National Organization for Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

National Organization for Women - Essay Example The amendment known as Equal Rights Amendment had been introduced by Alice Paul, and it sought to make men and women have equal rights all over the United States, as well as any other place under its jurisdiction (Wood 85). The amendment received opposition, and it is unfortunate that up to this moment, it has not been ratified. Some people believe that collective action problems played a significant role in the Equal Rights Amendment’s ratification failure. This implies that the pro-ERA lobby groups did not co-ordinate their actions well while fighting for the common cause. Women were not united in their struggle for their rights. This was demonstrated by some women leaders such as Phyllis Schlafly, the right-wing leader of Eagle Forum, a lobby group that was created to stop ERA. Women who were in this group argued that ERA was going to deny women the right to obtain support from their husbands, women were going to be sent to battles, women’s privacy rights were going to be reversed, and that homosexual marriages and abortion rights was going to be upheld. Schlafly presented a consistent and coherent message, and this defeated the dispersed efforts from pro-ERA forces (Critchlow 215). The National Organization of Women (NOW) decided not to pursue a centrally managed and hierarchically organized support program for ERA. This is because it was faced with dilemmas regarding the organizational style to use while pushing for the amendment. This dilemma was brought about by the manner in which Schlafly’s opposition was well organized. If NOW had chosen to adhere to its decentralized and participatory style of management to agitate for ratification of ERA against the properly orchestrated campaign, there was no way it was going to be successful. Its only option to counter Schlafly’s campaign was to adopt the same campaign style, and this would mean that it compromises its ideals. Therefore, NOW chose to stick to its accustomed methods, and this led to ERA’s defeat. The ratification process was also made difficult by some external factors. For instance, the Supreme Court’s decision on the abortion case, Roe v. Wade on 22 Jan 1973, as well as the countrywide appreciation for Senator Sam Ervin as the chairman of the Senate Watergate hearings that commenced in May, made it difficult for the proponents of ERA. Social conservatives and fundamentalists were angered by the decriminalization of abortion, and to make it worse, ERA was linked with upholding of the abortion rights (Wood 86). Therefore, they campaigned against ERA as a way of retaliating the Supreme Court’s ruling. On the other hand, Senator Ervin had exemplary performed his duty as the chairman of the Senate Watergate hearings; thus, he was viewed as a savior to the United States Constitution. His portfolio, as the Senate opposing leader to ERA, played a significant role in influencing the southern states to refuse to ratify ERA. It is worth noting that Schlafly also made use of Senator Ervin’s influence to propel her campaigns. She included Senator Ervin’s wife in her campaigns in order to make her campaigns have a national appeal bearing in mind that Senator Ervin was highly regarded (Critchlow 220). NOW and pro-ERA lobby groups had difficulties handling the pressures that was being exerted by the opposition groups. This is attributed to the fact that several opposition groups kept springing, and their number

This coursework assignment is to investigate resistance Essay Example for Free

This coursework assignment is to investigate resistance Essay To investigate it, we must first understand it. What is it? Where does it come from? The most fundamental basis to understanding resistance is to know about current. Electric current is a flow of electric charges. Like water in a heating system, the charged particles are already in the conductors. Most electrons in a conductor (e. g. copper) are held tightly to their atoms, but each atom in a conductor has a couple of electrons that are loosely held. Since the electrons are negatively charged, an atom that loses an electron is left with a positive charge (since the protons remain), and is called an ion. This means that copper (and all similar conductors) consist of a lattice of ions surrounded by free electrons. The ions can only vibrate in their current state, but the electrons can move randomly throughout the lattice. All metals (conductors) are made this way. When a battery is attached to a metal, the free electrons are repelled by the negative terminal and attracted by the positive one. They still move randomly, but they all move slowly in the same direction with a steady drift velocity. This is a flow of charge, an electric current. Current is measured in Amps (I). A simple circuit through a conductor looks like this: The greater the resistance of a component, the harder it is for charge to flow through it. In a conductor with a higher resistance, the electrons have more collisions with the ions than if they were flowing through a conductor with lower resistance. If there is a potential difference (Voltage, V) across a conductor, a current (Amps, I) goes through it. But when you apply the same potential difference across different conductors, the currents are different. For example, if we put a potential difference of 230V across a kettle and toaster, the current in the kettle is 10A, whereas the current in the toaster is only 5A. The current is smaller in the toaster so it must have a higher resistance. Resistance is measured in ohms (? ) and has this definition: The resistance of a conductor is the ratio of potential difference applied across it, to the current passing through it So the formula for resistance is: Resistance, R = Potential difference across the conductor, V (volts) (? ) Current through the conductor, I (amps) or R = V or V = I R I As the potential difference doubles, so does the current. This means the resistance of a wire is constant. This rule was discovered by Georg Ohm and is true for all metals at a constant temperature. As long as a metal is kept at a constant temperature, the current through a conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference across it This is ohms law, and it can help us to get good results. There are a number of factors affecting how much resistance a conductor has. They are these: Type of material Different conductors have different levels of resistivity. E. g. Copper has a much lower resistance than nichrome.   Length A short wire has less resistance than a long one. The free electrons have to travel a farther distance in the long wire, passing between more ions. This increases the chances of an electron hitting one, therefore there are more collisions, thus a higher resistance.   Cross-sectional area A thin wire has more resistance than a thick one. This is simple due to the fact that more electrons can flow through a thicker wire, similar to the way more water can pass through a wider pipe. Temperature In metals, a hot wire has more resistance than a cold one. This is because, as a metal heats up, the ions vibrate more. This increases the chance of them colliding with electrons, thus there is a higher resistance. The resistance of a wire at constant temperature depends on its dimensions, and the material from which it is made. Every material has a property called its resistivity (p). It is measured in ohm metres (? m). The higher the resistivity, the harder it is to charge flow through the material. Conductors have low resistivities and insulators have very high ones. If we know the resistivity, the cross-sectional area and the length of a sample material, we can calculate its resistance thus: Resistance, R = Resistivity, p (? m) x length, l (m) or R = p l (? ) Cross-sectional area, A (m2) A So now that we understand what resistance what are we going to do with it? Why an experiment of course! Im going to be investigating how the length of a wire affects the resistance. I will try passing the same voltage through different lengths of the same wire and see how length affects the resistivity. Prediction I predict that the longer the wire is, the higher the resistance.

Deaf :: Personal Narrative Writing

Deaf The fresh wound didn’t seem like it would be such a problem until I saw the blood trickling out. Sure, when I had cut my self by grabbing a piece of saw palmetto, I felt my skin ripping and quickly retracted my right hand. However, my want for adventure to explore the tree island overcame the small bit of pain I felt. An adrenaline rush helped me overcome all of the annoyances pushing through the dense brim of the island, like palmetto leaves and spider webs, as well as the myriad of other obstacles upon finally penetrating. First there was the ground that wasn’t as firm as I thought it was; my right sneaker falling victim to the deceptive scattered branches that littered the floor, probably only inches thick, allowing water to creep in and wet my sock. Then there were the dead branches that I tried to use as a bridge to avoid this, which snapped under my overbearing 150 pounds. And of course every branch was connected to the last by a series of intricate spider webs; every one I ducked to get under just happened to have a neighbor right underneath. The list goes on. But the small wound where the palm of my hand met my thumb didn’t seem like it would be a big deal until I was back in the boat. I didn’t realize that it would trigger such intense emotions and drag me so deep into a pit of despair. Sitting there, about to row towards the professors, a bead of sweat dripped into the wound. Not only did I realize that this tiny cut would be a bother until it scabbed, but the pain of a half a day’s rowing suddenly caught up. Then I realized that the â€Å"adventure† of walking through the tree island had felt more like a difficult mission than the fun time I had expected. This got me really upset. Here I thought I was doing so well, because I had canoed various times before, and I had walked through equally difficult vegetation. So why was I so upset? Why was I so damaged, and in so much pain? I wanted to scream! Instead I let out my frustrations on the mosquitoes, swatting them away while my canoe partner fought his way back into the canoe. Deaf :: Personal Narrative Writing Deaf The fresh wound didn’t seem like it would be such a problem until I saw the blood trickling out. Sure, when I had cut my self by grabbing a piece of saw palmetto, I felt my skin ripping and quickly retracted my right hand. However, my want for adventure to explore the tree island overcame the small bit of pain I felt. An adrenaline rush helped me overcome all of the annoyances pushing through the dense brim of the island, like palmetto leaves and spider webs, as well as the myriad of other obstacles upon finally penetrating. First there was the ground that wasn’t as firm as I thought it was; my right sneaker falling victim to the deceptive scattered branches that littered the floor, probably only inches thick, allowing water to creep in and wet my sock. Then there were the dead branches that I tried to use as a bridge to avoid this, which snapped under my overbearing 150 pounds. And of course every branch was connected to the last by a series of intricate spider webs; every one I ducked to get under just happened to have a neighbor right underneath. The list goes on. But the small wound where the palm of my hand met my thumb didn’t seem like it would be a big deal until I was back in the boat. I didn’t realize that it would trigger such intense emotions and drag me so deep into a pit of despair. Sitting there, about to row towards the professors, a bead of sweat dripped into the wound. Not only did I realize that this tiny cut would be a bother until it scabbed, but the pain of a half a day’s rowing suddenly caught up. Then I realized that the â€Å"adventure† of walking through the tree island had felt more like a difficult mission than the fun time I had expected. This got me really upset. Here I thought I was doing so well, because I had canoed various times before, and I had walked through equally difficult vegetation. So why was I so upset? Why was I so damaged, and in so much pain? I wanted to scream! Instead I let out my frustrations on the mosquitoes, swatting them away while my canoe partner fought his way back into the canoe.

What Has Science Done For Your Life Lately?

