Statistical Analysis of the Missing Values Assignment

Statistical Analysis of the Missing Values - Assignment Example This research is being carried out to evaluate and present the two cases that are defined as outliers because visual inspection reveals that they are several multiples of the standard deviation removed from the base pay range that accounts for 99.5% of all cases. It is highly probable that cases 158 and 379 are managers only because their base pay are more than twice the highest base pay levels of everybody else. Otherwise, there is no telling from their age or educational qualifications. One therefore runs the variant of the two-sample t-test with unequal variances assumed. The result (overleaf) shows, first of all, that the variances for gender and basic wage are truly worlds apart. This stands to reason, given the respective ranges of the two variables. Secondly, the output reveals a computed t value of 67.51 which is so high that the associated p statistic is microscopic: 0.21 with 219 leading zeroes. At 399 degrees of freedom, t = -67.51, p < 0.001. Going by the outcome of the t -test reported in item #5 above, we can reject the null hypothesis that there is no difference in basic pay by sex. The computed difference in item 6 is statistically significant. The output overleaf shows that the calculated F value is associated with a very low significance statistic, p < 0.05. This means we can safely assume that the variances for the two variables are not equal. Recognizing at this point that the Excel â€Å"Data Analysis† setup for the F test returns erroneous output, we change the way the variable ranges are defined and obtain a different result this time. The F statistic is now just 1.21 and the associated significance statistic is p > 0.05. This leads us to assume that the variance of bonuses across gender is equal. Accessing the two-sample t-test with equal variances assumed, one finds that the calculated t statistic is 0.99, for which the one-tailed p-value is p=0.16.

