citizens. Through this militia, the colonists managed to defend citizens from foreign invaders and Indian attacks. In addition, the militia assisted in winning the war on revolution. After independen ce, the United States’ constitution authors gave power to the congress to allow for organizing, arming and disciplining the militia. However, the recruitment and training of the militia was the role of state. Until now, the national militia is a state-federal force (Nationalguard.mil, para2). The size of the regular army has remained small throughout the 19th century. ... After the Second World War, the National Guard Aviation units became Air National Guard Units. The Air National Guard unit is the latest Reserve component. During Berlin Crisis, the Air National Guard sends soldiers to fight Korea and reinforce NATO. Since then, the federal role of National Guard has changed. This role is currently characterized by call up to crisis response in Kosovo, Bosnia and Haiti. In the 2001 September 11 attacks, both state and federal authorities called upon guard members to offer national security and combat terrorism activities outside the nation. In the year 2005, 50000 guard members were deployed in Gulf States during the Hurricane Katrina event. For the states, the National Guard provides units that are trained and well armed to offer protection of property and life. In addition, National Guard continually provides defense to the United States and other interests throughout the globe. The National Guard is divided into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states, the District of Colombia and 3 territories. In each unit, the head of operations is the respective governor (Doubler 13). Functions of the National Guard The role of the National Guard includes responding to domestic disasters and emergencies. In order to get involved into active duty during such disasters, the state governors or territories commanding generals call the National Guard. Most common emergencies and disasters include those caused by earthquakes, hurricanes and floods. Members of the National Guard can become temporary or permanent members of the armed forces. Such appointments occur at the consent of the state governors while the National Guard members can remain active or inactive at the service of the nation. Army National

Global Corporate Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Global Corporate Strategy - Essay Example In order to supply the electricity Britain needed to develop infrastructure which would allow it to export electricity all across the world (Macalister, 2010). Prior to 1989 all electricity needs of Britain and Wales was taken care by the Central Electricity Generating Board. However there was a sharp decline in power stations during the period 1958 to 1986 because of increasing technical complexities associated with the industry.With privatization and deregulation of the electricity industry in 1991, CEGB went through a massive restructuring of the organization. PowerGen was formed to take care of the non nuclear power generation. The report has been framed in the context of PowerGen. The report starts with an understanding of the terms corporate planning and strategy. It then tries to analyze the impact of changes in organizational structure on corporate planning of PoweGen. The next section deals with understanding of the core competencies and capabilities of PowerGen and how it has helped PowerGen to maintain its market share and profits. It also analyzes the core competencies and capabilities of EDF and E.ON. The report also explores the impact of privatization and deregulation on PowerGen. The report ends with understanding of the centralized nature of planning of CEGB with reference to Hofstede’s article titled â€Å"Cultural constraints in management theories†. Corporate planning involves setting the corporate goals and objectives and identifying long term plans to ensure development of the company. Corporate planning is based on macroeconomic forecasts of various economic factors which were then analyzed with regards to the organization’s performance. It is a description of various economic trends like market share, demand conditions, costs and margins, marketing trends and industry trends. In 1974 and 1979 the world was hit by oil crisis which led to macroeconomic

Business research method and skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business research method and skills - Essay Example In present scenario there are wide array of retailers who gives more importance to their retail store environment. This is because maintaining appropriate ambient conditions enable a firm to attract maximum customers and initiate high revenue margins. At times this form of approach is also regarded as a tool utilized for market differentiation. In this study different journal articles shall be included and reviewed like Journal of International Business and Management, Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of Business Ethics and Association for Consumer Research. There has been various research studies conducted on effect of store atmospherics on consumer behaviour. However limited analysis is performed on mixture on retail store environmental conditions. This would be the key area of focus in this research study. It is a highly relevant study since retail industry is growing at a rapid pace and marketers invest lump sum amount on store environment conditions. The major aim of this research study is to – â€Å"analyze the impact of ambient conditions of a retail store on consumer purchasing decision†. Objectives of the study are- This study would be feasible since sales volume at retail stores is largely dependent on purchasing behaviour of customers. On the other hand, impact of ambient conditions can be effectively measured through customer satisfaction level and increase in revenue margins. Researcher Hosseini and Jayashree, (2014) have outlined in their study that the decoration and the ambience of the store is regarded as an important element in the overall outlook of the stores that is designed for enhancing the satisfaction of the customers. The atmospheric design of the environment of the retail store includes the lighting, music, communications that stimulates the emotional responses and the perception of the consumers that mainly affect the purchasing behaviour of the customers.

Global Corporate Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Global Corporate Strategy - Essay Example In order to supply the electricity Britain needed to develop infrastructure which would allow it to export electricity all across the world (Macalister, 2010). Prior to 1989 all electricity needs of Britain and Wales was taken care by the Central Electricity Generating Board. However there was a sharp decline in power stations during the period 1958 to 1986 because of increasing technical complexities associated with the industry.With privatization and deregulation of the electricity industry in 1991, CEGB went through a massive restructuring of the organization. PowerGen was formed to take care of the non nuclear power generation. The report has been framed in the context of PowerGen. The report starts with an understanding of the terms corporate planning and strategy. It then tries to analyze the impact of changes in organizational structure on corporate planning of PoweGen. The next section deals with understanding of the core competencies and capabilities of PowerGen and how it has helped PowerGen to maintain its market share and profits. It also analyzes the core competencies and capabilities of EDF and E.ON. The report also explores the impact of privatization and deregulation on PowerGen. The report ends with understanding of the centralized nature of planning of CEGB with reference to Hofstede’s article titled â€Å"Cultural constraints in management theories†. Corporate planning involves setting the corporate goals and objectives and identifying long term plans to ensure development of the company. Corporate planning is based on macroeconomic forecasts of various economic factors which were then analyzed with regards to the organization’s performance. It is a description of various economic trends like market share, demand conditions, costs and margins, marketing trends and industry trends. In 1974 and 1979 the world was hit by oil crisis which led to macroeconomic

MNGMT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MNGMT - Essay Example I then called them up and asked if maybe we could go back to the coffee shop and discuss few other things. Back to the coffee shop, we had a very interesting discussion and we even had a question-and-answer sort of activity. We were trying to ask one another about possible questions that may be asked on the exams and it turned out to be a fun way of studying. There were instances that if one of us attempts to answer a particular question, the other one would refute and provide another answer that lead to a discussion and research on which answer was correct. It went that way in a few hours and when it was time to get home, I was pretty confident that I have more retention with the activity that we had compared to when I was trying to study on my own. This personal experience may not be a group decision making but the fact that we were able to make our studying easier, I can definitely conclude that working with a group is better than working alone. With a group, one is given the chance to give his own idea while the rest of the members can scrutinize and analyze the given idea. There is an exchange of thoughts until they get to choose whose idea fits the puzzle best. In turn, decision making is at its best and one can expect a pretty good outcome. Although an exchange of ideas can be a challenge sometimes because it takes more time compared to when you have to decide on your own, you can be assured though that it is better than when you have to do all the thinking. I believe that in cases like coming up with a solution to a seemingly complex task, like an assignment, a project or the like, it is always best to discuss possible approaches with a group rather than assume you have all the best ideas in the world. Given this technique, one can never go

Of mice and men-Discuss the importance of the American dream Essay Example for Free

