AFAS 160D Flashcard

AFAS 160D

Between You and I vs. Between You and Me

Between You and I vs. Between You and Me Between You and I vs. Between You and Me Between You and I vs. Between You and Me By Maeve Maddox An ad for a new movie about the Hebrew exodus from Egypt shows Christian Bale as Moses–a character who has received a privileged and educated upbringing–shouting the words, â€Å"Something’s coming that is far beyond you and I!† I noticed because beyond is a preposition and should be followed by the object form me, not the subject form I: â€Å"Something’s coming that is far beyond you and me!† Note: The fact that English did not exist in the time of Moses is not relevant. A more commonly heard ungrammatical prepositional phrase is â€Å"between you and I.† This error is so common that it has its defenders. On a Slate post, podcast producer Mike Vuolo takes the position that correctness should be determined by what people â€Å"actually use.† He admits that â€Å"between you and I† contravenes the standard rule about prepositions being followed by me and not I, but claims that there is â€Å"a relatively modern theorywhich may undermine that rule†: Noam Chomsky and modern linguistshave a very persuasive theory that holds that in a construction like â€Å"between you and I, the entire phrase â€Å"you and I† is the object of the preposition and that for the individual elements within it the [grammatical] case becomes arbitrary. He mentions a quotation from Shakespeare to prove that â€Å"between you and I† must be all right. Note: For one example of between you and I in the entire works of Shakespeare, there are numerous examples of between followed by the object form me. The Bard’s one use of â€Å"between you and I† appears in a letter from Bassanio, the merchant from whom Shylock has demanded a pound of flesh: My bond to the Jew is forfeit; and since in paying it, it is impossible I should live, all debts are cleared between you and I. –The Merchant of Venice, Act III, scene ii. Shakespeare can teach us a lot about our language, but he’s not a reliable guide to modern standard usage. For example, in Julius Caesar, he has Antony say, â€Å"This is the most unkindest cut of all.† The most grammar-challenged modern speaker knows better than to double a superlative. Vuolo cites an academic paper written by two sociolinguists that identifies and labels three competing permutations of the between prepositional phrase: 1. between you and me, â€Å"standard usage† 2. between you and I, â€Å"polite usage† Note: By labeling this form â€Å"polite usage,† the authors encourage the false idea that the pronoun I is somehow â€Å"nicer† than me. 3. between me and you, â€Å"vernacular† The authors found that â€Å"the oldest people studied and those with the most education† tended to use the standard form. Participants â€Å"intermediate in age and level of education [less than a Ph.D.] favored† the â€Å"polite† version, whereas â€Å"youth and the less educated† used â€Å"between me and you.† The fact that between you and me was most common among the oldest participants could have something to do with the possibility that grammar was more effectively taught in the public schools in the past than it is now. As for youth and the less educated, good for them. They may be erring socially by putting themselves first, but they are using the correct pronoun case. Language evolves, including pronouns. I and me may eventually change places. Me is an object form, yet many speakers use the compound â€Å"Me + x† as a subject: â€Å"Me and the children went to the zoo on Sunday.† The first person pronouns I and me may go the way of second person ye (subject form) and you (object form): first they changed places, and then one of them disappeared altogether. Vuolo suggests that â€Å"between you and I† is far more common on the Web than â€Å"between you and me.† This may be true, but I wasn’t able to duplicate his search results. I did search the three phrases in the Google Ngram Viewer and found that between you and me is the clear winner in books–and has been for the past two hundred years. Time will tell. When persistent enough, nonstandard popular usage eventually makes its way into standard usage. For now, in this decade of the 21st century, between you and I is nonstandard usage. Related links: I vs Me Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:5 Uses of InfinitivesAmong vs. AmongstShow, Don't Tell

Reflection Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Reflection Paper - Assignment Example Although these symptoms are indicators of the presence of cancer, they may also be attributed to several another issues in the human body. This makes the detection of cancer very difficult. The Screening of individuals for the early detection of cancer is one of the prioritized clinical preventive service that help reduce the burden created by cancer in the United States public health. There has been significant progress in the screening rates especially for breast, and cervical Cancer there has been no significant change in the screening of other forms of cancer over the years (Braun, 2012). This can be attributed to the extensive campaign around this two particular types of cancer. The lack of basic Lack of insurance has customarily been the primary reason preventing adults from getting cancer screening. Some of the components of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are seen to work towards Medicaid expansion, the eradication of cost sharing arrangement and finally subsiding the state insurance exchanges. However, it is notable that the access to medical and health insurance is not the only hurdle that prevents individuals from participating in cancer screening (Braun, 2012). A large number of individuals who have adequate health insurance and have regular access to medical care are not taking part in the screening process. In order to realize the complete potential of the anticipated change in the access to care, the public health must be able to provide leadership. The leadership is to ensure that cancer screening done in a proactive, equitable and organized manner (Braun, 2012). In addition to the government involvement in the prevention of cancer there other health related individuals and organizations who are involved in the creation and development of early cancer detection protocols. One such individual is Jorge Soto who’s

