Critical Evaluation Of The Operations Management

Critical Evaluation Of The Operations Management The essay is about to critical evaluate the operations management strategy of Hard Rock Cafà © as described in the case materials, and discuss the operations management challenges as well as the opportunities when Hard Rock Cafà © considering expand their business in Hanoi-Vietnam. In the essay, textbook, internet, academic researches will be mentioned to support the critical evaluates operations management, challenges and opportunities issues. According to Heizer el at., (2011), Operations management is defined as any activities that relate to the creation of goods and services through the transformation of inputs and outputs, while operation managers play an important role in the management process. The management process contains planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling. (Heizer el at., 2011). In the case materials provided, we will evaluate 10 critical decisions of Operations managements which are goods and service design, managing quality, process and capacity design, location strategy, layout strategy, HR and job design, supply-chain management, inventory, scheduling and last decision is maintenance to see whether how well Hard Rock cafà © applied these decisions in their operation management (Heizer el at., 2011). We will evaluate few decisions amongst those 10 decisions to let people have a broad view of how Hard Rock Cafà © applies these decisions to operate their business. For goods and service design, what services/products should Cafà © give to customers? That is very important issue to Hard Rock Management. As weve known, Hard Rock is in hospitality industry. If they provide products/services wrongly, it would lead the company to bankrupt. Follow the Hard Rock case study, due to the global economic changes, differences in business law, a lot of risk factors that make Hard Rock Cafà © changes from global Strategy into multi-domestic strategy. Multi-domestic strategy is a strategy that companies in each market makes their operating decisions independently of others oversea markets (http://tutor2u.net). In here, company decided to franchise a large number of their cafes by joining with opened cafà © such as in Manchester and Birmingham, which try to attract local residents involve in their business due to this place is not a common place for tourist, where people in here are quite conservative. This decision would make them to redesign their goods and services to meet with the local taste. Differences country would have different cultural, languages, business practices. For example: Hard Rock cafà © in Kuwait would need to change their menus because they cant eat pork. All products are related to pork are prohibited as well as alcohol while in US where people can eat pork, drink alcohol with no restriction due to difference religions and law as well ( Muslim in Kuwait and mainly Catholic, Protestant, Buddhism in US). (http://www.hardrock.com) Another issue is managing quality. Base on Rose el at., (2005), management quality is looked at 4 issues: quality planning, quality control, quality assurance and quality improvement. Hard Rock Cafà © has been focused on quality control and improvement by survey. It has been done regularly with rate from 1 to 7. If the score is not reached score 7 that mean the foods and services will be reviewed. The company has changed their menus to match with local taste as well as upgrade their menu. They are not only focus on their traditional food such as hamburgers and beefs but also look for high class of food like fishes, lobsters. Although customers go to Hard Rock Cafà © because they love music, atmosphere, environment, that is the main reason but high quality of food which show in menus would be value-added to Hard Rock Cafà © reputation and make customers come again. Cianfrani el at., (2009) told that: Quality management could change some of the management principles. This can help t op level management to increase the companys performance as well as satisfy the customers need. This issue is very important for the company which they are strongly focused on customer because most of the Hard Rock Cafà © customers are tourists while a minority is a local resident (Heizer el at., 2011). When the company changes their services/products, they also need to think of their existing supply chain management. Mentzer et al., (2001) stated that: Supply chain management is seen as a mechanism to maintain competition in domestic markets, in light of increasing global competition. The company chooses to upgrade their menu that would restructure their supply chain management because they will need new suppliers as well as maybe eliminate some old suppliers. Hard Rock Cafà © does not want too much on beefs and hamburgers; they want to add more expensive stuff such as fishes and lobsters which would attract a wider range of customers as well as lift the level of Hard Rock Cafà © one step higher. Top level managements also need to consider on the distribution network of new suppliers. Where are their warehouses, distribution centers, number of networking, who are their customers? What are payment terms? Can they deliver goods then we play later or we need to play upfront before they delivery goods? All those things need to consider very careful because it will affect to the cost of the meal later on. If the warehouse of new supplier is too far, it would create a big problem when we run out of food to prepare meal for customers. Moreover, if the company has to make full payment before they deliver goods, it would be an issue to management level to consider because if we can pay them later in a certain day after we receive goods, that is so much better, we can use that money to do something else to make more money and pay the supplier later. Location for Hard Rock Cafà © would a big issue to consider when select the location. A lot of things would affect such as political risk, currency risk, social norms, brand fit, and business practices (Heizer el at., 2011). Political risk is defined as Probability of loss due to political instability in the buyers country that may result in cancellation of a license or otherwise affect the buyers ability to make payments. Political risks are insurable risks, and overlap with the political component of force majeure risks (http://www.businessdictionary.com). It is the main concern when choosing location. Thailand will be a good example. Recently, Thailand has a lot of strikes which would make investors worry. It will also affect tourist industry due to a lot of cancellation tour to Thailand during strike (http://www.thaipro.com). While business practice is another issue Hard Rock Cafà © need to concern. The regulatory framework in Thailand is quite good but whether it is put into p ractice is a different issue (http://www.reuters.com). The business environment