Y2k Essays (2431 words) - Calendars, Software Bugs, COBOL, Hazards

Y2k Less than two years until the year 2000. Two seemingly small digits may turn January 1, 2000 from a worldwide celebration into a universal nightmare. With computers mistaking the year 2000 for 1900, virtually all businesses that use dates will be affected. Not only will the companies be affected, but they are paying millions upon millions of dollars in order for computers to recognize the difference between the years 2000 and 1900. The year 2000 computer bug is a huge problem that our world must face. In order to explain how to solve the millennium bug, it is a good idea to be informed about exactly what the year 2000 problem is. The year 2000 industry expert, Peter de Jager, described the problem quite well. We programmed computers to store the date in the following format: dd/mm/yy. This only allows 2 digits for the year. January 1, 2000 would be stored as 01/01/00. But the computer will interpret this as January 1, 1900- not 2000 (de Jager 1). The '19' is hard-coded into computer hardware and software. Since there are only 2 physical spaces for the year in this date format, after '99', the only logical choice is to reset the number to '00'. The year 2000 problem is unlike any other problem in modern history for several reasons. William Adams points out some of the most important ones. Time is running out- the Year 2000 is inevitable! The problem will occur simultaneously worldwide, time zones withstanding. It affects all languages and platforms, hardware & software. The demand for solutions will exceed the supply. Survivors will survive big, losers will lose big. There is no 'silver bullet' that is going to fix things (Adams 2). It is too big and too overwhelming even for [Bill Gates and] Microsoft (Widder 3). Separate, any one of these points makes Y2K, a common abbreviation for the year 2000 problem, an addition to the obstacle. Combined, they form what seems more like a hideous monster than an insignificant bug. The impact of Y2K on society is enormous, bringing the largest companies in the world to their knees, pleading for a fix at nearly any cost. The modern world has come to depend on information as much as it has on electricity and running water. Fixing the problem is difficult because there are [less than] two years left to correct 40 years of behavior (de Jager 1). Alan Greenspan has warned that being 99 percent ready isn't enough (Widder 2). Chief Economist Edward Yardeni has said that the chances for a worldwide recession to occur because of Y2K are at 40% (Widder 3). Senator Bob Benett (Republican, Utah) made a good analogy about the potential of the problem. In the 1970's, oil was the energy that ran our world economy. Today it runs on the energy of information. He later said, To cripple the technological flow of information throughout the world is to bring it to a virtual standstill (Widder 3). The potential of the problem in everyday life is alarming. Imagine making a loan payment in 1999 for a bill that is due in 2000. The company's computers could interpret the '00' as 1900 and you would then be charged with 99 years of late fees (Moffitt & Sandler 48). If the year 2000 problem isn't solved, there could be no air traffic, traffic lights, no lights in your company, companies could not produce goods, no goods delivered to the stores, stores could not send you bills, you could not send bills to anyone else. Business [could] come to a halt (de Jager 1). The costs of fixing Y2K are staggering. The Gartner Group estimates that costs per line of code to be between $1.50 and $2.00 (Conner 1). It is not uncommon for a single company to have 100,000,000 lines of code (de Jager 6). Capers Jones, an expert who has studied software costs for over ten years, estimates total worldwide costs to be $1,635,000,000,000 (One-trillion, 635 billion dollars) (Jones 58). To put this number into perspective, if five people were to spend $100 for every second of every day, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it would take them about 100 years to finish the task! The

Writing success - Freewrite Store

Writing success - Freewrite Store Welcome to the Astrohaus blog! We're here to talk about writing success. A quick confession: we have no idea what that means. How can you  know when your words, your book, your career is  successful? Is it the number of Twitter followers you collect? A collection of positive reviews that show up  when your name is Googled? Or is there even such a thing as a universal  indicator  of writing success? How do you achieve it? In this space, we're exploring the  struggles and victories that come with being a wordsmith. We're sharing tips, thoughts, and tools here on this blog, and we've tapped some of our favorite writers to lend us their wisdom, too. If you're interested in contributing or have a suggestion for the types of posts you'd like to see on the blog, send us a note at hello@astrohaus.com.   Happy writing,StephCommunity Director, Astrohaus

Multiple flavors of the general linear model Essay

Multiple flavors of the general linear model - Essay Example There is an importance that has been associated with the statistical linear models as has been realized in case of the researchers as well as the students. In this case it has been realized that the deep understanding is required in case of the linear regression models as it has been used in the wide variety of research but still a greater and a wide perspective of research is needed. As the paper is to analyze the associated importance of the linear models of analysis in statistics, the research on the topic of organization justice is to be observed. The main topic that shall be observed in this case is the effect of organization justice on personnel hiring in these organizations. The main statistical analysis that is being conducted in all the included studies is the regression analysis. Recently it has been seen that the organization commitment has been the topic of research since many years as its importance has been realized in the organization. All of the researches that have been referred to in the paper deal with an importance that has been associated with the hiring of employees and personnel by kee... For an organizational researcher the main topic of interest has been the way in which the human resources within the firm are being utilized to gain the competitive edge in the market. In addition to this it has been seen that the level of the organization justice that is being implemented in the organization within the management has a direct effect on the social relationships that exist between the employee and the organization as a whole. It has been analyzed that this is the topic that has been researched by the researchers by implementing the statistical techniques as it has been seen that the employees tend to work for the organization in such a way that, maximizes the returns for the organizations. There have been many studies that have tried to link the organization outcomes with the justice within the organizations. The need for the research arises by realizing the fact that the justice perceptions within the organization are linked to various organization outcomes and these are inclusive of the job satisfaction, the commitment for the organization well as the greatest amount of the trust from the employees. Main aspect in this case that has been analyzed is the commitment that is achieved from the employees. the commitment that is being shown by the employees can be of various forms and this can range from the effectiveness being reflected by an organization as well as the faithfulness and the well being of the employees. Commitment can define the psychological state of the employee as has been seen by the researchers that the employees who are involved in the organizational commitment are seen to be more engaged in the behaviors as the high performance as well as the citizenship for the organization. In the included researches the measures

