Methods of Measuring Design Quality

There are several methods by which companies measure the design quality of products, services and processes. The companies select the methods in accordance to their goals. Accordingly the methods for measuring design quality may be generic like the reusability of design or specific like the size dimensions of motion system. Whatever be the metrics used, there is a trend towards using a combination of weights and rating scales for objectively measuring design quality. One approach to measuring design quality is examining the extent to which the different parts or the subsystems of the design depend on one another. From this stand point those designs that are inflexible, and have a high degree of interdependence cannot easily be changed.   When a change is introduced it has a surging effect and it becomes impossible to guess the cost of such a change. These designs create a situation where the managers very rarely allow changes. Another way of assessing design quality is to test its reusability. If the needed parts of the design are highly dependent on other details, design is highly interdependent. In such a situation is important to see if the design can be used in a different situation or a combination. For example, if there is an embossing unit designed as a part of a plastic stretching line. Can the embossing unit be separated from the line and used in a different plastic stretching line? Continuing with the example, can the plastic extruder be separated from the line and used as a part of another plastic strapping line? Finally, is there a tendency of the system to break in several places when a one change is made to the system? If the design is brittle then there are problems in areas that have no direct connection with the changed area (Akao, Yoji 2004). In the plastic stretching line if the embossing unit is removed there is a problem in the cooling unit. Such brittleness reduces the reliability of the design and creates maintenance problems. The production personnel cannot rely on the production specifications. Another approach to measuring the quality of design is to examine the specifications of the designs in terms of the realization of its objectives. The cost of implementing the design and the ease with which the device can be produced are evaluated. A strong correlation is usually present between the design and the specifications and the ratio can be used as a reliable measure of design quality (Park, Sung H1996). Another measure of design quality is to measure design performance(Belavendram, N 1995). In this case the design quality evaluates a number of factors like the craftsmanship, the cost of design, the cost of production, and even the return on investment of the design process. In case the design is made by an internal team there is even a comparison of the performance of the design with the expected performance from external designers. Measuring the design quality has assumed new importance with how designs are being managed to increase value of the organization to its customers. Instead of tangible end products, there are companies that evaluate the designs of business models and improve its designs to ensure that every interaction with a customer is dependable and persuasive. Design quality is also measured from the point of view of the user. The design is expected to make the process clear to the user. Moreover, the design should make the behavior of the organization, system or the process dependable to the user, Further; the design should be such that the process or the system should provide feedback. In case of interaction with the customer, the feedback should be both visual and audio. The message however, should be clear. The design of a process or a system should be such that the user should effectively be able to trace the path of action (Hoyle, David 2005). There should be a close correspondence between the specifications that have been given to the user and the manner in which the system works. Finally, the design should allow for measures of control. Measuring design quality is often a task of applying general principles of designing. The general principles of designing include questions like is the design trouble-free? An uncomplicated and simple design is preferred. Also is the design is long lasting? An adaptable design is desirable and so is a timeless design. The design should appeal to the future generation. A good design solves the moot problem (Hayes, Bob1998). A good design gives a few elements to the users that can be combined by the users themselves. A lot of work goes into a high quality design and this is reflected in the design itself. One of the metrics widely used in measuring design quality is the use of symmetry. Further, the fine tuning that has been done to the design to improve its quality and performance. Quality design can be replicated and is different from the norm. Finally, good design is done in large pieces. From the perspective of production management it is important to remember that the design quality is important in motion control system. In this context the quality of design embraces the selection of the motor drive electronics, positioning mechanism and motion controller.. Design quality emerges from the planning that goes into the development of the system. Designing quality entails full description and understanding of the process. Meticulous details go into this designing stage like the precision of the motion, the travel length of every axis and the number of axis. A good quality design specifies if the positioning is rotary, linear or a combination of stages (Card, David N & Glass. R 1990). The quality of design is also evaluated by the manner in which it incorporates the stage as an integral part of the larger system. The ability of the stage to meet its specifications is also an important consideration in measuring design quality. The design also encompasses the way in which the system is mounted on a flat surface to avoid distortions. The quality of design is also judged from the way in which the lifetime requirements of the system are incorporated into the stage specifications. If the requirements change then the system may have to be removed to a different position during its lifetime. Good quality design takes into consideration the size and the environmental consequences of the system. Both horizontal and vertical size constraints need to be considered. Factors like the choice of drive type, selection of motor and the mechanical and electrical aspects of the system motions are important factors in appraising the design quality. In the context of customer service, measuring design quality means evaluating parameters that go into a better provision of service to the customers. To deliver consistently superior service requires a high level of design quality. The design must include processes, people and the technology. Only if the design is of high quality will the company get increased sales from customers that have experienced superior service.   The design often extends to aspects of information technology. The designing of products and service responses based on data often are critical in attracting and retaining customers. The quality of design reflects on the services provided like tracking the choices of individual customers, payment methods, patterns of buying, support websites and live chats with technical staff. To be successful the design must consider factors like support technology, culture of the organization, incentive system, training and recruitment of customer support staff. In most situations like a production setting or a customer service system, there are some metrics that are selected for measuring the design quality. Usually, these metrics are based on the objective of the organization and are discussed with the designer before the design commences (Wood, Jane & Silver, Denise 1989). For example, the company that wants to design a motion control system will discuss with its production engineers specifications that are required for the motion control system and agree on a few metrics that will be used to measure the design quality. For example it may be the positioning of the linear rotary, the adaptability of the system, the size of the system, the stopping ability of the drive and precision of the description of the system. Each of these metrics for measuring design quality should be given a weight so that the sum of the weighs adds up to 1. For example, the stopping ability of the drive may be given a weight of 0.3 and the precision of the description of the system may be given a weigh of 0.1 and so on. In practice these weights are decided jointly by the management and the designer. A document for measuring design quality typically has a rating scale of five attached to each metric. After the design is completed a rating is given to each metric. The rating may range from 1 to 5, where 1 is the lowest rating and 5 is the highest rating. Each rating is multiplied with the respective rating. For example the stopping ability of the drive may get a rating of 3, this figure is multiplied by its weight of 0.3 and we get a score of 0.9. The scores for each metric is added and a composite score is calculated. As the weights add up to 1, the composite score ranges from 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest design quality and 5 the highest possible quality measure. The actual composite measure for design quality will range between 1 and 5. To sum, there is a wide range of metrics used for measuring design quality. Some are generic metrics like the flexibility of the design, the adaptability or its brittleness. Others are metrics related to specific situations like the metrics for measuring the design quality of a motion system. Design quality of customer support systems or HRM recruitments systems are also measured with respect to the goals of the design. These metrics are then rated according a previously decided standard, weighted and a composite score is calculated to give a comprehensive measure of design quality. References: Akao, Yoji (2004), Quality Function Deployment: Integrating Customer Requirements into Product Design, Productivity Press Belavendram, N (1995) Quality by Design, Prentice Hall Card, David N & Glass. R (1990) Measuring Software Design Quality. Prentice Hall Hayes, Bob (1998) Measuring Customer Satisfaction: Survey Design, Use, and Statistical Analysis Methods, ASQ Quality Press Hoyle, David (2005) ISO 9000 Quality Systems Handbook, Elsevier Park, Sung H (1996) Robust Design and Analysis for Quality Engineering, Springer Wood, Jane & Silver, Denise (1989), Joint Application Design: How to Design Quality Systems in 40% less Time, John Wiley & Sons Inc            

Driving Distractions

Dupreme Cannie English III Mrs. Bailey 22 March 2013 Driving Distractions Have you ever been driving down the road and saw someone texting and driving? What about reading and driving? Or even applying make-up and driving? Driving distractions are plentiful, but it is up to the driver to focus on the task at hand. â€Å"Distractions cause many accidents for both new and experienced drivers. Taking your eyes off the road for even a few seconds, could have disastrous results† (â€Å"Teendriving. com†).Whether an individual has been driving for many years, or mere days, they are still at risk for distractions. Regardless of age or experience, if a person takes their eyes off the road, the results could be fatal. As previously mentioned, â€Å"Laws restricting cell phone use by drivers may be fashionable, but it is not the best way for the government to make roads safer. Eating, leaning over to change the radio station, talking and reading while driving are bigger culprits than cell phones when it comes to causing accidents, yet, no one is clamoring for legislation outlawing these distractions.To solve the problem of cell phone users disobeying traffic laws, government officials must insist on personal responsibility, rather than ban cell phone use behind the wheel. Those insisting drivers have the right to talk on their phones should be applauded for recognizing that, while people are annoyed by drivers who are distracted by telephone conversations, prohibition of cell phones is needless† (Wilson). Cell phone use is not the only issue. While texting and talking on the phone while driving are dangerous, eating, drinking, reading, and many other activities are still just as dangerous.Compare and Contrast Driving in the Winter and Driving in the SummerIf laws are going to be passed to prevent cell phone use while driving, then they must prevent the other distracting activities. Even though some people think driving and cell phone use is acceptable , people shouldn’t be texting or talking on the phone while driving because distractions can kill a person without noticing it and turning off your cell phone wouldn’t be a distraction. To keep people from being distracted while driving, the government needs to make the laws stricter. The Pennsylvania cell phone texting ban does not extend to situations where the vehicle is not moving, such as at a stop light or while you are stopped in traffic. It also allows for using a phone hands-free through integration with Bluetooth (such as using Siri on the iPhone to compose and send texts). Interestingly, since the ban overrides any local ordinances already in place, it will actually reduce cell phone restrictions in cities such as Philadelphia, where a local law bans all handheld cell phone use†(Chittom).