Introduction to Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Introduction to Marketing - Essay Example , branding, modifying and  influencing customer behavior and buying decisions.  All of such strategies are used to increase sales of products and services. Marketing has a lot of definitions. One of them defines marketing in a way such that it relates marketing to the way society promotes spending on  particular products and services. Marketing generally targets a specific consumer segment depending on the type of merchandise or service. It is very important for marketing initiatives to focus on customer needs and wants of the specific target audiences. Marketing is such a topic that covers a wide range of  aspects, which includes advertises, public relations, sales, and product promotions. Many people confuse sales with marketing, when the truth is the two are a lot different from each other. Sales involves activities which aim at getting a product or service  into a market, promoting the product, influencing the behavior of consumers, and influencing the consumer buying b ehavior. The actual function of a Sales division is to transfer the ownership of the products or services from the produces to the customers. The marketing and financial results of the companies depend on a number of interrelated internal and external factors. The analysis of these factors has been a constant concern for academicians and practitioners. The very complexity of this subject requires indulging into more narrow aspects of research of the issue. One of the many possibilities is that while seeing through the glass of marketing initiatives of a company, while assuming that such possibilities predetermine any contact between the company and the target market. These initiatives significantly influence overall growth and success of the company. However, the span of marketing initiatives as well as their influences are extremely wide and can hardly be analyzed at once as a single entity. One way to cover logically a part of such a broad picture is through analysis of the marketing division

PEST Analysis of Starbuck in China Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

PEST Analysis of Starbuck in China - Coursework Example The object of analysis for the purpose of this assignment is Starbucks, an American coffee company which is operating in many countries worldwide. It has the title of being the largest coffeehouse company with around 25,000 stores. It is renowned for providing hot as well as cold beverages, pastries as well as snacks. It was founded in the year 1971 and has since then, opened up stores in around 62 stores. It was opened by three students who were inclined to sell high quality coffee beans as well as coffee equipment. In 1996, Starbucks opened its first location outside North America in Tokyo, Japan. People`s republic of China is the most populous country of the world and is located in the East Asian region. With around 1.35 billion people in the country, China is now being considered as the fastest growing economy of the world. It has become the second largest economy in terms of nominal GDP and purchasing power parity, after the United States of America. The first Starbucks in china opened in Taiwan in March 1998. The increase in consumer interests and appreciation of coffee resulted in the opening up of new stores in Beijing, Hong Kong as well as Macau. In all, Starbucks has around 1000 stores in China. PEST analysis includes political, economic, social as well as technological factors which have a direct impact on the operations of a firm. Political factors involve the intervention of the government in the economy in terms of tax policies, policies of export as well as other environmental and legal laws. Overall, it also includes other influences which the government can have on an organization`s operations. With regards to the political factors in Hongkong, it has been under the rule of mainland China but it has been allowed to implement its own business laws in the economy. This has made it easier for Starbucks to operate in China. However, Starbucks is required to comply with all the laws and regulations of the country. The Chinese government has introduc ed positive policies to encourage FDI by protecting the interests as well as the legal rights of foreign companies. China also has a consistent political environment as well as lower labor costs which attract foreign companies to start operations in the country. The local government policies including free trade zones and loans have encouraged Starbucks and other multinational to start operations as well as expand its business in China (Business Environment In China: Economic, Political, And Cultural Factors 2013). Another important factor is that these favorable governmental polices do not change with changes in the governments. This makes it easier for the foreign companies to operate. However, it has been observed that these policies and laws are not implemented in the country which affects the sustainability of Chinese economy. Furthermore, the company has lower and inefficient transportation, communication as well as energy resources. The city of Hong Kong, for example, is know n as the most tax-friendly economies of the world because of its low tax system as well as direct taxes only on profits, salaries and properties. The tax rates have remained constant showing the political stability in China, especially in Hong Kong (Starbucks in China, 2013; China Business News-Starbucks soars in China 2013). Economic factors: Economic factors include the inflation rate, interest rates, economic growth and exchange rates which have an impact on business operations. The factor of exchange rates, for example, has an impact on the costs and prices of exports and imports. Interest rates affect the cost of capital of firms which is further related to the growth and expansion of companies. Economic factors i