Plenty. If you think science doesn't matter much to you, think again. Science affects us all, every day of the year, from the moment we wake up, all day long, and through the night. Your digital alarm clock, the weather report, the asphalt you drive on, the bus you ride in, your decision to eat a baked potato instead of fries, your cell phone, the antibiotics that treat your sore throat, the clean water that comes from your faucet, and the light that you turn off at the end of the day have all been brought to you courtesy of science. The modern world would not be modern at all without the understandings and technology enabled by science. To make it clear how deeply science is interwoven with our lives, just try imagining a day without scientific progress. Just for starters, without modern science, there would be:Ð ¢o way to use electricity. From Ben Franklin's studies of static and lightning in the 1700s, to Alessandro Volta's first battery, to the key discovery of the relationship between electricity and magnetism, science has steadily built up our understanding of electricity, which today carries our voices over telephone lines, brings entertainment to our televisions, and keeps the lights on.No plastic. The first completely synthetic plastic was made by a chemist in the early 1900s, and since then, chemistry has developed a wide variety of plastics suited for all sorts of jobs, from blocking bullets to making slicker dental floss.No modern agriculture. Science has transformed the way we eat today. In the 1940s, biologists began developing high-yield varieties of corn, wheat, and rice, which, when paired with new fertilizers and pesticides developed by chemists, dramatically increased the amount of food that could be harvested from a single field, ushering in the Green Revolution. These science-based technologies triggered striking changes in agriculture, massively increasing the amount of food available to feed the world and simultaneously transforming the economic structure of agricultural practices.No modern medicine. In the late 1700s, Edward Jenner first convincingly showed that vaccination worked. In the 1800s, scientists and doctors established the theory that many diseases are caused by germs. And in the 1920s, a biologist discovered the first antibiotic. From the eradication of smallpox, to the prevention of nutritional deficiencies, to successful treatments for once deadly infections, the impact of modern medicine on global health has been powerful. In fact, without science, many people alive today would have instead died of diseases that are now easily treated.Scientific knowledge can improve the quality of life at many different levels — from the routine workings of our everyday lives to global issues. Science informs public policy and personal decisions on energy, conservation, agriculture, health, transportation, communication, defense, economics, leisure, and exploration. It's almost impossible to overstate how ma ny aspects of modern life are impacted by scientific knowledge. Here we'll discuss just a few of these examples. You can investigate:Fueling technologyMaking strides in medicineGetting personalShaping society