Importance of Risk Management

MGD426 Risk Management Overview A risk is, consequently, a hazard that can derail an organization from accomplishing a business process, project, or any activity that is vital to a company’s sustenance. There are different classifications of risks: financial, operational, infrastructure, human capital, and marketing risks. These risks embody subcategories of risks that can negatively affect the company. Leverage, receivables, and investments are risks can hinder the financial situations of a company. The decline of profits, increased losses, and negative impact on business processes are some of the costs in the failure to control risks.Similarly, operational risk includes many losses that are associated with â€Å"internal processes, people and systems or from external events† (The Basel Committee, 2004). By continually improving operations, firms are better able to gain competitive advantage. Operational risks occur from the execution of a company’s business pro cess. Although it is a relatively vague concept, it can be summed into a three-fold focus: processes, people, and systems. Internal fraud can be categorized into unauthorized activity, as well as theft and fraud; where as external fraud can be categorized with systems security, and theft and fraud.Importance of Assessment and Management In order for an organization to achieve certain objectives, coming across risks is almost inevitable. Organizations that are aware of such calamities are, more often than not, enabled to actively manage hazards and encompass potential opportunities for competitive advantage. This precisely means that contingency planning is important as uncontrollable risks (i. e. environmental factors) can occur at any time. While an organization cannot stop these hazards from occurring, they can mitigate the negative effects.By mitigating these risks with necessary responses, the company can aim their resources at improving or continuing their business processes. T herefore, the emphasis is, principally, on identifying and managing these hazards. Sustainable value is essential to the company and its activities; minimized uncertainty of goal achievement as well as maximized possibility of success. Competing in a dynamic environment leaves gap for uncertainty of the future. Briefly touched upon previously, this enables certain risks to not be accounted for.Risk management, as aforementioned, is a discipline that needs to be implemented by all companies. It is becoming increasingly important because of the dynamics of the environments in which an organization runs (technological, political, social, etc. ). For example, the effects of natural disasters can be mitigated but not stopped. Terrorism is a risk that cannot be calculated and accounted for prior to. All these questions and inquiries relay back to the umbrella question; why is risk management and/or risk assessment important to an organization?Risk assessment is a portion of Risk Managemen t; it is a formulated procedure for making sure that firms are not exposed to deplorable hazards. Taking into context the previously mentioned information, it is not of much use if the scale of the risk is not measured. Once measured, the organization would rally against how likely it is and what the organization can/should/will do to mitigate its effects. Contingency planning, as mentioned, is a risk management technique that comes about based on the assessment of the risk.Building on risk assessment, a risk that is not managed correctly will cause the firm to be affected negatively. These negative effects can be financial, operational, infrastructural, related to human capital or market: classifications of risk. Moreover, risk management is only effective if the assessment is done correctly. Both go hand in hand; the magnitude of the risk determines the management procedures. Reducing the risk of accidents to the company can allow the company to better relocate its resources towar ds its operational needs rather than additional risk management or risk recovery.Risk Response The response to a risk is done by the concept of the 4 T’s (terminate, tolerate, treat, and transfer). By terminating risks, you are, inherently, doing things in a different manner and, thus, removing the risk. Tolerate means that nothing can be done a reasonable cost to mitigate the risk or the likelihood and impact are at a reasonable level. Moreover, treating risks is taking certain actions to control a risk by, either, mitigating the likelihood of it emerging or limiting the effect it will have on the business process/project.Lastly, transfer of risks is primarily the underlying principle behind insurance transactions. Specifically, a risk, outline in the insurance or contract, can be passed from a party who does not want the risk to another party who will take it (either for free or a premium – insurance). Financial Risk Management Financial risk management is, primarily , concerned with the economic value of an organization and the effects to it. The management aspect deals with the exposure to risk, and the response to it.Two primary risks involved in financial sectors of firms are credit risks and market risks (while others include Forex (foreign exchange), volatility, liquidity, inflation, etc. ). Since financial risk is a factor in all organizations, it is important to respond to any volatility that may occur – as it would affect the firm negatively. These risks primarily mean that a firm who is unable to appropriately manage their financial operations will be subjugated by losses. As stated previously, credit risk, which is the inability for a business partner to compensate for a loan or satisfy other monetary contract, will, obviously, damage the company.This is apparent since the company will be at a loss since the firm who adheres to a loan contract is not able to pay back the moneys. Risk assessment for this particular risk includes a â€Å"risk and control self-assessment† (RCSA). This is a set of directives, which help avoid any financial detriment because of fraud, carelessness, and/or technological malfunction. As with any other risk assessment technique, classification of whether it is low, medium, or high level risk is determined based on the estimated loss.This type of risk assessment falls under the ‘treat’ classification of risk response as a certain action is implemented in order to control/mitigate the risk. As stated, in this brief example, the importance of risk assessment and management is vital to an organization. Works Cited â€Å"Briefing Paper H: Risk Management. † Governance and Social Development Resource Centre. N. p. , n. d. Web. . â€Å"Corporate Governance Risk Management Policy. † Isle of Man Government. N. p. , n. d. Web.

Behaviorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Behaviorism - Essay Example It is built upon certain observed characteristics of adults, which affect the way in which they learn and relate new information (Knowles et al, 2005). Due to the distinguishing characteristics of adult learners, certain psychological theories must be applied in order to maximise on learning potential which requires several actions to be taken, such as assessing the current state and needs of the learner, defining the end goal of instruction, and creating a systematic instructional format based upon this. To succeed, it is dependent upon pedagogically tested psychological theories, the principal approaches being behaviourism, cognitivism and constructivism. Primarily characterised by their individual interpretations of what constitutes ‘learning’ and how it occurs, these approaches provide instructors with verified strategies and techniques for facilitating learning. This essay will discuss the defining characteristics and necessary conditions for adult learning as postu lated by theorist Malcolm Knowles. It will then examine behaviourism, cognitivism and constructivism as general approaches to learning with particular emphasis on the superiority of constructivism in this context and how it can be applied to adult learning. One of the central principles which surround the teaching of adult learners is that of individual experience. â€Å"As a person matures he accumulates a growing reservoir of experience that becomes an increasing resource for learning† (Smith, 2011). Unlike children, adults have inevitably built up a wealth of personal experience which can be utilized in a way which can help learning, such as relating new information to previous experience, recalling previous experience, and/or using familiar examples to apply learning to unfamiliar concepts. Teaching strategies which build upon experiential learning will be an extension of everyday life (Knowles et al, 2005). Adult learners partake in a process which sees them reflect, dra w inference from and conceptualize, based upon previous individual experience. As this wealth of experience is seen as the richest resource of information for the learner, it must be pointed out that individual experience is fundamentally biased and of an entirely subjective nature. This implies that new information may be interpreted in different ways, which can be advantageous as it allows for new ideas and opinions, but can also have its disadvantages regarding personal bias. A second principle which is determined to be of special significance to adult learning is that of the self-concept. Within the paradigm of learning, self-concept relates to the movement of an individual’s perception of themselves as a self-directed person rather than being dependent upon others. Adults are viewed as being responsible and fully accountable for their own decisions and therefore must be treated as autonomous learners. Due to this perspective, autonomy is seen as vitally important for thi s theory. In its broadest sense, self-directed learning describes a set of actions in which potential learners take the initiative in identifying their learning needs and goals, and evaluating learning outcomes. The steps involved in working through such a process have generated several model which have since been re-imagined into a more interactive design which takes into account the nature and contextual elements of the learning (Cooper, 2009). Readiness to learn, or motivation to learn, is another

Article Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 25

Article Review - Essay Example The authors asserted that there is a need for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to focus on aligning knowledge on information technology (IT) and internet laws to avoid legal sanctions and violations associated with non-compliance of standards in operating their businesses. Several recommendations were explicitly disclosed by the authors to run SMEs legally and ethically. compliance, intellectual property, electronic marketing, information security, and data protection (Iqbal, Khan, & Naseer, 2013). The authors provided readers with the relevant regulations that would ensure mitigation of the identified legal risks in each of the identified category. For instance, for businesses that require enforcements of patents, the â€Å"Patents Act 2004 protects the inventions through legal protection† (Iqbal, Khan, & Naseer, 2013, p. 5). Likewise, the Intellectual Property Office was noted to have the jurisdiction and governance for ensuring adherence to patent laws. Concurrently, the Data Protection Act of 1998 was revealed to be responsible for protecting personal information of the public (Iqbal, Khan, & Naseer, 2013). The legal issues which were identified and discussed affected electronic businesses in terms of the exposure to risks that could jeopardize the normal operations of the entities. Aside from being potentially preponderant to legal or ethical complaints from customers and other stakeholders, unfamiliarity with legal laws, as well as ethical standards would expose the SMEs in different levels and degrees of risks. As emphasized, â€Å"the unauthorized alteration of contents of communication, malicious communication on behalf of an organization etc. are some of the risks attached to information security and cause reputation damage, financial losses, loss of trust and loss of information to the company† (Iqbal, Khan, & Naseer, 2013, p. 7). As such, the recommendations proposed by the authors assist in mitigating these