Effects of Age on Understanding False Belief

Effects of Age on Understanding False Belief Sarah Ogen Article Review Directions: Read the article and then respond to the questions below. Make sure that you provide explanations for your responses. Article: Eighteen-month-old infants show false belief understanding in an active helping paradigm All information was gathered from the following source: Buttulmann, D., Carpenter, M., Tomasello, M. (2009). Eighteen-month-old infants show false belief understanding in an active helping paradigm.  Cognition, (112), 337-342. What is the aim/purpose of the study? (2 points) Buttulmann, Carpenter, and Tomasello sought to figure out at what age, after one year, a child can successfully understand false belief; this needed to be confirmed by a measureable behavior exhibited by the child. There was a lot of debate about at what age this belief came about in children. By past researchers, it was believed this thought process was exhibited anywhere from 3-5 years of age, depending on the demands of the task. Clements and Perner (1994) found this thought process could be attained around age 2 using the lowest amount of added cognitive demand in the tasks. Other researchers found that false belief understanding could be understood by children 13-15 months of age using a violation-expectation paradigm. Both of these studies were thought to have holes in them where the child could have interpreted other things that led to the same results. Buttulmann et al. studied understanding of false belief using an active behavioral measure. They wanted to know if the one year olds tested would respond in a manner showing their understanding of false belief. If the children did, Buttulmann et al would have found the youngest age at which a child has an understanding of false belief. How did the investigators measure the topic of interest? (2 points) First Study Two studded caterpillar toys and two boxes were used in this study. One box was yellow and the other was pink. Each box had a handle and a hinge where the box could be locked. The child sat in front of both of the boxes, while a female researcher sat next to the child and a male researcher sat across from the child between the boxes. The male researcher left the room to get another toy, while the female researcher taught the child how the boxes locked with a pin. The male researcher returned with a toy and showed it to the child. The male researcher then put the toy caterpillar in the second box. In the false belief condition, the male researcher again left the room. The female researcher told the child the male researcher could not see or hear them, and asked the child to play a trick on the male researcher. The female researcher took the caterpillar and moved it to the other box while acting sneaky and giggling. Before the male researcher returned, the female researcher and child returned to their places. In the true belief condition, the male researcher remained in the room. The female researcher told the child to join her in moving the caterpillar from one box to the other, this time without acting sneaky. The male researcher got up at the end to close the door so he was in the same spot as the false belief condition. In both the false and true belief conditions, the male researcher resumed his place between the two boxes. He pulled on the handle of the box he originally put the caterpillar in, but did not open either box. The child was invited to help the male researcher. It was recorded which box the child opened. Second Study The procedure remained the same as the first study. Parental encouragement was used if the child did not help the male researcher find the caterpillar. Who were the children in the study, how old were they and how were they recruited? (1 point) First Study There were 24 children used in the study. They were 2.5 years of age. There were 12 girls and 12 boys. Half were put in the false belief group, and the others were put in the true belief group. These groups were randomly assigned. Seven other children were not included in the results due to complications, experimenter error, and fussiness (Buttulmann et al.) Second Study There were 100 children. Fifty were 18 months old and fifty were 16 months old. In each age group there were 24 girls and 26 boys. Other children were also tested but not included in the results due to parental or experimenter error, fussiness, or tried to take the caterpillar out of the box. Additional children were used in the study but only helped when their parents encouraged them to help the male researcher. This included ten 18 month olds and twenty two 16 month olds. These children’s results were analyzed separately. Another eighteen 18 month olds and twenty six 16 month olds did not aid the male researcher at all in finding the caterpillar and were their results were not used for analysis. What was the design of the study (e.g., correlational, experimental, cross-sectional, longitudinal)? (1 point) The design of the study was a cross sectional. It tested different children on the same task at different ages. What were the results and conclusions? (2 points) First Study All children successfully opened one of the boxes. In the true belief condition, 75% of the children opened the box the male researcher had tried to open initially. In the false belief condition, 83.3% of the children opened the other box where the caterpillar now was located. The children also communicated to the male researcher where the caterpillar now was located. When the male researcher tried to open the box initially in the false belief condition, 7 children told him that the caterpillar had been moved. In the true belief condition, one child tried to inform the male researcher that the caterpillar had been moved. The children in this study showed a false belief understanding. Second Study All 18 month old children successfully chose a box. In the true belief condition, 84% of children tried to open the box the male researcher had just tried to open. In the false belief box, 72% of children tried to open the other box where the caterpillar was actually enclosed. There were similar results with the children that needed assistance from their parents to help the male researcher. All 16 month old children successfully chose a box. In the true belief condition, 56% of children tried to open the box the male researcher had just tried to open. Results showed that this may be due to chance. In the false belief box, 80% of children tried to open the other box where the caterpillar was actually enclosed. There were similar results with the children that needed assistance from their parents to help the male researcher. These results showed that 18 and 16 month old children understand false beliefs of other people. Do you agree with the conclusions? Explain why or why not and indicate any problems in the design or methods that could affect the results and conclusions. (2 points) I agree with the conclusions. The behaviors exhibited by the children in both studies, and in each age group, show that the children understand false beliefs of others. For 16 month olds, these results could have been due to chance because they may not have understood the task fully. The behavior of the child could also be misinterpreted and therefore skew results. The child may also not understand the task at such a young age, and simply choose a box based on color, rather than where the toy is hidden. To fix this, the boxes may be the same color instead of different.