in Thailand recently is going down. Corruption is increasing badly. If company wants to expand business in Thailand, this issue would be considering carefully while most of the businesses try to avoid bribing, they want to do clean business especially some companies come from developed countries such as United State, Australia. Maintenance would get involve as the strategy of Hard Rock Cafà © has changed to franchise with opened restaurant or cafà ©. This mean they need to redesign the current cafà ©/restaurant so that will fit local cultural but it will not lose the Hard Rocks visual appearance. Securency Company is an example for bribing. Securency is a joint company between Reserve Bank Australia and British company call Innovia Films. Several former and serving Securency executives engaged in bribery to win deals in Vietnam, Nigeria, Malaysia and Indonesia. Securency Company has been investigated and bribery for some middle-men in order to win the deals oversea has been probed. If Hard Rock Cafà © gets involve in this kind of bribery, this will destroy all the reputation that Hard Rock Cafà © has tried to build up decades ago as well as it will lead to closing down a lot of business if the bribery is proved. Human resource management is also an important matter for company. Armstrong (2006) stated that: Human resource management is the strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organizations most valued assets: the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of the objectives. Nowadays, most of the company is really pay attention about human resource. It can help the company win over their competitors. For restaurant industry, products are important but services could be an extra point to attract customer come back. How Hard Rock could do it? The company needs to provide the better services, cheaper price and faster response to compete with their competitors (Blackwell et al., 2001). Staff turnover is another issue especially in restaurant industry due to very high turnover of employees, around 80% to 100% per year (Heizer el at., 2011). Hard Rock Cafà © is successfully in keep very low percentage of staff turnover by let employees fill in each day schedule what day/shift they would like to work base on their level and how important they are at each shift. The purpose is to balance work and normal life of staff as well as will not let over-employee between two shifts. This method works very well as Hard Rock staffs love that method and it helps to reduce the staff turnover which is percentage of staff turnover in restaurant industry is very high. Although staffs at Hard Rock Cafà © are music lover, happy with the working environment but for normal living life, they cannot live without money. So company should have reasonable salary system in order to help their staffs afford to normal living cost. There is an accusing of an anonymous waiter staff in of the Hard Rock Cafà © in United Kingdom that he/she was getting paid under the national minimum wages which is 2.06 pound per hour while national minimum wages is around 5.73 pound per hour (http://news.bbc.co.uk). Employees in Hard Rock Cafà © in London are relying on tips of customer to push their wages to national minimum wages. These tips could come from cash, credit card tips but we do not know all those tip will be distributed fairly to staffs or the company will keep them and give part of it staffs only. This matter is very important. Salary would a tool to stimulus the performance of employees which could make them work harder, dynamic and enthusiasm. If this matter i s proven, the company will be fined and leads to competitors get gain more market share which is belong to company. In order to expand business in Ha Noi, Vietnam, Hard Rock needs to look at challenges and opportunities before make final decision. These challenges and opportunities are mention below: Based on General Statistics Office of Vietnam, Ha noi is about 3345 km2 with more than 6.5 millions of people which is around 1935 person/km2 (http://www.gso.gov.vn). We can see in here, will small area with a lot of people live in, so it is very hard to find location to open a new business in here. Location is a main concern of company which is easy to access; locate around Central Business District where a lot of traveler and people can see their logo. Moreover, real estate price in Ha Noi is very high compare to other cities so that company would need to consider lease or buy it out (http://vietbao.vn). That would be added to the cost of meal which would be an issue in competitive with other competitors. Another challenge is cultural differences. Cultural differences could cause a lot of problem which Hard Rock needs to find out when planning to do business in Vietnam. Eye contact is an important to tell whether we respect opposite person or not. For Western cultural, when people are talking, it is impolite if we do not look at each others eyes. But in many Asian countries such as Japan and Vietnam, they cannot look at their superiors eyes otherwise it means you have no respect for them. If you do that so, that mean you show your respect to them (Moran el at., 2007). Posture/Gesture can make misunderstanding as well if two business men from difference countries with difference cultural. In Vietnam, it would be friendly if two people stand close, remain little gap between two people but in western way, it should be a gap (at least one meter) when they are talking to each other, it is consider polite. On the other hand, handshake would differences between Asian cultural and Western cultural. Western people prefer firm handshake, that show their respect to business partner as well as trustworthy while in Asia, especially in Vietnam, firm handshake should be avoided while people think it is rude, un-educated, not being friendly to guess. Those things are very important because if they do not understand Vietnamese cultural, it might create problems between level management of Hard Rock towards their employees. This is not good for business as it will create the gap between level management and employees, poor performances, people might want to quit du e to disappointed, do not like working environment. Currency risk is another risk factor. At the moment, the exchange rate between US dollar and Vietnamese dong is very high which is 1 US dollar can change to 19500 VND (www.eximbank.com). If Hard Rock would like to bring their goods over from US to keep original taste, it would make the price of each meal increase due to value of VND is decrease plus no shipping cost from US to Hanoi if they buy those products in Vietnam. The rise and fall of exchange rate could make company have more competitive advantage to competitor but it would be a disaster later on so that advantage would turn to disadvantage as Hard Rock Cafà © strategy wants local residents get involve along with tourists. In Vietnam