Exam Topics (Operations Management) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Exam Topics (Operations Management) - Essay Example Operations is one of the most important and primary functions in any sort of firm or business. "While marketing induces the demands for products and finance provides the capital, operations produces and delivers the product (goods and services)." (Hall, Johnson, & Pyke, 2005). By discussing these five questions, we can come to a clearer and more knowledgeable viewpoint on the subject matter. The aim of this paper is to discuss all of this, while also examining the other key elements which fit within this profile of subject matter. This is what will be dissertated in the following. Inefficiency drains valuable components such as money, time, quality, and talent. There is no chance in optimizing or making more positive any of the steps involved in the process if the process itself is deemed as inefficient. "Incidentally, process optimization is a continuous phenomena. It is not like you can do it once and forget about it. External conditions keep changing, other dependant processes keep changing, and so on." ("TopSigma", 2005). The nature of inefficient processes management is to make sure that these valuable components (money, time, etc.) are not wasted, but rather are used to the fullest extent possible; the ideal is to have all members working at their absolute top strength, which creates a cycle of efficiency, which in the end creates a positive result. What is the Role of Operations Management The role of 'operations' varies from business to business, but the basics always remain: the operations management looks at every process in the business, breaks it down, analyzes it, and makes it better. Their goal is to have overall customer satisfaction, and to continue the business in a positive, efficient, and effective way. "Operations management revolves around the design, organization, leadership and control of the productive assets of the enterprise, including people and technology." (Merrett, n.d.). Regardless of the size or type of business, there are always processes and operations issues that must be dealt with. Operations managers find the inefficiencies or problems in the work flow of the business, and re-engineer these processes in order for them to be more efficient and profitable for the company. Operations management involves all of the tools and processes of the business, including components such as: the supply chain, product quality, manufacturing, sales and marketing, safety and health, and environmental concerns. "Operations managers use tools like performance measurement, flowcharts, best practices information, and benchmarking to determine where the problems are and the best methods to correct them." (Obringer, 2006). Some of the processes that are linked to the operations ma

Computer Network Mangment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Computer Network Mangment - Essay Example SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- While Wi-Fi networks are often seen as simple and inexpensive to deploy, there are plenty of hidden costs and complexities lurking under the surface. Now, a number of new vendors are poised to remedy those problems. Panelists at the Pulver.com Wireless Internet Summit said that problems with radio frequency interference and site surveys often plague enterprises deploying wireless local area networks. Wireless LAN deployments are often expensive for companies because RF surveys, which help ensure proper network coverage, can cost as much as $1,000 per access point, said Albert Lew, director of product management for Burlington, Mass.-based wireless LAN vendor Legra Systems Inc. IT departments usually lack the expertise to do these surveys themselves, he said. Interference is also becoming a problem for many businesses, said Tyler Burns, product marketing manager with Ottawa-based wireless products manufacturer IceFyre Semiconductor Inc. He noted that the growing popularity of Wi-Fi, and the numerous technologies that compete with it, are taking up much of the space in the 2.4 GHz RF band. Having high quality of service over Wi-Fi networks will be increasingly important, particularly when it comes to voice and eventually video data, because that technology was not intended for those uses, said Warren Sly, director of marketing for Bellevue, Wash.-based in-building wireless infrastructure company RadioFrame Networks Inc. Third-party vendors, such as San Francisco-based Sputnik Inc., are developing products that can help IT managers both configure access points and control them, ensuring better coverage. Dave Sifry, CTO and co-founder of Sputnik, said that his company's products enable IT managers... This paper approves that training library users becomes more intensive and extended when IT is accessible. Coping with budget allocations and increasing demands from staff and the public becomes a skill that demands accurate knowledge of constituencies including accurate information on the enrollment figures, number of teachers, degrees held, conferred degrees, information seeking patterns, library use patterns, and substantial knowledge about their clout in the organization. Using rules set up by the Network Administrator, the firewall either permits or denies access. This essay makes a conclusion that IT implementation generally has special staff needs. Levels of required IT expertise will vary according to the innovation. Managers will have to identify staff members with expertise and allow time for these to pursue further training, or resort to hiring trained people. Even this requires considerable effort in assessing the need and building a need for new hiring to upper management. Clearly, the issues, problems and implications of developing and implementing a LAN, or any innovation are far from simple and straight forward. The ones mentioned in this paper are just a summary of those perceived as critical. Many other issues must be taken in consideration depending on the library, the staff and the environment in each organization. The management must be versed on the necessary techniques to assess the needs and determine the feasibility of any innovation in the workplace and its impact on staff and the users combined with political savy.