Of mice and men-Discuss the importance of the American dream Essay Dictionary: the American dream An American ideal of a happy and successful life to which all may aspire: In the deepening gloom of the Depression, the American Dream represented a reaffirmation of traditional American hopes Dictionary: dream a cherished desire The American Dream is a dream of success, fame and wealth achieved in the United States of America. Its thought to be achievable by hard work, courage, and determination, or by getting rich quick. The concept often involves moving upward in the social classes, and may involve icons such as car, house, partner and pet. This definition of the American dream is universal, but it can have a different meaning for different classes of people. People have dreams The novel of mice and men, written by John Steinbeck, is set in 1930s California during the Great Depression. The two main characters called George and Lennie are migrant workers travelling from ranch to ranch just to get by and make a little money so that one day they can live their own American dream. Throughout the book, Lennie always asks George to tell him and re-tell him their dream of someday owning their own land. Someday were gonna get our jack together and were gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an a cow and some pigs. The use of the word someday shows a sense of longing and uncertainty; he doesnt know if it will happen soon or even at all. Because of the time the book is set or George and Lennies lifestyle, their dream is not the exact definition of the American dream. It is more to do with freedom and the amount of land owned which equals a higher status in society the more land you owned. George and Lennies dream is motivated by the fact that they have no stability in where they live or work. Being migrant workers, they have a very unsettled lifestyle because they dont know how long they will be needed to work there. After they arent needed or if they get fired, it could take a long time to find another job. Their dream of owning a rural house on their own in the Salinas valley is a comforting thought of stability and not having to worry about nowhere to live. The Salinas valley is not a typical rural setting of America, but as George and Lennie have not traveled far, it is their idea of perfect. There are no comfortable houses, but vast orchards, vineyards, and ranched thoroughly tended. In the book, the Californian countryside is described in vast detail at the beginning and end of every chapter. Steinbeck uses description of the surroundings as he, like Lennie developed a close bond with nature. In my opinion, this is Steinnbecks dream Other characters living on the ranch also have similar dreams. The migrant worker candy for example is afraid of being alone and dreams of living out the rest of his life with company. When he hears about George and Lennies dream asks them if he can join them so he wont be lonely. Spose I went in with you guys. Howd that be? When they can me I wont have no place else to go an I cant get no more jobs. He is desperate so he pleads with them even though he hasnt known them very long. Another person on the ranch with a dream is Curleys wife. Her dream is of fame and fortune Nother time I met a guy-he was in the pitchers. He said hed put me in the movies. Said I was a natural. Soons he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it. I never got that letter. I always thought my ol lady stole it. She has this dream as an escape from her husband who is very sexist and discriminatory against women. At the time the book is set, women were treated poorly and only thought of as housewives for bringing up children and were used commonly for sex purposes. Curley treats Curleys wife poorly so she dreams about being rich and famous being a movie star. Ironically, this is the dream of many American people nowadays; to be rich and famous as they aspire to be the everyday celebrities we see today. Another dream of hers is also not to be lonely. She explains to Lennie I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely. This shows that she is lonely because she confides in him about her problem and she doesnt know him at all. Crooks is the Negro stable buck. He has a separate room away from the white people living and working on the ranch. This also shows the amount of racism at the time the story is set. It seems his dream is to not be treated differently because of his skin colour. He says I aint wanted cause Im black. They play cards in there, but I cant play because Im black. They say I stink. It is obvious that he doesnt agree with these comments by the way he speaks. He speaks sharply showing he is angry about these comments. He talks about everyone else except for him playing cards implying that he would like to play cards too, along with everyone else. In conclusion, I think that the American dream is important to different characters in different ways and different interpretations.

Business process management (BPM)

Business process management (BPM) Literature Review 2.1 Definitions 2.1.1 What is Business Process Management? Business Process Management (BPM) was influenced by concepts and technologies from business administration and computer science. BPM had its root in process-oriented trends and was treated as a management philosophy since mid 1990s (James F. Chang, 2006; Mathias Weske, 2007). Studies investigating BPM had been carried out several management principles and practices were associated. Most of these concepts were identical to Business Process Reengineering (BPR) and Total Quality Management (TQM) concepts. In the book Business Process Management: Concepts, Languages, Architectures, Mathias Weske had quoted from Davenport, who defined business process as: a set of logically related tasks performed to achieve a defined business outcome for a particular customer or market. And a specific ordering of work activities across time and place, with a beginning, an end, and clearly identified inputs and outputs. However, Mathias Weske (2007) had adopted definition as: A business process consists of a set of activities that are performed in coordination in an organizational and technical environment. These activities come together to make a business goal became achievable. Every single business process is performed by a single company, but it may interact with business processes performed by other companies. From the business process definition, Mathias Weske (2007) had defined the concept of BPM as: Business process management includes concepts, methods, and techniques to support the design, administration, configuration, enactment, and analysis of business processes. The basis of BPM had explicit representation of business process with their activities and execution constraints between them. When BPM defined, people could analysis, improvement and enactment with BPM. In traditionally, business process had manually executed as usual by knowledge personnel, regulations of company, and installed procedures. Nowadays, company had more additional benefits by apply Information Technology like Business Process Management System (BPMS) when coordinating activities involved by business process. 2.1.2 What is Business Process Management System (BPMS)? According to definition of James F. Chang (2006), BPMS is a new class of software that allows organizations to devise process-centric information technology solutions. Process-centric means BPMS solutions are able to integrate people, systems, and data. BPM fills the gap between the wide-open, unstructured world of collaboration and the precise transaction processing of enterprise applications. It has become widely realized that important enterprise processes routinely cross the boundaries of enterprise applications. Processes like order-to-cash or procure-to-pay may involve several enterprise applications such as taking orders in CRM, ERP creating invoices and purchase orders, and managing production and fulfilment in SCM. BPM, especially in combination with services that can move data in and out of enterprise applications and other information sources provide a way to clear define, manage, and automate processes that span enterprise applications. BPM also allows processes that bring in people and systems from outside the company to the defined process. In this way, BPM supports processes that take place across an extended business network. The personalities of processes currently automated by BPM are as follows: They are more structured than the loose collaboration based on email and other such mechanisms They are more flexible than the transactional processes in enterprise applications They are wider in scope than processes in enterprise applications, crossing both application and company boundaries Their flow is explicitly defined, managed, and automated 2.1.3 What enabling standards and technology support BPMS? When evaluating and adopting BPM technology, two standards are referenced over and over: BPMN and BPEL. To fully understand what BPM technology does, it is important to understand the role of these and other standards, which provide a common infrastructure for process modeling and automation. Business process modeling notation (BPMN) is a standard for the visual definition of business processes. Most of the modern tools for business process modeling support BPMN or are based on it. BPMN defines the primitive constructs that are used to represent business processes, such as starting points, ending points, process steps, decision points, and so on. Business process execution language (BPEL) is a standard for expressing the steps required to execute a business process by invoking a series of web services. BPEL is more like a programming language for carrying out a business process than a modeling system for describing the process flow. Web services technology standards are vital to BPM because they enable web services to communicate with enterprise applications and other systems using appropriate mechanisms for security, self-discovery, versioning, and other important matters. Industry standards for web services define specific sets of services that are used to automate communication between two companies in a particular industry. BPMS frequently makes use of such web services when creating systems that cross company boundaries and incorporate partner companies into a process. 2.1.4 What is Business Process Modelling? Business process modelling is the art of describing how work is done in a company at the appropriate level to achieve the desired communication. The typical goals of business process modelling are to capture a process so that it can be better understood and improved or to describe a process in detail and associate it with technology so that it can be automated. A business process model in general is simply a description of a business process. Visual business models are description of the steps that take place during a process and frequently represent in flowcharts such as the one shown in Figure 3, although other forms of models such as numerical equations or systematic procedures are also sometimes used. 2.2 Main functions of BPMS Here is a list of the most common components and management mechanisms that are involved in application assembly. Web services. BPM needs SOA. The act of creating executable business process models is the start of creating new applications to help automate and support business processes. To allow each business process step to interact with the world, web services are needed to create a two-way communication with enterprise applications and to reach out to other sources of information and functionality on the Web. Business rules. Process steps can involve the application of sets of business rules that determine some sort of result, based on the inputs passed in and the rules in effect. Rules could be used to determine the routing of a document, the credit score of an individual, or a suggestion for a product to upsell. User interfaces. When process steps need to interact with people to collect information or to define a task that must be performed manually, a user interface is needed. In this way, a user interface is a component that is included in the set of parts that are assembled into a working application by the BPM process automation technology. User interface components can be generated automatically, based on interactions implied by web services, business rules, or data required by process steps. User interface components can also be created by users and developers using a variety of tools. Modeling and orchestration tools. Modeling and orchestration tools are used at many different levels of a BPMS. The center of a BPMS is usually an environment for modeling used to define business process models or the orchestration of services. Modeling can be used to create services and user interfaces. Modeling also can be used to define the integration and mapping of data from one source to another. Simulation tools. In order to understand the flow of work through a proposed business process, simulation tools may be employed. Assumptions are made about the amount of inputs to each process and the amount of time it takes to perform each process step. In this way bottlenecks or key areas for optimization can be found. These key areas can be closely monitored to find problems early on in implementations or to confirm the validity of assumptions. Model and process repositories. When models are created, they must be stored in repositories, which allow them to be accessed and shared by large groups of people. In any large program of BPM adoption, some processes are used over and over. These process components must be stored in a central location and reused in other business process models. Web services repositories. To link business process steps and user interfaces to the invocation of services, it is important to be able to find services, understand what they do, and identify the data sent and retrieved through them. Web services repositories contain information about the interfaces and functionality of the services and the underlying applications the services are connected to at runtime. Integration tools. It is not uncommon for a business process to require two systems to work together in specific ways. Perhaps a purchase order must be transferred from the CRM application to ERP. Frequently, the BPMS does not contain the capability to perform such integration and so other integration tools must be used to create the needed functionality. The BPM tools then invoke a service that performs the integration defined by the integration tools. In this way, specific integrations become components used by BPM technology. Centralized task management. One of the most important transitions in a business process model occurs when a software application asks a person to perform a task. It is vital that the task to be performed be adequately described and that the results of performing the task be recorded. A single user may be getting requests to perform tasks from many different business process applications. Centralized task management components create a single inbox into which all requests from business process applications are sent, which streamlines monitoring and executing those tasks. Process and activity monitoring tools. Once an application has been created using a BPMS, it is important to monitor the business process model during execution. By monitoring the activity of specific steps, it is possible to monitor not only the technological activity of the system such as database reads and writes or network traffic, but also the progress of the business process, that is, number of purchase orders created or customer service requests handled. Systems created based on business process models take a large step toward achieving the promise of the field of business activity monitoring, complex event processing, predictive analytics, and simulations. These main functions would provide the basis for evaluation of BPMS platforms. 2.3 BPMS platforms evaluation From the main functions of BPMS, the author has evaluated four platforms to support the implementation stage. These four platforms were Drools 5, jBPM 4.3, OSWorkflow 2.8, and ARIS. The critical evaluation framework has been discussed in the main functions of BPMS within this chapter. The evaluation framework included: Web services Business rules User Interface Widgets Modelling and Orchestration tools Simulation tools Model and process repositories Web service repositories Integration tools Centralized task management Process and activity monitor tools The marking guidance has included at appendices. The guidance provided descriptions for each mark from 0 to 10.The investigation of BPMS has marked these platforms base on the evaluation framework and marking guidance then ploted to charts. 2.3.1 Drools 5 Business Logic Integration Platform Drools was a open-source business rule management system (BRMS) with a forward chaining inference based rules engine, more correctly known as a production rule system, using an enhanced implementation of the Rete algorithm. Adapting Rete to an object-oriented interface allows for more natural expression of business rules with regards to business objects. Drools is written in Java, but able to run on Java and .NET. Drools has been supported by JBoss since 2005 and renamed to JBoss Rules. Drools 5 have been released on May 2009. The main goals of this release were introducing Complex Event Processing (CEP) engine (in Fusion module) and workflow capabilities (in Flow module). On the release of Drools 5, it has changed name from Business Rule Management System (BRMS) to Business Logic integration Platform (BLiP) with modules: Drools Guvnor (BRMS/BPMS) Drools Expert (rule engine) Drools Flow (process/workflow) Drools Fusion (event processing/temporal reasoning) Advantages: The platforms had Drools Expert; it was an excellent rule engine, developed as the first-class module in mind. The platform received ten marks for business rule function because it had long time development and matured enough for production environment. Drools Guvnor combined with Drools plug-in on Eclipse were outstanding at BRMS and editor. The combination help user easily draw; manage models on both Web and desktop IDE (integrated develop environment). It helped the platform received eight marks for modelling tools, nine marks for model repository, and eight marks for centralized task management. Disadvantages: The documentation of platform did not have any mention about web service on whole platform. That meant the platform did not support web service either BPEL standard. According to the official user guide at Drools website, the integration ability with OpenBravo ERP and OSWorkflow were still under developing at time this report conducted. The platform received one mark for integration function. 2.3.2 jBPM 4.3 jBPM is a platform for executable process languages ranging from business process management (BPM) over workflow to service orchestration. jBPM supports three different process languages. Each one is targeted towards a specific function and environment. *jBDL*BPEL*Pageflow jBPM builds all these process languages natively on top of a single technology: the Process Virtual Machine (PVM). Even as the BPM industry converges towards new standards, the investment in jBPM is protected; the PVM foundation will remain stable. Advantages: The supporting of BPEL has gave jBPM a good marks (eight) at web service function. Support BPEL has also meant this platform good in integration with legacy systems. The ability of generate form for human interaction workflow was the good function that included in jBPM. This ability contributed seven marks for user interface widget function. Modelling, repositories, and centralized task management were the advantages of jBPM. This platform developed some plug-in for Eclipse to create the Graphical Process Designer. This approach gave the power of Eclipse to business process on both graphical modelling and debugging. Disadvantages: The investigation shown the weakness of jBPM was the lacking of simulation tools. Simulation tools helped process designer in bottle-neck solving. The simulation function of jBPM was under developing at time of this report conducted. 2.3.3 OSWorkflow 2.8 OSWorkflow is a mature open-source Java workflow engine. It is mainly aimed at the programmer and not an end user or business analyst. For the end user or business analyst, it includes a user-friendly visual workflow modeller designed only for basic usage. Advantages: The strength of OSWorkflow showed at modelling tools and Disadvantages: 2.3.4 ARIS Advantages: Disadvantages: 2.3.5 Conclusion 2.4 Summary