Nine Topics on Finance and Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Nine Topics on Finance and Accounting - Essay Example The service providers are in tie-up with the hospital for usage of their products. The hospital also receives grants, accreditations, certifications from various organizations. However the main source of revenue can be accounted to the fees received from the patients. The various expenses incurred by the organization lies in the staffing. The hospital has a considerable strength of manpower which includes Doctors, Nurses, Technicians, Pathologist, Clerical staff, and other support staffs. The hospital also spends a considerable amount of money behind installation of latest technological equipment for providing world class facilities for its patient. It also has to maintain a high level of cleanliness and hygiene as it is one of the important issues. King Abdulaziz, medical city does not concentrate on profit making. The hospital focuses on the quality of health care and looks to provide the best of services to the patients. It thrives to provide relief to the ailment in the best poss ible ways. According to respondent 1, King Abdulaziz, medical city also looks after profit making. It has to maintain a profit margin as without profit it cannot look to provide the best of services and would have stopped its operation because of shortage of capital, which is contrary to my view mentioned. Topic 2: King Abdulaziz, medical city is one of the leading hospitals in the Saudi Arabia. It has the capability to accommodate 690 patients, besides it has 132beds for admission of emergency cases and 25 beds are allocated to the surgical patients. The hospital has one of the best trauma centers in the country. It is equipped with specialized Burn Unit, Surgical ICU, Endoscopy Unit, Operating Rooms, and Neuro-Surgical and Surgical Units.  To reduce the extended stay in the hospital, King Abdulaziz, also provides home health care services. In the home health care service the patients are monitored properly and regular follow up is initiated. The hospital has fifteen different de partments which deal with various kinds of diseases and illness of patients. The departments are listed below   King Abdulaziz Cardiac Center   Department of Anesthesiology   Department of Emergency Medicine   Department of Dental Care   Intensive Care  Department   Department of Hepatobiliary Sciences and Liver Transplant     Long Term and Extended Care Center     Department of Medical Imaging   Department of Medicine   Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology   Department of Pediatrics   Department of Surgery   Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine   Department of Infection Prevention and Control   Department of Oncology   (Medical departments, n.d) The amount of actual cost involved in providing the heath service is not known to me in exact figures but the quality of service provided and its wide variety suggests that the cost range is on the higher side. If the staffs do have an idea behind the cost the hospital has to maintain in p roviding the service to the patients, it will definitely help the organization in the long run. The employees will also try to provide their best of efforts and the maintenance of the high cost equipments could be done in a much better way Topic 3: Often in organization, the management provides a variety of information and updates to the employees in a regular basis. Often the information provided to them is of no use or of little use. The results of these efforts from the management do lead

Written Evaluation of a Patient Education Tool for an adult with an Essay

Written Evaluation of a Patient Education Tool for an adult with an acute or chronic alteration in health status - Essay Example There are, however, many applicable tools for patient education and the characteristics of each tool together with its advantages and disadvantages and the nature of the target patient or patient population are instrumental in determining suitability of a patient education tool. A patient’s age or literacy level, for example, determines effectiveness of a tool towards awareness creation. The aim of this paper is to evaluate a handout used for patient education for an adult with asthma. Introduction of the tool: Handout A hand out refers to a written material, in a print format, which is offered to an audience free of charge. It aims at communicating purposeful information to the audience and is therefore audience specific. It is a commonly applied tool in patient education and is distributed at strategic points in health care facilities. Handouts are majorly intended to create awareness, among patients, on preventive and management strategies for eliminating diseases or managi ng their impacts and the management aspect is very instrumental to adult patients with chronic diseases because their conditions requires effective, and for efficiency, self-reliant managerial approaches. The document, ‘Asthma’s impacts on the nation: Data from the CDC national asthma control program,’ is an example of handout that facilitates awareness on asthma, a chronic disease. The handout is authored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a national agency in the department of health in the USA. It is available in the internet but can easily be accessed in print form and disseminated to target audience such as attendants to a health care’s department of chronic diseases or in consultation rooms for asthma patients (IHS, n.d.; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). The tool’s design incorporates graphics with colors and pictures that facilitate its effectiveness by drawing and retaining audience’s attention. It fu rther identifies major points by isolating them in side boxes and using numerical and imagery representations to distinguish them. The handout also represents information in summarized point forms and this identifies clarity towards effective communication of the intended message. It is also relatively brief and is organized into headings. While it’s short length avoids monotony and therefore allows for audience concentration in reading the entire document, organization of information by titles that are further printed in bold identifies the tool’s content and therefore facilitate the intended educational objective for each section. The handout’s level of precision also identifies its efficiency because the bulleted points are conspicuous. The tool’s content defines asthma, and identifies symptoms, known causes, and its significance in the society. It further explores strategies for preventing and managing asthmatic conditions and risk factors. The handou t further explores the scope of asthma in the society by examining level of awareness and active participation in management initiatives among children and adults (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). Intended Audience The tool is appropriate for the adult population that is literate and is rational. Even though it is specific on a type of disease, asthma, the handout is appropriate for the entire literate population because of its significance to both those who are suffering from the chronic disease, and those who are affected by the disease. The affected population includes family members of those who suffer from this disorder and they may derive sufficient knowledge for helping asthma patients to manage their conditions effectively. The same significance applies to friends and even the society and allows for assistance

Spatialization Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Spatialization Paper - Assignment Example The Chinese city of Beijing, is a good example of the impact that globalization has on the people and the environment. While the concept made it possible for multinational companies (MNCs) from United States and United Kingdom to seek cheap manufacturing plants owing to cheap labor costs, it has experienced a fair share of problems related to generation of immense pollution and the contamination of the environment especially from the toxic greenhouse gases emitted from the factories. For these reasons, it is important to assess the impact of contemporary globalization in the city of Beijing and determine whether it is turning the city into a meaningful region or reaping it apart. The large population in the Chinese city of Beijing is a good factor for cheap labor (Piron, 2006). Many factories are located in the city because it provides a large population of unemployment. Besides, the country does not have effective labor regulatory organizations that can push these factories to provide appropriate and standardized salaries and work conditions for its employees. Many employees are hired on contractual basis. Although these put the life of the workers at jeopardy, it provides an ample position of companies to generate huge revenues. One many factor that impart negatively on the city is the generation of pollution. Chinese cities have the worse pollution records in the world. Rapid industrialization in the cities that deals with the manufacturing industries like hey facilities, heavy industries, the cement processing, and steel works. These industries form the integral part of the country’s development agenda and the prosperity of the nation (Marginson a nd Gugielmo, 2010; Brewster et al., 2004). These industries use coal, oil and other forms of non-renewable forms of energy that generates huge amounts of greenhouse gases, which accumulates into the atmosphere. The effects of contemporary globalization have lured

Leadership Styles In Professional Nursing Research Paper

Leadership Styles In Professional Nursing - Research Paper Example This component of the essay seeks to achieve two major aims. Firstly, it is to describe two different leadership styles in the nursing profession and also discuss how these two nursing leadership styles can be implemented in a professional nursing practice. In the first place, Rampur (2011) identifies two major leadership styles in the nursing profession. According to him, these leadership styles are democratic and autocratic leadership styles. Earlier in his submission, Rampur (2011) elucidates that leaders in the nursing profession are mostly seen to be either nurse managers who are â€Å"assigned the obligation of handling one unit† or nurse executives who are â€Å"responsible for the operations of all in-patient nursing units.† Under whatever portfolio a nurse might be in a leadership position, the leadership styles mentioned earlier happen to reign at one point in time or the other. On the whole, the type of leadership style that implemented should depend on a spe cific situation rather than adopting one of the two as a routine leadership style (Cummings, 2010). With the democratic leadership style, the nurse leader â€Å"engages his nurses in decision-making and let them carry out their work in an independent manner (Rampur, 2011).† In the autocratic nursing leadership however, the nurse leader â€Å"would provide instructions without looking for inputs and superintend his nurses in a close manner (Rampur, 2011).† Simply put, democratic leadership allows for group participation, discussion and contribution as far as decision making is concerned but with autocratic leadership style, subordinates always have to take instructions from the leaders. Without passing outright judgment on the either types of nursing leadership styles as to which is right and which is wrong, it is worth noting that there are different ways and at different points in time that the various leadership styles are brought to work. As a matter of fact, the is sue of whether a particular leadership style is right or wrong would come in if the right leadership style is implemented at the wrong time and vice versa. In implementing any of the leadership styles, it is important that leaders put into consideration the â€Å"health authority structures, inter-professional teamwork and conflict, the actions and decisions of senior administrators and government officials, changing public demographics and consumer expectations of the healthcare system, and the implementation of new knowledge, evidence and innovation†

Operation Management (Assignment) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Operation Management (Assignment) - Essay Example The present context narrows our interest lies in focusing to two of the points, these are: In all industry and services the supervisor has traditionally used some form of measurement to lay down norms or objectives for the workers to attempt to achieve. These objectives were based on arbitrary averages of the past performance and while some workers found it easy to achieve these, some just could not cope. This method put a limit to what could or should be accomplished based on the supervisors perception of what was good or bad for the organization. Deming pointed out that counting and inspection of the end product presumed that there would be defects and mass inspection would only identify the defect that would need to be reworked or the product scrapped. There is no way that identifying a defect or shortage at the end of the process can help in improving quality. Management should instead shift focus to inspection of the systems and processes that go into the production of the article or service. Numerical quotas or norms or objectives do not assist in identifying the capability of the workers and systems they only measure what exists. Historically management has looked at producing larger volumes under the mistaken impression that more volumes meant lower cost of production per unit. In the push to produce larger quantities quality was lost sight of. The second error that was made was to measure a product or service against preconceived ideas of quality, determined internally, without understanding what the customer wanted. This resulted in the process now producing larger volumes of re-work and scrap and the worst of all, a product that the customer did not want. Cost of poor quality can be 25-30% of sales revenue (Ross, 1999, p167). This leads us to the next mantra of the TQM gurus, 'Don't inspect the product - Inspect the process' but what does 'inspection of the process' imply Information is the key to understanding any situation or process and any action taken on the basis of such information shall be directly in proportion to the quality of the information, its relevance, authenticity and timeliness. Information needs to be gathered and collated in the form of data that lends itself to easy interpretation, identification of trends and analysis. Data is fact recorded as numbers and no one can argue with numbers. Data instils a sense of confidence and, is the only way to 'change' all that which is blocked by entrenched perceptions (Jurow, 1993, p113-115). Most of all data helps in motivating everyone involved in the process when they see the progress being made enabling them to identify with the change and push to extend their individual capabilities as also of the organization. 'Measurement is just a habit of seeing how we're going along' Philip Crosby, TQM guru (Jurow, ibid, p 115) Measurement also helps in deciding the feasibility of a particular effort. If it is not possible to measure critical elements of the present situation then how will we ever know how well or indifferently we are progressing and how will it ever be possible to know when we arrive at the desired goal. Finding