Q Manual Essay Example for Free

Q Manual Essay After the lecture Tutorials and your learning Reading in your study 2. 8. 1 Reading to understand or comprehend 2. 8. 2 Reading for critical comment Checklist for studying faculty units and courses 13 14 14 15 16 16 Chapter 3 The research process: A basic guide 3. 1 The research process 3. 1. 1 Step 1: Understand the assignment topic/question(s) 3. 1. 2 Step 2: Decide what sort of information you need to complete the assignment 3. 1. 3 Step 3: Decide where to look for this information 3. 1. 4 Step 4: Develop and use a search strategy for database searching 3. 1. 5 Step 5: Evaluate the information found and revise the plan 3. 1. 6 Step 6: Presentation 3. 1. 7 Step 7: Final evaluation Using the Internet for research 3. 2. 1 Some further tips for productive Internet research 17 17 17 17 18 18 20 22 22 23 23 3. 2 Chapter 4 Academic writing skills 4. 1 4. 2 4. 3 4. 4 Characteristics of successful writing 4. 1. 1 Responding to the task Exam question, Accounting and Finance 4. 2. 1 Initial analysis, key terms and directions Structuring your writing clearly 4. 3. 1 Writing structure Forming and expressing your perspective on the task 4. 4. 1 â€Å"Crystallised response† 4. 4. 2 Plan the response Supporting your perspective 4. 5. 1 Paragraph structure 4. 5. 2 Use of references Presenting a consistent and logical response Expressing your ideas clearly 4. 7. 1 Formal academic language 4. 7. 2 Some other features of academic language Checklist for academic writing skills 25 25 25 27 27 27 28 29 29 30 31 31 32 33 33 34 34 36 4. 5 4. 6 4. 7 4. 8 Chapter 5 Writing essays 5. 1 5. 2 5. 3 5. 4 Analyse the task Synthesise your information Plan the essay Reference the sources of information 37 37 37 37 38 Chapter 6 Writing a literature review 6. 1 6. 2 6. 3 6. 4 The nature of a literature review Procedure for completing a literature review Writing the literature review Checklist for a literature review 39 39 40 40 41 Chapter 7 Report writing 7. 1 The process 7. 1. 1 Identify the purpose of the report 7. 1. 2 Identify the readers and their needs 7. 1. 3 Research the topic 7. 1. 4 Outline the report 7. 1. 5 Write the draft 7. 1. 6 Edit the draft 7. 1. 7 The finished product 7. 2 Report presentation and layout 7. 2. 1 Structure of a report 7. 3 Report writing checklist 42 42 42 42 42 43 43 43 44 44 44 46 Chapter 8 Case study method 8. 1 8. 2 Some general issues Problem solving case format. 49 49 49 Chapter 9 Academic integrity and honesty: avoiding plagiarism in written work 9. 1 9. 2 What is plagiarism? Monash University Statute 4. 1 and policy regarding plagiarism 9. 2. 1 What happens when plagiarism is suspected 9. 2. 2 Students’ responsibility Using references appropriately in your written work Use of references in writing 9. 4. 1 Unsuitable use of references Suitable integration of references 9. 5. 1 Techniques for using an author’s ideas 9. 5. 2 A summary 9. 5. 3 Paraphrasing, or writing in your own words Conclusion 51 51 52 53 53 54 54 54 55 55 56 56 57 9. 3 9. 4 9. 5 9. 6 Chapter 10 Referencing. 10. 1 10. 2 10. 3 10. 4 What is referencing? When should you reference? Why should you reference your work? Referencing using the APA style 10. 4. 1 Creating in-text citations 10. 4. 2 Creating a reference list Footnoting 10. 5. 1 In-text citations using footnotes 10. 5. 2 Creating the bibliography 58 58 58 59 59 59 62 69 70 74 10. 5 Chapter 11 Presentation skills 11. 1 11. 2 11. 3 What is a presentation? Planning and preparation 11. 2. 1 Analysing your audience Presentation design 11. 3. 1 Objective 11. 3. 2 Content 11. 3. 3 Structure Visual support 11. 4. 1 Handouts Delivery 11. 5. 1 Methods of delivery 11. 5. 2 Rehearsal Nerve control 11. 5. 3 11. 5. 4 Your voice 11. 5. 5 Non-verbal communication Group presentations 11. 6. 1 Team balance 11. 6. 2 Transitions 11. 6. 3 Support for the speaker 11. 6. 4 Your role as coach Evaluating the presentation Why do some presentations go wrong? 76 76 76 76 76 76 77 77 79 79 80 80 80 80 80 81 82 82 82 82 82 83 83 11. 4 11. 5 11. 6 11. 7 11. 8 Chapter 12 Exam strategies Preparing for exams 12. 1. 1 Establish the type of exam 12. 1. 2 Develop a broad understanding of the unit’s objectives 12. 1. 3 Develop summaries of topics 12. 1. 4 Review unit material and topics 12. 1. 5 Practise past exam questions 12. 1. 6 Multiple choice questions 12. 1. 7 Short answer and essay questions 12. 1. 8 Calculation questions 12. 2 Operating in the exam 12. 2. 1 Reading and noting time 12. 2. 2 Completing the exam Answering multiple choice questions 12. 2. 3 12. 2. 4 Completing written response questions 12. 3 Checklist for exams 12. 1 84 84 84 84 85 85 85 85 86 87 87 87 87 88 88 88 Q Manual Preface and Acknowledgements The purpose of the Q (for Quality) Manual is to provide new students with practical and easily accessible information regarding university-level study. As its name suggests, this publication is aimed at increasing your effectiveness as a student. For many of you who have not experienced university level study, the Q Manual will provide you with ideas, suggestions and guidelines to enable you to achieve academic success by producing quality work, and getting it submitted on time. We suggest you read the Q Manual thoroughly and refer to it often throughout your course of study. The Q Manual commences with an overview of the Faculty of Business and Economics, its goals, structure and expectations regarding student performance, as well as important policy information about student assessment. The next chapter provides useful advice in relation to approaches to study at the university level. Then follows the bulk of the Q Manual, which focuses on research skills, academic writing skills, and in particular, chapters devoted to commonly required academic assignments, such as essays, literature reviews, reports and case study method. The section relating to academic writing and assignment preparation is followed by chapters covering academic honesty and referencing techniques. The final sections of the Q Manual cover oral presentation skills and exam strategies. There are many people whose valuable contributions to this edition of the Q Manual must be acknowledged. They include (in no particular order): Andrew Dixon, Caulfield Campus Library David Horne, Caulfield Campus Library Owen Hughes, Faculty of Business and Economics Sally Joy, Faculty of Business and Economics Lynne Macdonald, Faculty of Business and Economics Michael Scorgie, Department of Accounting and Finance Claire Tanner, Faculty of Arts Our special thanks go to Lynne Macdonald and Claire Tanner for the many hours spent collating and editing the content and for coordinating production of the Q Manual. Without your efforts and patience, this edition could not have been published. Sincere thanks also go to my dear friend and colleague, Glenda Crosling, who has collaborated with me for many years on a number of significant educational projects for the faculty. A dedicated educator, Glenda works enthusiastically and tirelessly, keeping an open mind, and most importantly, always retaining her wonderful sense of humour! Glenda also thanks Nell for her collegiality, dedication, inspiration and hard work on this and other educational projects. Together, we have produced a publication that we hope will assist you in your studies. Finally, we wish you a stimulating, challenging and rewarding learning experience throughout your undergraduate and postgraduate studies with the Faculty of Business and Economics. Nell Kimberley Department of Management Faculty of Business and Economics January, 2008 Glenda Crosling Education Adviser Faculty of Business and Economics Chapter 1 Introduction 1. 1 Welcome Congratulations on your selection to study one of the courses offered by the Faculty of Business and Economics at Monash University. This manual is intended to provide you with information on how to produce quality work and achieve the best possible results in your examinations. The major goal of the university is to assist you to obtain an excellent education so that you may take your place in society as a well-qualified graduate. It is important to note that while the courses provide the teaching support and the necessary framework for your studies, success can be achieved only through your personal commitment and dedication to hard work throughout all the years of your course. The following information is aimed at familiarising you with the Monash University study environment and increasing your effectiveness as a Monash student, thereby enabling you to reach your potential. For those of you who are experiencing university level study for the first time, this manual will lay an important foundation and prepare you for a new world. 1. 2 Monash University Monash University was established in 1961 and named after General Sir John Monash (1865–1931). Sir John was a soldier, scholar and engineer, and the Commanding General of the Australian forces in France in World War 1. In addition, as the first Chairman of the State Electricity Commission, he took on the immense task of overseeing the development of the LaTrobe Valley’s brown coal resources. Sir John was a man of wide interests and vast intellectual range. He was this country’s first Doctor of Engineering and exemplifies the University’s motto – Ancora Imparo (I am still learning). The university now has a population of more than 50,000 students from over 100 countries, who speak 90 languages. There are eight Monash campuses and two centres, in Italy and London. The primary pursuits of teaching and research are carried out in the university’s ten faculties. The faculties, which each cover a specific body of knowledge, are: Art and Design; Arts; Business and Economics; Education; Engineering; Information Technology; Law; Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences; Pharmacy; and Science. 1. 3 1. 3. 1 Faculty of Business and Economics Goals The aim of the faculty is to use its scale, scope and unique internal diversity to become an international leader in the pursuit, dissemination and analysis of knowledge, particularly in the disciplines of accounting, banking, econometrics, economics, finance, management, marketing, and tourism. By the application of such knowledge, its staff and students will contribute to the economic, social and commercial development of Australia and other countries in an increasingly globalised environment. 1. 3. 2 Faculty structure The Faculty of Business and Economics is the largest faculty in the university, with more than 17,000 students enrolled over five Australian campuses at Berwick, Caulfield, Clayton, Gippsland and Peninsula, as well as in Malaysia and South Africa. In addition to a diverse range of undergraduate bachelors degrees, the faculty offers a comprehensive range of graduate courses including an executive certificate, graduate certificates and diplomas, masters degrees by coursework and research, the Master of Business Administration, the Doctor of Business Administration, the Master of Philosophy and the Doctor of Philosophy. Courses are delivered on campus, usually through lectures, tutorials and WebCT Vista, while offcampus students are catered for by distance education. 1 The Dean and the main faculty office are located on the Caulfield campus. In addition, there are faculty staff located at the other campuses. Go to http://www. buseco. monash. edu. au/student/contact/ for location and contact details. 1. 3. 3 Departments and centres The Business and Economics faculty is subdivided into organisations that are responsible for particular areas of knowledge. There are six departments and two research centres. The departments are: Accounting and Finance, Business Law and Taxation, Econometrics and Business Statistics, Economics, Management, and Marketing. The research centres are: Centre of Policy Studies, and Centre for Health Economics. They cover fields of study including accounting, banking, business law, business statistics, economics, econometrics, finance, international business, management, human resource management, marketing, taxation and tourism. Whatever your major or areas of study it is essential that you have an understanding of each of the disciplines and how they interact with each other in the overall operations of a business organisation. 1. 3. 4 Aims for learning at Monash University and in the Faculty of Business and Economics The university and the faculty recognise the needs of students for their lives following graduation. As a Monash graduate you will be operating in a globalised and rapidly-changing world, and the university and faculty aim to develop in students’ attributes beyond the ability to understand and operate competently with course and unit content. The aims are that students will develop in ways that will enable them to: †¢ Engage in an internationalised and increasingly globalised world; †¢ Engage in discovery, analysis, integration and application for problem solving and learning with knowledge; †¢ Communicate competently orally and in writing across cultures and settings, including their specific disciplines. As you undertake your studies, you will notice an emphasis on these attributes and you will be engaged in activities and tasks to help you develop them. In the following chapters of this guide, we explain the influences of these attributes on your approach to study. 1. 3. 5 Units Each department offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate units. In a three-year undergraduate degree, there are twenty-four units, with four units to be taken in each semester (parttime students would normally undertake two units each semester). The unit leader or coordinator is responsible for the administration of the particular unit. You can consult with your unit leader, and or coordinator in larger units you may also consult with the other lecturers and tutors. 1. 3. 6 Role of lecturers/tutors Lecturers and tutors have a key role as facilitators of your learning. They are able and most willing to help you with your studies and can be contacted using your student email account. Their email addresses are located in the unit outline. Alternatively, academic staff can be contacted during their consultation hours which are often posted on their door or outside the main administration office. 1. 3. 7 Role of on-line sources of information Monash has adopted a learning management system which provides you with access to on-line unit information. The web contains information that you need to know for the unit, both of an administrative nature as well as useful material for your studies. 2 1. 3. 8 Role of course directors/coordinators If you are encountering academic performance issues, course progression and similar problems you should initially discuss these with enrolment officers or course advisers. You may, occasionally, then be referred to course directors or course coordinators to help with these issues. Undergraduate students are referred to course directors or course coordinators by the faculty office and postgraduate students by departmental administration staff. If referred, course directors and coordinators are available during their consultation hours. 1. 3. 9 Additional important information The Undergraduate and Postgraduate Handbooks and the Student Resource Guide provide important information regarding various aspects of university life. The Student Resource Guide is distributed to all students at the time of initial enrolment and is available on-line at www. monash. edu. au/pubs. It contains details of the university’s code of practice for teaching and learning, as well as grievance and appeals procedures. Further copies can be obtained from Student Service Centres on all campuses. An excellent resource for students is also available on-line via the student link on the Business and Economics Faculty webpage at http://www. buseco. monash. edu. au/student/. The site contains links to important information regarding: courses and units, admissions and enrolments, schools and departments, exams and results, administration, study resources, calendars and timetables, IT and computing, support services, careers and employment, international students, and clubs and associations. 1. 