Enterprise Software Architecture Design The Project Proposal, Essay

Enterprise Software Architecture Design The Project Proposal, Requirements and Architectural Model(s) - Essay Example This research aims to evaluate and present an enterprise architecture design as an enterprise structural description that comprises of enterprise components, for instance business entities, external visible properties of the components and the relationship between the components. Basically, enterprise architecture describes the enterprise components, composition and terminologies and their relationship with external environment. Furthermore, it also describes analysis guiding principles, evolution of the enterprise and design. Enterprise architectural design is a comprehensive description of an enterprise goals, roles, business process, organizational behavior, organizational structure, computer system, software applications and business information. On the other hand, enterprise software is enterprise application software mostly used in organizations, for instance, government or business. It is an information system integral part. This is a project proposal paper on enterprise softw are architecture design. It highlights issues of setting up a project design, risk analysis and describes the formal techniques that will be used in the proposal. It also highlights architectural views and models. Main of the project proposal is to offer technical background information of the workings in management of systems in buildings and enhance understanding of capstone projects. The main problem area in this study is ventilation system or air conditioning. It highlights on the choice of cost effective and efficient architecture for ventilation system or air conditioning.... Each research objective therefore used varying fractions of each form of data (Babbie and Benaquisto 2009). The research method chosen for this study was Focus Group Discussions. It was the most appropriate method since the study is primarily qualitative on the choice of cost effective and efficient ventilation system or air conditioning. The FGD was composed of ten architectural specialists who discussed the topic at hand in detail (Babbie and Benaquisto 2009). The study adopted a qualitative approach, as technical matters can be evaluated using data which is practical, and one that has been tested. Therefore a qualitative approach is best suited to meeting the research objectives, as it aims at gathering, analyzing and measuring data from a large sample to test the relation between different variables. Primary data was collected by questionnaires, which included structured and unstructured questions, one on one discussion with the experts, and interviews, which were used to collect data immediately. Secondary data was collected through a review of published and unpublished materials, such as articles, government policy papers, and books (Babbie and Benaquisto 2009). Limitations of the study Validity determines whether the research study actually measures what it is supposed to measure or not. That is, whether the interpretation of the data is valid or not. This can be done by comparing the data collection methods with those of previous studies, and by carrying out a preliminary investigation to find out which methods of data collection are likely to be most effective within the context of the study (Tight et al 2006). The purpose of reliability analysis is to determine whether data are trustworthy or not.

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

Steve Jobs - Research Paper Example His mother, however, wished him to be adopted by another couple that were colleagues at the graduate programme. Her mother signed the adoption papers after being reassured that the child would be supported and encouraged to go to college despite him having only attended High School (Wikipedia par. 6). When later asked about his adoptive parents, Jobs stressed that they were his parents. His real parents, however, did marry in 1955 but divorced in 1982 after they had had a second child Mona Simpson who is a novelist. When Jobs was five years of age, the Jobs moved to Mountain View California. His parents adopted a daughter, Patty, Later. Paul was a handy man and worked as a mechanic and practiced carpentry (Wikipedia par. 6). He taught his son basic skills in electronics and handy work. This later became his hobby. Jobs was taught how to read before going to school by his mother, Clara, who was an accountant. Jobs was very frustrated by formal school system. When he attended Monta Loma Elementary school, he would play pranks on others. The school authority were of the idea that Jobs skip two grades owing to his excellent scores but his parents chose that he skip just one. He schooled at Cupertino Junior High and Homestead High School, both in Cupertino California. He made friends with his neighbour Bill Fernandez while at Homestead. Fernandez acquainted Jobs with Steve Wozniac, who was very extraordinary with electronics and computers (Moisescot par. 3). Wozniac and Fernandez showed Jobs the first computer that they had built and called ‘The cream Soda Computer’ and he was very interested. Wozniac attributed the name of the computer to the fact that they drank cream soda often when they were working on the project. He said he and Jobs had attended the same High School but had not met there. After graduating from high school in 1972, Jobs joined a college in Portland Oregon c alled Reed