Principles of General Surgery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Principles of General Surgery - Essay Example In a diagnostic laparotomy, the nature of the disease is unknown, and laparotomy is deemed the best way to identify the cause. In therapeutic laparotomy, a cause has been identified (e.g. peptic ulcer, colon cancer) and laparotomy is required for its therapy. Usually, only diagnostic laparotomy is referred to as a surgical operation by itself; and when a specific operation is already planned, laparotomy is considered merely the first step of the procedure. Depending on incision placement, it may give access to any abdominal organ or space, and is the first step in any major diagnostic or therapeutic surgical procedure of these organs, which include the lower part of the digestive tract (the stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum and colon), the liver, pancreas and spleen, the bladder, the female reproductive organs (the uterus and ovaries) and the retroperitoneum (the kidneys, the aorta, abdominal lymph nodes) The most common incision for laparotomy is the midline incision, a vertical incision which follows the linea alba. The upper midline incision usually extends from the xiphoid process to the umbilicus, while a typical lower midline incision is limited by the umbilicus superiorly and by the pubic symphysis inferiorly. Sometimes a single incision extending from xiphoid process to pubic symphysis is employed, especially in trauma surgery. Midline incisions are particularly favored in diagnostic laparotomy, as they allow wide access to most of the abdominal cavity.

Moral Self-Knowledge in Kantian Ethics Essay Example for Free

Moral Self-Knowledge in Kantian Ethics Essay In the article titled, Moral Self-knowledge in Kantian Ethics, Emer O’Hagan discusses Kant’s views and ideas concerning self-knowledge and the role it plays in duty and virtuous action. O’Hagan first introduces a key feature of Kant’s ethical theory which is its recognition of the psychological complexity of human beings. O’Hagan uses this recognition of psychological complexity by Kant to dive into Kant’s feeling on self-knowledge. Once a basic understanding of Kant’s attitude towards self-knowledge has been established, O’Hagan then uses Kant’s ethical theory to show how self-knowledge can be used as a means to help determine the goodness of an action. The arguments presented by O’Hagan are logical and clearly supported and verified through the presented evidence. Kant is shown to have recognized the psychological complexity of the human being in recognizing that, â€Å"judgments concerning the rightness of actions are vulnerable to corruption from self-interested inclination† (O’Hagan 525-537). Kant is saying that that even though an action may start out as from duty, our internal feelings as human beings can create a beneficial end as a means for the action, thus rendering it not from duty. Kant also recognizes that our own judgments about us may not be accurate. Moral self-development is a practice to develop accuracy for our self-judgments and takes into consideration one’s motives for action. O’Hagan tells us that this moral practice requires moral self-knowledge which is a form of self-awareness disciplined by respect for autonomy, the theoretical foundation of Kantian ethics. According to Kant, the first command of the duties to oneself as a moral being is self-knowledge. This is the ability to know yourself in terms of whether your heart is for good or evil and whether your actions are pure or impure. Kant describes duties of virtue to be wide duties, in that there is not a clear standard for how one should go about performing action for an end that is also a duty. O’Hagan tells us that Kant’s duty of moral self-knowledge is the duty to know one’s own heart. Kant tells us that moral self-knowledge is quite difficult because it involves abstracting, or taking a non-biased analysis of one’s self. Because we are bound to our own feelings and inclinations, we cannot completely separate ourselves from our own bias. The power of self-knowledge is the power to see things in objectivity instead of subjectivity. The final step of the argument is relating self-knowledge to determining the goodness of an action. O’Hagan tells us that developing self-knowledge will develop one’s self-understanding and will develop guards against self-deception. Using these skills to truly understand one’s heart allows for one to know one’s motives, and thus practical stance in action. According to Kant, the goodness of an action is determined by one’s motives, so the goodness of one’s action can now be evaluated. O’Hagan clearly demonstrates the importance of self-knowledge in Kant’s theory of ethics and validates its importance by describing application for use of the practice of self-knowledge (O’Hagan 525-537).

