Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 6

Operations Management - Essay Example SPC is also found to provide a new insight of relationships between quality and productivity performance measures (Colledani and Tolio, 2009). In addition, by the use of statistical methods, SPC can be a powerful technique for monitoring, managing and analyzing and improving process performance (Chen et al., 2008). Knowing these significant views of SPC and its linked benefits primarily in a manufacturing industry is a foundation of the idea that perhaps, this technique can also be employed even in way beyond the bound of manufacturing industries, especially if those industries have the intention to enhance or improve quality, cost, productivity, human resource management, and customer relationship. Regarding this, the work at hand builds a report substantiating the idea that SPC can also be useful in service industries. There are major claims that are presented in this report that are backed by existing research studies that have important link with the importance of SPC in the serv ice industries. ... Undeniably, services have become integral components of the industrial goods, as manufacturing goods and providing services have come in a package as a notable trend (Johansson and Olhager, 2006). Johansson and Olhager found that the common ground between manufacturing and service operations can be observed within the need to analyse volume, variety, and process issues. In other words, one important connection between service and manufacturing activities is found within the actual operation. The actual operation in the real world is wider in its scope, but this does not deny the idea that every firm operation may it for manufacturing or service industry must require a certain process. To consider productivity, the issue of volume or variety cannot be overlooked. In fact, both service and manufacturing activities have certain target goals to obtain certain level of productivity output. However, this does not stop with the consideration of productivity alone. Profitability is another c oncern of every firm that is either a part of the manufacturing or service industry. In the case of firms manufacturing or selling goods, after-sales services are found to affect company’s profitability, customer retention and product development (Saccani et al., 2007). This finding reveals the thought that services can be the integral components of a manufacturing activity, and these two activities can therefore work to complement or support the other. Based on the cited information above, Saccani et al. would want to imply that in order to obtain profitability in the manufacturing industry, the need to consider after-sales services is a must. This is of great consideration, because establishing high-value for customers must

Social Policy - Putting People First Essay Example for Free

Social Policy Putting People First Essay For this assignment l have been asked to identify and examine a social policy and to make reference to a political ideology of welfare, discuss the contributions of social work, service user and carer’s experiences to the policy document. To achieve this l will discuss ‘Pettigrew’s model of strategic change’ which will help to summarise the key elements considered when looking at any specific policy. (Public Administration Management, 1999, pp. 494-507) Firstly to discuss the context, the governmental approach with New Labours/Third Way philosophy behind the policy â€Å"Putting People First†, the principles and why it was implemented, how this fits with what we know about New Labours commitment to finding solutions to societal issues from a socialist type theorist view. Also to discuss the Process, how it was put together and implemented. But most crucially l will discuss the Content, the implications to service user’s and carer’s experiences to the policy and its impact, in conjunction with the social work contribution to the policy and its own implications to welfare provision. Old age, seen as a burden viewed by governments as a cost to society, a value of each person has been imposed by way of what a local authority is willing to pay, â€Å"Older people are seen as past their best, no longer productive, no longer contributing to the economy and therefore a burden, a drain on the states resources† (Thompson, 2006, p.100). Demography along with increased expectations, put demands on an already faltering, aged service, people living longer with complex needs due to new technology, plus services out of touch with the needs and expectations of today. A well educated generation with the aptitude to convey their requirements, rather than the acceptance of being grateful for whatever they can get. In an age of 60 being the new 40, people wanting, expecting and hoping for a new type of consideration in regard to any help they may need. Using these arguments government issued statements that social care as it stands could not possibly continue and if not redressed, would not survive; something had to change. Driven by figures forecast that social care costs in the future were to rise and by â€Å"2022, 20% of the English population will be over 65 and by 2027, the number of over 85yr olds will have increased by 60%†(Department of Health, 2008,p.1). â€Å"Intolerance of inequality was the prevailing mood and New Labour policies reflected this†(Blakemore Griggs,2007, p.274), rethinking the aged Old Labour ideology of state provision and a well-known system of need, assessment, criteria and services provisioned on the outcome of eligibility, and provisioned by a limited statutory service were not reflecting good practice in terms of equality. In recognition of the rising cost of old age, New Labour in 2007 introduced the Putting People First policy as a â€Å"shared vision and commitment to the transformation of adult social care† and stated that it was to â€Å"set the new direction for adult social care for the next ten years or more† (DH) (2008), and has even been suggested by Alcock 2008 as being the most sweeping transformation of adult social care since the 1990’s community care act. Putting People First superseded the government white paper â€Å"our health, our care, our say – a new direction for community services (Department of Health, 2006), which gave an insight of what was to come and shared with it some of the radical thinking behind the governments new ‘third way’ philosophy. Putting People First was designed to implement a new way of delivering services through commissioning, personal budgets, recognising and utilising alternative methods of care provision such as family care, community support groups, voluntary sector and partnership working. These commissioned services can be partly funded via alternative funding streams such as lottery, voluntary and charities so reducing the states contribution. â€Å"Ultimately every locality should seek to have a single community based support system focussed on the health and wellbeing of the local population. Binding together local Government, primary care, community based health provision, public health, social care and the wider issues of housing, employment, benefits advice and education/training† (Department of Health, 2008, p.2), working collectively in four areas; â€Å"Universal Services, Early Intervention Prevention, Social Capital, Choice Control†(Department of Health, 2008 p.17). To illustrate where this policy fits with New Labour/Third Way, we can return to â€Å"early academic development of social policy and where Britain was closely allied to the political development of Fabianism† (Alcock, 2008, p.2). Fabians were â€Å"politicians and academics† who concerned themselves with â€Å"influencing governments† through â€Å"academic research and analysis† into how this should influence welfare reforms whilst pertaining the government’s responsibility (Alcock, 2008, p.2). Labour following WWII introduced much Fabian inspired reform’s using academic knowledge and research on social problems, closely followed by the Beveridge report and substantial change within state provision. Going against right wing critics who argued against state provision, and the New Right/Neo Liberalism who said that â€Å"state intervention merely drove up the cost of public expenditure†, furthermore developed a country who had â€Å"no incentive to protect themselves† consequently become totally reliant on government meeting all need (Alcock, 2008,p.9). Tony Blair became labour party leader in 1994, and continued along a political path instigated by the previous party leader John Smith who had â€Å"commissioned a review on social justice to look at past approaches to social policy†, where three methods became apparent: â€Å"The deregulators who favoured private markets over public provision†; â€Å"The levellers – supporters of old style social democratic justice† but the favoured style of social policy were the; â€Å"Investors who linked social justice to economic growth within a market economy† (Alcock, 2008, p.190). The â€Å"investor approach became central to the third way rhetoric† (Alcock, 2008, p.190) and won an election in 1997 for a New Labour who had discarded many of the state welfare commitments of â€Å"Old Labour approach of tax and spend in dealing with public services†(Blakemore Griggs, 2007,p.266). This third way was to recognise the more â€Å"complex make-up of modern societies†, from this â€Å"What Counts is What Works† was drawn from work by Anthony Giddens â€Å"a close advisor to Blair† (Alcock, 2008, p.10). â€Å"Giddens views about social policy involved a reformulation of the goal of equality in terms of exclusion and inclusion† two terms used widely by New Labour, both driving home some suggestion of concern with â€Å"citizenship, community† and â€Å"poverty†. (Alcock, Daly Griggs, 2008, p.205) Alcock (2008) suggests the Third Way or middle way rhetoric was a common sense way of keeping all political theorist’s happy. But continues on to say that some key themes are apparent such as shifting welfare towards an activist style of provision, sharing responsibility, improved choice using alternatively funded providers, â€Å"extending the conservatives strategy of building a market in welfare provision† (Blakemore Griggs, p.268), but â€Å"rather than being a distinctive path between different trajectories, is instead a pick-and-mix assortment of different ideas†(ed Ellison Pierson 2003, p.73). Both Blair and Giddens disputed this middle ground ideology of pleasing all, but rather a response to a â€Å"changed world† with â€Å"traditional values† (Hudson Lowe, 2004, p.44) New Labour continued with the ideology of â€Å"service user participation, community based care, and a mixed economy of provision delivered via social care makers† as the way forward, with an emphasis on â€Å"accountability and performance whilst encouraging â€Å"participation† and â€Å"choice† for purchasers of services (Blakemore Griggs,2007, p.276/77), and â€Å"invested considerable faith in the value of more informed approach to policy making, viewing it as central to improving the quality of public services†(Hudson Lowe, 2004, p.222). This rethink of â€Å"community care towards social care† (Blakemore Griggs, 2007,p.232) from central government produced a set of guidance to every local authority to assess and procure their own individual responses on how to implement the titanic changes required in changing the face of service delivery long-term to â€Å"fit services around not people round services† (Alcock, Daly Griggs, 2008 p.279). There were huge expectations on individual councils to develop ways of implementing service user and carer involvement more than ever before; their vision being, that service users and carers were to be empowered to contribute at the earliest stages of the way services were best delivered within local authorities. On the back of Putting People First came a grant allocation and background papers with guidance to be considered when implementing the policy were all produced to steer the implementation of service delivery, one being, â€Å"Personalisation†(Department of Health, 2008), which took the idea of Putting People First further, and brought together Primary Care Trusts and social care into jointly funding a ‘personal budgets’ or ‘individual budgets’ with a â€Å"full range of relevant local statutory, voluntary and private sector organisations to be fully engaged†(Department of Health, 2007). Putting People First and Personalisation policies are intended to take people with needs through a hugely diverse process of self assessment, where the social worker is led by the citizen, recognised as a lead player in establishing their own person centred plan of care, where â€Å"the individual is best placed to know what they need and how needs are best met† (Carr, 2008, p.3). Having been fortunate to experience implementation of direct payments for many years first hand, l can only praise the opportunities it has created within a learning disabilities team. Initial concerns regarding any security experienced within old fashioned service style was soon forgotten as the person emerged with newly found control over their lives, fortunately with few drawbacks; administration being one, reduced by regular reviews along with some form of Brokerage system. Also providing continuity and matching people in terms of personalities, with the assurance of knowing who will come into their home and at time to suit the person, not the care provider. As for Personalisation l can only imagine how positive this next stage can be devoid of issues with institutionalised social workers, deskilled and pressurised to be inventive with huge funding panel limitations. Individual budgets present a Resource Allocation Process, from a combination of funding streams, allocated via self assessment and support plan with assistance from a professional. This optimistically changes the role of social work from being a gatekeeper and provider of services to a broker, navigator, designer and risk assessor who advocates a person’s wishes from a resource allocation process (Carr, 2008, p.17), enabled to find â€Å"new collaborative ways of workingtailored specifically to meet individual needs† compared to the sticky plaster approach (Carr, 2008, p.3). Putting People First is seen by some as an â€Å"opportunity to return to the traditional social work, of enabling people to achieve potential† (Carr, 2008, p.16). Social work has to be diverse in its approach as this impacts, which ever political party is in power, which ever political ideology is favoured at any one time the social worker â€Å"moves backwards and forwards like some never ending contest between two evenly matched tug-of-war teams†, however this does not suggest that the social worker remains â€Å"power-neutral†, for a social workers powers are exercised on behalf of the state they â€Å"reflect a view which are fundamentally political in their determination† (Drakeford, 2010, p.304). We may consider whether all wish to be empowered in this way, changing the way services have been provisioned could we be taking away the proverbial security blanket. It is recognised that â€Å"families provide a far greater proportion of care and emotional and financial support† (Hill Irving, 2009, p.262) and it is for the â€Å"social worker to recognise and support carers in their role, and help with enabling maintenance of a life beyond caring†(Carr, 2008, p.3), PPF recognises this by delivering the tools to ensure a carer is â€Å"encouraged to play an active part† by being in control of what works best for them not prescribed by local authorities (Barton, 2010, p.410). Beveridge â€Å"didn’t anticipate the tumultuous decline in heavy industry† and the subsequent â€Å"rise in paid women’s work† (Hill Irving, 2009, p.265), sadly informal care continues to be â€Å"seen at the top of this mixed economy of welfare† (Hill Irving, 2009, p.190). It is vital in recognising the â€Å"power differential between carers and professionals, meaning the carer’s perspective can easily be overlooked†, â€Å"in addition to their motivation being driven by love, duty and a sense of enduring commitment but are sometimes compelled to take on this role against their wishes (Barton, 2010, p.410/13). All this puts further strain on carers, trying to juggle a life other than caring; Putting People First seems to have acknowledged this by including the ‘individual budgets’ to carers. By looking after the carer, valuing their expertise, and offering alternative solutions, thus prevents hospital admissions and residential care, both of which come at a much higher cost to the economy. We have taken a look at the impact of a political ideology, how this is developed into policies which impact on society, but also how the changes in societal discourses forces governments into making sweeping changes across provision. For me ‘sharing responsibility’ basically sums up the Putting People First policy, for those who receive help to be considered active, valued and empowered citizens, accredited with the ability to take responsibility of amalgamating services to meet individual needs. This new commissioning type of services by local authorities will inevitably force its way into social work, consequently social workers being privatised and commissioned by local authorities, again taking responsibility away from the state. However we have to be sceptical regards the costs – both in financial terms and the personal impact of this direction, as funding is reduced, how much of this shared responsibility will actually fall on the unpaid carers. And to reflect Hudson Lowe’s (2004) argument around â€Å"rational choice theory† and whether a society is able to develop a â€Å"collective action† due to a self-absorbed nation and what â€Å"sense of duty† is evident in â€Å"society to exist at all† (Hudson Lowe, 2004, p190), this may become apparent as we move towards a society who can make best use of social capital. References Alcock, C, Daly, G Griggs, E (2008): â€Å"Introducing social policy†, 2nd ed. Essex: Pearson Education ltd Alcock, P, (2008): â€Å"Social Policy in Britain† 3rd ed. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan Barton, R. (2010): â€Å"The carers perspective† in Davies, M. (ed.) The Blackwell Blakemore, K Griggs, E, (2007): â€Å"Social policy an introduction†, 3rd ed. Berkshire: open university press Drakeford, M. (2010): â€Å"Social work and politics† in Davies, M. (ed.) The Blackwell Carr, S. (2008) personalisation : a rough guide (ed) social care institute for excellence, London Companion to Social Work. Oxford: Blackwell publishing Ltd Ellison, N Pearson, C, (2003): â€Å"Developments in British policy 2†, London: Palgrave Macmillan Hill, M Irving, Z, (2009): â€Å"Understanding social policy†, 8th ed. West Sussex: Blackwell publishing Hudson, J Lowe, S, (2004): â€Å"Understanding the policy process†, Bristol: The Policy Press Department of health Think Local Act Personal – Debbie’s story HM Government (2008)[online]. London: National Health Service. [Accessed15.03.2011]. Available at: http://www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk . Department of health Putting people First A shared vision and commitment to the transformation of Adult Social Care. HM Government (2008)[online]. London: National Health Service. [Accessed15.03.2011]. Available at: . Department of health Think Local Act Personal- social care transformation. HM Government (2008)[online]. London: National Health Service. [Accessed15.03.2011]. Available at: http://www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk . Department of Health (October 2008) Putting People First Transforming Adult Care [online]. London: National Health Service. [Accessed 15.03.2011]. Available at: . Department of health Putting people First – Working to make it happen. HM Government (2008)[online]. London: National Health Service. [Accessed15.03.2011]. Available at: . Department of Health (January 2006) Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services[online]. London: National Health Service. [Accessed 15.03.2011]. Available at: . Public Administration Management: An Interactive Journal(1999) 4, 4, pp. 494-507 Thompson, N. (2006) Anti-discriminatory Practice.4th ed., Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Fast Food Restaurants And Food-processing Companies Are the Ghost Murde