Estimation With Cost Significant Elements In Malaysia Construction Essay

Estimation With Cost Significant Elements In Malaysia Construction Essay The construction estimation is an important content of the feasibility study of the projects. The accuracy of the cost estimation directly affects the decision of project, scale of construction, design scheme and economic effects, and affects the proceeding of projects. It is significant for the management and control of the project estimation to process the estimated practically, speedily, and exactly. Construction cost is an important element that should be monitored at different phases of the process of a building construction. It is also a factual process designed to give a reliable estimation or prediction of its financial cost. Cost estimating is a fundamental activity which combines a mechanical process and a subjective expertise undertaken to assess and predict the total cost to execute the construction works. It consists of an application with an appropriate method to estimate and to measure the final quantities of the building. The purpose of construction cost estimation is to provide information for constructors which include areas in the procurement and pricing of construction, establishing contractual amount of payment, and quantity control. Cost models serve a variety of purposes. It can be defined as the symbolic representation for a system, expressing the content of that system in terms of the factors which influence its costs (1). It is a procedure developed to reflect, by means of derived processes, adequately acceptable output for an established series of input data (2). Besides that, techniques used in the cost modeling can also forecast the estimated cost of a proposed construction project (3). Therefore, every method, technique or procedure used by quantity surveyors for cost estimation or cost forecast may be termed as cost models. All procurement systems require a contractor to predict the cost of a project, and to determine a price for the work within the constraints of time and to maintain the required quality without compromising to the wellbeing of other projects. In the traditional procurement system, Bill of Quantities (BQ) is an essential part of tender document that lists all the items of work to be co mpleted in a project which is to provide a mean of comparing bids from several contractors on a like for like basis. Since BQ has become an important tool for project costing and tendering it is also a document for architects and other consultants to have a sense of control on their projects in term of cost and finance. Today BQ are also used for cost planning, projected cash flows and budget, for valuation of interim payments and variation orders, and for settlement of final account. The objective of this paper is to present a formal method, the Cost Significant Element (CSE) method to accelerate the tendering process in the construction industry. The CSE has existed in the industry for a long time and has been used by many project stakeholders to deliver the project and to meet the specified targets and objectives set by the clients. Previous Studies The construction projects in Malaysia are getting more complicated and their scales are getting larger as the industrial development directly affects the construction sector. Hence it is getting more difficult to complete the projects within quality standards, budgeted cost limits and on time. Most of the time, decisions to be taken may be delayed due to the risk and uncertainties met by managers during the construction process and as a result some difficulties are arisen. One of these difficulties is caused by the lack of cost data whenever needed and in demanded quality. Therefore, the budgeted cost limits are often exceeded. However, it is well-known fact that the earlier cost planning is started on resulting in the more suitable outcome are obtained. In construction industry, Cost significant Element (CSE) method is a way to build up a simple cost estimate model by using historical bills of quantities (BQ) which the document that states how much is to be spent on each functional element of a proposed building in relation to a defined standard of space and quality. It is also an organized breakdown of cost data into the standard elements of a building. CSE facilitate the comparison between projects and the development of recording cost data for future cost planning in a simple way. It is important to identify the cost significant item in the research on CSE method. A research project has been carried out in Istanbul Technical University Faculty of Architecture intending to estimate most probable building cost in the early stage of the construction process taking the advantage of recent developments in the information and communication technology (ICT) [Orhon, 1996], [Tas and Yaman, 2002]. The main objectives of this research were collecting building construction cost data, processing data and transforming it into building cost information, storing and retrieving the cost data and information, connecting private and public sector data as well as information through a database, saving time and minimizing mistakes, by avoiding reproduction of the information that has already been stored somewhere in the sector. BQ is the traditional method that is commonly used by construction companies to predict the cost of a project in the detailed design phase and throughout the construction period. It will usually result in similar significant items being identified across different bills, but with each item having a minor difference. In order to overcome this problem, once the identification of cost of the elements, quantity or resource significant items is completed, the BQ items are aggregated into significant work elements. Whereas, it is one of the most important components of the tender documents along with technical drawings, specifications, conditions of contract, etc. Once a project is defined in detail, every item of work needed to complete the project is listed and priced by estimators. BQ for building work is counterproductive and leads to ambiguities and differences in interpretation, creating a potential for dispute. An acceptable level of simplification can be achieved through the aggreg ation of work items, presently required to be measured separately (Edwards and Edwards, 1995). The process of developing cost significant models has tended to consists of several steps. These include finding the cost significant items, grouping similar items together, and calculating a cost significant factor. The cost significant items to be identify in a project uses a technique proposed by Shereef (1981) where items are considered as significant when their value is higher than, or equal to, the mean bill value. Other than that, research at the University of Dundee has consistently shown that BQ analyses using this technique are successful in identifying the 20% of significant items that constitute 80% of the cost (Horner and Zakieh, 1993). However, it has long been recognized that in the value of the research work identified in the second stage of this process will not associate to the full cost of the trade. In Paretoà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s principle (commonly called 80:20 rule), when 80:20 rule is utilized the assumption is made that the 20 per cent of items are contributing 80 per cent of the value, and consequently the cost of the work packages identified in stage two equate to only approximately 80 per cent of the total cost of the trade. A model factor has to be applied to the total value of the work elements to determine the cost of the trade as a whole, to include a value for the 80 per cent of items not costed during this process. This factor is termed the cost model factor and is calculated by establishing the average proportion of the total cost of a trade that is accounted for by the significant work elements. The total cost of a trade can then be established by dividing the total cost of the si gnificant work elements by the cost model factor (Munns and Al-Haimus). Research Methodology In order to achieve the objectives of the study, there are two approaches to be carried out in this research. Firstly, primary data collected from a number of the construction companies in Johor Bahru area of Malaysia. Primary data are those data observed or collected directly from first-hand experience. It shows the advantage towards the accuracy of data since the specific information has been collected by the person who is doing the research. Twenty-five high cost double storey terrace housing projects historical BQ were collected in the data analysis. In this particular research is to develop a building cost estimation model based on cost significant work elements. Several important steps came to establish this model. These were including finding the cost significant work items in BQ, grouping similar work items together to select work packages, and calculating a cost significant value factor (CSVF). Cost significant element models rely on the well documented finding that 80 per cent of a billà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s value is contained within the 20 per cent of the items which are most expensive (Barnes 1971; Skinner 1981; Ashworth Skitmore 1983; PSA 1987). Projects which have similar features, the cost significant items are roughly the same. This model has covered the criteria that need to be considered and getting the result to prove the 20:80 rules in the estimating practice. In developing the model, literature reviews are adopted as secondary sources, and as such, it does not report any new or original experimental work. Cost-significant items can be grouped together, using a variety of techniques, into a smaller number of cost-significant element work packages, which within any given category of project consistently represent a fixed proportion of the total cost, usually close to 80 per cent. The total value of the project can then be calculated simply by multiplying the total price of the cost-significant work packages by an appropriate factor. The value of the factor varies slightly that to determine from an analysis of historical data (Poh, P.S.H. Horner, R.M.W.). Accuracy of the result in this model can be varied by coarsening or refining to match the quality of data available at each stage in the projectà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s life when calculating of the cost significant model factor.

