Discussion week 8 The Importance of Social Media and Web Analytics Assignment

Conversation week 8 The Importance of Social Media and Web Analytics - Assignment Example As referenced, Salina was noticed that the key fixings to her prosperity are: â€Å"quality content, the structure and sustaining of a crowd of people, and findability† (Robson, 2012, p. 4). Two of the online life techniques that Salina utilized are: (1) collaborating with YouTube; and (2) advancing her instructional recordings through Do-It-Yourself (DIY) locales, as CutOutAndKeep (Robson, 2012, p. 3). The cooperating with YouTube end up being instrumental in upgrading mindfulness, access and viewership to her intended interest group. Then again, picking to advance the recordings through DIY locales was regarded to be contributory to affirmation of her abilities and gifts as a craftsperson. Posting her instructional recordings in these internet based life locales gave the chance to Salina to launch to distinction and to be known in human expressions and artworks attempt. 2. From the situation, organize the most critical segments of an internet based life crusade as per the degree of impact each could have on the new item dispatch. Inspect both the online life instruments that will give the best yield on venture (ROI), and two (2) key execution markers (KPIs) that one could use to gauge achievement. Give a justification to your reaction. From the situation, it was noticed that the most critical parts of internet based life battle as per the degree of impact each could have on the new item dispatch of the tablet are: (1) verbal (W.O.M.); and (2) informal organizations. The internet based life devices that could give the best yield on speculation (ROI) would accordingly rely upon precisely distinguishing the objectives of the advertising effort and to discover how much assets or assets have been spent (measure of venture) to create the focused on return (Developing Social Media Campaigns for the New Product Launch, 2014). Accordingly, to quantify the capacity of producing the most noteworthy

Interpersonal Needs, Firo

Crucial Interpersonal Relationship Orientation Interpersonal, FIRO, are the relations between individuals. Each gathering assesses the other; conduct is influenced by the other or dictated by desires for another. Relational Behavior, also called FIRO-B, alludes to a person’s emotions and activities. Individuals join gatherings to fulfill relational necessities. Relational necessities depend on mental self portrait. Being an unmistakable individual †having a specific character, occurs and demonstrates from the get-go in the gathering development process.Our should be incorporated assistance drive how we convey, three essential human needs are Inclusion, control and friendship. Incorporation The need to issue so individuals will think about you. Alludes to sentiment of significance to the degree to which we incorporate ourselves with others. Incorporation uncovers itself in individuals that need to be taken care of, needing to stand out and additionally needing association with others. Individuals with low consideration needs will in general be independent and withdrawn.An model would be; â€Å"No one is keen on me, since I am useless, I’m not going to hazard being overlooked, so I will remain away. † Control Refers to sentiments of skill, being viewed as ready to adapt to the world, to the degree of which we control other’s activities or want for them to direct us. In the event that consideration is tied in with having a place, at that point control is tied in with winning. An individual looking for incorporation needs to be a piece of the contention, win or lose. One seeing control needs to win, regardless of whether he’s not acknowledged by the gathering. Control likewise bargains in territories of intensity, impact and authority.Someone in the boundaries of control needs, want the command over others †and over one’s future, or the craving to be controlled †to have duty lifted The individual who won't as sume liability for anything, a model, â€Å"Whatever you state chief. † Affection Refers to the sentiment of being adorable, definition in your content is shortsighted. An add up to which we express fondness to other people and want that from them. Close passionate sentiments between two individuals †just between two individuals. Incorporation needs and control needs can exit between dyads or etween one individual and the gathering. Last stage to develop in human relationship Conclusions Inclusion is about conspicuousness, control is tied in with winning and love is about relational connections. In consideration stage individuals experience one another and choose if they will proceed with the affiliation. In control the stand up to one another and turn out to be the means by which they will be connected. So as to proceed with the relationship, love ties must shape and individuals must grasp each other to frame an enduring bond, and furthermore bid farewell. Control manag es power while love manages passionate ties.Get down to business versus become acquainted with one another. References Class Book Joining Together: Group Theory and Group Skills Custom Tenth Edition David W. Johnson, Frank R. Johnson Websites * About Personality http://www. aboutpersonality. co. uk/about_firob. html * Cowsfrommywindow http://www. cowsfrommywindow. com/assessmentsfirob. php * Leadership Champions http://leadershipchamps. wordpress. com/2011/03/28/firo-b-a great instrument-to-survey your-relational social needs/* Wikipedia http://en. wikipedia. organization/wiki/Fundamental_interpersonal_relations_orientation

Blog Archive MBA Career Advice Getting Personal, Part 1

Blog Archive MBA Career Advice Getting Personal, Part 1 In this weekly series, our friends at MBA Career Coaches will be dispensing invaluable advice to help you actively manage your career. Topics include building your network, learning from mistakes and setbacks, perfecting your written communication, and mastering even the toughest interviews. For more information or to sign up for a free career consultation, visit  www.mbacareercoaches.com. Some people worry that a personal section on their resume might seem silly or even unprofessional. Nothing could be further from the truth â€" unless of course you make your personal section silly and unprofessional. We strongly recommend that applicants seize the opportunity to add some personality to their resume and create a variety of opportunities to connect with their potential interviewers and employers in “softer” ways. One applicant who we spoke to recently had organized a bike ride across the United States. Our first question to him was, “Does anybody ever start an interview with anything but your bike ride?” He laughed and said that that is where they all begin. Why? Well, we could all probably agree that it is a fascinating experience that we’d like to hear more about. That may be the starting point, but beyond sheer curiosity, interviewers can learn a lot about our characters from the commitments we take on in our free time â€" in this applicant’s case: leadership abilities, mental strength, and persistence. This individual’s experience enables him to break the proverbial ice quickly and on a subject he loves to talk about. Now, you might not have ridden your bike across America. No one expects that you have. However, you do have interests. So, put a few of them on your resume and give someone an opportunity to connect with you â€" to like you â€" before you even enter the room. Share ThisTweet MBA Career Advice

Should Marijuana Be Legalized - 1675 Words

Many people oppose marijuana because it is a schedule I drug and they do not know much about it therefore it is scary to them. Schedule I drugs are drugs that have a high potential for abuse or have no current acceptable medical use. On that list of schedule I drugs are heroin, LSD, marijuana, MDMA or ecstasy, peyote, GHB, psilocybin, quaaludes, khat, and bath salts. There is one drug on that list that does not belong and it is marijuana. Marijuana is still on that list even though some states have already legalized the recreational and medical use of marijuana. I think marijuana should be legalized nationwide for both recreational and medical use. The benefits outweigh any possible risks for the use of marijuana. If marijuana were to be†¦show more content†¦Sativas are a head high and are stimulating. They have a feeling of well-being or at ease and can be though provoking and energizing. It is often referred to as the uplifting stand. Indica is a couch lock, or body high. It reduces nausea, is a sleep aid, fights depression, helps with migraines and headaches, and relaxes muscles and is a pain reliever (Carruthers). How did marijuana become illegal in the first place by Dr. Malik Burnett and Amanda Reiman explains why marijuana was outlawed in the United States in the first place. Marijuana was made illegal in the United States in 1937. The original negative connotation for marijuana sprouted from when Mexican immigrants flooded Texas and Louisiana. The Mexicans brought with them customs and one of those customs was the smoking of cannabis or, marihuana, as the Mexicans called it. This term was foreign to Americans who knew of cannabis but not marihuana. The media then spread false claims about the â€Å"disruptive Mexicans† and their dangerous marihuana. Then Texas took a play out of the California playbook and made marihuana illegal to deport Mexicans like California did with Opium to keep Chinese out of California. Then during the 1930’s there were claims that marijuana caused men of color to become violent and solicit sex from white woman. Which led to the Marijuana Tax act of 1937 banning the sale and use of marijuana. During the 1970’s the Act was replaced with the Controlled

What Is Normal Distribution

A normal distribution of data is one in which the majority of data points are relatively similar, meaning they occur within a small range of values with fewer outliers on the high and low ends of the data range. When data are normally distributed, plotting them on a graph results a bell-shaped and symmetrical image often called the bell curve. In such a distribution of data, mean, median, and mode are all the same value and coincide with the peak of the curve. However, in social science, a normal distribution is more of a theoretical ideal than a common reality. The concept and application of it as a lens through which to examine data is through a useful tool for identifying and visualizing norms and trends within a data set. Properties of the Normal Distribution One of the most noticeable characteristics of a normal distribution is its shape and perfect symmetry. If you fold a picture of a normal distribution exactly in the middle, youll come up with two equal halves, each a mirror image of the other. This also means that half of the observations in the data falls on either side of the middle of the distribution. The midpoint of a normal distribution is the point that has the maximum frequency, meaning the number or response category with the most observations for that variable. The midpoint of the normal distribution is also the point at which three measures fall: the mean, median, and mode.  In a perfectly normal distribution, these three measures are all the same number. In all normal or nearly normal distributions, there is a constant proportion of the area under the curve lying between the mean and any given distance from the mean when measured in standard deviation units. For instance, in all normal curves, 99.73 percent of all cases fall within three standard deviations from the mean, 95.45 percent of all cases fall within two standard deviations from the mean, and 68.27 percent of cases fall within one standard deviation from the mean. Normal distributions are often represented in standard scores or  Z scores, which are numbers that tell us the distance between an actual score and the mean in terms of standard deviations. The standard normal distribution has a mean of 0.0 and a standard deviation of 1.0. Examples and Use in Social Science Even though a normal distribution is theoretical, there are several variables researchers study that closely resemble a normal curve. For example, standardized test scores such as the SAT, ACT, and GRE typically resemble a normal distribution. Height, athletic ability, and numerous social and political attitudes of a given population also typically resemble a bell curve. The ideal of a normal distribution is also useful as a point of comparison when data are not normally distributed. For example, most people assume that the distribution of household income in the U.S. would be a normal distribution and resemble the bell curve when plotted on a graph. This would mean that most U.S. citizens earn in the mid-range of income, or in other words, that there is a healthy middle class. Meanwhile, the numbers of those in the lower economic classes would be small, as would the numbers in the upper classes. However, the real distribution of household income in the U.S. does not resemble a bell curve at all. The majority of households fall into the low to the lower-middle range, meaning there are more poor people struggling to survive than there are folks living comfortable middle-class lives. In this case, the ideal of a normal distribution is useful for illustrating income inequality.​