The study is to show how the food industry and the fast-food restaurants dictate the laws of the feeding process through the manipulation of people and governments. Nowadays, the food industry calls all the shots of the game and kills little by little the American society and the animal race. The idea is to prove this hidden reality by explaining the process of the fast food restaurants, including their organization, and prove the damages on the human body, either psychologically nor physiologically. Indeed, the fast food restaurants work in cooperation with the food-processing industry, which produces, delivers and fixes the price over the market. But this intensive activity is possible because of the unethical behaviors of the companies ready to do anything to make money: increase the productivity of each living species, including ill-treatments of animals and genetic modification of plants, decrease the costs of production, and increase the seizure of power over Mother Nature . In this context, this research paper leads to the conclusion that everybody is weak in front of the money power bred by the present society. Nevertheless, some people try to fight again this limitless power in the USA with the rapid expansion of the organic food market in the USA but also the interest of famous gastronomic cookers to build restaurants in the USA to answer the demand of high social class. Unfortunately, this is just the start of the food-industry’s revival and it will take a long time to dominate this living hell. The society of the last and present century is composed of busy and in a hurry people. Priority has been given to the work, helped by the philosophy of the American dream: hard work, prosperity and success. In t... ... and nutrient intake profile." Journal of the American Dietetic Association 103.10 (2003): 1332-1338. Seelow, Soren. "Monsanto, Un Demi-sià ¨cle De Scandales Sanitaires." Le Monde.fr. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014 Spiroux De Vendomois Joel, Dominique Cellier, Christian Vellot, and Emilie Clair. Debate on GMOs Health Risks after Statistical Findings in Regulatory Tests. Tech. International Journal of Biological Sciences, 5 Oct. 2010. Web. Spiroux De Vendà ´mois Joà «l, Franà §ois Roullier, Dominique Cellier, and Gilles-Eric Sà ©ralini. A Comparison of the Effects of Three GM Corn Varieties on Mammalian Health. Rep. International Journal of Biological Sciences May 2005. Web Super Size Me. Dir. Morgan Spurlock. Perf. Morgan Spurlock. Youtube. N.p., 7 May 2004. Web. "What Are The Human Health Effects Of PCBs?" What Are The Human Health Effects Of PCBs? Ed.

