Investigation of the carbonate - bicarbonate system Essay Example for Free

Investigation of the carbonate bicarbonate system Essay Alkalinity in this experiment can be defined as the measure of the pH buffering capacity in water (e. g. river water, sea water, lakes etc. ). This experiment was carried out using a prepared carbonate bicarbonate solution against hydrochloric acid (0. 1M HCl). Titration and pH indicator method was used to determine the equivalence point. The experiment also compares the titration and pH indicator method that is, looking at the option that will give a better approach in determining the equivalence point. Compared the digital and analogue pH meters that were used during the experiment by different groups. The experiment also aims at showing the importance of carbonate bicarbonate system in environmental chemistry as it affects the natural water system. INTRODUCTION In Nigeria, water pollution is a serious environmental issue as it relates to the oil industries in the Niger Delta region, this can be attributed but not limited to the continuous flaring of fossil fuel. This creates acid rain deposition thus reducing the buffering capacity of rivers and lakes. The major source of living and earning in this area is fishing, but the continuous flaring of gas has resulted in acid precipitation, which has affected fishing. When there is acid deposition, the pH of the water increases thereby making the water partially acidic, the drop in pH can harm and even kill some of the organisms inhabiting the water (Tope Akintola Jan 2004). The Nigerian government set up the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA), which issued, in 1988, a specific decree to protect, to restore and preserve the ecosystem. The decree also sets out water quality standards to protect public health and to enhance the quality of water (Enderlein et al). Although, the Federal Environmental Protection Agency did not have specific guidelines, the agency adopted the guideline for alkalinity by World Health Organisation in 1971. Parameter Permissible standard Issued by Alkalinity (mg/l) 200 600 WHO, 1971; FEPA, 1991 Alkalinity can be defined as that level that provides stable pH in rivers and lakes or simply put as withstanding a fall in pH. Stability is achieved through the neutralization of acids in an aqueous system. It should be noted that alkalinity in this experiment deals strictly with the acid base neutralization, whereas, pH is the concentration of the solution. When stability is achieved, alkalinity is said to buffer the solution. Buffering of an aqueous system is the equilibrium between the acid and base reaction, this is done when the hydrogen [H+] ion is either used up or donated so that the pH of the solution remains normal, that is, remains as the original pH of the system. In rivers, lakes and ocean, buffering involves the presence of carbon dioxide (CO2), carbonic acid (H2CO3), bicarbonate (HCO3-), carbonate (CO3-2) and hydrogen [H+]. The reaction involved is thus; CO2 (aq) + H2O H2CO3 (aq) 1 H2CO3- (aq) H+ (aq) + HCO3-(aq) . 2 HCO3-(aq) H+ (aq) + CO3-2(aq).. 3 Carbon dioxide from the atmosphere dissolves into the solution and also achieves equilibrium as shown below; CO2 (g) CO2 (aq) 4 The carbonic acid formed (H2CO3 (aq) ) from equation (1) is neutralized by the addition of base to for equation (2). Continued addition of base (alkalinity) further removes the proton (H+) present to form the carbonate in equation (3). Buffering is achieved at this point, and equivalence points are noted as shown in the figures below (figures 1 2). Further addition of base now drives the equation back and carbon dioxide (CO2 (g)) is given off. Figure (1) points E and F indicate where the gas is given off. The experiment was carried out using the titration and pH indicator method to determine the equivalence points of equations (2) and (3), phenolphthalein and methyl orange were used as indicators. Phenolphthalein was added to determine the first equivalence point. The initial pH of the water sample was 9. 75; the addition of phenolphthalein thus induced a colour change. Phenolphthalein produces a colour change in water in the pH range 8. 3 10. The alkalinity measured at this point is the half carbonate that has been neutralized in the reaction. Half carbonate reaction; from equation (3) only one proton H+ is consumed during the neutralization, therefore, half carbonate reaction is simply the amount of hydrogen ion (which is one) consumed during the phenolphthalein indicator method. Methyl orange indicator method measures the buffering capacity of the neutralized solution. The bicarbonate (HCO3-) ion initially present with those produced during the half reaction is completely neutralized. Methyl orange produces a colour change at pH range 3. 5 4. 5. HCO3- + H+ H2O + CO2 Both methods is used to determine the total alkalinity of the reaction, thus, total alkalinity is the addition of the equivalence points of the reaction. Methodology The experiment was carried out in two parts, titration and pH indicator methods. Titration method (phenolphthalein indicator) 25ml of carbonate/bicarbonate mixture was pipette into a conical flask and two drops of phenolphthalein was added, the solution changed from colourless to pink. The mixture was then titrated against 0. 