Student Project D Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Student Project D - Essay Example nsultant who was hired by the chief operations officer (COO) of Phoenix, this brief paper will present ways to evaluate the performance of the central IT unit in its assigned task and subject a report. The information technology (IT) unit of any organization is often tasked with sensitive responsibilities with regards to the information needs of that organization. The evaluation of its performance can be subjective to a certain extent but there are measures or metrics by which its performance can be measure more objectively. In other words, there are ways by which metrics are transformed into something concrete, objective, measurable, effective, and time-bound. The said criteria is basically what is used to measure information management (Blackmore, 2003). Measuring performance of any business unit encompasses two aspects, generally. These are the external business perspective and the internal users perspective. The first pertains to how an organization is considered effective by its customers who availed of its products and servicesj in terms of its response and the timeliness of response (Epstein, Manzoni, & Davila, 2010). The internal side concerns more with perceptions, in particular, how people in particular departments react to their own business units. According to Blackmore, this is often called as perception management with regards to soft aspects of business operations. He called this aspect as perception management operations (PMO) which applies to how information is processed and how messages are sent to their intended target audience. In the case of Phoenix, its external users are the clients who access their company Web site perhaps to get updates on their investments. It is therefore a critical aspect of customer perception that will determine performance of IT unit. The effectiveness of the central IT unit at Phoenix headquarters can be measured by use of the above criteria. The performance measures (metrics) are based both on hardware and also

Selecting Leaders Essay Example for Free

Selecting Leaders Essay As you may already know leaders hold a vital role within a team and it takes certain skills and qualities to be a good leader. Different leaders can emerge through a group of people and stand out as having those skills required and others are select from groups of people who have all be looked at or applied for the same position. In this task I am going to looking into how leaders might emerge or be selected. A lot of people believe that leaders can emerge through groups by showing their natural abilities. I personally believe that this is true to a certain extent because all good, effective, respected leaders do seem to have a natural talent to lead a group of people to success. This natural talent consists of certain qualities that really so put them above other people who may be around them. These qualities could be: * Communication skills * Integrity * Problem solving * Courage * Quick thinking * Luck A number of people have looked at and researched the type of qualities that leaders have and have come up with Trait Theories. Psychologists such a Bird (1940), Warren Bennis (1998), Stogdill (1948) and Mann (1959) have all come up with similar theories. They all say that leaders are people who can express themselves fully. They are people that know what they want, why they want it and how to let people what they want to a team or people. In they receive the co-operation, respect and support of their team. They explain how good leaders, such as Margaret Thatcher, Nelson Mandella etc, have a number of general or individual qualities or traits. Early research into traits showed that these different characteristics that appear to separate the leaders from the followers. John Gardner looked at large number of organisations in the USA and the people in charge of them. He came to the conclusion that people who had the qualities are good leaders and have a high chance of getting tasks done effectively and quickly with the utmost success. The qualities that he found and studied were: * Physical vitality and stamina * Intelligence and action-oriented judgement * Eagerness to accept responsibility * Task competence * Understanding of followers and their needs * Skill in dealing with people * Need for achievement * Capacity to motivate people * Courage and resolution * Trustworthiness * Assertiveness * Decisiveness * Self-confidence * Adaptability/flexibility http://www.infed.org/leadership/traditional_leadership.htm The majority of Gardners qualities have certain aspects of a persons behaviour, skills and others to do character and mental ability. More recently studies have been made on people who have a mixture of traits that might be good for particular situations. The British Army is one of the public service organisations which has a huge emphasis on leadership and having good leaders. They have two separate levels of entry one for squadies and the other for officers. Before people join the Army the recruiters look for the trait qualities of a good leader within them and in their academic