Order of Importance in Goulds Nonmoral Nature :: Nonmoral Nature

Order of Importance in Gould's Nonmoral Nature  Ã‚   Many things can be put into order. Time, people, and events can all be placed in a logical order. The way that things are put into order can greatly affect the impact that they have. In Gould's Nonmoral Nature, the order in which he presents the different points of view is very important. He uses scientists who have been dominant in their profession but that are not commonly known in the begining and middle of his writing. However, to close out his work, he uses the prominent scientist Darwin to leave a lasting impression on the reader. Gould's use of order greatly affects the way that people perceive his work.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Gould's order has two effects on the reader. First, by putting Darwin last, he allows the reader to get acquainted with the ideas of some great minds whom the reader may not have been exposed to before. The reader can then think about these ideas that have ben presented to them and compare them with their own thoughts and ideas. Darwin is known for his theories, therefore people are more apt to assimilate their ideas to his. If Gould were to put Darwin's point of view first, the reader may be less likely to agree with some of the other ideas that are presented in Nonmoral Nature. By putting Darwin last, Gould allowed the reader to form their own opinion and then compare this to Darwin's ideas in the conclusion of the story.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The second effect of Gould's use of order is that the reader, having read Darwin last, may be more inclined to believe the other evidence that in presented in the story. Darwin is a man who is well known and held in high esteem for his studies. With these attributes to his name, Darwin leaves a lasting impact on the reader. After the reader has formed their own thoughts and ideas on the matter of Nonmoral Nature, they are given the chance to Darwin's ideas for the benefit of their own thought.