1M HCl until the pink colour changed to colourless. Table (1) shows the value that was obtained. (Methyl orange indicator) 25ml of carbonate/bicarbonate mixture was pipette into a conical flask and two drops of methyl orange was added, the solution changed from colourless to yellow. The mixture was then titrated against 0. 1M HCl until the yellow colour changed to pink. Table (1) shows the value that was obtained.pH indicator method 25ml of carbonate/bicarbonate mixture was pipette into a beaker and distilled water was added, the mixture was then titrated against 0. 1M HCl. A pH digital meter was introduced to measure the initial and subsequent changes in pH of solution. Table (2) shows the value that was obtained. Results The investigation of carbonate and bicarbonate in the water sample can first be described by the following reactions: (a) H2CO3 (aq) H+ (aq) + HCO3-(aq) (b) HCO3-(aq) H+ (aq) + CO3-2(aq) Various results were obtained during the titration and pH indicator methods. Table (1) shows the values obtained when 0. 1MHCl was titrated against the carbonate/bicarbonate mixture. Table (2) shows the values for the pH indicator method, table (3) shows the values for the derivative curve and table (4) shows the class result (raw data). The value obtained was then plotted on a graph to obtain various readings; the graphs would be explained later in the discussion. The plot on figure (1) shows the relationship between the pH and volume of 0. 1M HCl used. Figure (2) is the derivative curve, figures (3 4) is used to determine the equivalence points of the reactions.

Cupcake Leavening Methods Essay Example for Free

Cupcake Leavening Methods Essay I have found three that I will test in order to find which produces the fluffiest, or least dense, batch of cupcakes. They allow for a greater leavening, or increase of volume of baking dough caused by the formation of gas bubbles. The methods to create this effect on the cupcakes are using egg whites only, mixing each ingredient separately before adding them to the mixture, and adding a teaspoon of corn starch to the mix. Eggs are a necessary ingredient to nearly any baked good. However, the two parts of the egg, the yolk and the white, have very different compositions. Egg yolks are high in fat, while the whites contain a great amount of protein. Fats interfere with the proteins ability to form bonds and trap air, keeping them from becoming as fluffy as they could be. However, whipping egg whites on their own mixes air into the whites and disarranges their protein molecules. The protein molecules are usually in clusters. Whipping causes them to stretch out and link together, trapping the air into tiny bubbles. Thus, using the egg whites on their own allows the proteins to whip up to their fullest potential height. A simpler method of decreasing the density of a batch of cupcakes is to mix each ingredient separately before adding them all together. By putting all dry ingredients into a bowl and whisking them until there are no lumps you are lightening the cake mix. Also, one should mix the eggs before their addition because this adds many small bubbles to them, which will cause bubbles to also be in the cupcakes, thereby making them light and fluffy. Finally, it is said that adding a teaspoon of cornstarch to your cupcakes before baking them will allow for extra lightness. Cornstarch is made from the endosperm of corn or wheat. It is used in baking as a leavening agent. It includes starch, which absorbs moisture and lets the little bubbles to form more easily in the batter during baking. Cornstarch does not contain any gluten, which is a strong and stretchy protein that gives baked goods a very solid structure. As temperature rises while the cupcakes bake, the cornstarch cause gas molecules to move farther apart, thus expanding air cells. This reaction will give the cupcakes the desired fluffiness. An important part of my experimentation will be determining the density of each cupcake. The formula for finding density is Density=Mass/Volume. In order to find the density, however, I must first find the mass and volume. Using a triple beam balance I can find the mass, but the volume will be more complicated. I have determined that the easiest way to calculate the volume would be to hypothetically separate each cupcake into thin segments by increments of approximately one centimeter. Then, I will have many approximate cylinders sitting on top of each other. Next, all I must do is measure the circumference of each cylinder, use that number to calculate the radius, and input that radius into the formula for finding the volume of a cylinder: Volume=? *radius^2*height. By adding the volume of each cylinder I can find the volume of the entire cupcake. I will do this to each cupcake in each batch and use the volume to determine the densities. Then, the batch with the lowest average density of cupcake is the one with the most effective method. Using all this research, I have hypothesized that the cornstarch will do the greatest amount of leavening.