Causes And Effects Of Child Abuse

Causes And Effects Of Child Abuse Child abuse remains a significant problem around the world. The reasons for child abuse are diverse and tend to be different from a situation to another. It is found that children of different disabilities such as hearing, learning and visual impairment are at higher risk of being abused especially from their care givers. Another cause is Low socio-economic status and high social stress which lead some people to abuse drug and alcohol. Hence the severity of alcoholism and drug abuse increase the tendency to abuse others increases as well. Also it is clear that children of young ages are more likely to be abused by females than elder children who are abused more by males. Moreover, the abusing childhood experience can be a cause for an adult to abuse children, especially if this adult suffered rejection, maltreatment and violence in his or her childhood. The end effects of child abuse can be shown as physical effect which range from minor injuries to severe brain damage and even death. Another effect is the psychological manifestation where the child may have low self esteem and depression. Furthermore, the social effects associated with undesirable behaviors such as criminal behaviors and alcoholism. Causes and Effects of Child Abuse Child abuse is a major public health crisis. It affects children of all ages, colors, social classes and ethnic groups. The latest statistics estimate that more than 900,000 children are victims of child maltreatment. Abuse occurs at all ages but is most common in younger children. Child abuse may manifest as skin injuries, skeletal trauma, head injury, or many other forms. (Tenney-Soeiro Wilson, 2004). In fact, there are several causes for child abuse like in children with variety of disabilities or behavioral problems who can increase parental stress to the instant that causes child abuse. Moreover, low socio-economic status and high social stress are strongly linked with abuse. Also a personal history of abuse and rejection may lead a person to abuse others. In addition, there are also certain and important effects of child abuse and neglect on the physical, psychological, and behavioral development of children. Thus, these consequences affect the victims themselves and society they live in. Causes of Child Abuse To begin with, there are several causes that lead to child abuse and neglect. First of all, children with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, visual and hearing impairments, low birth weights, and physical health problems are at slightly increased risk of being physically abused. Also prematurely born and chronically ill children are at same risk level. In other words, children who for one reason or other place stress on psychologically vulnerable parents are most at higher risk of abuse. Children with disabling conditions can increase stress on parents because such children are difficult to manage specially among inexperienced parents. Children that show significant cognitive impairments, or those that barely communicate, or who are limited in mobility due to disability can be considered as chronic stressor for child care providers (Howe, 2005). Low socio-economic status and high social stress also play a role for physical abuse of children. Here the children usually descend from parents with typically poor educational achievements. Many social conditions raises the risk for child abuse and these conditions include poor housing condition , unemployment ,large family size , illness and the presence of new baby in the family .Physical abusers of very young children are more likely to be female, while abusers of older children are predominantly, though not exclusively, male. However, there is a tendency to overestimate maternal abuse and underestimate paternal or male abuse (Corby,2000). Whatever the age of the child is, most of child death occurs as a result of male violent behavior. Parents with depression and a personality disorder, and drug or alcohol abusers, are at higher risk of harming their children physically. In fact the more severe the alcoholism, the more likely violence is to occur. Parents who are alcohol abusers or with mental problems are typically subjected their children to prolonged physical abuse and neglect. Last but not least, it is perhaps not surprising to learn that the childhoods of many physically abusive parents turn out to have been cruel and loveless. Children that are killed or murdered are more likely to be killed by their mother if she suffered from some sort of maternal rejection or neglect during her childhoods. Parents who extremely suffered from family arguments , witnessed home violent behavior, physical maltreatment, absence of warmth, cruel punishment, and parental mental health problems were at higher risk of being aggressive and intrusive with their own children. Mothers who were physically abused in childhood are more likely to react to helplessness and need with hostility, while sexually abused mothers appear more likely to react to their children by withdrawing. And Crittenden, reviewing 35 years of research in the field of physical abuse, concluded that parents at the dangerous extremes of otherwise common child-rearing practices are those who live in the most dangerous circumstances and have themselves experienced the most danger in the past (Crittenden, 1998). It can be concluded that all physically abused children become physically abusive parents themselves, the majority of physically abusive parents were themselves physically abused and felt neglected during their childhoods. Abused parents that do not abuse their children are more likely to had support from their partner, had a positive relationship with an adult (for example, a teacher or a relative) during childhood, or received some form of therapy during adolescence. The majority of abusive mothers report being severely beaten in childhood by their own mother, while about half say their father