The Ethiopian Revenue And Customs Authority Erca Accounting Essay

The Ethiopian Revenue And Customs Authority Erca Accounting Essay Introduction The Ethiopian Revenue and Customs Authority (ERCA) conduct customs operations under the mandates given to it by proclamation Number 622/2009. A number of regulations and directives issued by the Council of Ministers and Ministry of Revenue also govern its operations. An examination of the Customs Proclamation and its supporting regulations and directives shows that except in the valuation of used goods and vehicles, it is consistent with the WTO Valuation Agreement. This is commendable if we take into consideration that it was issued before Ethiopia even became a member of the WTO. Country Experiences on Used Car Valuation Ethiopia Directive No.6/1996 (E.C.), on Used Vehicles and Goods Valuation and calculation of duties and taxes was issued by the former Ministry of Revenues (MoR), a predecessor of the current Ethiopian Revenue and Customs Authority (ERCA), with the stated objective of making the valuation system of used vehicles and goods a transparent, equitable and accountable one. It provides that the customs value of used vehicles and goods is to be based on the C.I.F. price of the good or identical or similar goods when it was bought as new. A depreciation allowance of 10 percent per year, with a maximum allowance of 30 percent is then deducted to arrive at the customs value. This means that for all vehicles and goods which are more than 3 years old at the time of importation 70 percent of the original selling price is used as the customs value of such goods. ( Directive No.6/1996 E.C.) It is quite clear that the above discussed valuation method does not conform to the methods of the Agreement on Impleme ntation of Article VII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1994). Furthermore, it cannot be considered even under Article 7 of the Agreement which provides for a fall-back method of valuation because (i) the directive does not apply the Agreement on Implementation of Article VII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1994) valuation methods sequentially but automatically uses an alternative method of depreciation allowance it devised, and (ii) it does not follow valuation methods laid down in Articles 1 through 6 of the Agreement , albeit with a reasonable flexibility, as stipulated under Annex I , Note to Article 7 , Paragraph 1 to 3 of the Interpretive Note of the Agreement. In addition, the 10 percent annual depreciation rate and the maximum allowed depreciation of 30 percent of the original price clearly do not reflect to prevailing market prices of used vehicles in the markets from which they are imported. Canada Memorandum D13-10-2 Used Automobiles, Motor Vehicles, Boats, and Other Vessels of Canada (2001, pp 2) outlines and explains the manner in which the value for duty of used automobiles and motor vehicles and boats and other vessels is to be determined. Where a vehicle or boat, new or used, is imported within 30 days of the date of delivery to the purchaser, it will be valued for customs purposes using the purchase price as the basis for establishing a transaction value. A valid sale for export to Canada is considered to have occurred, and any use of the vehicle or boat prior to importation will be regarded as being incidental to delivery of the vehicle or boat to Canada. If the requirements of section 48 of the Customs Act of Canada (1985), (which is the transaction value method, are not met the value for duty must be determined under one of the subsequent methods of valuation applied in the sequential order provided for in the sections 49 to 53 of the Act. (Canada Customs Act, 1985) For imported used vehicles which are not sold for export to Canada, (ibid) importers may declare a value for duty by referencing used vehicle valuation guides published in the country of export, which list retail sales values for vehicles in average condition. These values indicate the amount any purchaser can expect to pay for the vehicle, whether purchased for use in the country of export or for export to Canada. (Memorandum D13-10-2, 2001; pp. 3) In cases where the importer is unable to provide a value from a neutral source in the country of exportation, customs will use, as its primary reference, the retail sales value listed in the Canadian Automobile Red Book Official Used Car Valuations (Memorandum D13-10-2, 2001; pp. 4). An amount for Canadian duties and taxes, using the duty and tax rates applicable at the time of importation of the goods being appraised, will be deducted from the published listed value, in a flexible application under section 53, of the deductive value method of section 51. (Memorandum D13-10-2, 2001; pp.4) The above discussed used car valuation experience of Canada fully conforms to the methods of valuation of the Agreement on Implementation of Article VII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1994). If the requirements of the transaction value method are not met, the value for duty must be determined under one of the subsequent methods of valuation applied in the sequential order which makes it fully consistent with Agreement on Implementation of Article VII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1994). Article 7 of the Agreement which provides for a fall-back method of valuation is considered when the other methods of valuation cannot be used. Under this method, used vehicle valuation guides are used which consistent with Article 7 of the Agreement. 2.3 Australia The Transaction Value Method: According to the Australian Customs Notice (1998), the Customs value of new or second hand privately imported motor vehicles or motor cycles will ordinarily be calculated using the transaction value method. Under this method the Customs value is based on the price actually paid or payable for the vehicle or cycle in a bona fide sale where the price is not influenced by any other factors such as related party transaction. This method will be used where the importer can show that the vehicle or cycle was purchased to be exported to Australia. (Australian Customs Notice, 1998) Similarly, as stipulated in the Notice (ibid), the transaction value method is not used when: The road vehicle has been purchased overseas at only a token or nominal price Between the date of purchase of the road vehicle and its subsequent exportation to Australia its value has altered due to the following occurring: the addition of accessories, fittings or options, major restoration, modifications or any improvements to the road vehicle made after its purchase; or the road vehicle has depreciated due to wear and tear caused by usage before exportation, an example of this that during the 12 month period of ownership and use required to obtain a permit to import the road vehicle was subject to normal usage which added additional mileage and depreciation to the vehicle; Where any of the above situations have occurred, the Transaction value method cannot be used and an Alternate Methods of determining the customs value will be considered. Customs and Border Protection experience has shown that the majority of road vehicles imported cannot be valued using the Transaction value method because they were not purchased solely for export to Australia or the vehicle has depreciated since purchase due to use. (Australian Customs Notice, ibid ). Alternate Methods of Valuation: When the transaction value method cannot be used to determine Customs Value, the alternate methods of valuation, as set out in Section 159 of the Australian Customs Act will be applied in sequential order. There are several alternate methods to determine the customs value of privately owned road vehicle. The Fall-Back Deductive method is the most appropriate method for establishing the customs value of privately imported road vehicles when it is unable to be determined using the previously mentioned methods. This method is based on the value of the road vehicle at the Australian wharf. The value is established by referring to an expert appraisal. ( Australian Customs Notice, ibid ). In this context, the expert appraisal should provide a cost for the road vehicle as it has been appraised at the point of importation. The appraisal will include any modifications or accessories that have been made or added to the road vehicle prior to its importation to Australia but not any changes to the vehicle that will be required after importation. Once the Australian landed cost has been satisfactorily established, certain deductions will be made by Customs and Border Protection. The value so determined will be the customs value which will be used to determine the customs duty and GST payable. (Australian Customs, ibid ). Another issue to consider is the circumstances where the application of the depreciation method is not appropriate. Certain models and makes of cars enjoy a particular status in the collector market. As an example, certain cars appreciate in value as they become valued as collector or classic and vintage cars. It is not unusual for such cars to be worth much more than the price when sold new. In these cases, it will be necessary to establish a value, where the declared transaction value is doubted, through the use of specialized publications or auctions results, in the country of export. (Australian Customs Notice, ibid ). The used car valuation experience of Australia fully conforms to the methods of valuation of the Agreement on Implementation of Article VII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1994). The Customs value of new or second hand privately imported motor vehicles or motor cycles will be calculated using the transaction value method. This method will be used where the importer can show that the vehicle or cycle was purchased to be exported to Australia. When the transaction value method cannot be used to determine Customs Value, the alternate methods of valuation, will be applied in sequential order. Expert appraisal of used vehicles is used to assess the customs value. This method is consistent with Article 7 of the Agreement which provides for the Fall-Back method. Analysis of the Case Study An owner/ importer, a resident of Country I and a car collector, imported a vehicle from Country E. The owner / importer bought the car from a secondhand car dealership owned by the employer of his brother, which indicate the possibility of a related party transaction. According to Article 15 Paragraph 4 (h) of the Agreement on Implementation of Article VII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1994), persons are deemed to be related if they are members of the same family. Since the importer is a brother of the employee working at car dealership there is a relation. The question is whether this relation can affect the transaction value. Since the brother of the importer is only an employee and not an owner of the car dealership, there is no possibility for him to influence the price actually paid or payable. The case study indicated that the make and model of the car bought by the importer was not previously imported into Country I. Therefore, no previous transaction values of identical or similar goods could be found. Where no transaction value could be determined under the transaction value method of Article 1 of the Agreement on Implementation of Article VII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1994), for the goods being valued, it is necessary to consider a transaction value previously accepted by Customs for identical goods, as the goods being valued. If a customs value cannot be determined using the identical goods valuation method of Article 2 of the Agreement on Implementation of Article VII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1994), then the next step is to seek a transaction value previously accepted by Customs for similar goods as the goods being valued. Since there is no previously accepted identical or similar goods value, the identical and similar goods valuation methods, which presuppose the prior importation of the same make and model of the vehicle being imported, cannot be used. The transaction for Customs valuation purposes must be the sale for export to the country of importation. There must therefore have actually been a transfer of ownership resulting in the exportation of the goods to the country of importation. The case study shows that the importer had used the car in the Country of export prior to importation. Therefore the car is not purchased by the importer in the context of a sale for export to Country I. As shown in the experiences of other countries above, regarding the valuation of used goods and vehicles, if a vehicle after being purchased in the country of export is used in the country of export prior to importation, the transaction value method of valuation cannot be used because the value of the vehicle is altered. Therefore, this fact precludes the possibility of using the transaction value method of valuation. Another fact which is indicated in the case study is that, prior to export; the car had been stored and transported in the country of export. According to Article 8 of the Agreement on Implementation of Article VII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1994) there are costs which are added to the price actually paid or payable. The incorporation of Article 8 of Agreement on Implementation of Article VII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 additions on the transaction value, presupposes that the method of valuation used is the transaction value method. If the transaction value method of valuation is not used, the cost associated with the storage and transportation of the car in the country of export cannot be added because alternative valuation methods are used. The case study also shows that the importer presented to customs an appraised value of $ 40,000 assessed by an insurance company in the country of import. The Australian experience shows, the expert appraisal should provide a value for the road vehicle as it has been appraised at the point of importation. Therefore, appraised values in the country of importation can be acceptable. What is doubtful in this case is, whether the appraised value by an expert from an insurance company can be considered an independent appraisal and therefore can be used by Customs. The appraisal by insurance company cannot be independent from the importer and cannot be acceptable by Customs. The other point is that, the appraised value for insurance purposes may differ from an appraised value for customs purposes, in which case the appraised value by an expert from an insurance company cannot be acceptable. Therefore, the rejection of the appraised value by customs is correct. As indicated in the case study, during inspection by customs, a Country E car dealership receipt amounting to $ 80,000 made out to the importer was found in the glove-compartment of the car. Assuming the receipt is for the same make and model of the car purchased by the importer, the question to be asked is, whether the customs value of the vehicle can be based on the invoice. As indicated earlier, the vehicle had been used after purchase in the country of export. Therefore, the value of the vehicle had been altered which leads us to explore other valuation methods other than the transaction value method. Chapter 5 under the General Annex of the revised Kyoto Convention states that, the amount of security to be deposited to be kept at reasonable levels and therefore, ensure that they are not used for punitive purposes. The Customs administrations determine how much security is needed. The amount of security has to be as low as possible, and, in respect of payment of duties and taxes, is not to exceed the amount potentially chargeable. Therefore, according to the Revised Kyoto convention, the amount of security to be deposited to clear goods under protest is determined by Customs not by the importer. The information provided in the case study indicates the potential to be collected is $ 12,000 based on the receipt price of $80,000. Security amount of $ 12,000 does not exceed the amount potentially chargeable. Therefore, the action taken by Customs is consistent with the Revised Kyoto Convention. Summary and Conclusion 4.1 Summary The importer had used the car in the Country of export prior to importation. If a vehicle after being purchased in the country of export is used in the country of export, the transaction value method of valuation cannot be used because the value of the vehicle is altered. Therefore, this fact precludes the possibility of using the transaction value method of valuation. The make and model of the car bought by the importer was not previously imported into Country I. Therefore, the value of the vehicle cannot be determined using the identical goods and the similar goods valuation methods as well as the deductive value method, which presuppose the prior importation of the same make and model of the vehicle being imported or the reselling of the imported car. The case study indicated that the car is imported by a collector which shows that it is not for reselling. The information required to substantiate production costs will normally be held by the seller/manufacturer and therefore is unlikely to be immediately available to the buyer in the country of importation. Also, it is unlikely that the importer will be able to obtain this information unless he/she is related to the seller or has a long term trusting relationship/association. In addition it will not be possible to establish the cost of production of the imported vehicle in the condition in which it is imported. Therefore, it is not possible to establish the value of the used vehicle using the computed value method. The importer presented to customs an appraised value of $ 40,000 assessed by an insurance company in the country of import which was rejected by customs. Appraised values in the country of importation can be acceptable. Since the appraised value was assessed for the purpose of insurance which may differ from an appraised value for customs purposes, the appraised value by an expert from an insurance company cannot be acceptable. The invoice value of $80, 000 which was found by Customs inspectors in the glove compartment of the car could not be accepted as transaction value, because according to the Australian Custom experience, if the vehicle is used prior to exportation to Australia the initial transaction value of the vehicle will be altered due to wear and tear as a result of usage. 4.2 Conclusion For the valuation of imported goods using the fallback method, three principles must be adhered to the customs value must be determined using reasonable means; these means it must be consistent with the principles and general provisions of the    Agreement; as much as possible the customs value must be determined on the basis of data available in the country of importation. However, this need not be taken as ruling out the use of information from other countries. Consequently, the origin of such information does not prevent its use for the purposes of Article 7 of the Agreement on Implementation of Article VII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994, provided that the information is available in the country of importation and Customs is in a position to check that it is true and accurate. Therefore, one of the following two alternative ways can be used to determine the value of the vehicle with consultation between the Customs administration and the importer for exchange of information. The Fall-Back method is the most appropriate method for establishing the customs value of privately imported road vehicles when it is unable to be determined using the other methods of valuation. In the case of Australia, the value is established by referring to an expert appraisal. Therefore, using an appraised value conducted by an expert appraiser independent from the importer is appropriate. The other Fall-Back method, to be used is the used vehicle valuation guides published in the country of export, which lists retail sales values for vehicles in average condition. These values indicate the amount any purchaser can expect to pay for the vehicle, whether purchased for use in the country of export or for export to other countries. This neutral source of information is another way of assessing the value consistent with CVA.