Total quality management has not changed but evolved

Total quality management has not changed but evolved TQM is not a new challenge for ST since this approach has been adopted since the early 1990s. This concept remained the primary concern for ST and since then it has not changed but evolved. It has always been a means to achieve Excellence for the entire organisation. TQM is about PEOPLE. It has become the practical way of working at ST; an integrated part of the day-today managerial process, a better way of organizing and doing ones job. At ST, employees have to share the same values of the organisation. ‘People do not come to work with their hands and minds only; they also come with their hearts and emotions. Therefore, to obtain a totally efficient approach, it is essential that everybody in the organization knows and fully adheres to these principles. Georges Auguste Corporate Vice President TQEM In their journal ‘A meta-analysis of the effect of TQM on competitive advantage the authors Eman El Shenawy, Tim Baker and David J. Lemak quoted that ‘Culture is the values, beliefs, and norms that guide behaviour in organizations (Reed et al., 2000, p. 15). Culture is also necessary for providing employee empowerment that guides employees to focus on quality and inspect their own mistakes (Ahire et al., 1996). ST has specifically developed and deployed Training Programs through ST University, at all sites. Empowerment must be based on properly trained employees. Knowledge sharing gives people the right knowledge, helping them making the right decision. What is Total Quality Management? ‘a powerful blend of philosophy and tools to achieve Excellence TQM has been developed over the years in many different contexts and implemented by many companies worldwide. It has evolved. Several countries have promoted this aspect through national quality awards. Studies highlight a very important fact. Organisations which have adopted TQM do perform better than those that have not adopted it. TQM has been defined as ‘the management of the total organization to achieve excellence. It is about management and people, not just about quality. Everyone in an organization is involved in the final product or service to the customer. The evolving path of TQM: towards business excellence and stakeholder value Cristina Mele and Maria Colurcio define TQM as a systemic and global approach based on management by process and continuous improvement of business performances by all human resources in order to satisfy explicit or implicit expectations of customers and other stakeholders (Shiba et al., 1993; Dean and Bowen, 1994; Grant et al., 1994). Over the years, TQM has evolved in sustaining Business Excellence through a framework of best practices. Excellence is the never-ending quest for perfection; going beyond the traditional concept of quality. It is a dynamic and continuous improvement process involving every activity in the organization. This is highlighted by Cristina Mele and Maria Colurcio where they have stated that TQM lead organisations to understand the competitive issues and to continuously change the way in which business is managed according to market changes. El Shenawy, Baker and Lemak have also confirmed this aspect. Research on TQM has generally proven its value to those firms who take its implementation seriously (Hendricks and Singhal, 2001; Lemak et al., 2002). Reed et al. (1996) argue that achieving competitive advantage comes from finding ‘a fit between the proper strategy content and the firms external environment. Reed et al. (2000) defined TQM as a ‘business strategy with regard to process, identifying leadership/top management commitment, employees training and education, teams, and culture as the critical processes. These key processes give the firm a sustained competitive advantage over competitors. STs Guiding Principles Customer satisfaction is the key to competitive success. This can be achieved by listening to customers, by striving to anticipate and fulfil their needs and expectations. Every employee within an organisation must do his/her best to provide world-class Service, Quality, Time to Market and Value. Business integrity is about conducting business with the highest ethical standards, honouring commitments, delivering promises, being loyal and fair, and standing up for what is right. When dealing with People, management has to adapt itself in such a way that it will enhance openness, trust, simplicity and humility. Everyones contribution has to be encouraged and achievements have to be recognized. Gatchalian (1997), affirmed that the competence of an organisation to satisfy the customers lies within its internal customers. Every employee within an organisation shall give his or her contribution and takes his or her responsibilities. A world-class network of sharing best practices will ensure that individual successes can be duplicated elsewhere in the company. TQM will integrate active participation in best-practice sharing in the management evaluation system and introduce awards and non financial incentives to promote the process. Siemens Excellence can be achieved through a continuous challenge for the better. In all aspects of the activities that are carried out, one must strive for excellence, quality, competency and efficiency in being flexible. Innovation and creativity have to be encouraged in every aspect of work activities. Business Excellence is the goal of every modern organization and can be defined as the next step after TQM, for the success of enterprise on the competitive path (Vora, 2002; McAdam et al., 1998). Innovation is what an organization the ‘push from TQM level to business excellence level. It all lies in innovation as it creates value and customer satisfaction. This allows organisations to gain sustainable competitive advantage (Stampacchia et al., 2002. Kanji (1998). Most organisations have affirmed that the strategy of quality is evolving towards a strategy of innovation. Quality has become a basis condition, What has become essential is customer value and satisfaction through innovation. The orientation is towards an innovative perspective is closely linked to the principle of continuous improvement and of customers satisfaction; the base to achieve business excellence. Business excellence represents the present evolving state of the approach for total quality (Kanji, 1998). It refers to some superiority achieved by the organisation towards the market where it operates. It is the achievement of a position of excellence in relation to superior results obtained over competitors on behalf of customers. Excellence has many different aspects linked to TQM: orientation to customer and to results leadership and coherence with objectives management in terms of processes and facts development of partnership learning, continuous improvement and innovation public responsibility For Siemens the fundamental activities in the different operative units of the enterprise in the world are based on the principle of â€Å"excellence in everything we start† aimed to the customers satisfaction and then on concepts of continuous improvement. The following list shows Siemens commitment and mission to business excellence: (1) The firm commitment to business excellence: we will focus on our customer . . . to anticipate and exceed their needs; we will continuously improve . . . our process, products and services toward world class benchmarks; and we will involve every tier . . . in achieving excellence in all we do, and in growing toward their full potential. (2) The firms mission: we will achieve leadership in business excellence by: creating a culture that values all employees, encourages and rewards high performance and   continuous improvement, and fosters teamwork and organizational learning through the involvement, development and empowerment of employees; providing quality products and services that exceed the expectations of customers by pro- actively adapting to an ever changing marketplace; and maintaining a close and strategic partnership with firm worldwide organization and gaining synergy across firm business unit. The key aspects for business excellence on which firms focus their attention: focus on customer and on market; focus on core competences; develop knowledge and capabilities; use of conventional and revolutionary tools and methodologies; continuous improvement; recognize potentiality and exploit it; develop breakthrough systems; and develop value innovations. ‘Total quality is about changing the mental models of management in order to enhance an organisations capability to determine its own future revolutionising managements way of thinking. This change requires more than a one tine shift in thinking; it means a continuous rethinking of the way managers think (Kim, 1990, p. 5). focus on the firm core competencies on key competitive drivers on the use and development of conventional and revolutionary tools and techniques on breakthrough systems on knowledge management Profitability through these activities is the main source of the funds that are needed by the organisation to prosper and grow. Profits are necessary to provide security and future opportunities, It allows the company to meet its other social and business responsibilities. Management Guidelines and Principles @ ST ST promotes three groups of guidelines or principles that have been developed over the years. These have become an integral part of STs culture: The Five TQM Principles Management commitment People empowerment Fact based-decision making Continuous improvement Customer focus The Four TQM Imperatives Never compromise Quality Institutionalize prevention Practice continuous improvement Develop cross-fertilization Management Emphasis Speed: Eliminate delays in all our processes, especially decision-making. Focus: Prioritize, and concentrate on the â€Å"vital few†. Balance: Avoid over-dependence on a narrow range of skills, products, customers, and managers. Consistency: Make sure that our practices are coherent with our values. TQM Guide Since TQM has been implemented by ST, these five TQM principles have been the most important guidelines. Being of equal importance, these can be applied to any aspect of the activities carried out. Customer satisfaction is the number one priority; achieved through continuous improvement and fact based decision-making, involving and empowering people, with the managements support and commitment. Management commitment For TQM to be successful there has to be a prerequisite management commitment, active involvement, leadership and ownership. Management must first understand TQM and be ‘convinced. Their belief and commitment will be reflected through their daily practices. Leadership and top management commitment is the most effective factor. TQM is a change strategy that requires transformational leadership skills (Reed et al., 2000). Top management has a vital role to provide value and satisfaction for customers. Management must provide the necessary resources to accomplish goals and commit to continuous improvement. This is done through implementation of teams, providing training for them, as well as individuals, communicating the values of the organization culture, and providing resources for improvements in process efficiencies (Reed et al., 2000; Wilson and Collier, 2000). Top management is responsible for quality commitment and to co-ordinate resources in order to achieve quality objectives (Zairi and Youssef, 1995a; b; Deming, 1986; Schoenberger, 1994; Scarnati and Scarnati, 2002). â€Å"Leadership in the context of TQM is not about power, authority and control, it is more about