records and put them through the selection procedures for officer level. This branch of selection as well as being based on the general fitness required for Army life. They assess recruits on their ability to use their natural qualities and take a group of people and impose their own will on these people to get them to be and effective force for whatever situation gets thrown their way. During this time they look for high levels of confidence when instructing people, normally their peers, on what they have to do. As well as confidence they look for problem solving skills by setting command tasks. Here the assessors look for the for the ability to make and instant decision after being faced with a challenging situation and then being able to give clear orders on how they want the task to be completed in the quickest and most effective way. This will be done at a Regular Commission Board (RCB). It is designed to find out whether a person is capable of the Army Officers role. Every officer applicant must pass before proceeding to officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. The RCB is carried out in Westminster and it lasts for four days. In the long run this is a good way of getting the right leaders in the Army who will lead their men to success. It is designed to take the raw natural talent of an individual and mould it into a great leader for the British Army through encouragement and expert training. This gives all potential officers the basic ideas on how to take charge of a large number of people but offers no real hands on experience until they have finished training and they are in the battlefield in a real life situation. The Armys two tear holds very good for those who want to take the officer route but these people may be young and unable to release their potential, without any real military experience behind them. On the other hand it holds no favours or advantages for those who took the squadie route. These people may be the people who didnt have the academic grades or signs of potential before they joined but have come up through the rank structure and shown that they can take a group of people and turn them into a good team. From here it seems obvious that a person with these qualities and some sort of military experience should be given the opportunity to be an officer. It isnt as easy as it sounds though and more often than not they will stay within the ranking structure of a squadie. In other public services, such as the Police, every person starts of at the same level, Police Constable. This allows everyone to develop qualities at the same rate and eventually the right leader will emerge through the job. When people have made themselves seen for having the qualities they hold and the potential to be promoted to the next stage up. To reach this next stage they have to take part in a promotion board with and exam at the end to be promoted, to Sergeant from PC in the Police force. This system unlike the Army gives everyone the opportunity to show their qualities and ability to be a leader. Unfortunately its a very long process and is subject to job availability. Just recently though the Police have introduced a high potential development system. Like the Armies officer training route it is a system set to spot potential early and offer a fast track to promotion with people who have the right characteristics. Similarly to the Army a weakness of this process is that candidates my lack experience and possible respect from their team. Leaders can also emerge as leaders due being faced with a challenge i.e. conflict, operation or even a major disaster. These situations can sometime bring the best out of some people where they need to take the situation by the scruff of the neck and get the team through it successfully. Sometime this can be good when you are faced with situations like this regularly but when it comes to a day to day basis and there is nothing to give the adrenaline rush that may trigger this kind of reaction are they able to give the same type of control. Task 6b Within the public services there are a number of selection processes that evaluate and make the most of leadership shills and qualities. I am now going to look at the RCB I mentioned before and evaluate how good it is and how effective it is to turn out good leaders. The RCB is made up of two parts the briefing and main board. All candidates have to do the two day Briefing process which assesses the candidates suitability to go on to the Main Board. It also provides information on the structure and role of the Army and also candidates will be informed on what they can expect and what is expected of them on the main board. During this briefing there are a number of different tasks to be carried out by the candidates. One of these tasks being a computer based assessment known as an ACMAP, Army Commission Mental Aptitude Profile. This gives the assessors information on the candidate verbal, numerical and abstract abilities. A long side this there are a number of other activities which bring individuals up to the same standard so that candidates can give of their best when attending the Main Board. Throughout the