Shouter Baptists

Ordellia Darlington 00011164 Portfolio Entry IV At first, the notion of Shouter Baptist being considered a religion was a joke to me. Whenever, I heard the name Shouter Baptist only one thing came to my mind â€Å"obeah people†. There were times that I will see them in prayer and I will cross the street. Nevertheless, the electrifying power point video accompanied with other sources has taught me a great deal on the religion, the people and their rituals.I had always assumed that all the Shouter Baptists had to offer was â€Å"catching power† by means of shaking and speaking in tongues. I had believed that the Shouter Baptists were spiritually possessed. However, never had I known that speaking tongues is similar to conversing with God. Evidence of this is shown in the book of Acts. 2:1-8. Speaking tongues is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit referred to in the Bible. It can be described as a phenomenon during which the believer speaks in languages unknown to him / he r in his / her everyday life.Another aspect I never understood was the significance of some of the symbols the Shouter Baptists frequently use. Symbols such as the bell, lothar, incense and flowers play an important role in the Shouter Baptist faith. The bell is used at the beginning of the service to call members to worship, at the end of the service or according to spiritual instructions. It is said to awaken the believers’ souls to the presence of the Holy Spirit. I now understand what is meant by the saying â€Å"Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings†?The lothar is a vessel used in the church. It symbolizes the holy state of man before God in worship and contains water and flowers. The flowers beautify the church and symbolize peace, love and joy, which are kept alive by the water of life. Flowers are God’s handiwork and are used to decorate the altar, center pole and corners of the church. It also represent man’s first habitat, the Garden o f Eden. What I admire about the Shouter Baptists is their willingness to give back to society.They give thanks to God various times throughout the year feeding the children in their community. For Thanksgiving, Shouter Baptists express gratitude to God for his blessings through, full gospel and prayers, singing, clapping and rejoicing. The children in the community are given food and snacks. The Thanksgiving is held after special occasions in members’ lives, such as success in an undertaking, or recovery from an illness. It also recognizes God’s mercy.The Shouter Baptist belief in giving thanks is supported by Luke 14: 12-14 (â€Å"Then Jesus said to his host, â€Å"When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13  But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14  and you will be ble ssed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. †)

Personal Development

An insurance company has high levels of absenteeism among its staff. The head of administration argues that employees are misusing their leave benefits. However some female employees explained that their family matters interfere with office work. Using the MARS model, as well as your knowledge of absenteeism, discuss some of the possible reasons for absenteeism and how to reduce it. MARS Model seeks to explain individual behavior as a result of internal and external factors or influences acting together.Individual behavior influenced by Motivation, Ability, Role perception and Situational factors (M. A. R. S). People are not motivated to come to work since they don't feel a sense of self-satisfaction in completing their tasks, they don't see room for advancement, don't feel that they are getting paid enough, and don't like their co-workers (or more likely their boss). The cost of absenteeism is extremely high. In able to diagnose absenteeism problem in the organization, a clearly dis tinction should be made between voluntary and involuntary absenteeism.Voluntary absenteeism is when employees have a choice of working or not working and they intentionally decide to miss work. Involuntary absenteeism is when employees miss work for reason beyond their control. Some of the common reasons behind absenteeism are as under; * Serious accidents and illness * Low morale * Workload * Employee discontent with the work environment * Remuneration which continue returns during periods of illness or accident * The continuation of income shield plans (collective agreement ) * Poor working conditions * Boredom on the job Insufficient leadership and poor management * Personal problems (financial, marital, substance abuse, child care etc. ) * Poor bodily fitness * The existence of income protection plans (collective agreement ) * Transportation trouble * Stress There are numbers of strategies and approaches that can be adapted by organizations in order to reduce the level of absent eeism in their companies. According to Johnson et al. (2003), successful absenteeism management strategies begin with the belief that something can actually be done to reduce absenteeism.Managers need to keep in mind that there is no â€Å"one-size-fits† all solution that is appropriate for all organizations. Every organization is unique and absenteeism reduction strategies should be customized to the particular work environment. Harris (2005) states that employers should distinguish between short- and long-term absence when dealing with the problem of absence. The author mentions that for short-term absence, an effective sickness absence policy should be implemented.This policy should indicate the procedure to be followed as well as the possible consequences of unacceptable sick leave levels. For long term absences, an employer should keep record of these events as well as ensuring that medical certificates are supplied. In cases where employees' health is not improving and they are unable to perform their work, a fair incapacity process should be followed (Harris, 2005). REFERENCES Organization Behavior, The Management of individual and organizational performance by DAVID J. CHERRINGTON. Online Search.

How to Write a CCOT Essay on Chemistry Research

How to Write a CCOT Essay on Chemistry Research Welcome to our third and final guide where we explain how to write a CCOT essay on chemistry research, so you can write an excellent and concise essay that would redeem your hard work and efforts as well as gaining the admiration of your professor. Previously, we discussed 10 facts for a CCOT essay on chemistry research and then revealed 20 chemistry research topics for an essay paper which is a must read, otherwise, you won’t be gaining full benefit from this set of guides. Let’s get started: What is a CCOT Essay? A CCOT (continuity and change over time) essay is comprised of questions that ask what has changed and what hasn’t about a specific topic such as Chemistry Research. These questions give you a limited amount of choices as you cannot choose the topic or time period. However, you can choose from religion, culture or one or two countries that have been provided to you. In simple terms, a CCOT essay includes a set of limited questions that define a time span for analysis of a particular topic or time period. How to Write a CCOT Essay: Step-by-Step Guide Here are the steps you need to follow in order to assure a well-written CCOT essay on Chemistry Research, without making any unnecessary blunders: Understand the Question First It’s obvious that you need to read the question very carefully first , in order to understand what’s being asked. However, many students (thousands of them) forget to answer specifically what’s being asked – making one of the biggest mistakes while writing a CCOT essay. In order to avoid this major error, ensure that everything you are writing is of significance to the topic (related to Chemistry Research) and nothing else; it cannot be stressed enough that your writing should be related to Chemistry Research alone and must not derail the reader – which is what most students do. Plan and Organize Accordingly In order to make your essay neat, clear and concise, you need to make sure that you’ve already planned an outline and are ready to implement it. This helps to prevent missing any important parts of the question. Here is how you should organize your CCOT essay: Baseline: The role of a particular topic Impact: What subjects (related to the topic) had an Impact – ways and reasons Change: What kind of changes occurred due to the role that took place Continuity: Despite (the continuity of etc.), what remained behind? Compose a Perfect Thesis Paragraph Compose a thesis statement in a way that it includes a portion of what has been asked in the question, some points of your assertions and a few words in the form of evidence that supports your assertions about the topic you’ve chosen on Chemistry Research. Remember, to make it even better, you have to talk briefly (only the most significant and specific ones – save the details for later paragraphs) about the changes and continuities that took place. In order to make it appealing to read, add a transition such as this: ‘To better recognize the change that occurred during this time†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. Finally†¦ Now it’s time to compose your CCOT essay on Chemistry Research. Be sure to support claims with credible evidence. Be sure to use relevant historical context effectively which would act as the single most solid reason to support your assertions on Chemistry Research If you still have concerns and are generally struggling to write a CCOT Essay on Chemistry Research, then we recommend you to read our first guide, 10 facts on CCOT essay on chemistry research and our second guide, 20 chemistry research topics for an essay in order to make sure you compose a great CCOT paper.

Effect of concentration of H2O2 on the enzyme catalase essays

Effect of concentration of H2O2 on the enzyme catalase essays Enzymes such as Catalase are large protein molecules that are found in living cells. They are used to speed up specific reactions in the cells. They are all specific as each enzyme just performs one particular reaction. In their globular structure, one or more polypeptide chains twist and fold, bringing together a small number of amino acids to form the active site, or the location on the enzyme where the substrate binds and the reaction takes place. Enzyme and substrate fail to join together if their shapes do not match exactly. This ensures that the enzyme does not participate in the wrong reaction. The enzyme itself is unaffected by the reaction. When the products have been released, the enzyme is ready to bind with a new substrate. Enzymes work to change the rate of a reaction without being absorbed by the reaction. The reactant that an enzyme acts on is called the enzyme's substrate. The product is what the enzymes convert the substrate into. Catalase is an enzyme found in food such as potato and liver. It is used for removing Hydrogen Peroxide from the cells. Hydrogen Peroxide is the poisonous by-product of metabolism. Catalase speeds up the decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide (which is the substrate) into water and oxygen as shown in the equations below: Hydrogen peroxide + Catalase Water + Oxygen H2O2 + Catalase H2O + O2 It is able to speed up the decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide because the shape of its active site matches the shape of the Hydrogen Peroxide molecule. This type of reaction where a molecule is broken down into smaller pieces is called an anabolic reaction. Potato split into 4g tubes (enzyme catalase) A pilot test was carried out to figure out how much and in what form the apparatus would need to be in. This is what was concluded; the potato should be ground down with sand (which is unreactive with H2O2) into a paste. This gives a larger surface ...