4 Faculty expectations of student performance As students of the faculty, there are a number of units that you will study as part of your course. Although these units may have differing methods of assessment, the faculty has the following expectations of your behaviour and performance. 1. 4. 1. Attendance and participation at lectures and tutorials Lectures and tutorials are central to your performance in the university. Lectures provide the material you require in order to understand the overall nature and direction of the unit. Important concepts and analysis can be emphasised by the lecturer and put into context for the student. Tutorials are a vital part of your studies. They reinforce lecture material and provide you with an opportunity to discuss material presented in lectures, as well as to ask questions. Tutorials also provide you with the opportunity to develop your oral communication skills. The material presented is not designed to give you one view on a topic but to facilitate your understanding of the issue under discussion. Where there are alternative views on an issue, you should learn to articulate, critically approach and assess these differing positions. 1. 4. 2 Special consideration and extension of time for submission of an assessment task Students need to use a Special Consideration Application when applying for Special Consideration for overall assessment, end-of-semester examinations, or additional assessment for a unit (or units) studied during the current semester. Please refer to the following webpage for information on both faculty and university special consideration policy and procedures: http://www. buseco. monash. edu. au/secretariat/policies/spec-con. html Students who require more time to complete a piece of work should apply for an extension of time for submission of an assessment task. Reasons for special consideration include serious short term circumstances beyond the student’s control, such as illness, accident, personal trauma, family emergency or compassionate grounds. Applications should be discussed with the examiner/lecturer/tutor responsible for assessing the task. Please refer to the current student faculty webpage for forms and further information: http://www. buseco. monash. edu. au/student/exams/specconsemester. html 3 1. 4. 3 Workload You are expected to undertake private study in addition to attending lectures and tutorials. Preparation of work to be discussed in tutorials is essential. You will also be required to complete assignments and projects and submit them on the due dates. When taking into account the work carried out during mid-semester breaks and exam weeks, you would expect to study more than thirty hours each week. 1. 4. 4 Self-reliance Compared to your school experience, at the university you are expected to be more independent and self-reliant. In contrast to teachers at school, lecturers and tutors usually teach large numbers of students, sometimes as many as one thousand. They are happy to assist you, but you need to approach the staff member and be clear about what you wish to discuss. It is also your responsibility as a self-reliant student to attend lectures and tutorials, prepare your tutorial work and submit all written work on time. 1. 4. 5 Time management. The expectation at the university is that you learn to manage your own time. This applies to full-time students who have a great deal of time available outside of classes, as well as for part-time students who have to balance work and study. The following chapter on study techniques in this manual provides, among other things, some helpful hints on how to best manage your time and get the most out of your career as a student. 1. 5 Student assessment Assessment in a unit may be made up of several components: a formal examination, essays, tests, assignments, oral presentations and tutorial participation. Assessment details for each unit are provided in the unit guide that you will receive in the first week of each semester. The final mark that a student receives in a unit will be determined by the board of examiners on the recommendation of the chief examiner, taking into account all aspects of assessment. The rights of students to have assessed work re-marked are determined at the departmental level. A student can only be failed after the exam paper has been marked by two staff members. All results are reviewed by the unit leader. You can find further information relating to the university’s assessment in undergraduate units and the responsibilities of examiners using the main policy bank link at: http://www. buseco. monash. edu. au/secretariat /policies/ 1. 5. 1 Examinations For details of examination regulations, please refer to the Monash University Calendar: http://www. monash. edu. au/pubs/calendar/ 1. 5. 2 Use of English dictionaries and calculators As English is the language of instruction within Monash University, foreign language translation dictionaries are not permitted to be used by students sitting examinations. Calculators are permitted if specified on the examination paper, but some units may have a calculator restriction. Students are advised to familiarise themselves with any calculator restrictions applying in units they are studying. For permitted calculator(s) for examinations and units of study go to the faculty policy link at: http://www. buseco. monash. edu. au/secretariat/policies/calculator. html 4 1. 5. 3 Results At the end of each semester, following the completion of examinations, a board of examiners considers student performance as a whole before the results are published. All undergraduate and coursework graduate students who pass are graded into the categories of high distinction, distinction, credit and pass. Honours courses use a different grading system, classified into first class, second class division A, second class division B, third class and pass. 1. 5. 4 Marks and grades Following is a list of marks and grades used within the faculty: 0–49 40–49 45–49 50–59 60–69 70–79 80–100 N NS NP P C D HD NE WH Fail Fail, supplementary exam awarded by Board of Examiners only to graduate students and under special circumstances Near pass is only awarded to undergraduate students. It may be awarded for the last unit to complete a degree. Pass Credit Distinction High distinction Not examined. Used when a unit is taught over two semesters Withheld. Used, for example, when assessment is outstanding due to a special consideration application or incomplete assessment. DEF Deferred examination granted SFR Satisfied faculty requirements This grading system will be current until 2009. For amendments after this time go to: http://www. buseco. monash. edu. au/secretariat/policies/methods-assessment. html 1. 5. 5 Honours grading Honours units are graded as follows: Below 50 50–59 60–69 70–79 80–100 Fail HIII HIIB HIIA HI 5 1. 5. 6 Examples of grades and corresponding achievement levels HD High Distinction 80–100% D Distinction 70–79% A very high standard of work which demonstrates originality and insight C Credit 60–69% Demonstrates a high level of understanding and presentation and a degree of originality and insight Thorough understanding of core texts and materials P Pass 50–59% Satisfies the minimum requirements N Fail 0–49% Fails to satisfy the minimum requirements General description. Outstanding or exceptional work in terms of understanding, interpretation and presentation Strong evidence of independent reading beyond core texts and materials Demonstrates insight, awareness and understanding of deeper and more subtle aspects of the topic. Ability to consider topic in the broader context of the discipline Demonstrates imagination or flair. Demonstrates originality and independent thought Highly developed analytical and evaluative skills Ability to solve very challenging problems Reading Evidence of reading beyond core texts and materials Evidence of having read core texts and materials. Very little evidence of having read any of the core texts and materials Knowledge of topic Evidence of an awareness Sound knowledge of and understanding of principles and concepts deeper and more subtle aspects of the topic Knowledge of principles Scant knowledge of and concepts at least principles and concepts adequate to communicate intelligently in the topic and to serve as a basis for further study Articulation of argument Evidence of imagination or flair. Evidence of originality and independent thought Clear evidence of analytical and evaluative skills. Well-reasoned argument based on broad evidence Sound argument based on evidence Very little evidence of ability to construct coherent argument Analytical and evaluative skills Problem solving Evidence of analytical and evaluative skills Some evidence of analytical and evaluative skills Very little evidence of analytical and evaluative skills Ability to solve non-routine Ability to use and apply problems fundamental concepts and skills Well developed skills in expression and presentation Good skills in expression and presentation. Accurate and consistent acknowledgement of sources. Adequate problem-solving Very little evidence of skills problem-solving skills Expression and presentation appropriate to the discipline Highly developed skills in expression and presentation Adequate skills in expression and presentation Inadequate skills in expression and presentation. Inaccurate and inconsistent acknowledgement of sources Source: University of Adelaide 2005 6 Chapter 2 Approaching study in the Faculty of Business and Economics Introduction Study at university is like a full-time job that requires commitment, and cannot just be added on to a range of other interests. It differs in many ways from study in other educational settings. A major difference is the independence and self reliance expected of students in their study. This idea concerns: †¢ Managing your time, balancing your study with other commitments. †¢ Your approach to learning in your units. In this chapter, we discuss the implications of independence and self reliance for the way you approach your studies. Assistance with time management is also available from university learning and personal support services, go to http://www. monash.edu/pubs/handbooks/srg/srg-266. html for faculty and campus contacts. 2. 1 The study â€Å"mindset† The units that you study present information, concepts and theories. It is expected that you will understand these fully. In addition, you must think critically and analytically so that you can evaluate and apply the knowledge, concepts and theories to different situations. You also need to think about the information from international and global perspectives, and to communicate your thinking clearly and appropriately orally and in writing. This means that you must do more in your written work than merely describe the concepts and knowledge, which will not get you good marks. There are times when you do need to provide definitions and an overview of concepts and theories, but such information usually only functions as an introduction for your integration of ideas, critical analysis and application, in relation to the issue, topic and task. Integration of information and critical and analytical thinking are central to the idea of independence in study. It means that you take an objective approach to the knowledge, concepts and theories. Such an approach is necessary so that you can: †¢ Integrate sometimes contrasting ideas from a range of sources and develop your own perspective on an issue or topic in relation to these; †¢ ‘Pull apart’ the knowledge in your units and explain how the parts all work together (analysis); †¢ Evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages of knowledge, concepts and theories for particular situations (critical approach). This emphasis may differ from how you approached your study in other educational settings. For instance, you may have expected there to be one right answer, or two sides to an issue or topic. In your university studies, you need to understand that there are multiple views surrounding a topic or issue. The suitability of the view that you develop, often by synthesising several views, depends on the perspective from which you look at the issue. Such a concept of the relativity of knowledge applies to all the business and economics disciplines. In accounting, for instance, particular accounting situations are interpreted in terms of the Standard Accounting Concepts, and in econometrics and business statistics, a set of data is interpreted in relation to a particular purpose, or the needs of a particular user. Your ability to operate in the way explained above is based on you understanding the nature of academic enquiry and discovery, as we explain in the next section. 7 2. 2 Academic enquiry, discovery and independence in study Academic enquiry and discovery are concerned with the development or advancement of knowledge in a field of study, which occurs through research and investigation. Students engage in academic enquiry and discovery, to some degree, when they integrate and apply knowledge, concepts and theories to different situations. Thus, in university study, there are: †¢ No absolutes †¢ Knowledge evolves as researchers challenge, confirm or modify earlier understandings. When investigating an issue for an assignment task that is based on evidence from the literature, you need to overview and integrate the range of views surrounding the issue or topic. When you have formed your response and structured your written work to express this, you must indicate to your reader how you have arrived at that view. That is, the ideas and views that you read in the literature function as the ‘building blocks’ of your response. In your writing, if you do not explain to your reader the evidence or the building blocks for your view, you are only expressing opinions. These are ideas unsubstantiated by evidence and are not valued in university study. Another perspective The manager has a range of roles that are significant in the operations of an organisation, and decision making is one of these (Mintzberg, 1979) One perspective Decision making is an important aspect but only part of the manager’s role (Lee, 2000). Decision making in the manager’s role. Further perspective Decision making is the foundation of a manager’s role (Brown, 2002) Figure 1: Multiple views of a topic or issue Figure 1 depicts the situation in relation to a topic in a unit that relies on views in the literature. Note how decision-making in the manager’s role is seen from different perspectives by different authors. In a unit such as econometrics and business statistics, you may be required to analyse a set of data from a perspective of, for instance, a marketing manager, or a city council. Thus, the information in the data that would be relevant for the former would be on aspects such as sales, while for the city council which is concerned with providing services, the emphasis would be on the city’s population and its needs. Thus, in units that rely on data such as econometrics and business statistics, you need to analyse the data, form a perspective on the issue from the data analysis, and then select from your data to support the viewpoint you have developed. In a unit such as economics, it means being able to distinguish between facts and value statements. 8 2. 3 Approaching study in the faculty disciplines As you continue with your faculty study, you will realise that the approaches to knowledge in the disciplines of the faculty differ in some ways. Understanding such variation will help you adjust your thinking and approach across your units of study. This is particularly applicable if you are a double degree student and studying across two faculties. For instance, when you are studying a first year law unit in your Business and Economics degree, you will be presented with problem question assignments. You approach and think about these, and structure information differently, than you would for essays in a unit such as management, or, for example, reports in a marketing unit. You are using different forms of data and evidence, and applying critical analysis in ways that are particular to the unit and its discipline. The approach that the disciplines take to knowledge is reflected in the way information is put together in the texts and in lectures. These exemplify the characteristics of the particular discipline. To develop some understanding, you should think about your units in terms of: †¢ The type of data and info.

