Project evaluation report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Project evaluation report - Essay Example In the past few years the online business and e-commerce platforms have changed traditional business practices. The new online business arrangements are becoming more reliable and simple to use to attract a large number of people for online shopping and deals. In this scenario, the web based platforms are offering an excellent support for improving the quality of traditional business working and operations (Dix et al., 2003; Turban et al., 2005; Whitten et al., 2000). This report presents a detailed analysis of a new website idea. This website is about presenting multimedia material for public. The basic idea of this website is to develop an e-commerce business. This website will contain a wide variety of contents which can be viewed and downloaded by the website users. This report covers an evaluation of a web site: http://a-alfuhaid.com/. This report will present an analysis of some of the important web site features and aspects. This report will also assess aims, objectives, requi rements, and design and application level aspects of http://a-alfuhaid.com/. Aim and Objectives The word multimedia is composed of two words in which â€Å"Multi† denotes a lot of and â€Å"Media† denotes presentation of any form of information. So we can say that multimedia is exhibition of some form of information in any format. ... In this scenario, interactive multimedia can also encompass many forms of multimedia including graphics, text, animation, video and sound in the way we want (Brown & Hurt, 2004; Net Industries, 2011; Wenger, 2008). Moreover, the multimedia is mostly used in the entertainment and the fine arts inductor. In addition, it is extensively used in movies and animations. However, the production of the video games also involves extensive usage of the multimedia. Additionally, the education sector has also started recently making use of the multimedia technology for the better information delivery and learning. In fact, all the industries and businesses are now increasing the heavy use of the multimedia technology that provides help to present information to their shareholders and coworkers. In this scenario, they use multimedia technology for advertising, offering worker training, and selling products to the whole world with virtually limitless internet-based technologies (Brown & Hurt, 2004; Net Industries, 2011; Wenger, 2008). Figure No 1- Digital Multimedia source [http://piotech.wsd.wednet.edu/techtwounits/01presentations/task1/01intro/multimediaIntro.html] Thus, seeing the increasing use of this technology in all the fields of life we have decided to implement a multimedia website. This website will offer online multimedia support and material. This website will be named: http://a-alfuhaid.com/. The major aims and objective of this website development is to offer following major multimedia contents: Online multimedia support Online Pictures Online e-cards Online poems Online music Blogs The above multimedia contents will offer us a great deal of capability to better start an online

Applications of Data Mining in the areas of Marketing Communications Essay Example for Free

Applications of Data Mining in the areas of Marketing Communications Essay Introduction In the information age, technological advancements have facilitated the collection of large amounts of information on various fields to include military intelligence, scientific and business data amongst several others. Computers are able to sort out this data with the aid of database management systems. Data can be classified according to predefined criteria. Data mining involves the extraction of implicit and useful information from databases. Use of relational databases is more helpful in the sense that it allows linkage with the structured query language (SQL) that allows for predicting, comparison and the determination of variations (Che, Han Yu, 1996). In websites, this technology is used by businesses in crawling through web pages and collect information that enables the organization to enhance business, analyze the market trends and utilize the information obtained to their best interest (Web Data Mining, 2013). Applications of Data Mining In the Areas of Marketing Communications, Public Relations and Corporate Communications With the development of business intelligence, corporate management through the use of data marts and reporting software can obtain data from any region or field of interest in computer readable form in a relatively short time. It uses this data to forecast on future market expectation and consumer trends. Through its models and tools, managers are able to predict future events (Web Data Mining, 2013). It allows the analysis of past records and marketing to tailor and narrow target audience. It also helps in the determination of marketing methods; in the end, it increases revenue on sales with fewer campaigns. Data mining can predict consumer behavior, the psychology of the consumer, behavior while shopping, influence of business environment on consumers and consumer motivation depending on the importance of the product.   