attacked them. Moreover, children who witness violence between their care providers are more likely to become violent and difficult to manage. Such behavior simply adds to the mothers stress and tendency to deal with her children intemperately. In addition, if abused children become parents at a relatively young age, their ability to remain available and responsive under the stresses and strains of looking after their own children is limited. For example, physically abusive mothers were exposed to more stressors and less emotional support in the previous year compared with mothers who had not physically abused their children. A review of theoretical approaches shows that an abusive parents own abusive childhood is believed to be a more important factor for predicting child physical abuse than aggressive models outside the parents personal network (Coohey Braun, 1997). From the same review we can conclude which history of violence experience is best to predict if the mother is more likely to abuse her children or not. Its found that assaults by three types of well-known network members (her own mother, a previous partner, and current partner) increased the chance that a mother would physically abuse her children. Being abus ed by ones own mother dominated the effects of all other predictors. The second most important probability effect was a current abusive partner (Coohey Braun, 1997). Effects of Child Abuse As a result of the above causes, there are certain effects that might result from child abuse. Research now shows that the physical, psychological, and behavioral consequences of child abuse and neglect impact not just the child and family, but the community as a whole (Iannelli, 2007).To start with, the physical effects range from minor injuries to severe brain damage and even death. Physical abuse in infants and children can lead to brain dysfunction and sometimes to death. Most death victims of abuse and neglect are under age 5. In 1991, an estimated 1,383 children died from abuse or neglect; 64 percent of these deaths were attributed to abuse and 36 percent to neglect (McCurdy Daro, 1992). A child does not need to be knocked on the head to get brain injuries. Its has been indicated that infants who are shaken vigorously by the extremities or shoulders may sustain intracranial and intraocular bleeding with no sign of external head trauma. Thus early neglectful and physically abus ive practices have destructive consequences for their small sufferers. Physically abused children have been found to have more mild neurologic signs, serious physical injuries, and skin markings and scars than their non-abused peers (Kolko, Moser, Weldy, 1990). Not only is that but for most abused children fractures common. Multiple fractures and fractures in different stages of healing are also findings that may indicate abuse and emphasize the need for obtaining full skeletal surveys on children under 2 years of age when abuse is suspected (Hyden Gallagher, 1992). In addition, burns account for approximately 10% of all child abuse and have a mortality rate of 30% (McLoughlin Crawford, 1985).For most abused children burns are common and well marked especially on the dorsal aspect of the hand buttocks and perineum. Children who have been sexually maltreated, and some who have been physically neglected, have shown discriminating sexuality and signs of genital manipulation. For the most part, serious biological effect of child and adolescent sexual abuse is the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV and syphilis. Furthermore, abused children show higher levels of depression, hopelessness, and lower self-esteem especially in physically and sexually abused children. The longer period of physical abuse the greater emotional difficulties are found in those children. Also anxiety symptoms such as fearfulness, phobias, insomnia and nightmares may manifest in such cases. These symptoms may prolong and produces serious mental health consequences such as Difficulty establishing and maintaining relationships, eating disorders and suicidal attempts. What is more is that physical violence and unsociable behaviors are among the most consistently recognized childhood outcomes of physical child abuse. Sufferers of child abuse and neglect are at higher risk for criminal behavior and running away. Considerably less is known about connections between childhood abuse and other problem behaviors, such as teenage pregnancy, alcohol use and drug abuse, self-destructive behavior, and suicide. Many children who suffer from the psychological effects of child abuse often become child abusers themselves or can become perpetrators of violent crimes. Many inmates in our jails and prisons have been victims of child abuse (Dunning, 2004) .Alcohol and drug use are both illegal for teenagers, creating a natural confusing of alcohol or substance use with criminal behavior. For example, alcoholics often attempt other destructive behaviors, including suicide attempts (Schuckit, 1993). Diagnoses of alcoholism are complicated by the presence of antisocial personality disorder, which in turn, may include components of criminal behavior and sexual promiscuity. To sum up, there are multiple causes that lead to child abuse and neglect. In addition, it appears that there are dangerous effects that results from child abuse. Therefore, a number of primary and secondary strategies can be taken to prevent the several types of abuse and child abuse consequences. The primary strategies include parents training on parenting skills and dealing with disabled children, children education on self defense and report of any type of abuse. The secondary efforts should concentrate on investigation of child abuse reports by child protection agencies, clinical treatment of physical and psychological injuries, family counseling, self-help services, the provision of goods and services such as relief care, legal action against the abuser, and removal of the child or the offender from the home.