Toyota Production System Case Study

Toyota Production System Case Study 1.1. Introduction The Toyota Production System (TPS) which was developed by Toyota Motor Corporation in 1970s is the Toyotas unique production approach and it becomes the worldwide application of production system in many companies (Moden, 1991). The main objective of TPS is to improve their manufacturing process by cutting off overburden and unevenness and elimination of waste in the process. The purpose of this assignment aims to assess the progress of a medium-sized construction company which is working in commercial projects and sometimes on design-build projects. As a representative of youth generation of the company, the author recognises that there are many problems existing in the process of executing a project of the company. Hence, benefit and reputation of the company is seriously affected by their defects on the process. In this report, the author will investigate all problems in the company in the terms of two phases in a construction project: pre-construction and construction phase. The author afterward will indicates the theory of lean in construction to apply in the company in order to solve problems. The improvement of the company will be analysed base on the model of TPS House diagram. Finally, the implementation and further development of the whole process will be discussed. 1.2. Company overview In this assignment, the author is going to analyse a construction company as described in assignment scenario. It is a medium sized construction firm working mostly on traditional office and commercial projects (gained through bidding) and sometimes on design-build projects. As a construction firm, the company is aware of the role of planning is the vital process of any project. Harris (2006, p65) indicated two types of planning which are strategic and operational planning. The first type has been executed by the client and integrated team which involves proposal outline of the project such as scopes, procurement route, time and financing. The operational plan, in contrast, will depict the process achieved in each stage of project in detail. The operation of planning process and involved problems of the company will describe below: The company has a systematic planning and management system for construction projects, starting from a master schedule and related partial plans for plant, personnel, materials etc. ; plans for shorter term are derived from the master plan, extending to weekly plans, and the progress is monitored and feedback to management. The current issue is the usage of the plan; it seems not being attracted staffs to the master plan, as people mostly do not study this plan. Even if the master plan is used, all of the tasks in this plan are not sorted in logical way, hence the plan looks chaotically. Consequently, the project cannot go smoothly and the company always meet an anxious rush when the deadline is coming. The company could starts their construction process in just two weeks after winning the bid, even if the project has been happening for years and it has been designed for one year. So that, sometime the contractor does not have enough preparation for their work, they will start the work as soon as they can. Financial control in the company is tight, and every material and work package is procured for its lowest price. Sometime, the construction works in the site have to be delayed or even stopped due to shortage of material and labour resources in the construction site, especially in big project, those situations happen regularly. The communication on the site is not really good. It is the lack of collaboration among sub-contractors. The site personnel of company often seem to be exhausted by long hours and constant troubleshooting The company seems too difficult to adapt the design and build projects when they are the DB contractor of a project. This thing results from insufficient of design experience control of the company and the management experience of DB procurement method which is very popular in construction industry in the United Kingdom Finally, the amount of physical waste transported from site is very lager; moreover the benefits from tight financial control seem to be lost by such cost leaked. As shown in the description above, it is obviously to see that the company has many disadvantages in order to manage a project. In the later parts of the assignment, the author will try to analyse particular problems and make improvements based on the Toyota Production System theory. Chapter 2: Analysis of production process in the company 2.1. General outline of the process map Oberlender (2000, p140) concluded planning is the vital process of any project, the better planning is, the better project is achieved. In a construction project, Harris (2006, p65) indicated that there are two types of planning which are strategic and operational planning. The first type has been executed by the client and integrated team which involves proposal outline of the project such as scopes, procurement route, time and financing. The operational plan, in contrast, will depict the process achieved in each stage of project in detail. In this assignment, the whole map of operation plan in construction process which is include the planning and execution process and the service procurement process will be drawn and analysed in order to make the appropriate improvement of the company. 2.2. Current process of the company In this assignment, the author is going to use UML activity diagrams to illustrate the map of pre-construction and construction processes. Fig 1 below show processes of construction project including pre-construction and construction stage which is applied in the company. Figure 1: Pre-construction process Figure 2: Construction process 2.3. Analysis of pre-construction process (1-12) 2.3.1. Description of the map In the pre-construction stage, the company will divide construction work into many work packages and develop plans for tendering. They have to prepare all the information about project and open a tender; finally they will choose suitable sub-contractors and material suppliers. There are two main phases of this stage which are production information and tender action. Production information: normally, the DB contractor will divide the whole work into many work packages with information of work, responsibility, schedule and the cost for each package. The purpose of this phase is to help all the sub-contractors understand and prepare what they have to do with their package. However, to do this, sub-contractors need to prepare and win for the tender of those packages. Even three principles of a good project which are time, quality and cost are considered; the company always put the low price as the top of priority. Tender documentation and tender action: the company will be the client of work packages which are executed by sub-contractors. Sub-contractors are required to spend time to study product documents as they want to take part in the tender i.e. work packages. They also need to prepare the tender document and arrange for their own plan of works before they submit those documents to main contractor. Based on the quality of the tender documents and the reputation of sub-contractors, the company will select suitable contractors for each package and prepare the contracts with them. Normally, the contractors which offer the best price will be selected. 2.3.2. Existing problems in the process There is insufficient information from the company in tender action; moreover the company really focus on the cost and the lowest price contractor would be selected. Consequently, many aspects of project have been neglected i.e quality and time. 2.4. Analysis of construction Stage (13-49) 2.4.1. Description of the process This is the main stage of any project with the end product is the whole CTG. The stage starts when the company establishes contract to sub-contractors which was indicated in the previous stages. Sometimes the design changes or the design teams make some modifications. The changes in design in DB procurement will lead to many risks to client, so that before executing the works, main contractor and sub-contractors should spend time to review the detail design and make recommendation in order to avoid the risks. During the stage, the company is the main actor who arranges the site, and executes main works such as excavation, main building structure and so on; meanwhile sub-contractors should have their own plan for implementing their works at the right time. According to Angus (2003, p137), in this stage, changes may be obliged in either term design or construction even they are not expected in advance. If the changes happen, the cost of the project will change, the result may be serious in DB procurement method. Hence, in this stage, correct planning and sufficient controlling can be the most critical issue to achieve the construction of project. Whenever, the change is achievable, all of the concerned parties should take part in discussions in order to find a way to reduce the bad effects as much as possible. The current planning process can be divided by four main parts as follow: General Master Plans (made 3 monthly for the whole life time of the project; process 13-16): Planning department under the control of project manager will develop the master plan in order to make sure the project will be executed within the specified constrains with the association of health and safety problems (Mawdesly, 1997). Develop Sectional Master Plans (made monthly for the next 3 months; process 17-25): The General Master Plan will be developed by the planning department based on the general master plan and scopes which are issued by Project Manager (Mawdesly, 1997). More detail plan for personnel, labours and material will be extend to ensure that aims of general master plan will be attained. Once all the departments receive the sectional master plan, they have to review the plan and make revisions in order to make a feasible plan for the whole teams. Develop Weekly Plans (made weekly for next 3 weeks; process 26-36): Weekly plans are derived from the Sectional Master plan. All the involved parties have to develop their own plan and make the recommendation to Planning department in order to establish an appropriate plan. According to Mawdesly (1997, p10) the weekly plan have to ensure the efficiency of resources indicated from the previous plan so as to reach the project objectives. Construction process (36-48): The construction works begin with the preparation of construction site. As the main contractor, the company will execute all the main work on site, meanwhile other contractors (sub-contractors, material suppliers) need to have plan to deliver their products as indicated on their plans. Every week, all of the contractors require issuing the progress report and sending them to project manager and clients organisation in order to control the construction works. This schedule, according to Mawdesly (1997), there is little change of the plan because it will badly affect to construction progress of a project when uncertainty happens. 2.4.2. Problems happen in the process The company always implement the project very soon after they win in a tender, sometimes they could not gather adequate inputs from involved parties. As the result, less realistic and practical schedule are issued. Due to the lack of communication among parties in the project organisation, the general master and the sectional master plans are not appropriate and the conflict happens within sub-contractors. There is not enough update for weekly schedule because of deficiency of attention on planning and the shortage of management skills. Thus, uneven workloads are unavoidable and almost sub-contractors have to rush near the deadline in order to finish works. As consequent, many critical aspects of successful project such as quality and time are not guaranteed. The company put the low price tender at the top of priority results in huge amount of unused inventory in construction site. Hence, in every project, there is large number of wastes occurring. In addition, lowest price will result in bad quality of material using in projects. As indicated above, an inappropriate schedule will lead to a problem of material distribution which is sometimes there are superabundant materials on site whereas sometime lack of material. All those things have bad results in bad performance of the construction process. 2.5. Other problems in construction site 2.5.1. Team work and collaboration As mentioned in the company overview, the communication and collaboration among parties in a project is not good. This problem results in many errors on the construction site and when the argument occur the progress of construction will be affected. 2.5.2. Staffs motivation The assumption of the company indicated that their staffs are not interested in making plan scheduling for the project and they seem not to have enough motivation to contribute to the development of those plan. There are many reasons cause the low motivation of staffs. One of them may come from the lack of communication and team-work among members; staffs sometimes do not know what they should do. The poor quality of plan is also another reason for the motivation of staffs. 2.5.3. Physical waste on site. Based on the theory of Toyota production system which was presented by Liker, J., K. (2004), there are seven type of waste (Muda) in this scenario, they are: Overproduction Waiting Transportation Inappropriate processing Unnecessary inventory Unnecessary movement Defects In this assignment, those issues below are main reason for physical waste on site: Unnecessary transport or conveyance; Excess inventory and Unnecessary movement: Due to poor quality plan schedule (in both sectional and weekly plan), the plan of delivery material is not suitable, resulting in those type of wastes. Defects: The bad quality material and design will cause many defects to the project. Hence, reparation, re-construction or replacement of any structures will increase waste in project. Chapter 3: Toyota Production Lean Principles 3.1. Introduction into Lean Principles According to Liker (2004), the major idea of Lean production is to maximiseÂÂ  the value for customer while getting rid of waste added in the production process. In the other ways, lean production indicates producing more value for customers withÂÂ  fewer resources. The lean production, in other words Toyota Production System or TPS, were firstly adapted by Toyota, the biggest car manufacture in the world when they developed a new mode of production, in which they focus on the customers and endeavour to reduce all type of waste as much as possible. In their new modes, Toyota has developed such tools which is becoming popular throughout the world, they are: Just-In-Time (JIT), Kanban replenishment system and 5S theory. The idea of lean thinking was indicated in the Womack and Jones (1996) book, in which there are five principles: Specify value An accurate understanding of the precise needs of the customer is required. Hence, the Company needs to find out what the customer wants. Identify the Value Stream Value stream is the set of all necessary activities to achieve an explicit product. Womack and Jones (1996) indicated that determining whole value stream for each product is very important step in order to identify muda (waste), maintain the value-adding activities and add more customer value (which should be continuously improved). Flow McCarron (2006) concluded that in a process, all activities needs to run in a continuous flow. It means that work flow should be steadily without breaking up. Pull Womack and Jones (1996) concluded that it is better the make the customer pull the product rather than let the company push their product. So that, the company will produce what customer needs hence, eliminating waste. Perfection Last but not least, is the perfection, it can be described as the right amount of value added to clients. In the whole process, all activities, work flows have to go smoothly with minimising of waste. Moreover, the motivation of staffs needs to be considering. 