The products sold to consumers provide data on items how they are positioned. Data mining analyzes consumption patterns, for instance, during festive seasons to find out which products sell more and the association between one product and another. It is common to associate the purchase of bread with butter (Raorane Kulkarni, 2011).Association is utilized in making decisions in cross marketing. Through web crawling information on consumer preferences are collected, their purchase records are used in making inventory decisions and analysis of fraudulent payments (Web Data Mining, 2013). Data mining can be categorized according to the data that is collected, in businesses the identification of high profit and low risk customers is an important task for business owners, customers can be segmented with associated characteristics as loyalty and other traits. This is useful in marketing and customer relationship management (Rajagopal, 2011). Accuracy is how often models get their predictions right while reliability is a measure of consistency of the model. Validation is done to determine how models perform against real data; quality and characteristics of a data mining model must be evaluated before deployment. However, data mining models are considered reliable if they generate the same type of predictions and return the same pattern of findings regardless of the test data. Reliability in data mining is also dependent on the skill, knowledge and the ingenuity of the analyst. Meaningful relations between variables can be extracted from databases in complex formats that are unachievable through manual systems. However, reliability is no longer assured in data mining due to its complex heterogeneous and dynamic nature. It is necessary to incorporate preventive measures to safeguard data validity and integrity (Kavulya, Gandhi, Narasimhan, 2008). Conclusion Data mining is an effective tool in fields as medicine, marketing and crime prevention amongst many others. The use of computers has seen this lessen the time required for researches. The tools and models it utilizes are very helpful in business in determining and predicting consumer trends and consumption patterns that were unknown in the past. This seeks to promote revenues with little campaigns. Additionally, the use of web data mining allows businessmen to monitor consumer patterns, clusters and associations for inventory purposes. However, this technique may not be completely reliable, this depends on the skills of the user and preventive measures installed checking on reliability. Through legislation and technological interventions these issues can be alleviated. References Kavulya, S., Gandhi, R. Narasimhan, P. (2008). Gumshoe: Perspective. IEEE Trans. Knowledge and Data Engineering, 8 (1), pp. 866-883. Rajagopal, S. (2011). Customer data clustering using data mining technique. International journal of Database Management Systems, 3(4), pp. 1-9. Raorane, A Kulkarni, R.V. (2001). Data mining techniques: a source for consumer behavior analysis. Retrieved November 13, 2014 from: http://arxiv.org/pdf/1109.1202.pdf Web data mining. (2013). Predictive analytics and data mining. Retrieved November 13, 2014 from: http://www.web-datamining.net/analytics/

Motorolas Tools And Techniques Of Tqm Information Technology Essay

Motorolas Tools And Techniques Of Tqm Information Technology Essay This research paper is made about Motorola Inc. America, and describes how Motorola started its operation like an ordinary firm and reached to the zenith of excellence by developing and implementing new quality control techniques. Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) is the core technique of continuous improvement program of TQM which was first developed and implemented by Motorola inc. Further more, it tells about how and why firm ought to adopt the Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) techniques for their success. The data integrated in this research is exclusively presented by the help of various informative sources. Other than focusing the Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) program the research also tells about why and how the organizations continuously strive to capture largest market share in tight completive environment by using different tools of total quality management. Overall the research embeds the importance of total quality management, its significance to gain a competitive edge and remarkable breakthroughs in the history of organizations. Motorola is a well known American multinational telecommunication company based in Schaumburg, Illinois. It is the manufacturer of wireless telephone handsets, and also designs and sells wireless network infrastructure equipment such as cellular transmission base stations and signal amplifiers. They have achieved a high level of success throughout the world by being innovative and promoting creativity among their employees. This companys prosperity is dependent upon developing cutting edge technology and in new product design. To accomplish these goals, Motorola actively encourages employees to generate creative ideas, challenge conventional thinking, and look towards the future. Motorolas home and broadcast network products include set-top boxes, digital video recorders, and network equipment used to enable video broadcasting, computer telephony, and high-definition television. Motorola uses TQM techniques to be successful and improve employee creativity within the organization. Some of these methods include employee empowerment and risk taking, training and education techniques, participative management, and team collaboration. The innovation of TQM technique is one of the fundamental stand of Motorola Inc. Motorolas business and government customers consist mainly of wireless voice and broadband systems used to build private networks and public safety communications systems like Astro and Dimetra. Motorolas handset division is now focusing on smartphones using Googles open-source Android mobile operating system. Motorola Vision Statement: Our history is rich. Our future is dynamic. We are Motorola and the spirit of invention is what drives us. Motorola Mission Statement: We are a global communications leader powered by a passion to invent and an unceasing commitment to advance the way the world connects. Our communication solutions allow people, businesses and governments to be more connected and more mobile. Motorola Slogan: Hello Moto Motorola has a successfully working TQM process. Motorolas fundamental objective is Total Customer Satisfaction. They have won the Baldrige award and are corporate leaders in TQM. HISTORY Motorola started in Chicago, Illinois as Galvin Manufacturing Corporation in 1928 with