Greece: An Economy in Crisis Essay -- Economics

In this paper I will be discussing some causes of the problems with Greece’s economy that has lead it to where it is today. I will also be discussing some austerities being put in place to try to resolve these issues and why they are necessary to help Greece become prosperous again. Greece is currently at a cross roads, their economic practices over the last quarter of a century have brought the country on the brink of being bankrupt. There are many who feel their economy can be turned around by putting various austerities and reforms in to place. The problem has been coming to a general agreement on which path to follow and why. Some are against the austerities that Greece has agreed upon, they feel they are misguided and that they come at a cost of loss of sovereignty. Some feel that this is the price that has to be paid in order to avoid going bankrupt, so they support the austerities. Then, as in all things, you have a large portion of the public who are in the middle. They are unsure if any of these paths will lead them out of crisis. There has been a lot of talk and questions focused around the short-run solutions to the crisis faced by Greece. Can Greece possible repay their massive debt? Will they have to go through a restructure of the bonds it issued to the private sector? Should Greece exit the euro zone and go back to the drachma? Will the European Central Bank and the European Union offer any more financial help to Greece in the form of bailouts? Are any of these questions even worth consideration if Greece does not implement the proposed solutions to help turn their economy around? Before going further I feel it’s important to understand the difference between debt and deficit. A deficit is when the amounts of m... ...overnment debt can be repaid. Unless Greece reforms its policies quickly, they run the risk of losing their educated, creative and their skilled workers as they migrate to other countries looking for better opportunities. If economics has taught me anything, it is that people respond to incentives. Works Cited http://www.voxeu.org/index.php?q=node/5008 http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/26074/1/GreeSE_No_31.pdf http://www.asecu.gr/Seeje/issue06/katsios.pdf http://www.oecd.org/home/0,2987,en_2649_201185_1_1_1_1_1,00.html http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/5/61/43284926.pdf http://greece.greekreporter.com/2012/05/02/greek-economy-still-floundering-but-out-of-default/ http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-02/greeks-reveal-euro-or-no-in-first-election-since-economy-shrank.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/may/02/eurozone-crisis-canada-europe-greek-elections

Fibromyalgia Good Days vs Bad Days

Fibromyalgia Good Days vs. Bad Days Michele Gay National American University January 11, 2012 Abstract Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disease that has â€Å"good† no pain days and â€Å"bad† excruciatingly painful days. The differences in the days are extreme. A good day is also a mentally bad day, knowing that the pain can come back at anytime, while an extremely painful day could be mentally a good day because the pain has to go away sometime. Fibromyalgia has many symptoms and there is not a known cause for the disease at this time. Keywords: fibromyalgia, good days, bad days, pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety or depression, physical appearance For people diagnosed with fibromyalgia, according to Moore (2011), on average, we feel, well, average. Average is whatever comes in the middle of a really good day and a really bad one. Or, to put it another way, good days get worse, and bad days get better. There is a seesaw effect going on with how a person feels physically. This seesaw effect can be very hard on an individual, but not just physically but psychologically. On the good days thoughts of wondering, just how long will the good feelings continue. Then when a bad day happens, there is excruciating pain, and all the while the realization that the pain can’t last forever and in time the person with fibromyalgia will feel better. According to MyFibro. com (2011) Fibromyalgia statistics, fibromyalgia is a chronic disease that about 1 in 50 Americans are diagnosed with. Symptoms of fibromyalgia can be primary and or secondary symptoms. Primary symptoms include but are limited to; musculoskeletal pain, fatigue and sleep disturbances like sleep apnea, grinding of ones teeth, restless leg syndrome and frequent waking during the deep, restorative phases of sleep or alpha-EEG anomaly. Some of the secondary symptoms are headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, TMJ pain, anxiety / depression, ear nose and throat problems, pelvic pain, skin roblems, paresthesias, fibro fog (cognitive changes such as memory problems, confusion and difficulty concentrating). Fibromyalgia is a disease that is not always visual to other people. Many people have fibromyalgia and do not realize that they do, let alone someone else knowing a person has it or that they are