legal framework is quite good but it is not applied. Intellectual property right is an example. It is not protected even Vietnam has signed a lot agreement which promised to protect the copyright but it does not put it in practice (http://www.vietnam-ustrade.org). The percentage of copyright infringement is still high at 85%, same at year 2007, 2008 (http://phapluattp.vn). Hard Rock Cafà © can be set up today but next few weeks, another Cafà © might be open and all the meals, layout, styles, music would be similar or slightly differences. It will affect the brand name of Hard Rock if customers come in, still though that is Hard Rock Cafà © and they have bad serves or food poisoning. Disregard those challenges above, Ha Noi is still a potential place for investor to consider when open business in here. Firstly, Hanoi is capital of Vietnam with labor force 1.6 million of people while 43% of them are under age of 35; it means 400.000 people enter the market every day (http://industrialzone.vn). Moreover, GDP per capital of Vietnam is around $1156 USD/year which is very low compares to US. It means, company has more option in selecting staffs but pay less money than in US market (http://www.dfat.gov.au). That would save a lot money for company while in US huge money has been paid off for HR and singers. This is an advantage when open business in Hanoi. Secondly, supply chain management would not be a problem because people can come to Hanoi by three main ways: railway, roadway and airway. Hanoi is also a starting point of a lot national highway such as Number 1A national highway, Number 3, 5 national road and NoiBai airport is around 40km away only as well as close to 5 big industry zones which they can supply most of the needs for Hard Rock (http://industrialzone.vn). It is easy to deliver goods for company regularly and on time so company will not be run out of stock even in peak period. Thirdly, since 1990, economics of Vietnam is growing very fast. GDP of Vietnam is around 7% growing continuously while GDP per capital is at $725 USD in 2006 goes up to $1156 USD in 2010 which is nearly double in 4 years time. We can see bright economy, growing very fast which is a potential market with around 90 millions of people (http://www.dfat.gov.au). That could open for Hard Rock a lot of chances while invest in Vietnam as a lot of US companies did it long time ago such as IBM, Intel and many more US companies. Intel is good example in investment. They just announced to decided to make the $1 billion investment in a relative newcomer to the high-tech game Vietnam (http://www.usatoday.com). This decision is good news for Vietnam which could create a hundred thousand jobs in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as well as could bring back huge profits for Intel in the future as labor cost in Vietnam is quite cheap but highly educated. In conclusion, ten operation management decisions play an important role in doing business of company. Those decisions mentioned above are not all of ten decisions but it would show out how important ten operation management decisions in managing quality, improve performance of employees, create new goods/services in order to adapt to the fast changing of global economic. If Hard Rock Cafà © can continue to perform as they are doing right now, it would be the strength and a competitive edge toward their competitors.

Designing a Projectile Launcher

Designing a Projectile Launcher INTRODUCTIONProjectile motion occurs when an object or particle is dropped or is fired at some initial velocity, where it moves along a curved path under the influence of gravity (Splung,2015). It is known that without air resistance the maximum range is achieved at a launch angle of 45 ° and is illustrated below in figure 1, the report will determine whether or not this remains true in real life.      Ã‚   . This report will include a design and construction of a projectile launcher and will investigate the relationship between the range and angle of a projectile. The launcher will use mechanical means to launch the projectile, it will also be able to reset so that the firing technique is identical every time and will be safe for the operator. AIM: To design and construct a projectile launcher that will be used to investigate the relationship between the range of a projectile and its launch angle. HYPOTHESIS: That the projectile will achieve a maximum range with a launch angle of 40 ° including the horizontal force of air resistance.INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: The independent variables is the angle of release, measured in degrees. DEPENDENT VARIABLES: The dependent variable is the range at which the projectile will land. CONTROLLED VARIBALES: The controlled variables are the handball projectile and the height of release. APPARTUS AND MATERIALS: Projectile launcher Handball projectile Sand pit Tape measure Protractor Design and construction of the projectile Launcher PROCEDURE Have projectile launcher on a table one metre above the ground and angle the projectile at 0 ° with a protractor. Load the handball projectile into the launcher and set the projectile in position so that it can be fired by the triggering release. Have the sandpit set up at the distance the projectile will land. Fire the projectile such that it lands in the sandpit and measure with tape measure and record results Repeat steps 1-4, 5 times with the constant height but varying the starting angle each time SAFETY HAZARDS Hazards Precautions/Actions Risk of projectile hitting someone As the projectile is continuously being fired from the launcher it is important for this experiment to be carried out away from other groups. Group members will need to stand away and watch from a safe distance. Also for the operator, in order to shoot the projectile without being injured they should use the projectile as intended and pull the trigger down carefully before letting go. Personal attire should be appropriate for laboratory work Any hanging or loose jewellery should be removed before conducting experiment to minimise chances of getting caught by any parts of the launcher as it can be easy to be caught by the steel pole if operator is not careful. Teacher is to be notified if it gets caught and to safely remove and look for any injuries because of the jewellery. Equipment should be firmly together So that the equipment does not breakdown mid trial and potentially injure someone, the equipment should be put firmly in place with everything intact before conducting any trial. RESULTS Table 1: Table of results Starting angle () Landing range   of projectile trial 1 (m) Landing range of projectile trial 2 (m) Average range (m) 0 2.26 2.30 2.28 20 2.46 2.40   2.43 40 3.06   3.01   3.04   45 2.45 2.94 2.70 50 2.75 2.74 2.75 Figure 3: Relationship between starting angle and average landing range Using the slope formula It is clear from table 1 that