Information Systems Case Study

Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studies J. G. Thoburn Coventry University, UK S. Arunachalam Coventry University, UK A. Gunasekaran University of Massachusetts, North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, USA Keywords Information systems, Agile production, Small-to-medium-sized enterprises Introduction Today, manufacturing organisations are increasingly required to be highly optimised.Abstract The ability to respond swiftly and effectively The necessity of maintaining optito produce new products and services has mal operations and becoming an agile and responsive enterprise is become not so much a method of gaining competitive advantage, but more a means of becoming increasingly important to survive in the global market. survival. Many companies have seen the need Consequently, all resources in the to adopt a whole range of practices that reduce companies need to be effectively inputs and waste, and allow greater responmarshalled.Tradit ionally SMEs siveness to customer needs and the markethave concentrated on the 4Ms  ± money, materials, machine and place. In reaction to changing requirements manpower but have often neand conditions, manufacturing paradigms glected the effective management continue to be defined. It is possible to identify of information, which many authors suggest is at the heart of two trends: those addressing predominantly any agile organisation.The effect the relationships required in local and global is inadequate or fragmented infor- trading environments such as that described mation systems (IS) that do not by Porter (1996) and those systems focusing on address the demands of operational or the wider strategic needs organisational structures within an enterof the company. The study reprise such as business process re-engineering ported here examines the diversi(Hammer and Champy, 1993).Arguably, the ties of problems that occur in agile manufacturing paradigm combines both. three different companies and, Changes in information technology and compares their systems to the communications in the last two decades have ideals of agile manufacturing. further shifted the balance towards the customer. There has been a huge growth in the number of computers in use, putting huge power on the desktop, at ever-decreasing hardware cost.The arrival of the Internet and the expansion of the free market in telecommunications present the option of simple and low cost communication. Now it has become easy for all players in the supply chain, or even individual consumers, to measure specification, price and supply performance against their needs. They can purchase goods that precisely meet their requirements from anywhere in the world, bypassing any perceived shortcomings of their local marketplace.In response to the need for agility or the requirements to link different parts of the International Journal of Agile organisation or elements of a supply chain Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 effectively, systems are emerging that may # MCB University Press fundamentally change the organisation of [ISSN 1465-4652] manufacturing. In order that they might [ 116 ] achieve this, companies must clearly understand and organise their information resources at the earliest possible stage in their development.It is clear that only those enterprises that are able to respond to market demands with minimum delay will survive. Kidd (1996) argues: The agility that arises can be used for competitive advantage, by being able to respond rapidly to changes occurring in the market environment and through the ability to use and exploit a fundamental resource, knowledge. People need to be brought together, in dynamic teams formed around clearly defined market opportunities, so that it becomes possible to level one another's knowledge. Through this process is sought the transformation of knowledge into new products and services.High reaction flexibility will be no more than a qualif ier in the future, just as high quality is today. This flexibility cannot be realised by high-tech equipment alone. Human creativity and organisational ability, if necessary supported by advanced computer based tools, will be the basis for survival and success strategies. This paper describes studies over a period of 15 months, of three companies, and analyses how far they are away from possessing the ability to become agile, by examining the areas that were dysfunctional.It explores the importance of information management and appraises information systems in place in these companies. It discusses the need for a more structured and holistic approach to transferring information in its various forms to the different areas of an organisation, aiming to give optimal access to information while eliminating wasteful duplication as well as generating and testing new knowledge about the firm's changing requirements. Information defined The term information is widely and often inaccurately used. Many authors agree that J. G. Thoburn, S. Arunachalam and A.Gunasekaran Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studies International Journal of Agile Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 there are three elemental types: data, information and knowledge. However, this paper argues that there is a fourth, intelligence, which is distinct from the others. All but data require an understanding of the socially defined context  ± where the information, knowledge and intelligence came from, the assumptions surrounding them, and their importance and limitations. Each of them may be defined as follows: .Data: a series of observations, measurements or facts. . Information: information is data organised into meaningful patterns by means of the application of knowledge. The act of organising data into information can itself generate knowledge, when a person reads, understands, interprets and applies the information in a specific wor k situation. . Knowledge: the intellectual capital resident within an organisation. The facts, experiences or competencies known by a person or group of people, or held within an organisation, gained by individual or shared experiences, training or education. Intelligence: what a company needs to know about its competitive, economic, technical and industry environment to enable it to anticipate change and formulate strategies to best provide for the needs of the marketplace and its specific customers. Yet many aspects of a company's IS are based, not around formal or technology based solutions, but rather on informal or human oriented systems. Mintzberg (1997) examined a wide range of managerial work, predominantly in large organisations. He reported that managers, while 40 percent of their time was devoted to gaining and sharing information, usually used informal systems centred on people.Nevertheless, he concluded that: the job of managing is fundamentally one of processing inform ation. that managing a company was essentially a matter of control. However, this implies a rigidity of framework and formality that does not fit well with today's organisation, and certainly does not promote agility. Flatter, less hierarchical business systems localise control and make it difficult for management to achieve enterprise-wide regulation. Smith (1984) however, believed that the vitality of living systems was not a matter of control, but rather of dynamic connectedness.Veryard (1994) argues that: systems are a dynamic interplay between adaptation and non-adaptation. This is precisely what is required in agile organisations, where there remains the need for stability and accountability, in an environment of necessary and perhaps rapid change. Dynamic connectedness in an agile organisation is provided by the flows of formal and informal information. Veryard further suggests that: the future belongs to symbiosis  ± external integration in pursuit of common business aims. The authors' research and experience shows that informal systems are equally important in every part of the organisation.This appears to be especially true in smaller organisations, where they have less developed formal systems, or formal systems are not performing optimally. In order to better understand and integrate the IS, the vital role of informal systems must be taken into account. The need for information systems in SMEs to successfully communicate and control For the better part of this century, classical management writers such as Henri Fayol (1949) and Gulick and Urwick (1937) taught This is evidenced in those extended enterprises now reported to be emerging.If this biological view is pursued, it can be seen that biological organisms, especially human ones, achieve precisely the continuous adaptation that is described in the agile paradigm. The most successful individuals are able to blend information from their external environment, with knowledge of their own capabilit ies, using formal and informal systems, whilst retaining information and knowledge in memory. There is constant building and retention of knowledge, with competencies taught by example as well as by the formal methods to be found in education and training.Concurrently, many of the control and co-ordination systems, even those learned, become largely autonomic, permitting more effective processing of environmental and circumstantial changes. Such systems may be clearly observed at work in individuals when they are, for example, driving a vehicle. Failure to function effectively in those circumstances leads to severe consequences. Also, by combining with other individuals, capabilities may be extended to be far more than the sum of the parts.Accordingly, biological systems may provide useful models for what may be expected to occur in manufacturing organisations of the future. With biological organisms, the need for adaptive ISs is most profound in growth and early learning stages, or in times of a significantly changing environment. Failure to adapt and learn from conditions [ 117 ] J. G. Thoburn, S. Arunachalam and A. Gunasekaran Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studies International Journal of Agile Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 ay lead to survival difficulties. Similarly, small or growing companies, or those adapting to rapidly changing market conditions will require a dynamically linked IS that binds together all parts of the enterprise, and allows it to adapt to its external environment. This may be very different to the rather rigid systems of the past, operating on pre-defined rules and algorithms. Yet it must be within the reach of the smallest company functioning at low resource levels, which may well preclude expensive and complex IT based systems.Information management differences between large companies and SMEs The EC and the UK Government's Department of Trade and Industry have identified SMEs as critical to future economic growth and job creation within the European Union. They form large and important sectors in most industrialised countries, especially in Europe and the USA. Yet significant differences exist between the management of SMEs and larger companies, where much of the research in this field is concentrated.Just as a small fishing boat and a passenger liner may share the same ocean, so SMEs share the global trading environment with large organisations, and are no less susceptible to environmental effects. Indeed it may be argued that just like the smaller vessel, they are much less able to ride out the storms of uncertainty and rapid change, because of their lower resource base. As a result, they must be more, not less vigilant and adaptive than their larger counterparts, with intelligence systems able to influence their strategy and knowledge base much quicker.The Society of Practitioners of Insolvency in the UK concluded (SPI, 1998) from thei r 1998 survey that many companies, mostly SMEs, fail from lack of information  ± with loss of market being the single most important factor. Case studies Research took place in three companies over a period of three months with Company A, and more than six months each for Companies B and C, when one of the authors was in daily attendance. The companies were self-selected for study. Full access was allowed to every part of the business, its operations, management and financial systems, and to all employees.Research took the form of observation, participatory ethnographic and action research. Questioning of employees used unstructured or semi-structured interviews. [ 118 ] Company A was part of a large international group, operating in a number of countries and in every major geographical area in the world, with a group turnover at the time of the study around ? 1 billion. The group consisted in total of eleven divisions each producing a different product. The division studied was l ocated in France, and had approximately 200 employees. The company has been established a number of years and operates under an ISO 002 based system, as well as a number of other quality assurance regimes. The organisation manufactured a variety of special, large-scale products for the oil field, nuclear and defences industries worldwide. These complex products were produced individually to specific customer requirements. Lead times on nuclear products ranged from one to two years, and for the others, from six to 12 months. The products were manufactured as individual one-off specials, in a job-shop operation. The company was divided into seven departments, three by product sector, and the remainder by function.One of the latter was the information technology department. Unlike other departments, although it had a functioning office in the French division it was not a part of the local company; IT was attached directly to the parent company in Germany. Its responsibilities encompass ed the development and operation of the main computer and software systems used on the site for production management, purchasing, sales, production costing, and time and attendance systems. The department had additional responsibilities for networks and PCs which variously ran under MsDOS, Windows and Macintosh formats.Where information transfer took place between departments, it was almost entirely carried out manually, transferring information to paper, and then manually transferring it to the next system. No section used the same nomenclature or data dictionary for parts and components. The organisational design was partly hierarchical and partly a matrix structure, and used a predominantly formal communications network. There were a substantial number of formal and informal meetings, through which much of the departmental and inter-departmental co-ordination was attempted.All formal systems describing the company's operation and administration were well documented. Each departm ent, though relatively autonomous, seemed to be run with apparent efficiency. The operations and production management elements were especially highly developed, Company A J. G. Thoburn, S. Arunachalam and A. Gunasekaran Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studies International Journal of Agile Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 and had been subjected to repeated internal scrutiny as well as by local universities.Despite this, the company experienced considerable difficulties in meeting quoted leadtimes. Those lead-times were already longer than their major competitors, and the company was also losing price-competitiveness. As much as 50 percent over-run on lead times was common, and substantial underachievement of possible turnover, and erosion of market share resulted. Otherwise the company and its products enjoyed a long-standing high reputation, though the managers believed that without this, considerably greater eros ion of market would have occurred.Their major competitors, predominantly Japanese and American, through price, technical improvements, and a significantly better responsiveness and delivery performance, were nevertheless making increasing gains at the company's expense. The company was a self-contained profit centre, a division of a larger group that trades throughout the UK. There were approximately 25 employees on the site, though there were wide fluctuations in the total due to a self-imposed seasonality in turnover. Certain support services such as accounting and human resources management were provided from the central holding company.Otherwise the company was responsible for all aspects of its operations. The company was engaged in metal finishing to the engineering industry and as a first tier supplier to several Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). It had two production lines and operated under an ISO 9002 system. The formal IS of the company revolved around the sales or der processing (SOP) system operated from group headquarters and accessed remotely over a fixed link. SOP formed part of a non-standard accounting system, originally written for another group company operating in a non-manufacturing sector.The system itself was user unfriendly and slow, and no intuitive use was possible. At the start of the study only one person, the production supervisor, had any training in SOP. However, that training gave even him only limited knowledge of the system. Cryptic codes and generic descriptions entered by him into SOP made it impossible for others to distinguish between one product and another, and the division could not operate in his absence. Product and process knowledge was almost wholly vested in the production supervisor's head.There was no formal planning or production scheduling system, and no collection system for information concerning production times and material usage. Inter- Company B nal and external rejects were not generally noted or analysed. The company had three stand-alone personal computers, two of them extremely outdated. The central management-accountant exercised the most stringent control, and the company was expected to make bottom-line operating profits each month. The whole operational objectives became focused only upon this, and ignored other fundamentals.To reduce costs, â€Å"non-essential† spending such as machine maintenance, health and safety, training, housekeeping and sales were ruthlessly cut. Those â€Å"savings† often represented all of the profits made by the division. The lack of an IS significantly increased the time spent preparing reports, reduced their accuracy and eroded local management time. At the start of the study, new management was installed in the company. Several initiatives aimed at improving operating performance were considered. The absence of any suitable or appropriate IS soon emerged.In some cases, lack of coherent historical information prevented the j ustification of proposed initiatives, while the effectiveness of others could not be judged within the imposed monthly timescale. Machine and process measurement systems were designed and put into place. They quickly showed that processes were incapable. Similarly, measures of rejects and returns showed that external rejects were in excess of 30 percent while internal rejects were almost 60 percent. An analysis indicated the causes of the problems, and allowed them to be addressed.Reject rates fell to less than 1 percent within a few weeks. However the centre continued to rigorously apply the accountant's previous control measures. A monthly operating profit remained a continuous and absolute requirement even though large backlogs of rejects, and uncoated, badly corroded customer parts required processing, and machines needed to be brought to reliable operating condition. Consequently, employee training was vetoed, and workforce stabilisation measures overturned. In a climate previo usly dominated by dismissals and redundancy, the workforce actively delayed the implementation of an IS.After some time, substantial employee involvement began to overcome this barrier, and they became enthusiastic participants in data collection and process improvement. Customer confidence began to return and the customer base marginally improved. However, the new IS also begun to uncover previous managerial shortcomings, especially at group level. In response, draconian short-term financial measures were applied [ 119 ] J. G. Thoburn, S. Arunachalam and A. Gunasekaran Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studies International Journal of Agile Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 rom the centre, and initiatives overruled. The workforce was further reduced, and training programmes cancelled. Workforce morale and customer confidence fell sharply. The division has now closed. Company C was a private limited company, whose dire ctors were its owner-managers. There were approximately 60 employees, with recruitment rising because of rapid growth and expansion. The company was in its third year of trading. The company operated under a newly introduced ISO 9002 based system. The company had two product lines. The first produced simple, low volume components for the automotive sector.The second built components for the machine tool industry. The operations involved in both of these activities were largely manual. The second group of products were much more complex  ± many containing more than one thousand sub-components. A number of variants of each were produced, and all work was carried out by hand. Much of the information within the company was held on personal computers. The internal system was networked into three sections; operations management (OM), purchasing and administration. OM includes quality assurance and control (QA), and a computer aided design (CAD) station.Each section was independent of th e others. Employees were inadequately trained in the use of software and frequent problems arose through their lack of understanding of the packages in use. There was considerable duplication of data entry, with employees in each of the sections entering and extracting information in an unstructured manner. Where information transfer took place between sections, it was almost entirely carried out manually, transferring information to paper, and then manually transferring it to the next system. No section used the same nomenclature or data dictionary for parts and components.Manufacturers' references and descriptions were entered in a casual and unstructured way, making cross-referencing impossible. The data structure of each system was entirely different, and there were further large differences even within systems. CAD and QA were not integrated into the OM system. Consequently, internal systems were largely unsynchronised. As they grew in size, so the problems that they created we re progressively magnified. Build and wiring order was an important factor, particularly in the case of control cabinets. It could significantly affect productivity, quality and finished appearance.Company C Consequently, the order and format of cutting and build lists were central to production aims. Despite this, methods of list production failed to recognise this. It was difficult to derive build-order from examination of design information alone. Product variants caused additional difficulties and required translation by unskilled production operatives. As a result, operatives frequently transferred build instructions onto handwritten sheets and maintained unofficial work instruction systems. There was no formal method of transferring or retaining their build-order knowledge.Comparative attributes, and a summary of the most significant problems arising from the collection and use of information, knowledge and data for each of the three companies are shown in Table I. Identified success factors/ dysfunctional areas In order to more accurately compare and analyse the areas of dysfunction in each of the companies it is necessary to use an objective measure. Bailey and Pearson (1983) have produced one of the most definitive and widely used lists of factors that identify the success factors in ISs. Li (1997) added a further seven factors.These 46 elements have been used to form a matrix, shown in Table II, against which the ISs of the case study companies can be compared. However we have made minor modifications to some of the original criteria to widen references from a computer based information system (CBIS) to simply information system (IS). A hash (#) is shown in the description in these cases. A seven-point scale has been used to describe the degree of success or dysfunction of the IS when first observed. The scale used is as follows: 0 Not applicable 1 Significantly unsuccessful or dysfunctional 2Moderately unsuccessful or dysfunctional 3 Broadly neutral  ± neither successful nor unsuccessful 4 Moderately successful 5 Significantly successful X No information available. Discussion and analysis The companies studied were self-selected, with the only common factor being that they were experiencing operational difficulties which extended to their trading environment in one form or another. There was nothing to suggest that they were other than typical of [ 120 ] J. G. Thoburn, S. Arunachalam and A. Gunasekaran Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studiesInternational Journal of Agile Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 Table I Company attributes Company B UK Manufacturing General engineering Throughout UK Yes Yes 25 Very high Low ? 