its first product being a battery eliminator. The name Motorola was adopted in 1930, and the word has been used as a trademark since the 1930s. Founders Paul Galvin and Joseph Galvin came up with the name Motorola when the company started manufacturing car radios in 1930; the name is a combination of motor and the suffix ola. Many of Motorolas Products have been radio-related, starting with a battery eliminator for radios, through the first walkie-talkie in the world in 1940, defense electronics, cellular infrastructure equipment, and mobile phone manufacturing. In 1943, Motorola went public and in 1947, the name changed to its present name. The present logo was introduced in 1955. In 1952, Motorola opened its first international subsidiary in Toronto, Canada to produce radios and televisions. In 1953, Motorola established the Motorola Foundation to support leading universities in the United States. In 1955, years after Motorola started its research and development laboratory in Phoenix, Arizona to research new solid-state technology, Motorola introduced the worlds first commercial high-power germanium-based transistor. Beginning in 1958 with Explorer 1, Motorola provided radio equipment for most NASA space-flights for decades including during the 1969 moon landing. In 1960, Motorola introduced the worlds first large-screen (19-inch), transistorized, cordless portable television. In 1963, Motorola, which had very successfully begun making televisions in 1947 introduced the worlds first truly rectangular color TV picture tube which quickly became the industry standard. In 1974, Motorola sold its television business to the Japan-based parent company of Panasonic. In 1976, Motorola moved to its present headquarters in Schaumburg. In September 1983, the firm made history when the FCC approved the DynaTAC 8000X telephone, the worlds first-only commercial cellular device. By 1998, cell phones accounted for two-thirds of Motorolas gross revenue. The company was also strong in semiconductor technology, including integrated circuits used in computers. Motorola has been the main supplier for the microprocessors used in Atari ST, Commodore Amiga, Color Computer, and Apple Macintosh personal computers. The PowerPC family was developed with IBM and in a partnership with Apple (known as the AIM alliance). Motorola also has a diverse line of communication products, including satellite systems, digital cable boxes and modems. In 1986, Motorola invented the Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) quality improvement process. This became a global standard, in 1990. In June 2000, Motorola and Cisco supplied the worlds first commercial GPRS cellular network. In 2002 Motorola introduced the worlds first wireless cable modem gateway which combined a high-speed cable modem router with an Ethernet switch and wireless home gateway. In 2003, Motorola introduced the worlds first handset to combine a Linux operating system and Java technology with full PDA functionality. MOTOROLAS SIX SIGMA PROGRAM Motorola invented the Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) quality improvement process in 1986 and in 1988, Motorola Corp. became one of the first companies to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The award strives to identify those  excellent firms that are worthy role models for other businesses. One of Motorolas innovations that attracted a great deal of attention was its Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) program. Motorola Saved $22 Billion from 1986 to 2009, reflecting hundreds of individual successes in all Motorola business areas including: Sales and Marketing Product design Manufacturing Customer service Transactional processes Supply chain management. To quantitatively measure the performances Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) uses statistical analysis. That process can involve manufacturing, business practices, products, or service. To be defined as Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) means that the process does not produce more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities (DPMO) which translates to 99.9997% efficiency. A Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) defect is considered anything that can cause customer dissatisfaction, such as being outside of customer specifications. A Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) opportunity is the total number of chances for a defect to occur. Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) Concept The Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) concept was developed by Motorola in 1986 with the stated goal of improving manufacturing processes and reducing product defects and variation. Building on earlier quality improvement methods, Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) assumes the following: Ongoing efforts to achieve stable, predictable process results are essential for business success Manufacturing and business processes have characteristics that can be measured, analyzed, improved, and controlled Sustained quality improvement requires commitment from the entire organization Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) Implementation In order to achieve Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) performance, the causes of manufacturing and business process defects and variation must be identified and eliminated. Two Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) sub-methodologies were developed for this purpose: DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) and DMADV (Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, Verify). DMAIC is used to improve existing processes that are below specification; DMADV is used to develop new processes or products at Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) levels. Borrowing martial arts terminology, a key innovation of Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) was the creation of a