3.2. Toyota 14 principles In the book The Toyota Way, Linker (2004) explained fourteen principles of the TPS, those principles will be summarised with the references of Learning Package 3: Principle 1: Base your management decisions on a long-term philosophy, even at the expense of short-term financial goals Principle 2: Create continuous process flow to bring problems to the surface: Principle 3: Use the Pull system to avoid overproduction Principle 4: Level out the workload (Heijunka) Principle 5: Build a culture of stopping to fix problems, to get quality right the first time Principle 6: Standardize tasks are the foundation for continuous improvement and employee empowerment Principle 7: Use visual control so no problems are hidden Principle 8: Use only reliable, thoroughly tested technology that serves your people and processes Principle 9: Grow leaders who thoroughly understand the work, live the philosophy, and teach it to others. Principle 10: Develop exceptional people and teams who follow your companys philosophy Principle 11: Respect your extended network of partners and suppliers by challenging them and helping them improve Principle 12: Go and see for yourself to thoroughly understand the situation (Genchi Genbutsu) Principle 13: Make decisions slowly by consensus, thoroughly consider all options; implement decisions rapidly Principle 14: Become a learning organization through relentless reflection (Hansei) and continuous improvement (Kaizen) 3.3. Lean production in construction Bjornfot (2006) stated that lean principles can be applied to construction based on five principle of Lean Thinking that was indicated by Womack and Jones (1996), they are: Value, Value Stream, Flow, Pull and Perfection. Differences between construction and manufacturing process were mentioned by Cooper (2005) in which he emphasised the lack of co-ordination and communication between parties in construction industry. In addition, it is not easy to forecast principal aspects of a construction project which are time, cost, quality and profit. Pheng and Fang (2005) indicated the term of lean construction as a component of construction best practice, moreover, lean construction is a combination of existing principles. The main significant features in which construction industry are different to other industry can be listed as the huge size of project, the stillness of structure and great complexity. In order to simplify the lean theory applied to construction project, the author decided to use the model of Toyota House to analysis the company problem and indicate improvement for the company. The figure below shows the model of Toyota House which was illustrated by Liker (2004) Figure 2: TPS House Diagram (Liker, 2004) To be explained the application of the improvement process, Liker (2004) believed that lean principles will be built as a house model. There are three critical structures: Foundation and two Pillars and they all supported to the roof which is the continuous improvement of the process. If any of three structures is missing or fragile resulting as the improvement cannot be executed. Therefore, in order to improve the construction process, all of structure in the Toyota House should be considered carefully. 3.3.1. Foundation There are four aspects have to look at in the foundation: Toyota Philosophy (Principle 1) Visual Management (Principle 7) Stable and Standardized processes (Principle 6) Levelled Production (Heijunka, Principle 4). 3.3.2. Pillars There are two pillars in the Toyota House model which are: Just-In-Time (Principle 2, 3), Jidoka (Principle 5,8). Just-in-Time according to Toyota is the manufacturing of particular what they want to make at an accurate point of time with the exact amounts. Hence, using JIT can help the company eliminate wastes, and unexpected requirements in order to improve production process. Liker (2004) indicated some principles to consider in JIT: Continuous flow: this ensure the process will finish without any waste of time and material as well. Takt time: the main part of one piece flow. Takt is the rate in which a product goes through process so as to reach the customer (Liker, 2004) Pull system: as explained as a principle of Lean production. Quick changeover: the ability of process to have quick change when required. Integrated logistics: partners of the company should apply JIT wherever process that they involve in the project. Jidoka: Following Toyota the term Jidoka is described as automation with a human touch. Womack and Jones (1996) made more clear explanation of Jidoka as the ability of system to stop the work automatically when something wrong happens; otherwise all of products have to be verified with high quality. With the purpose of applying Jidoka, those aspects below need to be considered: Automatic stops: when any part of the process cannot satisfy the requirement. Andon: is a caution indicator, it occurs when there is a mistake in the process. Person Machine separation: Following Toyota, this feature let people to warn any irregular condition of process and they can stop the operation of machinery so as to reduce the unnecessary waste. Error proofing: is essential to stop machines automatically. In-Station quality control: it means the quality control have to be ensured within a stage before it goes to another stages; hence reduce faulty product and waste (Liker, 2004) Solve root cause (5-whys): The application of 5-whys method is going to be used in this aspect. The problem will be investigate intensely with the purpose of solving problem (Linker, 2004). 3.3.3. Centre The constituent of this part includes People Teamwork (Principle 9, 10, 11, 13), Waste reduction (Principle 12, 13, 14), Continuous improvement (Principle 14) People and Teamwork: Selection: It is important to select a person can fulfil the task. Inappropriate person can result faulty, delay and more waste to process. Common goals: It is obvious that in an organisation, all members must have same goals in order to develop the organisation. Liker (2004) indicated that common goal is speared within the organisation from top to bottom by the supply chain. Ringi decision making: this aspect ensures that all the people involved to a process should take part in a decision of the improvement. Hence, all possible decisions will be considered. Cross-trained Persons: ability to be able to perform different tasks to improve quality and productivity. (Liker, 2004) Waste reduction: Genchi Genbutsu: see principle 12 in part 3.2 5-whys: is a method by asking Why in five times in order to find the original of a problem. Eyes for waste: it means the company should take time to observe and control waste. Problem solving: to find the problem at root level. Associated with 5-whys method to have the total elimination of waste. Chapter 4: Improvement of current processes 4.1. Lean measurement Using the model of Toyota House presented in the previous chapter, lean measurement of each issue happened in the process of the company will be evaluate in this part. In the table below, the sign x indicates that we can apply the aspect in with the purpose of improving a particular issue of a process. 4.2. General improvement of the company Based on the Lean Measurement table in part 4.1, the author indicates three aspects that very important for the company in general in which the indications of x are huge, they are: People and Teamwork Long-term philosophy Eyes for Waste When the company improve any stage of a project, they firstly should consider all of three aspects below. They are the principles for the development of the whole process, and they should take part in every part of process. 4.2.1. People and team work It is evident that people in the heart of any organisation, even in the high-technology era, the position of people is unchangeable in order to create and operate any kind of machine. Liker and Meier (2007) stated that in choosing an appropriate people with high skills and experiences is the key to achieve a successful process. In order to improve a process, the company needs to develop their staffs first, that is a way Toyota following. Even at that time, the company may not have a good enough staffs for all position. However, the company should have a long-term vision to train exceptional staffs for their important position of the company. Thus, they can improve their organisation. Liker and Meier (2007) suggested the first principle for a leader is the one who has capacity and desire to learn something from other (mean that he is not too self-opinionated). Moreover, Naoum (2001) indicated some more attributes which are: Long-term vision which associates to the benefit of the company. capacity to make decision Confident in his ability and his staffs as well. Liker (2004) convinced that the development of individual and the improvement of teamwork in the company should go together and have balance between them. According to Hardingham (1995), improved team-work is able to decrease cost and develop the effectiveness of production process. Additional, Thompson (2000) persuaded the collaboration of the company will be increased when they are successful in teamwork. In order to achieve effective teamwork, he stated some elements: The team should share a common goal and has enough ability to achieve the goal. Sufficiency of motivation to overcome the mission with high quality of performance. Flexible to harmonise their actions and communication. 4.2.2. Long-term philosophy Liker (2004) indicated the long-term philosophy is the foundation of the other principle, so that the short term decisions need to be associated to the long-term vision of the company. As presented in the company brief, now the company really focus on the term of cost in the project, hence the balance among three factors of a project (time, cost and quality) is not guarantee. Following Liker (2004, p114) and Imai (1991, p49), Toyota had serious thinking of making a product which give more value to customers with good quality at acceptable price. Hence, they did not put the price as the top of their company. Based from this study, the author indicates that the company should change the long-term philosophy as the way Toyota is executing i.e. Value for customer and quality of project not only the lowest price. Imai (1991) stated that the improvement cannot be finished if there is not any standard. Hence, the establishment standard is necessary for any organisation or project in order to make improvements. Moreover, he also concluded the Kaizen (continuous improvement) is called as never-ending efforts for improvement, it can be understood that when a standard achieved, the better standard will be occurred and then this become the next goal of the process. The figure below will show the PDCA cycle or in other words is a Continuation of the Deming Wheel, which indicates the cycle of continuous improvement. 4.2.3. Eyes for waste This aspect was presented in the part 3.3.3 The main principle of Lean Production is eliminating waste in process. Thus, it is clear that every people within the organisation should care about waste issue. The company requires ensuring all of their employees and partners must observe any waste in the whole process and do the best to reduce wastes as much as possible. 4.3. Analysis of improvement in Pre-construction and construction phase 4.3.1. Pre-construction Process As mentioned in part 2.3, problems existing in this stage of project include which are insufficient information from the company in tender action and the concentration of cost of the company. Hence, the quality of the sub-contractors and suppliers are not very good and sometime they could not afford the quality and time of the project. In order to improve the tender documents, the company must have standards for their tender, so that when they reach those standards the document will have good quality. Hence, sub-contractors and suppliers have to make their documents carefully before submitting. As a result, the quality of the process will improve. Moreover, using Ringi decision with the participation of all departments involved to project will help the company establish a quality tender document In the solution for choosing lowest tender, initially, the company should apply the method of Solve root cause problems to find the origin reasons. Using 5 whys technique is a good answer for this situation. Reasons may relate to the long-term vision of the company in which the cost is focused. 4.3.2. Construction Process The problems in is phase were explained in part 2.4, in order to solve problems and make improvement, the author will divided construction into many issues and analyse development of each of them. There are five issues in the process: a. Input for planning process One of the problems in this process is the lack of input from in involved parties, as stated in the pre-construction phase, using stable and standardised process and Ringi decision techniques can be solution for this issue. All the sub-contractors and suppliers should work enthusiastically until they get the standards established by the company, moreover they have to involve to any decision related to their contributions. b. Updating plan schedule One of trouble is the implementation of a project is very early so that the company do not have enough time for the preparation of construction works. In addition, weak collaboration between involved parties results to an unsuitable plan schedule (including sectional master plan and weekly master plan). The first technique can used to improve the situation is stable and standardised technique. It means that when the updating the Master schedule, the company need to attain their standard which is the foundation for any further improvement. The second method is the application of Pull system, the sectional and weekly plan should base on actual conditions on construction site, the construction department, particularly the site department. To be explained this point, the construction department is the one who control all the works on site, they will have whole understanding of what is happening on site, so they can make an appropriate plan for the project. In addition, all the involved parties such as suppliers, sub-contractors and other departments should have involvement to make a plan that suitable for them. Another issue that is important in this process is the quality of plan. In order to achieve this aim, the application of creating continuous flow, lev