empowerment, recognition, coaching and developing others† (Zairi and Youssef, 1995b, p. 38). The role of top management is to guide and direct the organisation to adopt and implement TQM. Top management takes the early decision to adopt any managerial innovations. However, institutional factors have more effect on the long run (Young et al. (2001). Customer focus A primary pre-requisite of TQM is definitely ‘Customer focus, dealing with both internal and external customers. Exceeding customers expectations at the lower possible cost and not quality is the ultimate goal. In order to satisfy the customer, either internal or external, one must understand their expectations through dialog; avoiding creating unrealistic expectations. It is always better to under-promise and over-perform. Like customer focus, supplier partnership also applies to both internal and external suppliers. As a customer, the needs of an organisation must be satisfied. One way to achieve this goal is by working closely with the supplier. Achieving a good supplier partnership requires a proactive effort. To be a good customer, one must help the suppliers become better suppliers. In all investigated enterprises quality is a synonym for customer satisfaction (Edosomwan, 1993; Shiba et al., 1993). Organisations modify their ways to work on the basis of the need to create customer satisfaction and trust strategies (Webster, 1994; Lagrosen, 2001). Nevertheless, there are some very important aspects within customer orientation that one must keep in mind: The need to create value not only for the customer, but with customer; The need to learn about the customer, not only from them; More inter-functional relationships to share knowledge; and More focus on knowledge and capabilities needed to improve customer value. People Empowerment Having all employees contributing the maximum of their discretionary capability is the ultimate goal of employee empowerment. People are motivated when: They understand what is expected from them Goals and measurements are consistent They are given the skills and tools to do the job They are recognized for their contributions They know the score through positive communication They perform with discipline. Empowerment is considered as a powerful motivator as well as a management time-saver; it gives a sense of personal satisfaction and fulfilment. Continuous improvement the purpose of all our activities, the never-ending journey to excellence Continuous improvement is not only important with improving results, but more importantly it must deal with improving capabilities to produce better results. Prevention Continuous improvement is much associated with problem prevention. This can be achieved through root cause analysis by either removing or preventing root causes. Errors are best eliminated through prevention which also helps improving cycle time. Errors can be categorised as either doing things wrong (resulting in rework or defects), or doing wrong things (unnecessary or non-value added activities). All of these will damage Quality through defects, Service through rework and cycle time, and Cost through adding cost without adding value. Cross-fertilization and Knowledge Sharing â€Å"Learning faster than your competitor may be the only sustainable competitive advantage†. Peter Drucker The competitive advantage of individuals, companies and even nations is becoming more dependent on the ability to apply knowledge and to leverage it in a continuous manner. Learning quickly and responding immediately to changing conditions will give a competitive advantage over other organisations No company can successfully practice TQM without becoming a learning organisation. Nowadays, training and knowledge sharing has become even more fundamental for organizations to build their ‘human capital. Employees have to be provided with new techniques and practices necessary to implement TQM successfully. This is also necessary for teaching all the TQM aspects as it requires permanent change in individual behaviours and attitudes (Reed et al., 2000). Roth et al. (1999, p. 950) affirmed: â€Å"the essence of continuous improvement is an ongoing process of knowledge creation with the purpose of over time continually learning and improving, in the sense that the company should be able to learn by experience and thereby produce better products in a more sufficient way.† TQM is essential for the learning processes both at an individual and organizational level. It recognises and emphasises knowledge value and the importance of human resources. A learning organization is characterised by the continuous evolution towards positions of excellence. The enterprise believes that the achievement of the enterprises goals is closely dependent on the employee, in details on their knowledge, on their competencies, on their attitude towards change, on their motivation and their potential. The consciousness of the value of employees becomes an attentive human resources and learning processes management, and skills and capabilities increment. The firms develop several initiatives to foster individual and organizational learning, however, in the following list, we identify some points for improvement: (1) Actions: learning on job; use of new technologies (like internet) to foster individual and team learning; skill planning; human resource empowerment; to plan the improvement of the employees knowledge and skills; quality improvement teams; self-assessment; and to strengthen organizational memory. (2) Points to be improved: wider use of innovative methodologies versus traditional methods of learning; deeper evaluation of what individuals learn (ex-post); higher focus on individual capabilities; higher focus on organization and on organizational knowledge and competences; and right mix between learning on the job and out of the job.