process various Military Officers will assess the candidates. After this each candidate sits a debrief interview. During the interview the Officer will explain to the candidate how well they did and give them their results. Selection for the Main Board is based upon the potential shown by candidates at the Briefing. Prior to selection, candidates will be required to meet our physical selection standards. The briefing before the main RCB is designed to asses all candidates on their potential before taking part in the RCB which then leads on to officer training and entry into the Army at officer level. If this didnt take place some people who werent capable of leading a group of people into war or like situations. From this they can select people with high potential to take part in the RCB and be very effective officer within the Army structure. The Main Board forms the second component of the assessment and selection process for entry to RMAS and lasts four days. The Board selects from the field of suitably qualified candidates, those with the potential qualities of character, ability and leadership who should, after training, be able to command a sub-unit (platoon or troop) in the performance of common military tasks in peace and war. Arriving mid-morning of day one, candidates complete the battery of physical assessments then go on to complete an essay and undertake the computer based assessments: Army Commission Mental Aptitude Profile (ACMAP) Multiple Choice Assessments (MCTA). Day two gets under way with an Opening Discussion followed by a number of interviews designed to show the Army what you have to offer. Remember, sell yourself, make us want to buy. The remainder of day two is given over to outdoor activities including Opening Tasks and the Opening Race. Day Three commences with the written Planning Exercise leading into the discussion element where you are expected to answer some questions relating to your chosen plan. It is the one part of the Main Board that candidates never forget. After being inside for the morning, attentions once again turn to your performance outside in the Command Tasks and Individual Obstacles. The day culminates in a formal dinner in the Mess, this is a chance for candidates to sample life as a young officer. The last day of the Board is the last chance to show us what you have to offer. This is done in the form of the Closing Race where candidates must complete a number of objectives in a given time. After the race the Brigadier gives candidates a closing address before departing RCB. Over the assessment phase you will have shown the Board members your potential and it is this that the Boarding conferences are based upon. Board members discuss the evidence that they have collected and use this to reach the Boards decision. Candidates dont compete against each other at RCB, they compete against a standard; above the line and you pass, below the line and you fail. If selected, candidates will have demonstrated that they have the potential to be an Army Officer. Candidates will have rightly earned themselves a place at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (provided you pass the Army medical). We aim to dispatch the result letter to candidates on a Friday afternoon so that all candidates know their result by Monday.

The Application Of Wind Environmental Sciences Essay

The Application Of Wind Environmental Sciences Essay Wind comes from the suns uneven heating onto the earth surfaces, as hot air raises cold air sinks; there is a change in pressure, from high to low. Hence the change in pressure generated the movement of the air, as such wind is produced. Wind can be identifying as air in motion. Application of wind came a long way back to the past; during ancient time, sea explorers use wind with the help of the sails to sail through the seven seas. As for agriculture, farmers built simple windmills to grind the grains and also to pump water from the flowing rivers. And as technology advances, companies and researchers are coming up with designs and solutions to harness wind as a source of power in a greater scale. The Growth of Wind Power As technologies increases within time, human beings tends to create new things to ease works in life. Hence technology took a great part in the growth of wind power. In the earlier days, wind power was first used as mechanical power; this mechanical power was generated through the help of wind mill. The four blades wind mill generates mechanical power which helps to basically do all sorts of task: pumping of water, grinding of grains or even sawing of woods. But things changed in the 19th century, where electrical generators are introduced; people tried to fit in electrical generator into the wind mills in order to harness electricity. But results were not that ideal and slowly this electricity harnessing wind mills are forgotten. Even though such technology did die down or went missing for a century or so, it came back with a larger version of the olden days wind mill, it is called the wind turbine. Wind turbines first started off from rural areas where there are hills and mountains, which are known as onshore wind turbines