3 qualities that will make you an effective team player

3 qualities that will make you an effective team player The term â€Å"team player† is so often used as an essential professional attribute that it’s become a well-worn clichà ©- but that doesn’t make it any less of a valuable skill to have if you want to be successful at work, regardless of your occupation or industry. Being able to work well with others and being regarded by your colleagues as an effective team player can lead to a wealth of promising career opportunities- people will tend to seek you out when assembling teams for projects (which are more likely to be successful when the members of your team work well together), peers and superiors will turn to you for collaborations that can enhance your visibility and profile, you’ll increase your chances of impressing your colleagues, and others will want to support you and celebrate your success as you climb your personal career ladder.Although some folks seem to be able to work well with others no matter what the situation or mix of personalities they f ind themselves in, for others it’s not quite that simple. The truth is, not everyone is a natural team player, but everyone can become one with a little effort.Yes, your work environment and the nature of the work you do will go a long way towards dictating what makes an effective team player in your world, but there are some fundamental personal qualities that most effective team players seem to possess- and use- to their advantage when opportunities to collaborate arise. Do you possess the following 3 qualities? If so, then be sure to use them to your advantage at work, and keep them polished and sharp. If not, consider building these skills to maximize your chances of achieving success.PatienceGreat team players typically possess an abundance of patience in their reserves when working with others, which comes in really handy when juggling the diverse personalities and work styles of team members. It can be easy to get frustrated in collaborative work settings, especially w hen one (or more than one) team member is tough to work with or tries to exert unwanted control over the group, or when the project doesn’t go as well as initially planned. However, those who are known to be effective team members have the patience and self-control to keep themselves and others calm, cool, and collected, which helps to keep both colleagues and work projects on track.FlexibilityA close relative of patience, flexibility allows team players to roll with the punches when things get volatile or tumultuous during a group effort at work, and can pivot effectively when a project takes an unexpected turn or requires a course correction. Where some folks lose control when things don’t go according to plan during the life cycle of a project, those who are good team players are flexible enough to swerve when change is needed- without putting added stress or strain on their team members.ReliabilityReliability is where the â€Å"rubber meets the road† on a pr oject, and effective team members consistently deliver in this area. When collaborating on a project, they are well aware of what they are responsible for and make sure that they deliver as planned and on schedule, allowing their team members to focus on their tasks without having to worry about weak links, with the end result being that the collaborative effort becomes greater than the sum of its parts.If you set your sights on strengthening your skills in the areas mentioned here, you will improve your ability to work with others and gain a reputation as someone people can count on in any collaborative situation, big or small.

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Strategic Management - Essay Example This resulted into deforestation. In Autocratic or Authoritative management style, the senior managers take all the important decisions without considering the involvement of workers. Senior managers do not trust their workers; they simply give orders to them. The disadvantage of Autocratic style of management style is that there is only one way communication, and this creates â€Å"them and us† attitude in between managers and workers. In FC, the organizational structure was hierarchical too. So, there was a wide gap between top to bottom order. Due to this kind of command and control system, workers just did only what they were told to do because of fear. Centralization is a system in which the concentration of decision making lies in few hands only. All the important decisions are subjects to the approval of top-level management and other levels can implement these decisions as per the directions of top level managers. On the other hand, decentralization means systematic de legation of authority to all levels of management and to all departments of an organization. In 1995, David Bills was appointed as the Director General of FC. One notable point about him is that he is an outsider from Australia. Environmental concern is one of the big issues in front of FC. Few groups raised environmental issues against FC; they accused FC of lack of awareness in various environmental and animal right issues. It became very crucial to FC’s economic survival. Nowadays, the term 'corporate social responsibility' is much closer to all organizations. Corporate social responsibility refers to the way companies integrate environmental, social and economic concerns into their values and operations in an accountable and transparent manner. It is related to long term growth and success of the organization. It plays an important role to contribute to the sustainable growth of communities. It became a responsibility of any organization to foster and promote corporate so cial responsibility. Another problem in front of David Bill is to change the FC’s culture. It is more difficult to change the existing culture than create a new culture in a new organization. When an organizational culture is already there, it is difficult for people to forget their old behavior, beliefs and assumptions and to adapt a new behavioral pattern. In business world, one thing can be least assured, which is change. If any organization experiences changes, resistance among employees is common. Executive support and training are most important elements to create a cultural change. When David Bill joined the organization, he found a very challenging task in the organization and that was to boost the morale of employees, who had a very low morale and they considered the organization to be a ‘sinking ship’. For him, the most important task was to raise the morale of the employees and to employ them as profitably as he could in the organization. The main aim of the FC was to rebuild and maintain the timber reserves. But the organizational structure was highly influenced by the â€Å"hierarchical military systems of the time and the use of military language† (McCann 2004, p. 949). Hierarchical system in an organization allows for understanding the direct line of authority. There should be a line of authority.

Gentiva Health Services assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gentiva Health Services assignment - Essay Example The adoption of differential costing would greatly help the company. Differential costing helps evaluate the difference in total costs and expected revenue. This information is necessary in choosing where to invest or not to invest. In addition, it will help evaluate the incremental benefits resulting from an acquisition or a disposition. In a situation when the company requires closing down a new firm, the company would be able to weigh the detrimental costs likely to occur as a result of the closure. Gentiva is on the verge of making several decisions to remain relevant and stable in the current economic demands. Since differential costs involve the assessment of costs and revenues arising as a result of taking a given alternative, the company needs to employ the method to reach the best decisions. In turn, the company will be able to cope with the proposed law to cut health services and hospice care.The effects of the health care reform on the providers of health services are clea rly evident. The reform requires that costs of health services be reduced by at least 3.5% every year.   This implies reduced returns for services offered by Medicare companies. Due to the health services reform, Gentiva is on the move to diversify its operations. The company aims at capitalizing on the provision of Medicare services to the robust ageing American population. Chances are high that there will be several incidences of disease with the ageing population. Other likely effects include employment lay-offs.

Obesity and its effect on Insurers and Insurance costs Research Paper

Obesity and its effect on Insurers and Insurance costs - Research Paper Example It was also interesting to note that 4 of them were men while the rest were women. My observation of the obese persons pointed to the reality of the epidemic. Whereas more Americans stand to be obese, this condition has a negative impact on their health, social wellbeing, work, and on their insurance costs. In the United States, researchers have found out that obesity is associated with an array of health complication such as depression. Strine et al. carried out a study of obese persons and they found out that people who have obesity are more likely to be depressed as compared to those who drink of smoke (p. 127). This research pointed to the fact that obesity creates a favorable environment where obese individuals are predisposed to other diseases. As a result of this finding, it is correct to postulate that many Americans are likely to have depression as majorities have a body mass index of 30 and above. Prevalence of obesity can cause cancer in individuals. Research on the prevalence of cancer indicates that a significant number of people with cancer are obese (Berger 129). According to Berger, research reveals that there is a strong correlation between obesity and a number of malignancies such as cancer of the breast (p. 129). Given these findings, there is no doubt that obesity in the United States can pave way for variants of cancer in individuals. This impact is extensive and can affect all age groups because obesity spans a across all the age structures. Obesity can also cause diabetes, especially the type II diabetes. Tsai, Asch and Wadden argued that obesity is strong determination of type II diabetes in children and adults (p. 1651). The study trio carried out a research where they found out that obesity increased body resistance to insulin. This condition was prevalent in adults and children as well. From this research, there seem to be a relation between obesity and

Restructuring in Airline Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Restructuring in Airline Industry - Essay Example The cause of this crisis was the increase in the fuel prices as in the worse economic fiasco faced by many nations across the globe. This led to the falling down in demand of fuel in USA and Britain. Breaking out of Gulf War saw many airlines shutting their business down, among these were the Eastern Airlines -US, British airline Air Europe, Pan American and a few smaller airlines like Midway-US and TEA in Belgium. The end of Gulf War was not any better for any of these airlines. From the world's top-20 airlines only British Airways, Cathay, SIA (Singapore Airlines) and Swissair made a net surplus in each of the three years 1991-1993. The worst hit was the North-American airlines; on the contrary many Asian airlines functioned beneficially. Many airlines needed huge capitals to survive in those years among them was Air France. The member states of the European Union received US $ 10.4 billion in 'state aid' in the year 1995. This was government support offered following authorization by the European Commission. In 1997, Alitalia was given $ 1.7 billion of state aid. Several Airlines received government funds about $ 1.3 billion that were not classified as state support. Subsequently, in 1994 and the years to follow, with financial prudence a number of airlines returned to stipulate development and gain profits. Generally, this was the time when a boom occurred in the airline business. In addition, 1998 was the most lucrative year ever. (Doganis, 2001) Airlines suffered a setback right after 9/11. A year following the assault on WTC, 54% of airline employees in NY district who were removed remained jobless. By and large, joblessness in the New York state remains towering, at 7.4 percent, and current statistics illustrate that more or less 40 percent of those laid off subsequent to 9/11 are still jobless. Even though billions of dollars in centralized support have been billed to help the airlines affected by the rebellious assault, removed airline employees have by and large been unsuccessful to profit up to now from this aid. Apparently, not just US but many other countries suffered in the aftermath of 9/11's events. There was an abrupt, close to total disruption of air traffic in the United States on 9/11, which persisted for quite a few days after that. On the other hand, Clark (Sept. 25, 2001) found that even though some businesses proposed to use video-conferencing and automobiles to replace for air travel, largely companies hadn't suspended business travel by air. Airline industry possibly has attained soaring rates of development, but this has not been convoyed by soaring rates of productivity, relatively contradicting. The Airline industry profits have been relatively less as compared to some other businesses, and in recent years there have been extreme losses too. It is alongside this setting that the industry is experiencing several fundamental 'restructuring'. The better part of the post-war period the industry was subjugated by the nationalized airlines, known as 'flag carriers', and the regimes that possessed them frequently financed and used them as devices to further their

International Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Management - Essay Example Although ethnically diverse teams play a critical role in the success of companies due to the flexibility, receptiveness, and resource utilization that are expected of them (Marquardt and Horvath 2001), the management of cultural differences and conflict has become a challenge for many international organization. Diversity in culture can bring about misunderstanding, adverse relationships, and weak performance, thus the need to effectively manage geographic distances, facilitate control and coordination matters, establish strong communication, and maintain team consistency. Because of this crucial need, numerous studies, even early research such as that of Hofstede and Trompenaars, have been carried out to explain cultural variations in the working environment and the successful management of these differences among employees. Theories on Cultural Dimensions Through my experience as international director, I have learned about the essential components behind a successful expatriate assignment. Theories of cultural dimensions from well-known researchers such as Hofstede (1980) have been of good use in explaining why people are culturally different from each other. National culture plays a crucial part in understanding a workforce that is ethnically diverse as explained through Hofstede’s (1980) cultural dimensions including power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, and long term orientation. Power distance indicates the acceptance and expectation of the society, especially the less powerful individuals, that power can be unequally distributed, thus representing inequality. Anyone who has had experience in international studies can point out that all countries and societies have demonstrated inequality in wealth and power distribution, although some are more unjust than the others. Individualism refers to ho w people are integrated into groups; for instance, individualist societies tend to establish loose relationships among its members and each individual is expected to attend to himself and his family while collectivist ones are likely to stay committed to such relations and demonstrate unwavering loyalty to each other. Masculinity indicates how gender roles are distributed; men’s values significantly differ from those of the women such as in terms of assertiveness, competitiveness, compassion, and modesty. The index for uncertainty avoidance suggests how societies can tolerate and accept ambiguity, or whether or not they can find comfort in uncertain and unplanned situations. Unstructured circumstances are often different from the normal conditions and cultures that aim to avoid uncertainty place their efforts in minimizing the likelihood of ambiguous situations through the implementation of strict rules and regulations to ensure control over all. On the other hand, cultures t hat are accepting of uncertainty are

Restructuring in Airline Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Restructuring in Airline Industry - Essay Example The cause of this crisis was the increase in the fuel prices as in the worse economic fiasco faced by many nations across the globe. This led to the falling down in demand of fuel in USA and Britain. Breaking out of Gulf War saw many airlines shutting their business down, among these were the Eastern Airlines -US, British airline Air Europe, Pan American and a few smaller airlines like Midway-US and TEA in Belgium. The end of Gulf War was not any better for any of these airlines. From the world's top-20 airlines only British Airways, Cathay, SIA (Singapore Airlines) and Swissair made a net surplus in each of the three years 1991-1993. The worst hit was the North-American airlines; on the contrary many Asian airlines functioned beneficially. Many airlines needed huge capitals to survive in those years among them was Air France. The member states of the European Union received US $ 10.4 billion in 'state aid' in the year 1995. This was government support offered following authorization by the European Commission. In 1997, Alitalia was given $ 1.7 billion of state aid. Several Airlines received government funds about $ 1.3 billion that were not classified as state support. Subsequently, in 1994 and the years to follow, with financial prudence a number of airlines returned to stipulate development and gain profits. Generally, this was the time when a boom occurred in the airline business. In addition, 1998 was the most lucrative year ever. (Doganis, 2001) Airlines suffered a setback right after 9/11. A year following the assault on WTC, 54% of airline employees in NY district who were removed remained jobless. By and large, joblessness in the New York state remains towering, at 7.4 percent, and current statistics illustrate that more or less 40 percent of those laid off subsequent to 9/11 are still jobless. Even though billions of dollars in centralized support have been billed to help the airlines affected by the rebellious assault, removed airline employees have by and large been unsuccessful to profit up to now from this aid. Apparently, not just US but many other countries suffered in the aftermath of 9/11's events. There was an abrupt, close to total disruption of air traffic in the United States on 9/11, which persisted for quite a few days after that. On the other hand, Clark (Sept. 25, 2001) found that even though some businesses proposed to use video-conferencing and automobiles to replace for air travel, largely companies hadn't suspended business travel by air. Airline industry possibly has attained soaring rates of development, but this has not been convoyed by soaring rates of productivity, relatively contradicting. The Airline industry profits have been relatively less as compared to some other businesses, and in recent years there have been extreme losses too. It is alongside this setting that the industry is experiencing several fundamental 'restructuring'. The better part of the post-war period the industry was subjugated by the nationalized airlines, known as 'flag carriers', and the regimes that possessed them frequently financed and used them as devices to further their

Obesity caused by Bulimia Nervosa Research Paper

Obesity caused by Bulimia Nervosa - Research Paper Example Eating disorders take various forms among individuals. One of the rampant instances of eating disorders that translate into obesity is binge eating. Binge eating is a behavior among obese individuals whereby they adopt eating habits that involve eating in the night. Community studies conducted revealed that binge-eating rates are high among obese eating adults as opposed to normal weight adults. There are also other factors influencing binge-eating habits. Psychological factors such as depression and anxiety affect the eating habits among individuals. Psychologically affected individuals result into adopting binge eating habits as a means of overcoming psychological stressors (Barbour 34). Another eating disorder rampant among obese individuals is emotional eating. Over eating comes as a response to the negative emotional states among individuals. Considering the fact that over eating is among the leading factors in the promotion of obesity among individuals; emotional eating constan tly leads to over eating and hence obesity among individuals. Community studies have confirmed that emotional eating is wide spread among obese adult individuals. The emotional distress among the obese individuals comes because of low morale and will power to overcome their current state of obesity. Therefore, obese individuals result into emotional eating and hence increase their levels of obesity (Kelly 78). External eating is another eating habit that promotes the prevalence of obesity within the community.

Creating the resume Essay Example for Free

Creating the resume Essay Looking for the perfect job? If you are, then you better invest in the quality of paper works that you submit to your dream company. Whatever you submit as basis for your credentials will create the company’s impression of who you are. Thus, there is a need to learn the proper way of writing resumes, curriculum vitae and cover letters. These three main documents reveal basically reveal your personal information and your desire to become a part of the company. The resume writing part is a 101 guide to writing a resume that will suit ones qualifications and job application. There are several kinds of resume and it would be best to know how these kinds are written. The resume writing guide teaches how one should write his qualifications such as his personal information, educational background and work experiences. It also elaborates on the writing mistakes that an applicant should avoid in writing his resume and some tips in creating an impressive one. This part also points out the major differences between a resume and curriculum vitae and when these documents could be utilized in job applications. The cover letter writing teaches the reader how to properly write a cover letter and be able to send one’s message across without difficulty. It also elaborates on the importance of this type of document to job applications. Writing tips as well as samples can also be seen on this part for the reader to better understand the process of writing such document. Making it to the interview process in a job application may either make or unmake one’s application. The impression that one would create on that interview will determine his future to the company. Thus, there is a need to make a really good impression. The site provides tips in preparing for a job interview such as what clothes to wear and how to act during the interview. This part also includes frequently asked questions by employers. Another part of the website is the highlight it provides to successful personalities and their careers. This part shows their achievements, the difficulties they faced in attaining the positions that they have and how they were able to cope up with these problems. RESUME With the influx of qualified applicants for a job, getting employed has become a very challenging task. Applicants here and there are fighting hard in order to get the job thus, there is a need for one to make a good impression at once. The best way to make a good first impression is to prepare an efficient, concise and striking resume. A resume is a selling tool which outlines the applicants experiences and skills for the employer to initially assess whether or not the applicant can contribute to the company. The goal in writing a resume is to instantly get the attention of the employer and lead him to think that the applicant has what it takes to compete for the job. In order to make the employer think about this, the applicant should read journals, magazines and books and even ask professionals to determine what the the needed requirements for the job and the necessary skills that will interest the employer. A resume is usually one to two pages long. It provides a summary of the applicants skills, education and experience. It does not have to be long to the point of revealing the applicants life history. It should only be concise but complete. There are several types of resumes and these are the following: ? chronological resume-this kind of resume starts with ab outline of the work history starting with the recent position. This kind is preferred by many employers because it provides easy access to the positions held and the length of service. It is usually used by people who have a good employment history. ? functional resume-this kind focuses on the skills and experience of the applicant. It is usually used by people who changes careers or who have gaps in their history of employment. ? combination resume-this type lists the skills and experience then the employment history. This kind enables the applicant to highlight the needed skills for the job as well as indicate the employment history preferred by the employer ? targeted resume-unlike the other types of resumes which can easily be accomplished for general employment purposes, a targeted resume is customized to fit the needed qualifications for a specific job. RESUME WRITING TIPS In writing a resume, one has to consider the following: 1. An effective resume is clearly focused on a specific job and addresses the requirements specified by the employer for a certain position. The applicant should know what the employer needs for the job and how the applicant can provide solution to these needs. 2. Among the elements that should be seen on a resume are positive personal characteristics, foreign language skills, educational accomplishments, technical and computer skills, experience gained in internships, work history and awards received. 3. The resume should also present a clear-cut objective that will signify to the employer the position desired for. It should match the keywords that the employer included in the job posting. 4. The heading should indicate the applicants name, address, e-mail address and telephone number. The name should be located in the middle part, written in bold letters and the font is larger than the other texts in the paper. 5. Educational accomplishments should start from the most recent. It should indicate the degree finished, major and minor as well as the date of graduation. The name of the institution should be in bold letters. All special programs as well as workshops should be indicated. 6. Work experience should also be written from the recent to the least. A steady job held for some years may be highlighted to signify the applicants work attitude. 7. Additional interests and information should include a list of special talents and interests. This will show to the employer that the applicant has a balanced lifestyle and can function beyond the job qualifications. 8. Active words should be employed in creating the resume.