170k ? 40 million Low Hierarchical High Very low Central Mixed, central file server, local PCs High Low Very low Yes No Very low Manual Management accountant Very high Yes Medium High Very Low Yes Yes Low Directors High Yes Company C UK Manufactu ring Automotive/machine tools English Midlands No N/A 60 Fairly high Low ? 1. 8 million ? 1. million Both high and low Team based Low Medium Local owner/directors Local PCs Characteristic Company A Country of operation Type of company Sales sector Sales area Part of a group High degree of central control Approximate number of employees on site Employee turnover rate General level of employee skills Approximate site sales turnover Approximate group sales turnover Product complexity Organisational structure Organisational formality Degree of manufacturing sophistication Origin of principal control Type of information systemDegree of manual systems Degree of computerisation Degree of IS training Islands of information Local networking Degree of IS integration Transfer between systems Provider of IT support Informal information systems External audit systems (e. g. ISO 9002) France Manufacturing Nuclear engineering/oil and gas production Worldwide Yes No 180 Low Very high ? 12 million ? 900 million High Hierarchical/matrix High Very high Local Mixed, central mainframe (financial), local mainframe and PCs Low High Medium Yes Some Low Manual IT department Medium Yes 121 ] (continued) J. G. Thoburn, S. Arunachalam and A. Gunasekaran Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studies International Journal of Agile Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 [ 122 ] Table I Company B . . . . . . . Characteristic Company A Company C Principal symptoms . . . . . . . Poor lead time performance Higher prices than competitors Loss of market share Serious loss of available turnover through lower throughput times . .Poor quality performance Poor lead time performance Extremely small customer base offering low value work Low profitability High degree of seasonality Poor quality performance Poor lead time performance Poor cash flow Frequent stoppages due to material shortages High degree of duplication and wasted effort Principal ca uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Failures in communication in verbal systems  ± formal and informal Need to manually transfer data between separate IT systems leading to delays and inaccuracy Poor communication with suppliers and failure to keep adequate ata on vendor performance Lack of unified IT and IS strategy . . . . . . . . Lack of any formal operations management and scheduling system Failure to keep manufacturing performance records Control using inappropriate measurements Failure to monitor customers' records and address reasons for erosion of customer base Failure to understand market conditions Failure to understand employment market Self-imposed seasonality High staff turnover and absenteeim Constant loss of skills and competencies Lack of skills sharing Poor training Inappropriate SOP systemInformation systems unable to cope with rates of growth Unstructured data gathering Inappropriate transfer of information to factory floor leading to proliferation of informa l systems Failure to feed back information and knowledge from production Failure to understand employment market Limited knowledge base and deliberate limiting of skills base Lack of understanding of quality failures Lack of appropriate IT training Inappropriate IT systems Ad-hoc IT systems leading to Lack of unified IT and IS strategyJ. G. Thoburn, S. Arunachalam and A. Gunasekaran Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studies International Journal of Agile Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 Table II Success factors and dysfunctional areas Factor no. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 Description factor Top management involvement Competition between computer based information system (CBIS) and non-CBIS units Allocation priorities for IS resources (#) Chargeback method of payment for services Relationship between users and the CBIS s taff Communications between users and the CBIS staff Technical competence of the CBIS staff Attitude of the CBIS staff Scheduling of CBIS products and services Time required for systems development Processing of requests for system changes Vendor's maintenance support Response/turnaround time Means of input/output with CBIS centre Convenience of access Accuracy of output Timeliness of output Precision of output Reliability of output Currency of output Completeness of output Format of output Features of computer language used Volume of output Realisation of user requirements Correction of errors Security of data and models Documentation of systems and procedures User's expectation of computer-based support User's understanding of the systems Perceived utility (worth vs. ost) User's confidence in the systems User's participation Personal control over the IS (#) Training provided to users Job effects of computer-based support Organisational position of the IS unit (#) Flexibility of th e systems Integration of the systems User's attitude toward the IS (#) Clarity of output Instructiveness of output Support of productivity tools Productivity improved by the IS (#) Efficiency of the systems Effectiveness of the systems A 3 2 3 X 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 X 4 4 4 3 2 3 3 2 4 4 4 2 4 4 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 Company B 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 C 2 3 2 0 4 2 2 2 2 2 3 1 2 3 4 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 1 2 4 2 3 3 4 4 1 2 5 4 2 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 companies of their size or sector. The studies aimed to determine the extent of use of ISs, report effectiveness and what contribution, if any, their systems had to the areas of dysfunction. They were intended to be preliminary studies from which initial conclusions could be drawn, with reference to published work. By spending a considerable amount of time in each company, and becoming involved with various aspects of their operations, and interacting with employees at all levels in each company, there is a high level of confidence that the systems observed were unaffected by short term experimental bias.Company A, with the highest turnover and backed by a large multi-national parent company was the most resource rich [ 123 ] J. G. Thoburn, S. Arunachalam and A. Gunasekaran Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studies International Journal of Agile Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 company. It possessed a highly sophisticated and well-designed production and operations management system, backed by logistics, quality and design departments each equally efficient in their own right. The IS appears from Table II to perform reasonably well. Yet consistently it was unable to meet promised lead times, often by a substantial margin.It was found that the purchasing department was at the centre of many of the problems, with poor communication with suppliers, and adversarial purchasing based p rincipally on price. The consequence was many late deliveries and variable quality. Yet the true cause of the problems was not discovered to be there. The principal means of information transfer between different sections of the company's IT system was manual. Because of incompatible systems, even at PC level, where both Apple and MsDOS based systems were employed, communication was impossible. Each department's system had grown on an ad hoc basis to fulfil its own needs, without reference to others. Each data transfer took place using printed information, usually in the form of schedules, which was translated, then re-entered manually.There were often delays, some considerable, while this process took place. Subtle yet cumulative changes of data and information took place because of translation errors. This had the effect of de-synchronising the whole system. But the most significant effects on leadtime were not to be found in the IT system, but rather in verbal communication syste ms. A large number of formal and informal meetings were held to exchange information often in response to increasing delays against the planned schedule. In response to pressure, the spokespersons from individual departments often gave incorrect answers, sometimes inadvertently because of the cumulative errors or delays in information transfer.Other times, errors were deliberate, where attempts were apparently made to save face, or under pressure from a senior manager or colleagues, to agree to plans that they knew to be unrealistic. Different participants often repeated this process in turn during a meeting. Accordingly, this information was recorded and became crystallised into the formal system with the result that delays were progressively magnified. Thus it was lack of true dynamic connectedness of the system that created the problems that led to continual poor lead-time performance. In contrast, the IS in Company B was not only seriously deficient and absent in many places, bu t was dysfunctional in every area where it did exist. IT systems were limited, unfriendly and uncoordinated, with training and documentation absent.In the wider system information, and particularly feedback, was deliberately withheld, and knowledge generation stifled in response to the corporate culture. The annual haemorrhage of accumulated skills combined with the lack of training and poor human resources policies substantially added to the problem. Inappropriate measurement and control of the feedback systems that did exist reinforced this culture, and the problems that were occurring. Because of poor management techniques, both internal and external intelligence was ignored for considerable periods of time. At the times attention was placed upon this aspect, the system was incapable of multiple focus, and one set of problems was replaced with another.The response of senior group managers was particularly interesting. As IS was put in place or repaired, long-accumulated problems began to emerge which pointed to previous management failures. Their immediate response was to try to dismantle newly implanted systems, and halt knowledge generation and dissemination, and return to the previous culture. Once they took these steps, failure was inevitable. In Company C, the problems were quite different. There was a clear belief in the ability of computers to solve problems by their mere presence. Yet the growth and structure in their IS was wholly unplanned and uncoordinated, and was incapable of supporting the rapid growth of the organisation.There was substantial redundancy and duplication of software systems, and poor understanding of their capabilities that led to the disablement of important reporting and control facilities. Poor system management and training allowed proliferation of duplicated files, and it was often difficult to determine the correct version of any instruction. As a consequence, a considerably higher level of employee time was expended than necessary, substantially increasing costs. Poor data gathering, knowledge management and information generation techniques exacerbated these problems, and informal systems proliferated. Yet simple trial measures to return acquired manufacturing process and merge formal and informal systems, improved quality, productivity and worker-satisfaction.Information systems in an agile company should contribute to responsiveness as well as to overall corporate and organisational aims (Burgess, 1994; Goldman and Nagel, 1993; Kidd, 1994). There are a number of broadly accepted principles of the agilemanufacturing paradigm that provide the [ 124 ] J. G. Thoburn, S. Arunachalam and A. Gunasekaran Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studies International Journal of Agile Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 basis for a rapid and flexible response to changing trading conditions. That is to say there is emphasis on strategies (Goldman et a l. , 1995), technologies, systems (Cho et al. , 1996; Gillenwater et al. , 1995) and people (Goldman et al. , 1995; Kidd, 1994).In many cases, many authors have placed great emphasis on the technological capabilities of the organisation (Adamides, 1996; Medhat and Rook, 1997; Merat et al. , 1997). Such resources may not be available to smaller companies. Does this necessarily mean that small companies may not be agile. This would be directly contradictory to the long held view that the strength of smaller companies is their inherent flexibility and responsiveness. Nevertheless, from the comparisons shown in Table III it is possible to conclude from this study that the more dysfunctional, and less dynamically connected the IS, the less able the company is to achieve agile outcomes, flexibility and responsiveness, in the broadest sense of its definition (Gehani, 1995; Kidd, 1996). Conclusion and implicationsIn this section consideration is given to three broad issues arising from the case studies: potential implications of the results; preliminary conclusions; and plans for further work. The studies found broadly in line with previous work, though we have suggested that the normal three-part definition of information of data, information and knowledge be extended to include a fourth, intelligence. We have further observed the fundamental importance of informal systems particularly in the case of the two smaller companies B and C. Here personnel at every operational level relied heavily on informal information, and constructed their own systems, either to protect their position, or to operate more effectively.We have also propounded the biological view that human behavioural systems in particular provide a useful view of how responsive organisations should behave if flexibility and responsiveness is the desired outcome. This paper then considered the companies against the background of agile manufacturing and compared their actual performance to the ideals of the paradigm. It can be concluded that in every case in this study, the more dysfunctional and less dynamically connected the IS, the less able the company is to be agile in the broadest sense of its definition. However current tools and techniques of evaluation and design of ISs are far less wellTable III Comparative performance against agility principles Company A Strategy Agile principles Technology Systems Lack of direct integration of IT systems and connectedness of IT and people-centred systems Absent, deficient or dysfunctional. Without effective coordination or integration People Flexibility Outcomes Responsiveness Low Good strategic Good to awareness excellent Low People highly trained, valued and rewarded but failure in communications in people-centred systems People poorly valued and rewarded. No training and deliberate withholding of knowledge in response to company culture Poor B Poor strategic Badly provided, maintained and awareness  ± understood with lack of internal and external intelligence Poor C Strategy held in individuals at board levelLimited, uncoordinated and unplanned. Computers seen as an answer by simply being present Uncoordinated and incapable of adapting to rapidly increasing demand Poor HR policies Rapidly decreasing leading to staff shortages and low reputation. Poor knowledge management Rapidly decreasing [ 125 ] J. G. Thoburn, S. Arunachalam and A. Gunasekaran Difficulties arising from dysfunctional information systems in manufacturing SMEs  ± case studies International Journal of Agile Management Systems 1/2 [1999] 116 ±126 suited to the needs of many companies (Sauer and Lau, 1997), SMEs in particular, and the achievement of their strategic, commercial and operational goals.This suggests that a new and simpler technique is required that aims to lay down the foundation for an IS at an early stage in the development of a company. This system must be capable of being applied by non-specialist managers in circumstances where there may be a mix of information technology and manual systems. Nevertheless it must be one that incorporates the four elements of information that have been defined in this paper. Work to devise such an audit and planning tool, together with a methodology for its application, is currently being undertaken. References Adamides, E. D. (1996), â€Å"Responsibility-based manufacturing†, International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Vol. 11 No. 6, pp. 439-48. Bailey, J. E. and Pearson, S. W. 1983), â€Å"Development of a tool for measuring and analysing computer user satisfaction†, Management Science, Vol. 29 No. 5, May, pp. 519-29. Burgess, T. F. (1994), â€Å"Making the leap to agility: defining and achieving agile manufacturing through business process redesign and business network redesign†, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Vol. 14 No. 11, pp. 23-34. Cho, H. , Jung, MY. and Kim, M. (1996), â€Å"Enabling technologie s of agile manufacturing and its related activities in Korea†, Computers and Industrial Engineering, Vol. 30 No. 3, pp. 323-34. Fayol, H. (1949) General and Industrial Management, Pitman, London. Gehani, R. R. 1995), â€Å"Time-based management of technology: a taxonomic integration of tactical strategic roles†, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 19-35. Gillenwater, E. L. , Conlon, S. and Hwang, C. (1995), â€Å"Distributed manufacturing support systems  ± the integration of distributed group support systems with manufacturing support systems†, Omega  ± International Journal of Management Science, Vol. 23 No. 6, pp. 653-65. Goldman, S. L. and Nagel, R. N. (1993), â€Å"Management, technology and agility: the emergence of a new era in manufacturing†, International Journal of Technology Management, Vol. 8 Nos 1/2, pp. 18-38. Goldman, S. , Nagel, R. and Preiss, K. 1995), Agile Competitors and Virtual Organisa tions, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, NY. Gulick, L. H. and Urwick, L. F. (1937), Papers on the Science of Administration, Institute of Public Administration, New York, NY. Hammer, M. and Champy (1993), Re-engineering the Corporation, HarperCollins, New York, NY. Kidd, P. T (1994), Agile Manufacturing: Forging New Frontiers, Addison-Wesley, London. Kidd, P. T. (1996), Agile Manufacturing: A Strategy for the 21st Century, IEE Colloquium Digest Nos. 96/071, March, p. 3. Li, E. Y. (1997), â€Å"Perceived importance of information system success factors: a meta-analysis of group differences†, Information and Management, Vol. 32 No. 1, pp. 15-28. Medhat, S. S. and Rook, J. L. 1997), â€Å"Concurrent engineering  ± processes and techniques for the Agile Manufacturing Enterprise†, IIE Conference Publication, No. 435, pp. 9-14. Merat, F. L. , Barendt, N. A. , Quinn, R. D. , Causey, G. C. , Newman, W. S. , Velasco, V. B. Jr, Podgurski, A. , Kim, Y. , Ozsoyoglu, G. and Jo, J . Y. (1997), â€Å"Advances in agile manufacturing†, Proceedings  ± IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Vol. 2, pp. 121622, IEEE, Piscataway, NJ. Mintzberg, H. (1997), â€Å"Rounding out the managers job†, IEEE Engineering Management Review, pp. 119-33. Porter, M. E. (1996), â€Å"What is strategy? †, Harvard Business Review, November-December, pp. 61-78. Sauer, C. and Lau, C. 1997), â€Å"Trying to adopt systems development methodologies  ± a casebased exploration of business users' interests†, Information Systems, pp. 255-75. Smith, K. K. (1984), â€Å"Rabbits, lynxes and organisational transitions†, in Kimberly, J. R. and Quinn, R. E. (Eds), New Futures: The Challenge of Managing Corporate Transitions, Dow-Jones Irwin, Homewood, IL, pp. 269-94. SPI (Society of Practitioners of Insolvency) (1998), Insolvency, The Director, London, June, pp. 82-84. Veryard, R. (1994), Information Co-ordination: The Management of Informati on Models, Systems and Organisations, Prentice-Hall International (UK) Ltd, Hemel Hempstead, p. 22. [ 126 ]