professional quality management hierarchy. This structure works to involve all levels of the organization in the success of Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) projects: Executive Leadership includes the CEO and other top management Champions, drawn from upper management, are responsible for Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) implementation across the organization Master Black Belts, identified by champions or by executive leadership, function as in-house coaches, mentors, and trainers; 100% of their time is devoted to Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) to ensure business and leadership alignment Black Belts focus on the application of Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) methodology to specific projects; 100% of their time is devoted to Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) Green Belts are involved with Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) implementation along with other job responsibilities Lean Sigma is a current industry trend in which a process is made lean through efficiency improvements before Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) is applied to reduce variation. Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) Calculation In order to calculate Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™), the engineers at Motorola set up a scale to evaluate the quality of a process based on these defect calculations. At the top of the scale is Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™), which equates to 3.4 DPMO, or 99.9997% defect-free. In other words, if you have a process running at Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™), youve almost eliminated all defects its nearly perfect. Of course, most processes dont run at Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™). They run at Five Sigma, Four Sigma or worse. Heres the full scale to get an appreciation of the numbers involved. The calculation of a sigma level is based on the number of defects per million opportunities (DPMO). The formula to calculate DPMO is: DPMO = If, for example, there are 38 defects, 10,000 units and one defect opportunity/unit, the results would be: DPMO 3,800 Defects (%) 0.38 Yield (%) 99.62 Process sigma 4.17 Motorola and other software have devices several soft wares that easily calculate sigma of a process or activity. The table given below maps the Sigma and %accuracy. Sigma Defects per Million Opportunities (DPMO) % Accuracy One Sigma 691,500 30.85% Two Sigma 308,500 69.15% Three Sigma 66,810 93.32% Four Sigma 6,210 99.38% Five Sigma 233 99.977% Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) 3.4 99.9997% Seven Sigma 0.020 99.999998% LSL lower sigma level USL: upper sigma level Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) Benefits Achieving measurable and quantifiable financial goals (cost reduction/profit increase) with Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) projects sets this methodology apart from other quality improvement tactics. Financial benefits of potential process improvement projects are used to help prioritize the projects; these benefits are then reassessed during the analyze phase of both DMAIC and DMADV and verified in the control phase of DMAIC and the verify phase of DMADV. Closely linking Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) projects to a companys bottom line gives everyone in the organization a stake in the success of these projects. It also helps identify projects that involve critical-to-quality aspects of the process and will provide substantial process improvement. Scores of organizations continue to improve their performance by taking advantage of their Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) process. Since Motorola implemented its Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) process in 1987, their results have included: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Sales growth of greater than 300 percent. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Employee productivity growth of more than 12.3 percent per year. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Elimination of more than 99.7 percent of in-process defects. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Reduction by 84 percent of costs associated with poor quality. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Savings of $11 billion in manufacturing costs. By the late 1990s, approximately two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies had started Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) projects; as of 2009, Motorola had reported more than $19 billion in savings as a result of Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™). In addition to significant financial gain, Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) provides organizations with the methodology and structure to make decisions based on verifiable data and statistical analysis and thereby to achieve measurable quality improvements in manufacturing and business processes. Six Sigma (6à Ã†â€™) projects are truly a win-win situation as product quality is greatly improved while product defects and variation are reduced, employees are meaningfully involved in the outcome of the projects, company profitability is measurably increased, and customer loyalty and satisfaction are significantly enhanced. PLAN-DO-CHECK-ACT (PDCA) Motorolas PDCA is a problem solving process and consist of a Plan to identify and analyze the problem, Do, to develop and implement solutions, Check to evaluate the results, and Act to standardize the solution, capitalizing on opportunities. Demings Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Cycle Plan select and analyze the problem Do implement the solution Check check the results of the change Act act to standardize the solution for the long-term PARETO CHART The Pareto chart is a very useful tool which Motorola uses to separate the important