Technological Considerations in Interface Design

Technological Considerations in Interface Design Technological Considerations in Interface Design Physical characteristics of the device and device internal software affects the screen interface design. Graphics compatibility for Screen design must be ensured with the following system components: System power. Screen size. Screen resolution. Display colors. Other display features. Development and implementation tools being used. System platform being used. Platform style guide being used. Information Retrieval (IR): it concerns with the study of finding required data. i.e., IR helps users to notice data that matches their data desires. Technically, IR studies the organization, acquisition, distribution, storage, and retrieval of data. Information retrieval models An IR model directs how a document and a query are characterized and how the significance of a document to a user query is defined. Following are the main models in IR Boolean model Each document or query in Boolean model,is treated as a â€Å"bag† of words or terms. Mathematically for a given collection of documents D, let V = {t1, t2, ,t|V|} be the set of distinctive words/terms in the collection. V is called the vocabulary. A weight wij> 0 is associated with each term tiof a document dj∈D. For a term that does not appear in document dj, wij= 0. dj= (w1j, w2j, , w|V|j), Query terms are combined together logically using the Boolean operators such as AND, OR and NOT. Example : ((data AND warehousing) AND (NOT text)) Vector space model (VSM) In VSM too, Documents are treated as a â€Å"bag† of words or terms. Each document is represented as a vector. However, the term weights are no longer 0 or 1. Each term weight is computed based on some variations of called Term Frequency TF or TF-IDF scheme. Term Frequency (TF) Scheme: The weight of a term tiin document djis the number of times that tiappears in dj, denoted by fij. Normalization may also be applied. ,, Here, tf: still term frequency idf: inverse document frequency. n: total number of docs dfi: the number of docs that ti appears. 1.5.5 Popular HCI Tools HCI Browser This Browser (HCIB) is designed and implemented by the research team of North Carolina University. It can be downloaded fromhttp://ils.unc.edu/hcibrowser . Following are the features of HCI Browser: Web presenting task can be evaluated using this tool. designed to assist research activities in HCI through internet Can be added as an add-on to the Firefox browser. Presents operations for users working in toolbar area. Presents the following to the users: administer pre- task questionnaires administer post-task questionnaires event data of searching and browsing activities. Saves the following events of browser: Pages loaded Links clicked Window and tab focus changes Open/close windows and tabs Back/forward button clicks Typed URLs Scrolling History/bookmarks menu Closes windows automatically. Generates a new log file for each process Includes the following entries for log file: login time, session id, user id, and Process id Sketch Tools Natural art work designers are in need of many free form software tools to express their sketching designs. Right now, existing software tools support pen and ink input to certain extent only. There is a need for intelligent software that can sketch, recognize and convert the natural sketches automatically. Following are such tools: Inkkit It is a toolkit used to sketch diagrams. It can be applied over a range of domains. This software is able to run on a Tablet PC. InkKit consists of the following: User Interface The user interface is supported by two main views: sketch pages This view supports easy drawing process. portfolios. Here this point displays a set of sketches. These sketches can be linked to enable relationships. Recognition Engine The power of InkKitis its recognition engine To recognize a specific diagram, it creates a diagram domain and provides examples. The sketches on this user interface design will normally be converted into both HTML and Java. It is a research tool designed for non-commercial purpose. Freeform Freeform tools provide a pen based interface. This tool is mainly used to design controls in the forms by hand sketching. Requirements :Visual Basic Features: Designs of user interfaces are quicker and easier than creating them with a form builder. SketchNode Sketchnode is a tool used to draw graphs with edges and nodes easily. This tool runs on Tablet PC. Design in this tool can be either done by pen or using drag and drop interaction. Optimization algorithms are used for transforming of not clear graph into a clearer one. Features: supports both low and high fidelity graph rendering. Easy design process No convolution of images due to optimization. Intelligent Mind Map Humans effectively and effortlessly split between drawing and writing ink. This split is difficult to achieve in digital systems. This tool supports for the informal document on the tablet PC by recognition and ink reflow techniques. TATool This tool is designed to generate task representations in hierarchical manner. This research was carried out in the Patras University. The original task of this TATool is to analysis the task in interactive system design. It is recognized as a common tool to design hierarchical structures and Visualized objects This tool TATool generates output in XML form and an RTF report. This software runs only on Windows OS. It maps user-system interaction’s recorded events to the process model. COGTool It is one of the HCI tools used to predict total execution time for a skilled user for performing a particular sequence of actions on a system. The predictions made by CogTool are based on, a psychological theory of human cognitive and motor capabilities, called the Keystroke-Level Model (KLM). Following are the features: automates the application of KLM to specific problems, providing an alternative to time-consuming and expensive user testing. predicts what KLM can predict, that is, execution time for a skilled user of a system. Drawbacks It cannot predict learning time, problem-solving paths, or user satisfaction with a system. CMTool CMTool aims to achieve the task modelling process. Any major task can be splitted into many sub tasks by divide and conquer strategy and organising the task in hierarchical structure. This tool uses this hierarchical way along with logical operators such as AND , OR , NOT to solve the sub task. Following are its features: supports graphical and character notations for task representation. supports temporal analysis for each task supports relational database, grouping the various systems analyzed, with additional identification information. supports quantitative analysis tools for the task metrics provides various representations of data in the form of tree view , report view , structured view. automates synthesis of task structures already stored 1.6 Architecture of HCI systems Architecture of a HCI system should describe the working procedure of cooperation between inputs and outputs. There are two standard HCI architectures as follows: Unimodal systems Multimodal systems 1.6.1 Unimodal Architecture Modality means an independent single channel. Unimodal systems are designed based on single modality. They are further classified based on the nature as follows: Visual Audio Sensor 1.6.1.1 Visual HCI: Its application areas are facial expression analysis, Body movement tracking, gesture recognition and Gaze detection. Table 1.7 – Visual HCI Research areas 1.6.1.2 Audio HCI This uses various audio signals to acquire information. They are helpful, unique and trustable. It’s application areas are speaker recognition, musical integration, auditory emotion analysis and Human made noise or sign detections. 1.6.1.3 Sensor HCI It uses atleast one sensor between user and computer to enable interaction. Examples of sensors are not limited to pen based interaction, joysticks, mouse-keyboard, haptic sensors, taste or smell sensors, pressure sensors and motion tracking sensors. 1.6.2 Multimodal Architecture It combines multiple modalities. Here modalities refer to communication channels. The channels are sensors for sight ,taste , hear ,smell and touch. Gesture ,speech and gaze are common forms of input models. The examples of multimodal applications are not limited to smart video conferencing, driver monitoring, intelligent games, helping disable people and smart homes. 1.7 Advances in HCI Ubiquitous Computing and Ambient Intelligence: It is also known as third way of computing that is interaction among many computers and one person. The evolution is as follows: First way of computing main frame era many people one computer. Second way of computing PC era one person many computers. 1.8 Overview The remaining part of this book includes both theoretical material and practical approaches to designing user interfaces. The topics include: Usability engineering principles Experimental and prototype cognitive architectures Design of effective spoken dialogue systems Role of recommender [e1]systems in web technologies Advanced visualization techniques based on ontologies Intelligent and adaptive HCI Ubiquitous computing and Ambient Intelligence. 1.9 HCI Sample Exercises Application of Weber’s Law in the design of Human Interfaces Weber’s Law It states that the size of the observable various is a constant proportion (K times) of the actual stimulus value. Stimulus intensity must be changed with a minimum amount to create a observable difference in sensory experience. Weber’s Law to user interfaces Information in a computer can be displayed in various formats such as text, pictures, drawings, maps, graphs, videos etc. This information may be from small to large in size with respect to the following: Brightness loudness line length visual weight of fonts in typography color matching Weber’s law helps to analyze and design the above effectively. Procedure Changing Shape – Rectangle Experiment Design a form with the following : 6 rectangular blocks -objects with different colour a stop clock timer -to observe the time value Start button -to start the event Text box -to display the time value Reset button-to restart the experiment Press â€Å"START†button. Observe all blocks minutely and identify the one that expands in breadth after some time. Stop timer themoment difference is identified. Record time. Repeat steps 2 to 5 and plot graph between% colour differenceandnumber of attempts. Repeat same experiment by pressing â€Å"RESET† button. Changing Shape Circle Experiment Design a form with the following six circles-object with colour a stop clock timer -to observe the time value Start button -to start the event Text box -to display the value Reset button-to restart the experiment Pressâ€Å"START†button. Observe all circles minutely and identify the one that expands in radius after some time. Stop timer themomentarea difference is identified. Record time and the % noticed difference or the %area difference. Repeat steps 2 to 5 and plot graph between% radial differenceVsnumber of attempts. ChangingColor CircleExperiment Design a form with the following 6 circles-object with colour a stop clock timer -to observe the time value Start button -to start the event Text box -to display the value Reset button-to restart the experiment Pressâ€Å"START†button. Observe all circles minutely and identify the one that changes colour after some time. Stop timer the moment colour difference is identified. Record time and the % noticed difference or the %area difference. Repeat steps 2 to 5 and plot graph between% colour differenceVsnumber of attempts. Discussion Good user interface design can be made by avoiding uneven size or mismatching colour controls. GOMS(Goals,Operators,Methods, andSelection rules) Objective To build a GOMSmodelforcomparing the actualtimetaken for a task by two interfaces and predict the best one. Experimental Procedure Design twodifferent user interfaces with the following controls: Label-to display users with questions Text box-to receive information about the user Button-to perform action Timer-to inform time to the user List box / option button-to display answers to the questions Make Interface-1to have list-boxestoinput user responses. Make Interface-2to haveradio-buttons toinput user responses. Use this interfaces to rate understanding of few core subjects. Pressâ€Å"Start†button tostartrecordtime beforeshowing responses to interface-1 Giveresponses for each subject using interface-1. Pressâ€Å"Stop†buttonto stop recording of time after finishing all responses. Repeatsameprocedurefromsteps 5to7forinterface-2. Observation: There might be a difference in the task completion time, because of Difference in interaction elementschosen andtheir layout a cognitive / perceptual factor is contributing to task completion time An interaction task is always guided by the user goals, interface operators andalternative methods available on interface for achieving those goals. Colour Design for a User Form Objective To apply colour theoryand features required for colour textand background legibility in creating attractiveuser form. Basics Primary Colours: colours that cannot be created by mixing others. e.g. Red, yellow and blue. Secondary Colours:colours achieved by a mixture of two primaries e.g. Green, orange and purple Tertiary Colours:colours achieved by a mixture of primary and secondary hues. e.g. Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green yellow-green Complementary Colours: colours located opposite each other on a colour wheel. Analogous Colours:colours located close together on a colour wheel. Procedure Design a form thatconsistsoftwosections Contentwindow Colour- settingwindow Design a Content Window with broad blackoutline. Split broad outline as three or more sections based on the usage withthin blackborders. Selectanyofthesesectionsbyclickingwithintheboundary. Change selection section border colour into red. Use coloursettingwindow tochange colours of the selectedsection. Design a Colour settingwindow(Textcoloursetting) Place three text boxes and slider to receive RGB colour values. Design a button to apply the computed RGB colorvalue. Design a Colour-settingwindow(Bakgroundcolour setting) Place three text boxes and slider to receive RGB colour values. Design a button to apply the computed RGB colourvalue. Apply colour brightness difference and colour difference formulae to see if they really work in practiceimproving legibility of the colour text. Observations: Allows user to apply various colours to text as well as its background andcreate differentcolourcontrasts. Review Questions How do you justify HCI as an interdisciplinary research domain? Why is HCI so important? Describe the framework of the three level model of HCI. Summarize the factors in HCI. Describe the framework of broad HCI issues and concerns. Discuss on the design principles of HCI Summarize advanced I/O devices [e1]Recommender or recommended