Free sample - Analyzing Wal-Mart competition. translation missing

Analyzing Wal-Mart competition. Analyzing Wal-Mart competitionAnalyzing Wal-Mart competition and the development of a Wal-Mart drive through Wal-Mart Stores is the largest grocery store in the world. The company is based in America and has about 8500 retail outlets in about 15 countries (Wal-Mart 2010). The company has also established an online presence whereby customers can buy products online and get them delivered at their doorstep. Wal-Mart’s online presence has been relatively successful with about 1.7 billion annual online sales and is only second to Amazon in the online retail (Whittle, 2009). Wal-Mart competitors in the US include; Target, Meijer and Giant tiger among others (Jones, 2010). These companies have developed innovative methods, through which they compete against Wal-Mart.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Development of a Drive thru Wal-Mart in the past has tried to develop drive thru sale points in a bid to merge its physical and online businesses. Doing so meant that customers could order their products online and Instead of waiting for their delivery they could pick them physically from one of their chain store (Whittle, 2009).   This could be a very efficient way of shopping because the company would improve its supply chain system greatly. The system of serving customers at a drive thru should be very efficient. To avoid long waiting queues the system must be very efficient.   If items are ordered online then it makes the store much more efficient because at the drive through grocery store customers could have their orders completed easily.   However if items are to be ordered and provided at the store, then the   products provided must be few and must have a high demand. For instance 10 products of high demand could be provided at the drive through store whereby the customer is provided with the it em instantly at a given price. Wal-Mart does not need to construct new stores because it can create extensions to these stores so that the set-up costs of these stores is reduced A drive through store could improve the general efficiency of the store as well as gain more customers.

mexicos new leader essays

mexicos new leader essays As a new president prepares to take power in Mexico, the biggest economic news is what's not happening. The peso is not plummeting, investors are not panicking, and people are not suddenly paying more for their tortillas or televisions. Given recent history, this is a small miracle: every presidential transition in the last two decades has been scarred by an economic crisis. Instead of fears, there are great hopes, all raised by the next president, Vicente Fox Quesada. Mr. Fox now must institutionalize the stability he has inherited. He has pledged sweeping tax and fiscal reforms, annual economic growth rates of up to 7 percent, millions of new jobs, a stable economic architecture for foreign capital, private investment in the state-run oil industry and competition in telecommunications. He also promises budget austerity, increased social spending, the rise of the rule of law, and an end to ingrained political corruption. Mexico is still very much a developing nation. Reliable electric power and potable water are sometimes hard to find. In the capital, one of the world's most populous and polluted cities, the elite live behind barricades, protected from the impoverished by armed guards. Middle-class Mexicans have less buying power than they did 20 years ago, and some of the biggest banks are shaky from a legacy of bad loans. Many small businesses are threatened by imports, credit is difficult to obtain, and millions of people scrape by on less than $2 a day. The departing president, Ernesto Zedillo, never addressed the huge structural problems of the state-run energy industries, which are inefficient and suppress competition, or of the justice system, which cannot control crime - a serious worry for foreign companies considering operations here even if they are optimistic about Mr. Fox. "He's going to have his hands full," said Peter E. Weber, vice president of Latin American operations for the FMC Corporation, a Chicago- base...

Understanding Very Large Numbers

Understanding Very Large Numbers Have you ever wondered what number comes after a trillion? Or how many zeros there are in a vigintillion? ​Some day you might need to know this for a science or math class, or if you happen to enter one of several mathematical or scientific fields.   Numbers Bigger Than a Trillion The digit zero plays an important role as you  count very large numbers. It helps to  track these multiples of 10  because the larger the number is, the more zeros are needed. Name Number of Zeros Groups of 3 Zeros Ten 1 0 Hundred 2 0 Thousand 3 1 (1,000) Ten thousand 4 1 (10,000) Hundred thousand 5 1 (100,000) Million 6 2 (1,000,000) Billion 9 3(1,000,000,000) Trillion 12 4 (1,000,000,000,000) Quadrillion 15 5 Quintillion 18 6 Sextillion 21 7 Septillion 24 8 Octillion 27 9 Nonillion 30 10 Decillion 33 11 Undecillion 36 12 Duodecillion 39 13 Tredecillion 42 14 Quattuordecillion 45 15 Quindecillion 48 16 Sexdecillion 51 17 Septen-decillion 54 18 Octodecillion 57 19 Novemdecillion 60 20 Vigintillion 63 21 Centillion 303 101 Grouping Zeros by Threes Many  people  find it easy to understand that the number 10 has one zero, 100 has two zeros, and 1,000 has three zeros. These numbers are used all the time in daily living, whether it is dealing with money or counting something as simple as our music playlist or the mileage on our cars. When you get to million, billion, and trillion, things become a little more complicated. How many zeros come after the one in a trillion? Its hard to keep track of that and count each individual zero, so  these long numbers  have been broken down into groups of three zeros. For example, its much easier to remember that a trillion is written with four sets of three zeros than it is to count out 12 separate zeros. While you might think that ones pretty simple, just wait until you have to count 27 zeros for an octillion or 303 zeros for a centillion. Then you will be thankful that you only have to remember 9 and 101 sets of three zeros, respectively. Powers of 10 Shortcut In mathematics  and science, you  can rely on the powers of 10 to quickly express exactly how many zeros are needed for these larger numbers. For example, a shortcut for writing out a trillion is 1012  (10 to the power of 12). The 12 indicates that the number  needs a total of 12 zeros. You can see how much easier these are to read than if there were just a bunch of zeros: Quintillion 1018 or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000Decillion 1033  or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Googol and Googolplex: The Enormous Numbers You are probably very familiar with the search engine and tech company Google. Did you know that the name was inspired by another very large number? Though the spelling is different, the  googol  and the  googolplex  played a role in the naming of the tech giant. A googol has 100 zeros and is expressed as 10100. It is often used to express any large quantity, even though it is a quantifiable number. It makes sense that the largest search engine that pulls a large quantity of data from the Internet would find this word useful. The term googol was coined by the American mathematician Edward Kasner in his 1940 book, Mathematics and the Imagination. The story goes that Kasner asked his then 9-year-old nephew, Milton Sirotta, what to name this ridiculously long number. Sirotta came up with  googol. But why is a googol important if its actually less than a centillion? Quite simply, a  googol is used to define a  googoolplex.  A googolplex is 10 to the power of googol, a number that boggles the mind. In fact, a googolplex is so large that theres really no known use for it. Some say that it even exceeds the total number of atoms in the universe. The googolplex is not even the largest number defined to date. Mathematicians  and scientists have also devised Grahams number and Skewes number. Both of these require a math degree to even begin to understand. Short and Long Scales of a Billion If you thought the concept of a googolplex is tricky, some people cannot even agree on what defines a billion. In the U.S. and most of the world, it is accepted that 1 billion equals 1,000 million. It  is written as 1,000,000,000 or 109. This number is used often in science and finance, and it is called the short scale. In the long scale, 1 billion is equal to 1 million million. For this number, you will need a 1 followed by 12 zeros: 1,000,000,000,000 or 1012. The long scale was first described by Genevieve Guitel in 1975. It is used in France and, for a time, was accepted in the United Kingdom as well.