from the trivia. The chart, first promoted by Dr. Joseph Juran, is named after Italian economist/sociologist Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923). He had the insight to recognize that in the real world a minority of causes lead to the majority of problems. This is known as the Pareto principle. Pick a category, and the Pareto principle will usually hold. For example, Motorola has found that all the kinds of problems that can be named are only about 20% of them who produce 80% of the product defects; 80% of the cost associated with the defects will be assignable to only about 20% of the total number of defect types occurring. By Examining the elements of this cost it is revealed that once again 80% of the total defect costs spring from only about 20% of the cost elements. A Pareto chart became very handful for Motorola by the discovery of these ratios and has helped in the segmentation of the customers on the bases of imperative problems and opportunities. CAUSE-AND-EFFECT DIAGRAMS Motorola Cause-And-Effect team typically uses a cause-and-effect diagram to identify and isolate causes of a problem. The technique was developed by the late Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa, a noted Japanese quality expert, so sometimes the diagram is called an Ishikawa diagram. Motorola has developed the software of cause-and-effect diagram which tells about how internal or external event affects the organizational processes. It is the only tool that is not based on statistics. This chart is simply a means of visualizing how the various factors associated with a process affect the processes output. HISTOGRAM Histograms are used by most of the companies including Motorola to chart frequency of occurrence. How often does something happen? Any discussion of histograms must begin with an understanding of the two kinds of data commonly associated with processes: attributes and variables data. An attribute is something that the output product of the process either has or does not have. An electronic assembly either had wiring errors or it did not. For Example, in a process used in making Motorola electrical resistors would use the scale of electrical resistance in ohms; another process might use a weight scale, and so on. Variables data are something that results from measurement. EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT The history of Motorola reflects that it has strived to ensure continuous improvement and lasting success by following fundamental principles that emphasize change. One principle is known as leadership of renewal, which stresses the need for change to stay ahead of the advancing technology market. Motorola has tried to create a corporate structure that can anticipate and manage change in order to gain a competitive advantage. A key aspect of accomplishing this is to teach managers and lower level employees to take a proactive approach toward change (Winston). Another standard they adhere to is called renewal of leadership. At Motorola it is important that employees have freedom to take risks and utilize creativity. Therefore, Motorola looks for managers who can inspire and empower subordinates rather than inhibit their creative freedom through rigid authority or control. Their renewal of leadership system uses an intricate 360-degree feedback program for all divisions of the company. This allows every worker to get opinions about their strengths and areas needing improvement from peers, managers, subordinates, and customers. Motorola also has a structure that encourages the rotation of managers from all levels of the organization. This is done to reenergize managers and ensure that problems will continually be looked at from a fresh perspective (Winston). An essential concept the Motorola Corporation advocates to their employees is to think the unthinkable. The notion here is to think differently and find innovative solutions to any type of problem encountered. To encourage this initiative, Motorola passes power on to their employees to make critical decisions and tells them it is okay to make mistakes. Open to new ideas, devoted to nurturing, and encouraging those who question the oldest assumptions and propose the boldest changesthese are enduring characteristics of Motorola (High Performance Working Research Project). Motorola also encourages their employees to exhibit desired performance through rewards and positive reinforcement. Counter-intuitive thinkingthe thought process of standing against the crowd and challenging conventional wisdomis prized, encouraged, and rewarded. In fact, it is the basis on which Motorolas success is founded (Winston). Motorola is very good about giving their employees a high level of autonomy and encouraging independent thinking. This results in a greater sense of confidence and creative freedom while on the job. In order for workers to consistently apply the values that Motorola preaches, they must be properly motivated. Thus, Motorola offers many extrinsic rewards to employees that can make them feel appreciated and motivate them to be successful. The company provides extensive training each year for all employees, tuition reimbursement for attending school, sports and recreation facilities, and promotions based on achievement rather than tenure (Inside Motorola: Benefits). These incentives, along with competitive salaries, can help workers feel a greater sense of commitment and purpose for their jobs. It is also common for people to be more productive and creative when they are valued and feel comfortable in their surroundings. The preceding examples illustrate why so many employees view Motorola as a first class organization and are passionate about their careers. BENCHMARKING Benchmarking is often applied to such business practices as payroll, payables, customer billing, receivables, information technology, purchasing, and inventory management. Despite the various definitions of benchmarking, the goal is always the same: to identify best practices. The benchmarking allowed Motorola to climb the learning curve quickly by benefiting from the experience of other companies. According to Greg Hackett, founder and president of The Hackett Group, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦you get to steal the learning curve of othersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.  [i]   Ultimately, benchmarking results in more efficient processes which, in turn, can generate substantial cost savings. According to Mark Krueger, managing director of AnswerThink Consulting, cost reductions can range from 15% to 45%. The basic premise behind benchmarking is that to deliver quality, you need to compare your business against the best in class business and then make changes to your operation so that quality is enhanced. Benchmarking is the process of determining who is the very best, who sets the standard, and what that standard is. JUST-IN-TIME (JIT) Just-in-Time is method of fast response to customers used my Motorola. The Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing is, to a large extent, based upon a system of total quality management, as well as strong emphasis upon training and involvement of workers in all phases of manufacturing in Motorolas workshops. JIT is particularly conducive for some areas of manufacturing and viable for other manufacturing control systems too. JIT utilizes a full involvement and method of manufacturing, emphasizing such aspects as order to delivery, eliminating waste, enforcing problem-solving and continuous improvement, total quality management, parallel processing, purchasing, and others. The essential philosophy behind JIT manufacturing has largely to do with competitive effectiveness. TAGUCHI CONCEPTS Pioneered by Dr. Genichi Taguchi whose fundamental thinking was to develop products that hold up to adverse conditions (i.e, Motorola telephones are designed to be dropped because this commonly happens). Motorola apples this quality principle to service, they know that they should plan for the worst when designing our service. When the adverse condition occurs, they should maintain the quality in service. CONCLUSION TQM is frequently touted as the necessary next step in the evolution of modern business management. In theory, it is often hard to argue with the logic of the quality focus advocated by the TQM approach. Unfortunately, TQM initiatives often fail when implementation begins. The failure of TQM is largely due to the fact that all the philosophical, strategic, and measurement dimensions of the TQM concept are not adequately addressed. These three dimensions of TQM should be stressed at different levels of the management hierarchy to varying degrees. The responsibility for establishing the philosophical dimension of TQM falls mostly on top management so that the emphasis of quality can be fully integrated into an organizations missions. The essential elements of TQM are then incorporated into strategic decisions for various functions of the organization. Functional management teams within the same organization should be allowed to define quality that is most appropriate for their function al areas. Based on the specific functional, working definitions of quality, it is possible to develop a comprehensive quality measurement system capable of capturing the vital information relating to quality. Data can then be analyzed and aggregated when reported to the upper level management for decision making and continuous improvement.

An Analysis of The Dominate Perspectives of International Political Eco

In the world of international political economy, three dominant perspectives have emerged over time. The differences and similarities between the realist/mercantilist, liberalism, and historical structuralism perspectives are significant. In this essay, I will compare and contrast these dominant perspectives. First, I will give a historical account of how each perspective originated. Then I will outline the actors involved in each perspective, explore those actors’ interests, and outline which of those actors set economic and political policy. Lastly, I will explore how those political and economic actors relate to each other. History Among the three dominant perspectives, realist/mercantilist is the oldest and some would argue the most important and comprehensive theory . It was developed in Europe during the 15th to 18th centuries and was based on the premise that what best-supported national power and wealth was increasing exports and collecting precious metals, such as bullion . The states would then establish colonies, a merchant marine, and develop industry and mining to attain a favorable balance of trade . In order for the states to be able to fund their expansion, pay for their increasingly large armies and cover the growing costs of their government they needed to accumulate wealth. The state became more involved in the economy favoring export-oriented policies because in order to accumulate the much-needed wealth, the state needed to sell more than it bought, or export more than it imported . Governments started to impose import duties to protect local businesses and provide a source of revenue. Production was also increasingly regulated by the state and economic treaties were struck between states. The problem was; what good was all the accumulated wealth if they cannot protect themselves from invaders? The states quickly learned that wealth and security were intrinsically related and that in order to have and keep one you must have the other . Security, and the accumulation of wealth to pay for the costs of the security, is therefore now considered to be the most important aspects of realism/mercantilism and states now use the economy as a way to generate more wealth and more power .