for this particular experiment the best angle to achieve maximum It is clear in figure 3 that ashad increased the resistance had also increased, this means that there is an directly proportional relationship between resistance and, indicating that the thicker the wire means less resistance as d2 will be inversely proportional to resistance, which is due to less collisions with thicker wires. Results shown in figure 3 shows little scatter around the trend line. This indicates a high level of precision in the results, indicating that there were minimal random errors. Possible sources of random error that may have reduce the precision of the result is slight misreading values in the protractor and this could have happened due to parallax error. The correct lining of sight needs to be used to avoid parallax error, the exact point is only measured if the mark of the protractor is exactly parallel to the eyes and is difficult to achieve with the human eye, and ultimately cannot be avoided. But According to the graph in figure 3, it is seen that there are no outliers from the trend line, which suggests that this did not happen. If this fault was from parallax error, a way to minimise this error is to have an instrument designed to eliminate this effect by placing a mirrored surface behind the launch angle so the operator can align eyesight with the scale with ease. Another random error is possibly setting up the equipment incorrectly, as having   Ã‚   Possible sources of systematic error that may have reduced the accuracy of the results may possibly have been a problem with the projectile launcher, not having consistency in the velocity at each launch which will affect the range of the projectile, to minimise this error is to have some sort of velocity measurer to keep consistency in the projectile launcher. the process of levelling eye level and where the values are located in the protractor. CONCLUSIONThe aim of this experiment was to design and construct a projectile launcher that will be used to investigate the relationship between the range of a projectile and its launch angle. This was attained by varying the angle of the constructed launcher and firing it at the same height with the same tension every time. It was clear from this experiment that there is a relationship between the angle of release of an object and the landing range and that they had a parabolic relationship. The hypothesis that the projectile will achieve a maximum range with a launch angle of 40 ° including the horizontal force of air resistance, was supported as it is seen in table 1 that the maximum range is achieved when launched at an angle of 40. Sources used: William Shakespeare was born in this house and grew up here with his parents and siblings. He also spent the first five years of his marriage living here with his wife Anne Hathaway. John and Mary Shakespeare were wealthy enough to own the largest house on Henley Street. John Shakespeare lived and worked in this house for fifty years. When he married Mary Arden she came to live with him and they had a total of eight children, William was the third to be born. In 1568 John became the Mayor of Stratford, which was the highest elective office in the town. On Sunday, dressed in his fine red robes, he would have been escorted to Holy Trinity church to attend mass. It was because of his fathers status as Mayor that William was privileged enough to have attended the local grammar school to begin his education. John Shakespeare died in 1601 and as the eldest surviving child, William inherited the house. He leased part of the property and it became an inn called the Maidenhead (and later the Swan and Maidenhead). The inn remained until 1847. When Shakespeare died he left the house to his eldest daughter Susanna, and when she died she left it to her only child, Elizabeth. Although she married twice Elizabeth had no children, so when she died the house fell to a descendant of Joan Hart, one of Shakespeares sisters. The house was owned by the Hart family until the late 18th century, until it went up for sale and was purchased by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in 1847. We have cared for it ever since. For the official guidebook of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust visit our online shop.

The Practice of Law Will Allow Me to Mobilize Individuals and Communiti

The Practice of Law Will Allow Me to Mobilize Individuals and Communities Rowing is God's sport. The crisp early morning air, mist-shrouded hills, shells gliding silently on the glassy surface, oars slicing in unison. For casual observers, time slows and they become immersed in art. An ardent rower, I experience this beauty, but I also know that strength, courage and endurance command the shell, as in life. Silence. White knuckles and callused palms suffocate the oar. In anticipation, my breathing, even my pumping heart stops. Then the horn sounds. Adrenaline rips through my torso. I pull, and keep pulling, sinews stretched to breaking, every muscle screaming to quit. Concentrating only on the starting dock, I surge forward relentlessly. That dock is my beacon. I left home at sixteen. My single mother's drinking had become intolerable. Regina, my twin, was pregnant; her drug-addict boyfriend moved in. The starting horn had sounded. High school races by when you have to study, make a living, do chores, play guitar in a band, and still maintain a social life. But the independence gave me strength. There were some ironies. I had no curfew, but there wasn't much to do in Artesia, New Mexico. As my own guardian, I could sign sick slips and grade reports, and attend PTA events. I earned two varsity letters, the maximum AP credits, and enough wages to escape debt. Disregarding warnings that "fifty cents and a humanities degree could only buy a cup of coffee," I selected political science and economics, impelled by a seemingly instinctive curiosity to study the two edifices of our society. Taking to reading like breathing, I devoured Marx, Mill, Keynes, and Smith, oblivious to my r... ...ities, and setting mechanisms for coordinating these efforts nationwide, so that populations can pull themselves up by their bootstraps. I want to fight poverty and social inequity on a large scale. My plans include obtaining a law degree with a concentration in public interest law, gaining broad policy experience as a legislative advisor and eventually leading my own anti-poverty agency. But I dream of running for elected office, and winning-politics has the power to mobilize individuals, communities and nations. But who am I to dream such things? Why will I succeed? Because I am passionate? Maybe. Because I live my life like I row? Possibly. The real reason is that there will always be a part of me, Regina cleaved from the same flesh, for whom poverty is a daily struggle. Regina is my beacon. I see her in the eyes of every person I try to help.