Significance of Customer Portfolio Management in Modern Business Essay

Significance of Customer Portfolio Management in Modern Business Environment - Essay Example In order to identify the changing customer preferences, firms are to manage their customer portfolios. Many advanced technologies are available today that can manage customer portfolios and thereby keep in touch with changing customer interests. Keeping well planned customer portfolios can strengthen customer relations and thereby customer retention for a long term. A loyal customer is an invaluable asset of any organisation that contributes to the accomplishment of the firm’s long term goals and objectives. Scholars reflect that efficient customer portfolio management at different levels of an organisation is a fundamental driver of strategic as well as financial success. The concept of customer portfolio can significantly contribute to the firm’s efforts to retain the profitable segments of its customers because customer portfolio is a potential way to achieve enhanced customer satisfaction. According to experts, â€Å"in much the same way that we can examine a portf olio of products or brands, the importance of customers as assets and investment centres mandates a similar portfolio analysis† (Hooley, et al. 2008, p.436). This paper will explore the concept of customer portfolio management. ... Thorough analysis of customer portfolios can assist a company to identify how a specific customer group is performing. To illustrate, customer portfolios can be beneficial for a construction company to evaluate the account receivable of home builder customer group to obtain a clear view of the level of financial risk, in case there is a slowdown in the market for homes. A company’s customer portfolio is comprised of customers who are grouped together based on or more ‘strategically important variables’ (Ibid). Generally each customer is linked to just one particular group in the portfolio. At one point, each customer is treated as unique and at another point all customers can be treated as identical (Ibid, p.125). While observing the corporate world, most of the firms are strategically positioned somewhere between these two points. Referring to various customer management theories, it may not be a good strategy to manage all customers in the same way unless such a policy makes strategic sense for doing so. Customers vary on the grounds of revenues and cost profiles and each customer has different tastes, preferences, and expectations (Yang & Peterson, 2004). As a result, a company has to manage customers in different ways considering their particular needs and wants. To make it more clear, customized product and face to face account management may satisfy the interests of some customers in the B2B context whereas standardized product and web-based self-service would be more effective in meeting the needs of some other customers. Undoubtedly, customers constitute an invaluable asset of any organisation regardless of its size and nature (Conejo, 2013). Unlike what many people think it is not factors

Company Analysis J Sainsbury Ltd Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Company Analysis J Sainsbury Ltd - Essay Example Analysis and evaluation of the business strategy that J Sainsbury Ltd has pursued using Bowman’s strategic clock Bowman’s strategic clock, as presented in Figure 1, Appendix is used for the identification of strategies that promote effectively the organizational goals (Rosenhauer 2008,p.11). One of the key challenges in regard to the use of the Bowman’s strategic clock is the following one: the identification of the appropriate strategy, among the strategies included in the above model, is often difficult, especially if the priorities of the organizations are not clear. According to Muller (2011) organizations can use the Bowman’s strategic clock for identifying strategies that are most feasible having in mind the resources available and each organization’s internal and external environment. The Bowman’s strategic clock is based on the following principle: each organization should choose strategies that most respond to the plans of the organizations in regard to the value and price of its products/ services (Needle 2010, p.281). Using the Bowman’s strategic clock, the strategic choices of Sainsbury’s could be analysed as follows: as noted in the case study, the firm is among the four key players in the British grocery retail sector (case study, p.1). ... ne: the identification of the appropriate strategy, among the strategies included in the above model, is often difficult, especially if the priorities of the organizations are not clear. According to Muller (2011) organizations can use the Bowman’s strategic clock for identifying strategies that are most feasible having in mind the resources available and each organization’s internal and external environment. The Bowman’s strategic clock is based on the following principle: each organization should choose strategies that most respond to the plans of the organizations in regard to the value and price of its products/ services (Needle 2010, p.281). Using the Bowman’s strategic clock, the strategic choices of Sainsbury’s could be analysed as follows: as noted in the case study, the firm is among the four key players in the British grocery retail sector (case study, p.1). The above fact can lead to the following assumption: the particular sector in Brit ain can be characterized as oligopolistic, allowing the growth of specific firms. From this point of view, the parts no 6, 7 and 8 of the Bowman’s strategic clock cannot be applied in Sainsbury’s, since the strategies incorporated in these parts are feasible in monopolistic industries (Figure 1, Appendix). The potential use of the other parts of the strategic clock would be further explored. Part 1 is characterized by both low price and added value. Such strategy would lead to the decrease of quality of the firm’s products towards its competitors that have managed to promote products of satisfactory value at a low price. It is made clear that the strategy that most responds to the firm’s strategic choices is that of the second part of Bowman’s clock. The specific strategy is based on the following two

Health Systems and Healthcare Systems Coursework - 5

Health Systems and Healthcare Systems - Coursework Example Key among the roles of the government is to provide every Nigerian access to basic healthcare facilities without discrimination. In Nigeria, primary health care services are available in both the rural and urban areas. The agencies provide basic care to citizens regardless of their class or status. There are various aspects supporting the evaluation of the primary health care services in Nigeria. Primary health care services also include training on prevailing health problem and techniques of controlling and preventing the problems. It ensures proper nutrition among citizens and promotion of food supply and childcare, family planning immunization and prevention against major infectious diseases. There is significant evidence in the health promotion interventions making active enhancement of human health care. Primary healthcare also concerns the satisfaction of health- related Millennium Development Goals among the marginalized group and poor members of the population. World health organization (WHO) applies health promotion techniques to health and related social system and various risk factors including disease and health issues. Organizations are concerned with improving the quality of life by performing health promotion services. Health promotion has crucial roles to play in fostering public health policies and health -supportive environments promoting positive social conditions and skills promoting healthy lifestyles (Boman & Isiaka 2015, p.1). World health organization supports the country in improving infrastructure for organizing planning and initiating multispectral health policies and programs in Nigeria. Health system concentrates towards health promotion promotions initiatives including and their capabilities geared towards promoting health. There are advocacy and social mobilization for policy in support of health

Aztec Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Aztec - Essay Example Initially the Aztecs did farming for a living. There is no doubt that the Aztecs had a very developed economic system. Their economy advanced because they built irrigation canals and terraces in the mountains for maximum crop growing. The Aztec used barter for trading due to the lack of a concept of the monetary system. However, this later developed into a stable monetary system. Although for a long time they had no money , they used salt, cocoa beans or cloth as currency. The idea of a monetary system was very well established and they were far advanced than other civilizations in their time when it came to transactions. Later they began trading using gold coins and copper knives. From this follows our modern currency. The Aztecs were responsible for developing a formal government with the emperor at the head of the civilization. This allowed the distribution of the civilization into twenty clans as well as other government officials such as merchants, priests and nobles who were responsible for running the society in an orderly manner. They were also responsible for collecting tribute from neighbouring provinces which clearly helped the economy of Aztec. The merchants although ranked below the nobles in terms of social class, were an important part of the Aztec society. They were largely responsible for creating the market economy in the society by their trade activities, whereby they traveled far and wide in order to make money on traded goods. They often lived separately from the civilization and enjoyed special privileges. They formed their own guilds which are mainly precursors to today's trade organizations and unions and laid the concept of trading rules and regulations carried out through these guilds. Hence, they laid the foundations of organized trade and therefore a market economy. (Smith and Masson; 2000) Trade Market Laws The Aztecs ensured fair trade through laws. The markets were patrolled by officers who ensured that there was no cheating and that the buyers were getting a fair deal. The organization was crucial because the markets were very large in number. Conclusion The civilization is not just a case of the past, to be forgotten and erased from our minds. The civilization is to be taken lessons from because the Aztecs were what shape the modern Mexican culture today and many aspects of modern Mexico can be traced directly from the Aztec empire. A question remains unanswered however. We have yet to understand the extent to which trade would have been possible today had the proper market economy in the Aztec civilization been not established References Smith.M and M.Masson (2000). The Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica: A Reader Blackwell Publishing Fagan.B.(1996).The Oxford Companion to Archaeology. Oxford University

Scots Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Scots Law - Essay Example When the company delegated a duty to Fergus, which was an expansion program, it did not examine that Fergus would have undergone various challenges. In addition, the company did not consider the potential benefits that would have come out of each customer. According to the tenements act 2004, the company should always have the capacity to cater for relevant costs (Scotland 2004, p.9). These are costs that result out of reasonable transactions or dealings between the company and a second party. This is irrespective of whether the costs were catered for in the initial budget. The first argument is that, as a sales person, Fergus might have been marketing Ikant. This exists in the view that the company bears social responsibility over his customers and the general society. Marketing and advertisement are factors that have been proven to impact immensely over a company’s revenues and expansion. This, thus, makes the extra costs that Fergus incurred probable in the company’s rational planning. Another reason for the extra costs might have been a possible unwillingness by customers to engage in a meaningful interaction with Fergus. This would have necessitated that he uses the meals as a basis for the interaction. In concluding this, if the company incurred expenses, in the period stipulated, then it is bound to pay for the costs. In addition, the company would be held liable for payment if the court regards the nature of relationship between the company and Fergus. Fergus is a supervisor in Ikant and has been appointed temporarily to aid the company in enlarging its business. In this capacity, he performs the functions on behalf of the directors. This is called the law of agency. He is engaged in an employment bond with the company. He is, thus, said to have acted in good intentions for the company. Even, if he had wrong intentions, it would be difficult to prove that he had wrong intent. Furthermore, the work given by the company to Fergus does not am ount to delegation. It is appropriately described as an assignment. The directors did not, therefore, describe Fergus’s role aptly. According to the quantum meruit rule, the company is entitled to pay on the basis that the restaurant has already performed its role (Scottish law commission 2000). Advising Ikant on problem B In our second problem, a complexity arises between the directors and Fergus concerning the Scottish contract law. It is noted that Fergus normally travels to promote Ikant’s products and receive orders. The court can, therefore, easily establish that Fergus has been consistently undertaking this duty for some time. Fergus, consequently, engages the company in a form of contract. Fergus, in this capacity, is deemed able to represent the company in a valid contract. According to the Contract Act of third Parties of 1999, this is recognizable legally (Ashton 2003, p.29). The company law recognizes that companies should still have physical representation despite the arbitrary nature of the board of directors. If the court establishes that Fergus acted in good faith, then the company is bound to the contract. However, according the delegation rule, the directors shall still be responsible for a breach of contract since Fergus is conducting a role that they ought to perform. In addition, company will gain rescission, if only it was stated in the contract. The contract, in this case, must comply with