For Their Rights as Citizens :: essays papers

For Their Rights as Citizens During the Civil War, almost 200,000 African Americans fought alongside white people. What did these African Americans fight for? Some fought for the freedom of others of their kind. While others fought for equality in the eyes of white people. Even some fought for revenge against the Southern way of life. But what I believe that they fought for was their rights as citizens. They wanted to be treated as Citizens of the United States of America, and have all of the privileges endowed to citizens. â€Å"If we fight to maintain a Republican Government, we want Republican privileges.....all we ask is the proper enjoyment of the rights of citizenship,† p205. This tells me that the African Americans were thinking of their rights of citizenship before the war had concluded. To them, being a citizen of the United States meant that they could do what ever they wanted to do. They could pursue dreams they had to go visit everywhere and anywhere in this country freely. Nobody would be holding them down or selling off their children anymore. They would no longer be automatons, they would have a say in what they wanted to accomplish in life, from banking to farming, to being land owners themselves. The African Americans also wanted to demonstrate that they were willing to fight for their rights. Sergeant Charles Singer wrote, â€Å"show the whole world that we are willing to fight for our rights...† p.215. This shows that they wanted to prove that they were willing to die for those rights allotted to citizens. â€Å"Let us by a common cause now made holy by our blood, raise ourselves from the mire,† p.216. To me this shows the willingness of the African Americans to join together fight for a cause, and not fear death. Because in the end, they would earn citizenship and all of its benefits. This is a good reason to fight, earn freedom from oppression, and be given the rights allotted to all citizens. Some fighting under the banner of citizenship and its rights, believed that they disserved the same rights as the white people. â€Å"...I am not willing to fight for anything less that the white man fights for.......Give me my rights, the rights that this Government owes me, the same rights that the white man has,† p.208. This tells me that the African Americans wanted no less than what the white people already had.

Organizational Behavior Research Study Design Essay

This research question was chosen due to the proximity and significance of the results to our lives as university students under constant stress. Student stress factors include, but are not limited to: living on a budget, living away from family (international students predominantly), time issues relating studying and/or working, culture shock, adapting to a new country, climate, people. It may be particularly relevant to identify the role of extroversion in dealing with stress, for students may so take it as a way to reduce stress if extroversion proves to be effective. Even more so, if through the questionnaires a positive correlation between individualism and stress is observed, extroversion may serve as a coping method with stress, as it is expected that extroverts rely on people to feel good; if introverts rely solely on themselves to cope with stress, factors such as emotional stability (brain or personality anomalies or disorders) may play a crucial role in determining whether or not there is the possibility for individualism to exacerbate stress. The model below expresses the relationship between the variables. The independent variable is the individualism factor of cultures. The dependent variable is the stress factor The third variable is extroversion, which acts as a mediator in theoretically reducing stress in students from individualistic cultures.? Hypotheses Hypothesis: Extroversion has a positive correlation in the reduction of stress in students from individualistic cultures. Hypothesis 2: Introversion has a negative correlation in the reduction of stress in students from individualistic cultures. Hypothesis H0 = Extroversion plays no role in reducing stress in students from individualistic cultures. Methodoogy Design The survey sample method was the preferred of data collection is through questionnaires due to the convenience and readiness through which results can be attained. Each questionnaire is a personal and confidential paper with only the student’s answers and nationality; only questionnaires with students from countries with individualism levels higher than 65 (according to the Hofstede scale) will be considered. The first questionnaire will be designed with the finality to discern between extroverts and introverts; it will consist of 15 basic questions about the person’s life setting, measuring their level of sociability and privacy. Later, they will be provided with a second questionnaire about the level of and how often they experience stress or positive moods, and will be measured by 20 questions about their life style and perception. These questionnaires will provide an overview of the level of stress experienced by extroverts and introverts. Questionnaires are not only cheap to administer, they also provide of insight on symptoms and emotions and the quantitative analysis thereof; however, the social desirability bias may jeopardize the objectivity of some answers, as well as the risk of some sensitive questions triggering specific reactions in students who might shape the answers. Sample questions can be found in Appendix 1. Data analysis Considering the many limitations in this study design proposal, with the potential large number of respondents, it was decided there is no representative sample for the statistical analysis of the questionnaires. The answers of the questionnaires will be translated to SPSS and due to the ordinal nature of the variables will allow for the data to be analysed through crosstabs and represented in bar charts, frequency tables and a scatter plot with a best fitting line. Reasoning and Evidence for Hypothesis Testing It has been inculcated that extroversion may be predictive of and is strongly correlated with, happiness (Costa, McRae & Norris, 1981). Headey, Glowacki, Holmstrom and Wearing (1985) argue this is conciliatory with extroverts experiencing more satisfactory life events with friends or at work. Additionally, previous studies suggested that good mood shows an increase in dopaminergic activity in several areas impinging of emotion and cognition; resulting furthermore, in a greater cerebral capacity to contrive stress. Since stress is as a negative emotional factor and good mood a positive emotional factor, this is supportive evidence that stress and good mood work in an opposing fashion; particularly with the observation that mental effects on the brain are reverse. Considering other studies’ deductions, circumstantial and medical evidence, we are prepared to consider and accept extroversion as a strong indicator of happiness and therefore a mitigator of stress. Happiness is ordinarily perceived as the quality of one’s life, the state of well-being, how much one likes life or, the degree to which one appraises live positively; the liking or positive appraisal of life may be stretched to the point of satisfaction, if high enough. However, the satisfaction with life is a mental state (constant or fleeting), but leaves doubts as to the nature of this mental state. The variance in interpretation and perception of concrete (words) and abstract (emotions) aspects among people is what precludes a conclusive result as to how can extroversion relate to happiness, the relationship between happiness and stress, and ultimately the point at issue that is if and how extroversion reduces stress. If happiness is positively correlated to extroversion and is negatively correlated with stress, we decided that measuring people’s extroversion may provide insight into their level of happiness which will allow us to infer into how efficiently they deal with stress. Putting it into a methodical perspective in accordance with our hypothesis; if a person belongs to an individualistic culture and is an extrovert, we expect them to have lower stress levels than people from the same individualistic cultural background who are not extroverts. This experiment’s design allows us to determine if extroversion does indeed reduce stress by hopefully identifying a pattern, and in case of such pattern, it will allow for grounds to further investigate other factors which may serve as coping mechanism for stress in ntroverts from predominantly individualistic cultures –which makes this theory generalizable, considering environmental factors are known. Hypotheses Testing The hypotheses will be tested through the answering of the questionnaires. Each questionnaire will aim to gauge the level of stress, extroversion (introversion) and happiness of each student. The statistical analysis will assay how these aspects are interrelated and provide an empirical conclusion as to the effect of extroversion in the stress factor of students from individualistic culture. The correlation of the measuring aspects can help determine whether there is a significant positive or negative relationship between the measuring aspects. As stated in the first hypothesis, we expect a positive correlation between extroversion and stress reduction in students from individualistic cultures due to the relating determinant, happiness. Conversely, the alternative hypothesis is to evaluate the degree to which an opposite relationship exists, in the absence of a correlation in the first hypothesis.