Best Friends :: Friendship Essay Personal Narrative

Best Friends Steam hung heavily in the air as Ashli Jacobson stood with her head bowed, letting the streams of hot water beat against her back. The radio by the sink blared a heavy bass line and undecipherable words. Reluctantly, she turned the shower off, wiped the water from her eyes and stepped from the dripping shower stall. A sudden pounding on the door jerked her out of her reverie. What was I just thinking about? Blast- "Ashli? Are you going to be out soon?" Ashli sighed, suppressing the urge to yell, No! I'm staying in here forever! "I'll be out in a minute," she called instead, wiping vapor from the mirror. "Hurry up, would you?" Ashli turned off the radio and secured a pink, fluffy towel around herself. Her bare feet making tiny puddles on the cool tile floor, she went to the door and opened it. Chilly air from the hallway hit her sharply and she shivered, clutching the towel closer. Jenny waited in the hall. Her blue eyes flashed with impatience. "I have to put my face on before my date." She brushed past Ashli and planted herself in front of the mirror. "What time is it?" Ashli asked, aware she was dripping on the floor. She raked a hand through her sopping wet hair. "Almost seven," Jenny answered, searching for her mascara. Joshua will be here soon." Ashli's brain began to make a list of all the things she had to do before her best friend arrived for their Saturday night ritual of popcorn, television, and conversation. Jenny looked at Ashli doubtfully. "Are you sure? He hasn't called." Ashli impatiently swiped away a lock of wet hair before answering. "He never calls. He'll be here. It's Saturday night. We never miss a Saturday together." "I noticed." Jenny began to apply blush to her cheeks. "You two are awfully close, " she commented. Ashli rolled her green eyes and sighed. "That's why he's my best friend, as opposed to just a friend. "How did his doctor's appointment go?" The question caught Ashli off guard. Not only did it come out of nowhere, but Ashli never shared important information like that with Jenny. "Well, since you apparently listened to our telephone conversation, you know the doctors are satisfied that there isn't any trace of leukemia left. He has a clean bill of health," Ashli answered through clenched teeth. Best Friends :: Friendship Essay Personal Narrative Best Friends Steam hung heavily in the air as Ashli Jacobson stood with her head bowed, letting the streams of hot water beat against her back. The radio by the sink blared a heavy bass line and undecipherable words. Reluctantly, she turned the shower off, wiped the water from her eyes and stepped from the dripping shower stall. A sudden pounding on the door jerked her out of her reverie. What was I just thinking about? Blast- "Ashli? Are you going to be out soon?" Ashli sighed, suppressing the urge to yell, No! I'm staying in here forever! "I'll be out in a minute," she called instead, wiping vapor from the mirror. "Hurry up, would you?" Ashli turned off the radio and secured a pink, fluffy towel around herself. Her bare feet making tiny puddles on the cool tile floor, she went to the door and opened it. Chilly air from the hallway hit her sharply and she shivered, clutching the towel closer. Jenny waited in the hall. Her blue eyes flashed with impatience. "I have to put my face on before my date." She brushed past Ashli and planted herself in front of the mirror. "What time is it?" Ashli asked, aware she was dripping on the floor. She raked a hand through her sopping wet hair. "Almost seven," Jenny answered, searching for her mascara. Joshua will be here soon." Ashli's brain began to make a list of all the things she had to do before her best friend arrived for their Saturday night ritual of popcorn, television, and conversation. Jenny looked at Ashli doubtfully. "Are you sure? He hasn't called." Ashli impatiently swiped away a lock of wet hair before answering. "He never calls. He'll be here. It's Saturday night. We never miss a Saturday together." "I noticed." Jenny began to apply blush to her cheeks. "You two are awfully close, " she commented. Ashli rolled her green eyes and sighed. "That's why he's my best friend, as opposed to just a friend. "How did his doctor's appointment go?" The question caught Ashli off guard. Not only did it come out of nowhere, but Ashli never shared important information like that with Jenny. "Well, since you apparently listened to our telephone conversation, you know the doctors are satisfied that there isn't any trace of leukemia left. He has a clean bill of health," Ashli answered through clenched teeth.