Aztec Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Aztec - Essay Example Initially the Aztecs did farming for a living. There is no doubt that the Aztecs had a very developed economic system. Their economy advanced because they built irrigation canals and terraces in the mountains for maximum crop growing. The Aztec used barter for trading due to the lack of a concept of the monetary system. However, this later developed into a stable monetary system. Although for a long time they had no money , they used salt, cocoa beans or cloth as currency. The idea of a monetary system was very well established and they were far advanced than other civilizations in their time when it came to transactions. Later they began trading using gold coins and copper knives. From this follows our modern currency. The Aztecs were responsible for developing a formal government with the emperor at the head of the civilization. This allowed the distribution of the civilization into twenty clans as well as other government officials such as merchants, priests and nobles who were responsible for running the society in an orderly manner. They were also responsible for collecting tribute from neighbouring provinces which clearly helped the economy of Aztec. The merchants although ranked below the nobles in terms of social class, were an important part of the Aztec society. They were largely responsible for creating the market economy in the society by their trade activities, whereby they traveled far and wide in order to make money on traded goods. They often lived separately from the civilization and enjoyed special privileges. They formed their own guilds which are mainly precursors to today's trade organizations and unions and laid the concept of trading rules and regulations carried out through these guilds. Hence, they laid the foundations of organized trade and therefore a market economy. (Smith and Masson; 2000) Trade Market Laws The Aztecs ensured fair trade through laws. The markets were patrolled by officers who ensured that there was no cheating and that the buyers were getting a fair deal. The organization was crucial because the markets were very large in number. Conclusion The civilization is not just a case of the past, to be forgotten and erased from our minds. The civilization is to be taken lessons from because the Aztecs were what shape the modern Mexican culture today and many aspects of modern Mexico can be traced directly from the Aztec empire. A question remains unanswered however. We have yet to understand the extent to which trade would have been possible today had the proper market economy in the Aztec civilization been not established References Smith.M and M.Masson (2000). The Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica: A Reader Blackwell Publishing Fagan.B.(1996).The Oxford Companion to Archaeology. Oxford University

Financial Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Financial Management - Assignment Example The merger will help reduce the cost of production of coffee, which is the main reason why the Burger King Company lagged behind in the industry. To illustrate further on this synergy, the BKW has found an already established partner in the field of coffee, which is a vital breakfast menu in America. The Burger King Company does not need to establish its own coffee brand from scratch since it now has a partner in that field. The partner already enjoys economic of sale from the massive client base it serves thus transferring the same to Burger King Worldwide. The merger will help BKW develop and strengthen the brand appeal to compete with McDonalds McCafe. The merger presents an opportunity for BKW to benefit from additional resources from Canada. This is because Tim Hortons highly dominates Canada’s market share of baked goods (with more than 70%) in comparison to other American companies. Tim Hortons also has 75% of the coffee market, which is much more than the combined mark et shares of Starbucks and McDonalds in Canada. Burger King can take advantage of Tim Hortons lead and use it to enhance its dominance in the country. Looking deeper into growth and Revenue enhancement, the merger presents better opportunities for expansion. Having recorded annual sales of at least 3 billion dollars last year, Tim Hortons enjoys an impressive growth rate and steady margins. On the other hand, Burger King has kept on struggling against domestic companies, despite its major presence of in the country. The company is more likely to experience growth by venturing outside the U.S. In terms of revenue enhancement, the merger will enable tax inversion, thus allowing Burger King to enjoy lower corporate tax in Canada. Tim Hortons enjoys a 15% federal tax rate and a 11.5% corporate tax rate in Ontario. These rates in Canada are significantly lower that the tax rates in America. A combined tax rate of 26.5%

Leader-Member Exchange theory of leadership Essay Example for Free

Leader-Member Exchange theory of leadership Essay The Leader-Member Exchange theory of leadership (Also known as LMX, LMET or Vertical Dyad Linkage Theory) is a type of leadership theory that focuses on the dyadic relationship between leader and follower where the leader treats individual followers differently, resulting in two groups of followers—an in-group and an out-group. The in-group consists of a small number of trusted followers with whom the leader usually establishes a special higher quality exchange relationship. The out-group includes the followers with whom the relationship of the leader remains more formal. It focuses on increasing organizational success by creating positive relations between the leader and subordinate (follower). The theory asserts that leaders do not interact with subordinates uniformly. ‘In-group’ followers perform their jobs in accordance with the employment contracts and can be counted on by the supervisor to perform unstructured tasks, to volunteer for extra work, and to take on additional responsibilities. Supervisors exchange personal and positional resources (inside information, influence in decision making, task assignment, job latitude, support, and attention) in return for subordinates’ performance on unstructured tasks. High LMX relationship achieves increased mutual trust, confidence, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, common bonds, open communication, independence respect, rewards recognition and hence benefits both the organisation and the employee. Recognizing the existence of the in-group and out-group, could be discriminating against the out-group thus affecting employee turnover based on bad-quality LMX and job dissatisfaction. This is because members of ‘out-group’ Example of an organization that has successfully used this theory is ‘E-Myth Worldwide’