John Stuart Mill :: essays research papers

John Stuart Mill 1806-1873 John had a teleological view of ethics. He is also known as the 1st advocate for women. Lived during the time of the Industrial Revolution. Born to a rich man, he was the youngest, Mr. Mill retired after having John and deticated his life to making John a genius. Mr. Mill home educated John all his life in hopes to create a genius. Not once in Johns life at home was he able to leave the compound of his fathers home. John had to educate his older brothers and sisters. At the age of 14 Johns standard or intellect was very high. At 14 he was given the summer off and went to Paris with his cousins. By the age of 15 Mr. Mill was inviting leading scholars in mathematics, literature, science†¦and want John to prove to them that he knew more in that subject than they did. The amazing thing is that he know more about those subject than the scholars. At 21 he was a genius but had a breakdown. He was sent to a rest home where no drugs where administered. It was merely a place for him to rest and relax. He was a very left brained person with all the factual knowledge he had and this place allowed him to explore the right side†¦.poems, literature†¦Mr. Mills disowned John because he want a genius and geniuses don’t go crazy. When John gets out he is perfectly fine, still and genius and sane at the same time. When John gets out he gets a job with the East India Company. With all the knowledge John had he never taught. He worked all his life and did philosophy for fun on the side. John was never mad at his father for what he did to him, instead he was mad at his mother for allowing Mr. Mill mistreat John. Strangely enough John becomes the first advocate for women. By 23 or 24 John meets a woman by the name of Harriet Taylor. She is known as the wild woman of Europe and also a radical. Harriet was married to a rich man whom she had total control over. Harriet was known to frequent the men’s clubs alone where she would drink and smoke. When she meets John she falls in love and for about 20 years they would see each other while she was still married.