Indigenous and Global Feminist Perspectives on the Women of Chiapas Ess

Indigenous and Global Feminist Perspectives on the Women of Chiapas Women's reproductive health is a debated and complex issue in today's society. Nowhere is its severity more prevalent than in areas of extreme poverty such as south and Central America. The resolution to these problems is far from simple. Yet, women are increasingly taking control of their lives and forming groups to combat many of the prejudices that hold them back. However highly debated some tactics for resolution may be it is hard to miss the shear urgency with which the issues of women's rights and health call us. The fight for gender equality cannot overlook the importance of equality in health care and control over one's own body. Women's health is an issue that passes along its concerns to another generation every time a child is born. Before being able to discuss women's issues in third world countries, it was important to find an area of study. For this, I chose Chiapas, Mexico. Chiapas is a place where the true effects of capitalism are felt on a daily basis. Upon the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the lives of the indigenous people living in Chiapas changed dramatically. Acorrding to Jeeni Criscenzo, author of Some Personal Observations on the Reasons Behind the Events in Chiapas, "(Mexican leaders) entered into trade agreements with foreign interests (NAFTA) that at US insistence, made changes to their constitution that effectively ended Indian communal land right making it possible for Foreign corporations to take Indian land and resources" (Criscenzo 2). But why did our government, and that of Mexico allow this to happen? Ms. Criscenzo answers that question with the following statement, "In the world of internati... .... (1999): 1-12 "Men's Involvement in Women's Reproductive Health Projects and Programmes in the Philippines: part 1 of 2." Reproductive Health Matters 7. 14. (1999): 1-9 Nazar-Beutelspacher. "Education and Nonuse of Contraceptives Among Poor Women in Chiapas Mexico (Part one)." International Family Planning Perspectives 25. 3. (1999): 1-7 Nazar-Beutelspacher. "Education and Nonuse of Contraceptives Among Poor Women in Chiapas Mexico (Part two)." International Family Planning Perspectives 25. 3. (1999):1-6 "Report from San Cristobal." (1998): 4-9. Online. Internet. 3/28/00 http://www/criscenzo.com/jaguar/report.html Shadows of Tender Fury. Bardacke and LÃ ³pez. New York: Montly Review Press, 1995. 161 "Some Personal Observations on the Reasons Behind the Events in Chiapas." (1998):5. Online. Internet. 3/28/00. http://www.criscenzo.com/jaguar/report.html

Biography of a Mathematician: Sir Isaac Newton Essay

Sir Isaac Newton has made an impact on scientists to this day. Even though his discoveries derived in the late 1600s, we are still affected today in the present. The ideals and theorems he sought out still hold legitimate centuries after his time. With the information laid out for them, a scientists using his theories can improve their research to achieve fame themselves. â€Å"Some would say that he was the greatest product of the Enlightenment, the explosion of intellectual knowledge that occurred in his century† (Universe Today). What did Isaac Newton discover to go down in history as prestige in both the historical and modern world? According to BBC, Newton was an English physicist and mathematician, and the greatest scientist of his era. However, before it’s understood why Sir Isaac Newtown became so famous, it is very important to know how he got to that point. By doing so, understanding his early and later life experiences is key. â€Å"Isaac Newton was born on 4 January 1643 in Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire. His father was a prosperous farmer, who died three months before Newton was born. His mother remarried and Newton was left in the care of his grandparents† (BBC). As it can be seen, Isaac Newton lived a rather challenging youth by being separated by his primary care takers to his grandparents. Once he became of age to attend college, he became fascinated in mathematics, astronomy, optics, and physics. An education to fulfill these interests is exactly what he required. In 1661, he enrolled into Cambridge University. Howbeit, â€Å"In October 1665, a plague epidemic forced the university to close and Newton returned to Woolsthorpe† (BBC). Although attending the University for a short time, the two years benefited him extremely in beginning to charm him of the idea about gravity. In addition, he also focused on optics and mathematics, where current day calculus was just a mere idea of little to no importance. Not giving up his aspire to make a little idea into a dream, Newton returned to Cambridge in 1667, where he became a fellow of Trinity College. He was appointed to two very importance groups that exposed him to the scientific community. Just two years after returning to Cambridge he was appointed second Lucasian professor of mathematics at 27. He was then named in membership of the Royal Society 4 years later. In 1668, the development of his reflecting telescope only proved that Newton’s findings will leave an impact on history forever. Following his  education at Cambridge University, Newton wished to share his recent findings. Therefore publishing ‘The Opticks’ which dealt with light and colour. â€Å"In addition he studied and published works on history, theology and alchemy† (BBC). Then in 1687, â€Å"with the support of his friend the astronomer Edmond Halley, Newton published his single greatest work, the ‘Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica’ (‘Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy’)† (BBC). This showed his findings of the law of gravity. Subsequent to his discoveries and sharing them, Newton achieved many appointments. â€Å"In 1689, Newton was elected member of parliament for Cambridge University (1689 – 1690 and 1701 – 1702). In 1696, Newton was appointed warden of the Royal Mint, settlin g in London. In 1703, he was elected president of the Royal Society, an office he held until his death. He was knighted in 1705.† (BBC). His life story ended in 1727. According to BBC, It was said Newton was a difficult man, prone to depression and often involved in bitter arguments with other scientists, but by the early 1700s he was the dominant figure in British and European science. Now that a baseline of his life has been established, it can now be understood as to why Sir Isaac Newtown left such a mark on areas of science and mathematics. In regards to the field of science, Newton found a quantity of laws and theories that helped future scientists make their way into space. â€Å"He discovered gravitational force and established the three Universal Laws of Motion. By tying these discoveries to the work Johannes Kepler and his Laws of Planetary motion, he established classic mechanics the beginning of modern Physics. This was huge in many ways as he proved definitively the heliocentric model first proposed by Copernicus.† (Universe Today) On top of all this he proved that all things in the universe revolve around the laws of motion. The laws of motion formed a footing for our understanding of the universe. This is a leap in science for his time and to this day. Newton’s gains in the field of mathematics were just as relevant.† He came up with the Binomial Theorem and was one of the two creators of calculus.† (Universe Today) These findings served as jump in the fields of math and science. Now calculations can that more accurately modeled than before. In regards to space, without the ideas and betterment in mathematics, scientists would be clueless of how to safely get into space. â€Å"Calculus gave scientist the tools to set up a theoretical model of a situation and still  account for varying factors. This basic knowledge would help scientist such as Einstein to be ab le make even greater discoveries such as the Theory of Relativity and Nuclear Fission† (Universe Today). With no doubt, Sir Isaac Newton has made an impact on scientists to this day. From break through from his time to laying out laws that still affect scientists and mathematicians today, the world’s technological systems would be nothing without Newton’s advances. The world is constantly improving in terms of military, aviation, and the civilian life. With the baseline formed by Isaac Newtown, scientists are able to progress towards new discoveries and fame that the future holds. Works Cited â€Å"Isaac Newton (1643 – 1727).† BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2014. Jessa, Tega. â€Å"What Did Isaac Newton Discover?† Universe Today RSS. N.p., 05 Sept. 2009. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.