Business Continuity Planning

Though interruptions to business can be due to major natural disasters such as fires, floods, earthquakes and storms; or due to man-made disasters such as wars, terrorist attacks and riots; it is usually the more mundane and less sensational disasters such as power failure, equipment failure, theft and sabotage that are the causes behind disruptions to business.A Business Continuity Plan or â€Å"Continuity of Business Planning (CoB Plan) †¦ defines the process of identification of the applications, customers (internal & external) and locations that a business plans to keep functioning in the occurrence of such disruptive events, as well the failover processes & the length of time for such support. This encompasses hardware, software, facilities, personnel, communication links and applications† (MphasiS, 2003).A Business Continuity Plan is formulated in order to enable the organization to recover from a disaster with the minimum loss of time and business by restoring its critical operations quickly and smoothly. The Business Continuity Plan should be devised in such a way that it involves not only the recovery, resumption and maintenance of only the technology components but also of the entire business. Recovery of only the ICT systems and infrastructure may not always imply the full restoration of business operations.The Business Recovery Planning at XE therefore envisages the consideration of all risks to business operations that may include not only ICT applications and infrastructure but also directly impact on other business processes. After conducting an extensive Business Impact Analysis (BIA), Risk Assessment for XE was carried out by evaluating the assumptions made in BIA under various threat scenarios. Threats were analyzed on the basis of their potential impact to the organization, its customers and the financial market it is associated with.The threats were then prioritized depending on their severity. The following threats were identifi ed for XE: 1. Natural disasters such as floods, fires, storms, earthquakes, extreme weather, etc. 2. Man-made disasters such as terrorist attacks, wars and riots. 3. Routine threats that include: a. Non-availability of critical personnel b. Inaccessibility of critical buildings, facilities or geographic regions c. Malfunctioning of equipment or hardware d. Inaccessibility or corruption of software and data due to various reasons including virus attacks e. Non-availability of support servicesf. Failure of communication links and other essential utilities such as power g. Inability to meet financial liquidity requirements, and h. Unavailability of essential records. Organizing the BCP Team The first and most important step in developing a successful disaster recovery plan is to create management awareness. The top-level management will allocate necessary resources and time required from various areas of the organizations only if they understand, realize and support the value of disast er recovery. The management has to also accord approval for final implementation of the plan.The BCP team therefore has to have a member from the management who can not only provide the inputs from the management but also apprise the management and get its feedback. Besides these, each core or priority area has to be represented by at least one member. Finally, there has to an overall Business Continuity Plan coordinator who is responsible not only for co-ordination but also for all other aspects of BCP implementation such as training, updating, creating awareness, testing, etc. The coordinator usually has his or her own support team.XE’s Business Continuity Planning team would therefore comprise representatives from the management and each of the core or priority areas, and would be held together by the BCP coordinator. Even in the case of outsourcing of the BCP, it is necessary for the management and nominated members from the core or priority areas to be closely associated with each step of the planning process. Crucial Decisions The key decisions to be made in formulating the Business Continuity Plan for XE were associated with the individual steps that were undertaking in making the BCP.The first step of Business Impact Analysis (BIA) involved making a work flow analysis to assess and prioritize all business functions and processes including their interdependencies. At this stage, the potential impact of business disruptions was identified along with all the legal and regulatory requirements for XE’s business functions and processes. Based on these, decisions on allowable downtime and acceptable level of losses were taken. Estimations were made on Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs), Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs) and recovery of the critical path.The second step of Business Continuity Planning comprised of risk assessment during which business processes and the assumptions made in the course of BIA were evaluated using various threat scenario s. The decisions made at this stage included the threat scenarios that were to be adopted, the severity of the threats and finally identification the risks that were to be considered in the BCP based on the assessments made. The next step of Risk Management involved drawing up of the plan of action with respect to the various risks.This was the stage at which the actual Business Continuity Plan was drawn up, formulated and documented. Crucial decisions such as what specific steps whould be taken during a disruption, the training programs that should be organized to train personnel in implementation of the BCP, and the frequency of updating and revisions that would be required were taken at this stage. Finally, in the Risk Monitoring and Testing stage, decisions regarding the suitability and effectiveness of the BCP were taken with reference to the initial objectives of the Business Continuity Plan. Business Rules and System Back-upsMy friend works for the Motor Vehicles department t hat issues driving licenses for private and commercial vehicles. Applicants for any license initially come and deposit a fee. The particulars of the specific applicant along with photograph and biometrics in the form of finger prints are then entered into the database. Thereafter, the applicant undergoes a medical test, the results of which are again entered into the database of the system. If approved in the medical test, the applicant has to appear for an initial theoretical test on driving signs and rules and regulations.If the applicant passes the test, he or she is given a Learner’s License. The applicant then comes back for the practical driving test after a month, and is awarded the driving license if he or she is able to pass the test. New additions are made to the database of the driving license system at every stage of this workflow. Though the tests for the learner’s license and driving license are held three days in a week, an individual can apply any day o f the five working days of the department. People also come for renewal of driving licenses.Driving licenses are usually issued for a period of one to five years depending on the age and physical condition of the applicant. In the case of commercial vehicles, an applicant first has to obtain a trainee driving license and work as an apprentice driver for two years before he or she becomes eligible for a driving license to drive a commercial vehicle. Moreover, a commercial driving license is issued only for a year at time, and the driver has to come back for evaluation and medical tests every year.The number and frequency of transactions are therefore much higher for commercial vehicles. As is evident from the business rules of the department, data is added and modified frequently for a specific applicant during the process of the initial application. Subsequently, data is again added to or the database modified after an interval of one month for the same applicant. Thereafter, fresh data is added to the database or the database modified only after a period of five years when the applicant comes back for renewal.However, there is always the possibility that someone loses or misplaces his or her license and comes back to have a duplicate issued. But when the scenario of multiple applicants who can come in at any day for fresh, duplicate or renewal of licenses is considered, it becomes evident that transactions are not periodic or time bound but are continuous. Transactions can happen any time during working hours resulting in changes to the database of the system. Taking only complete backup of the system would not be the optimal backup solution under the given circumstances.Whatever frequency of complete backup is adopted, the chance of losing data will be very high in the case of database failure or any other disastrous event that results system failure or corruption. Moreover, taking complete backup of the system very frequently would be a laborious and cumber some exercise. The ideal backup method in this case would be incremental backup in which backup is taken of only the data that is added or modified the moment it is added or modified, and a complete backup is taken at a periodic frequency.Under the situation, the Motor Vehicles Department has opted for continuous incremental backup with a complete backup taken at the end of the day. As a Business Continuity Plan measure, the department uses a remote backup mirroring solution that provides host-based, real-time continuous replication to a disaster recovery site far away from their servers over standard IP networks. This mirroring process uses continuous, asynchronous, byte-level replication and captures the changes as they occur. It copies only changed bytes, therefore reducing network use, enabling quicker replication and reducing latency to a great extent.This remote mirroring solution integrates with the existing backup solutions, and can replicate data to perform remote backups a nd can take snapshots at any time without having any impact on the performance of the production severs. It replicates over the available IP network, both in LAN and WAN, and has been deployed without any additional cost. This remote mirroring solution accords the department the maximum possible safeguard against data loss from failures and other disasters. Database Processing Efficiency versus Database Storage EfficiencyThough storage costs as such has decreased dramatically over the years, the controversy between database processing efficiency and database storage efficiency continues to be an issue because the overall performance of a systems is affected by the way data is stored and processed. In other words, even though the volume of storage space available may no longer be a constraint financially and physically, the way this space is utilized has an impact on the database processing efficiency which in turns affects the overall performance of the application or the system.Und er the present circumstances, though it is possible to compromise on the side of database storage efficiency to derive greater database performance efficiency and thus improve the overall performance of the system, achieving optimization of the overall performance of a system requires striking a fine balance between database processing and database storage efficiency. There can be many tradeoffs between data processing speed and the efficient use of storage space for optimal performance of a system. There is no set rule on which tradeoffs to adopt, and differs according to the practical data creation, modification and flow of the system.Certain broad guidelines can however be followed in order to increase the overall utility of the database management system. Examples of such guidelines are to be found in the case of derived fields, denormalization, primary key and indexing overheads, reloading of database and query optimization. Derived fields Derived field are the fields in which data is obtained after the manipulation or operation of two or more original fields or data. The issue at stake is whether the data should be stored only in the original form or as the processed data in derived field also.When the data is stored only in the original form, the derived field is calculated as and when required. It is obvious that storing derived data will require greater storage space but the processing time will be comparatively less i. e. storage efficiency will be low whereas processing efficiency becomes higher. However, the decision on whether to store derived fields or not depend on other considerations such as how often the calculated data is likely to change, and how often the calculated data will be required or used. An example will make will serve to make matters more clear.A university student’s grade point standing is a perfect example of the derived field. For a specific class, a student’s grade point is obtained by multiplying the points cor responding to the grade of the student by the number of credit hours associated with the course. The points or the grade and the number of credit hours are therefore the original data, by multiplying which we get the grade point or the derived field. The decision on whether to store the derived field or not, will in this case depend on how often the grade point of a student is likely to change, and how often the student’s grade points are actually required.The grades of a student who has already graduated is unlikely to undergo nay more changes, whereas the grades of a student still studying in the university will change at regular frequency. In such a case, storing the grade points of an undergraduate would be more meaningful than storing the grade points of a student who has already graduated. Again if the undergraduate’s grades are reported only once a term, then it may not be worth it to store grade points as derived fields. The significance of the matter is realiz ed when we consider a database of thousand of students.The tradeoff in this case is between storing the grade points as derived fields and gaining on database processing efficiency and losing out on database storage efficiency on one hand; and not storing the derived fields and gaining on storage efficiency but losing out processing efficiency on the other. Denormalization Denormalization is a process by which the number of records in a fully normalized database can be considerably reduced even while adhering to the rule of the First Normal Form that states that the intersection of any row with any column should result in a single data value.The process of cutting down multiple records into a single record is applicable only in certain specific cases in which the number and frequency of transaction is known. Normalization of a database is required to maintain the accuracy and integrity of the data which in turn leads to validity of the reports generated by the system and the reliabi lity of the of the decisions based on the system. Denormalization, if done randomly can upset the balance of the database while economizing on storage space. The dilemma of Indexing Unplanned use of primary key has a telling negative affect on the database storage efficiency.Many database systems resort to setting index on a field. When a field is index, the system sets a pointer to that particular field. The pointer helps in processing the data much faster. However, indexing fields also results in the system storing and maintaining data but also information or data about the storage. The question therefore again boils down to deciding on whether to achieve higher processing efficiency by compromising storage efficiency or to enable higher storage capabilities at the cost of processing efficiency.Sorting the data periodically is one way of overcoming the dilemma of indexing. However, sorting itself is highly taxing on the resources of a system. Moreover, in large organizations with millions of data, a sort may take even up to hours during which all computer operations remain suspended. Other factors Storage efficiency and processing efficiency are also interdependent in other ways. The deletion of data without reloading the database from time to time may result in the deleted data actually not being removed from the database.The data is simply hidden by setting a flag variable or marker. This results not only in low storage efficiency but also in low processing efficiency. Reloading a database removes the deleted data permanently from the database and leads to smaller amount of data and a more efficient use if resources thereby boosting processing efficiency. Similarly, haphazard coding structures can impact negatively both on the storage efficiency and the processing efficiency of a database. Completely ignoring storage efficiency while prioritizing processing efficiency, can never lead to database optimization.Conversely, optimization can also never be achie ved by an over emphasis on storage efficiency. The objective is to strike the right balance. The interrelationships between database storage efficiency and database processing efficiency therefore keep the controversy between the two alive in spite of a dramatic decrease in storage costs over the years. References -01 MphasiS Corporation, 2003, MphasiS Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Plan, [Online] Available. http://www. mphasis. com [June 27, 2008]