The Epidemic of Steroid Abuse in America Essay -- Athletic Athletes Sp

The Epidemic of Steroid Abuse in America We as a people are preoccupied with the notion of greatness. Our role models are athletes, actors and actresses, and other figures in the public eye. Many of us often desire to be better off than our current state; to look better, to be in better shape, etc†¦ We compete with each other for jobs, for mates, for grades, for parking spots, and in sporting activities. This competitive nature is a way of life, especially in sporting activities, often learned as a child and built upon throughout adulthood. But where do you draw the line? At what point do the â€Å"costs† of winning or being â€Å"better† outweigh the benefits? Maybe it’s too much when you start putting your own health in serious jeopardy just to look better or run faster. The use of steroids, other than for medical purposes, has extremely negative effects on one’s health. Nonetheless the use of steroids, to enhance athletic performance and increase muscle mass, is on the rise. There needs to be mandatory steroid testing in all professional, and where applicable, amateur sports. Steroid testing is a good as start as any to help curb steroid abuse. Anabolic-Androgenic steroids, often solely called anabolic steroids, are: â€Å"chemicals that act like hormones--substances normally in your body that regulate bodily functions† (Kowalski 1). They are synthetic substances, meaning man-made, which have two functions: the anabolic effect which causes an increase in the growth of muscle mass and the androgenic effect which causes, or increases, the development of male sexual characteristics. It’s the anobolic effect that most steroid users, or abusers, are after. Steroid abusers take steroids for a couple of different reasons.... ...pac.library.csupomona.edu/>. Sherman, William. â€Å"Growing Nightmare of Steroid Abuse: Athletes’ Cocktail Big in Nation’sGyms.† Daily News (New York). 28 July 2002, Sports Final ed.: p. 4. Lexis Nexis 4 Nov. 2002. . United States. Consumer Affairs, Tourism and Foreign Commerce Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Hearing. Washington D.C.: Senate Office Building, 2002. Lexis Nexis 4 Nov. 2002. . Verducci, Tom. â€Å"Totally Juiced.† Sports Illustrated. 3 June 2002, V. 26: No. 93. Wilson Web Article Index 4 Nov. 2002. . Yesalis, Charles E., and Virginia S. Cowart. The Steroids Game. Illinois: Human Kinetics, 1998.