FUNDAMENTALS: THE RASTAFARIAN LIFESTYLE Essay -- essays papers

FUNDAMENTALS: THE RASTAFARIAN LIFESTYLE The Rastafarian religion is unique in having few set beliefs to follow or doctrines to live by. Its African origins teach unity and love among all. There is no unified Rasta church, but it does however hold certain philosophies sacred and a number of principles true. People who believe that Selassie is divine or of divine nature are called Rastafarians. The religion is about justice and freedom of the Black race. It was born from the pains of oppression (Erskine, pg 161, 1998). The messages speaks of freedom from physical and mental slaveries of all kinds. The Rasta philosophy opposes violence, and practices a more peaceful means of resistance. The first evidence of Rastafarians in Jamaica date back to 1930 (Nicholas, pg 25, 1996). The community generally holds some truths evident, but beliefs may vary. But all are united that Haile Selassie was divine. They believe that he was the living God, returned. He was Ethiopia's emperor, but was considered a holy prophet by many more (Baptis t, 1997). There was also a strong movement to renew African culture in ones everyday life. Fundamental Ideas Rastafarians must explore the different ideals presented to them by communicating with Jah, their God, and through careful examination of the Bible. By living a natural life and giving praise to Jah through every deed are key methods to living an eternal life (Nicholas, pg 31, 1996). Through meditation the followers arrive at the truths, and begin to come to understanding what has been left out of the Christian Bible. The Bible gives a representation of the past and future, but can really only be understood within oneself. The idea of personal experience and being guided by Jah shows the Rastafa... ...1998. Garvey, Marcus. African Fundamentalism. Jamaica:1966. Mighty_dread@lineone.net, "Beginners Rastafari Page," URL: http://website.lineone.net/~mighty_dread/ 4/13/00. Napti, "Jamaicans of Ethiopian Origin and the Rastafarian Faith," 2/95, URL: http://www.zhurnal.ru/music/rasta/napti.htm, 4/13/00. Nicholas, Tracy. Rastafari: A way of life. Chicago: Research Associates School Times Publications, 1996. Nolan, P. "Rastafarians and Ganga," 2/98, URL: http://www.uclan.ac.uk/facs/health/socwork/swonweb/journal/issue1/nolan.htm, 4/13/00. Rasjoshi@aol.com, "Dreadlocks," URL: http://members.xoom.com/_XMCM/MindfulJD,K/index.htm, 4/13/00. Rastafari Selassie Center Homepage, URL: http://nettilinja.saunalahti.fi/~hsaarist/, 4/13/00. Simpson, George. (1985) Religion and Justice: Some Reflections on the Rastafari Movement. (Vol. 46) New York: Phylon.

The Asian Financial Crisis Essay example -- Business Economics Globali

The Asian Financial Crisis Many economists have said that the growth experienced by Southeastern Asian countries during the 1980s and early 1990s was a "miracle." Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Indonesia and other countries in the region experienced annual growth rates of over 7 percent. Along with this rapid growth, these countries also saw very little unemployment and an almost invisible wealth gap between the different social and economic classes of citizens. Circumstances have dramatically changed, however. In the summer of 1997, Southeast Asia experienced a time of great financial and economic turmoil. At first, the economic crisis was isolated in Thailand's financial sector, but it quickly spread to Malaysia, Indonesia and South Korea as well. The Prosperous Times It seems that Southeast Asia has always been able to turn bad times around and recover to end up as some of the strongest economies in the world. South Korea, for instance, was very weak and vulnerable after fighting a civil war with North Korea in 1953. However, between 1960 and 1990, the country experienced remarkable economic growth and recovery, and soon the world's 11th most powerful economy. Many other Southeast Asian countries had similar experiences. South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore were previously known as the "Four Tigers" because of their fast and aggressive entry into the global marketplace. Other examples include Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, each of which experienced rapid growth and prosperity in relatively short periods of time. In the U.S., the "Asian miracle" stirred up both awe and fear. This was especially so in the 1980s when Asian products became fierce competition for American products. Japan’s automobiles and electronics were rivaled U.S. products and caused much fear among producers in these U.S. markets. This competition, in part, led to a U.S. trade deficit. U.S. congress reacted by passing a number of trade regulations aimed at protecting U.S. industries. Southeast Asian governments engaged in acts that promoted certain industries and businesses. They provided them with tax credits or subsidies. These policies allowed Asian government leaders to pick the leading industries and helped to ensure their success rather than allow the free trade market to dictate such decisions. Thus, these countries had a power to control and dictate th... ...g-term effects are likely to be positive, at least when society as a whole is considered. As with all things, there will be winners and there will be losers. The hope of society is that the losers lose less than the winners win, and that the winner’s gains can be reciprocated to all involved. Bibliography: Bello, Walden. "The End of the Asian Miracle." The Nation. January 12/19, 1998: 16. Butler, Steven. "New Attitudes in Asia." U.S. News & World Report. December 29, 1997/January 5, 1998: 17. Hornik, Richard. "The Myth of the Miracle." Time. December 8, 1997: 40. Lacayo, Richard. "IMF to the Rescue." Time. December 8, 1997: 36. Lee, Charles. â€Å"The Next Domino?† Far Eastern Economic Review. November 20, 1997: 14-16. Richburg, Keith. "SE Asians Call for Help as Currencies Plunge." Washington Post. December 16, 1997: A1. Internet Sources http://www.stern.nyu.edu/~nroubini/asia/AsiaHomepage.html. What Caused Asia's Economic and Currency Crisis and Its Global Contagion? Nouriel Roubini http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids/publicat/dp367.html. The East Asian Financial Crisis: A Reflection on its Causes, Consequences and Policy Implications. IDS Discussion Paper 367. Stephany