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Liberalism was a reaction against the policies of realism/mercantilism. The French philosophers ‘The Physiocrats’ condemned the in... ...he corporate sector guides the economic policies of the state and the state in turn regulates the corporate sector with favorable intervention. In summary, after examining the origins of each perspective, and exploring the main actors, which set policy and how they relate, it has become clear that while each theory has been put into practice and have all failed and succeeded to some extent, no one theory can accurately sum up the incredibly complex world of international political economy. Prepared By: Tim Delroy Bibliography Balaam, David and Veseth, Michael â€Å"Introduction to International Political Economy† (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2001) Ekelund, Robert B. and Tollison, Robert D. â€Å"Politicized Economies† (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1997) Goldstein, Joshua S. â€Å"International Relations† (New York: Longman, 2001) Jones, Barry; editor â€Å"The Worlds of Political Economy† (London: Pinter Publishers Ltd, 1988) Magnussen, Lars â€Å"Mercantilism: the Shaping of an Economic Language† (New York: Routledge, 1994) Stubbs, Richard and Underhill, Geoffrey R.D.; editors â€Å"Political Economy and the Changing Global Order† (Don Mills: Oxford University Press, 2000)

Project Management for Family Day Essay

Company ABC is a small company consist of 100 employees in total. To facilitate bonding between the employees and their family and enhance relationships between co-workers, company ABC will make a family day that will be held in Chinese Garden on 1st of July 2013. In this family day, employees and their family will participate in some activities that has been arranged by company. Project Scope Statement Project Objective The objective from these activities are happy employees with stronger relationship between each other. It also expected to give a new positive atmosphere in the workplace. To achieve it, there are some activities that will be done. Those activities will be divided into teenage-adults, family and kids. Employees and their family can freely choose which stand they want to attend. All the activities’s equipment must be readily available at least 3 days before the due day, which is on 28th of June. The ingredients for cooking competition and souvenir (goodie bag) must be stored one day before the due day, 30th of June. The food for consumption must be ordered one week before due date, so does the transportation. Booking location must be done at least one month before due day. Assume that each employees has 4 family members, there will be 400 people, more or less. Cost for family’s activities $1000. On kids zone, the cost will be $850. On consumption and souvenir is $1000 and for transportation’s budget is $1500, last but not least the venue’s cost will be $900. Deliverables As mention before, all the activities are divided into three groups. The first group (teenage-adult)’s activities, consist of airsoft gun, baseball, and volleyball. In the family section there will be cooking competition and on kid’s zone the activities are making handicraft, painting and playing percussion music. Milestones Sending the invitation to all employees – 15th of May book the place – 1st of June rent the airsoft gun place – 15th of June book the food – 24th of June book the transportation – 24th of June rent cooking equipment – 24th of June rent the percussion instrument – 24th of June buy baseball and volleyball equipment – 28th of June buy the handicraft and painting equipment – 29th of June buy ingredient for cooking – 30th of June prepare the place – 30th of June Technical Requirements Airsoft gun area can fit 20 person in each game (around 30 minutes), every person will be provided with a body protector, helmet and a gun. Baseball game will have two teams with 9 member (around 2 families) each, each game will be provided 3 balls, 1 bat and 8 gloves. For volleyball, it can fit 12 persons that divided into 2 teams in each game, on this game will be provided by 2 volleyballs and 1 net. Cooking competition equipment 1 small stove, 2 knifes, 2 bowls, 1 cutting board, 1 frying pan, 3 plates and the salad ingredients will be provided. One for each family, there will be 10 family competing on this competition. Kid’s zone activities, handicarft’s stuff, scissor, glue, coloured plastic, origami, and wire are provided. On painting section, brush, canvas, and paint will be given to each kids. Lastly, percussion instrument will be provided. Limits and Exclusions Employees need to bring their own cap, change of clothes and apron. Those things are not provided by committee. Reviews with Customer For this family day, we have four sponsors. Faber castel for painting equipments, SBS transit for shuttle bus, DBS, and Yamaha for percussion instruments. Project Priorities On this project, to save the company’s budget, cost will be the most constraint matter. If this activities exceed the budget too much, it may not be approved by the superior/ director. The performance of family day can be enhanced. Committee will give their best effort to make the activities becomes spectacular, but as long as the employees and their family enjoy this activities, it will be good enough. Because, the main purpose of these activities is strengthen the bonding of each other. Time for this family day can be accepted if there is a change, because the member for this activities is still inside the company, so, the schedule can be changed easily. Although, it’s still inappropriate if the committee change the date too often. Work Breakdown Structure Cost Estimation In this project, there will be two types of cost-estimation, weekly cost-estimation and milestones cost-estimation. The budget will be counted from 15th of May all the way to 1st of July. It covers entertainment, venue, kid’s zone, consumption, souvenir and reward cost. Some of the cost are covered by sponsors, and the rest of them will be taken from cash of company ABC.