The Horrible Human Rights Violations - 897 Words

On the contrary when there were the horrendous human rights violations occurring in Rwanda with a genocide taking place killing thousands and thousands of people there was not a single country that chose to stand up and help. Either by providing soldiers that were needed to protect the people or by providing resources like food, water, health, shelter or sanitation that was needed by the Rwandan citizens. The U.N. even did not help and didn’t even take a stand against the governments of the other countries for not providing help. The only reason behind this was that Rwanda did not have anything to offer in return for the countries providing help. It is an underdeveloped country with no resources or benefits that could be gained if help was provided. There is no humanity in governments of countries. They are solely run by their self interests and nothing else. All countries later when questioned as to why they did not take any action the easiest way they found out of this expla nation was that they did not know the severity of the situation even after multiple different pleads from the public to the countries as well as the information they were receiving from their respective correspondents in Rwanda. The U.S. in particular did not respond to the situation of Rwanda and when it did they clearly refused to even call the killing and murdering taking place Genocide. They believed that it was another civil war in a country which would conclude very soon without intervention. TheyShow MoreRelatedGenocide Essay997 Words   |  4 Pagesof a country’s own government and the people in it who wish to change the makeup of their country. Genocide, a horrible and terrible thing, happens more often and in more places than most people can imagine. 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Give Five Difference on Quality Assurance and Quality Control free essay sample