Organizational Design Behavior Essays

Organizational Design Behavior Essays Organizational Design Behavior Paper Organizational Design Behavior Paper If the organizational structure is meant to reflect its situation, the Limora Hospital and the Community Health Centres (LCHC) structures do not do this. The current structure does not reflect the complexity, dynamics, or the environment. There appears to be little consideration given to parameters of design. Organizational design is used to maneuver a series of criterion that determine the division of labor and coordination. The Limora Hospital and the LCHC have weaknesses in their design concerning the decision making system, the lateral connections between the superstructure, the format of the subunits and the individual job positions. These are integral parts of the structure and seem to be a weakness at both facilities. I would describe the structure of the LCHC as almost non-existent. Although the case study doesnt provide a lot of information about the actual parts of the for Limora Hospital or the LCHC, it does appear to be somewhat better at the Hospital then at the LCHC. As an initial step, it would help to combine some areas of the two facilities and better utilize its technostructure, support staff and operating core. The strategic apex is weak with no consistent, committed leadership or administration. There is confusion about the Bishops power of authority. He appears to have given his power away, yet some employees indicate otherwise. In fact, there doesnt appear to be any real management to apply managerial leadership and direction. This kind of confusion and conflict demoralizes the apex and the middle line entirely. A common vision, mission, and active interest in the future must be demonstrated by the Executives if they are to flow down into the core of the organization. This is lacking and is sorely felt by Dr. Macdonald who cannot pass down anything more than he is capable of, or more, than he is receiving from his superiors. There is a small technostructure in high demand, a large support staff, and an operating core that is clearly not well managed. Most evident is the lack of linkages between management and the operating core. Although not as evident are the weak linkages between the core and the supporting staff. A limited horizontal decentralization might work where the strategic apex shares some power with the technostruture that standardizes everyones work and some of these linkages. A well organized management team and employee links to them are necessary. A strong theoretical point is made in The Classical School of organizational theory by Henry Fayol, a French industrialist. He, and other theorists like Urwick, Gulick, Mooney and Reiley, emphasized the universality of the management function in all kinds of different organizations. Fayols theory worked from the board of directors and chief executives down through the organization. He stressed the importance of planning, organizing, coordinating and controlling the administration of an organization from the top down. The weakness in Limora Hospital and the LCHC can be found in the management of the Apex and he middle line, and the operating core. No serious attention has been given to these areas so they can achieve the leadership and administrative control they need. The parts of the organization do not support the coordinating mechanisms required, and neglect to meet the needs of either facility. They should reflect the configuration for a professional organization that relies on the trained professionals who have a high level of control over their work. It is safe to assume that the Doctors and nurses have all been trained and have standardized their professional skills before working at the either facility. Coordination is achieved by the virtue of doctors and nurses having learned what to expect from one another. So they do have this basic mechanism of coordination. What is lacking, is the necessary organizational glue to hold it together. Perhaps the standardization of norms as another coordinating mechanism. The nurses dont seem to be able to coordinate their activities based on their common goal of caring for the sick and standardizing norms would be helpful. There has been an attempt at coordination by Dr. Macdonald, but the organization has been without strong consistent control for too long. Although there doesnt appear to be a middle line, Dr. Macdonald has been left to promote coordination and proper design on his own. His leadership attempt is valiant but he needs the help of qualified middle line managers. The missing parameters of design are Behaviour formalization, Training, and Unit grouping. Behaviour formalization would provide work processes and job descriptions to reduce confusion about what work people should be doing and how they should be doing it. On the surface, one may question whether a group of professionals need stringent rules and regulations. Although these professionals know the essence of their roles, and have a lot of control over what they do, they lack a framework within which to work and make decisions. Behaviour formalization could outline the framework within which they can take control and, identify the boundary where they need the assistance and cooperation of others. Also very important, is to identify the communication linkages to others inside and outside this framework. This would eliminate much confusion, instill confidence into the operating core, and bring cooperation among managers and workers. It seems to me that when you are dealing with the life, death, and the health of others, the last thing you want is dissension and confusion among those who are caring for you. Aside from the professional skills applied by the doctors and nurses, the simplest procedures in administration of core workers could be a disastrous for the patient. As an example, how is a specific report completed, when is it completed, who are the critical receivers of the report, when must they receive it, and what must be included in it, all involve linkages and cooperation among professionals, staff and management. If these are broken in some way or done incorrectly, outside of the prescribed framework, they can impact a life. Chester Bernards book, The Functions of Executives, from the human relations school of thought, emphasized the need for clarity and cooperation among managers and workers to further the interests of everyone. Bernard said that organizations by their very nature are cooperative systems and cannot survive otherwise. He listed three forces to achieve this cooperation; executive leadership, subordinate acceptance of organizational goals, and the power of informal work groups. Clearly in a hospital there is room for strict rules and processes outlined by the leaders, but because there are also large areas of independent decision making, you must have a cooperation and a balance of both. Training, another parameter of design, can teach the professionals what the standards, processes, and procedures are, and clearly define the level of performance for each. The Limora Hospital must had some training on the hospitals procedures but when the nurses came over to work at the LCHC, they complained that they were not oriented to these properly. Training at LCHC is lacking in this area. The essence of the work done by the professionals is no different in either the Limora Hospital or the LCHC. What is different is the purpose for each facility and the level of output. One is a hospital that cares for the people who are already ill, and the LCHC is a community program that focuses on preventative health to try to keep people from ending up in the hospital. The hospital doctors and nurses would likely be prescriptive in their care for very ill patients over a shorter period. The LCHC would also prescribe but would likely be more descriptive in their care over longer periods of time in the community. Teaching these fundamentally different objectives to everyone, and what work is wrapped around