or wind farms. But slowly it emerged with the help of new technology into shallow waters; shallow waters are places near the seas or oceans where they are nearer to the shore and easy to access. Then again technology took wind turbines studies to another level, which is what all companies had an eye on: deep water wind turbines. The evolution of wind mills to wind turbines till the recent offshore wind power, the next section we will be looking at the new wind power. What is Wind Power? A single wind turbine consists of a tower acting as a base and a fan-like propeller attached to the top of the base; energy is harnessed through the wind and the propeller. A series of wind turbines made up to a wind farm, a one stop of electrical energy power station. Advantages of Wind Power in General. Firstly, there is an abundant of wind everywhere; anywhere there is a high velocity of wind could be the location of a wind turbine. Secondly, during the operation of wind turbines and wind farms there are no air or land pollutions reported. It reduces global carbon foot prints. Thirdly, wind turbines come in a range of sizes and designs to cater to different needs. Lastly, with the increment of wind farms the cost of electricity may decrease. Disadvantages of Wind Power in General. Firstly, even though wind is abundant; wind is more or less predictable through seasons. There are possibilities of unsteady wind flow which might lead to wind farms not being able to produce enough electricity or power as per its peak. Secondly, wind farms produce silent pollution. As wind farms are greatly known as the non-polluting energy, little that many knows that it still do it parts in pollution; not to the environment but to the surrounding people. Pollutions like noise and vibration produced by operating the turbines. Types of wind power In Chapter 1 section 1.2 The Growth of Wind Power, it states that wind power have been brunched out into three different groups, namely: Onshore, Shallow Water and Deep Water, which is also known as offshore. In the later chapters of this literature review, we will look at the different types of wind power in depth. WindmillOnshore wind farm wind farm california The Worlds Most Amazing Wind Farms Onshore wind farm lynn and inner dowsing wind farm1 The Worlds Most Amazing Wind Farms Offshore wind farm floating wind turbine The Worlds Most Amazing Wind Farms Floating deep water wind turbine : Onshore Wind Farm 2.1 Introduction on Onshore Wind Farm Onshore wind farms are modules of wind turbines which are formed in a certain pattern or layout; and they are largely situated in area which is open freely to wind flow of supply between 5-15 m/s. Mostly over at the sub-urban areas: agriculture, country-side and mountain or hill tops. It is located mostly in U.S.A. and a few are in the United Kingdom, China and Australia. And as of 2012, the worlds largest onshore wind farm in terms of Current Capacity is Alta Wind Energy Centre in the USA; with 1020 MW on the record. 2.2 Two Types of Onshore Wind Turbines For Onshore wind turbines it is commonly categorized under two groups, namely: Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT) and Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT). As per what the name HAWT says, its blades are designed to be parallel to the ground where as for VAWT; its blades are designed perpendicularly to the ground. horizontal axis wind turbineVertical Axis Wind Turbine HAWT VAWT http://www.freewebs.com/snatalie/turbine-types.gif For Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT), there are three different designs under its belt: Design(s): Designs brief: Up wind turbines This design usually comes with a tail-like rudder that controls the hub and the blades so as to make sure the turbine will counter the wind direction at all times, even when there is a change of direction of the wind. Down wind turbines This design is of such that the wind will come in contact with the tower before it reaches the blades. Shrouded wind turbines This design has an additional of a structure which resembles a funnel that will capture the maximum flow of the wind to the blades. As for Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT), there are two different designs, namely: Savonius wind turbine and Darrieus wind turbine. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFP9bG_MuhEzBwnTTZ3333wKZHGECwdIKsPrgYe7TefMK-WoMriDeCUICV3g6jeGKwsXJ9u-wpsMAzWL6DDN1e1dtAp3qdmF1U3Oe0zomSNptR0l6W_3ZLbyywBac8T_z866oK2QLct_M/s320/savonius.jpg Fig. 2.3 Advantages and Disadvantages of Both Types Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine Advantages Disadvantages Self-start system Single direction wind intake Stand-alone design 2. Installation is tedious Able to harness high speed wind Relevant to electricity Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Advantages Disadvantages Wind intake from all direction Needs a mechanism to start Installation is easy, as lesser materials are use Require mooring in order to support the structure Design only caters to slow wind speeds 2.4 Issues and Problems Affects Avian During the late 1980s it has been reported that birds are found death