vince carter :: essays research papers

I read How Vince Carter Conquered the NBA Drive, by Chris Young. I learned a lot of things about the NBA problems and the way the players really think not just how they show them in T.V. One of the things I learned about Vince Carter was that he had a lot of problems with his first manager. An example is when Richard Peddy his first manager got put in prison for stealing money from An NFL player. Vince Carter changed his manager and sued his old manager. I also learned that the first year that Vince Carter played he was underestimated the manager though he would be like a helping hand for Tracy Mcgrady his cousin and Ex-player for the Raptors. I also didn’t know that Vince Carter quit the contract with his sponsor Puma because the shoes were hurting his toes. I also found out that Vince Carter the second choice For the Raptors the Raptors first choice was â€Å"Tractor† Taylor a big center something the Raptors needed really bad. Another thing I learned was that the Ra ptors had to pay 27 million to get into the NBA. The last thing I learned was that Vince Carter did not want to do the NBA Dunk contest he was convinced to do it by his friend Kevin Garnett. The purpose of the author for writing this book is to inform people about the live of Vince Carter and the live of an all-star who seems to be happy but really isn’t. This book shows that a lot of problems come with being an NBA player its not just get money but you have to be real wise. I know this because it say that Carter started playing basketball his senior year of high school before that he used to be a band geek. It also talks about how old NBA players got paid less than players now. Some the NBA players Don’t go play to a town because they are not good enough or they don’t pay more even though they are not as good as they think. Like one of the examples they said was Tractor Taylor he didn’t want to stay with the grizzlies because they didn’t pay him enough and now they pay him what he wants and his not delivering like he said. Another example is all the old players they mention that they are over rated.

Development of an Enterprise Resource Planning System Essay

Riordan Manufacturing Inc. is a global plastics manufacturer that was founded in 1991 and employs 550 people. They have since expanded to three locations in the U. S. and one in China. Due to these expansions the company is now experiencing communication and processing issues. Each system needs to be connected to the others in order to improve the tracking and productivity as well as communication between systems. We have been asked to develop a plan to implement a system to connect all of the people and locations into one enterprise system that will give the company access to information from any location at any time. This document covers our plan to achieve this goal for Riordan Manufacturing Inc. Statement of Scope and Goals Riordan Manufacturing has requested that an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) be developed and used in the San Jose, California; Albany, Georgia; Pontiac, Michigan; and Hangzhou, China offices. The goal of this ERP project is to stream line the manufacturing, distribution, and inventory management systems across all plants and to use only one system. The newly proposed system will give Riordan Manufacturing a wealth of opportunity to grow its business and sustain the customers that it has already. The new system will assist the company in obtaining the goals that it has set forth with in its missions statement by providing solutions for its customers. Each of the four Riordan Manufacturing offices is utilizing different software programs to manage their manufacturing, distribution, and inventory. This type of environments provides very little functionality. The efficiency of this is also overwhelming because each plant in essence is not communicating with each other over one system. All of this makes it difficult to track accurately inventory, generate meaningful reports, respond to the information requests from stakeholders, and to make important decisions. Riordan Manufacturing needs an integrated solution that will provide real-time access to data for reporting, inventory, and distribution. The scope of the project is as follows: * A document that identifies specific modeling of the software that the company wishes to be implemented across the board as well as its dates for execution and go live plan. Detailed project plan to monitor and track the progress of the implementation * A communication plan so that status, upcoming events, milestones, and other general information can be shared with the project team as well as the stakeholders. * Risk assessment in order to identify any issues that may arise through out the project and have a contingency plan established before these issues arise. * An easy to use end user environment will be implemented. * All modules of the ERP system will be tested prior to implementation * End users will be trained in the use of the system and all modules before implementation. Technical and end user documentation will be created and finalized before implementation. * Process and procedural documentation will be created and finalized before implementation * All maintenance and support responsibilities will be assigned to those who will manage after implementation We will also hold a post implementation meetings and have evaluate the project implementation prior to the close of the project (Apollo Group, 2012). Support Measures for Success We believe it is important to track success in steps. We will be using Microsoft Project as a project management tool. This will give us the ability to track costs, labor, time and resources to ensure that the project is going as planned and also to know if there are any issues in any of these areas. Our goal is to bring the project in on time and within budget while still meeting all of the requirements for a successful implementation. Success is an ongoing goal and the focus of measure needs to be taken even after the project has been completed to unsure that choices made during the implementation