them, would facilitate a clear direction for exactly what the jobs are in each facility. The Scientific Management theory advocates a systematic approach to job design, performance, and training. Not necessarily all of the theory components are applicable the systematic approach to training does apply to a health organization. There is a systematic way of applying medical tests to ensure there are no mistakes. Speed and efficiency are critical. There may be a departure from this theory as it relates to division of work and task specialization, but the scientific selection of training remains useful to our health care situation. Adam Winslow Taylor and Henry Gantt emphasized the need for systematic training of workers. Taylor particularly advocated that the role of management was to know their employees and to train them to do well. If this was done, it would produce maximum efficiency. Finally, both the LCHC and the hospital are dependent on the same resources. They both need analysts such as accounting and personnel, they both use the same nurses and doctors in their operating core, and both need the use of land rovers in their work. Conflicts have surfaced because the organizational structure does not leverage these like needs well. For example: Clear and accurate financial accounting for both areas They both need highly qualified doctors and nurses Their primary and supporting staff need similar training They are dependent on each other but the structure does not promote interdependency They both require processes and procedures to perform their jobs well Unit grouping would be the design parameter most required to help facilitate the mutual needs of each unit. Grouping these under the same supervision would encourage cooperation and help to promote a more efficient and cooperative working environment. Once the needs of each area are clear, you need to establish liaison positions, or roles that can coordinate the work of two units. These liaison positions are missing in the hospital and LCHC structure. Task forces are also missing. Task forces can plan meetings, bring the members of each unit together, and integrate mangers to coordinate what is important to the units. These initiatives would eliminate competition for the best nurses and doctors, and provide a fair an accurate financial accounting for both facilities. It is difficult to tell how much impact the support staff for either the Limora hospital, or the LCHC have on the operating core and the quality of care. Im sure the support staff could also be optimized by unit groupings. Unlike the scientific management theory that did not provide a theory of general organizational design, the classical school of organizational theory did. Henry Fayol, from this theory, suggested that all jobs should be regrouped on some common basis to achieve coordination or unity of direction. Henry Fayol also saw the importance of working from the board of directors down into the organization, different from the scientific management school of thought which worked from the bottom up. Both are useful for our purposes. This regrouping theory and focus on the top levels of the organization are very applicable to the Limora Hospital and the LCHC. There are also some situational factors such as age, size, technical systems, power, and environment that need consideration. Understanding the impact of situational factors can help identify the weaknesses in the structure and how to improve them. For example, the hospital and the LCHC are only 10 years old and there are only 280 beds. This means they are relatively young and small and that their behaviours arent yet formalized. The fact is there is a lack of organizational maturity. As the organization ages and grows in size, the behaviours will become formalized and the more homogeneous. Because the environment in a hospital is complex and decisions cannot be made by one person, one might decentralize the structure and push the decision making down. However, with the problems at the Limora Hospital and the LCHC, it would be wise to centralize some of its structure temporarily. Taking this action in the right areas would eliminate the current hostile environment. As the organization matures, selective vertical and horizontal decentralization can be applied where the power over different decisions is spread over different parts of the organization more readily. Finally we have the operating core, the key part of the organization that is composed of professionals. Although the basic coordinating mechanism of standardization of skills exists, standardization of processes, and outputs are weak. These together with the lack of leadership, have politicized the organization and the people are in conflict. Consequently, the structure of Limora Hospital and LCHC has become a professional bureaucracy, not uncommon in Hospitals. A view of Professionals is that they are attached to the organization, but still have extensive autonomy and freedom. This gives them the best of both worlds. From an organizational perspective, however, this environment is very difficult to control and measure. The hospital and the LCHC need to discover then prescribe, when and how the attachment to the organization is essential, and when autonomy is necessary. As stated earlier, as the organization matures, professionals will perfect their own skills and repeat what works for the overall success of their jobs. For right now, framework and guidance are required. Guidance, communication and leadership would maximize the professionals output, efficiency and morale. Another item that may be an issue for the hospital and the LCHC is professional incompetence in its core operations. Although incompetence is not indicated in the case study, it may be an undiscovered issue because it is difficult to identify it in a professional organization that has lots of autonomy. Hence one measure of control is to ensure you hire competent professionals, and you continue to upgrade and train them. The standardization of skills and norms will help, but does not address incompetence. In summary, the weakness in the organizational structure of the Limora Hospital and the LCHC are challenging, but fixable. It is important to step back and look at what parameters of control or freedom a health care organization requires. It seems a portion of a hospital operations needs a very stringent scientific approach to its organization, yet another portion demands that the professional skilled people to have the authority and power to assert their knowledge independently. Theoretically, I would apply Max Webers Bureaucracy theory as an approach. This structure would ensure that there are clear lines of power, orderly procedures and rules that would remove any randomness and unpredictability from the hospital system. The interactions are based on standards Vs the personal feelings of peers and managers. It would add fairness and equity of evaluation. It is a rational and formal-structural response to organizational problems. The immaturity must be aided by making some structural changes. The superstructure appears to need the least amount of work. There is an existing Apex (which needs some focus), a middle line (which needs to grow), a small technostructure (which should be combined for both facilities to use), and an ill managed operating core. I hesitate to say too much about the support staff. Unfortunately, the case does not provide enough information about this unit for comment.. I must assume there is a support staff functioning at the hospital since they could not possibly continue without the support of a support staff. Most of the organizational changes need to be done in the essential design parameters of the subunits. Standardization of skills has already been achieved and the remaining would include: Behaviour formalization to help standardize work processes and procedures Training to teach the standards and procedures and achieve standardization Unit groupings to group jobs under one supervision for maximum efficiency and cooperation