Quality Assurance (Qa) Qa Is Process that is use to Create  amp; enforce standard amp; guideline to improve the Quality of  Soiftware Process amp; Prevent Bug from the Application Quality assuranceis a process in which all the roles are  guided and moniteered to accomplish their tasks right from  the starting of the process till the end Quality Assurance:- customer satisfication by providing value for their money by always supplying quality product as per customer specification and delivery requirement. Quality Control: QC is evaluating the product,identifying the defects and suggesting improvements for the same. It is oriented towards Detection eg:Testing. Quality Control is a system of routine technical activites,   to measure and control the quality of the inventory as it   is being developed. Quality Control includes general methods such as accuracy  checks on data acquisition and calculation and the use of  approved standardised procedure for emission calculations,   measurements, estimating uncertainites, archiving  informations and reporting. Quality Control (QC)Qc is a process that is use to Find Bug  From The Product , as early as possible amp; make sure they  get Fixed   Quality control is a process in which sudden checkings are  conducted on the roles   Quality Control :- QC is evaluating the product,identifying the defects and suggesting improvements for the same. It is oriented towards Detection eg:Testing. What are 8 principles of total quality management and key benefits the eight principles of TQM: 1. quality can and must be manage 2. everyone has a customer to delight 3. processes, not the people, are the problem 4. very employee is responsible for quality 5. problems must be prevented, not just fixed 6. quality must be measured so it can be controlled 7. quality improvements must be continuos 8. quality goals must be base on customer requirements. The concept of TQM (Total Quality Management) Total Quality Management is a management approach that originated in the 1950s and has steadily become more po pular since the early 1980s. Total Quality is a description of the culture, attitude and organization of a company that strives to provide customers with products and services that satisfy their needs. The culture requires quality in all aspects of the companys operations, with processes being done right the first time and defects and waste eradicated from operations. Total Quality Management, TQM, is a method by which management and employees can become involved in the continuous improvement of the production of goods and services. It is a combination of quality and management tools aimed at increasing business and reducing losses due to wasteful practices. Some of the companies who have implemented TQM include Ford Motor Company, Phillips Semiconductor, SGL Carbon, Motorola and Toyota Motor Company. TQM Defined TQM is a management philosophy that seeks to integrate all organizational functions (marketing, finance, design, engineering, and production, customer service, etc. ) to focus on meeting customer needs and organizational objectives. TQM views an organization as a collection of processes. It maintains that organizations must strive to continuously improve these processes by incorporating the knowledge and experiences of workers. The simple objective of TQM is Do the right things, right the first time, every time. TQM is infinitely variable and adaptable. Although originally applied to manufacturing operations, and for a number of years only used in that area, TQM is now becoming recognized as a generic management tool, just as applicable in service and public sector organizations. There are a number of evolutionary strands, with different sectors creating their own versions from the common ancestor. TQM is the foundation for activities, hich include: * Commitment by senior management and all employees * Meeting customer requirements * Reducing development cycle times * Just In Time/Demand Flow Manufacturing * Improvement teams Reducing product and service costs * Systems to facilitate improvement * Line Management ownership * Employee involvement and empowerment * Recognition and celebration * Challenging quantified goals and benchmarking * Focus on processes / improvement plans * Specific incorporation in strategic planning This shows that TQM must be practiced in all activities, by all personnel, in Manufacturing, Marketing, Engine ering, Ramp;D, Sales, Purchasing, HR, etc. The core of TQM is the customer-supplier interfaces, both externally and internally, and at each interface lie a number of processes. This core must be surrounded by commitment to quality, communication of the quality message, and recognition of the need to change the culture of the organization to create total quality. These are the foundations of TQM, and they are supported by the key management functions of people, processes and systems in the organization. Difference between Product Quality and Process Quality 1. Product quality means we concentrate always final quality but in case of process quality we set the process parameterProduct quality means we concentrate quality of product that is fit for intended use and as per customer requirement. In the case of process quality we control our rejection rate such that in-house rejection is at minimum level. | | 2. Product quality means we concentrate always final quality but in case of process quality we set the process parameter 3. Product quality is the quality of the final product made. While Process quality means the quality of every process involved in the manufacturing of the final product. 4. Product quality  is focusing on meeting tolerances in the end result of the manufacturing activities. The end result is measured on a standard of good enough. Process quality focuses on each activity and forces the activities to achieve  maximum tolerances  irrespective of the end result. Something like a paint can manufacturer, the can and the lid need to match. A product quality focus on whether the paint can and lid fit tight enough but not too tight. This focus would require cans to be inspected and a specific ratio of defective would be expected. Process quality, the can making activities would be evaluated on its ability to to make the can opening exactly 6. 000 inches. The lid making would be evaluated on its ability to make  lids  6. 10 inches. No cans would be defective if the distribution of output sizes is narrow enough. The goal of process quality is to force narrow variance in product output to be able to expect close tolerances. This focus on process quality typically generates higher product quality as a secondary outcome. 5. When we talk about software quality assurance, we often discuss process measurements, proces s improvements, productivity increase, quality improvement etc. And when we talk about quality improvement, mostly people think about product quality improvement. Most of the time people forget about process quality improvement. In fact, people find it difficult to differentiate between product quality and process quality. Let us find out the difference! During software development we have work products like requirement specifications, software design, software code, user documentation, etc. Quality of any of these work products can be done by measuring its attributes and finding of they are good enough. For instance, a requirement specification may be ambiguous or even wrong. In that case, quality of that requirement specification is bad. So during quality assurance audit (peer review, inspection etc. ), this defect can be caught so that it can be rectified. During software development project, a lot of processes are followed. The top processes are the project processes like project initiation, project planning, project monitoring, and project closure. Then we have development processes like  requirement development, software design, software coding, software testing and software release. All of these processes are not executed perfectly on any project. Improvement in these processes can be achieved if we have audits of these processes. For instance, these audits are done by using standards like CMM (Capability Maturity Model). These standards dictate as to how any project or development process needs to be executed on any project. If any process step is deviating too much from these standards then that process step needs to be improved. The most important job of any software quality assurance department is to audit and ensure that all processes on projects being executed in that organization adhere to these standards and so quality of these processes (project amp; development) is good enough. Effect of ISO on Society Society ISO standards help governments, civil society and the business world translate societal aspirations, such as for social responsibility, health, and safe food and water, into concrete realizations. In so doing, they support the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. Social responsibility 1 November 2010 saw the publication of ISO 26000 which gives organizations guidance on social responsibility, with the objective of sustainability. The standard was eagerly awaited, as shown by the fact that a mere four months after its publication, a Google search resulted in nearly five million references to the standard. This indicates there is a global expectation for organizations in both public and private sectors to be responsible for their actions, to be transparent, and behave in an ethical manner. ISO 26000, developed with the engagement of experts from 99 countries, the majority from developing economies, and more than 40 international  organizations, will help move from good intentions about social responsibility to effective action. Health ISO offers more than 1 400 standards for facilitating and improving health-care. These are developed within 19 ISO technical committees addressing specific aspects of healthcare that bring together health practitioners and experts from government, industry and other stakeholder categories. Some of the topics addressed include health informatics, laboratory equipment and testing, medical devices and their evaluation, dentistry, sterilization of healthcare products, implants for surgery, biological evaluation, mechanical contraceptives, prosthetics and orthotics, quality management and protecting patient data. They provide benefits for researchers, manufacturers, regulators, health-care professionals, and, most important of all, for patients. The World Health Organization is a major stakeholder in this work, holding liaison status with 61 of ISO’s health-related technical committees (TCs) or subcommittees (SCs). Food There are some 1 000 ISO food-related standards benefitting producers and manufacturers,  regulators and testing laboratories, packaging and transport companies, merchants and retailers, and the end consumer. In recent years, there has been strong emphasis on standards to ensure safe food supply chains. At the end of 2010, five years after the publication of ISO 22000, the standard was being implemented by users in 138 countries. At least 18 630 certificates of conformity attesting that food safety management systems were being implemented according to the requirements of the standard, had been issued by the end of 2010, an increase of 34 % over the previous year. The level of inter-governmental interest in ISO’s food standards is shown by the fact that the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organizations has liaison status with 41 ISO TCs or SCs. Water The goals of safe water and improved sanitation are ingrained in the UN Millennium Development Goals. ISO is contributing through the development of standards for both drinking water and wastewater services and for water quality. Related areas addressed by ISO include irrigation systems and plastic piping through which water flows. In all, ISO has developed more than 550 water-related standards. A major partner in standards for water quality is the United Nations Environment Programme. The Waterfall Model was first Process Model to be introduced. It is also referred to as a  linear-sequential life cycle model. It is very simple to understand and use. In a waterfall model, each phase must be completed fully before the next phase can begin. At the end of each phase, a review takes place to determine if the project is on the right path and whether or not to continue or discard the project. In waterfall model phases do not overlap. Diagram of Waterfall-model: Advantages of waterfall model: * Simple and easy to understand and use. * Easy to manage due to the rigidity of the model – each phase has specific deliverables and a review process. Phases are processed and completed one at a time. * Works well for smaller projects where requirements are very well understood. Disadvantages of waterfall model: * Once an application is in the  testing  stage, it is very difficult to go back and change something that was not well-thought out in the concept stage. * No working software is produced until late during the life cycle. * High amounts of risk and uncertainty. * Not a good model for complex and object-oriented projects. * Poor model for long and ongoing projects. Not suitable for the projects where requirements are at a moderate to high risk of changing. When to use the waterfall model: * Requirements are very well known, clear and fixed. * Product definition is stable. * Technology is understood. * There are no ambiguous requirements * Ample resources with required expertise are available freely * The project is short. The basic idea here is that instead of freezing the requirements before a design or coding can proceed, a throwaway prototype is built to understand the requirements. This prototype is developed based on the currently known requirements. By using this prototype, the client can get an â€Å"actual feel† of the system, since the interactions with prototype can enable the client to better understand the requirements of the desired system. Prototyping is an attractive idea for complicated and large systems for which there is no manual process or existing system to help determining the requirements. The prototype are usually not complete systems and many of the details are not built in the prototype. The goal is to provide a system with overall functionality. Diagram of Prototype model: Advantages of Prototype model: Users are actively involved in the development * Since in this methodology a working model of the system is provided, the users get a better understanding of the system being developed. * Errors can be detected much earlier. * Quicker user feedback is available leading to better solutions. * Missing functionality can be identified easily * Confusing or difficult functions can be identified Requirements validation, Quick implementation of, incomplete, but functional, application. Disadvantages of Prototype model: * Leads to implementing and then repairing way of building systems. Practically, this methodology may increase the complexity of the system as scope of the system may expand beyond original plans. * Incomplete application may cause application not to be used as the full system was designed Incomplete or inadequate problem analysis. When to use Prototype model: * Prototype model should be used when the desired system needs to have a lot of interaction with the end users. * Typically, online systems, web interfaces have a very high amount of interaction with end users, are best suited for Prototype model. It might take a while for a system to be built that allows ease of use and needs minimal training for the end user. * Prototyping ensures that the end users constantly work with the system and provide a feedback which is incorporated in the prototype to result in a useable system. They are excellent for designing good human computer interface systems. In incremental model the whole requirement is divided into various builds. Multiple development cycles take place here, making the life cycle aâ€Å"multi-waterfall† cycle. Cycles are divided up into smaller, more easily managed modules. Each module passes through the requirements, design, mplementation and  testingphases. A working version of software is produced during the first module, so you have working software early on during the  software life cycle. Each subsequent release of the module adds function to the previous release. The process continues till the complete system is achieved. For example: In the diagram above when we work  incrementally  we are adding piece by piece but expect that each piece is fully finished. Thus keep on adding the pieces until it’s complete. Diagram of Incremental model: Advantages of Incremental model: * Generates working software quickly and early during the software life cycle. More flexible – less costly to change scope and requirements. * Easier to test and debug during a smaller iteration. * Customer can respond to each built. * Lowers initial delivery cost. * Easier to manage risk because risky pieces are identified and handled during it’d iteration. Disadvantages of Incremental model: * Needs good planning and design. * Needs a clear and complete definition of the whole system before it can be broken down and built incrementally. * Total cost is higher than  waterfall. When to use the Incremental model: * Requirements of the complete system are clearly defined and understood. Major requirements must be defined; however, some detail s can evolve with time. * There is a need to get a product to the market early. * A new technology is being used * Resources with needed skill set are not available * There are some high risk features and goals. Difference between spiral model and incremental model Incremental Development Incremental Development is a practice where the system functionalities are sliced into increments (small portions). In each increment, a vertical slice of functionality is delivered by going through all the activities of the software development process, from the requirements to the deployment. Incremental Development (adding) is often used together with Iterative Development (redo) in software development. This is referred to as Iterative and Incremental Development (IID). Spiral model The Spiral Model is another IID approach that has been formalized by Barry Boehm in the mid-1980s as an extension of the Waterfall to better support iterative development and puts a special emphasis on risk management (through iterative risk analysis). 4 Reasons to Use Fishbone Diagrams The fishbone diagram, or the cause and effect diagram, is a simple graphic display that shows all the possible causes of a problem in a business process. It is also called the Ishakawa diagram. Fishbone diagrams are useful due to how they portray information. There are 4 Main Reasons to use a Fishbone Diagram: 1. Display relationships   The fishbone diagram captures the associations and relationships among the potential causes and effects displayed in the diagram. These relationships can be easily understood. 2. Show all causes simultaneously   Any cause or causal chain featured on the fishbone diagram could be contributing to the problem. The fishbone diagram illustrates each and every possible cause in an easily comprehendible way; this makes it a great tool for presenting the problem to stakeholders. 3. Facilitate brainstorming   The fishbone diagram is a great way to stimulate and structure brainstorming about the causes of the problem because it captures all the causes. Seeing the fishbone diagram may stimulate your team to explore possible solutions to the problems. 4. Help maintain team focus   The fishbone framework can keep your team focused as you discuss what data needs to be gathered. It helps ensure that everyone is collecting information in the most efficient and useful way, and that nobody is wasting energy chasing nonexistent problems. Agile software development is a group of software development methods based on iterative and incremental development, where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing, cross-functional teams. It promotes adaptive planning, evolutionary development and delivery, a time-boxed iterative approach, and encourages rapid and flexible response to change. It is a conceptual framework that promotes foreseen interactions throughout the development cycle. Rapid application development (RAD) is a software development methodology that uses minimal planning in favor of rapid prototyping. The planning of software developed using RAD is interleaved with writing the software itself. The lack of extensive pre-planning generally allows software to be written much faster, and makes it easier to change requirements. Code and fix Code and fix development is not so much a deliberate strategy as an artifact of naivete and schedule pressure on software developers. [5] Without much of a design in the way, programmers immediately begin producing code. At some point, testing begins (often late in the development cycle), and the inevitable bugs must then be fixed before the product can be shipped. See also: Continuous integration and Cowboy coding What Are the Benefits of Pareto Analysis? A Pareto analysis is an observation of causes of problems that occur in either an organization or daily life, which is then displayed in a histogram. A histogram is a chart that prioritizes the causes of problems from the greatest to the least severe. The Pareto analysis is based on the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, which states that 20 percent of effort yields 80 percent of results. For example, if an individual sells items on eBay, he should focus on 20 percent of the items that yield 80 percent of sales. According to Mindtools. com, a Pareto analysis enables individuals to make effective changes. Organizational Efficiency * A Pareto analysis requires that individuals list changes that are needed or organizational problems. Once the changes or problems are listed, they are ranked in order from the biggest to the least severe. The problems ranked highest in severity should become the main focus for problem resolution or improvement. Focusing on problems, causes and problem resolution contributes to organizational efficiency. Companies operate efficiently when employees identify the root causes of problems and spend time resolving the biggest problems to yield the greatest organizational benefit. Enhanced Problem-Solving Skills * You can improve your problem-solving skills when you conduct a Pareto analysis, because it enables you to organize work-related problems into cohesive facts. Once youve clearly outlined these facts, you can begin the planning necessary to solve the problems. Members of a group can conduct a Pareto analysis together. Arriving at a group consensus about the issues that require change fosters organizational learning and increases group cohesiveness. * Improved Decision Making * Individuals who conduct a Pareto analysis can measure and compare the impact of changes that take place in an organization. With a focus on resolving problems, the procedures and processes required to make the changes should be documented during a Pareto analysis. This documentation will enable better preparation and improvements in decision making for future changes. BENEFITS OF CONTROL CHARTS 1. Help you recognize and understand variability and how to control it 2. Identify â€Å"special causes† of variation and changes in performance 3. Keep you from fixing a process that is varying randomly within control limits; that is, no â€Å"special causes† are present. If you want to improve it, you have to objectively identify and eliminate the root causes of the process variation 4. Assist in the diagnosis