Cleopatra

She remained In power while constantly straggling with a brother or sister and keeping alliances with Rome at the same time. She held her own even when the first Roman Emperor was coming against her. Her fatal mistake was that she reached too far. She tried to become the ruler of the attention world, along with her lover and her children. Rome just didn't let that happen†¦ Firstly, Cleopatra family may have ruled Egypt, but they were Greek. Cleopatra was the first of her family to learn native Egyptian – bearing in mind her family ruled Egypt for 300 years.She also closely associated herself with the Egyptian goddess, Sis's. This would indicate she had a respect for the people she ruled and understood the importance of being able to relate to them. Therefore she was popular among Egyptians. Her father had a catastrophic reign and when he died, she squabbled with her siblings over who would rule Egypt. She cleverly maneuvered herself Into a good political position – marrying her brother to 1 . )keep her brother's supporters happy, 2. ) keep the Egyptians happy she was going along with tradition and upholding her father's will 3. Pep any male, who opposed female rule, happy. More importantly, she allied herself with Caesar and sealed the deal by producing a son. She gradually edged her brothers out of the picture over time, so much so that it was barely noticed. Rome was of course, the biggest power in the Mediterranean and arguably, the world, at that time. By attaching herself as the consort of It's biggest leader she was gaining the Roman empire as an ally and securing the Roman army. In return, Caesar was gaining the support and wealth of Egypt – It Is Important to note that Egypt effectively fed Rome and was extremely wealthy.We can't know for sure If this was a love match, but It was definitely two political giants Joggling together as equals, when nearly all of Room's allies were subjects paying tribute. When Caesar was killed une xpectedly, Cleopatra was left in both a bad and good position – she made sure everyone was aware she considered her son by Caesar as an heir to Rome. This put her son in a dangerous position, which would later backfire. In a dangerous move, Cleopatra again allied herself with a Roman politicians Anthony.The Roman people increasingly began to see her as a threat to their public – They were very much against Kings and Anthony was effectively King of Egypt. Furthermore, he rejected his Roman wife to be with Cleopatra. This turned Rome against him and Octavia began to establish himself as emperor and true heir to the now deified Julius Caesar. Cleopatra attempt to get a foothold In Roman politics began to backfire on her – her son was now a very real threat to Octavia (later Augustus) Rome needed Egypt around. So in a way she was a good leader, bonding with her people and she showed great political astuteness.However her ambition arguably led to her downfall  œ No doubt you know what append – Anthony and Cleopatra lost against Octavia and her son was killed. She may have understood her own people, but she couldn't have understood Romans very well – she should have known they would never accept her as a consort of Antimony's (Their marriage wasn't recognized in Roman law) that they would never accept her son as a leader Illus Caesar himself knew this and in his will dictated Octavia as his heir), and she should have known the idea of kingship was abhorrent to them. Http://www. Smithsonian. Com/history/who-was-Cleopatra-1513560131? Noise= Cleopatra In the ancient world, male dominated societies, known as patriarchy, prevailed. Men occupied roles of supremacy and power. Those few women, who did succeed In gaining positions of power, marked their place In history. Most notable among them were Hatchets (1508 – 1458 BC), Cleopatra (69 – 30 BC) and Grapping (1 5 – 59 AD). Hatchets was one of the most successful pharaohs, reigning longer than any other woman of an Egyptian dynasty. Cleopatra was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty and was the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt. Grapping was a Roman Empress who was once the most powerful woman in Roman Empire.Each had to overcome ingrained prejudices and faced barriers that their male counterparts did not. Their strategies for gaining power in a world of men varied but they were clever, resourceful, ruthless and ambitious. They effectively used the power that men held to their own advantage. Cleopatra was portrayed as a great beauty, who very strategically formed success ful liaisons with men of power, which was a contributing factor for achieving the power she sought. Cleopatra has been a topic of interest throughout history and is seen as a woman of mystery.By all accounts she was an alluring woman who used this to her advantage. Cassias Did, a source of primary evidence and Roman consul of the 1st century AD, wrote, â€Å"She was a woman of surpassing beauty She possessed a most charming voice and knowledge of how to make herself agreeable to everyone† (peg. 42) Plutarch, Greek historian as well as biographer of Roman Emperors reiterates Cassias Ids view on Cleopatra In 75 AD in ‘Life of Antonym (a secondary source), where he wrote â€Å"her beauty, as we are told, was in itself neither altogether incomparable, nor such as to strike those who saw her†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ What ultimately made Cleopatra attractive were her wit, charm and sweetness in the tones of her voice. † (peg. 27) Accounts of Cleopatra also typically present her u sing her charms to influence the most powerful men in the western world. Plutarch writes, for example, that she had â€Å"The power to subjugate everyone, even a love-sated man already past his prime†, Of Caesar conquest of Egypt he wrote, â€Å"Caesar overcame Egypt. He did not, however, make It subject to the Romans, but bestowed it upon Cleopatra, for whose sake he had waged the conflict. (peg. 42-55) powerful men, namely Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony, in times of the supremacy of en, and when the glory of Rome was paramount, that she is characterized in this sexist way as a bewitching beauty by Cassias Did, a Roman official and this is reaffirmed in Plutarch account. In both ancient and modern sources there are sources that represent the ruthlessness of Cleopatra in her pursuit of power. ‘Ptolemy XIV, written by Professor Mallow H.Smith (2008) from Rutgers University and the BBC show ‘Cleopatra: Portrait of a Killer' (2009), reveal the darker side of Cleopat ra. Revelations made include assertions that Cleopatra had Mark Antonym execute her sister Orisons on the tepees of the temple of Artemisia, a violation of the temple sanctuary and an act which scandals Rome. Furthermore, claims are made that Cleopatra had Ptolemy XIV (her second youngest brother and co-ruler as well as husband), poisoned in order to proclaim, Ptolemy XV (Cleopatra son with Caesar), as co-ruler.Although these accounts in the large are not fully substantiated in primary sources, where these incidences are shrouded in mystery and contradiction, they point to a certain brutality in her pursuit of power and provide support for those who would portray her as an evil queen. Cleopatra was more aligned with a Bewitching Beauty rather than an Evil Queen of the East. Certainly she was a woman of considerable allure who was able to use her looks and considerable wits to charm men who would be of use to her.However, rather than bemuse and bewitch, which implies that she was abl e to control people through supernatural means, she was a clever and strategic woman. She was certainly ruthless in her pursuit of power and most probably did perpetrate quite evil acts. According to Cassias Did, ‘In view of Career's favor there was nothing that she could not do. ‘ (peg. 44) To call re evil however, is to discount the times in which she lived where such violence in the pursuit of power was not uncommon. Leadership in Egypt and Rome, for example, was often changed by murder or mysterious disappearances.Caligula or more commonly known as Gauss was a Roman Emperor, is an example of this as he had those he saw as a possible threat executed (Caligula: Gauss Julius Caesar Augustus Germanic). Such men who have performed such acts have in large escaped the label of ‘evil'. Cleopatra actions therefore need to be regarded in this context and her considerable achievements in the face of significant gender barriers even the credit they deserve. Cleopatra and o ther women of power in the ancient world have been reduced to stereotypes because of male bias and patriarchy.The patriarchal nature of the ancient world meant that roles were clearly defined on the basis of gender and women had little access to power in their own right which explains why there were so hard, and within the system of male domination, to Justify their positions. In such a world, extreme positions were taken on these women that helped to explain such anomalies. In turn, scholars today are at the mercy of the sources written by men and influenced by the times in which they lived, which fall into these extreme positions.These stereotypical representations of Cleopatra have persisted and perhaps have even been exaggerated in the name of entertainment to dramatist the truth to appeal to audiences in the mane of entertainment. In many stories, movies and other interpretations of Cleopatra such as Shakespearean play; ‘Antonym and Cleopatra'(1607), Cleopatra is frequent ly portrayed as vain and theatrical. In the more recent film ‘Cleopatra' (1963) directed by Joseph L. Mackenzie, she is portrayed as exotic, luxurious and manipulative.However, taking such stereotypical positions does not help to understand the complex woman that Cleopatra must have been, to have reached such heights of power. Women who became leaders in the ancient world experienced particular difficulties in their quest for power as they contested conventional ideas and standards of the time regarding the traditional role of women. To succeed in a world dominated by men they needed to be clever, resourceful, ruthless and ambitious. Cleopatra was all these things, and like other women of note in these times, effectively utilized the power that men held for her ascendancy into the very echelons of power.

Profession of Arms Essay

Characterizing the Army as a profession is a widely debated issue. Some attest that the military employs a small cadre of professionals, yet this does not qualify the entire vocation as a profession. Others are not so kind and paint a picture of mindless robots simply following orders. The debate rages because it is fundamentally difficult to find an absolute definition for a profession. This troublesome task is further exasperated because the trust of the public ultimately certifies a profession. Nevertheless, the principle characteristic that remains constant to all professions is that they possess a guiding ethic that controls the effective application of their expertise.1 The Army constitutes a profession because it possesses an ethical framework that is intrinsically present within the institution. As it relates to a professional ethic, all professions possess a code that governs the moral, ethical and legal activities of their members. For example, The American Medical Association’s Code of Medical Ethics holds to the Oath of Hippocrates.2 This oath is Western civilization’s expression of the ideal conduct of a physician.3 Lawyers also take an oath of office that anchors them to the ethical practice of their craft. This code of ethics provides parameters for lawyers on how they should conduct their affairs and matters ranging from client confidentiality to conflict of interest.4 Similarly, all members of the United States Army swear or affirm an oath upon initial entry. The Oath of Enlistment or the Oath of Office marks the beginning of each Soldier’s military service and their commitment to a higher ethic. This oath is the bedrock of the Soldier’s moral and legal principles. The Army Values, the Soldier’s Creed and the Warrior Ethos exemplify the pinnacle of the Army’s organizational ethic. Some might argue that many organizations have a similar ethic, yet they are not a p rofession. Why are athletic teams that incorporate and enforce team rules, not considered professions? Another issue concerning the Army professions ethical barometer stems from comments made by senior Army officials like General Maxwell Taylor, the fifth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. According to him, as long as a man performed his duty he  was fine. â€Å"For [GEN] Taylor, a good [S]oldier, even a good [O]fficer, could be a bad man.†5 What these dissentions fail to consider is that the Army, or any profession, does not singularly apply its ethic to the daily living of its members. Concerning the members of an athletic organization, it must be understood that one does not ethically hit, pass or throw a ball. Athletes do not apply ethical guidelines in the performances of their sports. Conversely, GEN Taylor fails to realize how private character affects the ability to command troops. One cannot compartmentalize the ethic of professionals into private and public sectors. Professionals apply their ethic to the application of their craft on behalf of the society they s erve. 6 Soldiers, like all members within a profession, must exercise their ethic in the execution of their work, not just in their private lives. Although, a universal criterion to qualify a particular vocation as a profession is difficult to quantify, the possession of a guiding ethic is common to all professional definitions. The Army is a profession because throughout its ranks it has continued to operate within the ethical framework it has set forth for itself. The Army, as a profession, demonstrates not only that it possesses ethical cannon, but is committed to operating by it. The Army Values, the Soldier’s Creed and the Warrior Ethos are the natural outpouring of these ethical cannon. Regardless of these facts, it remains unique to a profession that they cannot simply declare themselves a profession.7 The public reserves the right to determine so. Americans will only continue to regard the Army as a profession based on our effective and ethical application of landpower.8 Des pite many ethical failings, the American people recognize that the Army possesses the courage to hold its members ethically accountable and therefore legitimize itself as a profession of arms. Bibliography Pbs.org,. ‘NOVA | The Hippocratic Oath Today’. Last modified 2014. Accessed September 12, 2014. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/hippocratic-oath-today.html. Robinson, Paul. Ethics Training And Development In The Military. Ebook. 1st ed., 2007. Accessed September 11, 2014. http://strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/parameters/Articles/07spring/robinson.pdf. Training and Doctrine Command, â€Å"An Army White Paper: The Profession of Arms,† 8 December 2010, 2. http://www.benning.army.mil/armor/content/PDF/Profession%20of%20Arms%20White%20Paper%208%20Dec%2010.pdf U.S. Department of the Army. The Army Profession. Army Doctrine and Training Publications 1. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Army, June 13, 2013. Accessed September 11, 2014. http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/dr_a/pdf/adrp1.pdf. YourDictionary.com,. ‘Code Of Ethics Examples’. Last modified 2014. Accessed September 11, 2014. http://examples.yourdictionary.com/code-of-ethics-examples.html.