Implementation of a Palmprint Recognition System

Implementation of a Palmprint Recognition System CHAPTER -VI 6. CONCLUSION SCOPE OF FUTURE WORK There are some key aspects to discuss about this thesis in general. First, it is important to mention that the main objective of this work implementation of a palmprint recognition system was successfully accomplished. Biometrics plays an important role in personal identification. The importance of biometrics in everyday life has been discussed and different biometric technologies are introduced. It has been shown that palm can also be a good biometric. The work reported in this thesis is summarized in this chapter. This Research Work proposed a novel approach for Palmprint Biometric Authentication System to identify the individuals based on their palmprints. The approach novelty could be found in the combinations between palmprints images transform techniques, features reduction technique and feed-forward neural network classifier. CASIA pre-processed hyperspectral database and MATLAB version 2016a with supporting toolboxes were used in our experiment work. Firstly, each pre-proce ssed palmprint image has read by MATLAB internal function, and it has transformed by using multiscale toolboxes in order to convert each image into data. The resulted data is projected by dimensionality reduction tool. Finally, neural network toolbox used for recognition training and verification the resulted vectors. We manually prepare proposed Gabor Wavelet and Local Binary Pattern function along with all Other function in MATLAB 2016 and a database of 200 palm images of 20 people is considered for the validation. This Thesis Work considers a novel and efficient method for the palmprint identification based on Gabor wavelet by using multi-block local binary patterns. Proposed method is further supervised through our proposed multi-layer feed-forward neural network for more accurate and computationally efficient recognition. Gabor wavelets efficiently filter the pre-processed image for getting optimum texture features through MB-LBP. Due to accurate feature representation of palm images through proposed LBP, anticipated MLFFNN training rate is high and we are getting much accurate results comparatively. Experiments are performed to make an analysis for the optimal palm region and LBP neighbourhood. We investigate the matching accuracy for the optimal parameters. The performance of the proposed method in term of accuracy and some other parameters is obtained and compared with some recent methods. These local characteristics are summed and orientation corresponding maximum local intensity pattern is conceded as optimal local direction. Micro pattern representation is obtained by LBP descriptor. Feature vector is prepared by histograms of 256 bins. In our proposed scheme we use the Gabor wavelets, which has wavelet like property, in orthogonal direction and smoothest contours. Orientation extraction is done optimally to get directional representation and feature size is reduced by extracting LBP histograms. Accuracy of Proposed system is about 99.6% and error rate is below 0.9%. Compared to other existing method proposed method provides robustness to noise, low complexity and small features length. Secondly 3x 3 direction pattern employed which extract the edge characteristics locally. Direction pattern further emphasis edge orientation and filter out non edges along irrespective direction of pattern. Local aggregation gives higher value (Local Intensity) at particular orientation. So, the competition for maximum local intensity can better select the orientation information. Secondly orientation information is not affected by intensity variations. Because of these reasons, it is obvious that our method is performing well. In this palm print recognition system, features such as region mask, orientation field and minutiae are being extracted. An efficient matching algorithm is being implemented which uses these features for comparison of the query palm print with the database. Hence this system tests the image with the database and checks if the person is aut henticated or not. This authentication system can be used in forensic science and other border control systems for authentication of palm prints. the proposed work is also tested on colour RGB (multi-dimensional) images and real time palm images. Further Works For future work, the combinations between another multiscale image transformation such as , , and other will be taken in addition to use alternative features reduction methods such as ICA, kernel PCA and other contemporary techniques are suggested to be used. In addition, the classifier type is suggested to change to show how the recognition accuracy could be improved. Although cancellable biometrics overcome the weakness of cryptography, current cancellable biometrics are still not secure enough for the palmprint identification. For example, attackers can still insert stolen templates replay and database attacks before systems can cancel the stolen templates and reissue new templates. Furthermore, current cancellable biometrics cannot detect replay and database attacks. In other words, if attackers insert unregistered templates into data links or databases, systems cannot discover the unregistered templates. To solve these problems, we can take advantages of cryptography and cancellable biometrics to design a set of security measures to prevent replay, brute force and database attacks for secure palmprint identification. One could improve the registration accuracy and the image combination process. A detailed study needs to be done on the effect of adding more frames for combination. This method could also be combined with the pose correction approach developed in the previous algorithm to make a robust system with further improved accuracy. In addition to these further directions, biometric researchers are in fact facing some open problems. Most biometric systems are examined only on zero effort attacks (general false acceptance rates). Do they still survive if experts attack them? Furthermore, how can we objectively evaluate and compare the security levels of biometric systems? It should be recognized that successfully breaking into biometric systems depends on money, time and knowledge. Biometric researchers are facing a dilemma. As we write everything to disclose our findings and algorithms for the sake of distributing knowledge to our society and the next generation, we are also providing the information that potential attackers require breaking into our systems.   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚      (b) Fig. 6.1 (a) A fake palmprint and (b) the corresponding genuine palmprint.

Execution as an Appropriate Deterrent to Crime :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Execution as an Appropriate Deterrent to Crime Execution is an appropriate punishment for people convicted of premeditated murder, rape, treason or child molestation. By allowing these people to live in prisons for their whole lives, taxpayers' money is being wasted. More money is spent on providing for convicts than is spent on disadvantaged children in the United States. New prisons also have to be built, using taxpayers' money, to house convicts. Those prisoners who are there for life should be executed, creating more room for other criminals without having to build more prisons. Execution would also lessen the level of violent crime because felons would not want to die. By making and example of people who are executed for murder, child molestation or rape, other people considering committing these crimes might be deterred. One needs to consider that it costs a lot to execute people. Also, a person executed might be innocent. Once someone is killed, there is no way to bring him back. There is also really no way to compensate the family for the mistake. By letting people live and not executing them, there is no risk that they execute an innocent person. There are other, more meaningful ways to punish people without killing them. By having a murderer make restitution to the surviving family members, he will have to consider what he did every day of his life. If the murderer is executed, it is over and the family will not be compensated. Also, working in jails and building new ones creates jobs for other people. Others also look at the moral issues. A constant truth everyone is taught is that two wrongs don't make it right. By executing people, some interpret it as saying that two wrongs do make it right. The executioner is also a murderer though he does it legally. The executioner must be a medical doctor , but by executing people., he is violating the Hippocratic Oath, that all doctors take, which says that he will preserve life, not destroy it. People who argue that execution is immoral have to realize that the law is above morals. Overall, it would cost less to execute someone than it would to feed, clothe, house and entertain a person for twenty years. The money saved by not having to provide for people in jails could be used to create other jobs for people.

The Road Not Taken Vs. Mother To Son Essay -- essays research papers

Paths are Like Stairs   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although they portray two very different writing styles, Robert Frost’s â€Å"The Road Not Taken† and Langston Hughes’s â€Å"Mother to Son† have a few things in common, especially their meanings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In â€Å"The Road not Taken† Frost speaks of a time in his life where he had to make a choice, a choice of which direction his life was about to go: â€Å"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood / And sorry I could not travel both† (1-2). â€Å"Mother to Son† also speaks of life in a metaphorical way, but as a staircase rather than two paths: â€Å"Well, son, I’ll tell you / Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair† (1-2).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Later in â€Å"The Road Not Taken† Frost describes the appearance of each road, one as being less traveled on than the other by people before him who had to make the same decision: â€Å"And looked down one as far as I could / Then took the other, just as fair / Because it was grassy and wanted wear† (4,6,8). â€Å"Mother to Son† takes it another step as to describe the staircase the mother had to climb. She explains how hard it was but also how she never gave up: â€Å"It’s had tacks in it / And splinters / And boards torn up / But all the time / I’se been a-climbin’ on† (3-5,8-9).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Road Not Taken† ends by giving a moral to us about Frost’s life and the path he did take. Although Frost doesn’t thoroughly explain the path he took, the reader ...