Lakes

Lakes are basically water bodies that are enclosed by land, majority of which consist of fresh water. They can be classified based on the nature of their formation process. Lakes can be formed by landslides, glacial blockages, depressions created by tectonic uplift of mountains and several other natural phenomena. The size and shape of lakes also vary to a great extent depending upon their type (Lake Access). Also, the diverse variety of aquatic life inhabiting these lakes is determined by their type and geographic location.A subglacial lake is one which is found under the surface of ice caps and glaciers. The water in such lakes remains in liquid state, as the layer of ice above retains the heat resulting from geothermal heating and friction. A subglacial lake is usually round-shaped and does not facilitate animal life due to the extremely low temperatures. Lake Vostok located in Antarctica is a classic example of a subglacial lake; its coordinates on the earth are 77 degrees South- 105 degrees East. The amount of water found in such lakes is approximately around 5400 cubic kilometers.A reservoir is an artificial lake brought into being by human intervention. These man-made lakes are usually bigger compared to their natural counterparts. A reservoir is made by filling up an open pit mine or unused patches of land behind a dam with massive quantities of water. These lakes are commonly shaped like a bean or moon. They accommodate aquatic life such as Catfish, Guadalupe bass and many other varieties of fish. Lake Nasser, an artificial lake on River Nile is a well-known reservoir; it is geographical location extends between 22-25 degrees North and 31-45 degrees East.An endorheic lake is a closed lake which does not experience any substantial outflow of water. The surface of such lakes is flat and dry since they are mainly located in desert regions, where inflow of water is low; they are also characterized by steep holes and their depth varies a lot. Although the ou tflow of water in most lakes is through underground diffusion or rivers, endorheic lakes are quite an exception since the outflow is only by water evaporation in the endorheic basin. Hence, these lakes are also known as terminal lakes. Endorheic lakes mostly consist of reptilian life forms such as snakes and lizards. Lake Eyre is a commonly known endorheic lake located in central Australia between 28-22 degrees South and 137-22 degrees East. Lake Turkana and Lake Torrens are some other examples of an endorheic lake.A meromictic lake consists of several layers of water that do not mix with each other. The deepest layers in such lakes have a scarcity of oxygen and the sediments there remain intact. They are circular in shape; the basin of such lakes is quite steep, while the surface area of the lake is relatively less deep. Meromictic lakes are inhabited by cormorants, turtles, herons, geese, ducks and raccoons. Green Lake located between Washington D.C and Seattle is an excellent exa mple of a meromictic lake; it is nearly 2.1 meters in depth. Lake Nyos and Lake McGinnis are some of the other popular meromictic lakes.An Oxbow is a lake which is formed when a stream channel bend is abandoned from a river. When a river meanders slowly in a low-lying plains and river valleys, a horseshoe-shaped bend is cutoff from the main channel as a result of continuous silt deposition, giving rise to oxbows. They distinctively look like curve-shaped cracks or loops. An Oxbow does not support much of animal life and its size is about 22miles long and three-fourths of a mile wide. Lake Reelfoot in Tennessee and Lake Chicot in Arkansas are examples of an Oxbow.Reference:Lake Access. (n.d.). Formation of Lakes. Retrieved 2 July, 2007 from,