Greatest Threats to the Environment in Russia

Report Greatest threats to the environment in Russia Russia has major environmental problems left from the Soviet Union. Those ills have been developing for years and years. Air, water and soil are equally polluted. Air quality Russia's air is among the most polluted in the world. According to the estimate only tiny percentage of urban population breathes the air that is not harmful. Level of air pollution is dangerous, especially for the inhabitants of large industrial cities such asMoscow, Saint-Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and many others. Every year there are more and more cars in large cities and their emissions worsen the quality of the air. Water quality Poor potable water quality Is a major concern. Nearly all Russian rivers and lakes are polluted both by industrial and household sewage. Paper factories taint the water of the largest Russian lakes LadoJskoe and Baikal. Water In the river Volga Is so dirty that It Is now unsuitable even for Irrigation. Soil and forests Land quali ty Is declining.Considerable amount of agricultural land have been ontaminated by Industrial toxic agents, pesticides, and agricultural chemicals. Chernobyl disaster caused radioactive contamination of vast territory. Coniferous forests In Siberia are disappearing because of acid rains, pollution and fires. Forests In Chernobyl area are polluted with radioactive element, therefore fires there are even more likely than In Siberia. Solutions Ecological problems are difficult to be solved. For example, forests In Chernobyl area cannot be decontaminated.Nevertheless If government understand the Importance f ecology and Invest large amounts of money Into the solutions of environmental problems, lots of things can be done to make air, water and soll cleaner. Poor potable water quality is a major concern. Nearly all Russian rivers and lakes are the largest Russian lakes LadoJskoe and Baikal. Water in the river Volga is so dirty that it is now unsuitable even for irrigation. Land quality is declining. Considerable amount of agricultural land have been contaminated by industrial toxic agents, pesticides, and agricultural chemicals. rests in Siberia are disappearing because of acid rains, pollution and fires. Forests in Chernobyl area are polluted with radioactive element, therefore fires there are even more likely than in Siberia. Solutions Ecological problems are difficult to be solved. For example, forests in Chernobyl area cannot be decontaminated. Nevertheless if government understand the importance of ecology and invest large amounts of money into the solutions of environmental problems, lots of things can be done to make air, water and soil cleaner.

Diversity in learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Diversity in learning - Essay Example Bilingualism can be a virtue of growing up while using and learning two languages simultaneously. Argumentatively, human beings can naturally acquire bilingualism. The acquisition of an additional language is sequential bilingualism. Therefore, interpretation of bilingualism is subjective to individual definitions. Bilingualism encompasses a significant amount of contexts and proficiency. In children, bilingualism may restrict the use of the first language for familial and domestic purposes. English language is mostly a second language with the highest preference for communication in official environments and outside home. Sequential bilingual learning is similar to learning of a first language. The newly acquired language must be appropriate and accurate. The language learning processes are similar and have differences too. For instance, bilingual learners approach learning additional language with a background linguistic system, rules and structure. Additionally, the process of learning a second language starts at different ages and not from birth. Therefore, it involves different strategies for acquisition of the same. Linguistic differences and primarily low proficiency in English is a cause of low academic achievement. Argumentatively, the statement is plausible as it implicates English medium for learning by students with limited comprehension of the language. The students with poor mastery of the teaching language have problems with instructions and expression as well. Cultural difference also affects a student’s social life. In a case where the student cannot interact with colleagues, feeling of loneliness ensues. Moreover, solitude forms a fundamental foundation in acquisition of fear and low self-esteem (Meisel, 2013 p. 397). The manifestation of personal feelings is observable in withdrawal from extra-curriculum activities and poor participation in class work. For instance, bilingual students that are composed rarely do not ask questions

Evaluation Essay on movie Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Evaluation on movie - Essay Example The movie is directed by Francis Lawrence, produced by Andrew Tennenbaum, source material by Sara Gruen and screen play by Richard LaGravenese. The Main actors are Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), Jacob Jankowski (Robert Pattinson), August (Christoph Waltz) and Charlie (Paul Schneider). From the onset, the movie gives an air of self satisfaction because of its source; a bestseller novel as the source material. Unlike other movies that the industry and viewers have witnessed before that have viewer discretions especially due to language, sex and violence, this movie definitely qualifies to be a broad-based and popular entertainment for the whole family. However, the novel and the ingredients in the movie are very promising that the viewer has the feeling that it could have been better. Despite its uniqueness and richness of the story, there lacks a convincing romantic chemistry in the film and therefore, the emotional connection that one feels should be there cannot be found. Being set at the back of a circus story which in most stories is an epic, majority of all generations being targeted by the movies can identify with. The costume designer should take much credit in the making of a costume that convincingly takes the movie back to the 1970s when circus was popular among the North Americans (Turan). By placing a love triangle deep into the heart of the film in a circus story, the film is able to bring that special aura and romance that remains relevant despite the passing of time. Set against the background of depression in the United States that characterized those times, Jacob had hoped to become a good vet with a Cornell degree. Therefore, in the desperation of unsatisfied dreams, he hops into a circus that forms the skeleton of the film. Therefore, the movie is set against a credible background that especially the older generation all know too well about and especially the depression that comes with lack of job opportunities

Family Divorce ( You Must use research it from a feminist perspective) Paper

Family Divorce ( You Must use it from a feminist perspective) - Research Paper Example The same case is replicated in Europe where the rates of divorce have been on the increase in the recent decades and is expected to escalate even further in the coming years. It is such disturbing trends that have prompted studies into understanding the effects and possible interventions of divorce. The feminist perspective on divorce revolves around the ways in which women’s positions at divorce systematically differ from men’s positions. Although the current labour force trends indicate an increase in women participation, Carbone (1994) says there is no corresponding rise in the fathers’ domestic contributions. In fact, women still endure the burden of child rearing. In a nutshell, therefore, a feminist perspective is concerned about the implications of divorce not only on the lives of women but also on the lives of children. Divorce has a huge impact on the family for the simple reason that it breaks the bonds that were once responsible for bringing the family together. On the part of children, Carbone (1994) says divorce brings the feelings of being unwanted and loss of trust to the parents. On the part of the fathers, divorce leads to loss of finances, emotional stress following loss of family and having to start again and loss of parental responsibility. With regards to the mothers, divorce leads to financial stress and emotional stress just to mention a few. Sometimes these effects deteriorate even to the extended families. Divorce shams serious concerns on the family, in particular, the well-being of the children. Although the adults are also affected by divorce, the children bear the brunt of it all. The divorce causes psychological, physical and socio-economic problems onto the affected families. This is in contrast to families that do not experience divorce. Wallerstein (1991) identifies persistent loneliness as a major consequence of divorce on children. He cited a study in

Dispute Between Workers Union And Employer Case Study - 17

Dispute Between Workers Union And Employer - Case Study Example The Union has appealed to the NLRB to set aside the election results. If I were on NLRB, I would set aside the elections because of the provisions of Taft-Hartley labor act. While the act allows employers the right to interact with employees with the aim of influencing union activities and actions, expressions into the interactions must not pose threats of reprisal. The case, however, identifies potential threats of reprisal, from the management, which could have intimidated union members and led to restraint from participation in the elections. From the supervisor’s repeated appearance in the vicinity, the union members had all the reasons to fear intimidation and harsh treatment from the management if the union won in the elections. It was also normal for the union members to believe that the supervisor was acting in his normal capacity as an agent of the management because that is his regular position. These arguments identify implied the threat of reprisal and mean that the employer, through its supervisor, breached provisions of the Taft-Ha rtley Act.