or injured by the wind turbines. Birds in the United States namely the Golden Eagles and the Red-tailed Hawks were being killed by the wind turbines or by electrocution. As both types of avian spices are under the federals protection scheme, it draws wildlife and avian activists attentions. And slowly as the increase of wind farms being built in the different parts of the world, it started to harm the birds living around the farms. Birds being killed by collisions with the turbines; airplanes has their own flight zone, so does the birds, having a wind farms situated right in the flight zone will eventually cause more damages to the birds living in that area. As more wind turbines and electrical cables are built and planted, birds being electrocuted are common; as birds will tend to build the nest on the hub or on top of the tower, electrocutions are inevitable. Migration of bird spices; having foreign objects or obstacles in the birds daily life does increase the tendency of it shifting to somewhere else. But then again the problem lies with how many in total percentage of the birds managed to survive through migration. With issues surfaced, engineers and activists came up ways to resolve it; by reducing the turbines to be built in flight zones, clearing of birds nests and not to expose electrical cables. Noise Pollutions For wind turbines, there are two types of contribution to the noise pollution, namely: aerodynamic noise and mechanical noise. Aerodynamic noise is produced by the turbines blades, which creates sounds with rotating blades. Whereas for mechanical noise, it is produced by the fiction and the gears in the hubs. Some noises are inaudible and some are not which are produced by the wind turbines that is built in the sub-urban areas are harming the people that lives there. Drives Holiday-makers Away

The Setting of Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay -- Young Goodman

The Setting of â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†      Ã‚   This essay will examine the main physical settings within Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown.† These are four in number and begin and end in the village of Salem. The tale opens at Goodman and Faith Brown’s house, in the doorway where the protagonist is telling his wife goodbye, and where she is trying to dissuade him from his planned adventure on this particular night. Most of the elements in this setting are positive, bright, hopeful: a sunset; a familiar street and home; pink ribbons on Faith’s cap. As Goodman departs and walks down the street past the meeting-house, his physical setting begins to deteriorate as he turns onto a "dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through, and closed immediately behind."†His new setting in the woods is â€Å"lonely,† has â€Å"solitude,† and reflects Goodman’s footsteps, which are â€Å"lonely.† His suspicion and fear grow as he reflects:   â€Å""There may be a devilish Indian behind every tree," said Goodman Brown to himself; and he glanced fearfully behind him, as he added, "What if the devil himself should be at my very elbow!" When he turns his head to the front again, after pa... ...ond.   "'Young Goodman Brown': The Second Time Around."   The Nathaniel Hawthorne Review 19 (Spring 1993): 18-21. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Complete Short Stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Doubleday and Co., Inc.,1959. The Holy Bible, King James Version-Old and New Testaments, with the Apocrypha http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/kjv.browse.html James, Henry. Hawthorne. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997. Martin, Terence. Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Twayne Publishers Inc., 1965. Wagenknecht, Edward. Nathaniel Hawthorne – The Man, His Tales and Romances. New York: Continuum Publishing Co., 1989.

Nutrition Final Exam Study Guide Essay

Understanding Disease Risk Factors Describe the differences between a chronic disease and infectious disease. What leading causes of death are nutrition-related? A) heart diseases, cancers, strokes, diabetes Describe the concept of a risk factor. A) Factors known to be related to diseases, but have not yet proven to be a cause. We say that a certain factor puts us at increased risk for a disease, but does not cause it. How does one use risk factors? Review the basics of cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis. Be ready to identify the risk factors for cardiovascular disease (especially diet-related risk factors!) A) High LDL blood cholesterol, low HDL blood cholesterol, high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, obesity (central obesity), physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, diet: high saturated or trans fats, low veggies, low fruits, low whole grains Describe the dietary strategies to reduce risk of CVD through diet. A) Decrease saturated and trans fat, increase soluble fiber intake, increase fruits and veggies, increase whole grains/ decrease refined grains, increase fish intake (2 servings/week) What is the TLC diet and what does it entail? A) TLC = Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes. From