Artificial Intelligence Essay -- Essays Papers

Artificial Intelligence Computers are everywhere today. It would be impossible to go your entire life without using a computer. Cars, ATMs, and TVs we use everyday, and all contain computers. It is for this reason that computers and their software have to become more intelligent to make our lives easier and computers more accessible. Intelligent computer systems can and do benefit us all; however people have constantly warned that making computers too intelligent can be to our disadvantage. Artificial intelligence, or AI, is a field of computer science that attempts to simulate characteristics of human intelligence or senses. These include learning, reasoning, and adapting. This field studies the designs of intelligent agents, or a system that acts intelligibly. The term artificial intelligence is confusing and misleading however. Artificial intelligence is still a form of intelligence, but perhaps â€Å"synthetic intelligence† is a better name because it is not natural intelligence. This is why the name â€Å"computational intelligence†, or CI, is sometimes preferred. Artificial intelligence is used in many objects that we use everyday: cars, microwaves, personal computers, and videogames. There are many different goals for AI, depending upon your field or view. Computer science attempts to make computer systems do what only humans could do in the past. Computational philosophy tries to understand human intelligence at a computer level. AI also has applications in medical programs, factories, robots, and many other tasks. There are several different disciplines of artificial intelligence. They are: different are expert systems, natural languages, simulation of human sensory capabilities, robotics... ...pable of much growth in the years to come. In a few years maybe it will be possible to create systems that are in every way equal to or superior to humans. That can be a scary thought, however impossible it may sound. For now we will just continue to use these systems to our greatest advantage. References Chung, Randolph, and Lynellen D. S. Perry. â€Å"Robotics: introduction.† Crossroads. 4.3 (1998): 2. Klerfors, Daniels. Artificial Neural Networks. Nov. 1998. St. Louis. U. Nov. 2001. http://hem.hj.se/~de96klda/NeuralNetworks.htm. Nadis, Steve. â€Å"We Can Rebuild You.† MIT’s Technology Review. 100 (1997): 16-18. Poole, David, Alan Mackworth, and Randy Goebel. Computational Intelligence, a logical approach. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Turner, Raymond. Logics for Artificial Intelligence. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1984.

Insomnia Cookies

Organization Structure and Design at Insomnia Cookies What do you think the current organization chart at Insomnia Cookies looks like? Is this structure appropriate for its needs? Explain. What forces have most influenced the structure of Insomnia Cookies? Describe CEO and founder Seth Berkowitz’s span of management. The organization chart is quite confusing because employees of Insomnia Cookies perform beyond their role of duty that they are supposed to. An organization structure should reflect the company’s management chart and the roles and responsibilities of the employees (Lehmann, 1998).In this case, the structure is disorientated. Now, the organizational chart at Insomnia Cookie is divided in three parts, which consists of the top management, middle management, and the lower management. The Chief Executive Officer come founder sits at the part of the top management. The Marketing Director, Chief Operation Officer, Finance Director and the Operations Coordinator i n the middle part of management, while the lower management includes the marketing team, managers, bakers and delivery staffs. At Insomnia Cookies, the Manager force influenced most of the structure in the company.Every manager thinks in a different way. As factors such as experience, knowledge and values shape the person’s way of thinking and perception, some issues could occur when running a company. The executive staffs at Insomnia Cookies are lean, which consists of the Chief Executive Officer (also the founder), a Marketing Director, a Chief Operating Officer, and an Operations Coordinator. When Insomnia Cookies first formed its company, all managers were new and nobody have tried managing a company, thus solution for every issue were made and done only when something serious came up.The task force influenced the change of the activities in Insomnia Cookies. According to Certo and Certo (2012), task includes the degree of technology in performing a task. When issues abou t managing labour costs, food costs and inventory management came up, the Chief Operating Director began with a system and database to manage costs. He multitasked as he went down to store to work with the bakers while he need to manage the operation of local store marketing to ensure the local store growth to be seen as a whole to the global standard.Using the factors that were stated by Koontz (1966), the similarity of functions factor explains that the activities performed by individuals that are under the supervision of Seth Berkowitz are dissimilar. The complexity of functions factor is hard to achieve because the subordinates each have their own complex tasks. Lastly, the coordination factor and the planning factor has negative tendency when the work done needs much coordination and especially when the manager spends much time sorting out plans. With all of these, it is concluded that Seth Berkowitz’s span of management is narrow.