Solar Feeder Internet Version Essay

Solar Feeder Internet Version Essay Solar Feeder Internet Version Essay Solar Feeder After reading the history and background story behind the development of Squirrel Defense Inc. (SDI), I have become rather intrigued about the bird feeder industry and the opportunities that exist in the market. SDI has come up with a very unique and innovative product that is very marketable and has the potential to produce profits. After reading more about the background information, there is plenty of information to support that there is a potential market to feed the demand of solar feeders. I have come to the conclusion that there are some underlying problems with the way things are currently being handled but there is room for improvement and I feel the business has potential if the problems are addressed and the proper changes are made. There are several problems that came to my attention when reviewing this case. For starters, cash is more or less non-existent. The owners of the company have stressed that they have a huge demand for their product, however they are unable to produce the product at a low enough cost that will allow for cash to generate. Without cash the company cannot purchase the ample supplies to meet demand. No supplies, no product, and no cash. The second problem I have discovered is a big problem. The year-end income statement for 1999 reveals that SDI is loosing money. They are generating a gross profit of $33,356 with expenses totaling $59,963. The company is in the red at $26,607 price tag. Another issue I have discovered is the pricing strategies SDI is currently using. Bo stated, â€Å"Originally I priced the feeders based on how much I wanted to make per unit†. He later says that he set the price based on what the market demands. Finally in another section Bo estimates the cost of his feeders between $100-$110. There is no real clear answer what the cost to produce these feeders is and this is the root problem for all of the financials. The last problem I would like to address is the advertising plan SDI currently uses. The retro-style advertising does not seem to fit the product and could use some help to target the market better. For SDI to turn things around they need to go back to basics and rebuild the foundation of the company. To do this, I suggest they invest in consulting an engineer to reinvent the product so that it can be put in mass production. Mass production will allow the company to produce these solar feeders in mass quantities to keep up with demand while decreasing costs. Lower costs will generate much more revenue and in the end giving the company more cash on hand. If the plant is pushed to max capacity the owners have projected costs to drop to approximately $50 for the town feeder and $85 for the cedar. This is much lower compared to current operating costs. Another suggestion to lower costs is to look into alternative material that is cheaper and easier to access compared to the expensive cedar wood they are currently using. The next problem that needs to be addressed is the pricing methods being used by SDI to price their product. Based on the information given, SDI is practically throwing a dart at a board to come up with a price. SDI needs to break down all materials and expenses that go into producing and shipping a complete product in order to find an accurate price. By utilizing the break even equation the company can come to a number that is bare minimum sales that needs to be generated in order to offset costs and break even. The last problem that I have found with the current operations at SDI is in the advertising. Currently SDI is using a retro style advertising campaign primarily in the 1950’s â€Å"mom-and-pop† styled layouts. Print ads use a psychedelic color scheme that to me can be off putting to customers. The target market SDI has indentified is middle to late aged men and typically women that are purchasing these feeders for their homes. Another portion of the target market are