Problem Formulation and Identification Process Essay

â€Å"It doesn’t matter which side of the fence you get off on sometimes. What matters most is getting off. You cannot make progress without making decisions† (Jim Rohn). In the corporate world, leaders are faced with decisions that can make or break the organizations they represent. Several methods, consensus, brainstorming, systematic, and democratic are used in the decision making process. This paper will investigate the decision-making processes most prevalent in each team member’s organization, compare and contrast them, and will show the most favorable aspect of each style. Consensus The name of my company is Envicor. Envicor is a plastics molding company that manufactures anything that can be made of plastic. This author was recently hired as the national sales manager to oversee Envicor’s newest product line, sporting goods equipment. This author’s job is to promote the sale of portable pitching mounds to a broad range of customers. When it comes to decision making, Envicor uses the consensus method. Consensus is a process using group decision making. The input and ideas of all participants are gathered and synthesized to arrive at a final decision acceptable to all. Through consensus, the company is not only working to achieve better solutions, but also to promote the growth of community and trust. Consensus takes more time, as many resources are investigated before a decision is made. Team members become committed to the decision through consensus. The consensus method gives everyone experience with new processes of interaction and conflict resolution. For consensus to be a positive experience, the group should have 1) common values, 2) some skill in group process and conflict resolution, or a commitment to let these be facilitated,3) commitment and responsibility to the group by its members, and 4) sufficient time for everyone to participate in the process† (C.D.T. 2009). The goal of Envicor is to expand our product line to as many customers as possible. After making contact with a catalog company, a meeting is called  in order to discuss the pros and cons of including our product in the catalog. In the meetings, each person gets a chance to give his or her opinion. Once everyone has spoken, a decision is made. By using the consensus method, the group is able to come together and make a decision based on each person’s opinion. Advantages and disadvantages exist when using the consensus method of decision making.. Some examples are:Strengths:†¢Encourages cooperation instead of competition†¢Garners trust and confidence; everyone is involved in the final decision†¢Everyone agrees to the final decision no matter whether a majority, minority, or lone voiceWeaknesses†¢Lack of experience may lead to inefficient use of the method†¢Lack of control in meetings, conversation goes off topic†¢No â€Å"ownership† when decision is not correct or no consensus made (Notes on Consensus-Decision Making). Consensus seems to work well for smaller companies because it allows them to actually talk out their decisions and come together. Bigger companies might struggle with this type of decision making process because there might be too many employees and it could waste a lot of time. Brainstorming In the brainstorming model, all employees use free thinking to create ideas that will later be used as part of the project’s process. Brainstorming is useful because it allows all employees, some with extensive experience, to give their input. All members’ contributions allow them to â€Å"own† their role within the group and therefore, believe they have been a larger part of greater good. Like other decision making processes, brainstorming has advantages and disadvantages. One advantage is that all decisions are reached by consensus of the entire group. The larger the group is in a brainstorming session, the better the results will be. Everyone works from his or her strengths, weaknesses, experience, and education to find the best results for the project. Next, by making the decision a group project, everyone has a chance to  participate in the decision making process. They are able to voice their objections and give alternative suggestions. This open forum allows ideas to flow freely, and sound decisions are made quickly. A disadvantage of brainstorming is similar to one of its advantages. With more than two or three employees making a decision, the result can become a point of contention and a fight for power within the group. The more people involved in the process, the greater the propensity for debate, creating the possibility of a stalemate. Another disadvantage of brainstorming is something called group think. This occurs when one member of a group makes a statement, and the others follow along. Nothing is accomplished because only one person is making the decision with no alternate suggestions. An open dialogue does not exist; therefore, solutions to problems are not properly explored. SystematicThe systematic approach to decision-making is rational and analytical. (Concise Handbook of Management) This approach employs existing data, and the goal of the decision is the focus of the steps taken to put the decision together. This author’s organization uses the systematic approach for making most decisions. A strength of using the systematic approach is that information used to reach the final decision is based on factual data. The goal has been clearly identified; the objective(s) have been defined; the impact of not addressing the issue has been established. A weakness of systematic decision making, an example of which will be described in the following paragraphs, is that the decision can become stalled in the process. Additionally, regardless of how much research is done, if all principal stakeholders are not engaged in the process, a negative outcome is possible. Several years ago this author’s company developed a product that was designed to align with current imaging procedures. The equipment is a dual-head injector for use in CT scan. The purpose of the dual-head is to provide Radiologists with the capability of using not only contrast media for the CT exams, but also saline. Benefits of having the saline option developed as  the clinical team became more familiar with the system, but initially the service team was concerned about damage occurring to the injector head if a saline syringe was not used. At that time, without consulting other stakeholders, the service and engineering teams went to work on a solution that would prevent this issue.Several years later, as the clinical team was successfully promoting saline usage, the engineering department began shipping a cap for the saline side of the injector. Yes, the issue had been clearly identified, the objective for the project was defined, and the impact of not addressing the issue had been determined. However, because all stakeholders in the decision were not involved, and because the process took so long, the decision and resulting action became a very expensive mistake. Democratic In this participative form of the decision making process the superior(s) gives complete ownership of the decision to the subordinates (Sager 1999). The democratic decision making process allows for the employees (stakeholders) to have ownership of the decisions that are made. The majority vote wins, which can lead to fast and effective decisions concerning the stakeholders. In this decision making process the adage regarding having strength in numbers reigns true. A drawback to the democratic process can be that no one person takes responsibility for the decision if something goes wrong. It may be hard to pinpoint how the decision came to such a conclusion if it does not work out for the benefit for the stakeholders. In using the example of the Health Insurance Accountability and Portability Act (HIPPA) of 1996, a vote for change by a group of individuals affected by the way health records were handled was applauded, then when implemented, the act became more a hindrance than a solution to a problem. In the vast health systems used there was a need to implement a privacy feature to protect patients’ information, so the HIPPA regulations were signed into law in 1996. HIPPA was implemented by a democratic decision making process and became popular with health organizations such as Medicare and well known health insurance companies. Later HIPPA’s biggest fans became its biggest objectors because the law made it impossible for anyone to get  health information on the patient, including the parent(s) or guardians of minor children and the elderly, unless there was a form signed by the patient, the legal guardian, or POA. HIPPA soon became more frustrating than helpful, and the majority who voted for its implementation became the majority opposing it. So in implementing the democratic decision making process for the good of the people to whom the power is given, it must be made known that â€Å"with great power comes great responsibility (Uncle Ben, Spider Man Pt1). Contrast and ComparisonProblems and issues are generally inevitable when people are working together. Each individual decision making process can allow for better management of those situations for building a better organization. This does not mean there will be an absence of issues, but whether or not the team resolves the problem effectively. Each decision making process described above demonstrates to the reader the importance of adhering to a process that will work for each organization. The consensus method shows how the power of agreement can lead to a good decision. However, this method can be time consuming and teamwork plays a major role. Brainstorming will allow for creativity and open ideas, but can also cause conflicts and debates among the group members due to so many independent ideas being presented. In the systematic approach to decision making organization is critical. This process bases decisions on factual information. The systematic process can be costly if all members are not involved in the final decision. Democratic decisions are made based on majority input. The stakeholders are in total control of the decision making process. Speedy and effective decisions can be made; however, problems can occur because not everyone who can vote will vote. Then if a decision has a negative impact on the group it can be hard to identify the owner of the problem. The authors of this paper have investigated four types of decision making, consensus, brainstorming, systematic, and democratic. Advantages and disadvantages of each type have been presented, and finally, all were compared and contrasted with each other. References â€Å"Consensus Decision Making.† Aids Coalition to Unleash Power. Retrieved May 19, 2009. http://www.actupny.org/documents/CDdocuments/Consensus.html†Notes on Consensus-Decision Making.† Retrieved May 19, 2009. www.vernalproject.org/papers/process/ConsensNotes.pdfScott, Jonathan T. 2009, Concise Handbook of Management: A Practitioner’s ApproachChapter 17: Managerial Decision Making and Problem Solving, p131- 138retrieved 5/19/09 from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ehost/pdf?vid=9&hid=106&sid=f7f74d3b-190b-4f87-ae2e-438809c65b35%40sessionmgr109McConnell, C. R. (2006). Umiker’s Management Skills for the New Health Care Supervisor. Ch 25 pp.337-345. Sager, K.L., & Gastil, J.,(1999). Reaching consensus on consensus Communication Quarterly. 47(1), 67-79.