dealing with it. A few aches here and there, tenderness in certain areas, dizziness, a little anxious are a few of the symptoms, but when looking in the mirror at oneself a person could not see those symptoms. Unfortunately this makes it difficult for our peers to know if a person with fibromyalgia is having a good or bad day, unless they are told. Without knowing about the disease peers don’t realize that there could be some limitations physically, mentally and dietary as well. Depending on the severity of fibromyalgia, having a good day, could mean that there are no symptoms to medium symptoms. A feeling of going out for a walk or a run, slept great and feel refreshed. A person is back to their old selves or close to it. According to Schmidt (1990) a person with fibromyalgia needs to plan for the bad days – imagine it as a day off from work, take naps, allow an occasional bout of private self-pity – on those really worst-of-all-days cry if it helps, believe in the good days- no matter how severe the relapse is there are occasional good days, use a 50-percent solution – on a good day try to do about 50-60 percent of what is normally managed. , just do a little – on the days of mild energy, just do a little, it will be there tomorrow, schedule time for rest – even on a good day schedule time for rest each day. Bad days again range from the extent of your symptoms. A person with fibromyalgia and their worst days and nights, hurts everywhere including the hair on their head, clothing hurts physically to the extent of wanting to cry from the pressure on the skin. There is little to no good deep REM sleep, so the person continues to be tired and the body does not rejuvenate. There are muscle spasms that run all over their body and the spasms add an extra layer of pain to the already continuous muscle pain. A person’s anxiety level shoots up as well as psychologically, where the person diagnosed with fibromyalgia feels worthless, angry and loneliness. During a bad day others can not generally tell that a person with fibromyalgia is in pain. So when it is mentioned that that a person is having a great deal of pain or not able to concentrate, the person’s peers will look at a person with fibromyalgia say that, â€Å"You look fine. † If a person does not have fibromyalgia, then the there is no possibly way for them to imagine what it feels like and probably could not understand how someone feels not only physically but mentally as well. References: Moore, Dr Chris (2011). Fibromyalgia: Why good days get worse and bad days get better Fibromyalgia Doctor Medical Information for Fibromyalgia Sufferers, Retrieved from: http://docchrismoore. wordpress. com Schmidt, Patti (1990). Getting Through the Bad Days CFIDS & Fibromyalgia Self Help, Retrieved from http://www. cfidsselfhelp. org Site Writer (2011) Fibromyalgia Symptoms, MyFibro. com. Retrieved from http://www. myfibro. com/

Applying Risk Management Essay

Risk management is an important element in managing information systems. Applying risk management principals to business procedures is essential because it helps organizations design and maintain a safe systems environment to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of company data. Kudler Fine Foods has expressed an interest in developing an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. The primary objective is to improve business administration by integrating stores and business systems. Kudler Fine Foods has three stores in California and integrating business functions across all stores would be extremely beneficial. This paper will outline the major factors and benefits by applying risk management principles to ensure a secure and effective system. Risk Management Principles According to Whitman and Mattord (2010), risk management is a collaborative effort involving Information security, information technology, management, and users. It is important to involve all of these areas to devise a comprehensive and effective risk management strategy. The major principles include identifying risks, quantifying risks, plan for risks, and monitor and manage risks. The first stage is risk identification. This is when the organization’s managers identifies all of its assets and classifies them into meaningful categories in addition to prioritizing them by importance. Assets include various components such as people, processes, data, and all elements of information technology. Gathering information on assets such as the people aspect processes, and data could be challenging because they are not always documented and readily available. The information gathered for people may include position titles, the title of his or her supervisor, security levels, and skills. Information collected  for processes may include procedure description, purpose, IT connections, document storage location for reference and updates. After listing out the assets, the next step is to classify them into categories such as people, data, software, and hardware and then classify each asset into sub-categories such as confidential, internal, and public. Applying value or impact to each asset is next by determining its criticality to the business. Questions that may help to assigning a value may include; â€Å"Which assets generates the highest profitability?