The Struggle between Social Classes

Rich girl marrying a poor boy or vice versa—this is a very recurrent theme in love stories of all times. In the film genre, this theme also serves as a topic of interest as it reveals the conflict between the upper and the lower classes in society. In Jack Clayton’s (1959) film, Room at the Top, the director shows how the struggle between the two classes operates in the British society after the World War II. Depicting a poor man’s struggle as he tries to alter his place in society, the film attempts to mirror the reality that the poor will likely give in to the intention of the rich in view of economic struggle.Analysis of the characterisation, plot, theme, and motifs used in the film provides viewers a better knowledge of the two social classes. Characterisation The beginning of the film strongly suggests representations of the lower class. The main character, Joe Lampton (played by Laurence Harvey) is depicted sitting comfortably on a train, with his feet rais ed on the opposite seat, thus showing his mended socks. The introduction alone shows the man’s class standing, as he cannot afford to buy a new pair of socks, and resorts instead to wearing an old and tottered pair.This attitude of settling with the second best or whatever is available is reflected in his choice of women. Realising the difficulty of having Susan Brown as his girl due to the conflict in their social standing, Joe resorts to Alice Aisgill (played by Simone Signoret), his colleague, despite their big age difference. A number of juxtapositions are presented in the film. For instance, in spite of Joe’s financial incapability as symbolised by the socks, he wears the usual coat and tie as he reports for work.Whilst the first denotes poverty, the other suggests decency. Note that the coat and tie is customary in the British society especially in business affairs. As such, he and his colleagues wear the same type of clothing, which somehow levels off their stat us with that of the rich. Nevertheless, this does not change Joe’s social standing, and the way Susan’s family and friends view him. Based on his position as an accountant in Borough’s Treasurer’s Department, Joe is unquestionably educated.However, this does not necessarily help raise his social status as one belonging to the working class. This implies that it is not enough for a person to obtain education and a white-collared job in order to rise in the social hierarchy. Rather, marriage to a rich girl such as Susan, the daughter of a factory owner, could change one’s fortune as proposed later in the film. Juxtaposition is likewise established between the characters. For instance, Joe’s character is presented in opposition with Susan’s suitor, who is influential and sociable.Joe, being a newcomer in the Dufton, seldom socialises with his colleagues, and instead relates closely with a few of them, including Alice, whom he falls in lo ve with later. He is also seen in contrast with Susan, the girl who attracts him a lot. Their social standing primarily draws the line between them. Whilst Joe needs to work hard and establish connection with his colleagues, Susan does not need to work, and instead spends her time acting in local theatre. Also, whilst Joe transfers to Dufton to obtain employment, Susan is free to go on vacation as she pleases.Moreover, juxtaposition is also established between the two female characters, Alice and Susan. Aside from the women’s ages and marital status, they also differ in social status, in that Alice is an average office worker, whilst Susan is the daughter of an owner of a factory. This social difference between the two results in a struggle between them as Susan gets pregnant. Although Joe loves Alice more, and has planned to marry her, Mr. Brown’s (Susan’s father) proposition convinces Joe to change his mind, thus making way for the bourgeois to win over the pr oletarian.In addition, Alice’s former marriage to their colleague also makes less favourable, especially since her former husband would not agree to divorce. Considering this, the film does not only present struggles between social classes; it also demonstrates struggles based on gender as the women’s fate depends on Joe’s final decision. Further to the contrast between Alice and Susan, the former demonstrates more freedom of will, as she does things she likes, ie, shifts career, separates from her husband, and establishes relationship with Joe.Her habit of cigarette smoking throughout the film shows Alice’s easy-going and independent character; although it reflects her tensions in life at the same time. In contrast, Susan is pictured as a fresh and young girl, healthy-looking and innocent. Her social status prevents her from associating with the lower class, such as Joe, but it does not ultimately defeats her will to be independent. Plot The plot of the film supports the idea of struggle between the social classes. It shows a single unified structure, with the conflict appearing near the end, as Joe decides to marry Susan due to the latter’s pregnant condition.His decision conflicts with his wish to marry Alice. Thus, when the latter finds out, she gets totally devastated, and drowns in her sorrow and alcohol, which later leads to her death by car accident. Earlier in the story, Susan’s parents try to separate her from Joe by making her take a vacation. This motive demonstrates the struggle between social classes, in that the bourgeois discriminates the other, by preventing marriage between them. Later on, as Mr. Brown realises his daughter’s condition, he tries to buy off Joe, and offers to make him rich if Joe does what he commands.Initially, Joe exercises his pride and rejects the offer, but realising that Alice cannot be married with him, and that life with Susan would make his life comfortable, he agrees t o the proposition and marries Susan. As such, the class struggle is evident. Mr. Brown uses his money and power to buy off Joe. For his part, Joe cannot disagree with Mr. Brown for he sees this opportunity to escape his current social status. Being Susan’s husband, Joe does not need to work anymore, and all else will go smoothly because Susan is very wealthy.However, just as Joe attempts to escape his own social structure, he is haunted by it, with the death of Alice. Along with the proposition of Mr. Brown to make Joe a rich man is the defeat of the proletarian class. As Joe accepts the offer, he disremembers Alice’s sacrifices and love for him. What is sadder about it is knowing how little time it takes Joe to decide about leaving Alice. As shown in the film, everything happens over one dinner, too short a time to change plans or think things over; thus implying the power of money to further establish social injustice and discrimination, and in turn disregard social equality.Theme The main theme of the film, which is the struggle between social structures, relates to Marxist perspectives. Specifically, the presence of the two opposing structures, the bourgeois (as presented by Susan and her family) and the proletarian (Joe, Alice, and the other employees) implies the conflict in the film. As Marx & Engels (1848) claim, there is a social struggle that exists between the bourgeois or the middle class, â€Å"that sprouted from the ruins of feudal society,† and â€Å"established new classes, new conditions of oppression, new forms of struggle in place of the old ones.