Constructing three chapters of proposal Dissertation

Constructing three chapters of proposal - Dissertation Example In 2011, a pipeline fire killed 100 people and seriously injured 120 in Nairobi. In 2010, a Pemex (Petroleos Mexicanos) pumping station in Central Mexico exploded, killing 27 and injuring 50 (Ellingwood, 2010). In 2006, a pipeline explosion in Nigeria killed up to 500 people (BBC News, 2006), but the fatalities in this incident are only second to the Ufa train disaster in Russia in 1989, where train sparks set off a gas leak from an LPG pipeline and killed 645 people (Observer-Reporter, 1989). Oil and gas accidents can have catastrophic results, all the more underscoring the importance of assessing the crisis management systems in this industry, and ascertaining whether or not these are within acceptable standards to ensure the protection of the public. 1.1 Background of the Study One of the more comprehensive and meticulous definitions of â€Å"crisis,† as it is conceived in business crisis management, is that of Fink (1986, quoted in Reid, 2000, p. 2), who states that  "A crisis is any situation that runs the risk of: 1. Escalating in intensity. 2. Falling under close media or government scrutiny. 3. Interfering with the normal operations of business. 4. Jeopardizing with the positive public image presently enjoyed by a company or its officers. 5. Damaging a company’s bottom line in any way.† Fink’s well-crafted enumeration of the attributes of a crisis situation noticeable lacks one element: that of being â€Å"unforeseen† or â€Å"unexpected.† This is a defining trait of a crisis for other authors (Hoff, 2001; Boi, 2005; Laws, Prideaux & Chon, 2007), but apparently not for Fink, whose definition focuses on the impacts rather than the causes of the crisis situation. In many instances, crises are so characterised not because they are unforeseen. Rather, they are foreseen (or at least foreseeable), but are historically and statistically deemed so unlikely to happen that precautionary and preventive measures against them are overlooked (Loveridge, 2009; Daft & Marcic, 2011). Warranting the necessity for the enhancement of crisis planning, prevention, assessment, and mitigation for the oil and gas industry are the deleterious effects of the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (Casale, 2010). Despite the serious harm to the environment and to livelihoods in the affected area, the potential closure of large oil and gas companies or the shutdown of their pipelines is a risk which major oil producers could not be take because of their critical role in the world economy (Omolara & Olayide, 2011; Kamal, 2012). The matter of oil and gas crisis management to ensure continuity, therefore, becomes an important area of study. Unfortunately, there are few academic studies which have addressed this area. Lee Clarke of Rutgers University underscored the fact that all most oil and gas companies have to rely on currently are what he calls â€Å"symbolic planning† and â€Å"fantasy documents† upon which crisis strategies are built (Morse, 2004). 1.2 Statement of the Problem In defining the research problem, it became apparent to this researcher that the threat of impending crises (i.e., crises that are unlikely, but may eventually happen) confront all organisations in varied ways. Consequently, all organizations need some

Types of Alcoholic Beverages Essay Example for Free

Types of Alcoholic Beverages Essay Beer is the worlds oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches which are mainly derived from cereal grains — most commonly malted barley although wheat, maize (corn), and rice are also used. Alcoholic beverages which are distilled after fermentation, fermented from non-cereal sources such as grapes or honey, or fermented from un-malted cereal grain, are not classified as beer. The two main types of beer are lager and ale. Ale is further classified into varieties such as pale ale, stout, and brown ale. Most beer is flavoured with hops, which add bitterness and act as a natural preservative. Other flavourings, such as fruits or herbs, may also be used. The alcoholic strength of beer is usually 4% to 6% alcohol by volume (ABV), but it may be less than 1% or more than 20%. Beer is part of the drinking culture of various nations and has acquired social traditions such as beer festivals, pub culture, pub games, and pub crawling. The basics of brewing beer are shared across national and cultural boundaries. The beer-brewing industry is global in scope, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and thousands of smaller producers, which range from regional breweries to microbreweries . Wine Wine is produced from grapes, and fruit wine is produced from fruits such as plums, cherries, or apples. Wine involves a longer (complete) fermentation process and a long aging process (months or years) that results in an alcohol content of 9%–16% ABV. Sparkling wine can be made by adding a small amount of sugar before bottling, which causes a secondary fermentation to occur in the bottle. Spirits Unsweetened, distilled, alcoholic beverages that have an alcohol content of at least 20% ABV are called spirits. Spirits are produced by the distillation of a fermented base product. Distilling concentrates the alcohol and eliminates some of the congeners. Spirits can be added to wines to create fortified wines, such as port and sherry.