†, or â€Å"Which asset would impede business functions if it were compromised?† Quantifying risks provides the framework for executives to make informed decisions in relation to cost and resources surrounding security. All of the steps outlined above is essential in the risk identification stage (Whitman and Mattord, 2010). After completing the risk identification process where all assets are identified and classified, the next phase is to determine the potential threat source and potential vulnerability. Some common threat sources include natural threats, human threats, and environmental threats. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (2002), a threat is an exploitation of a vulnerability caused by a threat source. The NIST publication suggests the following: identifying a threat source, indicating the motivation of source, and outlining the threat actions. This practice will help determine the likelihood of a threat taking advantage of a system vulnerability. Next in the process is identifying vulnerabilities. Vulnerability is a weakness or flaw in procedures or controls applied to a system. Identifying potential vulnerabilities will help an organization put controls in place to mitigate risks associated with vulnerabilities. Risk mitigation involves a systematic approach in reducing the exposure to a risk and the likelihood of it occurring. Mitigating defined risks is the gateway for the development of processes and controls to reduce the likelihood of a threat. Having prevention mechanisms that include policies and controls is best practice in regard to securing assets therefore it is critical that Kudler Fine Foods determines the best risk management process that fits their business requirements and needs. Because technology is consistently growing and changing, preventative measures must include flexibility to allow for change and growth. Without these considerations, a business could jeopardize themselves by restricting the ability to expand or even update the systems  with necessary security patches. Preventative measures should include future growth. As technology grows, risks increase. Protection mechanisms will change as new threats are introduced to business as well as new legislations. Many security standards are based on data protection regulations and as laws change or new laws are introduced, information technology is the most costly element in ensuring compliance. There could be costly ramifications with poor planning. Risk avoidance can be costly and inconvenient but it would be more costly and inconvenient when a security issue occurs. A risk assessment would be the first step to take when determining whether to chance a certain risk or not. Determining what the assets are and understanding the impact on the business if a security incident occurs is important. It is also important for businesses to understand regulations and what is necessary to comply with certain laws and requirements. Kudler Fine Foods must conduct risk analysis and ask themselves â€Å"What is the risk of not applying preventative measures?† and â€Å"What would it cost to recover from a certain attack?† Legal ramifications could result if a security breach occurs. This could include steep financial penalties as well as jeopardizing company reputation. The table below outlines examples of risk, vulnerability, and mitigation strategy. Risk Vulnerability Mitigation Strategy Hardware failure Hardware could fail and impede business. Systems could be unavailable for an undetermined amount of time. Create security policy to ensure all hardware is kept up to date with current patches and upgrades. User training Insufficient training of end-users leads to improper use of application which could compromise data or systems. Create detailed training documentation and implement a user training program. Ensure all users participate in training. Deliberate network attacks Potential Malware and Denial of Service attacks. Could lead to exposure of sensitive information. Implement policy to ensure adequate firewall  protection, anti-malware software, and install Intrusion Detection System. Conclusion It is important for businesses such as Kudler Fine Foods to employ a risk management strategy to protect its assets and reputation. Without an effective risk management process the company will be vulnerable to various threats. It is Kudler Fine Foods responsibility to determine what mechanisms should be applied and how it will maintain a secure environment for its own business objectives as well as meeting required regulations. The risk management process is the primary method in facilitating security objectives. References Whitman,M.E., & Mattord, H. J. (2010). Management of information security(3rded.). Boston, MA: Course Technology/Cengage Learning National Institute of Standards and Technology. (2002). Retrieved from http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-30/sp800-30.pd