The structural changes will also facilitate more effective communications, enhance the ability of the leaders to lead, and increase intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The complexities of organizational structure and organizational behaviour are huge. Because of these complexities, generally one theory, one behavioural model, or one method of structure does not always meet all the needs of the organization. There is no doubt, however, that guiding principles and basic fundamental models work and would work for Limora Hospital and the LCHC. 2. What are the effects on motivation, leadership and communication because of the weaknesses identified in your answer to Question #1 at the Limora Communication Health Centre? The weakness in the organizational structure at LCHC hampers leadership, communication, and motivation. In reverse, the lack of leadership, communication and motivation have impacted the organizational structure. The definition of each of these explains the importance of their interrelationship to one another. Leadership is based on the ability to influence others to achieve organizational goals. Formal leaders hold a high rank in the hierarchy and informal leaders are recognized for outstanding skills and abilities. Managing is sometimes mistaken for leadership. The difference is that a manager brings order to the employees, and a leader makes useful changes in the organization. Communication is the process of two or more people exchanging information. The sender is the initiator of the message and the receiver is the one that the message is direct to. Effective communication is achieved when the message from the sender is received as it was intended. Motivation can be understood as a force within us that is triggered by various needs. This force then drives us to satisfy an unsatisfied need. There are basically two different categories of motivation. One is intrinsic and the other extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation comes from inside ourselves and extrinsic from outside ourselves. All three of these are lacking at the LCHC. Some of them are highly impacted by the weaknesses in the organizational structure, and some are lacking in the individuals as skills. Motivation, leadership and communication are dependent on one another and cannot function very well in an organization on their own. Leadership generally deals with the complexities of humans and human behaviour. There are many approaches to leadership, each with theories and models. The Traits theories would look at leaders and explore their traits or characteristics. Behavioural leadership theories centre around the behaviours demonstrated by effective leaders. Lastly, the contingency approach puts forward the notion that it depends on both behaviour and traits. Situations can effect what traits and behviours are most useful.. The most suitable leadership approach for the LCHC would be the contingency approach since it offers ways to look at behaviour and traits. It also lends itself to approaches for leading tasks and people. There are task issues and relationship issues at LCHC that need leadership. Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchards situation leadership model offers different behaviours suited to either a task situation or a relationship situation. Some of the leadership weakness at LCHC are: The lines of authority for the division of labor between the apex and the middle line are not clear. This makes leadership difficult. The Bishop is not motivated to take on this leadership, or he does not have the leadership expertise to lead. It is the Bishop that should set forth the proper leadership characteristics, and develop the triggers that will motivate his organization. There seems to be no communication from him about the mission, strategy, or goals of either facility. If this is missing at the top, it cascades down throughout the organization very quickly. It is evident that the professionals in the operating core are confused, and dont have clear goals to follow. These goals would help pull all of them in the same direction. The middle line, where Dr. Macdonald is managing, needs qualified managers. When there are no qualified managers, and management systems are in chaos, leadership is compromised for the strongest of leaders. The above points in the structural weaknesses involve task and volatile relationships issues. The application of the Hersey / Blanchard model of leadership will help both the task and relationship concerns. . Regarding communications, the LCHC does not adequately provide the network for good communications among all its employees. Unit groupings are weak and management does not seem to have a lot of integrity in their communications. Its important to have a place that can determine what communications vehicle should be used to gain the highest impact for any given message. Rich communication demands face to face interaction, next is the telephone, and the poorest is via memo or letter. There are no liaison positions in place at the LCHC. These positions could determine communication vehicles, disseminate information and improve upward, downward and horizontal communications. A very large part of good communications is also about listening and knowing how to communicate. Communication involves giving and receiving feedback. These skills are generally part of a good training program. The LCHC does not have a good training program in place that could help them increase harmony, efficiency and mutual understanding. When good communications are in place, feedback is at an optimum, therefore, managers and employees could actively participate in formal and informal evaluations processes. If the managers and employees are involved in the evaluation process, they are most apt to be fair and equitable in their assessment of each other. The employees at LCHC are not motivated. The lack of motivation is a direct result of the lack of leadership and effective communications. It can also be linked to the organization of the subunits. Grouping different jobs under common supervision can pull them together to achieve similar goals thus triggering motivation.. Employees also need, and are more likely driven by intrinsic motivators. These can come from reaching personal career goals, making enough money to buy a new house, or simply feeling good when a patient gets well as a direct result of their care. Putting a Human Resources management in place could provide rewards programs in the form of money, recognition, and promotion. These are all triggers for employees to set themselves goals to reach these rewards. Lockes goal setting theory says setting clear, challenging, realistic and acceptable goals raises performance. Goals invoke motivations since our thoughts and actions are directed by our goals. It is much easier for the LCHC employees to set their personal work related goals if they have been given short term departmental goals or milestones and long term organizational goals. Each department would work in a cooperative setting to reach these goals. When employees dont see or feel a sense of purpose, there is often conflict, competition, and behaviour is based on the fear of not knowing where they are headed. Consequently, this leads to low morale and demotivated employees. The LCHC should consistently communicate the rewards and results of effort and hard work. This will encourage employees to expect a reward for their work. Vrooms expectancy theory supports this idea. He says that if you put effort in, you will get a positive outcome. Individuals will look at a given situation in this way. increased effort will lead to good performance, good performance will lead to certain outcomes, and then are the outcomes worthwhile. If they are, the effort will be put forth. In summary, leadership, communication, and motivation are a must for an organizations success. If the structure is aligned to support all three, there is increased productivity, high level of efficiency and high morale among the employees.