of process problems 5. Determine if process improvement effects are having the desired affects 1st party audit First Party The first party audit is an audit carried out by a company on itself to etermine whether its systems and procedures are consistently improving products and services, and as a means to evaluate conformity with the procedures and the standard. Each second and third party audit should consider the first party audits carried out by the company in question. Ultimately, the only systems that should need to be examined are those of internal audits and reviews. In fact, the second or third parties themselves have to carry out internal or first party audits to ensure their own systems and procedures are meeting business objectives. SECOND PARTY (EXTERNAL) AUDIT Unlike the first party audit, a second party audit is an audit of another organization’s quality program not under the direct control or within the organizational structure of the auditing organization. Second party audits are usually performed by the customer upon its suppliers (or potential suppliers) to ascertain whether or not the supplier can meet existing or proposed contractual requirements. Obviously, the supplier’s quality system is a very important part of contractual requirements since it is directly (manufacturing, engineering, purchasing, quality control, etc. and indirectly (marketing, inside and outside sales, etc. ) responsible for the design, production, control and continued supportability of the product. Although second party audits are usually conducted by customers on their suppliers, it is sometimes beneficial for the customer to contract with an independent quality auditor. This action helps to promote an image of fairness and objectivity on the p art of the customer. THIRD PARTY AUDIT Compared to first and second party audits where auditors are not independent, the third party audit is objective. It is an assessment of an organization’s quality system conducted by an independent, outside auditor or team of auditors. When referring to a third party audit as it applies to an international quality standard such as ISO 9000, the term third party is synonymous with a quality system registrar whose primary responsibility is to assess an organization’s quality system for conformance to that standard and issue a certificate of conformance (upon completion of a successful assessment). Application of IT in supplying Point of sale  (POS) or  checkout  is the place where a retail transaction is completed. It is the point at which a customer makes a payment to a merchant in exchange for goods or services. At the point of sale the merchant would use any of a range of possible methods to calculate the amount owing, such as a manual system, weighing machines, scanners or an electronic cash register. The merchant will usually provide hardware and options for use by the customer to make payment, such as an EFTPOS terminal. The merchant will also normally issue a receipt for the transaction. Functions of IT in marketing Pricing Pricing plays an important role in determining market success and profitability. If you market products that have many competitors, you may face strong price competition. In that situation, you must aim to be the lowest-cost supplier so you can set low prices and still remain profitable. You can overcome low price competition by differentiating your product and offering customers benefits and value that competitors cannot match. Promotion Promotion makes customers and prospects aware of your products and your company. Using promotional techniques, such as advertising, direct marketing, telemarketing or public relations, you can communicate product benefits and build preference for your company’s products. Selling Marketing and selling are complementary functions. Marketing creates awareness and builds preference for a product, helping company sales representatives or retail sales staff sell more of a product. Marketing also supports sales by generating leads for the sales team to follow up. Market segmentation Market segmentation is a marketing strategy that involves dividing a broad target market into subsets of consumers who have common needs, and then designing and implementing strategies to target their needs and desires using media channels and other touch-points that best allow to reach them. Types of segmentation Clickstream behaviour A clickstream is the recording of the parts of the screen a computer user clicks on while web browsing or using another software application. As the user clicks anywhere in the webpage or application, the action is logged on a client or inside the web server, as well as possibly the web browser, router, proxy server or ad server. Clickstream analysis is useful for web activity analysis, software testing, market research, and for analyzing employee productivity. Target marketing A target market is a group of customers that the business has decided to aim its marketing efforts and ultimately its merchandise towards. A well-defined target market is the first element to a marketing strategy. The marketing mix variables of product, place (distribution), promotion and price are the four elements of a marketing mix strategy that determine the success of a product in the marketplace. Function of IT in supply chain Making sure the right products are in-store for shoppers as and when they want them is key to customer loyalty. It sounds simple enough, yet why do so many retailers still get it wrong. Demand planning Demand Planning is the art and science of planning customer demand to drive holistic execution of such demand by corporate supply chain and business management. Demand forecasting Demand forecasting is the activity of estimating the quantity of a product or service that consumers will purchase. Demand forecasting involves techniques including both informal methods, such as educated guesses, and quantitative methods, such as the use of historical sales data or current data from test markets. Demand forecasting may be used in making pricing decisions, in assessing future capacity requirements, or in making decisions on whether to enter a new market. Just in time inventory Just in time  (JIT) is a production strategy that strives to improve a business  return on investment  by reducing in-process  inventory  and associated  carrying costs. Continuous Replenishment Continuous Replenishment is a process by which a supplier is notified daily of actual sales or warehouse shipments and commits to replenishing these sales (by size, color, and so on) without stock outs and without receiving replenishment orders. The result is a lowering of associated costs and an improvement in inventory turnover. Supply chain sustainability Supply chain sustainability is a business issue affecting an organization’s supply chain or logistics network in terms of environmental, risk, and waste costs. Sustainability in the supply chain is increasingly seen among high-level executives as essential to delivering long-term profitability and has replaced monetary cost, value, and speed as the dominant topic of discussion among purchasing and supply professionals. Software testing Difference between defect, error, bug, failure and fault: â€Å"A mistake in coding is called error ,error found by tester is called defect,   defect accepted by development team then it is called bug ,build does not meet the requirements then it Is failure. † Error:  A discrepancy between a computed, observed, or measured value or condition and the true, specified, or theoretically correct value or condition. This can be a misunderstanding of the internal state of the software, an oversight in terms of memory management, confusion about the proper way to calculate a value, etc. Failure:  The inability of a system or component to perform its required functions within specified performance requirements. See: bug, crash, exception, and fault. Bug: A fault in a program which causes the program to perform in an unintended or unanticipated manner. See: anomaly, defect, error, exception, and fault. Bug is terminology of Tester. Fault:  An incorrect step, process, or data definition in a computer program which causes the program to perform in an unintended or unanticipated manner. See: bug, defect, error, exception. Defect: Commonly refers to several troubles with the software products, with its external behaviour or with its internal features. Regression testing Regression testing is any type of software testing that seeks to uncover new software bugs, or regressions, in existing functional and non-functional areas of a system after changes, such as enhancements, patches or configuration changes, have been made to them. Verification and Validation example is also given just below to this table. Verification|   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Validation| 1. Verification is a static practice of verifying documents, design, code and program. 1. Validation is a dynamic mechanism of validating and testing the actual product. | 2. It does not involve executing the code. | 2. It always involves executing the code. | 3. It is human based checking of documents and files. | 3. It is computer based execution of program. | 4. Verification uses methods like inspections, reviews, walkthroug hs, and Desk-checking etc. | 4. Validation uses methods like black box (functional)   testing, gray box testing, and white box (structural) testing etc. | 5. Verification  is to check whether the software conforms to specifications. | 5. Validation  is to check whether software meets the customer expectations and requirements. | 6. It can catch errors that validation cannot catch. It is low level exercise. | 6. It can catch errors that verification cannot catch. It is High Level Exercise. | 7. Target is requirements specification, application and software architecture, high level, complete design, and database design etc. | 7. Target is actual product-a unit, a module, a bent of integrated modules, and effective final product. | 8. Verification is done by QA team to ensure that the software is as per the specifications in the SRS document. 8. Validation is carried out with the involvement of testing team. | 9. It generally comes first-done before validation. | 9. It generally follows after verification. | Differences Between Black Box Testing and White Box Testing Criteria| Black Box Testing| White Box Testing| Definition| Black Box Testing is a software testing method in which the internal structure/ design/ imple mentation of the item being tested is NOT known to the tester| White Box Testing is a software testing method in which the internal structure/ design/ implementation of the item being tested is known to the tester. Levels Applicable To| Mainly applicable to higher levels of testing: Acceptance TestingSystem Testing| Mainly applicable to lower levels of testing: Unit TestingIntegration Testing| Responsibility| Generally, independent Software Testers| Generally, Software Developers| Programming Knowledge| Not Required| Required| Implementation Knowledge| Not Required| Required| Basis for Test Cases| Requirement Specifications| Detail Design| A programmer, computer programmer, developer, coder, or software engineer is a person who writes computer software. A quality assurance officer implements strategic plans, supervises quality assurance personnel and is responsible for budgets and allocating resources for a quality assurance division or branch. Levels of testing In  computer programming,  unit testing  is a method by which individual units of  source code, sets of one or more computer program modules together with associated control data, usage procedures, and operating procedures, are tested to determine if they are fit for use. Intuitively, one can view a unit as the smallest testable part of an application. Integration testing (sometimes called Integration and Testing, abbreviated Iamp;T) is the phase in software testing in which individual software modules are combined and tested as a group. System testing of software or hardware is testing conducted on a complete, integrated system to evaluate the systems compliance with its specified requirements. System testing falls within the scope of black box testing, and as such, should require no knowledge of the inner design of the code or logic. In engineering and its various sub disciplines, acceptance testing is a test conducted to determine if the requirements of a specification or contract are met. It may involve chemical tests, physical tests, or performance tests. In systems engineering it may involve black-box testing performed on a system (for example: a piece of software, lots of manufactured mechanical parts, or batches of chemical products) prior to its delivery. Software developers often distinguish acceptance testing by the system provider from acceptance testing by the customer (the user or client) prior to accepting transfer of ownership. In the case of software, acceptance testing performed by the customer is known as user acceptance testing (UAT), end-user testing, site (acceptance) testing, or field (acceptance) testing. A sample testing cycle Although variations exist between organizations, there is a typical cycle for testing. The sample below is common among organizations employing the Waterfall development model. Requirements analysis: Testing should begin in the requirements phase of the software development life cycle. During the design phase, testers work with developers in determining what aspects of a design are testable and with what parameters those tests work. Test planning: Test strategy, test plan, testbed creation. Since many activities will be carried out during testing, a plan is needed. Test development: Test procedures, test scenarios, test cases, test datasets, test scripts to use in testing software. Test execution: Testers execute the software based on the plans and test documents then report any errors found to the development team. Test reporting: Once testing is completed, testers generate metrics and make final reports on their test effort and whether or not the software tested is ready for release. Test result analysis: Or Defect Analysis, is done by the development team usually along with the client, in order to decide what defects should be assigned, fixed, rejected (i. e. found software working properly) or deferred to be dealt with later. Defect Retesting: Once a defect has been dealt with by the development team, it is retested by the testing team. AKA Resolution testing. Regression testing: It is common to have a small test program built of a subset of tests, for each integration of new, modified, or fixed software, in order to ensure that the latest delivery has not ruined anything, and that the software product as a whole is still working correctly. Test Closure: Once the test meets the exit criteria, the activities such as capturing the key outputs, lessons learned, results, logs, documents related to the project are archived and used as a reference for future projects. Types of Performance testing Stress testing (sometimes called torture testing) is a form of deliberately intense or thorough testing used to determine the stability of a given system or entity. Usability testing is a technique used in user-centered interaction design to evaluate a product by testing it on users. Volume testing refers to testing a software application with a certain amount of data. This amount can, in generic terms, be the database size or it could also be the size of an interface file that is the subject of volume testing. Maintenance testing is a test that is performed to either identify equipment problems, diagnose equipment problems or to confirm that repair measures have been effective. When it comes to quality management, IT organisations can take a leaf out of industry’s book. Thanks to the success of companies like Toyota and Motorola, methods such as Total Quality Management (TQM) and Six Sigma are gaining rapid popularity. And with good reason. Quality is a good generator of money, and lots of it. Unlike industry, IT has no physical chain. This makes it more difficult at first to be able to take concrete steps towards the implementation of quality management. But the parallels are easily drawn. Regard a satisfied end user as the equivalent of a faultless end product, a carefully conceived system of applications as the equivalent of a streamlined production line and so forth. And similar to industry, things can go wrong in any aspect. The faultless implementation of processes leads to significant savings (and not forgetting satisfied end users). What should you focus on to set up quality management for IT within your own organisation and subsequently make money? The service excellence strategy Organise a strategy of service excellence for the internal IT services, where the optimisation of service to end users receives top priority. After all, poor quality leads to high repair costs. Especially in IT. Resolving incidents costs money (direct costs). And the indirect costs, such as loss of productivity are, though often unobserved, several times these direct costs. Focus on management and service processes The focus within IT is often on the projects and the functionalities of the systems. But to ensure service excellence, the performance of management and service processes are equally important. If these processes are substandard, it could result in a lack of clarity, unnecessary waiting times and – in the worst case scenario – to malfunctions. A reassessment of processes is vital to prevent these discomforts and reduce relevant costs. Measure the effect of failure and errors The effect of failure and errors at the workplace is rarely measured. Organisations often have no idea how much these mistakes are costing them and what the consequences are for the service to their clients. The costs of incidents and malfunctions are easy to calculate by using a few simple rules of thumb. When you do this regularly, it will become clear for everyone where savings can be realised (read: how much money can be made). This will suddenly put the investments made towards achieving higher quality in an entirely new perspective. Use simple, service-oriented KPIs The moment you have insight into what causes the direct and indirect failure and error costs, it’s a small step to define a number of simple and service-oriented KPIs. These KPIs can form the guideline for measuring and improving service quality. Examples of such KPIs are: * The average number of incidents per employee; * The percentage of incidents resolved during the first contact with the helpdesk (the so-called ‘first-time right’ principle); * The percentage of incidents caused by incorrectly implemented changes. Implement a measurement methodology Improvements within a quality system happen on the basis of facts. The collection of facts takes place through measurements within the operational processes, on the basis of preselected metrics (e. . the number of complaints). The key performance indicators (KPIs) show whether a specific objective has been achieved, for example a desired decline in the number of complaints, expressed in percentages. Don’t overestimate the power of ITIL ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) is a collection of best practices for the structuring of operational processes. Many companies have implemented IT IL in an effort to make their service more professional. ITIL lets you lay a good foundation to make the IT service more professional. But beware: it is no quality methodology. It might be good for defining IT processes, but offers no scope for actual improvement. So you will need a separate quality methodology in addition to ITIL. Most organisations require a drastic improvement in the quality of their IT services. Perhaps the realisation that this won’t be costing any money, but will instead generate it, offers the incentive needed to set to work earnestly on the issue. The end result means two birds with one stone: a service-oriented IT company that saves costs, and an IT company that truly supports the end users in carrying out their activities optimally. The Importance of Quality Improvement in Your Business Venture A career in the business industry requires you to be tough and flexible. Business is a difficult venture. You have to make your way through and outperform competitors. Businesses nowadays have also gone global. You have to compete with other business entities from the world over. Because of the tough competition in the business scenes, getting the attention and the trust of customers has become increasingly difficult. This is where quality improvement comes in. Quality plays a vital role in any business. Consumers want the best and want to pay the lowest possible price for products that are of the greatest quality. Moreover, quality is also one of the main components of being able to stay in the game despite the competition around you. Constant quality improvement is important in keeping you afloat. This has to do with eliminating or reducing the losses and waste in the production processes of any business. Quality improvement most often involves the analysis of the performance of your business, products, and services and finding ways to further improve them. There are certain techniques that can help you in achieving quality improvement. Knowing these steps can lead you to improved quality in your business. Benchmarking or comparing your company to the best or the top of the field will also be beneficial. You have to identify what makes an organization or company ‘the best’ and why the consumers want to purchase these products or services. Compare the quality and cost of their products with yours. Also include the processes that use to produce them. This can help you in looking for your own business factors that you have to improve upon for success. Setting up your own internal quality checks is important. You have to ensure that in ach step of making your product, you are meeting the standards of the industry and also providing your customers with the best products. This needs to be done with the least amount of waste and as few resources as possible. You need to be rigid about following the quality checks that your company has put forth. This will save you from having to deal with returned items and pr oducts. It also helps in guaranteeing the satisfaction of your customers. You need to assess your own production and your products. You need to know if these have passed the international standards on quality for the respective industry you do business in. Moreover, measure how your product is doing against others in the market. These are important in order to know what aspects you have to improve. You cannot afford to be forgiving when assessing. You need to be honest and blunt when gauging your own company. This will help you in finding needs for improvement. After assessing, you have to take the steps in making the necessary changes that will lead you to improvement. You may need to change your quality policy or do more research about your products and provide better features. You may also need to conduct training for your employees in order to update them with new methods in your processes. Quality improvement is not just a one-time process. It needs to be continued despite the success that a company or organization is appreciating. Competitors will always try their best to outwit you. And so, you have to continue on improving your products and services in order to offer more to your clients. This will not only lead you to more sales but also to a better reputation in the industry. Keep in mind that it is often more work to stay on top than to get to the top!