still producing profit. Changes made need to be made during the support phase if additional functionality is needed. Adding more locations or applications to the system may also require altering the measurement standards of success. Summary of Project Feasibility To determine the feasibility of this project a number of factors must be considered, the first being the economic feasibility. Economic feasibility takes into consideration the overall cost of implementation and maintenance of the ERP system. It asks the questions of rather there be any cost savings through implementation of an ERP? Can be ERP increase the revenue for Riordan? And over time, will investment into the ERP decrease (O’Brien & Marakas, 2009)? In general, it must justify that the overall cost of the ERP give an adequate return of investment (ROI) back to Riordan (Motiwalla & Thompson, 2009). Next operational feasibility is looking at rather Riordan’s infrastructure can currently handle the demands of an ERP system. Then if not, changes are going to have to be made to those systems some that the implemented ERP can operate successfully. Also, it looks at the proposed ERP and rather it fits the business model of Riordan (O’Brien & Marakas, 2009). Finally, technical feasibility has to be looked at, to determine if current technology can solve the problems address by Riordan (Motiwalla & Thompson, 2009). Proposed Systems Requirements List Some of the system requirements needed to improve the functionality of Riordan’s raw material and finished product tracking process are as follows (O’Brien & Marakas, 2009): * Unify the process at all facilities to track raw material coming into them. So purchasing can order material in a more efficient manner. * Unify the process at all facilities to monitor the production levels at each plant so management and sales can plan future strategies. * Unify the process at all facilities to give real-time inventory control so management can better plan and coordinate inventory control. Determination of Requirements The aspects that will ensure the information required for this project is gathered successfully are: knowing who should be involved, what questions to ask, formulating a plan, and deciding on the method of delivery. Every stakeholder needs to be identified and contacted for needed user requirements. Once the stakeholders have been identified creating a list of questions needing to be answered will assist in planning and determining the delivery method. Stakeholders can review the questions prior to their monthly stakeholder meeting. The different types of deliveries are system observation, interviews, questionnaires, document review, or Joint Application Development (JAD) sessions. Information gathering techniques will be used to determine the users’ needs. Based on these needs the appropriate ERP system can be designed and implemented. The following techniques will be used to gather information needed on the current process; system observation, interviews, questionnaires, document review, and Joint Application Development (JAD) sessions. Because much of the manufacturing, distribution, and inventory management are gathered through manual process, a system observation and interviews will be handled all at once to document the entire process and system throughout each location. Observing system usage will give great insight into who is using the system and how they are using it. System observation includes manual processes such as comparing shipping documents to scheduled orders receiving report. Stakeholders to be contacted for requirements will be limited to the following roles with Riordan Manufacturing; member of order shipping team, member of sales department, member of manufacturing team, truck drivers, shipping area supervisor, member of receiving area team, receiving clerk, and inventory clerk. A questionnaire is a cost-effective way of gathering additional supporting information. This method of gathering requirements will be used for truck drivers because they are on the road. The use of an online format for the questionnaires to be completed will be the most successful. During the system observation, interview, and questionnaire phase a list of current documents used will be compiled. These examples will be reviewed for information needed for the proposed ERP system. Prototyping Another popular method uses documentation but at a high level and combines with a process of rapid design and testing of a working model of a solution. This method is called prototyping. This method is very beneficial because it allows the users and stakeholders to see how their requirements will be used to produce the system process. Taking the high level requirements and turning it into a user interface that is visual to the user and is a working prototype to see how it will flow. This allows for interaction and can turn some requirements into different solutions and determine which requirements are mandatory and which ones are going to be optional. It provides a more real feel for what the system process will look like and allows for visual confirmation that this is what the company is looking for (Owens, 2009). List of Confirmed Requirements As it stands now the companies most sophisticated location is the San Jose office. The ERP that is residing in that location should be adapted throughout each other location. Along with this the installation of a VoIP system which will allow for a more flowing form of vocal communication between the company and its customers. It also allows the sales team or anyone who is outside the office to connect and accept phone calls even when not on site. All of the locations should have a software upgrade from the current to Microsoft Office 2010. Access points should be installed so that each department see’s only the information that is necessary for their use. This access should only be granted through the technical IT staff after being approved by their specific supervisor. All of the operating systems should be upgraded to Windows 7 because of the smooth use with all of its programs. Reporting should be done either using SQL or Microsoft Access to allow for customized reporting and integration of reports made for each department (Apollo Group, 2012).