Wolfgang Keller at Konigsbrau

Individual Case Analysis Assignment II: â€Å"Wolfgang Keller at Konigsbrau-TAK† MGT 400- Monday 6-8:45 Chelsea Glovis a. What is your assessment of Brodsky’s performance? Please be specific. In my opinion, I believe that Brodsky is one of those individuals who is so intelligent his personality and social interactions suffer. Keller and Brodsky have very different approaches to problems, in addition to being different nationalities, this creates many of the problems that they face.Keller looks at problems and goes above and beyond to try and solve them, whereas Brodsky attacks problems with the textbook methodology (analytical) that is not always the best approach, and isn’t sure how to do anything else. For instance, half of their distributers were not attending the annual distributors’ meeting. Brodsky was already gone for the weekend and unreachable at home. Keller and his staff spent the majority of their weekend personally inviting the distributors, j umping through hoops to ensure they felt appreciated by meeting them at airports or railroad stations.After all of their hard work, the attendance was more than doubled, which was critical for the businesses success. Lastly, Brodsky was dealing with a distributor who he had written off as bad debt of 87,000 euro. Keller was encouraging him to meet with the customer and demand the money. Brodsky resisted at first, then finally called the customer and concluded that nothing could be done. Meanwhile Keller took matters into his own hands and drove to meet with the distributor in person and was able to get a check for the whole amount.It seems to me that Brodsky is making the least effort in regards to personal relations, while at the same time thoroughly completing the tasks he was assigned for sales and marketing purposes. Brodsky is failing to see the larger picture and taking into consideration how relationships directly affect business cohesiveness. I think that he may feel threate ned by Keller seeing his recent success and feels that since he is older he knows what is best for the company, although that is clearly not the case. Seeing that Brodsky is so analytical by nature, it provided reasoning behind the way he looked at the tasks at hand.I think that Brodsky could have made a much greater effort in resolving problems with distributors/customers, implementing his sales plan, developing a decent relationship with others, and acting as a manager not just an employee. It is crucial for employees below managers to feel comfortable discussing their thoughts and ideas, not scared and nervous. Brodsky does the least amount of work that meets minimum expectations on most areas of work and tasks that are assigned to him. For example, there was a very serious distributors lawsuit filed by one of the firm’s largest distributors that Brodsky was in charge of handling.In dealing with this issue, Brodsky sent a sales representative to work out the problem. Only after the sales representative failed did Brodsky make an effort to personally contact the distributor. Following their discussion, Brodsky determined that the distributors position was unchangeable. Keller knew this would be a huge deficit to the company if they lost this customer and arranged to have a seat next to them on the plane to work things out. After the plane ride the distributor agreed to drop the suit completely, if Brodsky had made more of an effort initially he could have been much more successful.While he does come up with new innovative methods for increasing sales and completing very thorough analysis, he doesn’t work within a realistic deadline. It is imperative to the success of the company to work in a timely manner so that sales can have a quick turnaround and begin to grow. Managers should be motivating to their employees to work hard and do their best, whereas Brodsky hardly communicates with his subordinates and coworkers thus diminishing any chance w hatsoever for good, working relationships to be formed.In order to grow as an individual Brodsky needs to use this constructive criticism and feedback to heart instead of arguing each critique, making excuses and blaming others. b. How effective has Keller been as a coach to Brodsky? Why? Could you have done better? Why and How? I feel the Keller has done almost everything he can think of to try and alleviate the current situation with Brodsky. I think that the two men have such differing approaches in solving problems; a lot of tension is created in the office as well as one on one.The majority of the time, Keller takes problems into his own hands and tries to solve them, I would like to have seen him ask Brodsky to go above and beyond. Such as, arranging seats next to a distributor to discuss the lawsuit, personally invite distributors to the convention, and make a home visit to demand payment from a client. While Keller did allow Brodsky to make an effort, I feel that he could ha ve been more successful if he provided Brodsky with ideas to solve these problems. Because Brodsky is so analytical, it is hard for him to think outside of the box.He is so used to strictly going by the rules and regulations he thinks once he has done those methods there is nothing else he can do. Keller needs to take into consideration Brodsky’s personality, problem solving skills, and relationships with others and in the end he will realize why Brodsky is the way he is. He continues to feel like he is never good enough because of the constant negative feedback that he is given. In my opinion critical feedback should be backed with the same amount of positive feedback as to ensure employees don’t feel inadequate and not valued.In some aspects, Keller and Brodsky share similar personality traits. It is a challenge for both of them to see others perspectives and personalities differences. They are both problem solvers; however attack their problems differently. In my op inion Keller has done all he can think of to help motivate Brodsky and for that I think he has been mostly effective. On the other hand, I wish he would understand their differences and realize why Brodsky does things the way he does. I wouldn’t necessarily say that I could do a better job; I would just approach the situation much differently.I have a way of providing critical feedback intermixed with positive feedback, as well as a course of action to fix the problem all in the same sentence. On top of the feedback, I would also include peer feedback as well as voice the concerns that other employees have expressed. I feel it is necessary to break down the feedback and explain why it is important and beneficial to fix these problems and how it will affect the business as a whole. I feel that this would be beneficial to Brodsky so he can take these specific steps to get better and learn from his shortcomings.Also, I would be more understanding of the way Brodsky operates as a whole and determine the best way to help him start to think outside the box to solve problems. I would also provide definite deadlines for tasks that he is assigned to in order to avoid missing deadlines, taking too long, and falling even more behind. I would give him words of advice and encouragement to make him feel appreciated and determined. Instead of immediately taking matters into my own hands as Keller did, I would allow Brodsky the opportunity to use my methods of completing tasks that were tough situations (i. . telling him to make a house call to discuss getting a payment check from a soon to be bankrupt company). Lastly, I would outline specific goals to accomplish for the next few months or until the next review to motivate him, as well as discuss company procedures that must be followed. These procedures would include mannerisms at work (open communication, proper etiquette, a minimum number of social outings that must be attended, etc. ) With clearly established rule s, goals and courses of action, there is little room for him to argue his side. c.What are the underlying causes of Brodsky’s performance problems? What actions should Keller take upon returning to Kiev? Be specific. The majority of Brodsky’s performance problems have to do with two different personalities, traits, management styles, ethnicity, and outlook. Keller is a very hands-on, action-oriented guy who takes matters into his own hands when they are not completed exactly as he would have done it. Although he is very personable and loves to share a lot of his personal life with co-workers he has a difficult time putting himself in others’ shoes.Brodsky on the other hand is a very analytical introvert who completes tasks by the tried and true textbook approaches. He has a hard time thinking outside of the box when it comes to personal interactions and relating with others, in addition he doesn’t like to spend a lot of time bonding with co-workers and ke eps the vast majority of his personal life to himself. These two completely different, night and day personalities are bound to clash and create bumps in the road that cause discrepancies.On top of all of that, I think that Keller is so concerned with making sure Brodsky understands where he needs improvement that he forgets to provide positive feedback with a plan of action that Brodsky can follow. In addition, their differences in age and methods to solving problems are completely contradicting as well, especially when Brodsky has shared little information about the way he operates. Brodsky has a hard time taking Keller’s feedback because he doesn’t understand what he did wrong and what he was supposed to do instead.Brodsky is very thorough and will take his time to ensure a task is completed to the best of his ability, while Keller is action oriented and wants to see fast results. Brodsky addresses co-workers in a formal demeanor with a distant management style and minimal personal life sharing, which damaged his overall management style. All in all, their overall management styles were to blame for clashing so drastically. I believe if Keller and Brodsky shared the same viewpoints on management styles and approaching tasks Brodsky’s performance report would have very high reviews.Keller should have clearly established due dates for tasks so as to avoid problems with Brodsky taking too long to complete them, explain what business etiquette the company promotes, provide well-defined expectations, goals, and methods to accomplish, and try to see the world from a different light. He must understand that not every individual functions on the same level, manages and accomplishes tasks in the same manner, and remember how different each person is in this world.Developing a friendlier relationship with Brodsky would make it easier for Keller to share how he feels and hopefully he will be able to provide feedback more than just during a perform ance review. d. What are the implications for Keller’s own development as a leader? Although Keller has had great success at such a young age thus far in his life, he still has a lot of room to grow as a leader. A great leader needs to be sympathetic with their employees and co-workers and do whatever they can to help them grow as individuals and flourish in the world of business.He must remember that each individual is different and not everyone manages with the same style. These differences are what creates diversity in teams and allows for innovative ideas and thorough discussions. Having faith in your employees is a huge part in being a successful manager. When at first they don’t succeed, provide insight, thoughts, ideas, solutions, etc. to continue to show them how to think outside the box. Keller is so concerned with fast results and finishing tasks on his own that he doesn’t give his employees the chance to learn from his methods.In his mind he is being the best leader he can be, meanwhile Brodsky is under the impression that he is being the best employee he can be. Both of them need to reevaluate their situations and how to work more cohesively together with such differing styles and traits. It is imperative that Keller works on giving positive as well as critical feedback, a defined set of goals and deadlines, an action plan to fix areas where his subordinates aren’t performing up to par, and provide constant feedback so his employees don’t go sixth months thinking they are doing an incredible job when in reality he thinks they are slacking.

Theology PAper

Theological Discernment and Cultural Exegesis of the Movie Life Is Beautiful Life Is Beautiful (1998) is one of the most memorable and original movies I have ever seen. It is not surprising for me, that the movie received so many great awards such as the grand prize at Cannes Film Festival and three Academy Awards, including Best Foreign Language Film and others. The central Idea of the movie Is to give people the understanding that it does not matter how much death, evil, and ugliness happens in the world there is always hope and good.To understand that goodness, truth, and tatty of the relationships and human life finally triumph at the end despite of evil that Is made by Nazi military. After watching this movie 4 years ago, It really did make me think very much about life itself. At that time I was very concerned about my future and career opportunities, but finally I realized that nothing is more important than love and close relationships with people I love. This is the main rea son why after seeing the name of the movie In the list, I knew It will be my first and the only choice of the movie would Like to write about.The movie Itself portrays us a really rethinking story about a family love and their relationships with each other. It is a story of the main character – Guide, his son -Joshua and wife – Dora not in favor of Nazi troops who were continuously sentencing Jewish people to death only because of their race during the World War II. I could say that the two main characters of this small family, Guide and Dora, are showing a really strong love to each other that makes them able not only serve each other but also sacrifices for each other's sake of good. For me this Is like two movies in one.All this story Is presented Like two efferent lives from beautiful beginning to an unexpected suffering story that make us realize how easily a life can change, in particular when you least expect it. The first part of the movie presents us incredibl y beautiful days where the plot takes is to the small village of Italy filled with an inspiring love story from the very first minutes when two extremely different people saw each other. Guide was as a Jew waiter who came there to his uncle with a dream to open his own book store, and suddenly by accident met an engaged Italian girl.Unfortunately, after 5 years living happily gather, everything falls apart and changes. A breathtaking love story turns into to a horrible exile during the World War II where Jewish people are taken to the concentration camps for work and death. The movie itself is portrayed in a very interesting structure. From the very first sight we realize that it should be extremely heartbreaking due to the fact that such hard topic as an exile and death of innocent people Is unquestionably accepted as a very cruel thing to do to the whole community. N the contrary, the movie presents exile In a way of game and fun. Guide here is a father who does his best to keep h is son from finding out the wicked truth about their situation in the camp. It is his primary goal to keep the son safe, while he Is trying to find out the way how to release his family from the camp and at the same time keeping German troops from finding this out. For his son, Joshua, the camp is presented as a competition where he is supposed to pursue all the given instructions.If he does that, he will get more points and win the main prize – tank. I OFF protection of a son. For us it can be an example of Guide commitment to his family in very Christian way, because he is following Gods' words from the Bible. He is doing exactly what he calls husbands and fathers to do – to take responsibility for their families: â€Å"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth.Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! † (Psalm 127:3-5) Yes, the movie is talking a bout the war of good and evil, but for me Guide and his dedication to his family shows that it also presents us the beauty of human spirit, faithfulness and soul. Guide is like a real Christian serving his family, in the movie itself an uncle Eloise once told Guide that mire's serving. You're not a servant. Serving is a supreme art. God is the first servant. God serves men but he's not a servant to men. Guide in the movie becomes the best example of a servant, no matter that he serves his family in his own way, he does not become humble, but rather he is perceived as a hero who is doing everything he can to save from harm his family. Guide served both, his son and a wife when he was going to look for Dora and in some moments of the movie emending her that both of them are still alive. It is Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. † (Matt. 20:28).He is doing this without event thinking he is a servant; he is lik e Jesus who served people for their good, with thinking to get something in return. Guide is not the only one in the movie who shows his love, serves, and sacrifices for his family. His wife, Dora does it as well, as a real Christian. From the very begging to the very end she is doing what she can to show love and dedication to her family members. She as a woman from a prominent Italian family would have never had to go to such a horrifying place as a concentration camp.Unfortunately, due to the fact that her husband and son were Jews and had to be exiled, she showed her bravery and dedication. Right after the moment she found out that her Jewish husband and son have been taken by German soldiers, she went to the train station and tried to convince the soldiers that they have made a mistake. Sadly, an officer denied it of being a mistake and insisted her; she doesn't belong there and has to go home. Dora id not do that, she demanded to be put on the train with the other people and b e taken to the concentration camp.Despite the fact that she was Italian, came from a very good family, she with no doubts has chosen to identify herself with Jews, the people who have been condemned. She gave up her own life and showed pure love and devotion to her family. Finally, in the end of the movie we are made to realize how beautiful this father-son game really is. Despite its setting in the context of death and cruelty Guide is able to inspire us for faith and believe in good. A father to only serves his son from the very first second there comes harm to him, but also shows his devotion by sacrificing his own life in order to keep both, his wife and son safe.He is doing everything he can to save both of them as a true, loving father and husband would do. Guide offers a life of imagination to his son that is beautiful, even though he is very exhausted and oppressed, since he was working hard during the day in the camp. According to Russell B. Ramsey (n. D. ) Guide reflects J esus' words in the Bible, â€Å"Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends On. 5:13). † He laid down for his family and was very strong psychologically not to joke and fun instead of going to panic.This was a very courageous thing to do, and we can see how strong a man can be in situations where he has to protect his own family. To sum up, the movie is very unique, because of the authors' ability to unite both, comedy and tragedy to one movie that is in general very hard to do. From the funny beginning it shifts to a tough story in a concentration camp while still maintaining elements of fun. Guide gives his son the gift loving and not knowing what is happening in reality. He does not mention the real truth about the camp and evil that surrounds them there.