† In the film, as Mr. Brown gives Joe the marriage proposal, he implies designing Joe’s entire life—his marriage and career, in order to make sure it fits the structure that Susan is born with. Such plan illustrates â€Å"a new condition of oppression,† a new form of struggle for the proletarian. Physical attraction is what leads to the theme of socia l struggle. Everything starts as Joe becomes attracted to Susan and vice versa. Indeed, the two social classes would not conflict with each other if not for Joe’s feelings for Susan.In this consideration, one may see that the effort to reach or blend with another social class may result in a much worse conflict between them. However, such conflict could later lead to â€Å"permanently changing social relations within the system† (Strasser and Randall, 1981, p. 44). Thus, Susan’s pregnancy leads to â€Å"the development of new patterns of social relations,† between him and the Browns. Suddenly, Susan’s parents accept Joe as their daughter’s husband, owing to the reputation that they try to maintain in society.Motifs As mentioned above, the proletarian or working class is given focus in the film. Clayton uses realistic setting and motifs to depict the lives of the working class of the 50s. Amongst these include the dark, small houses where Ali ce and Joe spend their love affair, the male boarding house where Joe resides with her friend Soames, the local train which characterises the transportation means of the common people, and Joe’s seemingly abandoned house where he brings Susan the night they elope.The use of realistic setting thus emphasises the life lived by the proletarians. Juxtaposition is likewise applied to the setting. When Joe visits Susan, he is amazed by the huge house, which consists of the long halls, partitioned rooms, and the big lawn. Servants are available any moment they are needed. This is in full contrast with Alice’s place, which is dark and small. Aside from setting, the behaviour of the characters likewise mimics the ways of the working class.For instance, cigarette smoking is used vehemently throughout the film, giving impression of the start of the â€Å"new wave† era (Wickham, n. d. ), although such practices may be deemed destructive of the image of the working class. Li kewise, the affair between workers despite being committed is also hinted on, which reveals the low regard for morality of the said social class. Furthermore, the Alice’s fate at the end also reveals the proletarian’s lack of strength to face reality, the tendency to be alcoholic, and the low self-esteem amongst them.In contrast, the ways of the bourgeois are seen in better light. They are dressed neatly on each occasion; specifically, Susan’s mother shows modesty by the way she behaves and carries herself even whilst at home, whilst Susan shows coyness towards Joe. However, the proletarians are pictured with more social dynamics than their counterpart. This is seen as Soemes introduces Joe to their officemates. Everyone, despite their positions in the company, welcomes Joe with glee, whilst Susan’s suitor intimidates him.During the party where Joe and Susan meet again, the guests seated with the Browns look at Joe with contempt, after finding out that he does not belong to their social circle. In sum, whilst the proletarians are depicted as misguided and weak, the bourgeois are seen as virulent and vile. The monotonous music that the director employs does not entirely affect the whole of the film, yet it helps highlight important scenes such as the introduction, the falling in love and break up between Joe and Alice, the news about Alice’s death, the wedding, etc.Likewise, the actors’ costumes, which are limited to office and home settings, depict the simplicity of the people in the 50s. The director’s effort to make everything look realistic, from the setting, the costumes, the love scenes, the dialogues to the props, allows the viewers to see the film in a realistic perspective. Moreover, the plot structure, which shows the dilemma of a man in choosing between the woman he loves but cannot possess and the woman who merely attracts her but is prepared to be his wife, adds to the realism of the film.The only el ement that seems irrelevant yet not impossible is the time when Joe encounters the mob just before his wedding. This scene is irrelevant to the plot, but may have been added to achieve catharsis. Since Joe is the cause of Alice’s accidental death, he is made to pay for what he does before he marries Susan. Despite the irrelevance of the mob scene to the plot, it nevertheless presents other aspects of the proletarians.As depicted in the film, the men that beat Joe are not scavengers; rather, they are working men, considering the way they are dressed up. Based on this scene, the proletarians in the British society are pictured as ruthless just like the bourgeois who would buy off people’s freedom in order to make their daughter happy. As Joe decides to leave Alice for Susan, the film once again shows that in the face of struggle between the two classes, it is usually those in the upper class that emerge as the winner, leaving behind the poor at the losing end.References Marx, K. & Engels, F. (1848) The manifesto, Available at [Accessed on 23rd July 2009]. Room at the Top (1959) Directed by Jack Clayton, London, British Lion Films [video:DVD]. Strasser, H. & Randall, S. (1981) An introduction to theories of social change. London, Routledge. Wickham, P. (N. d. ). Room at the Top (1958). Available at [Accessed on 23rd July 2009].