The appreciation and feasibility of higher education

As an emerging field of survey there are many challenges and inquiries that evoke when one declares higher instruction as a field of survey. Some people like Dennis Mileti ( 2003 ) could easy declare that since people talked about Emergency Management as a subject, â€Å" therefore it is. â€Å" Philips ( 2003:2 ) . In specifying higher instruction as a field of survey there are inquiries that will prosecute us for old ages to come as they have for the old ages ago. â€Å" Position documents will be written, perspective challenged, arguments entered in course of study commissions, turf conflicts waged in alumnus councils † Phillips ( 2003:2 ) . The argument is sometimes reduced to the inquiry of whose definition of ‘field of survey ‘ to be used. Philips ( 2003:2 ) suggests that we need to hesitate and analyze the yesteryear while contemplating the hereafter. How far we are with higher instruction as a field of survey and what way is it taking. We need to look back and state where we come from. harmonizing to Goodchild ( neodymium ) the survey of higher instruction has non yet reached adulthood but possesses many of the properties of scholarly field. He contests that programmes designed to fix individuals entry in higher instruction exist in profuseness. He besides states that there are about eight hundred professors who think of themselves as professors on higher instruction. This suggests that these professors would hold easy agreed with Mileti ( 2003 ) in that when people talk of something therefore it is. We need to look at what characterizes higher instruction and higher instruction as a field of survey in peculiar. Although in the past few decennaries there was really small literature sing higher instruction as a field of survey, new research suggests the antonym at the present. Hobbs and Francis ( 1973 ) and Francis and Hobbs ( 197 4 ) were able to that the theoretical research available in the disciplinary diaries was rare in the higher instruction. They besides found that there was small evident usage of periodical literature of the theoretical findings Kellems ( 1975 ( 3 ) , 135-154 ) . Goodchild ( neodymium ) suggests that there is a turning literature that deals with assorted parts of higher instruction sphere. So, this suggests that we are so traveling in a way. Let us utilize this definition of a ‘field of survey ‘ so that we can all be at par. This has no purpose to sabotage or pique anyone ‘s mind. Can we hold that as a field of survey, Higher Education is more embracing on the one manus, and does non hold its ain theoretical foundation, on the other? it relies on academic subjects such a societal scientific disciplines to explicate the educational procedure. Maybe it is because of this basic ground that we have seen less funding in the field of survey than in the academic Fieldss. Thingss have changed now, or they promising to alter or we need to alter things around. In the following subject I want us to look at the lively-hood and the sustainability of the field.Appropriateness and feasibleness of research within higher instruction.What can we look at and make up one's mind that we can take higher instruction as a field of survey? The argument comes back once more. When we look at the clip line of higher instruction we recognise many alterations with clip before 1994 and the state of affairs after 1994. By 1994, there were in south Africa 36 higher instruction Institutions, which were structured along racial and cultural lines and characterised by a crisp differentiation between universities ( 21 ) and technikons ( 15 ) OECD, ( 2008 ) . New lines would be drawn or are being drawn off from those of the yesteryear. Universities are get downing to see the bigger image now. Where all establishments want to go Centres of excellence. Some have chosen to go entrepreneurial university and other practical universities. the inquiry remains, how we become specializers in higher instruction if there is no specialization in higher instruction as a field of survey. How are the lectors prepared to run into the organizational aims? Nzimande, ( 2009:3 ) negotiations about the cardinal characteristics of higher Education and Training System. â€Å" aˆÂ ¦the system of HET will be supported by an institutional base that is both diverse and differentiated every bit good as being conceptualized as an integrated and consistent whole in which meaningful acquisition tracts are developed across institutional and workplace instruction and preparation signifiers. † Nzimande ( 2009:3 ) the people responsible for the development of these acquisition tracts are the higher instruction practicians. This sets out a challenge to all talks at Higher Education Institutions to prosecute in research in order to turn to the challenges that the curate of higher instruction negotiations about in the subject policy development. Other subjects in higher instruction would include but non restricted to higher instruction direction and leading, plan planning and development, research, passage surveies ( workplace to larning topographic point and larning topographic point to workplace ) . I view the followers as possible countries of research in higher instruction. The green paper on Skills development ( 1997 ) aimed to develop an â€Å" incorporate accomplishments development system which promoters economic and employment growing and societal development through a focal point on the instruction preparation and employment services † . if no 1 is making research on higher instruction we may ne'er happen out what this means and hence higher instruction establishments may ne'er be able to supply the service as suggested by the authorities. To simplify the above, in 1997 the above was taken frontward in the accomplishments development act ( 97of 1999 ) which aimed to: Develop accomplishments of the south African workforceaˆÂ ¦ . Encourage employers to utilize the workplace as a acquisition site Increase the degrees of investing in instruction and trainingaˆÂ ¦ Ensure the quality of instruction and preparation in and for the workplace ; To me all of the above I the act am research chances for higher instruction practicians. Lecturer and other higher instruction staff need to understand and hold expertness in the accomplishments needed for the work force. The lone manner we know how to break get new cognition is through research. This would assist the higher instruction establishments in footings of support from the authorities and other stakeholders based on the turnaround or the results of the preparation and sort of instruction they provide. This brings me to the quality of instruction and preparation in and for the work force. We need more people in the readying of lectors for covering with the demands of the work force. Through invention and promotion in engineering we may non keep the old cognition and hope that it will be equal for more old ages to come. The curate besides mentioned ‘quality intercessions ‘ which include among other things the debut of formal makings for talk Sers Nzimande ( 2009: 5 ) formal makings now will non needfully be formal makings in the following 10 old ages to come. We have seen state of affairss where establishments, in their quest to be the tbest, stop up bring forthing one line of work force more than any othrer. For illustration the University of Zululand is bring forthing more instructors than any other making at the present. Does it of all time occur to the leaders that at one phase these instructors will see what many people call a bottle cervix state of affairs, where there will be more pedagogues than the schools really necessitate? The Education white paper 3, and the National program for Higher Education ( NPHE ) in their policy paperss, they articulate increased engagement as one of the ends of Higher Education Transformation in South Africa, which is the accomplishment of equity in the higher instruction system.OECD, 2008. The higher instruction practicians are expected to react to this call and I f they are non prepared through research they will non react suitably. By reacting suitably I mean that engagement would be increased, equity achieved, and the quality of instruction non compromised. Increasing engagement and accomplishing equity in footings of gender, race, ethnicity, and socio-economic position is easy because it is a statistical issue. Covering with big Numberss of pupils besides needs a research base reply. A addition it is the duty showing itself as an chance to higher instruction practicians to venture out ways and agencies of covering with big Numberss in limited resources, for illustration. The other issue here that needs to be addressed is that of background. To reason, I would wish to indicate out to other fellow talks and faculty members that there is a brighter hereafter in higher instruction as a field of survey, and there can be more subjects than what I mentioned here.

Titanic History

As the Titanic sped across the North Atlantic on Sunday 14th April, 1912, it picked up a series of messages from other ships in the area warning about ice. Captain Smith was firm in hid belief that his ship was in no danger, and was urged on by Bruce Ismay the ship's owner, to prove the vessel's speed and reliability by setting to New York earlier than expected. â€Å"Full speed ahead,† remained the instruction, and although the captain steered the ship 25.7 km (16 miles) to the south before turning towards New York, no other notice was taken of the increasingly detailed reports about ice ahead. Where did these reports of icebergs ahead come from? From other ships by the use of wireless radio. The use of wireless on board a ship was still a novelty at the time of the Titanic's maiden voyage. Two radio operators were employed by Marconi rather then White Star Liner. Their names were Jack Phillips and Harold Bride. Radio operators spent their time dealing with personal messages and did not need to be on 24 hour duty. As the Titanic steamed westwards towards the ice it received nine messages – by telegraph and signal lamp – warning of danger ahead. Although not all of these messages reached the bridge the message from the German steamer Amerika sent about 4 hours before the Titanic hit the ice berg, was passed to Captain Smith in person. The night of 14th April was clear and bitterly cold. As a routine precaution, the lookout men up in the crow's-nest were warned to watch out for icebergs. Because it was such a clear night everyone thought there would be plenty of time to avoid any obstacle in the sea. But large ships at full speed do not turn quickly or easily, and when lookout Fredrick Fleet spotted an iceberg, at about 11:40 pm, it was too late to avoid a collision. As the ship approached Fredrick realised that the iceberg was considerably bigger than what he first saw. The titanic struck the iceberg at a glancing blow on the starboard side (right) of its hull and damaged appeared only slight. The iceberg was supposedly 30 meters over the deck but did little damage to the upper decks. However, below the waterline, and out of sight of the crew on the bridge, the iceberg punched a series of gashes and holes along 76 meters of the hull. The ship had 42 watertight bulkheads, but only 12 at the very bottom of the ship, could be closed electrically from the bridge. The rest had to be closed by hand. Some were left open, and others reopened to make it easier for the water pumps. Should a collision occur, the theory was that the ship would still float with two compartment flooded, or even with all four of the smaller bow compartments flooded. However, the bulkheads only reached three meters above the waterline allowing water to slop over from one compartment to another, thereby defeating the purpose of the bulkheads. At 12:05 am, 25 minutes after the collision, Captain Smith realised the extent of the damage to the Titanic and gave the order to abandon ship. For the next two hours total confusion reigned. There had been no lifeboat drill since leaving Southampton, and neither passengers nor crew knew where to go or what to do in the circumstances. Many felt it was safer to remain on deck than to be lowered into the freezing Atlantic aboard a lifeboat. Tragically, not one officer realized the lifeboats could be lowered fully laden. Had they done so a total of 1,178 people could have been saved rather than 706. As the lifeboats slid down the side of the Titanic, a flurry of activity took place on deck. The radio operators sent out distress signals. Officers on the bridge flashed messages by Morse signal lamps and fired rockets high into the sky to attract the attention of any passing ships. Yet despite all these actions, it was hard for many people to believe that this vast liner was capable of sinking. In order to attract any nearby ships, Fourth Officer Boxhall fired the fired of about eight powerful rocket signals at 12:45 am. Each signal sent up at five minute intervals was launched from the bridge and soared 240 meters into the air before exploding into a shower of light. As the Titanic slipped lower and lower into the water those left on board when the last of the lifeboats had departed were either gripped by a sense of panic or resign to their fate. As the ship plunged deeper into the sea, the stern rose up into the air, causing a tidal wave of passengers to fall of deck, some into the wreckage, others into the icy sea. The Titanic met it's horrific ending. It was Captain Smith's fault It was the shipbuilder's fault It was Bruce Ismay's fault It was Thomas Andrew's fault Why did the Titanic Sink? â€Å"We have struck iceberg †¦ sinking fast †¦ come to our assistance.† The ship was doomed and it was slowly sliding into its watery grave. But why did the largest, most advanced ship of the century sink? Recommendations on how a disaster could be avoided in the future. * That the provision of lifeboat and raft accommodation on board such ships should be based on the number of persons intended to be carried in the ship and not upon tonnage. * That all boats should be fitted with a protective, continuous fender, to lessen the risk of damage when being lowered in a seaway. * That in cases where the deck hands are not sufficient to man the boats enough other members of the crew should be men trained in boat work to make up the deficiency. These men should be required to pass a test in boat work. * That the men who are to man the boats should have more frequent drills. That in all ships a boat drill, a fire drill and a watertight door drill should be held as soon as possible after leaving the original port of departure and at convenient intervals of not less than once a week during the voyage. Such drills to be recorded in the official log. * That every man taking a look-out in such ships should undergo a site test at reasonable intervals. * That all such ships there should be an installation of wireless telegraphy, and that such installation should be worked with a sufficient number of trained operators to secure a continuous service by night and day