mr dcp clervil Essay Example

mr dcp clervil Essay Example mr dcp clervil Essay mr dcp clervil Essay How to Evaluate Problem Solving in a Business by Billie Nordmeyer, Demand Media Each business day brings new challenges. A primary difference between a top- performing company and an average-performing company is the manner in which the organization addresses such challenges. In order to ensure a companys problem-solving strategy is a strength rather a weakness, the company must not only determine if it was successful in converting a challenge to an opportunity, but also evaluate the manner in which it solved the problem. Evaluating a business problem solving capability requires consideration of several factors. Ads by Google Simple Project Software Its easy with [emailprotected] Nothing to install. Try it free! www. smartsheet. com Step 1 Determine the degree to which the problem was correctly identified and defined. Consider if the problem was conceptualized in a way that supported the identification of a number of different possible root causes. For example, the problem definition a decrease in sales supports the identification of a number of root causes ncluding an increase in the number of competitors, a need to ramp-up advertising, and a lack of appropriate training for the sales staff. Step 2 Determine if the root problem was correctly identified. Consider if a root problem, rather than a symptom of the root problem, was addressed by the solution. For example, if the root problem is product quality and the symptom is a decrease in sales, a solution of additional sales tools will be ineffective in addressing the root problem. Step 3 Review project data to determine if pertinent facts were considered in the decision rocess. Consider the reliability of the data sources and the completeness of the data gathered. Step 4 Evaluate the resources employed to identify the appropriate solution. Find out if key personnel were selected on the basis of expertise rather than staff position. Determine if an appropriate project sponsor was identified, if appropriate stakeholders participated, and if third-party experts were used if internal personnel lacked the appropriate expertise. Step 5 Review the agreed-to solution to evaluate its feasibility. Determine that the selected olution was best-in-class in light of other possible alternatives. Consider if a sufficient number of solutions were evaluated in order to develop a quality solution. step 6 Consider if the potential solutions were appropriately prioritized. For example, determine if the solution was selected simply on the basis of its implementation time-frame or cost. Step 7 Discover if the set of options was fairly assessed. Determine if experts were consulted in the decision-making process, and if the advantages or disadvantages of the alternative solutions were completely and fairly considered. Step 8 Determine if the decision-making process supported the prompt identification of an operational costs that resulted from delays in process. Step 9 Consider project responsibilities. Find out if appropriate individuals were assigned the responsibility to conduct particular elements of the solution. Step 10 Evaluate the success measures established for the solution. Discover if the solution was implemented successfully within a designated time-frame and according to plan, and if it addressed the issue without unintended side effects.

Nadra Services Essay Example

Nadra Services Essay Example Nadra Services Essay Nadra Services Essay NICOP (National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis) is a registration document to be issued to a valid/legitimate citizen of Pakistan. Previously it was issued to overseas Pakistanis working/living/staying/studying abroad for consecutive time period of six months or possessing dual nationalities but now it can be issued to any citizen of Pakistan. Data Acquisition at Data Acquisition Unit (DAU) o Issuance of Token o Photo Capturing o Thumb and Signatures o Data Acquisition by DEO o Form Printing o Attestation Form Submission Data uploading to NADRA Data Warehouse Verification and Clearance from NADRA Data Warehouse Printing at Production Delivery of NICOP to NSRC or Address The POC program endeavors to provide eligible foreigners with unprecedented incentives to get back to their roots, while ensuring that the motherland remains tightly integrated with expatriates worldwide which includes Visa-free entry into Pakistan. Indefinite stay in Pakistan. Exemption from foreigner registration requirements. Permission to purchase and sell property. Right to open and operate bank accounts. Data Acquisition at Data Acquisition Unit (DAU) Issuance of Token Photo Capturing Thumb and Signatures Data Acquisition by DEO Verification from NADRA Data Warehouse Printing at Production Delivery of POC CNIC (Computerized National Identity Card) is the core product of NADRA issued to a valid/legitimate citizen of Pakistan. It is a blend of state-of-the-art technology and well-defined business rules to guarantee its authenticity and validity. Every genuine, 18 Years and above, citizen of Pakistan is eligible for CNIC. CRC Child Registration Certificates is a registration document used to register minors under the age of 18 years. FRC Family Registration Certificates are documents issued to nationals of Pakistan highlighting the family tree structure of the applicant. Multi Biometric ID Card NADRA has developed a comprehensive system with Interactive Data Acquisition Web methodologies; acquiring, transferring, processing, archiving data producing ISO compliant secure identification documents. This system generates unique citizen identification numbers for entire population. The Registration system integrates biometric technologies such as Automated Finger Identification Systems (AFIS) and Facial Recognition Systems and is capable of providing identity verification to all integral Government departments. The system can meet any standards required by the customer, including ISO 7810 and ICAO 9303 compliant ID cards. NADRA provides integration services for all types of ID technologies as per the clients’ requirement including Smart Card, RFID cards, Java cards and microprocessor based cards. The end-to-end registration system ensures authenticity of individual documents through visual as well as electronic means. NADRA provides the following services to its clients: Evaluate possible technologies and solutions for the project . Develop a new Identification numbering scheme . Define technical standards based on requirements and evaluation Define system security standards . Undertake a system analysis and design study of the manual process,  to identify gaps in the system Perform Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) of the existing  procedures Develop data acquisition methodologies and identify data fields required to be captured Identify required technologies pertaining to: o Data Acquisition Data Communication o Data Processing o Secure Document Production Document Delivery components Design Data Backup and Disaster Recovery (DR) plan for the project Develop requirements for integration with other government bodies Identify Hardware Software to implement a state-of-the-art system Interactive Registration: NADRA has the ability to provide its clients with Multi-biometric Inte ractive Registration Centers that can be designed as a one widow solution that makes good use of latest data enrollment technology to gather data directly from the applicants thereby eliminating erroneous data processing. The interactive data capturing not only uses customized software for on-the-spot data entry, but also employs software that captures an individual’s photograph as per ICAO standards and biometric technology to capture fingerprints. The data gathered at the acquisition centers is sent directly to the Data Warehouse for processing and finally to printing of secured documents. NADRA has successfully implemented the Multi-Biometric National Identity Card System based on Teslin ® for Pakistan. Till date over 96 million citizens have been registered and over 68 million ID cards produced. National Data Warehouse: NADRA has established the National Data Warehouse to cater the influx of huge data. This central repository stores demographic and geographic data of the citizen and processes applicant’s records for the issuance of multiple secure documents after exhaustive verification through automated biometric facial and fingerprint recognition and verification systems. All the applications running in data warehouse are designed and developed in-house, which caters for all needs of automated processing, personalization and verification with minimum human intervention. Some of the data warehouse applications are: Phonetics – probably the fastest search engine which searches on the basis of names Family Identification – provide vertical and horizontal family linkages Verisys – web based verification system Registration Tracking – tracks applicant’s application through-out the life cycle of processing Disaster recovery and replication module Verisys The requirement of identification document for evidentiary purposes is incomplete without proper verification mechanism. Having developed the Multi-Biometric National Identity Card for Pakistan backed up by the large centralized national database in the world, NADRA has introduced an  easy- to-use access tool for verification of citizens in the country named as Veris ys. To verify the issued CNIC and avoid any fraudulent activities NADRA launched Verisys, which is an authentication process to provide online verifications of Pakistani citizens to the government, private and corporate sectors for bringing in transparency, validation, elimination of fraud forgery. This is a web-based real-time activity displaying the front and rear image of the CNIC with added hidden information for verifications. Using NADRA`s strong network infrastructure, a reliable and efficient mode of connectivity is provided to clients even in the remotest areas of Pakistan. Automated Border Control To cater for the need for robust identification and verification systems, NADRA has developed Automated Border Control (ABC) system which serves as a tool for law-enforcement agencies in eradicating illegal immigration and human trafficking. The Automated Border Control System is fully automated immigration control system linked with the central Passport server. It authenticates e-Passport, identity and other travel documents by performing on spot Facial Recognition and Fingerprint Identification with utmost reliability and efficiency. It also keeps the record of automated data verification, passenger travel history, flight information, destination, port-of-origin, nationality, verification log and officer’s comments. The Automated Border Control is fully equipped to cater for the following functions: Optical reading and identification of travel documents Identification of passenger through AFIS and Facial 1:1 match Validation of PKI by reading MRZ and 2D Barcode PDF 417 Identification of passenger data and UV images Matching with Blacklist and Exit Control List (ECL)