Essay on Reptiles Essays - Sphenodontia, Living Fossils, Reptile

Essay on Reptiles Essays - Sphenodontia, Living Fossils, Reptile Essay on Reptiles Reptiles are vertebrate, or backboned animals constituting the class Reptilia and are characterized by a combination of features, none of which alone could separate all reptiles from all other animals. The characteristics of reptiles are numerous, therefore can not be explained in great detail in this report. In no special order, the characteristics of reptiles are: cold-bloodedness; the presence of lungs; direct development, without larval forms as in amphibians; a dry skin with scales but not feathers or hair; an amniote egg; internal fertilization; a three or four-chambered heart; two aortic arches (blood vessels) carrying blood from the heart to the body, unlike mammals and birds that only have one; a metanephric kidney; twelve pairs of cranial nerves; and skeletal features such as limbs with usually five clawed fingers or toes, at least two spinal bones associated with the pelvis, a single ball-and-socket connection at the head-neck joint instead of two, as in advanced amphibians and mammals, and an incomplete or complete partition along the roof of the mouth, separating the food and air passageways so that breathing can continue while food is being chewed. These and other traditional defining characteristics of reptiles have been subjected to considerable modification in recent times. The extinct flying reptiles, called pterosaurs or pterodactyls, are now thought to have been warm-blooded and covered with hair. Also, the dinosaurs are also now considered by many authorities to have been warm-blooded. The earliest known bird, archaeopteryx, is now regarded by many to have been a small dinosaur, despite its covering of feathers The extinct ancestors of the mammals, the therapsids, or mammallike reptiles, are also believed to have been warm-blooded and haired. Proposals have been made to reclassify the pterosaurs, dinosaurs, and certain other groups out of the class Reptilia into one or more classes of their own. The class Reptilia is divided into 6 to 12 subclasses by different authorities. This includes living and extinct species. In addition, a number of these subclasses are completely extinct. The subclasses contain about 24 orders, but only 4 of these are still represented by living animals. Of the living orders of reptiles, two arose earlier than the age of reptiles, when dinosaurs were dominant. Tuataras, of the order Rhynchocephalia, are found only on New Zealand islands, whereas the equally ancient turtles, order Chelonia, occur nearly worldwide. The order Crocodilia emerged along with the dinosaurs. Snakes and lizards, order Squamata, are today the most numerous reptile species. The Rhynchocephalia constitute the oldest order of living reptiles; the only surviving representative of the group is the tuatara, or sphenodon (Sphenodon punctatus). Structurally, the tuatara is not much different from related forms, also assigned to the order Rhynchocephalia, that may have appeared as early as the Lower Triassic Period (over 2 000 000 000 years ago). The tuatara has two pairs of well-developed limbs, a strong tail, and a scaly crest down the neck and back. The scales, which cover the entire animal, vary in size. The tuatara also has a bony arch, low on the skull behind the eye, that is not found in lizards. Finally, the teeth of the tuatara are acrodont - i.e., attached to the rim of the jaw rather than inserted in sockets. Chelonia, another ancient order of reptiles, is chiefly characterised by a shell that encloses the vital organs of the body and more or less protects the head and limbs. The protective shell, to which the evolutionary success of turtles is largely attributed, is a casing of bone covered by horny shields. Plates of bone are fused with ribs, vertebrae, and elements of shoulder and hip girdles. There are many shell variations and modifications from family to family, some of them extreme. At its highest development, the shell is not only surprisingly strong but also completely protective. The lower shell (plastron) can be closed so snuggly against the upper (carapace) that a thin knife blade could not be inserted between them. A third order of the class Reptilia is Crocodilia. Crocodiles are generally large, ponderous, amphibious animals, somewhat lizardlike in appearance, and carnivorous. They have powerful jaws with conical teeth and short legs and clawed, webbed toes. The tail is long and massive and the skin thick and plated. Their snout is relatively long and varies considerably in proportions and shape. The thick, large horny plates that cover most of the body are generally arranged in a regular pattern. The form of the is adapted to its amphibious way of life. Finally, the elongated body with its long, muscular paddletail is well suited to rapid swimming. The final