I Can Fly A Kite Essays - Lynchburg Metropolitan Area, Lynchburg

I Can Fly A Kite I can fly a kite, make a great roast beef sandwich, read an entire Patricia Cornwell paperback book in less than a day and change a diaper without flinching. These characteristics combined are what separate me from the hundreds of other students that apply to Lynchburg College, that and the fact that I am applying with only one week left before classes start. Writing this college essay seven days before the start of the spring semester at Lynchburg College is a very unusual move for me to be making; but I have come to the conclusion that this is the only place I want to be. My entire life I have never been spontaneous. All my decisions have been well thought out and planned, this decision is no different, I just went about it a little quicker, with a lot less time to spare. I began my freshman year at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. Choosing Roger Williams University was a decision that I made without understanding the important issues I needed to consider in orde r to thrive in a college environment. Now, after experiencing college for myself, I realize that Roger Williams does not have what I am looking for. I didn't consider quality of education when I chose Roger Williams, the school had the major I wanted, communications, but when I started taking classes there the program was not as developed as I would have liked. Although I did well in all my classes, I felt that the education I would continue to receive if I stayed at Roger Williams would not be as beneficial to me as the educational oppurtunites elsewhere. Looking at Lynchburg I saw that not only was there Communications Print/Broadcast journalism major, but a Speech Communications major as well. My original plan was to finish freshman year at Roger Williams, and then go someplace that could meet my needs; this was until I visited Lynchburg College. When I saw the college, all I could think of was how much I would love to attend school there, but I never even considered it an option . I thought I was stuck at Roger Williams, until I realized that the only way I was going to be happy was if I made things happen for myself. I realized that Lynchburg College was exactly what I had been looking for, and everything about the educational opportunities, social opportunities, location and just the general environment I observed was something I wanted to be a part of, and contribute to. I was making this decision hoping that the opportunity would still be there for me to apply to Lynchburg with not very much time to spare. I am determined to get the best of both worlds for myself, I want to receive a quality education and at the same time have a great time and make the best of these next four years of my life. I have come to the conclusion that in order to make this happen for myself Lynchburg College is where I should continue my education. Thank you for the opportunity to try and make this take place.

The Ideal Bureaucracy Essay Example

The Ideal Bureaucracy Essay Example The Ideal Bureaucracy Paper The Ideal Bureaucracy Paper Max Weber was a German sociologist who studied a variety of human interaction and developed a number of social theories. One of the highlights of his career work was his ideal bureaucracy theory, to which he defined bureaucracy as having certain characteristics that make up the bureaucratic entity. According to Max Weber, the authority in ideal bureaucracy revolves around legal competence and functions according to these criteria: 1) they are personally free and subject only to their impersonal official obligations; 2) they are organized in clearly defined hierarchy of offices; 3) each office has clearly defined competence; 4) there is free selection; 5) candidates are selected based on technical qualifications; 6) they are remunerated by fixed salaries; 7) the office is the primary occupation; 8) there is system of promotion; 9) the official works independently and without appropriation of his position; and 10) the official is subject to strict and systematic discipline and control in the conduct of the office. He also posited that, if given the chance, the monocratic variety of bureaucracy is capable of attaining the highest degree of efficiency and would be the most rational known means of carrying out the imperative control over human beings. The primary source of the superiority of bureaucratic administration lies in the role of technical knowledge. He also likened that bureaucratic apparatus should be independent and possess there own means of subsistence. Like in the case of war, if the bureaucratic machinery is technically efficient, it will continue to function normally just as it had for the previous legal government. This model of ideal bureaucratic organization can be summarized to possess the following characteristics: 1) Management by rules. A bureaucracy follows a consistent set of rules that control the functions of the organization. 2) Division of labor. Authority and responsibility are clearly defined and officially sanctioned. 3) Formal hierarchical structure. An organization is organized into a hierarchy of authority and follows a clear chain of command. 4) Personnel hired on grounds of technical competence. Appointment to a position within the organization is made on the grounds of technical competence. 5) Managers are salaried officials. 6) Written documents. Written documents ensure that there is continuity of the organization’s policies and procedures. Given the ideal picture of how a bureaucracy should function, this model offers a stable and hierarchical model for an organization. The term bureaucracy may have gained negative connotation but some of its criteria still applies in modern organization. Firstly, the employment based on technical qualifications should be upheld, both in public and private sectors, if efficiency is highly valued. If employees hired posses the specific characteristics demanded by the job, it is most likely that a function will be properly carried out. Aided with an evaluation based on particular performance standard, it will provide an objective goal to perform as much as possible. Currently, both private and private organizations used the performance-based incentives as a way of motivating employees to excel and give beyond the minimum requirements of their positions. Secondly, the characteristic of being purposely impersonal also has positive implication. By treating co-employees and customers equally, individual differences may be lessened, leading to rendering of services without the biases. If such action is demanded from each employee, equal treatment may be given to all regardless of social classes. Thirdly, the concept of written rules and decisions is still applicable even in a highly evolving business and organizational environment. Documentation is one of the requirements in quality management systems, such as ISO 9000 family of standards, to ensure that they meet the needs of customers and other stakeholders. Decisions are documented to serve as guide of actions, which can be used by the managers in initially assessing a problem. Though no two situations are the same, documentation is a way of tracing the different parts of an operation, which even a newly hired member of an organization can use to guide how a job should be done. Bureaucracy is often associated with delay and inefficiency. Some theorists argued that Weber’s model may have worked during his time but considered obsolete now. In the words of Dwight Waldo, â€Å"Why would an instrument (bureaucracy) designed to be impersonal and calculating be expected to be effective in delivery sympathy and compassion?† Indeed some points in the given model were criticized by many theorists. Firstly, the top-down and centralized authority is considered too slow and unresponsive to the world of rapid change, technological revolution, global competition and demanding customers. By strictly adhering to the hierarchy of authorities, timely resolution of conflicts or addressing a simple matter may be difficult. The employee may choose not to do anything to resolve a problem, on the basis that it is beyond his or her jurisdiction, to avoid conflict with the manager who may have different views. Secondly, the government sector is now venturing into entrepreneurism through its public-private partnership efforts. The spirit of flexibility is required which emphasizes â€Å"getting a job done†, by considering whatever is at hand rather than looking at the strict rules on â€Å"how a job should be done†. Aside from cost, time is another consideration of efficiency. The centralization of authorities and rigid hierarchy may make it difficult to attain time efficient decisions. Thirdly, most organizations in private and public sectors benchmark on teamwork in attaining its goal. Weber’s model of a knowledge-equipped yet isolated worker, whose primary concern should be confined within his/her explicit functions, would find it very difficult to adjust in multi-tasking environment. Managers who follow strict hierarchy in giving decisions may also find it difficult to accept or consider suggestions coming from the rank-in-file, however sharp those suggestions are. Bureaucracy is of great importance in carrying out the ideals of a government. Its people are one of the important factors of translating government programs to actual services. An efficient and well-disciplined bureaucracy may also translate to good governance. Max Weber’s ideal bureaucracy may be considered outdated in certain aspects but it still possessed some relevant considerations. Bureaucratic competence would assure the citizenry that only equipped individuals hold important positions, especially those that would be affecting a large number of people. Bureaucratic neutrality is still also highly valued. Neutrality does not necessarily depersonalize the government, rather, it values equal treatment and unbiased distribution of government services, regardless of social classes. Affected by various factors, our culture change and evolve. Our concept now of how our government should be may differ after a while. In the same way, our ideals of how our bureaucracy should be may also change in the future. Nevertheless, the Filipino bureaucracy, as partner of our government, must aspire competence and efficiency in carrying its tasks. Reforms may come in different names. Trials may beset our country, but a well-disciplined and competent bureaucracy will always be a plus-factor to any regime of government.

Phases in Primary Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Phases in Primary Education - Essay Example This essay declares that corporal punishment in the classroom is a form of institutional child abuse. It does hurt and it can be destructive, both physically and emotionally. Therefore, as advocates for children, we must work to abolish its use. By revealing that certain beliefs about punishment are myths, that there are potential serious problems with the use of punishment, and that there are positive and effective alternatives of discipline, we hope that people can be moved to actively protest the use of corporal punishment in the classroom. Unfortunately, more than just facts are needed. The politics of change are also involved. A great deal of effort can go into dealing with bureaucratic systems, getting the attention of policy-makers, organizing support from a wide range of disciplines, and articulating related community issues. This project makes a conclusion that it is especially important to have the support of those who are directly involved with the issue, such as teachers (award-winning teachers typically do not use corporal punishment). The task may not be easy as communities frequently fail to protect their weakest citizens. The goal of eliminating corporal punishment in education is worth these difficulties. The classroom environment should be characterized by positive mutual regard and be free of abusing and demeaning acts. Until the practice of corporal punishment ceases, many children may never have the experience of learning in such a supportive, encouraging and safe environment.