the NIH, designed to help decrease cholesterol through diet and lifestyle changes: the same changes we saw in table 11.6, also recommends 2 grams per day of plant sterols What do plant sterols have to do with high blood cholesterol? A) Plant sterols – the plant form of cholesterol. Slightly chemically different, prevent us from absorbing cholesterol in the intestines, currently only recommended for those with high cholesterol Weight Management What is meant by the concept of ‘energy balance’? A) Intake = output ïÆ'   weight maintenance Intake < output ïÆ'   weight loss Intake > output ïÆ'   weight gain What is the significance of BMI? See chart on page 3 of (Module 10 Part 1) What is the risk of being overweight or obese? What are the ranges of BMI? (Know the numbers. What is healthy? Underweight? Overweight?) A) Underweight < 18.5 Normal = 18.5 – 24.9 Overweight = 25 – 29.9 Obese (class I) = 30 – 34.9 Obese (class II) = 35 – 39.9 Extremely obese (class III) > 40 What are the alternatives to BMI for predicting health status? A) Men 12-20% ‘normal’, 5-10% for athletes, >22% & 35% &

The Human Brain and Philosophy

As early as the 70s science had established right brain superiority at performing visual and spatial tasks, such as drawing three-dimensional shapes, and left brain specialization for language, speech, and problem solving. (Gazzaniga,1996). By 2005, Gazzaniga said scientific research has proved that the brain could insists on created belief. He said research findings tend to show that the left-hemisphere interpreter is not only a master of belief creation, but it will stick to its belief system no matter what.In this context the scientist in effect is also warning us that the brain could serve to make humans slaves of their philosophical or religious belief: Any time our left brain is confronted with information that does not jibe with our self-image, knowledge, or conceptual framework, our left-hemisphere interpreter creates a belief to enable all incoming information to make sense and mesh with our ongoing idea of our self. The interpreter seeks patterns, order, and causal relation ships. (Gazzaniga, 2005).The implications for religion and philosophy are tremendous, but more striking with recent findings is that ancient philosophers without the aid of neuro-cognitive science research have long before seen some semblance of similarity with what science now is uncovering. Philosophy of the rationalist schools of thought expounded extensively on how we can perceive truths: through experience or by reason, and/or a combination of both. (Empiricism, Rationalism, or a mix of both thinking. ) The dialogue ranged from the point that reason determines knowledge to the extreme position that reason is the unique path to knowledge.Brain and Philosophy 2 But going even further back to ancient philosophy, Socrates expounded long ago on the Greek belief that the soul had an irrational and a rational side, and that the ideal would be to develop the rational dominating the irrational. The Platonic dictum of know thyself, is in effect the rational mastering the modern brain to mean man's full potential. Descartes later also upheld reason and the scientific method, asserting that such empirical experiences such as dreams (among the experiential but unreliable illusionary reality) cannot determine reality.Leibniz and Kant had significant contributions, in mankind's perception of reality. In trying to make sense of the many opinions on reality and experience, Leibniz at one point argued that the universal reality is the best that the Creator can make out of the universe—a case or sort of optimization — explanation that seemed to have tried to make sense out of the rational and empirical explanations of what the mind perceives as chaotic. Philosophy tries to make sense out of everything, using argument or reason — and experience, but as Socrates seemed to have proved long ago, we always ended up in the inquiry where we began.Ultimately what common source all these arguments come from is clearly the brain itself, whose physiology and funct ions are magnificently being unraveled by science. Ironically Gazzaniga seemed to be also warning us that what inhibits the unraveling is right there in our brains too, in the left hemisphere which resists the inconvenience of new findings that challenge our long held beliefs. . If we shall let the full flowering of the rational to proceed, as Plato and Socrates had long espoused, it looks like we're the better for it. This unites the end of philosophy with what our scientists are trying to help us find out.(2005) Brain and Philosophy 3 References 1 Gazzanga,M. â€Å"Whole Brain Interpreter†: Science News, February 24, 1996. Retrieved October 15, 2008 http://pegasus. cc. ucf. edu/~fle/gazzaniga. html 2 Gazzanga,M. The Ethical Brain by Michael Gazzaniga . (Chicago. : Dana Press 2005) ,145-55. Retrieved October 15,2008 from http://www. press. uchicago. edu/Misc/Chicago/1932594019. html 3. Definitions of rationalism and empiricism used the Stanford encyclopedia Retrieved October 15,2008 http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/rationalism-emp