The Nestle Internal Documents Management Essay

The Nestle Internal Documents Management Essay The research process followed in this study is outlined in Figure 1, it began with a review of the literature related to BPM and BPIs with a particular focus on researches that tackled Innovation and particularly Packaging Innovation in Food Industry. The literature review revealed a significant gap with regard to both the integration aspect of BPM and BPIs and the application of this integrated framework in the specific field of Packaging Innovation which led to formulate the RQ. In order to identify and describe the impact of the proposed framework on the Packaging Innovation Process a Case Study methodology has been adopted as a research strategy. This is because it is considered suitable to address the research question: How and why an integrated framework of Business Process Management and Business Process Improvement could improve the Performance of Packaging Innovation Process of a multinational company? This is also in accordance with Yin (2009, Loc 453) who confirms that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦how and Why questions are more explanatory and likely to lead to the use of case studies..as the preferred research method. Furthermore, the focus on the contemporary events of Packaging Innovation Process in its real-life context and not requiring the control of behavioural events were additional reasons for choosing the case study method (Yin, 1981; Yin 2009, Loc 310). All the 3 conditions highlighted by Yin (2009, Loc 310) are met in order to adopt the case study as the most appropriate method. Once again Yin (2009, Loc 310) argues clearly à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ case studies are the preferred method when how or why questions are being posed, the investigator has little control over events and focus is on a contemporary phenomenon within a real-life context. Case study design An embedded single case study design has been selected in this research. According to Yin (2009, Loc 740) there are four major types of case study designs. Placed in a 2ÃÆ'-2 matrix these relevant designs are: single case versus multiple case designs, then holistic with a single unit of analysis against embedded covering a multiple units of analysis. The aim for selecting an embedded single case design is to investigate a representative or typical case in order to capture the circumstances and conditions of an everyday or commonplace situation (Yin, 2009, Loc 1205). Embedded designs (multiple units of analysis) often add significant opportunities for extensive analysis, enhancing the insights into the single case (Yin, 2009, Loc 1215). Accordingly, this embedded single case is about packaging innovation process improvement in the context Business Process Management and Improvement and specifically the integration of both BPM and BPI disciplines. This involves as well several units of analysis which consist in baseline events and validation through an innovation project. In the baseline events one main illustrative project has been reviewed in order to understand the critical reasons that make a packaging innovation project fail. Then in order to assess the impact of a poorly designed packaging on the operation, twelve factories across Europe and Asia have been visited through a waste Audit methodology (Muda Hunt).The twelve factories have been chosen as subunits for this investigation because they were widely spread geographically across Europe and Asia and were using different packaging materials and technologies for various product categories. With this case study design, the emphasis is global touching the packaging innovation process and not on individual factories or on a specific packaging material or a product category. Yin (2009) stresses that a major drawback in an embedded single case is focusing only on the subunit level for example the individual factories and failing to return to the larger unit of analysis in this case the packaging innovation process improvement. On the other hand, a single case study has limitations in particular to its rigor of research and in relation to the scientific generalization of the findings and conclusions (Yin, 2009, Loc 554). Nevertheless, single case studies permit a precise analysis of cotemporary evidence in context and are generalisable to theoretical propositions (Yin 2009, Loc 573). Finally the systematic adoption of embedded case study as a research methodology using three unit of analysis gives more rigor as well, Furthermore, the validation of the proposed framework though a real packaging innovation project (Embedded unit of analysis # 3) enhances the quality output of the research and confirms its managerial implications. Data collection The data were primarily collected at Nestlà © Head Office, RD centres and affiliate markets and factories. Worldwide leader in Food and Wellbeing industries, Nestlà © uses a wide range of more than 177000 packaging materials and more than 66000 different packaging specifications in 450 production sites across the globe. Moreover, Nestlà © is also interested in improving its Packaging Innovation Process and attracted by exploring the new integrated framework which combines both BPM and BPI. Therefore the access to Nestlà © internal data and employees has been made relatively easy. Using Nestlà © posed no research bias since it gives total independence and full autonomy to conduct the whole research in order to avoid any influence neither on the research process nor on the outcome. Thus, Nestlà ©s internal documents review and semi-structured interviews with a group of concerned employees have been used in this research to collect data. To complement the second-hand data, waste audits in twelve factories have been carried out combined with a visit and interviews of tree key suppliers. The use of multiple sources of evidence, combined with key informants who have reviewed draft case study reports, helped to establish construct validity (Yin, 2009, Loc 734, 1057). All data were stored in a process Map using the BPM software Nimbus Control in accordance with Yins (2009, Loc 734, 1057) recommendations for establishing reliability. Internal documents and interviews Nestle internal documents were the first source of data collection for this investigation. These include corporate documents (General Instructions, Policies, RD and business reports, best practices library) produced by process owners, functional departments or experts. The process owners have mapped processes and issued instructions on how to implement and execute their processes. Having access to Nestlà ©s internal documents and employees helped to rely on a vast amount of relevant data. For the baseline review of a major Packaging Innovation project, semi-structured face-to-face interviews were carried out with 37 stakeholders and 3 key suppliers involved in the development process. An interview lasts between 2 to 4 hours, with a flexible schedule, according to availability of the individuals invited. The semi-structured questions were defined following a clear Process flow and Project Phases: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Project Inception / Initiation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Project Brief Objectives à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Project Organisation Planning Development à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Project Execution, Management, Reporting and Steering Committee à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Packaging Design / Specification Quality à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Supplier Selection, Technical Qualification Approval Performance à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Business Impact, Supply and Cost. Interviewees received a clear description with scope and objectives of the review as well as relevant questions before the interview. Participants were invited to comment on any phase with regard to their own experiences and learnings together with any recommendations they might have for improvement, as well as present copies of any relevant documentation that can support the review. The principle aim of the review and Gemba walk was to capture the learnings from all employees involved and who were encouraged to freely give any comments they might have related to the following questions: What happened? Why did it happen? How, and at what stage of the design / development phase of the project, could we have avoided these failures? How should we change our development / deployment approach as a result of these learnings? What went well? What did not go so well? What could have been improved? What could have been done differently? What Key Recommendations could you offer to improve the process in the future? All comments and feedbacks were grouped into a series of transcribed Notes following Miles and Huberman (1994) recommendation. The transcription is grouped by Function and Location with a summary of the inputs that were mapped in the BPM tool: Nimbus Control. This allowed an easier analysis and quicker understanding of the whole picture and piece together the complex interfaces between all entities involved in the Packaging Development Project called 24K. Field observations To collect first-hand data field observations were made using waste audits (Muda Hunt) approach in 12 factories across Europe and Asia. The concept of MUDA hunt is meant to provide awareness to obvious waste as well as none Value Added activities at the shop floor. The application of the Lean Six Sigma tools such as DMAIC methodology will help afterwards to reduce or eliminate the identified waste. Field observations in scope: Packaging areas of main production lines; Material flows in packaging areas; Packaging materials waste; Labour utilization, packaging material usage on the lines; Space utilization on the floors, storage inventory. Field observations Out of scope: Processing of raw materials; Production lines (mixing, moulding, ) The relevant filling and packing lines were selected for Muda Hunt if they are strategic to the Business and depending on their capacity utilisation, their Efficiency and Performance as well as their material waste level. All Mudas were mapped in a prioritisation matrix (see example below) depending on their impact High or Low and their effort to implement Easy or Hard. The proposals are then listed in tables as first priority in green colour and second priority in orange colour for actions planning. Limitations of Lean programs The origin of Lean goes back to the Toyota Production System which has been created more than 40 years ago. For R. Suri (Suri, 2010) a new ground cannot be forged by focusing only on refining and implementing 40-year-old approach. Based on studies with more than 200 companies during the last 15 years, he listed few limitations related to Lean. For Suri, Lean is designed originally for production system with relatively high-volumes. Organisations that are offering high variety or customised products could not see how to implement Lean principles. According to Atkinson (Atkinson, 2010), [] LEAN must grow with the culture and not be imposed upon it. The author highlighted that too much attention is focused on the technical aspect of Lean, rather than the ambition to build a real self-sustaining Lean culture. Atkinson has listed seven misconceptions regarding Lean; first, Lean is frequently considered as a toolbox of techniques and methods that are pushed down to the organisation, rather than pulled and tailored to it. Second, Lean is not a cost reduction exercise to remove unnecessary cost out. Third, Lean concepts often are not applicable to processes and functions beyond operations. Forth, Lean often doesnt impact the design and the innovation processes. Fifth, Lean is to frequently be sold, surrounded by all the exotic terminology, as Japanese approach for improvement. Sixth, Lean does not necessitate a culture of continuous improvement and finally Lean is less concerned by the culture change. In his research of the top reasons for the failure of the major Lean initiatives, Lucey focused on the other dimensions as leadership, employees engagement and communication. Atkinson on the other hand highlighted the importance of the organisational culture that decides the success of Lean or any other improvement initiative and demonstrated that applying lean principles and tools is certainly not enough to achieve business excellence. For Treat, organisations practicing BPM may apply common Business Process Improvements (BPI) initiatives for certain improvement; nevertheless the usage of these BPI tools does not mean that the organisation is devoted to the effective application of BPM. In the same context, Hammer underlined in his process audit framework the crucial importance of applying two defined groups of characteristics that are necessary for business processes to continuously improve and sustain. These characteristics as described in the first section of this research are ba sed beside process management, on people Leadership, culture, knowledge skills and behaviours. Hence its evidently crucial to compare BPM and BPI approaches not only according to the MEM but as well from the Management perspective looking at how these approaches tackled the issues of Leadership, Culture Change, Process Management, and Continuous Improvement. Leadership Management: This factor is related to the role of top leaders and their behaviour in driving the organization towards Performance and Continuous Improvement. This central role has been accepted by experts and researchers as one of the major success factors for reaching Business Performance. Management in general is more concerned about controlling, problem fixing and making short term results and Leadership is more about the ability of giving directions, developing a vision and setting strategies to achieve this vision (Kotter, 1993, Kotter, 1996). In few words, leaders foster change and transformation in the organisation. Engaging leaders and top Mangers is the key first step for a successful implementation of Process Business Excellence. Culture Change: The ultimate Culture Change objective is to drive performance across the whole organisation in order to exceed customer expectations and therefore to win in the market place. A robust culture would promote effective performance only when it contains values and norms that helps to engage people, manage the change and the shifting to a competitive environment (Atkinson, 2010; Kotter, 1993). Literature supports Kotter and states that this kind of culture will impact positively on the productivity and performance of the organisation. As an illustration, there is a clear parallel between people engagement and the sustainability of lean initiatives (Lucey et al., 2005). The research literature shows that engaged workforce can have a huge impact on growth, profitability and competitiveness (Lucey et al., 2005) therefore a measure and monitoring of this engagement is crucial for sustaining any continuous improvement process. Process Management: Businesses are driven by a multitude of various processes, but concentrating on the core and essential ones either in operation or beyond will improve the organisation Performance. Core Processes have to be continually reviewed, measured and improved and employees should focus on defining the perfect process, eliminating any unnecessary phases, challenging the lead times or the base costs. A Performing organisation is where processes are mapped, measured and improved for all core business activities. The development of a new business process is also one of the key activities affecting Business Performance and competitive abilities. The association between cause and effects, inputs and outputs of a process must be the guiding principles to applying BPI methodologies. Efforts and resources spent other than on managing processes and changing the culture to achieve strategic objectives is waste (Atkinson, 2010). Therefore