Network and computer intrusion threats Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Network and computer intrusion threats - Essay Example Security is a psychological impulse within ourselves so we feel comfortable and protected.   Security is the idea of something being in a location unable to be modified, stolen, damaged and or removed without permission.   According to the American Heritage Dictionary of English Language (2006) secure is a word describing freedom of danger, attack and risk of loss.   A sense of security has always been an element of the human infrastructure to protect what is theirs from outside intruders.   We can see this in the methods by which ancient people constructed their homes and the usage of fortifications in their villages, towns and cities. These ancient protections were an essential part of life, to live in safety and comfort while the daily activities were carried out.   In modern times our military, the civilian police force and other  Ã‚   government services reflect such protective methods.   A major difference is, while physical fortifications were sufficient for our ancestors, we must incorporate cyber fortifications to meet the challenges of today’s environment.Intruders today use malicious binary codes as the latest weaponry for a battering-ram technique to demolish and bypass our cyber security walls, so they can pillage and collect the bounty of their victim’s cyber home.   Jang describe the growing age of information warfare, which reflect information security as displaying patterns that expand into a more offensive than defensive stance.  ... Figure 4 Technologist Intruder Profiling - Conceptual Framework Figure 5 The process of executing an Exploit using Metasploit tool (Hicks, Mark. 2005) Table of Tables: S.No. Name and Hyperlink Table 1 Format of analysis of the outcome of survey TABLE 2 The proposed time table for the research Introduction: This research is targeted to establish a detailed methodology of network intrusion profiling such that security policies on collaborative IDPS frameworks can be implemented. A brief overview of the context is introduced in this section. 1.1 History of Security & Intrusion Security is a psychological impulse within ourselves so we feel comfortable and protected. Security is the idea of something being in a location unable to be modified, stolen, damaged and or removed without permission. According to the American Heritage Dictionary of English Language (2006) secure is a word describing freedom of danger, attack and risk of loss. A sense of security has always been an element of the human infrastructure to protect what is theirs from outside intruders. We can see this in the methods by which ancient people constructed their homes and the usage of fortifications in their villages, towns and cities. These ancient protections were an essential part of life, to live in safety and comfort while the daily activities were carried out. In modern times our military, the civilian police force and other government services reflect such protective methods. A major difference is, while physical fortifications were sufficient for our ancestors, we must incorporate cyber fortifications to meet the challenges of today's environment. Intruders today use malicious binary codes as the latest weaponry for a battering-ram technique

Apple lnc

Apple lnc Apple lnc, is an American multinational corporation that designs and manufactures consumer electronics and computer products. The companys well-known products include the Macintosh computers, the IPod and the iPhone. This company was established in Cupertino, California on April 1, 1976. On January, 1977, the company had been incorporated as the name called Apple Computer, lnc. for over 30 years. The company have decided to change their companys name to Apple lnc.. Apple lnc. operates more than 250 retail shops in nine countries and an online store. It has about 35,000 employees in the whole world and had worldwide annual sales of $32.48 billion dollars at the end of the year 2008. (Seekingalpha.com,2009) According to the research in 2009, Apple lnc. has a high market share for about 7.96%. (www.apple.com ,2009) 1.2 Theory Product: Business must make sure that their products are meeting the needs of their customers. Their product must be suitable for their customers. (HALL,D, et al, P75) Price: The pricing policy that a business chooses is often a reflection of the market at which it is aiming. Prices will not always be set at the level which will maximize sales or short-run profits. (HALL,D, et al, P75) Promotion: There is a number of promotional methods a business can use including above the line promotions. (HALL,D, et al, P75) Place: This refers to the means by which the product will be distributed to the consumer. (HALL,D, et al, P75) Market segmentation: Breaking down a market into sub-groups with similar characteristics is known as Market Segmentation. (HALL,D, et al, P75) 1.3 Aims Fortunately, the report will recommend the theory of Marketing and Business. Thirdly, the next purpose of this report is to try to explain one of the ads for IPod.(Figure 1) Then, this report is going to investigate why the Ads has been product like its style and type. According to this report, the writer is going to state how this Ad work in the market. Finally, the final goal is to predict the future development of Apple lnc. 3. Findings 3.1 Color First of all, it is clear that there are many different background colors in IPods ads, such as pink, red, blue and yellow. It is a random color for the background in all of the IPods ads and the color will never changeless. On the basis of this ad, the background color is pink, a color which is very romantic. 3.2 Spokesman IPods ads never use the same spokesman. The person in the ads are always in black whether they are men, women or children. In this ad, there is a pretty girl in the ad who is in black and this become another selling point. The consumer will never find out who the man or woman is because it is in black. 3.3 Production This is an ad for IPod nano, which is one of the most important product in Apple lnc. IPod nano is a MP3 which is very small and fashion. Thus, in their ads it is always a white IPod nano in the spokesmans hands or pockets. Therefore, black and white become a contrast color so that it can be easy to see that the colors of IPod and person are completely different from each other. Consumers can see different person with different IPod nano, but not other MP3 or MP4. 3.4 Catchphrase The catchphrase for this ad is, The best just got better. 3.5 Price According to the internet, the price of IPod nano is higher than other MP3s. For an 8GB IPod nano, it will cost the consumers $149 dollars or more than 1000 yuan and 16GB IPod attend to a price at $179.00 dollars.(APPLE STORE, US) 4. Discussion 4.1 Color According to Color Wheel Pro See Color Theory in Action, Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, strength, power, determination as well as passion desire and love. Red is a very emotionally intense color. It enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure. Red also brings text and images to the foreground. Pink is a color which is an embranchment of red, it means signifies romance, love, and friendship which is denotes feminine qualities and passiveness. (Color Wheel Pro) This ads background color is pink so that consumers can notice that this production is filled with energy and power which is very suitable for the youth. Contributed to there are many kinds of background color, the place can change to every kind of places. Every color represents a place, which means that the consumer can use the IPod nano anywhere and anytime they like. 4.2 Spokesman Spokesman, definition from Ansewers.com, Spokesman is a man who speaks on behalf of another or others. (Spokesman, Dictionary) Consumers can not recognize the spokesman in this ad because she is in black. The company does not care about whether the spokesman is famous or not because their propagandistic main point is their production, IPod. The black color stand for every kinds of person can use IPod. There are no circumscriptions whether the consumers are old or young, boy or girl. It means that everyone can use IPod anyplace. 4.3 Marketing mix 4.3.1 Price According to Business Studies (Hall, D et al), Price will not always be set at the level which will maximize sales or short-run profits. It means that IPod should have different of prices level for the consumers to buy. The price can not be the same because every consumer has their own demand. The demand will decrease if the price never changes or the product is always the same as before. Compare with other MP3s, IPods price is higher than other products. According to store.apple.com, for an 8GB IPod nano, it will cost you $149 dollars and 16GB IPod attend to a price at $179.00 dollars.(APPLE STORE, US) The price urge IPod to be the best brand in MP3. Relative to other MP3s in China, it can be easy seen that the price is very high so that it become valuable production in China. 4.3.2 Place According to Business Studies (Hall ,D et al), Place refers to the means by which the product will be distributed to the consumer. The main idea in this Ad depend on consumers is able to use IPod nano everywhere. The size and weight become the superiority of IPod which is better than any other MP3. The Ad show this idea from the place where the consumers put their IPod in. 4.3.3 Promotion According to Business Studies (Hall ,D et al), there is a number of promotional methods a business can use including above the line promotions. The Apple lnc. dose the same work on promotion as other companies. Sometimes they hold sales promotion in retail space, therefore, it become a chance to get sponsorship for their advertising. Sale promotion is a function which the consumers prefer to attend because they will buy products in low price. Sales at the expense of profits is a good way to make profits. 4.4 Catchphrase The catchphrase for this ad is, The best just got better. This is a sentence which is short but deep thinking. The word best and better can be easily change in to anything as the company like. The consumers become able to put more interest in the product which the company what to sell. 5. Recommendations To summarize, This Ad is suitable for IPod because of its exquisite idea. Based on the above discussion, IPod will become the youths first choice because its fashion and superiority. The fact have proved that Ipod is now the best mp3 for the youth. Never theless, if the company do not compare with others, its lifecycle will be end. Apple lnc. is reviving by brought up new products and changing target market. From different kinds of Ipods, it definitely shows that expand target market is very necessary for every company. The Ad has play an important role in attracting consumers and increasing market share. Because of its superiority Ad, IPod has become one of the best MP3 in the world. However, the developing market are never fully explored in a short period of time, it is still a good chance for Apple lnc. to expand their company size and making good advertisement might be a good choice. In a word, there is a good way for all the company to expand themselves and the target market. 6. References http://seekingalpha.com/article/115797-apple-inc-f1q09-qtr-end-12-27-08-earnings-call-transcript?source=front_page_transcriptspage=-1 (access at 2009) http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008/10/21results.html (access at 2009) http://baike.baidu.com/view/14874.htm (access at 2009) http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/ipod_nano?mco=MTAyNTQzMjM (access at 2009) http://www.answers.com/topic/spokesman (access at 2009) Hall, D., R, Jones, C. Raffo, A. Anderton (2008 4th p75), publication: British Library Cataloguing