Mattel Toy Recalls

Mattel, Inc. is the largest toy company in the world. This largest toy company in the world was founded by Harold Matson and Elliot Handler in 1945, as they started to produce picture frames. However it was Elliott Handler who had a visionary of a side business in dollhouse furniture out of the converted garage (Mattel). As a top company, the primary activities of Mattel are to design, manufacture, and market the toys. As the company’s sales growing slowly, Mattel started to produce varieties of high quality products and became one of the of the best toy companies around the nation at the time.The major move by Mattel was when it sponsored Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club television show that put the company in spotlight and company’s sales increased significantly. That sponsorship of Mickey Mouse Club helped the company to attract a very high proportion of young potential customers. In 1959, the wife of Elliot Handler, Ruth Handler came up with an outstanding ide a that changed Mattel forever. As Ruth Handler watched her daughter playing with paper dolls, she suggested the idea of making three dimensional dolls to her husband.Elliott loved the idea of making such dolls and introduced the doll with a full wardrobe and accessories to the market. The doll initially named after the nick name of daughter of Elliott and Ruth. The introduction of the new doll was a huge success for Mattel and immediately the doll became the major product line of Mattel (Finding). With the success of Barbie doll, Mattel was named a public company and ranked soon as one of the largest industrial companies in the United States. In 1968, Mattel have introduced another consumer-loved product called Hot Wheels. This was second biggest hit since the company introduced Barbie.Hot Wheels immediately labeled Mattel as the largest toy company in the world. As the toy industry was changing and new competitors were coming in, Mattel saw a stiff competition rising in the mid 198 0s. Like other companies in the toy industry, Mattel faced a stiff from the electronic entertainment. The electronic entertainment introduced many electronical videos games in which children switched to at an increasing young age from the traditional entertainment. To cope up with the competition and attract the new generation, Mattel decided to expand into technology by producing lectronic gaming products. Mattel failed to attract a high proportion of consumers, and were unable to fit in with the new strategy as there were new competitors producing electronic games with lower prices. Later, Mattel decided to focus on producing the core products of the company. This strategy to refocus on the core products and makeover some of the core products was a great success for Mattel. For example, after doing makeover, in 1988 to 1993, the sales of Barbie doll increased to $ 1 Billion dollars from $430 Million dollars (Sansweet).As Mattel is known for making most of its own products in their owned manufacturing facilities, the company owned and operated 10 manufacturing plants worldwide. Half of the manufacturing plants are located in China (Jiangyong). Since Mattel started its business, the company produced its products mostly in developing countries to take the advantage of cheap manufacturing costs. Unlike many toy companies, Mattel produced 70% to 80% of its products in their own manufacturing facilities. The company believed that making products in-house will be more stable and high efficient products.According to Mattel, in-house facilities have high standard safety measures and high quality control that produce high-quality products. Besides making most of its products in Mattel’s own manufacturing facilities, some of its production was outsourced to China and other developing countries in order to focus on domestic strategic efforts such as Research and Development and Marketing. However these outsourcing products were not efficient as products were made in in-house facilities. These outsourcing products were less stable and not as efficient.Many times these products needs to be recalled as they do not meet the safety standards and tend to hurt the image of a well-known organization like Mattel. Therefore, Mattel’s strategy was to focus on making most of its core products at their own manufacturing facilities, and outsource the products that are less popular and non-core. Due to outsourcing to other developing countries, the toy industry faced many hardships. The products that are made in developing countries that had substandard quality control were recalled many times due to the safety reasons.Mattel too faced a stiff pressure from the government and consumers for the products that were not safe and stable which are made in manufacturing facilities in China. Recently, Mattel recalled several of its products because they were not safe for consumers. Recalling millions of products, not only reduced the total revenues of the company, as well as it hurt the company’s image at the same time. Mattel had been always trusted by its consumers for making providing its consumers high-quality products and stable products.The recalls that are connected with lead paint made by Mattel’s lont-time manufacturers. These manufacturers are responsible for not having strong safety regulations and not complying with the quality control within the organization. The manufacturer, Early Light Industrial, was responsible for the second major recall of about 1 million toys. The manufacturer had more than 200 employees to inspect if the contractors were complying with safety regulations, but none of them were stationed on-site to inspect the products. Failure to inspect the products left the company with rooms or errors.In order to understand a company’s situation, financial statements are very important. Financial statements allow you to see the company’s performance, financial condition, and financ ial trend. By examining financial statements of Mattel, we can clearly foresee where the company is heading financially. Looking at ROA and PM, both ROA and PM increasing year to year from 2005 to 2007 which is very good news for Mattel. Despite the recalls, Mattel’s total revenue is still increasing year to year. These analyses clearly show that Mattel is performing very well in making profits.Some of the key financial highlights of Mattel recorded below: Selected Financial Highlights of Mattel, Inc. : YEAR 2007 2006 2005 Net Sales 5,970. 09 5,650. 16 5179. 02 Cost of Sales 3,192. 79 3,038. 36 2,806. 15 Net Income 599. 9 492. 93 417. 02 Total Assets 4805. 46 4955. 88 4372. 31 ROA (%) 12. 4 9. 5 9. 53 PM (%) 10. 4 8. 72 8. 05 Firm Strategy One of the Mattel’s primary strength is that the company is the leading brand named leading toy company in the toy industry. Ever since Mattel started its business, the company always produced high-quality and consumer-loved products . Mattel has plenty of name brands products that are very popular among the customers. Mattel’s brand name recognition stared in 1959 when the company first introduced the famous doll, Barbie.Other products, Hot Wheels, Fisher Price, and NASCAR also are very popular products and behind the huge success of Mattel. In order to continue making the high-quality products Mattel’s main focus is to keep doing what the company is doing and find out what the customers’ want and desire by research and development. Mattel’s main goal is to maximize production efficiency while minimizing the risks, controlling expenses, and maintaining flexibility. In order to focus on that strategy, Mattel has decided to use the third party manufacturers to produce its non-core products.Slowly, Mattel has been moving its manufacturing to countries like China, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, and many other developing countries. As Mattel has contracts with thousand of vendors in those co untries, the company does not need to rely on a single manufacturer. However, this strategy may not convey quality assurance of the products and also raise concerns over safety regulations. Due to substandard safety measures revolving toy designing and manufacturing in China, Mattel has been facing some tough challenges.During 2007, Mattel has made five recalls of over 21 million toys are made in China due to the excessive lead paints on toys and having loose magnets that normally impose danger to the children while playing with them. These loose magnets and lead paint can easily be consumed by the children. These recent recalls started to hurt the image of the company and as well as the reputations of the company. Sales in some areas started declining, however, the total revenues of the company is increasing than the previous year.Possible Options As we have detected causes of the problems, we need to come up with alternative solutions to solve the problems. There are some alternat ive strategies Mattel can apply in order to stay on the of the toy industry. Possible alternatives include rebuilding strategy, and manufacturing in United States. Option 1: Rebuilding Strategy: Mattel should focus on rebuilding strategy. The company needs to rebuild the consumer trust in toys, rebuild the trust of the industry, and as well as the trust of China.Accountability and responsibility required strongly to repair the image. Denial and accusations will just hurt the image of the company more as it could bring counter attack by the accused. Option 2: Manufacturing in United States: Mattel may decide to move its manufacturing back to United States as they are facing many problems in foreign countries. However, this strategy will be really costly to Mattel financially. Also, it will harm the relationship with foreign countries. Therefore, rebuilding strategy is strongly recommended. Recommendations and ImplementationsDuring the crisis management, accountability and responsibil ity is very important to maintain the reputations and sales of the company. Admit the wrongdoing, instead of throwing blame on China. Blaming China will just hurt the relationship with the Government China. Mattel, Inc. is also required to change its strategy to address the concerns in design, manufacturing, quality control, and safety assurance of the products. In order to implement the rebuilding strategy, Mattel needs to take some of the important steps. The company needs to be open and truthful.Confess to wrongdoing is a great tool to start re-establishing the trust. The company also needs to focus on communicating with the consumers to address their needs. For better standard safety measures, Mattel should hire a third party for sudden inspections of the products in manufacturing facilities. The company should maintain its current strategy and continue outsourcing in China where it could focus on expanding product lines. The company may also incorporate with established manufac turing facilities where they have standard quality control and strong safety measures.Most importantly, the company needs to focus on more modifying the safety operations in facilities by inspecting standards of production and examining the materials that are supplied by third-parties. October 26, 2010 Robert D. Katz Ishaque Mohammed Ibrahim Mattel’s Case Memo Executive Summary: California-based Mattel, Inc. is well-known to the world for making the high-quality and brand-name recognized products. Recently, the Mattel Company recalled millions of products that are mostly made in China for the safety concerns that raised many questions about the sustainability of the company’s products.Due to these recent recalls, now Mattel is totally aware of the perils of manufacturing in developing countries, where the safety measures and working environment were totally unacceptable. The purpose of this case analysis is to understand the problems that occurred and how Mattel will c ome to solutions to solve them. This case analysis will review the problems Mattel is facing, analyze firm strategy by using SWOT, and recommend alternative strategies to solve the problems and best way for Mattel to proceed successfully in the future.