Toll, Knell, and Tocsin

Toll, Knell, and Tocsin Toll, Knell, and Tocsin Toll, Knell, and Tocsin By Maeve Maddox The following headlines lead me to assume that the bride or groom or both did not survive the ceremony: Wedding Bells Toll For A Bride From Camelot- Philadelphia news site, 1986 Wedding bells toll for Tiger- Cape Cod Times, 2004 Wedding bells toll in Conn. for gay couples- Boston Globe, 2008 Wedding bells toll for Richard Marx, Daisy Fuentes- Business Standard, 2015 However, each of these headlines appeared over articles about weddings that- at the time anyway- did not go awry. There was a time when â€Å"to toll a bell† just meant to pull on a rope attached to a really big bell. Since at least 1620, however, when John Donne wrote his famous devotional, the verb toll in connection with the ringing of bells has been associated with death. Bells toll at funerals. At weddings, they peal. I suspect that headline writers reach for the word toll because they associate it with the title of the Hemingway novel  For Whom the Bell Tolls. Unfamiliar with Hemingway’s source, they imagine that toll goes with any kind of bell, including wedding bells. Hemingway took his title from a meditation on death by John Donne (1572-1631). Donne lived in London during a plague epidemic. Every time someone died, the church bells tolled. Lacking online news updates or Twitter, people would send a messenger to find out the identity of the latest victim. Donne tells his readers not to bother. The bell is tolling for everyone: Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. Another gloomy word for ringing a bell is knell. knell verb: To ring slowly and solemnly, as for a death or at a funeral, to toll. knell noun: The sound made by a bell when struck or rung, especially the sound of a bell rung slowly and solemnly, as immediately after a death or at a funeral. In modern usage, the noun is more common than the verb. The phrase â€Å"death knell is a figurative expression that indicates something is on the brink of extinction. Unmodified, knell is a synonym for end. Here are recent examples of usage: Sound the Knell for Free Cell Phone Games Super Bowl the Knell for TV Sports? Does New House Bill Sound the Death Knell for Estate Tax? China’s Communist Party Sounds Death Knell for Arrest, Conviction Quotas Does Election Outcome Ring Death Knell for Religious Freedom? Greek, French Elections Sound Death Knell for Austerity Bells have long been associated with religious ceremony, but church bells have also served as community alarm signals because the sound of them can be heard across great distances. The word for a bell rung as an alarm signal is tocsin. The word is often used figuratively as a synonym for alarm or warning: Two stories about British dental care sound a tocsin about government involvement in health care Representative Buyers comments and widespread reports in the press that basic training has gone soft should sound a tocsin for policymakers concerned with the institutional integrity of the armed forces.   A tolling bell denotes sorrow. Unless your intention is to imply that getting married is the equivalent of a death sentence, better say that wedding bells are  pealing,  chiming, or simply ringing. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Examples of Passive Voice (And How To Fix Them)What to Do When Words Appear Twice in a Row7 Sound Techniques for Effective Writing

Balanced Scorecard Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Balanced Scorecard - Essay Example Halifax Balanced Scorecard began evaluating the necessary factors in October/November of 1995. Operations of managers consisted of explaining the principles and appearance of the scorecard. The managers secured self-learning manuals and training disks for all the participants. Time completion for the activity was only two months and the actual launch comes in January 1, 1996. The main principles of Halifax Balanced Scorecard are financial and business perspective, customer perspective, interview process perspective and staff development and improvement perspective. Concerning the timetable given to change details on each perspective, the updates on financial, business and internal perspective happen each month, while the customer perspective arrives at quarterly and six months duration. The last perspective changes every six months. Tracking each update is essential because accuracy is one main factor of the Balanced Scorecard (Mee & O’Creevy, 2007, p. 60). The usefulness of the tool on the operational strategic processes never protruded in managing the whole system of approach. On the stance of operational balance scorecard, the focus on four steps in performance management and personal development made good turns in the investment of the company. Moreover, concentrating the stages to start and develop rapport between the management and staff gave a better view of the management. However, detracting the scorecard from the strategic objectives was on the overturn of cultural change than on business and financial perspective. The company believes that there is a relation between business and customer focus program. In summary, what the company did was to emphasize more on the â€Å"people and staff† rather than the core mission, which is the financial and business perspective. Plans for Halifax balanced scorecard was to divert focus on one

Financial Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Financial Crisis - Essay Example ese institutions have wrongly assessed the level of risk of their operations and exposed their business, as well as the other stakeholders to enormous losses. This behavior was encouraged by credit rating agencies, which due to some conflicts of interest, failed in correctly judging the level of risk of many of these institutions, and downgraded some of them when it was too late to make a difference. Other cause which leaded to the collapse of the financial system was a combination of excessive borrowing, higher risk taking, and lack of transparency. Major U.S. banks failed in their assessment of risk by taking too much leverage, by providing credit too easily, and by not disclosing correctly all the information of their operations to the public. The government played also a role in this financial crisis. By not taking the appropriate actions to stop this crisis, the government only created more panic and uncertainty in the financial markets. It also failed in ensuring that regulators are doing their job objectively, and in the best interest of all parties in the financial markets. Finally, the crisis can also be attributed to mortgage securitization and to over-the-counter derivatives (mostly to credit default swaps). The complexity of these instruments, and most of all the lack of regulation in this matter caused a chained failure of the entire financial