getting the processes right first is a prerequisite for achieving Performance objectives. Finally processes have to be visualised and communicated in a way that each employee can see and understands the process. Visual systems should allow everyone to have the capability to answer the question, if everything is flowing the way it should be and if we are on time to customer demand? BPM helps to create a current state map of an existing flow, then develop and implement a future state based on BPI principles. Continuous Improvement (CI): As mentioned in the introduction, organisations make efforts to implement Business Process Improvement programs to improve operational performance and achieve Business Excellence. Some of them try to move from episodic process improvements to building and sustaining their ability to improve processes continually. BPI methods help these organisations to understand and implement the concept of Continuous Improvement. But according to Brad Power (Power, 2011), if an organisation tries to institutionalize continuous process improvement based on just one approach, it will run into trouble because no single method has all the elements for sustaining continuous process improvement. Therefore Power emphasises the fact that if organisations want to keep their processes up to date continually, they need to be able to use many approaches to embedding improvement in their management systems. TQM started applying first the principle of Demings cycle Plan-do-check-act (PDCA) to continuously improve the quality, achieve customer satisfaction and reduce costs. While Six Sigma supporters claim that if you train enough people (belts..) and you measure performance, you achieve the cultural transformation toward continuous improvement. According to Hammer, advises organisations to continually assess their processes against his model of process maturity (Hammer, 2007). He advised to put in place the governance and the infrastructure to track end-to-end process performance and finally install the right culture of process centricity and continuous improvement. On the other hand Lean approach aims to cascade strategic objectives into implications for process improvements to have people aligned behind the same direction. To ensure continuous improvement attitude Lean philosophy trust executives to act as coaches, helping people at the front-line to understand the importance of waste elimination and problem-solving. Power underline that the few companies who succeed in sustaining their process improvement have actually selected and used the best from each of BPM and BPI approaches to embed continuous improvement in their organisation. This fact supports further the need of streamlining BPM and BPI approaches and extract the essence of each methodology hence the relevance of this research. Combining BPM and BPI approaches Mandatory elements of a method (MEM) Before digging further into the integration of BPI and BPM approaches, its relevant to describe the MEM elements used by Zellner to evaluate the methodological degree of BPI approaches. In order to have continuity and the same benchmark system the MEM five mandatory elements (Zellner, 2011) has been used as well in this research. First element is the Procedure model that consists of defining the order of activities to be completed when deploying the approach. Second element refers to the Technique which supports an activity to generate specific results. Third element is the Results as such which the output produced by an activity. The element number four is defining the Roles of who is carrying out and responsible of an activity. Finally the fifth element is the so-called Information Model which involves the above-mentioned components and their interactions. According to Zellner a good systematic approach should embody all MEM at the best. By explaining how the MEM can support the act of improving a business process, Zellner underlines the need of a structure model that can define clearly hat to do step by step, which activity has to be performed and by who and which result is expected in an improvement project. The only thing that without referring explicitly to BPM, Zellner was describing the fundamental elements of BPM: Defining and mapping step by step the process, affecting to each activity a role and responsibility or more precisely a RACI matrix (who is Responsible and Accountable and who has to be consulted or informed). Then the inputs, outputs and instruction are defined. Finally the process map will be the Information Model described by Zellner to describe the relationship with all elements and represent the results. The following table summarises the main factors identi ¬Ã‚ ed from literature search based mainly on the findings of Zellner regarding BPI approaches taken and adapted in table # 1 and then completing these findings by integrating Lean, Six Sigma and BPM. The aim of this comparative study is to have a systematic and holistic approach to develop the mentioned integrated model with relevant constructs that will answer therefore research question RQ2. Lean and Six Sigma vs. BPM Lean and Six Sigma principles are now being applied to business processes. From one side Lean philosophy and Six Sigma techniques address performance improvement by reducing wastes and process variability while BPM provides the platform to implement this performance and to sustain it on an on-going basis across the whole organisation. With ERP system, most companies find it very difficult to implement Lean programs. This is because ERP systems have been focused around transactions and not processes (Nayak, 2007). Automated business processes are a complex set of system transactions requiring human and machine interfaces that make the changes difficult and time consuming. In this context BPM is an enabler for driving business process improvement in Lean and Six Sigma (Nayak, 2007). BPM tools provide the capability for monitoring, documenting, improving processes therefore are imperative for fulfilling the objectives of Lean principles. The following table benchmarks the key characteristics between BPM, Lean and Six Sigma. BPI BPM in Innovation Before concluding this literature review section and preparing the next chapter of the cross-case study on Innovation process, it is essential to review the literature regarding how BPI and BPM tackled specifically the innovation issue. Literature shows actually that BPI initiatives were focused mainly on operations where link to product, customers or consumers is obvious. The interest of operation management lay in production, material handling and wastes, cost efficiencies, planning, etc. and all activities related to things and logic but less with people, behaviours and interfaces. BPI beyond the operations is therefore quite novel and organisations have great opportunity for improving as well non-operational processes such as RD, HR, Finance or other Support and Management processes. With BPI and BPM, organisations have great opportunity for improving processes beyond operations. Much of waste in processes beyond operations is viewed as minor in nature and therefore ignored. Despite the impressive results that BPI techniques can achieve at operational level, many organisations failed to grasp its potential benefit for their processes beyond operations such as in RD, Management or Support processes. The difference between manufacturing and other areas beyond operations is that the employees introduce intrinsically variability into their activities. Therefore the challenges become quite different from those occurred in manufacturing environment. Conventional approaches to reduce waste: In order to eliminate or reduce wastes from processes beyond operations, companies can take the four typical actions, the first action is to reduce processing failures and activities that dont add any value to the customer; then to eliminate superfluous and inconsistent controls. The third action is to speed up the processes by decreasing lead times and complexity and final action is to ensure a constant effort on detecting perfections that customers really want. Innovation process is one of the core processes which are key facture for insuring sustainable growth and Profit. This process will be considered in this research in next Chapter of a cross-case Study. From the literature review and the research conducted by IBM Institute for Business Value in 2006 looked at number of companies that used BPI approaches as Lean-Six Sigma to improve performance and succeed broad-based innovations. Researchers from IBM identified four distinguishing elements of approaches that set some organisation apart from those keeping a traditional operational improvement mind-set. These characteristics are first having an innovation vision based on accurate customer and market insights, then a committed Leadership to permanent innovation; third having an alignment across the whole company and finally setting up organizational capabilities that made innovation a routine way of working. Gartner stated in 2010 regarding Innovation Process that a [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] successful innovation needs a disciplined management to transform novel ideas into business value and Innovation management requires a clear strategy, a business focus and a defined process model. According to Gartner, generation of revenue will increase and operational effectiveness will also improve if Companies succeed to manage properly their innovation programs. Design for Six Sigma (DFSS): Through DMAIC methodology organizations were able to make great improvements in reducing number of defects and therefore quality costs. However the quality level of Five Sigma (233 defects per million opportunities) is hard to exceed. The only way to improve further and achieve the ultimate level of Six Sigma is to redesign completely the process, product or service using Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) methodology (Antony 2002). According to Antony DFSS is a powerful approach to designing products, services and processes in a cost effective way to meet customer expectations. The aim of DFSS is not to substitute the NPDI (New Product Development and Introduction) process but to make it more robust, cost effective and capable to achieve high performance in meeting customer expectations (Antony 2002). Antony listed several benefits that could be gained by adopting DFSS: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Reduced time to market for new products development or renovations à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Reduced products life cycle costs à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Better understanding of Customers needs and expectations à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Reduced number of design changes and hence prototypes à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Enhanced quality and reliability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Improved ability to manage risks in designing products services or processesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Methodology and tools of DFSS The methodological process of DFSS starts with Customers needs as an input and ends with high quality products, services or robust processes as an output. One popular DFSS methodology is the DMADV. It remains the number of characters and stages, and the general feeling the same as in the DMAIC acronym. The five phases of DMADV are defined as follows: Define the project goals and customer requirements (internal and external), Measure and determine customer needs and specifications, Analyze the process options to meet customer needs. Design the process to achieve customer needs. Verify the design performance and ability to meet customer needs. Another methodology of DFSS named IDOV is a known design approach especially in the manufacturing sector. The abbreviation is defined as IDOV: Identify customer needs and specifications (CTQs), Design to translate the customer CTQs into functional requirements and alternative solutions. A selection process selects the list of solutions to the best solution, Optimize uses advanced statistical tools to predict and model the performance or calculate and optimize the design or performance and Validate to confirm means and ensure that the design which is developed reaches the customer CTQs. Lean product development LPD or Lean Design as the name indicates, draws on ideas from Lean Production as described above in chapter Background of Business Process Improvement which condensed Lean thinking into five principles: specify value, identify the value stream, make the value flow, create pull in the process and pursue perfection. Although lean production can be described at various levels, Shah et al. (2008) argue that the dominant view rests on a set of practices and tools used in eliminating waste. They also present the four main features of lean production as being quality management, pull production, preventive maintenance and human resource management. In the early stages of lean thinking, the focus was on the area of production. An exception, although not using the LPD label, is Kennard (1991), who uses six characteristics to summarise the Japanese approach to product development processes: information-intense, continual learning, constant customer contact, phases overlap, adaptability and spe ed/accuracy in execution. Another early describer of Japanese product development efforts is Funk (1993), who emphasised multifunctional problem-solving, close relationship with customers and suppliers, incremental improvement and learning. Karlsson and Ahlstrom (1996) specified later on the applicability of the Lean principles in product development by defining LPD as follows: Lean product development comprises numerous interrelated techniques, including supplier involvement, cross-functional teams, concurrent engineering, integration of various functional aspects of each project, the use of a heavyweight team structure, and strategic management of each development project. Another aspect associated with LPD is that the leaner way of working will eventually speed up the development process. However, as advocated by Crawford (1992) accelerated product development is associated with risks such as trivial innovations driving out break-through innovations and mistakes happening when skipping steps that did provide necessary information. Finally, Yang and Cai (2009) point out that LPD does not directly support the issues of quality, reliability and robustness in the product design. Combining BPM, DFSS and LPD The main potential seen in merging BPM, DFSS and LPD is to achieve improvements in quality by reducing unwanted variation (as advocated in DFSS), while at the same time being able to increase flow and speed in the development processes (as focused in BPM and LPD) (Chang and Su, 2007; Jugulum and Samuel, 2008). As summarised by Yang and Cai (2009, p. 97) DFSS improves product value and product quality, whereas LPD improves product development lead time, efficiency, flexibility and product development cost. BPM will provide the right platform to map, enhance and manage the whole process. One challenge pointed out by Jugulum and Samuel (2008) is the differences in implementation of Six Sigma initiatives and lean. The latter being broad in focus (looking at end-to-end processes and launching improvement events therein) while Six Sigma works with in-depth projects focusing on a small improvement area within a process. To some extent the integrated approaches proposed appear to be rather standard DFSS approaches with the addition of LPD tools. In contrast, authors like Karlsson and Ahlstrom (1996), Haque and James-Moore (2004) and Morgan and Liker (2006) emphasise the importance of viewing LPD as a system rather than as a set of tools, which impacts working methods throughout the organisation, such as seeking supplier involvement and cross-functional integration. BPM, LPD and DFSS have different focuses, such as improvement, innov