The Semiotic Characteristics Of Religious Symbols

The Semiotic Characteristics Of Religious Symbols Abstract: symbols ,which are meaningful and imaginative, are widely used in western religion. Actually, religious symbols are not only signs, but also a picture which contains thousands of meanings. Semiotics gives us a channel to achieve our aims reading the thought of our ancestors. Key words: semiotics, religion, religious symbols, signs I.Introduction The origin of the religious symbols The brain, which is always interested in the environment, distinguishes us from ordinary animals. Humans always ask some questions about the world: who we are, why we live on this plant, where we go to after we dead, what the meaning of raining, flood, thunder, meteor is. Thousands of years ago, humans can not answer some of these questions scientifically. So it makes us to believe that there is a kind of powerful force controlled these things. Actually, to some extent humans create a belief system which can answer these questions by themselves. Humans derive an integrated symbol and sign system, which is used to represent our thought about the universe, from the belief system. Also the religious symbols belong to it. Actually, the origin religious symbols are totem. Lu Deping has give a very comprehensive definition in his paper Semiotic Interpretation of the Primitive Totems Totem is the marker for the primitive people to identify their social affiliation consciously. It also acts as the means for the primitive groups to define their existence from the empirical continuum or the environment mingled with them.(Lu Deping , 2004) Most of the totems are abstracted from the natural such as animals , plants, mountains and so on. The Chinese dragon, which is associated by more than ten kinds of animals, is a typical totem in Chinese history. Totems rate high in mythical discourses, religious rites, and some primitive paintings . Totems are treated as symbols which can connect humans with the mysterious power which is controlling the world. With the development of human society, thousands of years latter, the threaten and worship for the mysterious power promote us to trust that there are God or Buddha in the world. Then everything that we can not understand looks logical. God or Buddha can save us from disease, disaster and anything bad. Then totems change with the passing time. They become much simple and easy to be drawn or identification such as (Christian Cross), (Star of David), (Lotus Flower), ( Taiji). B. Difference between symbol and sign In our daily life, we always try our best to distinguish symbols and signs apart. However, it is hard to do this sometimes. In linguistics, semiotics and psychology, symbol and sign are equal with each other at most times. Symbol needs sign to allege itself, and also sign means the symbolic sign. In Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English (Sixth edition), it give us a definition of sign and symbol: sign is a mark which used to represent something, especially in mathematics. Also it means an event, an action, a fact that shows that something exists, is happening or may happen in the future .(A S Hornby. P1626).Symbol is defined as a sign, number, letter, etc. that has a fixed meaning especially in science mathematics and music.( A S Hornby.P1791) As you see in dictionary, symbol and sign almost have the same meaning. They can also mean something that indicates that something exists or may happen, but a sign is usually something that you may find or see, while symbol is usually insinuate. It is much more meaningful. For example, sign always gives us something simple and direct. it means enter forbidden. it means no turning left. On the other side, symbol is image or the underlying meaning behind the sign. For example , fire is the symbol of the sun and the male power, the spring flowers represent a new birth and new life. When we observe the world with symbol, maybe you feel that life become much more colorful and meaningful. In academic field, the argumentations about sign and symbol have never stopped . In all of which Saussure and Pierce are the representative of symbol in semiotics. Saussure position of symbol and sign is not definite. But in his Course in General Linguistics, he think that the word symbol is sometimes used to designate the linguistic sign, or more exactly the part of the linguistic sign which we are calling the signal.(Ferdinand de Saussure, 1986,p.68). But Pierce point out that everything is a sign. It defines three roles encompassing (1) the sign, (2) the signs subject matter, called its object, and (3) the signs meaning or ramification as formed into a kind of effect called its interpreting .(Charles Sanders Peirce by wikipedia). Peirce think that symbol belongs to sign . We can conveniently explain the semiotic phenomenon. For example, the shop signboard is a sign, The words or symbol is sign. The shop which represents is the object. At last ,the information of the words or symb ol is the interpreting. II.The relationship between religion and religion symbols No matter which kind of religion it is, in its early iterations, religion is expression by symbols. Before Gandhara time, there is no Buddhist Statue in Buddhism. People use the symbols such as the big banyan tree, pedestal, dharma-cakra and footmark and so on to represent some meanings. The same with Buddhism, the early Christianity also use a symbolistic way to extend its doctrines. For example, the Christian Cross represent Christ, The palm tree stands for a martyr. Fish is the symbol of Jesus. Peacock means this eternal soul within the body of every living entity is immortal; Interestingly most of the religions choose plants, animals, or abstract symbols to symbolize its doctrines. Religious symbols are also changed with the development of religion. Until now, the cross is often shown in different shapes and sizes, in many different styles. It may be used in personal jewelry, or used on top of church buildings. A. The importance of religion in western peoples eyes As we know, religions have a wide-ranging influence on social life in western country. They are concerns about law, politics, art, economy and science. It is a long time that law and religions have the same element: observances, traditions, authority and generality. Before the Middle Ages, or in the Middle Ages, in Rome the Church almost have control the country. Church has its own canon law. People are not only protected by the Natural Law, but also observe the canon law and be committed to the church, or they would be punished by the canon law. The canon law is formed by Bible, resolution of church meeting, Popes edict and Roman law. In the world of art, the religion have a far-reaching effect. One of the most famous painters, Da Vinci has painted some famous paint such as The Last Supper, The Vitruvian Man, The Baptism of Christ and so on. Even though Da Vinci is regarded as a Christian. The Last Supper the most reproduced religious painting of all time. Perhaps you have known a best seller book named The Da Vinci Code . In the book , the writer has given as a new side to understand The Last Supper . He thinks that there is a big secret hidden in The Last Supper. It is about the Holy Grail which is an argument in Christianity. The writer also says Da Vinci incorporated in many of his Christian paintings hidden symbolism that was anything but Christian-tributes to his own beliefs and a subtle thumbing of his nose at the Church (Dan Brown,2003,p50) Although the viewpoint is not agree with most pursuers ,but I think Da Vince can not draw these works with any effects of religion. If you are a careful person or a politic enthusiastic, you may notice the inaugural speech of the USA. Almost all the presidents of American will say God bless you, God bless the United States of American . at the end of the speech. It is regarded as the most obvious example of the effect religion in politics. The incumbent president, Obama in his inaugural speech says We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non-believers. To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. You can find that the disciples of religion are also the important source of votes. And the church also has a lot of social capital. Church can provide a lot of volunteers for community work. The church holds the non-governmental organization such as hospital, orphanage, and a homeless centre together. In fact, most of primary school in American are hold by church. Religion has a far-reaching influence in western peoples life. Ninety-five percent Americans are blamed he believes god. They may go to church every week and tell the god what they have done or what they want to do next week. Even more remarkable, Christian would pray before their meal in order to thank god for his mercy. When they face some problem or difficulties, they may beg god for power. Most Christians believe that they will go into heaven if they do something good., or they help god to punish evils. In western countries, there are also some festivals connected with religion. Christmas, Easter, All Saints Day are known by us. Christmas is the birthday of Jesus. It is the most important festival in western countries. The important use of the religious symbols during religious activities When we talk about religious symbols, we must understand what it is. In the front of my paper, I have given you the definition in the dictionary of symbol. But I think religious symbol have a little different with it. Religious symbols are a mark used as a token of something invisible. Religious symbols have a perpetual connection with the significance. They must respect a concept which is hard to deeply understand and hold in the round. As the understanding of religious symbols, Here, I want to point out three important use of them in religious activities. The first one is conveyance. In religious activities, religious symbols are treated as a paper. On the paper, the wish of us has been written . Colors have considered as a religious symbols. There are two groups of color in Christianity. The first group is red, white, green and blue. They are used to explain the hope of life, pure, peace and beautiful. The black, brown, grey and yellow are stand for danger, death and unclean. So you may find that in western countrys celebration of a marriage, the bridal dress must be white, and the pastor should wear a white or red shawl to bless the new couple. But in the funeral, the pastor may wear a black shawl to make a memorial speech. The religious symbols have been used us a way to send some information to others. Actually, the cathedral is not only a place for prayer, but also a symbol of religion. People prayed to god to keep their family from harm or forgive their crimes. Here god show his mercy to all of us. Then the cathedral has been tr eat as a refuge of our soul. It convey the order of the god to us and point out the way forward. The second is connection. During the religious activities, we often see the Christian to make the sign of the cross over so as to sanctify or devotion. Exactly, they think it is a way to communicate with god. When they make the cross, the soul is connecting with god. They will get the message from the god. On the other side, the cross is considered as the symbol of god. It is the God incarnate. They pray before the cross in order to inspire from the god and clean their soul. The third is decoration. The Christian Cross is often used on the top of the church. Firstly, it symbolize it is a church and its awfulness. But the second is decoration. Actually, religious symbols are widely used in religious building and arts. Cross, Rose and four colors which I have introduce to you in the front of my paper, are three kinds of common elements in Christian building. When you walk into a church, you may observe the window carefully. There are a lot of pictures on the window. Most of these pictures describe a story between pope and his knights. You can easily find that cross is used on the shield of knight and his cloth. Of course, most of pictures can not get through with color. Christianity likes to use white, blue, green and golden to decorate these pictures. There is one important plant in Christianity. The vines is to Christianity what lotus is to Buddhism. In Bible, there are a lot of story mentioned the vines For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. (Matthew, 20:1) So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. (Matthew, 20:8) And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?(Judges 9:13) There are some other place mentioned vines such as Isaiah 5: 1-7, Mark 12:1, Luke 20:9 and so on. That is why vines can be use on the wall of churchs building and the martyrs tomb. III.The semiotic characteristics of religious symbols In the front of my paper, we have analysis the religious symbols through the cultural semiotics and general semiotics. Actually, Semiotic has been divide into linguistic semiotics, general semiotics, cultural semiotics. Religious symbols are various in forms and rich content. They are full of or characterized by semiotic meaning. A. The characteristics of semiotics We should analysis the status and influence of contemporary semiotics in two aspects: surface and substance. On the face of it, Semiotics has been not an independent subject. The achievements in scientific research are not noticeable and some of the achievements are lack of quality. Judging by substance, semiotics has been widely used in most of the humanities. More and more celebrated scholars be engaged in semiotics research. The phenomenon reflects the exuberant vitality of semiotics. In Li Youzheng book-Introduction to Theoretical Semiotics, the writer introduce the complex of Semiotics. Mostly ¼Ã…’my opinion is also based on this book.In Introduction to Theoretical Semiotics, the write definite the semiotics like this Semiotics is a subject which analyzes sign, semiosis or the function of sign. (Li Youzheng, 1996.p.2) and symbol is belong to its study. So as far as I am concerned, Semiotics has three marked characteristics. Firstly, Semiotics has a long history. Posner has divided it into six types: Ancient Greece and Rome, Ancient and Middle Age, Middle Age western semiotics history, the modern western, the contemporary western, The concept of non-Western notation history. (Historical and Theory, a Journal Chinese, 1988.P116-117). The history of semiotics is tracked back to 3000 B.C. But until the 60th age, the semiotics is treat as an independent discipline, which emerges in French, American and Soviet. Secondly ¼Ã…’Semiotics is a complicated and broad science. Li Youzheng also divides the semiotics into three parts: linguistic semiotics, general semiotics and cultural semiotics. Linguistic semiotics has used linguistic, phonemics, semantics, stylistics and rhetoric. Linguistic semiotics must use coordination of several subjects to explore the meaning of symbols or signs. Compared with linguistic semiotics, perhaps general semiotics is a little simpler. But it also involves various theories such as Morrices conception of theory of sign system, Ecos typology of signs, Peirces Typology of signs, Non-Strcit code systems. These theories are all important and never be neglected in the semiotic history. Lastly ¼Ã…’the cross-cultural research is extremely difficulty. The most obvious point is the understanding of a symbol à ¥Ã‚ Ã‚  In most influenced by Buddhism, people think that à ¥Ã‚ Ã‚  respects constancy and auspicious indication. But in World War 2. Hitler chooses it to be the sign of Nazi. Hitler consider the Aryans is the best race all around the world. à ¥Ã‚ Ã‚  is the symbol of Aryans. Another is color. In western country, rose is the symbol of love, and red symbolize the passion, but sometimes it refers to scarlet woman. As I know, red always refers to pure love and happy in China and India. Chinese bride always wears a red dress. So we can easily find that different cultural take different understanding of symbols and sign. When we are going to analysis the meaning of a symbol or sign across culture, it may take a big problem to us. The characteristics of religious symbols The same as the semiotics, the religious symbols have a long history. At the beginning of my paper, I have introduced the original religious symbol Totem to you. Religious symbols almost have the same history of humans civilization. With the development of religion and civilization, religious symbols also have different forms. is the symbol of Islam named star and crescent. It standard bright and perfect. is a special symbol. There are many ideas about the symbolic meaning of the Star of David. Some Kabbalists think that the six points represented Gods absolute rule over the universe in all six directions: north, south, east, west, up and down. They also believed that the triangles represented humanitys dual nature good and evil and that the star could be used as protection against evil spirits. The structure of the star, with two overlapping triangles, has also been thought to represent the relationship between God and the Jewish people. The star that points up symbolizes God and the star that points down represents us here on earth. Yet others have noticed that there are twelve sides on the triangle, perhaps representing the Twelve Tribes. Until now, people still have an absolute meaning of the Star of David . A lot of religious symbols have an obscure meaning. You can not only understand it by its structure or shape. For example, lamb in Christianity means the resurrection of Christ from the death. Can you say it means meekness and prettiness? Absolutely not! The connection of semiotics and religious symbols After the analysis of characteristics of semiotics and religious symbols, we can find that religious symbols have a much longer history than semiotics. But symbols as the research subject, we have analysis by the systematization of semiotics. Semiotics can explain the meaning of symbols by different aspects and draw a correct conclusion. Although symbols are a complex and changeable system, semiotics always gives us an rational sublimation. Symbol also accelerates the progress of semiotics. It is hard for me to find a suitable metaphor to describe the relationship between them. But I think if symbols is water, the semiotics must be fish. The fish can not live without water. Without fish the water will never be vibrant. IV.Conclusion Haviland said Religion can be seen as an organized series of supernatural powers belief or ceremonies.(William A. Haviland, 2005,p.392).Religious symbols are a part of our belief. Semiotics is a tool of investigation. It may be not consummate and comprehensive, but it has afforded us a direction to analysis our belief system. Also that is the point we need to work for. Modern semiotics is a new branch of knowledge. It has been neglect for a long time. Its popularity must take a brain-storm in research of symbols.