The Jfk Assassination: Conspiracy Or Single-gunman? Essay -- essays re

The JFK Assassination: Conspiracy or Single-Gunman? Adolf Hitler, the Nazi dictator of Germany during World War II, once said, "The bigger the lie, the more people will believe it." Although this may sound ludicrous, we can see many example of this in the world's history. One example would have to be the John Fitzgerald Kennedy assassination. For over thirty years the people of the United States were led to believe that a single gunman shot and killed Kennedy in Dallas on November 22, 1963, at 12:30 p.m... However, in this paper, I will dispute the ancient analization of the facts that show a single gunman was involved, and try to show that a conspiracy must have been present. According to the old facts regarding the case of the JFK assassination, Kennedy was killed by a single gunman. On November 22, 1963, at 12:30 p.m. CST (Central Standard Time), Kennedy was riding in an open limousine through Dallas, Texas. At this time, Kennedy was shot in the head and neck by a sniper. He was then taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Later, police arrested Lee Harvey Oswald, a former U.S. Marine, at a nearby theater. By the next morning, Oswald was booked for the murder of President John F. Kennedy. Two days later, Oswald was killed by Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner, while he was being moved from the city to the county jail. At a glance, the above story sounds as if this should be an open-and-shut case. After all, according to the facts above, Oswald must have killed Kennedy. However, you must take a deeper look into this case. Many people who witnessed the murder of John F. Kennedy dispute the facts above, saying that they heard shots from places besides the book depository, and other things that may contradict what is stated above. One of these witnesses, Abraham Zapruder, captured the entire assassination on his Bell and Howell eight millimeter movie camera. This movie, cleverly called the Zapruder Film, is the single best piece of visual evidence in this case. In order to more clearly understand the Zapruder Film, it is necessary to break it down into frames. The particular Bell and Howell movie camera that Zapruder was using ran at eighteen and three-hundredths (18.3) frames per second. When using this frame system, you must remember that all shots were actually fired several frames before the number that is assign... ...ives to kill the President. As you can see, the killing of John F. Kennedy was a conspiracy. There is no way a single gunman could have fired all the bullets that hit Kennedy and Connnally in that short period of time. Also, since Kennedy's head went back and to the left, the bullet must have been fired from the front and right of Kennedy. This shows that there was another gunman, which makes this a conspiracy. Someday, it would be nice if the truth is revealed about who fired the bullets, and how many gunmen there actually were. Bibliography 1. Harris, Robert. "The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy: A Reassessment of Original Testimony and Evidence." 2. Harris, Robert. "The Single Bullet Theory: A Question of Probability." 3. Newman, John. "Oswald and the CIA." Carroll and Graf Publishers, Inc. New York: 1995. 4. Summers, Anthony. "Conspiracy." McGraw-Hill Book Company. New York: 1981. 5. "JFK" Directed by Oliver Stone. Warner Bros., Inc. 1991.