The Death Penalty in the United States Research Paper

The Death Penalty in the United States - Research Paper Example Opponents also assert that the practice is overtly costly and racially biased while not realizing the intended outcome. Proponents think it is neither cruel nor unusual, quite the opposite, they think it fair and just. The objective of this study is to discuss the moral and legal concerns that literally are a life and death issue and is a key barometer when measuring a cultures collective conscience. The ‘eye for an eye’ faction not only accepts but insists that the death penalty be sustained and has supporting rational to back up their argument which will be covered comprehensively in this discussion. It will also take into account the opponents’ reasoning concerning why it should be eliminated along with the legal precedents concerned in an effort to achieve a comprehensive view of the capital punishment debate. Legal speaking, capital punishment is not unusual, by definition, unless one acknowledges the racial bias that exists throughout the justice system. The law cannot define whether it is cruel or not. Cruelty can be defined only by the collective social conscious of a society. The legal interpretation of the combined ‘cruel and unusual’ is open to debate, to some extent but the general usage of the word ‘cruel’ refers to vicious punishments that cause extreme pain. Most legal scholars agree that punishments that include body dismemberment or torture are unquestionably classified as cruel. The term torture was evidently open for debate during the past decade but the word means essentially the same universally; causing unwanted physical or mental anguish. The word ‘unusual’ is normally understood to mean going beyond what is an equitable application of punishment for an offense. For instance, if ten people were ticketed for a traffic violation and judge fined nine of them $150 but one was charged $1500, this punishment would be considered ‘unusual.’ Taken together in the phrase, †˜prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment’ signifies that the penalty should be apportioned equitably according to the specific offense committed. A ‘life’ prison sentence is an acceptable punishment but not if this punishment was imposed for jaywalking, that would be an obviously unacceptable sentence imposition because it is considered excessive and extreme given the nature of the offense. Excessive is a term that is also open to broad interpretation in both the legal and public realm. Some would contend, for example, that any amount of time imposed for ‘crimes’ such as the possession of drugs, prostitution and gambling should be interpreted as excessive consequently ‘unusual.’ The Supreme Court has on many occasions judged the merits of the death penalty and this action is interpreted as punishment which is cruel and unusual by the Constitution. The Court has consistently ruled the language of the Eighth Amendment does not prohibit t he death sentence as punishment. The Constitution was meant to be and is a malleable document, however. The judicial interpretation of the Eighth Amendment has evolved to some extent throughout the years. Therefore the Court could potentially reverse this standpoint at a future time as result of changing societal values. For instance, whipping convicted criminals was routine until the late Eighteenth Century. This practice is now considered to be inappropriate because society’s attitude changed to define it as a ‘cruel’ punishment. With respect to capital punishment, however, â€Å"

Negotiation & cross cultural communication Essay

Negotiation & cross cultural communication - Essay Example It is noteworthy to mention that the company has successfully fulfilled all â€Å"minimum† requirements required by the State. Therefore, to hold the company legally wrong would not be practically possible. The company has a strong case since it has complied with the legal requirements. The question now arises as to the ‘ethical’ obligations of the company in a foreign land- a case that has historically been a complex one. The Chinese negotiator employs a mix of ‘win-win’ and ‘win-lose’ strategies (Fang, 2006). Ultimately, however, the choice of either strategy is dependent of the level of trust prevalent in the situation (Fang, 2006). Therefore, as mentioned earlier, the development of trust between the two parties by the company shall be a deciding factor. In this case, however, it is highly likely that the Chinese farmers shall deploy a competitive negotiation style (as opposed to a co-operative one) due to the presence of foreigners ( the British and Germans running Zhengcheng in this case) (Fang, 2006). High-ranking employees must, therefore, be sent to negotiate with the farmers as a sign of respect and regard to their concerns (Faure, 1998). The individuals dealing with the Chinese must demonstrate significant level of patience and power to take decisions. The negotiating team must include a lawyer who’s thoroughly abreast of Chinese law as well as international best practices. This individual shall also strengthen the link between the foreign party and the Chinese farmers. Furthermore, it would be fruitful to include the company’s Chinese counterparts during the discussion as these shall act to enhance the level of trust between the two parties. Given their native Chinese ‘sense’ they shall be able to understand and respond to the underlying Chinese tricks in a better manner compared to the Westerners (Fang, 2006). Considering the fact that the Chinese tend to have a low level of tr ust for foreign stakes in their land, it would also be useful to include government support for Zhengcheng’s operations during the negotiation process. Towards the end, it is highly desirable to demonstrate to the Chinese that similar contractual agreements have been formerly accepted by other Chinese parties (Fang, 2006). The Chinese are highly risk-averse individuals; hence, by doing so the company would majorly mitigate the risks faced by the Chinese farmers. However, this may not be possible given that it is a first-time situation in this case. The company lawyer, however, may be able to assist in this regard and demonstrate cases of other Western companies reaching similar agreements with the Chinese in the past. The communication process in this case is a complex one since it involves taking into account various cross-cultural dynamics between the parties. The major issue is the ethical concerns by residents of China regarding Zhengcheng Ltd.’s waste disposal mec hanisms that have contaminated the production of lychees. It is in the best interests of the company to deploy significant level of culture-specific communication strategies to deal with the concerns of the Chinese farmers. It is imperative that the Western party engages in pre-negotiation discourse with the Chinese farmer