Creating a Student Portal for Bataan Peninsula State University Essay

IntroductioN The project is to create a Student Portal for Bataan Peninsula State University. Its purpose is to raise the availability of certain students’ records like the grades, finances/billing, and curriculum checklist. Along with, is the process of encoding students’ final grades and the forming of the dean’s list. Using the student portal, data can be accessible at any time and location over the Internet. Background of the Study The Bataan Peninsula State University was established by virtue of Republic Act 9403, signed into law on 22nd of March 2007. It is a conglomeration of fine leading higher education institutions in Bataan seeking to contribute to the national and regional development through providing excellent quality of services in instruction, research, production and extension. Guided by one Vision of becoming a university of excellence acknowledged not only in the country but also in the Asia-Pacific Region, BPSU shall continue to gear toward the realization of its mission of providing quality and relevant education in order to contribute to the national and regional development. Before the conversion, BPSU used to have three campuses; two are located in the City of Balanga while the third is situated in Orani. The passage of RA 9403 resulted to the expansion of BPSU’s campuses as the said Act duly integrated the Bataan State College in Dinalupihan and its satellite campus in Abucay (forme rly Bataan National Agricultural School). The five campuses of the university have very humble beginnings and yet they all emerged with glorious histories to be proud of. More empowerment is expected to be bestowed to each campus as their strengths shall be utilized for the success of the 111 programs and other services of the university. On June 2008, the University made education more accessible to the residents of the towns of Bagac and Morong by establishing an extension in the Municipality of Bagac. The extension offers some of the most in demand courses in the country like BS Entrepreneurship, BS Hotel and Restaurant Management, first two years of Nursing, and General Engineering courses. Contributing to national development has always been the topmost priority of the university; therefore BPSU relentlessly keeps itself updated on the recent trends to be  responsive to the present and future demands of the community. At present university has three programs granted with Level 1 Accreditation from AACCUP. Fifty-six (5 6) programs are scheduled for accreditation from 2008 to 2012. Moreover, the university continues to equip itself with faculty and employees who have remarkable skills and knowledge in order to uphold academic excellence and maintain its capacity of producing quality graduates. At present, 6 percent of its faculty have Doctorate degrees and 31 percent have master’s degrees. The rest are still working on their post-baccalaureate studies. It is not surprising that the enrollment continues to increase over the years as the university has proven its capability to match and even to surpass the performance of other reputable universities in the country in various competitions and also in the licensure exams. Other than this, low tuition fee rates, and pollution-free and safe environment further encourage the Bataeà ±os and those from other nearby provinces to patronize BPSU. For BPSU, a life without challenges to conquer would be futile as the university always stretches the limit to adapt to the changes and to turn trials into opportunities. Even cuts in the budget will not impede BPSU from attaining its goals. Aside from relying on its several IGPs to augment the budget and sustain its programs, the university continues to strengthen and to establish partnerships with local and international agencies that are more than willing to work side by side BPSU as it continues its journey towards a more dignified future. [bpsu.edu.ph] Every educational institution has its sole priority to give the best learning out from their best performances of teachings, processes and resources to their students. And, BPSU which is one of these institutions had already proven that they can absolutely give it. In the University’s actual operation, there are lots of offices and departments that are responsible on producing, maintaining and keeping every student’s records. Two of these are the Registrar’s department and the Finance’s department. Along the Registrar’s department is where the student’s documents are piled. Student’s documents consisting of personal data and academic information from their previous schools and from BPSU itself which are produced due to the span of years of the student’s admission in the University, for instance, are the grades. Another department mentioned is the Finance’s department; this also conducts one of the main tasks required for tracking the admission of the student every school year. That task is to keep files with regards to all of their finances, including all of the payments that are made, balances and other financial issues. These certain information of a student can also be found in the enrollment system that was used by the Registrar’s Office, it is how the Registrar has the authority to view the financial status of a student. Students must know every transaction that was made in the University especially when it has to do with their own concerns. They must always be informed of all the latest records that were kept and reported to the offices responsible for their stay-in within the institution. On the registrar’s part, a student is not allowed to have an update or a look within their record every time they desired. Considering that the registrar is also busy for other major works assigned to him. Seemingly, it will just consume time and effort for finding a particular record in their repositories. A student can only be given the opportunity, which depends on the situation. Naturally, grades were available every end of the semester in a printed form, though, some of the instructors are considerate in informing a student of the grades as often as possible. While on the finance office part, the records kept are confidential. In order for a student to be informed of the balances remaining on their account, the student should ask the finance officer. But it’s not that simple, as the officer is not free to answer every student’s questions or uncertainties at anytime. At some point in a semester, the finance’s department issues the statement of account of each student that still has remaining balances that must be paid in order to be given a permit that is a requirement before taking an examination On pondering on these unwanted situations experienced by the students, the thought of having a medium that will grant access to student’s account as often as they want sprung up. The medium is what we called a Students’ Portal. A portal or a web portal, also known as a links page, presents  information from diverse sources in a unified way. Apart from the standard search engine feature, web portals offer other services such as e-mail, news, stock prices, information, databases and entertainment. Portals provide a way for enterprises to provide a consistent look and feel with access control and procedures for multiple applications and databases, which otherwise would have been different entities altogether. Some related studies are researched and included on the documentation for further comprehension of the proposed system. Orani Water District Intranet Based Public Information Kiosk This thesis is made by the IPiK Group, BSIT students of Colegio de San Juan de Letran – Bataan that aims to create an integrated public access information system to be used by employees and visitors of Orani Water District that will improve the current process of dissemination of information. Also, the developers target the replacement of old bulletin boards with digital ones. All the information contained and posted on a bulletin board will be encoded and displayed in a public access computer, with a web-based interface to access the information. The public access computer will be implemented in a client-server environment. A domain controller will be used to apply access control and policies to the public access computer. The officer-in-charge only has to encode the information on the system rather than printing it and then posting it on the bulletin board. The system will only be updated by an administrator. The company’s system administrator will handle the updates and backups. The backups will be made using MS SQL Server 2005’s automatic backup service. The backup files will be stored on a backup DVD-ROM. The system will not be available online, only through the intranet. It will be available only from 8 AM to 5 PM. The proposed system named as Letran-Abucay Students’ Portal has the same objective with the IPik Group thesis that is to render information for the users. The main users of the Orani Water District Intranet-based Public Information Kiosk are the customers, while for the Students’ Portal are apparently the students. What will be the difference of the two is that the  Students’ Portal will be a web-based application and is accessible using a web browser which is opposed to the public information kiosk that is a window-based application. Bataan Information System This thesis is made by the STI-Bataan students under the advisory of Ms. Cristina de Leon, who is now a Letran IT Professor. It is about the designing and developing of a Bataan Information System in a multimedia form and to solve the problems encountered by the provincial government in promoting Bataan. The Information System will be easy to access and directed to the end-user and will support an interactive environment with a user-friendly feature in promoting the province of Bataan. Information system is frequently used to refer to the interaction between people, processes, data and technology. In this sense, the term is used to refer not only to the information and communication technology (ICT) an organization uses, but also to the way in which people interact with this technology in support of business processes (Wikipedia) Giving information is how the two systems, which are the Bataan Information System and the proposed students’ portal, are similar. Both render numbers of information that are accessible by an authorized user in a computerized process. Campus Portals a Framework for Development Accommodating End-users’ Online Activities (an International Thesis) This thesis is about the development of a campus portal created for the University of Wollongong; thus was prepared by Tharitpong Fuangvut on 2005. A Campus Portal is an exciting recent phenomenon forming part of the new generation of online services for all stakeholders in institutions of higher education. Conceptually the general notion of a Portal should be to be distinguished from that of other Web- based applications and the traditional Intranet of the institution. The major objective of this research is to propose a development methodology specifically suitable for Campus Portal projects. While there are many accepted development methodologies for traditional and Web-based Information Systems, no clear body of knowledge on the development of Campus Portals has yet been recognized. Additionally, as this is a new area, the definitions, terms, concepts and important issues agreed to by academic researchers and practitioners, are still evolving. This research, therefore, needs to clarify and identify some important issues regarding Campus Portals and their development, prior to composing the development methodology. In the second and third phases of the research, two studies were carried out, a preliminary study and a case study. These generated more understanding of the issues and extended the body of knowledge on Campus Portals, especially concerning their development. The preliminary study explored and investigated the online services and Campus Portals of 40 higher education institutions’ sites in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, the UK and Canada. The findings of the preliminary study show that there are no standard patterns in the function of personalization and customization in Campus Portals. The case study was conducted in an Australian university among the major stakeholder groups, namely, the development team and the end-users (students and academic staff). Students were the primary focus of the end-user st udy, from which data was collected using a survey to build up usage patterns of their online activities. Statement of Goals Due to the data gatherings that the researcher had conducted many thoughts lead the proponent to know and study more of the certain dilemmas and inefficiencies that taking place within the process wherein the people affected perhaps are not aware. Currently, students are given limits on viewing their own records kept by the University due to several uncertainties it will cost, uncertainties that include lack of time and extensive work of the people involved. Furthermore, the proponent had also studied prior concerns which will benefit everyone that are included on the process once implemented on the system: Security of data that will ensure a protected system that traces and prevents unauthorized access; Encoding of the final grades that is one of the tasks of the faculty every end of a semester; Downloadable and printable documents such as the Grades Slip coming from the Registrar’s office and a variety of forms coming from the Dean’s office. Availability of students’ list with  final grades which will help the Dean to generate the Dean’s list. The following goals are made and collected by the proponent through the aim of resolving the concerns mentioned. The goals are as follow: General Goal To develop a Student’s Portal for Bataan Peninsula State University that will enable students to access their personal, academic and financial records. Specific Goal To implement an authentication of users through the use of ID no and password, as to prevent intruders and to assure the safety of all the data transmitted over the network. To incorporate a module for encoding the final grades of students every semester that the faculty uses. To provide downloadable and printable forms those are being retrieved from the Dean’s, Registrar’s and Finance office. To include a module that will enable the Dean to view the academic status of the students that she can use as basis for retrieving the Dean’s list. Significance of the Study For the Students Students are the ones that have a great benefit on the students’ portal because it will provide them quick access of their taken subjects prior to the curriculum they had enrolled with the corresponding final grades for each. Also, the system ensures the confidentiality and the update of records for each semester as long as new grades are issued to help the students be informed of their academic performance in the University. Aside from grades and subjects that can be viewed, a student will also have the privilege to view some his or her financial data that was managed by the finance office. For the Dean’s office Using the students’ portal, the Dean is able to view the academic status of the students that include detail such as the final grades and to gather the names of those that are included on the Dean’s list. And also, as the portal offers a module for downloadable forms that are coming from the office, the task for issuing these certain forms will be eliminated thus reducing the workload of the Dean. For the Registrar’s Office As the students will be provided of options on determining their academic records, whether to just view it on the portal or to still ask for a printed copy coming from the Registrar’s office, somehow there will be a lessening of task on the Registrar’s part. For the Finance Office The Finance office can gain benefit from the students’ portal since the students can already check over their financial records online reducing the printing of documents such as the statement of accounts if permitted. For the Future Researchers The future researchers can acquire fundamental knowledge from and be able to use this thesis documentation as basis of their own research study if it’s all about developing a students’ portal. For the Developer To the developer, this will also provide better comprehension of her proposed system that will lead her to the further understanding of the entire study that surely they can use on preparation of a brighter future that awaits her as IT professional. Scope and Limitations This study will focus on creating a students’ portal for Bataan Peninsula State University which is web-based where student records are the prior concern and accessible online. Student records that include: Student’s  personal information Curriculum checklist that comprises all the subjects taken and to be taken by the student based on the University’s curriculum and the final grades for each Grades records that consist of all the grades of the student for all his subjects that he can query through supplying of a school year or semester. Financial information that comprises the tuition fee with miscellaneous fees and discount fee, if there’s any, of a student. Subject offering that pertains to the schedule of each subject that a student had enrolled belongs. The student can use this link to plan for his schedule for the upcoming semester. Class Schedule encloses all the subject schedules of a student. As part of the authentication that was implemented on the portal, the users must provide an authorized username and password. On the system there will be four types of user’s account: the student the faculty, the dean, the registrar and the administrator. In the Student account, the authorized tasks that users can do are: Viewing of their records in through selecting from the following links: myProfile; myGrades that contains sub links such as Semester Grades, Curriculum Checklist, Collection of Grades; myFinance, mySubjectOffering and mySchedule. Viewing other student’s or faculty staff’s records through selecting mySearch link, sending and receiving of messages through myInbox which is a form of messaging. And, printing and downloading of forms such as Grades slip, curriculum checklist and forms issued by the Dean and Registrar(eg. Change of Grade Form) Second, in the Faculty account, the authorized tasks that users can do are: Entering student’s final grades for a particular subject, section school year and semester through the use of myClassRecord. Viewing other student’s or faculty staff’s records through mySearch. Uploading of lessons for the students Third, in the Dean account, the authorized tasks that Dean can do are: Viewing of the Dean’s list for the current and the previous school year and semester. Searching students to review their academic performance from the first year of his admission up to the present. Searching class schedules by entering the assigned beginning and ending time of a class, in order for the Dean to be informed of what particular class is was going on for a moment. Viewing faculty subject loads and schedules. Fourth, in the Registrar account, the authorized tasks that Registrar can do are: Viewing of student’s general weighted average. Updating the grades of a student that obtained a INC remarks from the past school year. And, selecting the students that will form the Dean’s List. Lastly, the Administrator account, the authorized tasks that Registrar can do are: Conversion of tables of records from MS Foxpro format to MS SQL. Setting the current school year and semester. Uploading of downloadable forms. And, reset users’ passwords. The following are the limitations of the Students’ Portal: Only the â€Å"Other Information† part and the password are the only records in the student’s page that can be altered. Only the administrator can convert the tables from MS Foxpro format to SQL/simply add records on the database, can set the school year and can upload forms. Only final grades are to be encoded by the faculty. Faculty cannot edit anymore the grades of the students that belong to the previous school year and semester. Only the faculty user and student users can exchange messages. Only the Registrar can update the INC remarks of students that completed the subject. Lastly, only the registrar can form the dean’s list. Definition of Terms Transaction – a transaction usually means a sequence of information exchange and related work. A transaction is a unit of work that you want to treat as â€Å"a whole†. It has to either happen in full, or not at all. Records – In computer data processing, a record is a collection of data items arranged for processing by a program. Multiple records are contained in a file or data set. The organization of data in the record is usually prescribed by the programming language that defines the record’s organization and/or by the application that processes it. Portal – a term, generally synonymous with gateway, for a World Wide Web site that is or proposes to be a major starting site for users when they get connected to the Web or that users  tend to visit as an anchor site. Web Portal – also known as a links page, presents information from diverse sources in a unified way. Apart from the standard search engine feature, web portals offer other services such as e-mail, news, stock prices, information, databases and entertainment. Links – Using hypertext, a link is a selectable connection from one word, picture, or information object to another. In a multimedia environment such as the World Wide Web, such objects can include sound and motion video sequences. Search Engine – designed to search for information on the World Wide Web. The search results are usually presented in a list of results and are commonly called hits. The information may consist of web pages, images, information and other types of files. Database – is a collection of information that is organized so that it can easily be accessed, managed, and updated. In one view, databases can be classified according to types of content: bibliographic, full-text, numeric, and images. Client-server – describes the relationship between two computer programs in which one prog ram, the client, makes a service request from another program, the server, which fulfills the request. Web-based – refers to those applications or services that are resident on a server that is accessible using a Web browser and is therefore accessible from anywhere in the world via the Web. Technology – the usage and knowledge of tools, techniques, and crafts, or is systems or methods of organization, or is a material product (such as clothing) of these things. The word technology comes from the Greek technologà ­a tà ©chnÄ“ ‘craft’ and -logà ­a, the study of something, or the branch of knowledge of a discipline. The term can either be applied generally or to specific areas: examples include â€Å"construction technology†, â€Å"medical technology†, or â€Å"state-of-the-art technology†. Application – program or group of programs designed for end users. Software can be divided into two general classes: systems software and applications software Methodology Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) provides a set of models, principles, and guidelines for designing and developing enterprise solutions in a way that ensures that all elements of a project, such as people, processes and tools, can be successfully managed. MSF also provides proven practices for planning, designing, developing, and deploying successful enterprise solutions. The researcher had intended to use MSF for her methodologies especially because they are in use of Microsoft solution tools such as the Microsoft.NET Framework and the Microsoft SQL Server. MSF has five phases these are the: Envisioning, Planning, Developing, Stabilizing and Deploying. Envisioning Phase – This phase broadly describes the goals and constraints of the study. During this phase, the reseacher gathered necessary information and resources for developing a students’ portal. One of the activities that were conducted is an interview with BPSU’s database administrator to further determine what are the things and transactions necessary to put on the portal to satisfy the needs of the University and the predicted users. Some of the approved transactions are the viewing of student’s profile including the personal, academic and financial information; encoding of final grades and forming of the Dean’s list. Risk assessment regarding the developing of the system is also accomplished. On the process, the impact of the consequence is learned by determining the likelihood of its occurrence and the severity of the outcome relative to established project objectives. The envisioning phase culminates in the vision approved milestone. This milestone is the first point at which the project team and customer agree on the overall direction for the project, including what the product will and will not include. Planning Phase – This phase determines what to develop and how to develop it. The process of information is modified, gathered and undergoes three design processes namely conceptual, logical and physical perspective. During this phase, the researcher planned how to develop the Bataan Peninsula State  University students’ portal on the way its functionality can achieve the requirements of the educational institution. For conceptual design process, the expectations of the users or beneficiary of the study must be achieved like the proposal that students by using the portal can easily view their own records. For the logical design process, this meet the developer’s steps and requirements on how to develop the said system, like in an instance the system software solution will be developed using Microsoft Visual Studio and SQL Server Management studio. This solution is able to interact and communicate with other transaction processes, applications and data source. Lastly for the Physical design process, with the developer’s perspective, the development of the system will be a great help and ease not only for the students but also for the offices of the University that handles student’s information keeping considering the volumes of users and transactions. There would be a web-based implementation of a portal which will be used as the primary means for dissemination of the student’s profiles and information. The planning phase culminates in the Project plan approved milestone. This milestone is the point at which the project team, the customer, and key project stakeholders agree on the feature set and the design of the application. The Project plan approved milestone is essentially the contract with the customer to proceed with the project. Developing Phase – During this phase, the solution is developed and optimized until it is deemed ready for production use. On this phase, the student’s portal is developed. The researcher experienced several revisions on the design, the basic functionalities and on the core transaction in order to follow the needs of the identified users. The development phase culminates in the Scope Complete milestone. At this milestone, all features are complete, and the product is ready for external testing and stabilization. This milestone is the opportunity for customers and end users, operations and support personnel, and key project stakeholders to evaluate the product and identify any remaining issues they need to address before it ships. Stabilizing Phase – This phase conducts testing of the complete solution. During this phase, the researcher focuses on resolving and prioritizing bugs and preparing the solution for release. The stabilization phase culminates  with the release of the product. The Release milestone occurs when the team has addressed all outstanding issues and shipped the product or placed it in service. At the Release milestone, responsibility for ongoing management and support of the product officially transfers from the project team to the operations and support organization. Deploying phase – the developer deploys the core technology and site components, stabilizes the deployment, transitions the project to operations and support, and obtains final customer approval of the project. After the deployment, the developer conducts a project review and a customer satisfaction survey. During this phase, the developer tested the usability of the students’ portal and determined whether it has achieved the requirements of the University that are identified during the envisioning stage by letting some selected persons from the proposed users/customers. The deployment complete milestone culminates the deploying phase.